A gyratory crusher main shaft assembly has a main shaft, an axially upper region of the main shaft including a tapered conical section with a protective sleeve friction fitted over the cone. To facilitate mounting and dismounting of the sleeve, at least one groove is indented within a radially external facing surface of the main shaft at the region of the cone to allow fluid to be introduced under pressure to the region between the sleeve and the cone.

Gyratory crushers are used for crushing ore, mineral and rock material to smaller sizes. Typically, the crusher comprises a crushing head mounted upon an elongate main shaft. A first crushing shell is mounted on the crushing head and a second crushing shell is mounted on a frame such that the first and second crushing shells define together a crushing chamber through which the material to be crushed is passed.
The gyratory pendulum movement of the crushing head is supported by a lower bearing assembly positioned below the crushing head and a top bearing into which an upper end of the main shaft is journalled. Typically, the main shaft upper end is protected against wear by a sleeve. Commonly, the protective sleeve comprises a cylindrical geometry and is held at the main shaft via an interference or friction fit. Example protective sleeves are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,402,255; 1,592,313; 1,748,102; RU 718160; U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,825; RU 940837 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,583.
However, a number of problems exist with conventional protective sleeves. In particular, if the time taken to friction fit the heated sleeve onto the main shaft end is too great it is not uncommon for the sleeve to cool and shrink before it is forced onto the shaft to the correct and final position. Additionally, disassembly is often problematic as the sleeve is required to be cut before it can be removed. On large crushers, protective sleeves have a substantial wall thickness and this cutting operation can be time and labour intensive with the added risk of potential damage to the shaft. Conventional mounting and dismounting procedures, due to the design of the main shaft and sleeve, are therefore disadvantageous in that they pose a risk of damage to the main shaft (and other components), injury to personnel and unacceptably long downtime of the crusher during repair and maintenance. Accordingly, what is required is a main shaft and main shaft assembly having a sleeve that addresses the above problems.

Gyratory crusher main shaft and assembly


A system for mounting wall panels to an existing wall structure, includes a plurality of wall panels, each wall panel having a main panel section and hook walls at edges of the main panel section, with the main panel section and each hook wall having a U-shaped cross-sectional profile. There are also a plurality of fastening extrusions. Each fastening extrusion includes a securing section for securing the fastening extrusion to the existing wall structure, and a retaining wall structure at one end of the securing section, the retaining wall structure including a recess which receives one hook wall of the wall panel.

The present invention relates generally to a wall system, and more particularly, to a system for easily mounting wall panels over an existing wall structure.
In order to enhance the look of a wall structure, it is known to secure decorative wall panels to the wall structure. However, the securement of wall panels to the wall structure is generally a long and tedious job since it entails using fastening devices such as nails and/or screws to secure the walls panels directly to the wall structure. In addition, the fastening devices are exposed, which can provide an unsightly appearance.
A system that overcomes some of these problems is sold by Bamco Inc. of 30 Baekeland Ave., Middlesex, N.J. 08846 under the designation "G500 WALL SYSTEM." With this system, the wall panels are provided with right angle or bends at their edges. Each planar panel and the right angle bend together form an L-shape. Each bend is secured by screws to a fastening extrusion having the same linear dimension as the wall panel, and the fastening extrusion having a generally rectangular cross-sectional configuration. At each joint area where two panels meet, there are two such fastening extrusions connected together, each secured to a respective wall panel, with an elongated hard silicone gasket between the fastening extrusions. The fastening extrusions are arranged one above the other at each joint area. Thus, the screws are not visible, thereby eliminating the unsightly appearance of previous system.
However, because of the L-shape at the bends at the edges of the wall panels, it is necessary to separately secure each bend to a fastening extrusion by screws, in addition to securing the fastening extrusions to the wall structure by screws, further increasing the work required to assemble the wall panels. Also, because the bends in the wall panels extend only in a direction perpendicular to the wall panels, the only structural support is provided by the screws which secure each bend to a fastening extrusion. As a result, it is possible to loosen and/or pull out the wall panels.
In addition, in order to secure the fastening extrusions to existing wall structures, one of the connected pair of fastening extrusions is provided with an extension which is separately secured to the existing wall structure. This means that the main bodies of the fastening extrusions are spaced away from the existing wall structure, thereby providing a further weak link in the structure, besides making it more difficult to assemble.

System for mounting wall panels to a wall structure


Described is a technology, such as implemented as social networking groupware application designed for mobile device users, that provides a data mashup service for various data types, including location dependent and mobility-aware data such as GPS location and surrounding maps. A mobile user may track the location and maps of roaming friends at runtime. To this end, a client device joins a squad of client devices that are each capable of communicating with one another over a wireless local area network (WLAN) connection. When in a squad, the client can obtain data for use as mashup information from other client devices in the squad over the WLAN connection (inter-squad). This may include intra-squad data that was obtained from a service based on information that the service received from another squad, e.g., over a WWAN connection.

Friends and other related groups of people often want to be able to locate and track each other, as well as to possibly share information such as their current surroundings, sights, and feelings. For example, consider a large group of people together on a sightseeing tour or visiting a large amusement park. After arriving, they naturally break into subgroups (or squads), each with different interests and priorities, thus moving along different routes.
However, there is presently no reasonable way to locate, track and share data with one another in such squads, even though many people carry wireless communication devices such as Smartphones and the like. For example, while it is possible to call, leave a voice message, send a text message and so forth to another person, such existing solutions are not desirable or not as effective in certain circumstances. Wireless devices are subject to bandwidth limitations, require costly cellular data service, have battery power constraints, and have relatively small computational capacities. When combined with users' frequent location changes, there is heretofore no known way to perform cost-effective tracking and/or data sharing that overcomes the above-mentioned resource limitations, while maintaining data consistency for dynamic data.

Mashup application and service for wireless devices


This disclosure covers methods, systems, and computer-readable media that select answer choices from potential answer choices for a digital question based on responses to other digital questions and/or embedded user data. In certain embodiments, the disclosed systems select answer choices from potential answer choices for a digital question based on a multiple choice response. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the disclosed systems select answer choices from potential answer choices for a digital question based on keywords and/or sentiment values identified by analyzing a text response. In some embodiments, the disclosed systems select answer choices for a digital question from a dynamic choice reference dataset that comprises potential answer choices. Additionally, in one or more embodiments, the disclosed systems train and/or utilize a machine-learning model to select answer choices from potential answer choices for a digital question based on a response.

Digital content providers increasingly distribute digital surveys and other digital content to network users and other audiences. As digital content proliferates, digital content providers find both a virtually boundless amount of user data and digital survey participation from users using numerous computing devices. This increase in both user data and digital survey participation from users complicates the administration of digital surveys.
Digital surveys present a unique challenge to survey administrators because the increase in both user data and digital survey participation, often time, creates difficulties in managing and generating digital surveys that are relevant for individual users. For example, survey administrators, often times, provide digital surveys to large groups of survey participants. In order to provide digital surveys that are relevant to individual users in a large survey groups, survey administrators often create digital surveys with branching questions and answer choices.
However, creating digital surveys with branching questions and answer choices can result in computing inefficiencies. For instance, conventional digital survey systems store logic for each individual response and store questions for each possible individual branch. As a result, conventional digital survey systems can create and store compounding branches of digital survey questions which result in compounding amounts of data storage and data processing. For example, conventional digital survey systems may store hundreds of questions each with unique answer choice options in compounding branches to attempt to provide a digital survey of ten questions that is relevant to each user.
Additionally, oftentimes, digital surveys generated by conventional digital survey systems are inflexible. For example, conventional digital survey systems sometimes are limited in the number of possible answer choices that can be provided for a digital survey question by a compounding branch of digital survey questions and answer choices. Indeed, oftentimes, conventional digital survey systems cannot provide relevant digital survey answer choices for a digital survey question to a user because the conventional digital survey system is limited to providing answer choices available in the compounding branch of digital survey questions and answer choices.
Also, some conventional digital survey systems are unable to efficiently export or import digital survey questions and/or digital survey answers to other digital surveys due to the rigidness of conventional digital survey systems. For example, oftentimes, conventional digital survey systems utilize compounding branches of digital survey questions and/or digital survey answer choices, and therefore, cannot efficiently export or import the digital survey questions and/or digital survey answer choices because the digital questions and answers are strongly tied to a particular question logic of a particular digital survey, and therefore, a survey administrator often would simply need to recreate survey questions taking time as well as additional computational resources.
Moreover, conventional digital survey systems are often unable to administer relevant digital surveys to users, and therefore, the accuracy and usefulness of response data is often compromised in conventional systems. Indeed, despite attempts to use branching question logic to provide relevant survey questions and answer choices, the ability to customize a digital survey using branching logic of conventional systems is ultimately limited because the question logic becomes too complicated and/or the number of questions needed becomes unmanageable for survey administrators. Accordingly, due to the rigidness of the answer choices in conventional digital survey questions, conventional digital survey systems are often unable to provide relevant digital survey questions and answer choices to a user which results in irrelevant digital surveys for a user and inaccurate survey results for a survey administrator.
Accordingly, these and other disadvantages decrease the utility of conventional digital survey systems.


The present invention discloses a means and method for preventing damage to electronic ballasts for high frequency lamps. In normal use lamps assume rectifying characteristics and generate direct current which interferes with the proper functioning of the system. In one aspect of the invention, a capacitor is used to prevent damage caused by this direct current. In another aspect of the invention, the capacitor also reduces the operating voltage of the lamps while preventing damage caused by the direct current. Another aspect of the invention gives added control of the filament voltage before and after the ignition of the lamps. In a further aspect of the invention, a capacitor is connected in series with the primary of the filament transformer to prevent damage caused by a short circuited secondary.

In the fluorescent lighting industry, it is common practice to use a ballast, typically an inductor or a capacitor, to control the flow of alternating current. High-frequency fluorescent lighting systems, however, utilize an electronic ballast circuit which includes a ballast together with an inverter for generating a high frequency electric current which supplies virtually all of the power needed to operate the lamps. Also, a filament transformer is sometimes included in the electronic ballast circuit to heat the filaments of the lamps.
Existing electronic ballast circuits controlling high-frequency lamps have a tendency to overheat and fail when the lamps near the end of their lives. The gas discharge lamps operate on alternating current (AC) with the current flowing through the lamps in both directions, between two electrodes that act alternately as the cathode and the anode, and vice versa. Frequently, as the lamps become older one of the two electrodes loses its ability to emit electrons while the other electrode does not. When this occurs, the lamp conducts electric current more readily in one direction than the other. Thus, the lamp assumes the characteristics of a rectifier and generates direct current (DC) from the alternating current normally supplied to it. The direct current can burn out the primary winding of the filament transformer if that winding is connected to the rectifying lamp in such a way that direct current can flow through a closed path that includes the lamp and the filament transformer. This direct current is produced by the lamp and not by the high-frequency generator or inverter which furnishes AC power to operate the lamp, ballast and filament transformer combination.
This problem may cause significant additional harm in electronic ballast circuits that utilize an inductive ballast. An inductive ballast cannot block the flow of direct current. Thus, even a small DC current tends to saturate the magnetic core of the ballast. This reduces the inductance of the ballast and, therefore, interferes with its ability to limit or control the flow of alternating current. Thus, not only the magnitude of DC current but also the AC current can increase to a level which may damage the ballast inductor and other components in the inverter.
This is an unrecognized problem, especially in the case of high-frequency fluorescent lamps systems. Existing prior art systems, such as Paget U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,026 (FIG. 1), Zaderej U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,852, Spira U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,498, Capewell U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,207,497 and 4,210,846 (FIG. 4), Josephson U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,388,562 (FIG. 1) and 4,513,226, and Petersen U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,863 (FIG. 2) show designs in the indicated figures which are susceptible to damage as a result of excessive direct current.
In particular, with respect to low-frequency applications, ballast inductors have a relatively high winding resistance which is more effective in limiting the flow of direct current. Thus, low frequency ballasts heat up relatively slowly, enabling an over-temperature thermostat which is typically incorporated within the ballast, to turn off the power before any significant damage to the ballast occurs.
High-frequency ballast inductors, on the other hand, have a low winding resistance since a lower inductance is sufficient to control lamp current. In some cases, larger diameter wire is utilized to reduce electrical resistance and maximize efficiency. Due to this reduced resistance, the direct current resulting from the rectifying lamp can be much greater in high-frequency systems than in more familiar systems. This damages the ballast inductor or the inverter quickly before the protective thermostat has time to respond. For example, in some cases direct current through the lamp and ballast has been measured at four amperes, or about 10 times the normal lamp current.
Electronic ballast circuits for rapid-start fluorescent lighting applications sometimes include a filament transformer for heating the cathodes of the lamps. The voltage across the primary of the filament transformer is obtained directly from the high voltage across one or more lamps. The high-voltage primary winding of the filament transformer is therefore easily damaged by direct current from a rectifying lamp.
Presently available ballasts utilizing capacitors for the current limiting function do not conduct direct current. However, even though the ballast capacitors prevent damage to themselves and to the inverter components from rectifying lamps, they do not protect the filament transformers.

Means for preventing damage to electronic ballasts as a result of failure of gas discharge lamps


A semi-automatic three-dimensional light detection and ranging (LIDAR) point cloud data annotation system and method for autonomous driving of a vehicle involve filtering 3D LIDAR point cloud and normalizing the filtered 3D LIDAR point cloud data relative to the vehicle to obtain normalized 3D LIDAR point cloud data, quantizing the normalized 3D LIDAR point cloud data by dividing it into a set of 3D voxels, projecting the set of 3D voxels to a 2D birdview, identifying a possible object by applying clustering to the 2D birdview projection, obtaining an annotated 2D birdview projection including annotations by a human annotator via the annotation system regarding whether the bounding box corresponds to a confirmed object and a type of the confirmed object, and converting the annotated 2D birdview projection to back into annotated 3D LIDAR point cloud data.

Some vehicle advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) utilize light detection and ranging (LIDAR) systems to capture information. LIDAR systems emit laser light pulses and capture pulses that are reflected back by surrounding objects. By analyzing the return times and wavelengths of the reflected pulses, three-dimensional (3D) LIDAR point clouds are obtained. Each point cloud comprises a plurality of reflected pulses in a 3D (x/y/z) coordinate system). These point clouds could be used to detect objects (other vehicles, pedestrians, traffic signs, etc.). It is typically difficult, however, to distinguish between different types of objects without using extensively trained deep neural networks (DNNs). This requires a substantial amount of labeled training data (e.g., manually annotated 3D LIDAR point clouds), which increases costs. Accordingly, while such ADAS systems work well for their intended purpose, there remains a need for improvement in the relevant art.

Semi-automatic LIDAR annotation system for autonomous driving


A method for producing a semiconductor device includes bonding a transfer layer disposed on a first substrate to a second substrate and detaching the transfer layer from the first substrate. In bonding the transfer layer disposed on the first substrate to the second substrate, the method further includes placing a seal having a frame shape on a surface of the first substrate on which the transfer layer is disposed or a surface of the second substrate facing the first substrate, placing an adhesive in a region inside the seal, and superposing the surface of the first substrate on which the transfer layer is disposed on the second substrate with the seal and the adhesive. The seal and the adhesive are incompatible with each other. The seal and the adhesive are not cured in the period from placing the seal to superposing the surface of the first substrate on which the transfer layer is disposed on the second substrate.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method for producing a semiconductor device by a transfer technique.
2. Related Art
In recent years, there have been advances in the development of thin, lightweight, freely foldable flexible devices. For example, flexible displays typified by electronic paper have lightness, shock absorbing properties, and flexibility such that they conform to hands and thus can be electronic devices that play a role in a ubiquitous society. As such electronic devices, a device including a thin-film element, such as a thin-film transistor, formed on a flexible plastic substrate using a transfer technique is known, as disclosed in, for example, JP-A-2004-140383.
In a transfer process according to the related art, a separation layer is formed on a glass substrate serving as a transfer-source substrate. A thin-film element, which is a transfer layer, is formed thereon by a normal step. The transfer-source substrate is bonded to a plastic substrate, which is a transfer-target substrate, with an adhesive. The adhesion between the separation layer and the transfer-source substrate is reduced using light, heat, or the like. The transfer layer is transferred to the transfer-target substrate. The transfer of the transfer layer to the plastic substrate may be performed through two or more transfer steps. For example, in JP-A-2004-327836, the transfer layer is transferred from the transfer-source substrate to a glass substrate, which is a first transfer-target substrate. Then the transfer layer is transferred to a plastic substrate, which is a second transfer-target substrate. Thereby, the stacking relationship of the transfer layer provided on the transfer-source substrate can be reproduced on the transfer-target substrate.
In such electronic devices, the distance between the transfer-target substrate and the transfer layer is defined by the thickness of the adhesive. Thus, the thickness of the adhesive is required to be uniform in the entire transfer region. For example, a liquid adhesive is used to bond (superpose) the transfer-source substrate to the transfer-target substrate. In this case, although both substrates are planned to be superposed parallel to each other, the substrates may be tilted due to nonuniform weight distribution. The transfer layer held by the adhesive cured while the substrates are tilted is not arranged so as to have a uniform height from the plane of the transfer-target substrate, thereby possibly causing various problems in mounting. In particular, these problems become pronounced when the substrates are large.
To overcome these problems, JP-A-2004-327836 discloses a process of forming a surrounding member having a uniform thickness around a region to which an adhesive is applied and charging the adhesive thereinto. The surrounding member is composed of a material capable of uniformly forming the surrounding member and having sufficient strength such that the spacing can be temporarily maintained. JP-A-2004-327836 discloses the surrounding member formed of a nitride film or an oxide film having a uniform thickness formed by known CVD or sputtering or the surrounding member formed by patterning a resin film using photolithography.

Method for producing semiconductor device


The present disclosure generally relates to vaccine compositions for Herpes Simplex Viruses (HSV) types 1 and/or 2. The vaccines comprise isolated antigens or glycoprotein subunits of the viruses, optionally with an adjuvant, such as a cationic liposome DNA complex (CLDC). Also the present disclosure contains methods of vaccinating a subject utilizing these compositions.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to herpes simplex virus (HSV) vaccines, and more specifically to vaccine compositions of single and multi-antigen HSV subunit proteins, with or without an adjuvant, such as a cationic liposome delivery vehicle, and the uses of these compositions to immunize against herpes simplex virus types.
2. Background Information
Herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) cause human diseases, including, for example, cold sores, eye and genital infections, neonatal infections and encephalitis. There are two serotypes of the virus, the oral form, termed HSV-1 and the genital form, termed HSV-2. HSV-2 infections are the leading cause of genital herpes and the incidence of HSV-2 infection has increased substantially during the past 30 years. It is estimated that in the USA, for example, from 40 to 60 million people are HSV-2 infected, with an incidence of 1-2 million infections and 600,000-800,000 clinical cases per year. Prevalence in the 30-40 year old population is about 30%. Overall prevalence is higher in women than men, especially among the younger population. Moreover, there is increasing evidence that HSV-2 infections contribute to the spread of HIV.
Herpes simplex viruses establish lifelong latent infections within sensory ganglia and therefore recurrent infections are common. Reactivation of virus, i.e. release from latency, occurs periodically over the lifetime of the individual and may result in recurrent infection but always involves virus shedding.
The structure of herpes viruses consists of a relatively large double-stranded, linear DNA genome encased within an icoshedral protein cage called the capsid, which is wrapped in a lipid bilayer called the envelope. The HSV envelope harbors 12 surface proteins and glycoproteins. To deliver the capsid containing the double-stranded DNA genome into the host cell, the virus fuses its envelope with the host's cellular membrane, either at the cell surface or within an endocytic vesicle, depending on the cell type. Among the envelope glycoproteins, gC, gB, gD, gH, and gL participate in viral-cell binding and entry.
HSV remains a significant human pathogen in spite of effective anti-viral therapy. Anti-viral drugs, such as acyclovir, used to treat HSV infections and recurrences, target DNA replication. However, these drugs are administered only when clinical signs appear, but virus shedding occurs even in the absence of clinical signs and is a major source of spread in the human population. Thus, there is an urgent need for an effective HSV vaccine both for prophylactic use and therapeutic use.

Subunit vaccines for herpes viruses and methods of use

The Trustees of the University of Pennslyvania


Group communication technology, such as the Horus process, is used to implement a fault-tolerant high performance, reactive, real-time distributed IN coprocessor. The architecture of the distributed IN coprocessor comprises workstation clusters, external adaptors and an update interface interconnected by high speed communication links. Each workstation of the IN architecture represents a query element, so all the databases used by the IN coprocessor in the course of servicing incoming requests are split between query elements, provided that each of the workstations has access to the information stored in a certain database or databases. Group communication systems provide necessary features for managing and obtaining high reliability and operability of the IN coprocessor including failure detection, notification of other members of the system about the failures, reconfiguration of the system to exclude failed members, bringing back into the system the members that have been recovered, and updating the recovered or new members according to the new state of the system.

The present invention relates generally to the art of hierarchical structures for telecommunication switching nodes where each switching node comprises a switch and Intelligent Networking (IN) coprocessor. More particularly, the present invention relates to the use of group communication technology to implement a distributed IN coprocessor.
The distributed IN coprocessor of the present invention comprises at least one external adaptor (EA), multiple query elements (QE), and an update interface (UI), all of which are the members of the same Horus group. In such a distributed architecture the data bases used by the IN coprocessor are split among the structural elements of the coprocessor to provide for increased information storage capacity and for the possibility of periodical "on the fly" software upgrades without halting the IN coprocessor.
The concept of the intelligent network (IN) came to existence as a result of a merger of advanced telecommunication and computer technologies to become a key feature under a broad range of new functions and services that modern telecommunication service providers offer businesses and individual customers. The term "intelligent network" has come to identify an interconnected system of functional elements that can implement changes and modifications of itself or its behavior through software means as opposed to hardware.
Before the intelligent network era, the intelligent part of servicing an incoming call in a telecommunication system was performed either by human operators or by fixed logic relay switches. This simple mode of a telecommunication system provided the customers with such a simple phone service as call routing, for example, but that system was incapable of providing advanced services like 1-800 or 1-900 calls, conference calls, caller ID, call forwarding and the like. In other words, the functions of call processing and actual delivery of the calling service were performed by the same switching node with only very limited call processing capability.
With the development of the foregoing computer technology, fixed relay logic devices gradually became obsolete and were replaced by programmable switching devices which were flexible and easily adaptable to changes. Such computer programmable switches were suitable for handling much higher volumes of phone calls at a much higher speed while offering the subscribers a range of more sophisticated available telecommunication services. Another change in the functionality of the switching devices was brought about by the advent of the "out-of-band" signalling, meaning that the voice channels of a telecommunication system were separated from the channels that processed the information necessary to handle the calls, like routing or billing. Thus, there arose a possibility of expanding the range of available features and services in a telecommunication system by combining the benefits of a flexible programmable switching device with a separate data signaling infrastructure. Such a possibility was realized in the electronic switching system. The current, seventh version of the electronic switching system, signaling system 7 (SS7), has become the standard for all communication link exchanges in the U.S. and many other countries.
The SS7 system switch itself is capable of performing a well known set of simple tasks, such as call routing for regular calls, hang-up processing and other simple functions. But when the SS7 system switch receives a more complex request that it is not programmed to service, it has to place a query to another network element to handle the request. The part of the SS7 telecommunication network that services the complex requests and relays back to the switch the instructions as to how to further handle such requests is the intelligent network (IN) coprocessor.
An example of a complex request that requires more intelligent handling than a switch can provide and, therefore, requires the participation of the IN coprocessor, is a 1-800 number call. In this case the SS7 switch does not immediately route the call, but connects to the signaling network and communicates the query to the IN coprocessor.
The IN coprocessor responds to the query by providing the switch with two sets of instructions necessary to service the 1-800 call. First, it converts the toll-free number into the real standard-format number using a database that contains the pertinent information and instructs the switch to direct the call to the real number. Second, the IN coprocessor relays back to the switch the billing instructions that reverse the charge for the call to the receiving party. Other similar typical functions performed by the IN coprocessor include caller ID, automatic transferring of a call according to the caller's phone number, conference calling, and voice menus.
Since the address-translation functions together with handling call routing and billing instructions in the IN coprocessor are managed by programmable computers, it becomes relatively easy and inexpensive to develop software and reprogram the computers in a way that allows implementing various combinations of old and new telecommunication services for different categories of calls and groups of customers without having to re-implement the switches themselves. The ability to provide customized responses to the incoming requests by programming or reprogramming the query-handling computers within the network and, in particular, within the IN coprocessor, is the underlying concept of the intelligent networking technology.
Typically the intelligent network comprises the following functional elements: service switching points, service control points, service transfer points, service management system, service creation environment, service nodes, adjuncts, and intelligent peripherals. The elements of the IN network that are of importance in describing novelty and advantages of the present invention are the following:
service switching points (SSP), serving as an interface between customers placing calls and the rest of the intelligent network. These are programmable electronic switching systems that are programmed to determine whether an incoming call requires special handling and to relay the appropriate request to the IN coprocessor for call routing and billing instructions. PA1 service control points (SCP) that are "the brain" of the intelligent network. A SCP is an on-line database that contains all kinds of customized information about subscribers, service delivery instructions and other pertinent call processing data. Service control points function as call and service control elements of the IN network by relaying call processing information to the service switching points via multiple communication links, like SS7 communication links. PA1 signal transfer points (STP) that are packet switches (often referred to in the Internet context as "routers") of high capacity and reliability. Their main function is to route signals between switches and between SSPs and SCPs.
Until recently, IN coprocessors have most often been implemented by fault tolerant computers, such as the ones manufactured by Tandem(TM), or Stratus(TM), usually connected by dual channels to a switch. The dual channel connection between different elements of the IN network ensures that there will be no single point of failure. Although this implementation meets the fault-tolerance requirements of the SS7 specification, it also has two limitations. First, a single machine has a limited memory capacity or disk space, limiting the size of the databases it can store and handle. Second, when a single machine is used, it is either very difficult or completely impossible to perform "on the fly" software upgrades without halting the entire IN coprocessor.
In the prior art the above limitations were typically overcome by using a clustered style of distributed architecture to implement the IN coprocessor. In such a distributed architecture the databases used by the IN coprocessor are split among the elements of the coprocessor. These elements of the coprocessor are computers that are interconnected and can communicate with each other. The split database concept allows the IN coprocessor to store and process much more information than a single computer IN coprocessor would be capable of storing and processing, as well as allowing it to bring down a single computer, load the new version or upgrade the software in that computer, bring the computer up, and then repeat this procedure with other computers, one at a time, until all the computers of the coprocessor have been updated.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,467 to Ahmad a distributed intelligent network communication system comprising the network of interconnected multiple databases (SCPs) and switches (SSPs) is disclosed. The problem addressed by that Patent was handling complex telecommunication services that require more exchanges of data between SSPs and SCPs without delays in obtaining the call processing information. The solution disclosed by Ahmad was to preprogram the SCPs of the network to recognize the situations where handling the call required additional information from another SCP. After such a recognition has taken place, the Ahmad IN network is adapted to relay a query between a switch and a database or between different databases. The elements of that IN system include, in particular, a signaling network that interconnects switches and multiple data bases. The signaling network transmits messages between SSPs and SCPs in SS7 protocol. In that network the communication occurs not only between a switch and a data base, but also between different data bases. In a situation when a data base cannot answer a request, it forwards the request to another database instead of sending the request back to the switch that originally issued the request. When another data base generates the reply, it communicates the reply to the switch. According to a different mode of processing queries disclosed in the Ahmad Patent, a database that cannot handle the request forwards it to another switching system for further processing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,500 to Satter et al. discloses a call processing architecture that includes external information sources coupled with a plurality of distinct and modular servers for connecting the call processor to the external information sources. The servers operate independently from the call processor and are reconfigurable without affecting the functionality of the call processor. The disclosed architecture is characterized by the ability to use both a dedicated service node for autonomously delivering a particular calling service and a SCP with access to the resources of an intelligent periphery (IP).
But in order to provide a reliable IN coprocessor in good operable condition there still exist several problems that the prior art Patents failed to address. These problems include the implementation of the IN coprocessor capable of sustaining a large number of requests (calls) per second (in other words, high throughput), the implementation of an architecture that uses a cluster of computers as a coprocessor for a single switch, and creating a distributed IN coprocessor that meets the fault tolerance requirements of the SS7 specification.
The advantages of the present invention over the prior art references reside in the fact that for the first time the operability requirements expected from an IN coprocessor are met by using group communication technology to implement a distributed IN coprocessor while successfully solving the problems of achieving high throughput and low latency communication, and maintaining the necessary fault tolerance requirements. In other words, the present invention uses group communication technology for building fault tolerant high performance reactive real-time applications, such as distributed IN coprocessors. Taking into account the fact that IN coprocessors represent a multi-billion dollar hardware market, it is highly desirable to implement a distributed IN coprocessor architecture that is free of performance problems of the distributed IN systems disclosed in the prior art Patents that do not use the group communication approach.
Group communication systems use the abstraction of process groups to simplify the design and implementation of fault-tolerant distributed applications. Process groups are an addressing domain, allowing messages to be sent either to the entire group, or to a subset of the members of the group by invoking a single downcall. A group communication system guarantees that such a message is delivered reliably to all of its recipients. Another useful feature of group communication technology is that group communication systems provide failure detection, which notifies members of the group about failures of other members, and automatically reconfigures the group to exclude a failed member whenever a failure occurs, or to bring back into the group recovered members once they have recovered. In the latter case, group communication systems also provide tools for updating recovered members regarding the new state of the system. For a more detailed description of group communication technology and systems, reference may be made to United States provisional patent application entitled "Horus: A Flexible Group Communication System" filed Aug. 28, 1996 under Express Mail Certificate of Mailing No. EH762631712US and to United States provisional patent application entitled "A Framework For Protocol Composition In Horus" filed Aug. 28, 1996 under Express Mail Certificate of Mailing No. EH762631638US, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
None of the prior art Patents implements group communication technology in a telecommunication system for achieving a high throughput by buffering requests that correspond to several calls for a short while and then sending them together, using circular queues of requests to limit the number of timer expiration events on the implementation of the external adaptors, and using the water marks approach to overcome overloads in the system. Moreover, the Ahmad system does not provide for the devices similar to the external adaptors in the present invention that handle queries according to the queries'parity and serve either as a primary or a backup external adaptor in servicing a query. Similarly, the method described in the Satter patent does not describe the method of handling a query by external adaptors and multiple query elements.
Another problem that has not been addressed in the prior art Patents is achieving a high throughput by using a clustered IN coprocessor for a single switch. Though it is understood that the principles of the present invention are applicable to building IN networks with the IN coprocessors communicating with many switches, the present invention specifically considers the mode of the operation of the IN coprocessor in which it communicates with only one switch. The "one switch-one IN coprocessor" embodiment of the present invention prevents sharing of one IN coprocessor between many switches, and thus provides a better utilization of the database resources, better throughput, and better guarantees that the switch sustains more calls during overloads. However, it is to be understood that the present invention also includes within its scope several switches connected to the same IN coprocessor via a single signal transfer point.

Distributed architecture for an intelligent networking coprocessor


A method for verifying the certification of a recording apparatus (14) associated to a control device (12), wherein the control device (12) validates a first certificate written on the recording apparatus (14). Furthermore, a method for identification of a recording apparatus (14), a method for handling a recording apparatus (14), and a recording apparatus for use in connection with a control device (12) are disclosed.

Using surveillance systems employing digital recorders for recording obtained data it is important to be reliable when making these recordings. This ensures that recordings will always be present whenever an event occurs that requires the recordings to be replayed.
Digital recorders for surveillance systems are equipped with recording media such as USB memory sticks, CD/DVD/Blue-Ray optical disks and state of the art hard disks. Each of these recording media can store recordings of surveyed audio, video and collected metadata.
Generally, a digital recorder consists of a control unit, and one or more recording apparatus. In state-of-the-art digital recorders the recording apparatus is field replaceable. A main technical feature of the recording apparatus is the capability to guarantee reliability of the recordings made by the digital recorder. It should be noted that most recording apparatus have physical moving parts such as hard disks and optical disk drives having moving heads and spindles, USB memory sticks having embedded NAND flash with limited lifetime. These moving parts limit the physical lifetime of the recording apparatus.
During the lifetime of a digital recorder the recording apparatus and its subsystems will have to be replaced. If the recording apparatus is replaced in the field, the digital recorder supplier has to ensure that the replaced recording apparatus has required quality characteristics.
US 2002/0135684 A1 discloses a method of switching between video signals in an image switching apparatus which has a switch for switching between a video signal supplied by a camera and a video signal supplied by a recording apparatus. Furthermore, a circuit for processing the video signal coming from the recording apparatus is provided. The processing circuit compares the video signal coming from the recording apparatus with the video signal supplied by the camera. Afterwards it sets an operating mode on the basis of the comparison result.

Method for verifying the certification of a recording apparatus


Apparatus for unlocking and locking a lock (1′) enabling access to protected areas. The apparatus comprises a housing (5) with a housing interior (64). A rotational shaft (30) is in operative connection with the housing. A motor (10) extends in the housing interior (64), is in operative rotational connection with shaft (30) and is operative to rotate the shaft (30). A battery cell (9) extends in the housing interior (64) and is in partially surrounding relation of the motor (10). The battery cell is in operative electrical connection with the motor (10). In cross section, the battery cell (9) includes at least two points (34) and (36) such that a line segment (32) joining these two points passes through the motor (10).

From Polish application P.336314 a driving device for a lock is known. The driving device, fixed on the door as a plate fitting, for the motor-driven and manual actuation of a locking cylinder, has a drive shaft for transmitting rotation to the locking cylinder, a turning knob for manually turning the drive shaft and a gear motor, arranged in the turning knob, for the motor-driven rotation of the drive shaft. A driving toothed wheel is seated on the drive shaft in a non-rotating manner and is connected with the turning knob such that it transmits torque. The gear motor is coupled to the plate fitting in a non-rotating manner and it becomes coupled to the driving toothed wheel by means of a coupling when current is applied.
From German patent application DE102014009826A1 a device for unlocking and locking entrances to access-protected areas is known. The device has a cylindrical housing. The housing holds a base plate, a miniature motor, preferably a direct current motor, an electric battery, a blocking assembly and a control unit. The blocking element of the blocking assembly is a rod with a ring, moved by the electric motor via a torsion spring arranged to transmit motion from the motor to the rod. The electric battery is to provide power supply to the control system irrespective of power supply for the device via an external power supply line. The control unit is controlled via a wireless connection.
Driving devices for changing the condition of a lock may benefit from improvements.

Driving device for unlocking and locking a lock


A circuit and a method for decoding a color code of a 3D display. The color code decoding circuit is built into an on-screen display of a circuit in a display. The color code decoding circuit has several comparators, several recording buffers, a register, a first counter and a second counter. The comparators read a 3D image signal and compare this 3D image signal with a reference signal to obtain a color code value by decoding. The color code value is then recorded in the recording buffer.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a circuit and a method for decoding color codes of a 3D video signal. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and a circuit built into an on screen display unit in a display to decode a 3D video signal into a color code.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the objectives of developing technology is to improve living quality. As technology continuously progresses, living quality is constantly enhanced. For example, in audio video systems, the planar (2D) image has now advanced to a 3D (stereo) image with a bodily experience.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic drawing of a 3D color code. In FIG. 1, a vertical synchronous signal with first 64 lines of horizontal synchronous signals of a 3D image is shown. The color code signal is a signal to distinguish a 3D image format in a 3D stereo video system (not shown). The signal is normally hidden in a video graphics adapter (VGA) signal. By mapping the red (R) signal, green (G) signal and blue (B) signal, the color code hidden in the video signal can be detected. The display then processes properly according to the image format.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic drawing of a 3D video system. In FIG. 2, the conventional decoding method of a 3D video color code is to output a 3D video signal in a video signal from a VGA card 204 of a computer 202. Via a cable 206, the 3D video signal is then sent to a signal processing box 208 with a 3D video color code decoding and signal processing circuit. The 3D video color decoded circuit in the signal processing box 208 detects the color code signal and determines the type of the 3D video signal (the currently used 3D video signal format includes Sync Double, Line Blinking, Page Flipping and Interleave) for proper video signal process.
After being decoded and processed by the signal processing box 208, the 3D video signal is sent to the display 210 to display a 3D video image. The wireless eradiation device 212 transmits the 3D synchronous signal in a form of an electric wave to a pair of 3D glasses. The observer can thus have a 3D vision by alternately blocking one eye.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a conventional 3D video color code decoded and signal processed circuit. In FIG. 3, the comparator 302 compares the level of R signal of the RGB signal output from a VGA card. The comparison result is output to a micro-controller 310 as color code decoding data. Similarly, the comparators 304 and 306 compare the levels of G and B signals of the RGB signal, respectively, as color code decoding data, which are then output to the micro-controller 310.
The horizontal and vertical synchronous signals output from the VGA card are used for circuit synchronization of the micro-controller 310 and the display (not shown). The micro-controller 310 generates a 3D synchronous signal, which is then sent to a pair of 3D glasses, according to the horizontal and vertical synchronous signals. The blocking speed of the 3D glasses is thus synchronous to the 3D video image shown by the display. The micro-controller 310 further comprises a function of processing signal. When the micro-controller 310 receives the color code decoding data from the comparators 302, 304 and 306, the type of the 3D video signal is determined according to the built-in 3D video signal format data. A proper image signal process is then performed.
Accordingly, the conventional color code decoding system is of a 3D display is installed in an external signal processing box. The signal processing box is connected to the VGA card of computer via a cable. The color code decoding system of the 3D display receives an image signal output from the VGA card. Thus, a decoding device (typically a micro-controller) is required between the computer and the display to decode the 3D video signal. This is very inconvenient and not economic at all.

Circuit and method for decoding color code of a 3D display


An improved pin housing sub-assembly configured for reliable assembly and stability as an intermediate sub-assembly. The length of the plunger return spring is greater than the diameter of the spring well in the pin housing, such that the spring cannot be accidentally installed sideways in the well. During assembly, the non-compressed longer spring places the pushrod seat flush with the end of the pin housing. A shallow annular groove is provided in the inner wall of the pin housing near the outer end thereof, and an expansion ring may be installed therein when the plunger return spring is slightly compressed. The expansion ring holds the sub-assembly together as an intermediate but is displaced by the spring tower in a subsequent assembly step to become the locking ring between the pin housing and the spring tower, as in the prior art.

Hydraulic valve lifters for internal combustion engines are well known. Some prior art lifters are specially constructed to permit selective deactivation of an engine valve as desired, thereby selectively deactivating the corresponding engine cylinder; see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,207 B2, issued Dec. 24, 2002 to Spath et al., the relevant disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
A typical prior art deactivation lifter includes an elongate lifter body having a lower end configured for engaging a cam of an engine. An elongate pin housing slidably disposed within the lifter body includes a radially directed pin bore. A plunger is concentrically disposed within the pin housing. A deactivation pin assembly is disposed within the pin bore and includes two pin members that are biased radially outward relative to each other by a spring therebetween to selectively couple the pin housing to the lifter body when valve activation is desired. The pin members are configured for moving toward each other when the pin chamber is pressurized, thereby retracting the pin members from within the lifter body and decoupling the lifter body from the pin housing when valve deactivation is desired. An elongate spring tower for retaining a lost motion spring has an outer wall concentrically disposed and retained within the outer end of the pin housing. The spring tower typically has slotted tabs or other engagement means and is flexible enough to be pushed downward into the pin housing during assembly until each of the tabs is received within and snaps into or otherwise engages an upper annular groove formed in the inside wall of the pin housing, or into an expansion ring disposable into the annular groove.
The assembly procedure requires that many steps be performed correctly to produce a usable pin housing and spring tower sub-assembly. The procedure is subject to error, however, in that the length of the plunger return spring is less than the diameter of the receiving well in the pin housing, such that the spring may inadvertently and catastrophically turn sideways in the pin housing prior to installation of the plunger sub-assembly against the spring rendering the lifter inoperative or adding significantly to the assembly time of the lifter.
Further, in lifter manufacture, it would be useful to have a pin housing sub-assembly that is self-contained and may be transported or tested or inventoried without falling apart.
Therefore, what is needed in the art is a pin housing sub-assembly wherein the plunger return spring cannot be mis-installed by turning sideways, and wherein the sub-assembly including an expansion ring is held together by the expansion ring itself.

Pin housing sub-assembly for an hydraulic valve lifter


A reaction surface array diagnostic apparatus and method of making the same includes a substrate carrying a plurality of reaction surfaces and a gasket having a plurality of through bores, each alignable with one of the reaction surfaces and forming a fluid tight well about each reaction surface when the gasket is sealingly affixed to the substrate. In one aspect, the gasket and the substrate are mounted in a support. In another aspect, a plate having a plurality of through bores is mountable on the gasket and substrate. Clamp members engage opposite side edges of the plate, the gasket and the substrate.

In situ diagnostic techniques have evolved into a high speed, highly automated process. Standard size test chambers in the form of microarrays of columns and rows of individual wells are formed by means of a microtitre plate or plates on a substrate to which the microtitre plate(s) is attached. The standard matrix of columns and rows is available in different sizes to suit different automated equipment.
It would be desirable to provide a simple and expedient means for creating a plurality of reaction surfaces on microscope slides in the footprint of a standard microtitre plate for use in automated in situ diagnostic apparatus. It would also be desirable to provide a reaction surface array diagnostic apparatus which provides an easy assembly of the individual apparatus components; yet an assembly which is easily disassembled. It would also be desirable to provide a reaction surface array diagnostic apparatus which includes means for securely retaining the apparatus components together during use.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Reaction surface array diagnostic apparatus


This invention relates to an apparatus, system, and method for creating a high-k gate stack structure that includes a passivation layer. The passivation layer can be constructed from a deposition of silicon carbide. The silicon carbide provides robustness against oxidation, which can reduce the capacity of the stack. The silicon carbide is thermodynamically stable during the deposition process and results in a clean interface.

For the past several decades, the shrinking of feature sizes in integrated circuits has enabled faster and more efficient devices. Scaling to smaller feature sizes also enables increased densities of functional units on the limited real estate of semiconductor chips. As the geometries of electronic devices continue to shrink and the density of devices continues to increase, the size and aspect ratio of the features are becoming more aggressive, e.g., feature sizes of 15 nm or smaller and aspect ratios of 10 or greater are being considered. The increasingly smaller devices are not without issue, and new device fabrication techniques are necessary to overcome the physical obstacles that become apparent at small sizes.
Currently, the semiconductor industry relies on the ability to reduce or scale the dimensions of the basic components, including the gate dielectric, of its transistor devices to obtain lower power consumption and higher performance. To reduce transistor size, the thickness of the gate dielectric is reduced in proportion to the shrinkage of the gate length. Increased scaling and other requirements in microelectronic devices have created the need to use other dielectric materials as gate dielectrics, in particular dielectrics with higher dielectric constants (k) to replace the conventional use of various combinations of SiO2, Si3N4, and SiON. Practical higher dielectric constant (k) materials, in some cases, have the properties of high permittivity, thermal stability, high film and surface quality and smoothness, low hysteresis characteristics, low leakage current density, and long term reliability. However, polysilicon gates and high-k dielectric materials have interface issues.
Therefore, there is a need for a process to form dielectric materials, especially high-k dielectric materials, which have reduced defects from oxide formation.

Gate-stack structure with a diffusion barrier material

International Business Machines Corporation


A carbon nanotube (CNT) electron emitter source is provided according to the present invention. The CNT electron emitter source includes a dielectric glass substrate (101), a plurality of cathode connectors (102), a plurality of metal wires (103), a plurality of CNT electron emitters (104) provided on surfaces of the metal wires, and a plurality of dielectric barriers (105). The cathode connectors are distributed along two opposite sides of the dielectric glass substrate. Each of the metal wires has two terminals secured on a pair of corresponding opposite cathode connectors. Each of the metal wires has a substantially protrusive surface, and at least some of the electron emitters discretely extend from the protrusive surface into a space surrounding the metal wire. The dielectric barriers are distributed on the dielectric glass substrate alternately between the metal wires.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a field emission device, and more particularly to a field emission device having a carbon nanotube (CNT) electron emitter source.
2. Prior Art
CNTs were originally produced as by-products of fullerene synthesis. CNTs have remarkable mechanical, electronic, and magnetic properties, which can be varied in principle by varying diameters and chiralities of the CNTs and the number of concentric shells that constitute each CNT. CNTs with extremely small diameters, hollow centers, chemical inertness, and mechanical strength have been used in a vast range of nanotube applications, such as electron field emitters, room-temperature transistors, and vehicles for hydrogen storage. In particular, there has been much effort to develop field emission displays (FEDs) using CNTs. CNT-FEDs have great potential for being applied to emissive devices including flat panel displays, cathode-ray tubes, backlights for liquid crystal displays, outdoor displays, and traffic signals.
Field emission is usually defined as "the emission of electrons from the surface of a condensed phase into another phase, frequently a vacuum, under the action of a high electrostatic field." Since no thermal energy is necessary, field emission is called a "cold emission" process. A conventional FED depends on field emission from an array of small micro tips. A high electric field is applied between a gate electrode and tip emitters, whereby field emission of electrons from the tip emitters is induced. The ejected electrons strike a phosphor-coated screen, whereby visible light is emitted.
CNTs are generally considered to be the best field emitters, due to the very high electrical conductivity and extremely small tip area of each CNT. U.S. Pat. No. 6,642,639, granted to Won-bong Choi etc. on Nov. 4, 2003, discloses a field emission array adopting CNTs as an electron emitter source. Referring to FIG. 1, the field emission array includes a rear substrate assembly 100 and a front substrate assembly 200. In the rear substrate assembly 100, a plurality of cathodes 11 are formed as stripes over a rear substrate 10, and CNTs 11′ are deposited on the cathodes 11. The front substrate assembly 200 includes a combination of a front substrate 20 and a nonconductive plate 23. A plurality of anodes 21 are formed as stripes over the front substrate 20, and a phosphor layer 22 is deposited on each of the anodes 21. The nonconductive plate 23 has a plurality of gates 24 formed as stripes thereon, and this subassembly is combined with the front substrate 20 by spacers 25.
As shown in FIG. 1, the CNTs 11′ are densely arranged on the cathodes 11. Electrons can be emitted continuously at a high density from the CNTs 11′. However, tips of adjacent CNTs 11′ that are too close to each other may cause shielding of the applied electric field. If shielding exists, extra potential needs to be applied in order to overcoming the shielding. This goes against the demand for operation of field emission arrays at low voltages. In addition, such a CNT field emission array is complicated and difficult to produce and assemble. Furthermore, during production and assembly, impurities may become trapped in the CNT field emission array. This may shorten the useful operating lifetime of the CNT field emission array.

Field emission device with cathode wires and carbon nanotubes


A sewing machine includes a bed, a feed unit, a sewing unit, a projector, and a controller. The projector is configured to project a projection image to the bed. The controller is configured to, where the feed unit and the sewing unit do not perform sewing, execute a first control in which the controller causes the projector to project a first image to the bed, the first image including a first object and a second object, the first object indicating a planned sewing position, the second object indicating a reference position to position the workpiece. The controller is configured to, where the feed unit and the sewing unit perform sewing, execute a second control in which the controller causes the projector to project a second image to the bed, the second image including the first object and not including the second object.

A known sewing machine is capable of projecting a mark indicating a reference position to position a workpiece to be sewn. In the sewing machine, a marking light emits light to project a mark to a table as a reference position of a cloth placed on the table. After sewing, the marking light is turned off.


An image communication apparatus capable of communicating with external apparatuses determines whether image data received from the external apparatuses is a first type of image data that was to be transmitted to the image communication apparatus or a second type of image data that was to be transmitted to other image communication apparatuses, and performs predetermined processing based on the determination result.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image communication apparatus for receiving image data from an external device via a network and a method for controlling the image communication apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
To communicate information among remote offices, image data is transmitted and received using facsimile machines. The facsimile machines transmit and receive image data over a public switched telephone network (PSTN) using a protocol in conformance with ITU-T T.30.
In addition to using facsimile machines, recently, image data has been transmitted and received using an e-mail by attaching the facsimile-based image data to the e-mail in accordance with the protocol in conformance with ITU-T T.37. In this communication method, since data is transmitted and received via an Internet protocol (IP) network, image data can be transmitted and received at a cost lower than that required for the facsimile communication in accordance with the protocol in conformance with ITU-T T.30.
Furthermore, a real-time Internet facsimile communication (hereinafter referred to as "IP-FAX communication") has been developed in which facsimile data is transmitted and received in real time via an IP network using an ITU-T T.38 protocol. More specifically, a facsimile machine at a transmission side is directly connected to a facsimile machine at a reception side via an IP network so that a facsimile signal in conformance with ITU-T T.30 is converted to TCP/IP packets and is transmitted and received.
In the above-described IP-FAX communication, the call control procedure based on ITU-T H.323 is employed. Recently, session initiation protocol (SIP), which is similar to ITU-T H.323 protocol, has garnered increased attention.
When comparing the call control procedure in conformance with ITU-T H.323 with SIP, ITU-T H.323 protocol is more complicated since ITU-T H.323 includes a variety of sub-protocols. In contrast, SIP defines only basic session control sub-protocols, such as sub-protocols for starting, changing, and ending a session. Accordingly, SIP is relatively simplified. Consequently, SIP is highly flexible and can be easily integrated into other systems.
SIP includes a user agent, which is a user terminal (e.g., an IP telephone), and a SIP server. The term "SIP server" collectively refers to a proxy server, a redirect server, and a registrar server. Therefore, for example, the alternative address of a facsimile machine on a reception side can be registered using the redirect server.
More specifically, in the case where a particular facsimile machine on a reception side is specified as a destination address of image data, another facsimile machine is registered with a redirect server as a forward address of the image data. Thus, when a facsimile machine on a transmission side transmits image data to the particular address, the alternative address is read out from the redirect server. Subsequently, a call connection is started so that a connection between the facsimile machine on a transmission side and a facsimile machine at the alternative address is established. The facsimile machine on a transmission side then transmits the image data to the facsimile machine at the alternative address (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-94662).
However, in the case where, as described above, an alternative address is registered with the redirect server and image data is transferred, the following problem arises. That is, when the facsimile machine at the transmission side sends a call request to a facsimile machine located at the address specified by the user, the call request command is forwarded to the facsimile machine located at the alternative address. Thus, a connection with the facsimile machine located at the alternative address is established and, subsequently, the transfer of the image data is started.
At that time, the facsimile machine located at the alternative address, which is specified as a forward address, cannot determine to which address the image data was originally transferred from the facsimile machine at the transmission side. That is, the facsimile machine located at the alternative address cannot determine whether the image data was originally destined for it or another facsimile machine.
That is, the user of the facsimile machine located at the alternative address cannot determine whether the received image data is destined for the facsimile machine of the user or not. Accordingly, ease of use of the facsimile machine is significantly degraded.
In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-94662 describes a facsimile machine that, when the facsimile machine transmits image data after changing the destination address of the image data to the alternative address, adds a mark to the image data to be transmitted, indicating that such an operation has been performed. By using this mark, a user of the facsimile machine on the reception side can determine whether the received image data is originally destined for it or another facsimile machine. However, if the facsimile machine on the transmission side does not add the mark indicating that the image data has been transmitted to the alternative address, the user of the facsimile machine on the reception side cannot determine whether the received image data was originally destined for it or another facsimile machine.

Image communication apparatus for determining a correct destination location of image data


A removable threshold (18) wherein a first sidewall (20) and a second sidewall (22) are joined to a top section (48). The first sidewall (20) has a lower lateral edge (26) and terminal portions (28 and 30) that form radiused corners (68 and 70). The second sidewall (22) has a lower lateral edge (34) and terminal portions (36 and 38) that form radiused corners (76 and 78). Top section (48) has ends (54 and 56) that define radiused edges (84 and 86). Edges (84 and 86) are flush with the edges of terminal portions (28, 30, 36 and 38) and a gasket (62) is secured continuously to threshold (18) along lower lateral edges (26 and 34), terminal portions (28, 30, 36 and 38) and edges (84 and 86) to provide a seal between threshold (18) and a fixture (10).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to molded fixtures and, more particularly, molded fixtures that are adaptable for specific users such as physically disabled or aged users.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types and styles of sinks, showers and bathtubs and other bathroom fixtures have been developed over the years. Generally, such fixtures are formed of rigid materials such as cast iron, stainless steel, or fiber-reinforced plastic. Typically, these materials are shaped into a continuous, monolithic body such that they are rigid enough to support a given weight and remain watertight over many years of use. However, the same rigid, monolithic characteristics of such conventional fixtures also tend to make them difficult to modify to meet special applications such as occasional or episodic use by physically disabled or aged users.
More recently, a need for efficient, flexible usage of bathroom fixtures has been compounded by a need to meet certain legal requirements pertaining to physically disabled persons. This has increased the demand for shower stalls and other bathroom fixtures that can be easily modified to meet the varying needs of diverse users.
For example, conventional showers have a permanent curb or barrier that extends completely around the base of the shower. In this way, water from the shower nozzle is collected and retained in the shower pan until it is discharged through the drain. Examples of such conventional construction are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,757,385; 3,363,267; 3,606,617; 3,800,335; and 4,557,004. This construction has worked well in many applications. Ingress and egress to the shower is normally had merely by stepping over the curb. However, when the user is physically disabled, such as when requiring the use of a wheel chair, the curb operates as a barrier to the user.
In response to this difficulty, special shower designs have incorporated permanent ramps and various types of other structures instead of a conventional curb. In this way, wheelchair-bound users can easily gain access to the shower and the barrier for a physically disabled person is removed. Unfortunately, such ramps or other structures generally do not provide a water barrier that is as effective as the conventional curbs. Therefore, it would be preferred to make ramps and other access structures available, but only at times when those structures are useful in serving the needs of the individual user. At other times it would be preferable to have a more effective water barrier present.
Such adaptability of the shower structure is generally limited by the materials and design of the shower. As previously mentioned, showers are frequently constructed of a unitary or monolithic body of molded plastic or other material that provides a dense, continuous, waterproof surface for containing and channeling water. In some cases modular shower units such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,528 have been developed. In these examples, the shower is comprised of an assemblage of components that fit together to form a body. However, such modular units generally require special measures to assure that the components fit together permanently in a watertight manner. Such modular units are not readily adaptable to meet the convenience or needs of particular users. In particular, such units have incorporated either the curb-style or ramp-style design and one design is not easily modified to the other.
Accordingly, there was a need in the prior art for a fixture that was readily convertible between the ramp-style design and the curb-style design. Such a convertible fixture would not only have immediate and significant advantages for the user, but would be advantageous in other respects as well. For example, where such convertible showers were installed in hotels or nursing homes, they would not only meet the individual needs of particular guests and patients, they would also tend to maximize use of the facility in conformance with applicable government standards, such as those pertaining to physical disabilities.


A connector assembly is used in connecting one duct section to another, at least one of the duct sections being an insulated duct. The assembly comprises a plurality of first elements, and a plurality of second elements, each first element including attachment means for attachment of an end face of a duct section thereto, and, in use, at least one second element engages with two first elements.

Ducting is commonly used in large buildings such as factories, office blocks and apartment blocks for the transmission of air, which may be for the purposes of heating or cooling an environment in a building, or ventilating a building. Typically, such ducts are used to transport heated or cooled air. Where climatic conditions are such that the difference between the temperature of the ambient temperature of the atmosphere to be heated or cooled is relatively dose to the temperature of the heated or cooled, for example 3 or 4 degrees C., ducts have historically been formed from sheet steel, and have been un-insulated.
In locations where climatic conditions are more extreme, heat loss or gain by the heating/cooling air in the duct can pose a significant problem, which has resulted in ducts being insulated in those environments to maintain the desired temperature of the conveyed air and to conserve energy. First attempts at insulating ducts consisted of lagging ducts with a material having insulating properties. However, such work is labour intensive and time consuming. Furthermore, lagging ducts with traditional insulating materials detracts from the sectional nature of duct work, i.e. being sectional in nature duct work is relatively simple to assemble and disassemble. Lagging in insulating material makes disassembly more difficult.
One solution proposed involves making ducts from insulating boards. Ducts made from such insulating boards are used widely in countries having extreme climates, both hot and cold. Even in more temperate climates the desire to increase the efficiency of heating and air conditioning systems is leading to insulated ducting being specified more frequently by architects and civil engineers.
One problem associated with ducts made from insulated boards is that the method of connecting one section of duct to another is time consuming due to the parts being relatively complex, and fitters not using the connecting method regularly. This results in insulated ducts being more expensive to install.
In the known method of connecting ducts made from insulated boards the end of a duct section is provided with a bracket, a part of which extends beyond the outer edge of the duct section. When the ends of two duct sections are aligned a cleat is forced over two abutting brackets. If there is any misalignment between the duct sections, forcing the cleat onto the brackets can be extremely difficult.
The known method of connecting ducts made from insulated boards is very different from methods used to connect un-insulated ducts. There are circumstances involving a requirement to connect an un-insulated duct to an insulated duct, for example where cool air is being conveyed and the duct passes through an environment having an elevated temperature. Connecting insulated and uninsulated ducts together posses significant problems to the installer.
It would therefore be desirable to improve the connection of one section of duct to another.


A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a head control unit which transfers image data for each color stored in an image buffer to a memory, and transfers the image data stored in the memory to a liquid ejecting head, a detecting unit which detects a recording medium, and a data control unit which designates a size of the image data transferred from the image buffer to the memory so as to correspond to a liquid ejection area on the recording medium in a nozzle arrangement direction of the liquid ejecting head on the basis of a result of the detection by the detecting unit. The head control unit masks a data storage area in the memory corresponding to an non-liquid ejection area out of the liquid ejection area with null data.

The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus and a method of transferring image data, and in particular to a liquid ejecting apparatus that sequentially transfers image data, which are stored in an image buffer, to a liquid ejecting head to perform liquid ejecting processing and a method of transferring image data.
Recently, for example, a printer of an ink jet system has been known as one of printing apparatuses. In recent years, even if such a printer is not connected to a host computer such as a personal computer, the printer alone can perform print processing as a so-called standalone machine. In the printer of this type, a series of image processing such as color conversion processing and binarization processing is realized by, for example, a control ASIC that is connected to a CPU via a bus. A memory (e.g., SDRAM), from which the ASIC can read data and in which the ASIC can write data directly, is connected to this control ASIC. An image buffer or the like for storing respective image data (specifically, dot data indicating presence or absence of a dot format) supplied to a print head is established using this memory.
In such a printer, the image data stored in the image buffer are read in a memory (e.g., SDRAM, hereinafter referred to as "CPU memory"), from which the CPU can read data and in which the CPU can write data directly, once under control of the CPU and, then, sequentially transferred to the print head. On the basis of the respective color image data received in this way, the print head discharges ink droplets of the respective colors from nozzles corresponding to the colors to thereby form an image.
However, in the related constitution described above, there are following problems.
First, since the transfer of the image data to the print head is performed on the basis of the control of the CPU, there is a problem in that a processing load on the CPU increases. The printers in recent years are desired to have more functions and more complicated functions. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce processing executed by the CPU as much as possible.
Second, when the transfer of the image data is performed on the basis of the control of the CPU in this way, there is a problem in that head gaps of the print head are limited to a fixed value. Specifically, the head gaps are formed among nozzle rows corresponding to the respective colors in the print head. Therefore, in order to form (hit) ink dots discharged from the respective color nozzles in a position of an identical pixel on a print medium, it is necessary to give null data (data having "0" in all bits) to the image data of the respective colors and transfer the image data in an attempt to fill such head gaps. In other words, it is necessary to shift timing for transferring the image data of the respective colors for each color in association with the head gaps (this is called null gap).
When such data transfer is performed on the basis of the control of the CPU, the CPU has to manage the transfer of the image data for the respective colors collectively. Thus, in order to transfer the image data without decreasing processing efficiency of the CPU as much as possible, the head gaps are limited to a fixed value that depends on a size of the image data sequentially read in the CPU memory. In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to adopt a method of giving null data of a predetermined transfer amount, which corresponds to the head gaps, to the image data in advance and storing the null data in the image buffer. However, this method is not suitable because a size of the image buffer is increases.
Third, a sensor for detecting a print medium such as a sheet is usually provided in the printer. The printer performs printing while confirming, as occasion arises, that there is a sheet (specifically, a sheet corresponding to a print area equivalent to the number of nozzles) for each scan by the print head on the basis of a result of detection by this sensor. Here, a problem occurs when lack of a sheet is detected at the time when scan of the print head is started, for example, when a size of a sheet actually set is smaller than a sheet size set in the printer. In this case, image data corresponding to the number of nozzles of the print head, which should be transferred to the print head, have already generated and stored on the image buffer. There is a problem in that, if the image data are transferred to the print head, ink droplets are discharged to an area out of a sheet (an extra-print area).

Liquid ejecting apparatus and method of transferring image data


A package made from sheet material has a sealable coating on a first surface. The package has a plurality of panels, folded so that at least two side panels are able to be closed in an overlapping arrangement so that the two side panels are sealed together with the first surface and sealable coating in facing relationship.

The present application is directed to paperboard packages and, more particularly, to improved flap sealing for paperboard packages.
The present invention also relates to a blank for forming an outer sleeve, an outer sleeve and a packaging system, more specifically, but not exclusively to a lockable packaging system optionally for use as child-proof packaging. Further specifically, but not exclusively, the invention relates to a mechanism for and a method of mitigating against bowing of panels and accidental or unintentional unlocking of an inner slide card from an outer sleeve. Further specifically, but not exclusively, the invention relates to a mechanism for and a method of mitigating against peeling the corners of closure flaps which may be attempted in an effort to break into the package.
Manufacturers and retailers of consumer goods, such as pharmaceuticals, software, electronics, health and beauty products and the like, typically package their products in tamper resistant security packages. For example, many consumer goods are packaged in blister or clamshell packages formed by positioning a consumer good in a flanged blister made from various polymeric and/or paperboard materials and sealing the flanged blister between two paperboard substrates. Consumers have voiced disapproval of such packages because of the difficulty of opening the same and the potential for being cut on a rough edge especially of plastic blisters. Packages may therefore be made based largely on paperboard, for example, NATRALOCK packages. Packaging made primarily of paperboard is more sustainable than packaging made from petroleum-based plastics. The paperboard used in such packages may be tear-resistant. One of the surfaces of the paperboard, for example the inner or unprinted surface, which may also be a tear-resistant surface, may include a heat-seal coating. Such heat seal coatings are most advantageously used by sealing a surface with the heat seal coating to another surface with the heat seal coating. It is sometimes difficult to design the package to most effectively incorporate the heat sealing.
Accordingly, there is a need for a package with improved sealing of the various panels, in particular, the end flaps of the package.
Also in the field of packaging, particularly in the field of healthcare and medication packaging, it is often required to provide consumers or patients with secure packaging that has child-resistant features to restrict or prevent access to the package contents by a child. Many packages are available that comprise an inner slide card that directly or indirectly holds articles such as medicaments, tablets or vitamins optionally in sealed blister cavities. The inner slide card, with the blisters of articles, is slidable inside an outer sleeve and is usually retained and locked inside the outer sleeve, optionally by a tail locking flap of the inner slide card engaging an aperture on the outer sleeve. An unlocking mechanism is usually provided on the outer sleeve to permit the release of the inner slide card (optionally by disengaging the locking flap of the inner slide card from the locking aperture of the outer sleeve). Such unlocking mechanisms often require some dexterity to operate or require user realization that coordinated operation of more than one feature is required; this may make the package child-resistant.
However, known packages can suffer from a failure of the locking mechanism if a user squeezes the sides of the outer sleeve toward one another causing the top and bottom walls of the outer sleeve to bow. This bowing action is sometimes referred to as "pillowing". In some known packages, as a result of the outer sleeve pillowing, the locking mechanism is accidentally or inadvertently disengaged.
The present invention also seeks to provide an improvement in the field of packaging, more specifically, but not exclusively, in the field of packages comprising inner slide-cards and outer-sleeves by providing a blank for forming an outer sleeve, an outer sleeve and a package system comprising a mechanism to prevent or mitigate against accidental disengagement of the locking mechanism as a result of pillowing. The mechanism to prevent or mitigate against the effects of bowing or pillowing and a method of forming the mechanism may have advantageous application outside of application to outer sleeve and inner slide card packages, as such aspects of the invention relate to the mechanism and method separately.


A wheelbarrow that can transition from a conventional wheelbarrow configuration to a loading platform that places a wall of the carrier flat on the ground to facilitate placing an object or objects on it without requiring lifting, and then transition back to conventional Wheelbarrow configuration using mechanical advantage.

This invention applies to manual load lifting and transporting devices commonly referred to as wheelbarrows. It is the Inventors intention to improve the existing design so as to ease loading and unloading through mechanical advantage and positioning of the carrier.
A conventional prior art wheelbarrow (fixed handles, wheel and carrier) requires a user to lift the load above the carrier walls to place it in the carrier for transport. To dump the load, a prior art wheelbarrow requires a considerable force to lift the load via the handles over and around a fixed wheel. This lifting of the load to fill and empty the wheelbarrow can be difficult due to weight of the object to be transported. Another drawback is that when dumping, the load can shift and cause it to be dumped in the wrong direction; or if you wish to dump part of the load in one area and more in another, it is very difficult to dump in measured amounts while holding the handles up high, and also because of the carrier obstructs your view of the dump zone.


Values of a metric are provided at irregular intervals. A forgetting factor is calculated based on a difference between the intervals, and a statistical parameter is computed using the forgetting factor that causes different weights to be placed on the corresponding values of the metric, where the statistical parameter is part of an adaptive baseline.

A metric can be monitored for determining whether an environment is performing normally. An environment in which the metric is monitored can include a system, such as a processing system, cloud system, storage system, and so forth. Alternatively, a monitored environment can include an enterprise such as a business concern, an educational organization, government agency, and so forth. The metric can be monitored over time, and in response to detecting values of the metric deviating from an expected value, abnormal behavior can be indicated.

Adaptive baseline based on metric values

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP


Systems and methods for improving bearing initialization for a pair of two-element antennas. An exemplary system includes two-element antennas mounted on the bottom and top of an aircraft fuselage, an output device, and a processing device. The processing device receives phase-difference information based on phase of signals received at each element of a two-element antenna, determines if the received phase-difference information is within a predefined low-confidence region, and initializes bearing if the phase-difference information is not within the low-confidence region or the phase-difference information from a predefined number of consecutively received signals meets a predefined consistency requirement.

Traffic collision-avoidance systems (TCAS) use two antennas, one on the top and one on the bottom of an aircraft, each of which is used to estimate the relative bearing between one's own aircraft and an intruder. Each traditional TCAS antenna has four elements, which are placed orthogonally on the same plane, as shown in FIG. 1. A TCAS system interrogates the transponder on the other aircraft. The transponders of other aircraft respond with a reply that may contain altitude or other information. The TCAS uses the reply signal and its multi-element directional antenna to estimate the relative bearing of the other aircraft. In some systems, the phase difference of the reply signal received at elements E1 and E3 is proportional to the sine function value of the intruder's bearing angle, and the phase difference between elements E2 and E4 is proportional to the cosine function value of the intruder's bearing angle (where the E1/E3 pair and the E2/E4 pair are orthogonal). The system can estimate the bearing from the signals received on one multi-element antenna. Although this is an adequate setup for determining bearing, it is redundant, costly, and comes with a weight penalty because of the two antennas and eight antenna elements that are needed.
A bearing calculated from a single reply, squitter, or their combination, might be corrupted at the point of reception by interference (multipath, reflection from airframe or nearby obstacles). Even under stationary settings, such corrupted raw bearings vary to the extent that, on display (if not heavily filtered), it looks like a moving target. However, such movements do not look natural and may decrease confidence in the system.

Systems and methods for improving bearing availability and accuracy


A wireless network access point can operate as a closed loop MIMO device when communicating with a station that is operating as an open loop MIMO device. Transmit/receive chains in the access point are calibrated to support aggregate channel reciprocity.

Wireless networks are evolving to take advantage of multiple antennas at both access points (APs) and mobile stations (STAs). For example, various multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) protocols have been developed to utilize multiple antennas at both an AP and STA. Closed loop MIMO protocols call for transmitting channel state information from a receiver to a transmitter. Devices that adhere to closed loop MIMO protocols typically consume some communications bandwidth to transmit channel state information, but gain performance as a result. Open loop MIMO protocols generally do not require the transmission of channel state information. Devices that adhere to open loop MIMO protocols tend to be simpler and cheaper than closed loop MIMO devices, however they also tend to have poorer performance.