A method for forming dimples on a workpiece includes providing a rotary cutting tool. The rotary cutting tool includes a cutting edge that protrudes in a leading direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the tool. The cutting edge extends from a position at the leading end of the rod-shaped main body that is radially offset from the longitudinal axis. The rotary cutting tool is set such that the longitudinal axis of the rotary cutting tool is inclined relative to a line perpendicular to the processing surface of the workpiece. The rotary cutting tool is moved along the processing surface while the rotary cutting tool is rotated about the axis. The processing surface is cut by the cutting edge to form the dimples, which are spaced apart from each other on the processing surface.

The present disclosure relates to a dimple processing method for forming dimples on the surface of a workpiece by using a rotary cutting tool to make small recesses on the surface.
A plurality of dimples in the form of small recesses may be formed on the surface of a workpiece that may be made of aluminum, copper alloy, casted product thereof, cast iron, resin, or the like. The plurality of dimples may form, as an example, a satin finish on the surface of the workpiece. The dimples may be formed on the workpiece to reduce the frictional resistance between the workpiece and a counter piece in contact with the workpiece. The principle is described as follows: when the workpiece comes in contact with the counter piece, abrasion powders are generated between the workpiece and the counter piece, and increase the frictional resistance. With dimples are formed as recesses on the surface of the workpiece, the abrasion powders may be retained in the dimples, thereby limiting the increase in frictional resistance caused by the generation of the abrasion powders. Dimples may also be employed when oil is poured between the workpiece and the counter piece so that oil can fill and gather in the dimples. In this case, when the counter piece passes near the dimples, the oil is discharged from the dimples and enters into the space between the counter piece and the workpiece, due to a high pressure squeezing effect. This pressure may prevent the counter piece from coming into contact with the workpiece, thereby reducing the frictional resistance between the counter piece and the workpiece.
Dimples may be formed on an inner wall of a cylinder for an engine, or an inner wall of a tubular member for a turbocharger etc., or a joining face of an artificial joint or the like. Methods for processing dimples such as a method using laser irradiation, as well as a method using shot peening in which microbeads collide with a workpiece at high speed are known in the art. When using the laser irradiation method, the workpiece is heated at a high temperature, which may apply of a large amount of thermal stress to the workpiece, or dross (molten material) adhering to the workpiece. It may be difficult to remove any bulging portions or dross portions that are formed by the laser. When adopting the shot peening method, the area around dimples may bulge so that the workpiece may not be flat. In addition, residual stress may be generated around the dimples and may cause deformation or breakage of the workpiece.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-052998 discloses a method for decorating a surface of a workpiece using a rotary cutting tool, such as a milling cutter, end mill cutter, or the like. In this method, the cutting edge of a rotary cutting tool is brought into contact slightly with the surface of the workpiece, while rotating the rotary cutting tool. In this way, for example, a polka-dot pattern with a plurality of circles can be formed on the surface of the workpiece. The circles are arranged parallel to the longitudinal axial direction of the rotary cutting tool and are formed at equal intervals in the feed direction orthogonal to the axial direction.
There has conventionally been a need for reducing frictional resistance more uniformly through the use of dimples. For this need, for example, a processing method, that easily allows the formation of a plurality of very small dimples, is desired. Further, there has also been a need to prevent burrs from being built around the dimples, and to maintain the area surrounding the dimples as flat. Therefore, a method for processing a plurality of, for example, very small dimples by a rotary cutting tool has been conventionally needed.

Dimple processing method using rotary cutting tool


Scours in animals, particularly new-born calves, lambs, piglets and foals are treated with a compound containing an effective amount of an antidiarrheal amidinourea.

Scours, particularly in new-born calves, lambs, piglets, and foals, is a major cause of death, especially under intensified commercial animal husbandry practices where the disease accounts for large economic losses. The disease occurs commonly in calves, pigs, lambs and foals under 10 days of age and is characterized by varying degrees of diarrhea and dehydration.
The disease known as adult bovine scours is also prevalent among wintering adult cattle, frequently leading to death losses. The etiology and pathology of the disease are not well understood, but the disease is generally attributed to factors which cause ordinarily harmless intestinal bacteria to proliferate. Regardless of the cause, the result is a net loss of electrolytes and fluids into the intestinal lumen. The loss of electrolytes and fluids results in acidosis and dehydration leading to other acute toxic effects. Generally, treatment for this condition involves correction of the acid base imbalance and rehydration and treatment of intestinal infections, if present. Such treatments may include administration of antibacterial agents and electrolyte solutions orally. The usual antibacterial agents are antibiotics and sulfonamides.
In recent years, a variety of amidinoureas have been shown to be effective antidiarrheal agents in laboratory test animals and in humans. Pharmaceutically effective antidiarrheal agents such as the amidinoureas are not known for use in the treatment of scours, particularly in calves, lambs and piglets, where annual losses to this disease are high. These compounds have demonstrated their activity in laboratory animals under test conditions designed to mimic gastrointestinal disorders in humans by inducing symptomatic diarrhea in the test animals. Such amidinoureas and their pharmaceutical activity are described in Arzneimittel Forschung, Drug Research 28 (II), 1433-1480, (1978). It has now been found that these amidinoureas are particularly effective in reducing morbidity and mortality rate in calves, lambs, piglets and foals suffering from scours, and in adult cattle suffering from bovine winter scours, when orally administered to such animals in effective amounts.


The present invention in various aspects relates to the synthesis of pyrrole-linked bivalent compounds, including but not limited to norBNI, as well as pharmaceutical compositions comprising the same.

Selective κ Opioid Receptor (KOPR) Antagonists, including the compound known as norBNI (nor-binaltorphimine), have been investigated for their therapeutic properties and used as tools in opioid research. norBNI and analogs thereof are considered to act as a bivalent ligand for KOPR, with the pyrrole acting essentially as a spacer.
Current methods for the chemical synthesis of norBNI and related compounds from, for example, naltrexone, proceed in two steps by Piloty synthesis. The first step involves the synthesis of the azine intermediate by reacting naltrexone with hydrazine, followed by change of solvent for conversion of the azine to norBNI. Portoghese P S et al., Binaltorphimine-Related Bivalent Ligands and Their κ Opioid Receptor Antagonist Selectivity, J. Med. Chem. 31:836-841 (1988). The yield of the reaction is low (e.g., 40-60%), and the process is not sufficiently scalable. Further, the known synthesis may produce reaction by-products with unintended pharmacological activity, or otherwise include potentially toxic impurities that are difficult to remove.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved methods for the chemical synthesis of norBNI and related compounds, as well as compositions of such active agents that are suitable for pharmaceutical use.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods for the chemical synthesis of pyrrole-linked bivalent compounds, and compositions thereof


A hinged lid, for covering a container having an open top defined by an upper rim, comprises a substantially transparent pair of sections hingedly connected to one another along an axis about which at least one of the sections may pivot between closed and open positions. The sections further have respective peripheral portions with corresponding flat lower sides, which are substantially coplanar with one another in said closed position, thereby being engageable with the rim of the container so as to accommodate various sizes thereof and protect food in the container from flies or other contamination. According to one aspect of the invention, the pivotable section can have a notch with flexible bristles associated therewith to accommodate a serving utensil while also minimizing contamination of food in the container. According to another aspect, the invention can further include a strap for removably securing the other section to the container.

The invention relates to a hinged lid that is particularly suitable for covering a container from which food is served in an outdoor setting (i.e. picnic).
Although a picnic can be an enjoyable activity for family and friends, containers for the food must be uncovered and recovered repeatedly as individuals serve themselves. Covers for the containers are invariably left off for long periods, during which flies and other contaminants get into the food. Moreover, when containers of various sizes have no matching lids, as is frequently the case, the use of aluminum foil or other materials, such as plastic wrap, becomes necessary. Such covering materials are rarely placed back over the containers in a manner that effectively prevents contamination of food therein.


A production method for a semiconductor device includes providing a semiconductor substrate having semiconductor layer of a first conductivity type formed on a surface thereof; forming a first mask so as to cover a predetermined region of the semiconductor layer; (c) forming a well region of a second conductivity type by implanting impurity ions of the second conductivity type into the semiconductor layer having the first mask formed thereon; reducing the thickness of the first mask by removing a portion of the first mask; forming a second mask covering a portion of the well region by using photolithography; and forming a source region of the first conductivity type by implanting impurity ions of the first conductivity type into the semiconductor layer having the first mask with the reduced thickness and the second mask formed thereon.

Semiconductor elements (power devices) which have a high breakdown voltage and allow a large current to flow therethrough are used in various fields. Conventionally, Si power devices in which silicon (Si) semiconductor is used have been in the mainstream. However, Si power devices have limited use due to the physical properties of Si semiconductor. In recent years, SiC power devices in which silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor is used, which is a semiconductor material having a larger band gap (wide-band gap) than that of Si semiconductor, are being developed.
SiC semiconductor has higher breakdown voltage characteristics than those of Si semiconductor. Therefore, in a vertical power MOSFET in which SiC semiconductor is used, the drift region can be made thin, and also the impurity density in the drift region can be increased, thus making it possible to greatly reduce the drift resistance. Moreover, since SiC semiconductor has excellent heat conduction characteristics and high-temperature durability, the current-carrying capacity of an SiC power MOSFET can be easily improved.
However, while the drift resistance can be greatly reduced, an SiC power MOSFET has a problem of large channel resistance, which prevents its ON resistance from being sufficiently reduced. The reason why an SiC power MOSFET has a large channel resistance is described below.
In an SiC power MOSFET, generally speaking, a gate insulating layer (SiO2) is formed by performing a thermal oxidation treatment for the surface of an SiC layer. At the interface of the SiO2 layer thus formed and the SiC layer, interface states that trap a large number of carriers are formed with a high density. Therefore, when a channel is formed in these interfaces, the high-density interface states will decrease the carrier mobility (channel mobility) at the channel, thus increasing the channel resistance.
In order to reduce the channel resistance of a MOSFET, it is necessary to reduce the gate length (channel length) and reduce the cell pitch to enhance the degree of integration of unit cells.
Patent Document 1 discloses a method of utilizing a self-aligning process to form a source region within a well region, with a view to improving the channel resistance. According to this method, the gate length can be reduced, so that losses due to channel resistance can be suppressed.
FIGS. 10(a) to (c) are step-by-step cross-sectional views for describing a method of forming a source region according to a self-aligning process which is disclosed in Patent Document 1. Note that an MOSFET is typically constructed from a large number of unit cells which are arranged on a substrate, each unit cell being defined by a well region. FIGS. 10(a) to (c) only show portions of adjoining unit cells, among such unit cells.
First, as shown in FIG. 10(a), on an SiC layer 2 which is grown on a substrate (not shown), an SiO2 layer 24 is formed. Thereafter, by using this as a mask, impurity ions (conductivity type: e.g. p type) are implanted into the SiC layer 2. As a result, a plurality of well regions 6 are formed in the SiC layer 2, and the regions of the SiC layer 2 where the well regions 6 have not been formed become a drift region 2a.
Then, as shown in FIG. 10(b), sidewalls (sidewall spacers) 25, which are in contact with the lateral walls of the SiO2 layer 24, and a resist layer 23 covering portions of the well regions 6 are formed. Specifically, an SiO2 film (not shown) is deposited on the substrate surface on which the SiO2 layer 24 is formed; by etching this back, the sidewalls 25 are obtained in a self-aligning manner. Next, a resist film (not shown) is deposited on the substrate surface, and thereafter is patterned through exposure and development, whereby the resist layer 23 is formed. As shown by dotted lines, in a portion 7′ of each well region 6 that is covered with the resist layer 23, a well contact region is formed in a subsequent step, which is a high-concentration p type region.
Next, as shown in FIG. 10(c), by using the SiO2 layer 24, the sidewalls 25, and the resist layer 23 as a mask, impurity ions (conductivity type: e.g. n type) are implanted into the SiC layer 2, thus obtaining source regions 8. The distance Lg between the end of a well region 6 and the end of a source region 8 on the surface of the SiC layer 2 defines the "gate length" of the MOSFET. The gate length Lg is determined by the width of the sidewalls 25. The width of the sidewalls 25 is controlled by the thickness of the SiO2 layer 24 for forming the sidewalls 25. Moreover, since the sidewalls 25 are formed through a self-aligning process which does not require mask alignment, variations in the gate length Lg due to misalignment of the mask are prevented, unlike in earlier processes. Therefore, as compared to earlier processes, the gate length Lg can be made substantially uniform.
Note that, at this step, impurity ions are not implanted into the portions 7′ to become the well contact regions, because they are covered with the resist layer 23. After the implantation, the SiO2 layer 24, the sidewalls 25, and the resist layer 23 having been used as a mask are removed.
Thereafter, by implanting impurity ions (conductivity type: e.g. p type) at a high concentration into the portion 7′ of each well region 6 that has been covered with the resist layer 23, a well contact region is obtained. Since n type impurity ions are not implanted into the portion 7′ to become the well contact region in the aforementioned step of forming the source regions 8, but only p type impurity ions are implanted in this step at a high concentration, a higher-concentration p type well contact region can be formed.
The well contact regions are provided for the following reasons. Generally speaking, in a power MOSFET, a source electrode to be formed on the SiC layer 2 needs to not only form an ohmic contact with a source region 8, but also form an ohmic contact with a well region 6 in order to fix the potential of the well region 6 to a reference potential. However, a semiconductor having a large band gap such as SiC is not likely to form a good ohmic contact. In order for a good ohmic contact to be formed, it is preferable to increase the impurity concentration in a portion of the surface of the well region 6 that joins the source electrode. Thus, a construction is employed where a high-concentration p type region (well contact region) is provided in the well region 6 to form a good ohmic contact between the well contact region and the source electrode.
According to the method described above with reference to FIG. 10, the sidewalls 25 are formed through a self-aligning process, which ensures that the gate length Lg is substantially uniform and short. Therefore, while minimizing deteriorations in the device characteristics due to variations in the gate length Lg (short channel effect), the channel resistance can be reduced.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-299620

Method for manufacturing semiconductor device using multiple ion implantation masks


A method for making sub-micron MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) devices, which do not suffer from hot carrier effect, and having improved short-channel effect and improved performance, is described. A silicon substrate with field isolation regions, P-well and N-well regions, and an oxide layer over the P-well and N-well regions is provided. The P-well region is implanted, in a substantially vertical direction, with a first conductivity-imparting dopant. Gate structures are formed over the P-well and N-well regions. A second conductivity-imparting dopant is implanted, at a large angle to the plane of the silicon substrate, that is of opposite conductivity to the first conductivity-imparting dopant, into the P-well and N-well regions, masked by the gate structures. The N-well region is implanted, in a substantially vertical direction, with a third conductivity-imparting dopant, of the same conductivity as the first conductivity-imparting dopant. Sidewall spacers are formed on the gate structures. The P-well region is implanted, in a substantially vertical direction, with a fourth conductivity-imparting dopant, of the same conductivity as the second conductivity-imparting dopant. The N-well region is implanted, in a substantially vertical direction, with a fifth conductivity-imparting dopant, of the same conductivity as the first conductivity-imparting dopant. The silicon substrate is heated to drive in the dopants.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the manufacture of highly dense integrated circuits and more particularly to a very manufacturable method for making sub-micron MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the manufacture of highly dense integrated circuits using Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFET) technology, as device dimensions decrease, there has been a need to create shallower source/drain regions. However, corresponding high doping concentrations lead to an increase in the electric field in the device channel in the region adjacent to the drain. This high electric field causes electrons in the device channel to gain energy and be injected into the gate oxide. This phenomenon is known as the "hot carrier" problem, which leads to long-term device degradation and reduced reliability.
A second problem with highly dense MOS devices, particularly P-channel MOS (PMOS) structures with sub-micron feature sizes, is the so-called "short channel effect". Since the ions, typically boron B11 or boron fluoride BF.sub.2, that are used to form the source and drain regions have a higher diffusion coefficient than the arsenic or phosphorus ions used to form the N-channel MOS (NMOS) source/drain regions, the effective channel length of the PMOS device will be less than that of an NMOS device formed on the same substrate.
Workers in the art are familiar with these problems and have attempted to overcome them. A method to reduce the high electric field at the drain region is to provide a more gradual, or graded, change in the doping concentration at the drain/channel interface. One means of accomplishing this is with a lightly doped drain (LDD), as described in "VLSI TECHNOLOGY", by S. M. Sze, published by McGraw-Hill International-Singapore, 1988, pages 482-483. As shown in FIG. 1, a substrate 10 is implanted with a heavy implant to create regions 12, and an implant with lighter doping concentration to form regions 14. Also shown are gate 25 which is separated from the device channel by gate oxide 24. A smaller electric field results at the drain/channel interface than would exist in a device in which a single heavy implant was performed, due to a reduction in the difference in dopant concentrations between the channel and the drain region adjacent to it. This may also be accomplished by a LATID (Large Angle Tilt Implanted Drain), in which, before spacer formation, a long N- region is formed by ion implanting while tilting the wafer with respect to the implant. A smaller electric field results at the drain/channel interface than in the LDD structure. Also, because the maximum point of the lateral electric field at the drain edge is not at the main path of channel current, the degradation caused by the hot-carrier effect is reduced.
The short-channel effect may also be overcome using a Halo structure. After poly gate formation, source/drain extensions are formed which are self-aligned to the poly gate edge and are composed of a lightly doped shallow region (LDD) and a deeper oppositely-doped pocket or "halo". The Halo structure can be formed by a LATID or double-implant LDD technique. This structure serves to increase the punchthrough voltage of the device and decrease the short channel threshold voltage falloff, because the influence of the drain electric field is confined by the oppositely-doped Halo. This structure also provides increased device performance because it allows use of a low impurity concentration in the substrate and in the channel region, to attain high carrier velocity.
An anti-punchthrough implantation is needed in the formation of submicron MOS devices because the well concentration is too light to prevent device punchthrough and the short-channel effect.
Therefore, in the formation of a sub-micron integrated circuit with both PMOS and NMOS devices, there are two masking steps and two implantation steps for each of the anti-punchthrough implant, the LDD formation, and the source/drain formation.

Blanket N-LDD implantation for sub-micron MOS device manufacturing


In an exemplary embodiment, an indicator panel containing indicator elements and control switches is pivotal relative to the remainder of the control desk so as to be adjustable for optimum visibility in accordance with the position and height of the operator. The indicator panel may be held at the desired inclined position either by a pawl which can be automatically flipped over by manipulation of the panel for resetting of the panel or by means of a reversible electric drive.

The invention relates to a control desk for medical apparatus, in particular for an x-ray diagnostic apparatus containing indicator elements for providing optical information in addition to control elements.
For x-ray diagnostic apparatus and equipment it is known to arrange the indicator elements for displaying optical information together with the control elements such as organ keys, on and off switches, control keys, etc., on the top surface of a control desk, the surface beig arranged horizontally or slightly inclined, as a rule.
Such an arrangement does not permit, in particular when the operator is not standing directly in front of the control desk, a satisfying precise determination of the information indicated by the indicator elements. It is an objective of the invention to provide an improved readability of indicator elements in comparison to prior art control desks of this type.

Control desk for medical apparatus, in particular for an x-ray diagnostic apparatus


An image processing apparatus including a recording unit configured to acquire a plurality of image data and record the plurality of image data in a recording medium includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire depth distribution information of an object corresponding to image data, and a control unit configured to perform a process of recording the plurality of image data by performing switching between a first mode in which the recording unit records the image data and the depth distribution information corresponding to the image data in the recording medium and a second mode in which the recording unit records the image data in the recording medium without recording the depth distribution information.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to technology for controlling recording of an image and depth distribution information.
Description of the Related Art
There is technology for selecting a user-desired image from among continuously acquired moving images and acquiring one still image suitable for a user's preference in an operation of performing various types of image processing ex post facto. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-166391, technology for determining whether or not an object is in a predetermined state with respect to continuously captured images and relatively increasing recording quality of an image in the predetermined state is disclosed. Also, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-189665, technology for acquiring a high-definition image without performing frame compression if the photographing mode has been changed to a super-resolution mode is disclosed. Also, as in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-119416, technology for adjusting a blur of a captured image in image processing by generating distance distribution information as additional information in addition to the captured image has been disclosed.

Image processing apparatus, method of controlling image processing apparatus, and imaging apparatus


The invention proposes a short-distance front projection system, that is to say with a wide angle, occupying a small volume and offering a possibility of focusing as well a zoom function. It makes it possible to obtain images with a diagonal greater than 2 meters, the whole of the optical system being at least 50 cm from the plane of the image. This projector is constructed on the basis of three optical elements: an ocular, an afocal lens system and a final group forming an objective intended to form the intermediate image in front of the mirror.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns image projectors and, more particularly, optical devices for projecting images or videos, as far as the images or videos have to be displayed onto a surface.
2. Description of Prior Art
Short-distance projectors appeared first in the field of back projection. The reduction in volume necessary for the projection system makes it possible to appreciably reduce the size of the furniture containing the entire system. Examples of systems of this type are described in the patent applications WO 2006/043666 and WO 2006/058884.
The particularity of these systems relates to the fact that the projector is fixed with respect to an image plane of given size. These systems project images of known fixed size at a distance also fixed from the last optical element having a focal power, in this case a curved mirror, that is generally concave. These documents also show that such systems can be constructed from elements all having the same symmetry axis of revolution and a single curved mirror. These mirrors are relatively expensive and the fact of using only one of them is therefore advantageous. In addition, these mirrors are not integrated in the barrel containing the lenses forming the device, which causes assembly difficulties. This assembly is greatly facilitated by the presence of a symmetry axis.
Because of the projection distance and the size of the fixed image, these systems do not require focusing or a zoom function.
These projectors can be used for designing front projection systems. In a front projection system, the projection is not mechanically connected to the projection surface. It is then advantageous to allow focusing by adjustment of the relative positions of certain lenses in order to adjust the sharpness of the image for a given distance between the projector and the projection surface. Such a front projection is known from the patent application WO 2008/11159.
The size of the projection surface may vary during the use of such a front projection system. It is then advantageous to have available a projector with a zoom function for adapting to different sizes of projection surface.

Device for short-distance projection at a reasonably large angle with zoom and focusing


A method for generating electronic meeting communications for multiple formats and a messaging server for adapted in accordance with the method. The method comprises: receiving on the messaging server a first electronic meeting communication having a first meeting component in a first format, the first meeting component including event information; determining a second meeting component in a second format different from the first format, the second meeting component including substantially the same event information as the first meeting component; and sending a second electronic meeting communication comprising at least the first and second meeting components from the messaging server to one or more recipient devices.

Calendaring and scheduling programs enable users to manage events, schedule resources, and schedule meetings between multiple people. Difficulties may arise when meetings are to be scheduled between people who do not use or have access to the same calendaring and scheduling program. The situation may be further complicated when it is not known in advance what calendar client is being used by the recipient of a meeting communication (e.g. a meeting request or invitation). Further, meeting communication recipients may change calendaring and scheduling clients while meeting communications are still being exchanged between invitees, for example when a user switches between clients when switching user terminals (e.g. home and office).
Some calendar data exchange standards, such as the Internet Calendaring and Scheduling Core Object Specification (iCalendar) defined in RFC 2445, allow users to send meeting requests and tasks to another users through emails. The iCalendar standard defines a Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) message format for communicating meeting requests and responses. Recipients of an iCalendar email with supporting software can respond to the sender (originator) by return email by accepting the meeting request or by counter-proposing a meeting with a different date, time, place, etc. The iCalendar standard describes the format of calendar-based data, however it does not describe how to process and handle that data. Accordingly, other protocols and standards are typically needed to manage this data. For example, a related standard is iCalendar Transport-Independent Interoperability (iTIP) which defines a protocol for exchanging iCalendar objects for the purposes of group calendaring and scheduling between users. Another related standard is iCalendar Message-based Interoperability Protocol (iMIP) which defines a standard method for implementing iTIP on standard Internet email-based systems.
Many but not all calendaring and scheduling programs are compliant with the iCalendar standard. For example, some calendaring and scheduling programs use proprietary email message headers which are not compatible with the iCalendar standard such as Lotus Notes™ from IBM Corporation,.
Thus, there remains a need for an improved method and system for generating and processing electronic meeting communications that will be compatible with different calendaring and scheduling clients applications.
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.

Method and system for generating and processing electronic meeting communications for multiple formats


A method includes receiving a plurality of recommendations for content items from a plurality of sending users for a recipient user through a plurality of sources, determining that the recipient user is interested in viewing a subset of the plurality of recommendations for content items from a first sending user of the plurality of sending users, and generating a first sending user playlist including the subset of the plurality of recommendations for content items from the first sending user but not from other sending users of the plurality of sending users.

Content sites allow a wide variety of publishers to publish content for viewing by consumers. In turn, consumers can share recommendations of content to other consumers. As such, a recipient consumer may receive recommendations for content from a plurality of recommender consumers through a plurality of sources (e.g. email, text message, instant message, social network posts, voicemail, subscriptions, blogs, newsletter, comments, content site share, newsfeed, or any other suitable source). Oftentimes, the recipient consumer is not ready to view the recommended content at the time of receiving the recommendation and will look at it later. However, given the quantity of received recommendations and variety of sources from which the recommendations are sent, it can be difficult for a recipient consumer to locate a recommendation at a later time.

Multi sender and source recommendation aggregation and prompting system


The invention relates to a method and an arrangement (10) for detecting the penetration of optical radiation (12) in a sectional area (20) of a protective wall system (18) in which at least one receiver (22) is located. The receiver is connected to an evaluation circuit (24). To recognize the failure of an inner protective wall it is suggested that the outer wall (16) of the protective wall system has a breach (26) for a transmitter/receiver unit (28), consisting of a number of receivers (22) located on the circumferential side of a tubular jacket (30) and a number of transmitters (32) concentrically surrounding the receivers (22) in a circle.

This invention is based on a method for detecting optical radiation such as laser radiation in at least one defined sectional area of a protective housing, whereby the optical radiation is detected by a receiver supplied with a reference radiation emitted by a transmitter. The invention is also based on an arrangement for detecting penetration of optical radiation, particularly continuously or pulsed laser radiation in a sectional area limited by at least one of two walls of a housing of a protective wall system in which at least one receiver is located for detection of the radiation and this receiver is connected to an evaluation circuit.
State-of-the-art high performance lasers are used for processing material in industrial production. Portal systems and robot systems provide users with maximum flexibility for guiding the laser beam in relation to the work. If it is possible to guide the laser energy to the processing location using fiber optic cable, it would be possible to significantly improve the dynamics of such systems. For safety of life and limb, passive (absorbing) protective walls, usually of metal, are constructed using single plates or a number of plates located behind one another around the laser area, the so-called housing. Laser radiation occurs with extremely high energy density within these protective walls.
Processing of parts also results in uncontrolled reflections. Direct or indirect laser radiation, in the worst case, the untreated beam, strikes the housing, which has the purpose of providing protection to humans outside against such radiation. It is necessary to ensure this protection for a period of time t, depending on the operating mode of the laser system, i.e. to allow the user time to recognize the fault and shut down the system. Due to the high laser energy and the frequently low distances to the protective wall, this period of time t until shut off is decreased continuously, or the material requirements placed on the housing increase continuously. For this reason, walls with exclusively passive effect are only suitable for protecting humans to a limited extent.
Patent publications DE 100 17 284 C1, DE 103 25 906 A1, DE 196 29 037 C1 are based on purely passive protection by different versions of certain characteristics and intermediate spaces between the walls. Various heat conduction properties or reflection capabilities are utilized for realization of such passive radiation safety. In practice, however, the surfaces of the protective walls are contaminated by oil, dirt and dust within a short time to such an extent that the original properties of the protective devices are no longer present.
DE 36 38 874 C2 describes an active process, whereby the inner wall facing the laser is equipped with an electrically active conductor, similar to a melting type fuse. In comparison to the arrangement described here, safe function is ensured only when the absorption characteristics of the inner wall are matched exactly to the wave length of the laser and an electrically active safety feature is also included. In order to use this system for items such as fiber lasers with extremely small beam diameter, it would be necessary to embed the electrical conductor in the wall in a very close meandering pattern which would result in high design requirements and costs.
DE 89 08 806 U describes an arrangement nearly identical to that described above.
DE 199 40 476 A1 describes an active arrangement for recognition of optical radiation by means of a type of sensor. However, in this process, the design of the protective wall is a significant part of the function. The use of heat sensors on a wall facing the laser requires a significant number of sensors for reliable switch-off, depending on the heat conducting characteristics of the wall material. The version described equipped with optical sensors and a perforated sheet metal wall equipped with a foil on the inside requires specially designed wall elements for its part.
An arrangement, as well as method for detecting a laser beam which escapes from a working area, are known from EP-B-0 321 965. Here, the working area is surrounded by a wall, in which a detector is located, with which the illumination is measured, which is generated by the laser beam as it strikes the wall. To check the sensor, the surrounding housing has a cutout in which a photo emitter is located whose radiation is received by the receiver for checking the function of the latter.
A safety system for checking laser beams is described in GB-A-2 171 513. Here, the laser beam is detected by means of a receiver. An infrared light source, whose radiation is detected by the receiver, is provided for checking the functional capability of the receiver.

Method and arrangement for recognition of optical radiation


A guidance mechanism for a subcaliber-sized fin-stabilized practice projectile including wings or vanes which are radially fixedly arranged on the shank of the projectile. The wings or vanes possess auxiliary vanes which extend transversely of their main axes, and wherein a hole which is produced in a target board by the fin-stabilized practice projectile corresponds, in general, with the diameter of a circle about which the auxiliary vanes are located on the projectile.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a guidance mechanism for a subcaliber-sized fin-stabilized practice projectile including wings or vanes which are radially fixedly arranged on the shank of the projectile.
It is intended that guidance mechanisms for subcaliber-sized fin-stabilized projectiles should evince the least possible air resistance or aerodynamic drag. When projectiles of that kind, especially those of the respective practice version, are fired against target boards, then the observation of any deviation in the hits in the target is rendered extremely difficult because of the relatively small holes fired therethrough.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Thus, in any case, there are known conical hole guidance mechanisms for practice ammunition from the disclosure of German Patent No. 28 44 870 C2, which punch large, easily discernable holes into the target boards. The air resistance of these guidance mechanisms; however, is substantially higher than that of live or battle ammunition. Moreover, the external ballistics deviates significantly from that of live or battle ammunition, especially along greater firing distances or ranges.

Guidance mechanism for a subcaliber-sized fin-stabilized practice projectile


A method and device that aid persons in directing the dirty water being pushed along the horizontal floor-surface toward and into the drain-hole of the floor. The device is provided with a main housing-insert which is capable of being inserted into the opening of a conventional drain-hole of a floor. The housing-insert is preferably frustoconical is shape, in order to be received in different and variously sized drain-holes. Attached to the housing-insert is a pair of elongated, water-deflecting leg-members. Each leg-member is attached or supported at one end thereof to an upper portion of the housing-insert. The other ends of the legs extend outwardly in cantilever fashion. The two leg-members form an angle therebetween from their extension from the housing-insert, with the drain-hole contained within the space between the leg-members. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the leg-members are pivotally connected at their one ends to the housing-insert. In another embodiment, the ends of the leg-members need not be connected to the housing-insert, but need only be supported thereon. In yet another embodiment, no insert-member is used.

In some countries of the world, floor-drains are provided in the floor of residences, hotels, and the like, by which the floor may be washed clean using water, and pushing the water along the floor surface while directing it to a generally centrally-located drain-hole by which the dirty water may be drained away. Typically, one pours the water, either with or without a cleaning agent, onto the floor, and then pushes the poured water along the floor toward the drain-hole using a conventional floor squeegee, sponge mop, or cotton-strand mop, and the like. However, since the drain-hole provided in the floor is usually provided at the bottom of a generally diminutively-sized depression, pushing the dirty water toward and into the drain-hole is a relatively tedious and time-consuming task, since as one pushes the dirty water thereat, the water will overshoot or miss the generally diminutively-sized depression containing the drain-hole. Thus, multiple attempts at pushing the water into the drain-hole is necessary.

Method and device for directing water-flow to horizontal floor-drain


Systems and methods for sharing document annotations. A document is displayed on a graphical user interface and first annotation information for the document is created by a first user, the annotation information including first annotations and positioning information for positioning a first overlay window relative to the document. The first overlay window with the first annotations is displayed over the document wherein the document is visible through the first overlay window. The annotation information is sharable with other users, whereby a different user is able to display the overlay with annotations made by the first user over the document on a different system, and the annotations do not modify the underlying document.

The present generally relates to sharing documents, and more particularly to sharing one or multiple graphical annotations of a document using overlays.
Often when collaborating on a document there is a desire to annotate the document and consider a variety of information and approaches. For many document types, certain annotation tools already exist (for instance, change tracking in MS Word, or comment balloons in PDF files). These tools either support the direct manipulation of the document or allow users to annotate the documents, share the annotations and eventually coalesce the annotations into one and only one set. It can be cumbersome, however, using existing technologies to remove changes that are part of the document and/or wade through the various changes or comments made by various users when multiple users are commenting on, or modifying a document.
There is therefore a need for improved systems and methods that overcome the above problems and that provide improved document collaboration capabilities.

Multiple graphical annotations of documents using overlays


A swash plate compressor 100 includes a swash plate 111 that rotates with a drive shaft 110, a pair of shoes 137a and 137b placed to sandwich a portion of the swash plate 111 close to a periphery of the swash plate 111, and a piston 136 connected to the swash plate 111 via the pair of shoes 137a and 137b. The piston 136 reciprocates in a cylinder bore 101a as the swash plate 111 rotates due to the rotation of the drive shaft 110. In the swash plate compressor 100, a zinc phosphate film is formed on each portion of the piston 136 at which the corresponding shoe 137a, 137b is in sliding contact. This reduces occurrence of galling or seizing at the sliding contact portions between the piston 136 and the shoes 137a and 137b.

Patent Document 1 discloses that, in a compressor in which rotation of a swash plate fixed to a drive shaft is converted into reciprocating motion of a piston via a shoe, a surface covering layer mainly of tin having self-lubricating properties is formed on a fitting part of the piston in sliding contact with the shoe. In the compressor disclosed in Patent Document 1, the effects of the surface covering layer mainly of tin can reduce frictional resistance between the piston and the shoe, and can prevent seizing at sliding portions between the piston and the shoe associated with the lack of lubrication.


A method and apparatus to permit digital capture of images from both transmissive and reflective media. A laser or other source of excitation radiation is coupled to a mounting surface to be in optical communication with a reading window when installed on a scanner. A rear casing is coupled to the monitoring surface to engage a housing of a scanner, the housing defining the reading window.

(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to digital capture of x-ray images. More specifically, the invention relates to capturing of x-ray images from both transmissive film and reflective filmless plates.
(2) Background
Various scanners for digitizing images from x-ray film are commercially available. For example, Radiographic Digital Imaging of Compton, Calif. produces a lightbox scanner sold under the trademark COBRASCAN.RTM. which uses a charge coupled device (CCD) to capture the image contained on a standard x-ray film when the x-ray film is transported past a reading window.
While traditional x-ray film has been ubiquitous for decades, more recently, filmless x-rays have been taken using a phosphorescent plate. The phosphorescent plate is reflective and erasable, allowing for repeated reuse. An x-ray impregnates the plate with energy which, when subsequently exposed to a particular excitation, is released, recreating the image. Various companies produce readers for these filmless plates, including Fuji Film Ltd. and Eastman Kodak. Such readers typically employ a flying spot laser and photo multiplier tube. The photo multiplier tube captures the image corresponding to the energy being released by excitation of the flying spot laser. The plate is typically transported by a set of rollers which necessitate that the phosphorescent plate be flexible and, in any case, over time, causes a deleterious effect on the plate, resulting in limited reusability. Additionally, these readers are incapable of digitizing conventional x-ray film. Thus, a radiology department is required to have two separate devices for the digitization of images from the different media types.

Apparatus and method of capturing images from alternative media types


A managed service may include a device configured to receive a request for access information and to send the access information to a reviewer based on the request. The managed service may receive input information from the reviewer, where the input information reflects changes to the access information and may update the access information based on the input information. The managed service may produce a report related to the updated access information, where the report is configured to reflect actions performed by the reviewer with respect to the access information and where the reviewer's actions are related to a compliance policy.

Entities, such as corporation, may use systems that cannot be accessed unless users are authorized. For example, a corporation may have a server that contains corporate financial data. Access to the server may be restricted to persons that have a need to access financial data and that are authorized to access the financial data via a corporate network.
One or more network administrators may be responsible for providing authorization information to users so that the users can access protected data, such as financial data. Companies may wish to perform periodic audits of systems that include protected data (e.g., financial data) and/or users that access these systems. For example, a company may wish to perform quarterly audits to ensure that only persons with an ongoing need to access protected data can do so. Certain individuals, such as managers, may need to determine whether the users have a continued need to access the protected systems. These individuals may find it difficult and/or time consuming to make accurate determinations with respect to users' access needs and/or rights when a large number of users and/or protected systems are involved. As a result, performing accurate audits of protected systems and/or of users having access to these systems may be very costly to entities that use protected systems.


A lockout circuit is provided in a battery pack (10) which blocks charging by incompatible chargers while allowing charging by a compatible charger (12). The battery comprises a battery cell or cells (22), and a switch circuit (24). The switch circuit blocks charge current until a switch disable signal is provided to a switch disable contact (18). The switch circuit provides a one way bypass so that the battery may provide power to a device. To eliminate voltage drop while powering a device, a current sense circuit is provided to detect discharge current, and disable the switch circuit.

Battery powered devices, such as cellular telephones and portable computers, for example, have gained appreciable market acceptance. Such devices offer portability and convenience to users, and many users have come to rely on them. The utility of portable devices is affected by the energy storage capacity of their associated battery pack. Conventional battery systems for portable devices are centered around nickel cadmium (NiCd) and nickel metal-hydride (NiMH) battery technologies, which are referred to collectively as nickel systems. Nickel systems provide robust batteries, and a great many accessories have been produced for them including chargers.
More recently, another battery system, lithium ion (Li-ion) has been brought to the marketplace. It offers significantly more energy storage capacity than nickel system batteries for a given weight, making it a very attractive alternative. Since most devices typically outlive the useful life of their associated batteries, it would be desirable to package Li-ion battery cells in a form so that existing portable products can take advantage of the increased energy storage offered by Li-ion. However, Li-ion is not recharged in the same manner as nickel system batteries.
Nickel system batteries are charged by applying a constant current at a predetermined rate, and monitoring at least one battery parameter until the parameter(s) indicates that the nickel system battery is near fully charged. An example of this would be to monitor battery temperature until the rate of temperature rise reaches a level indicative of a fully charged battery. A great many chargers have been sold into the market place that use this charge regime.
Li-ion, conversely, requires a somewhat different charge regime. It is charged by a constant current followed by a constant voltage charge regime. The voltage regulation of the constant voltage portion must be very precise. If the voltage is too low, the battery cells may not develop sufficient capacity. If the voltage is too high, the battery cell may become damaged. Since nickel system chargers are not typically designed to provide a constant voltage charge, Li-ion batteries are not easily retrofittable into existing nickel system chargers. By use of sophisticated electronics, it is possible to produce a retrofittable Li-ion battery, but the additional cost may be prohibitive to certain portions of the market. Some consumers may be more inclined to purchase chargers designed for Li-ion battery charging for use with a Li-ion battery that fits on an existing device.
Therefore there exists a need whereby a battery, such as a Li-ion battery, can be packaged so that a device can use the battery, and the battery has a means to lockout charging by an incompatible charger, and allow charging by a compatible charger. By incompatible it is meant that the charger, while able to receive the battery in a physical sense, is not designed to provide a compatible charge regime.

Battery lockout circuit and battery pack using same


A measuring tape for emitting a novelty sound includes a housing having a incrementally marked tape operably wound therein, a first end of the tape secured to an inner housing part with biasing member, an intermediate portion being wound about itself, and a second end extending outside a slot in the housing and includes an angled member to maintain the second end from reentering the housing, an activation device, a speaker operably disposed on the housing, an electronic device operably disposed in the housing and is configured for receiving and/or storing an audio data signal, the electronic device is responsive to the activation device and operably connected thereto, the electronic device for providing the received and/or stored audio data signal to the audio speaker operably connected to the housing, and a power source operably connected to the electronic device and the speaker.

Traditionally, measuring tapes are provided for functionally measuring the length of an object. Measuring tapes exist with means for emitting a unit measure as a function of the final measured length are known. Typically these employ a button which is depressed once the measure is final and then an audio or visual readout occurs. Other tapes emit a noise once the tape portion reaches near the end of the tape to avoid the destruction of the tape itself.
While the above features provide some use advantages over conventional measuring tapes, there is a need to provide a measuring tape with a novel amusement aspect as well as multiple functional aspect. Accordingly, the invention addresses measuring tapes in this regard for improvement thereof.


In a method for controlling a front and rear wheel steering system in which front wheels of a vehicle are steered according to a combination of a steering wheel input and an output from a compensatory front wheel steering actuator, and rear wheels of the vehicle are steered by a rear wheel steering actuator. The front wheel steering angle is augmented according to the deviation of the actual yaw rate from a target yaw rate computed from the travelling speed of the vehicle and the steering input from the steering wheel to compensate for the delay in the yaw rate response so that the rear end of the vehicle would not be swung sideways during a turning maneuver, and the vehicle operator would not be subjected to any unfamiliar feeling. Furthermore, when the vehicle is subjected to a side wind or cross wind, because the orientation of the vehicle is corrected from the downwind direction to the upwind direction by steering the front wheel, it is possible to restore the orientation of the vehicle to an appropriate direction without the vehicle being wholly thrown laterally by the side wind. The rear wheels are steered so as to reduce the side slip angle to zero as an additional feature of the present invention, whereby the orientation of the vehicle during a turning maneuver may be aligned with the actual trajectory of the vehicle, and the driveability of the vehicle can be improved.

To the end of improving the responsiveness and stability of a vehicle in a turning maneuver, various forms of front and rear wheel steering systems have been proposed. Normally, the rear wheels are steered according to the steering angle of the front wheels effected by the turning of the steering wheel, and various parameters of the vehicle such as vehicle speed are used for determining the steering angle of the rear wheels or the ratio of the rear wheel steering angle to the front wheel steering angle.
It has been established that a front and rear wheel steering system such as a four wheel steering system is highly effective in improving the behavior of the vehicle when the steering wheel is turned by the will of the vehicle operator, for instance, for changing lanes and avoiding an object. For details of conventional front and rear wheel steering systems, reference should be made, for instance, to U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,514 issued Feb. 2, 1982 to Furukawa et al.
However, if the rear wheels are simply steered only in association with the steering angle of the front wheels, it is not possible to effectively control the behavior of the vehicle when subjected to external disturbances such as side wind or cross wind and irregularities of the road surface.
Therefore, recently, there have been attempts to include the dynamic behavior of the vehicle in the parameters for determining the steering angle of the rear wheels. In particular, it has been proposed to detect the yaw rate of the vehicle, and use it as a parameter for determining the steering angle of the rear wheels. More specifically, when a yaw rate is detected and this yaw rate is determined to be caused not by the turning of the steering wheel, it is assumed that the vehicle is subjected to external disturbances such as side wind, and the rear wheels are automatically steered so as to cancel this yaw rate.
It is generally believed that the driveability of a vehicle is more improved as the delay in the yaw rate response is smaller, and it is known that the yaw rate response can be improved if the front and rear wheels are steered in an opposite phase relationship in an early phase of turning the steering wheel. However, when this is actually implemented, the vehicle operator may experience an unfamiliar impression because when the vehicle operator turns the steering wheel in one direction the rear wheels are initially steered in an opposite direction and the rear part of the vehicle is slightly swung in an unexpected direction.
When the vehicle is turned in a downwind direction by side wind, and an effort is made to turn the vehicle toward the wind by steering the rear wheels in an attempt to restore the vehicle to the straight ahead direction, the rear part of the vehicle has to be swung in downwind direction, and the vehicle has to make a highly distinct lateral shifting movement to keep the vehicle on a straight course.
As an additional problem, the vehicle normally involves a certain side slip angle, and the resulting slight discrepency between the direction of the actual movement of the vehicle and the orientation of the vehicle may impair the driveability of the vehicle. Normally, a vehicle tends to be oriented outward with respect to the tangential line of the turning radius of the vehicle in a low speed range. Conversely, in a high speed range, a vehicle tends to be oriented inward with respect to the tangential line of the turning radius of the vehicle.

Method for controlling a front and rear wheel steering system


A device for transforming a periodic input signal into an output signal of distinct frequency, comprising two adjustable delay means receiving the input signal, a multiplexer selecting the output signal of one or the other of the delay means, control means for, according to whether the output signal frequency must be smaller or greater than the input signal frequency, increasing or decreasing at the rate of the input signal, or at a multiple of this rate, the delay of the selected delay means, and controlling a minimum or maximum delay for the delay means which has not been selected, and a phase comparator adapted to changing the multiplexer selection when the transitions of the signals output by the delay means corresponding to a same transition of the input signal are offset by a duration greater than or equal to one period of the input signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices for transforming a periodic reference signal into a signal of adjustable frequency.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Such devices are for example used in circuits of serial data transmission between a computer and hard disks.
The data to be transmitted come from the computer core in parallel on each transmission circuit generally via a so-called PCI (peripheral communication interface) bus. At the output of each transmission circuit, a serializer transmits serial data onto a connection cable such as a coaxial cable or an fiber optic connection.
To limit electromagnetic emission upon transmission of data on the connection cables, the serial data may be transmitted at variable frequency. Conventionally, the transmit frequency varies between a reference frequency, for example, 1 GHz, and a frequency slower by at most 5%, for example, 995 MHz. The frequency modulation is periodic, the modulation frequency currently ranging between 30 and 33 kHz.
Based on a reference clock signal, which oscillates at the reference frequency, a transformation device provides a clock signal having a serialization frequency controlling the serializer.
Some known frequency transformation devices are formed with a phase-locked loop or PLL.
A disadvantage of such devices is that their surface area may be very large.
Further, such devices generally comprise analog circuits: a voltage-controlled oscillator and a low-pass filter. The analog circuits typically must be adapted to each integrated circuit technology, and the operation of such circuits in all possible configurations, especially of temperature, manufacturing process, and supply voltage, poses more problems than that of all-digital circuits.

Transformation of a periodic signal into an adjustable-frequency signal


A compact three-bar linkage steering probe assembly, particularly useful with ultra-narrow row cotton harvester units, includes two vertical rocker arms pivotally connected to a harvester row unit at mid-point locations and upper ends connected by a cross link to generally constrain the arms for rocking in unison. Crop guides connected to the lower ends of the rocker arms follow the bases of the plant stalks as the row of plants enter the unit. The vertical arms are maintained within spacer tubes which prevent interference with adjacent rows of plants and which assure the arms are not disturbed by the adjacent rows. A sensor responsive to rotation of the rocker arms is located at the central pivotal connection. Arm leaf springs or a spring biased adjustable upper cross link provides probe flexibility for accommodating different plant stalk sizes.

Steering probes such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,611 include a yoke or pendulum structure with an upper end pivotally mounted to a harvester for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis. A sensor at the pivotal mounting senses the rotational position of the yoke as lower ends of the yoke engage the opposite sides of the crop row. As the yoke pivots from a neutral position when the harvester becomes misaligned with the crop row, the sensor provides an error signal so the vehicle can be steered to compensate for the misalignment with the crop row. Such steering probes are commonly utilized with cotton harvesters to keep row units aligned with rows of cotton plants.
Because of the geometry and pivot location of conventional steering probes, they are not readily adaptable to narrow row harvesters. For example, in ultra-narrow row cotton, interference results between the pendulum structure and a row of cotton adjacent the row entering the row-receiving area of the unit. Rotation of the pendulum structure about the upper pivot as the row becomes misaligned with the unit is very limited, and the relatively small angular displacement of the pendulum results in a correspondingly small sensor signal which can lead to sensing inaccuracies, non-repeatability, and slow steering response.
Previously available steering probes are not readily adaptable to row units with variable row spacing such as shown in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,550,230; 6,293,078 and 6,212,864. The variable row spacing units include a cutting device for directing a cut row of crop into a standing row, and mounting steering probes on either the cut or the standing side of the row units has been a continuing source of difficulty.
Large diameter stalks passing between the lower ends of a relatively rigid probe can result in further problems. Without adequate probe flexibility, plant movement between the ends is hampered, damage to crop can result from passage through the ends of the probe, and the assembly encounters added stress and wear. If the operator adjusts the probe end spacing to accommodate the largest plants without damage, probe sensitivity to row misalignment is compromised in areas of the row where smaller plants are encountered.


A computer-implemented method includes receiving item data at a network-based computer system, the item data related to an item categorized in at least a first category of a plurality of categories supported by the network-based computer system and including an item price-based value associated with the item. A category-specific threshold price-based value, for the first category of the plurality of categories supported by the network-based computer system, is automatically determined. The item data is automatically determined to the irregular, based on the item price-based value associated with the item and the category-specific threshold price-based value for the first category of the plurality of categories supported by the network-based computer system. Responsive to the determination that the item data is irregular, an entity associated with the item is restricted from using the network-based computer system.

Network-based transaction facilities (e.g., business-to-business, business-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer Internet marketplaces and retailers) provide convenience of access to users of such facilities and on-line communities. Information regarding sales made through network-based transaction facilities may be automatically extracted and reported for any desired time interval—hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, etc. This information is useful to the facilities for a variety of reasons including record keeping, generating statistics, calculating revenue, etc.
For example, an Internet-based retailer may generate a report listing the items sold during the day and the revenue generated by the sales. An Internet-based bookstore may, for example, generate reports listing the number of books sold during the past month in a specific category or by a specific author. Such statistics are useful in assisting a purchaser with a buying decision or assisting the retailer with stocking decisions.
For a network-based transaction facility, such as an Internet-based auction facility, and its users, information regarding sales is particularly important for setting fees and providing price guidance to users. Fees may be set based on volume or price of the items sold for individual users. The network-based auction facility may use sales information and statistics to determine how to set fees. The network-based auction facility may further use information generated on a periodic basis to guide sellers in setting prices at which to sell their items or buyers in bidding for items by indicating the average price or price range of the type of product being sold. Thus, there is a need for accurate reporting of information.


An adjustable hairdresser's chair is described. The chair includes a motor housing base which has a front shell and a rear shell interconnected by a bellows. A front seat is mounted on the front shell and a rear seat is mounted on the rear shell. The rear seat is vertically adjustable and horizontally adjustable relative to the front seat, while the front seat is horizontally rotatably adjustable, only. A first reversible drive controls the front seat unit. A second reversible drive vertically adjusts the rear seat unit and a third reversible drive controls the rear seat development relative to the front seat to change the distance therebetween.

The present invention relates to an adjustable hairdresser's chair which has two seats for the client and the hairdresser and, which can be conveniently controlled to adjust the elevation of the seat for hairdresser, the angular position of the seat for client relative to the seat for hairdresser, and the distance between the seats.
Regular hairdresser's chairs commonly have only one seat for the client. Therefore, the hairdresser must stand up at one side while dressing or cutting the client's hair. If a chair is used for the hairdresser, it is inconvenient to frequently change the position or elevation of the chair. U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,495, which is an invention of the present inventor, discloses a flexible multi-direction beauty salon chair, in which the working chair of cosmetician or hair stylists can move in different directions through circuit control. However, this structure of beauty salon chair still has drawbacks. One drawback of this structure of beauty salon chair is that the transmission belt which transmit driving power from the motor to the working chair wears away quickly with use. Another drawback of this structure of beauty salon chair is that there is no safety means to prevent disengagement of the threaded rods from the respective ring gears during the adjusting of the chairs.

No. 6, Lane 56, Woa-Tau Road, Dah-Li Shiang


An agricultural cultivator includes a single elongate tubular tool bar of circular cross section which is split into a center section and two wing sections interconnected with the center section at outer ends thereof through pivot couplings. The center section of the tool bar is mounted on two ground wheels and the outer end of each wing section is mounted on a respective one of a pair of ground wheels. Each ground wheel is connected to the tool bar by a respective brace. The ground wheels are aligned so that there axes of rotation lie on a common line forwardly of the tool bar. The braces are interconnected with a hitch frame for pivotal movement relative to the hitch frame about pivot pins defining a common pivot axis parallel to the tool bar and located between the tool bar and the common line of the ground wheels so that rotation of the braces causes the tool bar to move forwardly while the ground wheels move rearwardly under the toolbar. The rotation of the tool bar through approximately 90.degree. lifts the cultivator shanks mounted on individual tool frames carried from the tool bar so that the tool frames stand vertically upwardly from the tool bar in a transport position. Each shank is formed from a flat plate lying in a vertical plane engaged in a slot in an angled pulling plate and carries a transverse rod which engages the plate so that the shank can tilt side to side to accommodate obstacles.

This invention relates to an agricultural frame for transporting ground working tools and particularly to a frame for a cultivator of the type including a frame mounted on ground wheels and including a hitch for transporting the frame across the ground, the frame carrying a plurality of cultivator shanks each having a ground cutting tool for providing a cultivation action on the ground.
Cultivator frames of this type generally carry a cutting tool of the type having a front point and two diverging wings extending outwardly and rearwardly to provide a cutting action under a top surface of the ground.
In recent years many such cultivators have been manufactured and arranged for dual purposes that is an initial cultivating action usually in the fall for the purpose of turning the soil to incorporate crop residue and secondly for seeding in the spring. For cultivating the depth of the cutting action is generally deeper but does not need to be so accurately controlled. For seeding, seed tubes are provided on the frame and transport seeds to each of the cultivator shanks so the seeds are discharged underneath the cutting tool to lay the seeds in a row. For this purpose the cutting tool has to be accurately controlled so that the seeds are laid within a predetermined depth band. Excessive variations of the depth will vary the germination characteristics and lead to an uneven crop.
A lot of attention has therefore been applied to the design of the cultivator frame so as to support the shanks and the cutting tools or sweeps at a required height relative to the ground. Further considerations which must be taken into account in the design of the cultivator frame include the necessity for height adjustment to accommodate the different actions and to accommodate different crop varieties. Furthermore recent agricultural practices have significantly increased the amount of crop residue remaining on the ground after the harvesting has been completed. It is necessary therefore in a cultivator design to reduce the possibility of blockages occurring in the operation of the cultivator by collecting the crop residue into a bunch around the cultivator shanks. A yet further requirement in the design of a cultivator frame is that of converting the frame to a transport position.
One example of a conventional cultivator frame arrangement is shown in a brochure by John Deere entitled Seed Bed Tillage Equipment and in particular the 1060 Field Cultivator, This arrangement includes a center section towed by a hitch behind the tractor and two wing sections each extending out to a respective side of the centre section. Each wing section is formed of two separate portions including an inner portion and an outer portion connected at an outer end of the inner portion. Each of these portions includes ground wheels for supporting the portion in movement across the ground. In moving the transport, the outer wing portion folds inwardly on to the top of the inner wing portion following which the inner wing portion is folded upwardly so as to stand upwardly approximately at right angles from the end of the center section. This transport position is generally unsuitable because it mounts a very high load on the center section during the transport movement and since the dimensions of the folded frame are relatively wide and very high so that the frame is difficult to move through restricted areas and particularly under bridges.
A further disadvantage of this type of frame is that it is necessary to individually adjust the height of the frame sections so that a large number of hydraulic cylinders are required to operate this adjustment generally by raising and lowering the wheels.
The cultivator sweeps of course must cooperate to act across the full width of the cultivator frame but it is of course not possible to locate them side by side in a single row in view of spacing problems and also in view of the tendency of such an arrangement to carry the crop residue in the form of a rake. The shanks are therefore mounted on a plurality of parallel bars and generally at least three such bars are used so as to triple the amount of space between each shank on a bar and the next adjacent shank. One further disadvantage of the above type of cultivator frame is that the frame requires wheels located in the area of the cultivator shanks. Thus the wheels are rolling in the soil which has already been worked with the danger that the wheels will pick up moist soil which will eventually interfere with the proper rolling action of the wheel. In addition the location of the wheels within the area of the shanks requires a yet further increase in the spacing between the shank so it is often necessary to increase the number of bars from three up to as many as five. Such a five bar arrangement of course significantly increases the dimensions and weight of the frame and increases the distance between the front shanks and the rear shanks of the array.
Other examples of cultivator frame of the above general type are used by other manufacturers and include the same disadvantages, Some manufacturers have also attempted to increase the ability of the frame to follow the contours of the ground by allowing an increased floating action between one frame section and the next frame section and this arrangement yet further increases the number of wheels necessary for supporting the frame and further increases the size and weight of the frame thus further exacerbating the problems defined above.
It is also known to mount a relatively narrow cultivator frame directly on a three-point hitch of a smaller power tractor. One such example of a frame of this type is shown in a brochure by Morris Industries of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada. This frame includes a three bar support for the shanks and two gauge wheel at sides of the frame which support the frame at a pre-set distance from the ground as the frame is free to float upwards and downwards on the three-point hitch. This arrangement is only suitable for very narrow implements and is therefore not suitable for the high productivity farms of today where up to sixty feet in width is required for a single pass of the cultivator frame.
It is also known to provide another form of agricultural tool bar for pulling ground working elements such as harrows, packers, rakes and the like in which the tool bar is arranged as a single elongate element with a longitudinal axis at right angles to the direction of movement of the tool bar across the ground. The tool bar is split into a center section and two wing sections with the center section mounted on two ground wheels spaced apart along the center section and each wing section includes a ground wheel adjacent an outer end. The inner end of each wing section is attached to a respective outer end of the centre section by a pivot coupling which allows pivotal movement about two mutually perpendicular axes each of which axis is at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the tool bar. This pivot coupling arrangement is arranged so that when the tool bar is rotated through 90.degree., the wing sections can pivot about a vertical axis transverse to the longitudinal axis so that the wing section moves rearwardly to trail from the outer end of the center section.
Examples of arrangements of this type are shown in Canadian Patents 1,267,318 (Just et al assigned to Morris Rod Weeder) and 1,099,566 (Summach et al assigned to Flexi-Coil Ltd.) and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,935,696 (Pavel) and 4,418,762 (Page assigned to Western Manufacturing Co.).
Each of these arrangements includes a tool bar in which the center section of the tool bar is mounted on a rear end of the hitch frame behind the ground wheel supporting the hitch frame. The tool bar is then actuated by a hydraulic cylinder so that it rotates about an axis generally slightly offset from the longitudinal axis of the tool bar itself without rotation being affected while the hitch frame and the wheels on the hitch frame remain stationary. Generally the outer wheel at the end of the wing section is arranged with its rotation axis lying on the longitudinal axis of the tool bar. A second wheel is usually provided with its rotation axis at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the tool bar so that when the tool bar rotates the second wheel engages the ground and lifts the first wheel away from the ground. In this way there is no need to adjust the angle of the wheel at the end of the wing section to accommodate the working position and the trailing position. However the above patent to Pavel shows an arrangement in which the wheel at the end of the wing section can be manually rotated about a vertical axis so that the single wheel carries the wing section in both the operating position and the trailing position.
Tool bars of this type are generally used with tools such as harrows, packers and the like which do not require an accurate depth control but instead are generally merely suspended from the tool bar to take up their own height by engagement with the ground surface.
A brochure of Western Manufacturing which shows the machine of the above United States patent also includes an arrangement in which a plurality of S-tine cultivator teeth are mounted on bars parallel to the tool bar and spaced rearwardly from the tool bar on arms extending rigidly from the tool bar in a horizontal direction. Height adjustment is effected by vertical movement of the wheel relative to the bar thus requiring a hydraulic cylinder for each of the wheels. The S-tines are intended to carry simple points rather than a sweep since the S-tine arrangement does not carry the sweep at a constant angle of attack which is required to maintain the sweep at the required depth.


A process for recording information on a recording substrate, in which a print head with number (a) of printing elements moves back and forth over print positions, one print line at a time. Partial numbers of printing elements form subgroups in accordance with predetermined formations specific to the print lines. These subgroups are allocated to the print positions of a print line and are formed by at least partly differing printing elements. The individual printing elements of the respective subgroup are selectively controlled at the print positions in accordance with print data to produce a print pattern line. On completion of a subsequent print pattern line, the predetermined formation for a subsequent print line conforms, at least on the continuation side, to the predetermined formation of the preceding print line. Stripes caused by line continuation errors or ink ribbon structure errors are distributed throughout the printed image so as to be vertically offset. In contrast to uniform structures, structures which are distributed in this way can barely be discerned by the human eye.

A process for recording information known from German Patent Publication DE-OS 38 34 709 uses a print head having a number of printing elements arranged in columns in a principle direction. The print head is moved line by line in a reciprocating manner relative to a recording substrate, its movement being directed perpendicular to a forward feed direction of the recording substrate (serial printer). During this reciprocating movement the print head passes over a plurality of print positions of a print line.
In the known process, a subgroup, which is the same for all print positions of a print line, is formed from a partial number of printing elements. The printing elements of the subgroup are selectively controlled at every print position according to predetermined print data. Accordingly, depending on the print datum of the respective printing element, ink may possibly be applied to the recording substrate. After passing across a print line, the recording substrate is advanced in accordance with the length of the subgroup in the forward feed direction. The print head can then continue to make recordings during the subsequent return movement (bidirectional printing) or only when a new advancing movement of the print head is effected (unidirectional printing).
If the forward feed of the recording substrate in serial printers does not correspond exactly to the respective height of the pattern which is printed line by line, adjacent print lines overlap presenting overlaid inked areas of superimposed lines (dark stripes), or are visibly distant from one another (light stripes). These effects of incorrect line spacing are referred to in the following as line continuation errors.
Such line continuation errors are caused, for example, by manufacturing tolerances in the mechanical feed of the recording substrate. Also, the amount of feed generally varies with the thickness of the recording substrate so that costly adjustment would be required in the case of recording substrates with different thickness.
Further, in a serial printer which works with an ink ribbon, stripes can also be formed when the ink ribbon is used up unevenly (referred to in the following as ink ribbon structure errors). Such stripes can also be brought about by failure of a printing element. The human eye is very sensitive to such linear structures disrupting the visual impression of the recorded information.
In the process known from German Patent Publication DE-OS 38 34 709 light stripes are prevented in that, in addition to the subgroup determined by the partial number of the printing elements, there is at least one printing element adjacent to the subgroup which is acted upon by the same print datum as its neighboring printing element of the subgroup. Accordingly, in the known process the formation of light--particularly noticeable i.e.--stripes between adjacent print lines is prevented within a wide range of tolerances, but at the expense of dark stripes in the region of the line continuation as a result of the deliberate overlapping of adjacent print lines. The effect of ink ribbon structure errors and failures of printing elements is not diminished by this known process.
In International Patent Application WO 90/14957 it is proposed, in order to prevent perception of uneven side edges of a recording pattern, to arrange print lines produced in bidirectional printing in such a way that their individual printing lines are interlaced. However, the problem of line continuation errors, ink ribbon structure errors and errors due to failure of printing elements persists in this known process as well, since errors can also cause horizontal structures in this case.

Process of printing with serial printhead


When heights from the reading lines (Lr, Lg, Lb) on the transmission part (13B) corresponding to the line sensors (33r, 33g, 33b) to the predetermined conveyance path T are employed as reading heights of the line sensors (33r, 33g, 33b), a position shift correction unit (100) performs first correction control for correcting position shifts between image signals outputted from the line sensors (33r, 33g, 33b) on the basis of a difference of the reading heights between the line sensors (33r, 33g, 33b).

Conventionally, there is known an image reading device including a plurality of line sensors that read light of color components different from one another. The image reading device has a platen glass and a light source that irradiates light to a document. In the platen glass, a plurality of reading lines corresponding to the plurality of line sensors have been set. The plurality of reading lines extend in a main scanning direction and are arranged spaced apart from one another in a sub-scanning direction. On an optical path between the platen glass and the plurality of line sensors, an image forming lens is arranged. Light reflected in the aforementioned document passes through the plurality of reading lines on the platen glass and is led to each line sensor through the image forming lens. Each line sensor converts the received light into an image signal for output. Between the image signals outputted from each line sensor, a position shift occurs due to chromatic aberration of the image forming lens. Therefore, a technology of correcting the image signals outputted from each line sensor on the basis of predetermined correction coefficients has been proposed.
In recent years, with the increased demands for speeding up, an image reading device capable of performing a flow reading operation in addition to a fixed reading operation in which a document is fixed to a platen glass and is read, is spreading. In these two reading operations, since document reading states are different from each other, it has been proposed to independently set the aforementioned correction coefficients in each reading operation (for example, see Patent Literature 1).


The disclosure includes a system and method for providing a customized stream of content to a user. The system includes: an item sourcer for gathering one or more content items from one or more content sources; a behavior indicator module and scorer for determining one or more behavior scores for the one or more content items; a content indicator module and scorer for determining one or more content scores for the one or more content items; a score combiner for aggregating the one or more behavior scores and the one or more content scores to generate one or more item scores for the one or more content items; a content diversifier for determining one or more diverse items from the one or more content items; and a stream generator for generating a customized stream of content for the user from the one or more diverse items.

The specification relates to customizing content for users.
Over the last decade, social networking has become increasingly popular. A user can consume and interact with various content posted by other users via a social network. For example, a user may consume news or other content items from different online sources and share the content items instantly with other users in a social network. However, numerous content items available in a social network may have varied qualities and some of the content items may be not interesting to a particular user. Therefore, it can be difficult to process the numerous content items that have a variety of diversities including different content types, different locations, different users involved and different qualities, etc., and to provide customized content to a particular user from the numerous content items.