A system and method for managing the contents of a medical storage container that has a required inventory of medical articles. A Faraday cage enclosure is used to isolate, scan, and inventory a tray or other container of medical articles each of which has an RFID tag. The enclosure having a size smaller than the size needed for a resonant frequency at the RFID frequency of operation. A robust electromagnetic field is nevertheless developed in the enclosure and a program compares the scanned present inventory of the tray to the required inventory database and indicates any differences. Expired and recalled articles are identified.

The invention relates generally to the field of wireless identification of medical articles in a healthcare setting, and more particularly, to a system and method for managing the inventory of medical article containers.
There are a number of ways of identifying and tracking articles including visually, optically (bar coding, for example), magnetically, RFID, weighing, and others. Where an automatic system for tracking is desired, RFID is a candidate since identification data may be obtained wirelessly. RFID tags have decreased in cost, which has made them even more attractive for such an application.
Radio-frequency identification ("RFID") is the use of electromagnetic energy ("EM energy") to stimulate a responsive device (known as an RFID "tag" or transponder) to identify itself and in some cases, provide additionally stored data. RFID tags typically include a semiconductor device having a memory, circuitry, and one or more conductive traces that form an antenna. Typically, RFID tags act as transponders, providing information stored in the semiconductor device memory in response to an RF interrogation signal received from a reader, also referred to as an interrogator. Some RFID tags include security measures, such as passwords and/or encryption. Many RFID tags also permit information to be written or stored in the semiconductor memory via an RF signal.
RFID tags may be incorporated into or attached to articles to be tracked. In some cases, the tag may be attached to the outside of an article with adhesive, tape, or other means and in other cases, the tag may be inserted within the article, such as being included in the packaging, located within the container of the article, or sewn into a garment. The RFID tags are manufactured with a unique identification number which is typically a simple serial number of a few bytes with a check digit attached. This identification number is incorporated into the tag during manufacture. The user cannot alter this serial/identification number and manufacturers guarantee that each serial number is used only once. This configuration represents the low cost end of the technology in that the RFID tag is read-only and it responds to an interrogation signal only with its identification number. Typically, the tag continuously responds with its identification number. Data transmission to the tag is not possible. These tags are very low cost and are produced in enormous quantities.
Such read-only RFID tags typically are permanently attached to an article to be tracked and, once attached, the serial number of the tag is associated with its host article in a computer database. For example, a particular type of medicine may be contained in hundreds or thousands of small vials. Upon manufacture, or receipt of the vials at a health care institution, an RFID tag is attached to each vial. Each vial with its permanently attached RFID tag will be checked into the database of the health care institution upon receipt. The RFID identification number may be associated in the database with the type of medicine, size of the dose in the vial, and perhaps other information such as the expiration date of the medicine. Thereafter, when the RFID tag of a vial is interrogated and its identification number read, the database of the health care institution can match that identification number with its stored data about the vial. The contents of the vial can then be determined as well as any other characteristics that have been stored in the database. This system requires that the institution maintain a comprehensive database regarding the articles in inventory rather than incorporating such data into an RFID tag.
An object of the tag is to associate it with an article throughout the article's life in a particular facility, such as a manufacturing facility, a transport vehicle, a health care facility, a storage area, or other, so that the article may be located, identified, and tracked, as it is moved. For example, knowing where certain medical articles reside at all times in a health care facility can greatly facilitate locating needed medical supplies when emergencies arise. Similarly, tracking the articles through the facility can assist in generating more efficient dispensing and inventory control systems as well as improving work flow in a facility. Additionally, expiration dates can be monitored and those articles that are older and about to expire can be moved to the front of the line for immediate dispensing. This results in better inventory control and lowered costs.
Other RFID tags are writable and information about the article to which the RFID tag is attached can be programmed into the individual tag. While this can provide a distinct advantage when a facility's computer servers are unavailable, such tags cost more, depending on the size of the memory in the tag. Programming each one of the tags with information contained in the article to which they are attached involves further expense.
RFID tags may be applied to containers or articles to be tracked by the manufacturer, the receiving party, or others. In some cases where a manufacturer applies the tags to the product, the manufacturer will also supply a respective database file that links the identification number of each of the tags to the contents of each respective article. That manufacturer supplied database can be distributed to the customer in the form of a file that may easily be imported into the customer's overall database thereby saving the customer from the expense of creating the database.
Many RFID tags used today are passive in that they do not have a battery or other autonomous power supply and instead, must rely on the interrogating energy provided by an RFID reader to provide power to activate the tag. Passive RFID tags require an electromagnetic field of energy of a certain frequency range and certain minimum intensity in order to achieve activation of the tag and transmission of its stored data. Another choice is an active RFID tag; however, such tags require an accompanying battery to provide power to activate the tag, thus increasing the expense of the tag and making them undesirable for use in a large number of applications.
Depending on the requirements of the RFID tag application, such as the physical size of the articles to be identified, their location, and the ability to reach them easily, tags may need to be read from a short distance or a long distance by an RFID reader. Such distances may vary from a few centimeters to ten or more meters. Additionally, in the U.S. and in other countries, the frequency range within which such tags are permitted to operate is limited. As an example, lower frequency bands, such as 125 KHz and 13.56 MHz, may be used for RFID tags in some applications. At this frequency range, the electromagnetic energy is less affected by liquids and other dielectric materials, but suffers from the limitation of a short interrogating distance. At higher frequency bands where RFID use is permitted, such as 915 MHz and 2.4 GHz, the RFID tags can be interrogated at longer distances, but they de-tune more rapidly as the material to which the tag is attached varies. It has also been found that at these higher frequencies, closely spaced RFID tags will de-tune each other as the spacing between tags is decreased.
There are a number of common situations where the RFID tags may be located inside enclosures. Some of these enclosures may have entirely or partially metal or metallized surfaces. Examples of enclosures include metal enclosures (e.g., shipping containers), partial metal enclosures (e.g., vehicles such as airplanes, buses, trains, and ships that have a housing made from a combination of metal and other materials), and non-metal enclosures (e.g., warehouses and buildings made of wood). Examples of objects with RFID tags that may be located in these enclosures include loose articles, packaged articles, parcels inside warehouses, inventory articles inside buildings, various goods inside retail stores, and various portable articles (e.g., passenger identification cards and tickets, baggage, cargo, individual life-saving equipment such as life jackets and masks) inside vehicles, etc.
The read range (i.e., the range of the interrogation and/or response signals) of RFID tags is limited. For example, some types of passive RFID tags have a maximum range of about twelve meters, which may be attained only in ideal free space conditions with favorable antenna orientation. In a real situation, the observed tag range is often six meters or less. Therefore, some of the enclosures described above may have dimensions that far exceed the read range of an individual RFID tag. Unless the RFID reader can be placed in close proximity to a target RFID tag in such an enclosure, the tag will not be activated and read. Additionally, metal surfaces of the enclosures present a serious obstacle for the RF signals that need to be exchanged between RFID readers and RFID tags, making RFID tags located behind those metal surfaces difficult or impossible to detect.
In addition to the above, the detection range of the RFID systems is typically limited by signal strength to short ranges, frequently less than about thirty centimeters for 13.56 MHz systems. Therefore, portable reader units may need to be moved past a group of tagged items in order to detect all the tagged items, particularly where the tagged items are stored in a space significantly greater than the detection range of a stationary or fixed single reader antenna. Alternately, a large reader antenna with sufficient power and range to detect a larger number of tagged items may be used. However, such an antenna may be unwieldy and may increase the range of the radiated power beyond allowable limits. Furthermore, these reader antennae are often located in stores or other locations where space is at a premium and it is expensive and inconvenient to use such large reader antennae. In another possible solution, multiple small antennae may be used but such a configuration may be awkward to set up when space is at a premium and when wiring is preferred or required to be hidden.
In the case of medical supplies and devices, it is desirable to develop accurate tracking, inventory control systems, and dispensing systems so that RFID tagged devices and articles may be located quickly should the need arise, and may be identified for other purposes, such as expiration dates. In the case of medical supply or dispensing cabinets used in a health care facility, a large number of medical devices and articles are located closely together, such as in a plurality of drawers. Cabinets such as these are typically made of metal, which can make the use of an external RFID system for identification of the stored articles difficult. In some cases, such cabinets are locked due to the presence of narcotics or other medical articles or apparatus within them that are subject to a high theft rate. Thus, manual identification of the cabinet contents is difficult due to the need to control access.
Providing an internal RFID system in such a cabinet can pose challenges. Where internal articles can have random placement within the cabinet, the RFID system must be such that there are no "dead zones" that the RFID system is unable to reach. In general, dead zones are areas in which the level of coupling between an RFID reader antenna and an RFID tag is not adequate for the system to perform a successful read of the tag. The existence of such dead zones may be caused by orientations in which the tag and the reader antennae are in orthogonal planes. Thus, articles placed in dead zones may not be detected thereby resulting in inaccurate tracking of tagged articles.
Often in the medical field, there is a need to read a large number of tags attached to articles in such an enclosure, and as mentioned above, such enclosures have limited access due to security reasons. The physical dimension of the enclosure may need to vary to accommodate a large number of articles or articles of different sizes and shapes. In order to obtain an accurate identification and count of such closely-located medical articles or devices, a robust electromagnetic energy field must be provided at the appropriate frequency within the enclosure to surround all such stored articles and devices to be sure that their tags are all are activated and read. Such medical devices may have the RFID tags attached to the outside of their containers and may be stored in various orientations with the RFID tag (and associated antenna) pointed upwards, sideways, downward, or at some other angle in a random pattern.
Generating such a robust EM energy field is not an easy task. Where the enclosure has a size that is resonant at the frequency of operation, it can be easier to generate a robust EM field since a resonant standing wave may be generated within the enclosure. However, in the RFID field the usable frequencies of operation are strictly controlled and are limited. It has been found that enclosures are desired for the storage of certain articles that do not have a resonant frequency that matches one of the allowed RFID frequencies. Thus, a robust EM field must be established in another way.
Additionally, where EM energy is introduced to such an enclosure for reading the RFID tags within, efficient energy transfer is of importance. Under static conditions, the input or injection of EM energy into an enclosure can be maximized with a simple impedance matching circuit positioned between the conductor delivering the energy and the enclosure. As is well known to those of skill in the art, such impedance matching circuits or devices maximize the power transfer to the enclosure while minimizing the reflections of power from the enclosure. Where the enclosure impedance changes due to the introduction or removal of articles to or from the enclosure, a static impedance matching circuit may not provide optimum energy transfer into the enclosure. If the energy transfer and resulting RF field intensity within the enclosure were to fall below a threshold level, some or many of the tags on articles within the enclosure would not be activated to identify themselves, leaving an ineffective inventory system.
It is a goal of many health care facilities to keep the use of EM energy to a minimum, or at least contained. The use of high-power readers to locate and extract data from RFID tags is generally undesirable in health care facilities, although it may be acceptable in warehouses that are sparsely populated with workers, or in aircraft cargo holds. Radiating a broad beam of EM energy at a large area, where that EM energy may stray into adjacent, more sensitive areas, is undesirable. Efficiency in operating a reader to obtain the needed identification information from tags is an objective. In many cases where RFID tags are read, hand-held readers are used. Such readers transmit a relatively wide beam of energy to reach all RFID tags in a particular location. While the end result of activating each tag and reading it may be accomplished, the transmission of the energy is not controlled except by the aim of the user. Additionally, this is a manual system that will require the services of one or more individuals, which can also be undesirable in facilities where staff is limited.
In a healthcare environment, there are many storage systems for key medical articles that are used for different purposes. Some are open access storage systems. In most of these cases, and especially for emergency storage systems, they must be restocked upon use on a priority basis. Examples of such emergency storage systems are "crash carts," "anesthesia carts," and others. See FIG. 23 for an example of a crash cart 300. Such carts usually include wheels 302 so that they are mobile and may have multiple drawers 304 in which various medical articles are stored. An external handle 306 is provided to assist in handling the cart 300. Access to these carts must be immediate and unhindered, and controlled access is not required. Upon usage of any item in the cart, the cart must be fully inventoried for resupply. This takes a significant amount of time to accomplish correctly. The need to have these carts immediately available for use requires action from the pharmacy in a timely manner. Upon resupply, the carts are usually sealed and placed in strategic locations within the healthcare facility for immediate access.
Another type of storage system is commonly known as a tray or code tray, and may have other names. The code is typically used to identify the medical purpose of the tray, such as a "code blue" tray to resuscitate a person undergoing cardiac arrest. Such a tray may be formed of non-metallic material such as composites or plastics. The tray holds all of the medications, tools, and equipment that are expected to be required to complete a medical procedure or to handle a particular medical event.
A tray is typically laid out and displayed in an easily recognizable fashion. Color may be used also to assist in managing the inventory of the tray. This allows an assistant to retrieve the correct medication or instrument without delay. In the event that a surgeon is looking for the optimum tool or medication, a quick glance at the surgical tray will allow the identification of all available tools at his or her disposal. Labels are often placed on the tray also that specify what is in the pockets of the tray.
An example of such a medical "tray" is shown in FIG. 24. The tray 320 is a single layer and includes various pharmaceuticals 322 and other medical articles, such as pre-loaded syringes 324 (epinephrine syringe, lidocaine syringe, and an atropine syringe). The entire tray is sealed with clear plastic wrap 326 and an inventory list 328 is contained just under the plastic seal so that it is visible and readable without breaking the seal. The Required Inventory list in this case identifies the name of the tray, such as "Childbirth Tray," lists the contents of the tray, and includes other information such as the first expiration date of any of the articles contained in the tray. The Required Inventory list may also contain a plan layout of the tray showing which articles should be stored where. It may have multiple pages or only a single page.
The tray 320 has been prepared by a pharmacist at the pharmacy because it has prescription medications in it (oxytocin for example). The Required Inventory list may also include brand names as well as generic names, and National Drug Codes ("NDCs") or Universal Product Codes ("UPCs") as part of the inventory. State regulations typically allow a hospital or other facility to define the contents of its trays, and therefore they can be selected based on particular "community" standards and requirements. State regulations, typically require that the hospital have specific procedures to ensure accuracy of tray contents. Such procedures include inventory and restocking procedures, as well as detection of expired and recalled medical articles. In the example of FIG. 24, the tray is relatively small. However for other purposes, a tray can be much larger with many more medical articles. Some trays may include additional layers that include additional items not contained in the top layer.
If the seal is broken, regardless of whether any of the contents were removed, an inventory will likely be required. Existing processes require that this be done manually. Each of the articles in the tray is examined to determine if it is expired or recalled, and is compared against the Required Inventory list to determine if it should be in the tray. The Required Inventory list is also referenced for checking that all required articles are in the tray and that extra articles are not in the tray. Once it has been restocked, the tray 320 is resealed 326 and may be placed on the floor again for medical use. Such examination and restocking can take significant amounts of time and if a pharmacist is required to perform some of the inventory process, that pharmacist will be unavailable to perform other duties. In such a manual procedure, mistakes can be made. Thus, a need has been identified to provide a more efficient and accurate system and method to restock such carts and trays.
Crash carts and trays must be resupplied periodically to replace expired or recalled items, and if a cart or a tray was actually used, to replace consumed articles. As mentioned, such processes are typically performed manually at a significant cost in time. Missing key medical articles in a tray could be devastating in an emergency situation. Therefore accuracy in the resupply is mandatory. Often, trays that have articles that are just nearing expiration must be returned to the pharmacy for resupply in advance of expiration due to the time it takes to process the tray. Any recalled articles must also be removed and substitutions made. It is also possible that items foreign to the crash cart or tray have been added while they were in the field, and these foreign articles must be found and removed.
Unfortunately, the above procedures tend to suffer from significant shortcomings. For instance, manual inspections can result in errors as can resupply. Creating records of what was done is also generally time consuming and error prone, all of which drive up the cost of creating and resupplying the carts and trays. There has therefore been recognized a need for improvement in managing such crash carts and trays.
Furthermore, under the current system, the pharmacy is unable to create individualized carts for patients. For example, certain patients may be provided a patient-specific cocktail of drugs (this may be a mixed vial or a combination of drugs). Because these are non-standard drugs or drug combinations, a pharmacist has to double check a drug list or a prescription list when creating a cocktail drug or filling a personalized cart with medical items.
Hence, those skilled in the art have recognized a need for an improved real-time inventory system for managing medical article container systems. Additionally, a need has been recognized for performing such article management with a more compact, self-contained wireless reader system that reduces the space needed to inventory crash carts and trays. A further need has been recognized for confining the energy used for reading wireless medical article identification devices to a particular area so that accuracy of identification is obtained. The present invention fulfills these needs and others.


The pool and bathtub cushion is a padded mat for protecting against injuries that are often sustained against pool or bathtub edges. A first end of the pool cushion is secured outside of the pool through the use of fasteners or weights and the second end is secured to the interior vertical pool wall through the use of suction cups. A middle section of the cushion contains a cavity that is filled with a pliable structural support member, such as wire mesh. The cushion is placed over the edge of the swimming pool so that the support member completely encompasses the swimming pool edge. The support member allows the cushion to conform to an edge of any shape. The bathtub cushion is the same, but with suction cups along both ends of the cushion for attachment to the tub wall.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cushioning devices, and more specifically, to a pool cushion and a bathtub cushion used to cushion sharp edges on swimming pools and bathtubs.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is very common for children, and even adults, to scrape parts of their body when engaging the edge of a swimming pool. Swimmers will often attempt to climb out of a swimming pool using the edge of the pool for support. In doing so, it is commonplace for swimmers to scratch and abrade arms, legs, and other body parts. It is likewise not uncommon for swimmers to accidentally impact a portion of their body into the edge of the pool. Chipping of a tooth and head injuries oftentimes can result from any inadvertence in attempting to climb out of a swimming pool, or while playing or swimming adjacent to the edge.
Similarly, many people slip and fall in their bathtubs, causing injuries and even death. One of the most dangerous surfaces to fall upon in a bathtub is the edge of the bathtub. The edge of the bathtub projects upwardly and is relatively narrow and, therefore, contains clearly defined edges that can cause severe injury when struck.
Swimming pool and bathtub edges come in many designs, including varying heights, widths, lengths, and contours. Accordingly, there is a need for a cushioning device that can easily configure to a swimming pool or bathtub of any shape.
Thus, a pool and bathtub cushion solving the aforementioned problems is desired.


A method and apparatus for stretching an elastic member and applying it to an article web include a pair of wheels that rotate the elastic member. In particular, the pair of wheels engages the elastic member at an entry location on the pair of wheels and rotates the elastic member from the entry location to an exit location on the pair of wheels. In addition, an absorbent article may include at least one elastic member provided by the method and apparatus.

Articles, particularly disposable absorbent articles may advantageously include portions that are elastic. These portions of elastic material may improve the fit, comfort and containment characteristics of the absorbent articles in use. In certain situations, these portions may be provided by separately attached elastic members that are applied to the chassis of the absorbent article at some point in the manufacturing process. For example, portions of an absorbent article such as a disposable diaper that may be provided by a separately attached elastic member are the waist elastics and ear portions of the article.
Several methods and apparatus exist to apply separately attached components on an absorbent article, such as applicator rolls, cut and place modules, and the like. Nonetheless, these existing methods and apparatus may, in certain circumstances, not be entirely satisfactory. For instance, many of the processes and apparatuses do not elongate an elastic component prior to application. In the instances where an elastic component is elongated by a process and apparatus prior to application, the entire component is generally elongated, rather than being elongated in only particular areas, (i.e., zone stretched). Moreover, when it is desired to apply a number of components to an article in a converting process, it is often necessary to include that number of separate application processes and apparatus.
Therefore, in one example, in order to apply a waist elastic to an absorbent article that gathers the waist edge, and then apply a pair of elastic ears, the application of each component may generally require a discrete apparatus and a discrete number of steps. Thus, as components are added to the article, and as a result, further process steps are also added to the manufacturing process, the cost and complexity of the process and converting line can likewise be increased.
Accordingly, despite attempts to provide a method and apparatus for applying components to an article web in a converting process, such as those described above, these attempts have not been entirely satisfactory. That is, there remains a need for a method and apparatus capable of zone stretching an elastic member. Further, there remains a need in certain instances to provide a method and apparatus that is capable of applying a zone stretched elastic member to an article web. Still further, there remains a need for articles that include zone stretched components.

Method and apparatus for applying an elastic member


A carton feeding and shuttle machine includes first and second servo drives for driving first and second belts positioned on a plurality of pulleys, a first block attached to the first belt and supporting a first support shaft and a second block attached to the second belt and supporting a second support shaft. A controller controls the servo drives for driving the first and second belts. A linkage assembly includes a plurality of links configured to move a plucking head along a shaft in response to movements of the first and second belts. Specifically, relative movement of the first and second belts pivots first and third links about a first support shaft and second and fourth links about a second support shaft drawing a base along a slide shaft and extending the plucking head from a first position to a second position for engaging a carton blank in a carton blank stack.

Machines for forming cartons from blanks, and then delivering a product for loading into the carton, are well known. Typically, the carton is erected from a blank during a "pick and place" operation. This movement is traditionally accomplished by using two separate feeder and shuttle mechanisms. In addition, these mechanisms traditionally support carton blank stacks in an elevated position such that the blanks are plucked and subsequently transported to a lower position for forming into cartons. This requires the carton blank stacks to be lifted into position above the machine.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved carton blank feeding and combined shuttle machine that avoids any one or all of the foregoing limitations, and perhaps others yet to be identified.

Carton blank erector and feeding and shuttle machine


One embodiment is an apparatus having a memory, a controller, and a de-interleaving module. The memory is configured to store portions of a set of interleaved values, where the set of interleaved values correspond to a single application of an interleaving mapping to a set of un-interleaved values. The controller is configured to retrieve each portion from an other memory that stores the set of interleaved values by moving the portion from the other memory to the memory. The de-interleaving module is configured to de-interleave the interleaved values in at least one of the portions to generate a de-interleaved portion such that processing downstream of the de-interleaving module can begin processing the de-interleaved portion before all of the interleaved values in the set of interleaved values are de-interleaved by the de-interleaving module.

In some signal processing systems, the transmission of an information stream over a transmission channel to a receiver can result in burst errors. A burst error occurs when most, if not all, of the values in a contiguous sequence of values of the information stream are in error. If the number of contiguous values in error exceeds the receiver's ability to correct the errors (e.g., using error-correction encoding and decoding), then the receiver will fail to correctly recover the information stream.
To reduce the effects that burst errors have on recovering an information stream at a receiver, many signal processing systems employ interleaving schemes. In such schemes, a transmitter divides the information stream into sets of contiguous values. Each set of contiguous values is input to an interleaver that shuffles the values in the set to generate a set of interleaved values. In so doing, the interleaver applies a single mapping of interleaver inputs to interleaver outputs to each set. Each set of interleaved values is transmitted to the receiver, and, upon receipt of the set of interleaved values, the receiver de-interleaves the set of interleaved values to return the set to its pre-interleaved arrangement. The de-interleaving spreads out any burst errors that were introduced into the sets of interleaved values over the transmission channel, thereby creating a more uniform distribution of errors, which may then be easier to correct using a suitable error correction scheme.


A method and apparatus for fraud detection is provided in which a remote unit within a communication system (100) transmits a Digital Supervisory Audio Tone (DSAT) at a transmission rate with a known maximum phase shift over time. When a fraudulent remote unit hijacks a traffic channel within the communication system (100), fraud detection is accomplished by calculating a maximum permitted (DSAT) phase shift (630) and determining if the reacquired DSAT has a phase shift greater than a permitted DSAT phase shift (635). When a reacquired remote unit's DSAT phase shift is greater than a permitted DSAT phase shift, appropriate fraud control methods are performed (640).

Communication systems are known to comprise a plurality of base sites that provide communication services to remote units located in corresponding service coverage areas of the base sites. One known communication system is a cellular communication system, such as the Narrowband Advanced Mobile Phone Service (NAMPS). In an NAMPS system, a remote unit (e.g., a mobile or stationary remote unit) that desires to communicate, sends a channel request signal and identification (ID) information to a base site serving the coverage area in which the remote unit resides. Upon receiving the remote unit's ID and channel request signal, the serving base site allocates a communication resource for the remote unit. The communication resource comprises a coordinated pair of frequencies (i.e., an uplink frequency and a downlink. frequency sometimes referred to as voice or traffic channels). In a communication system employing a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) protocol, the communication resource comprises a coordinated pair of time slots and frequencies (i.e., a first time slot at an uplink frequency and a second time slot at a downlink frequency). The uplink frequency supports transmissions from the remote unit to the serving base site, whereas the downlink frequency supports transmissions from the serving base site to the remote unit.
Upon allocating the communication resource, the base site sends a channel designation signal containing the uplink and downlink frequency, to the remote unit via a control channel. Upon receiving the channel designation signal, the remote unit tunes its transmitter and receiver to the designated frequencies and begins communicating with a telephone network subscriber or another remote unit via the serving base site. The serving base site then tracks billing information regarding the call, and utilizing the remote unit's ID, charges the appropriate fees to the corresponding caller.
During communication with the base station, a fraudulent remote unit (i.e., a fraudulent user operating a remote unit) can hijack a voice channel by transmitting on the corresponding uplink frequency at a high enough power level, causing the legitimate remote unit to be abandoned in favor of the fraudulent remote unit. Once communication has been established between the fraudulent remote unit and the communication system, the fraudulent remote unit may then utilize three-party calling features of the communication system to place other calls utilizing the legitimate remote unit's ID, causing associated fees to be charged to the legitimate remote unit.
Thus a need exists for a method and apparatus for detection of fraudulent users in a communication system.

Method and apparatus for detection of fraudulent users in a communication system using signaling-channel phase shift


Antibacterial 3-aminoquinazolin-2,4-diones have formula (I) wherein: R1 and R3 include alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, hetero-cyclic, and heteroaryl; R5, R6, and R8 include H, alkyl, alkoxy, halo, NO2, CN, NH2, alkyl and dialkylamino; R7 includes hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, hetero-cyclic, fused heterocyclic, aryl and fused aryl; J and K are C or N; and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.

Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide problem with catastrophic potential. The American Society of Microbiology Task Force recently issued a report defining the resistance problem and calling for new antibacterial agents with novel structures or mechanisms to offer alternatives to existing therapeutic choices (Southern Med. J, 1995; 88:797).
The quinolones are a class of antibacterials that are widely used throughout the world. The quinolones are potent inhibitors of gram positive and gram negative bacteria, and may be administered orally or intravenously. The quinolones are routinely used even though they have side effects (J. Antimicrob. Chemother., 1994; 33:685), and significant resistance has been frequently noted (Gootz, Medicinal Research, 1996; Rev. 16:433). One of the most widely used quinolones is ciprofloxacin, which has the following chemical structure:

The quinolones have a distinct structure activity relationship (SAR) which is defined by several thousands of analogs prepared over the last 30 years (S. Mitsuhashi, ed. Progress in Drug Research, 1992; 38:11–147). In the quinolone SAR (referring to the formula below representing substituted quinolones), it is well-established that the N1 group, in combination with the C3-carboxyl and the C4-carbonyl, are essential for activity, and that any substituents at C2 detract from activity (J. Antimicrob. Chemother, 1994; 33:685 and Gootz, supra., 1996). It is also well-established that R6 is ideally fluorine, and that R7 is a nitrogen containing heterocycle. R1 is ideally a small alkyl, a cycloalkyl, or a phenyl group.

The quinolones inhibit bacterial growth by inhibition of DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV (Gootz, supra., 1996). The gyrase interaction appears to rely on the N1/C4-carbonyl/C3-carboxyl relationship.
Attempts to design novel quinolone mimics have focused on the N1/C4-carbonyl/C3-carboxyl relationship. Certain tricyclic isothiazole analogs were designed to keep an all-planar relationship, and to have the NH of the isothiazole ring be as acidic as the quinolone C3-carboxyl group (Chu, Drugs Exptl. Clin. Res., 1990; 16:215).
While maintaining excellent antibacterial activity, these compounds also show antitumor and mammalian topoisomerase activity (Drugs of the Future, 1992; 17:1101). These activities are undesired in an antibacterial agent.
Several publications (U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,248; J. Med. Chem., 1992; 35:1358; Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., 1995; 39:163) disclose tricyclic compounds (such as the structure below) having antibacterial activity and DNA gyrase inhibiting activity.
For such compounds, the relationship of the N1 to the C4-carbonyl is skewed. Compounds of this type are ineffective against bacteria that are quinolone resistant.
Other tricyclic analogs of the following structure are disclosed as quinolone mimics (JP 4,091,090 3/92; Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 1991, Abstract 1494).
While the ideal quinolone N1–C4-carbonyl relationship is maintained, the C2 region, where substitution is undesirable, is part of a fused-ringed system. These compounds are not active against quinolone resistant bacteria.
WO 96/04288 describes a series of benzoheterocycles of the formulas
where X, Y, and Z are hydrogen bond acceptor and donator groups. Among the compounds depicted are N-hydroxy-quinazoline-2,4-diones, where R1–R4 can represent hydroxy, amino, nitro, a variety of alkyls, esters, and amides. In all cases, the substituent on N1 is hydrogen. None of the substituents R1–R4 are nitrogen containing heterocycles. No antibacterial activity is disclosed for these compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,110 describes N1-aryl-N-hydroxy-quinazoline-2,4-diones of the formula
where R may be halo, cyano, hydroxy, alkoxy, and substituted amino. Amino heterocycles are not included in R, and no antibacterial activity is reported for such compounds.
Compounds taught in International Publication No. WO 95/19346 as AMPA, NMDA, and kinase receptor antagonists have the formula
where R substituents are defined as alkyl or phenyl, and R1 and R2 are defined as H, alkyl, alkoxy, alkenyl, halogen, NO2, (un)substituted NH2, CN, etc. Again, no antibacterial activity is disclosed for these compounds.
Kornet and coworkers (Kornet M. J. et al., J. Heterocyl. Chem., 1984; 21:1533–1535) disclosed anticonvulsant compounds having the formula
where R is defined as H, Me, or Cl; R1 and R2 as H or Me; and R3 as Me or t-butyl. Alternatively, R2 and R3, together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached, can form a heterocyclic ring such as piperidinyl, morpholinyl, etc. These compounds are not reported to have antibacterial activity.
A number of publications teach compounds having diuretic and sedative activities and with the generic structure as follows (ES 80/489675, JP 80/33323, BE 80/199792, FR 78/33438, JP 70/97932; Baronnet R., Callendret R., Blanchard L., Foussard-Blanpin O., Bretaudeau J., Eur. J. Med.-Chim. Ther., 1983; 18:241–247).
These are compounds in which NR1R2 can form a heterocycle, or R1 and R2 independently can represent H or a small alkyl. R3 and R4 can represent H, halogen, sulphonamide, alkyl, or alkoxy. No antibacterial activity is reported for these compounds.
International Publication No. WO 99/21840 describes 3-hydroxy-quinazoline-2,4-diones as antibacterial agents.
Compounds of this type are quinolone mimics where the 3-position exocyclic carboxylic acid of the quinolones is replaced by an oxo at the 2-position and a hydroxy at the N-3-position. Compounds of this type are designed to keep an all-planar relationship and to have the N—OH remain acidic, as in the quinolone CO2H (Chu, Drugs Exptl. Clin. Res., 1990; 16:215). These compounds inhibit DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV, and demonstrate antibacterial activity in vitro. However, such compounds are not effective against quinolone resistant bacteria.
The need continues to find new antibacterial agents that have the potency of the quinolones, but which are active against quinolone resistant bacterial strains. The present invention provides such compounds, which are characterized as 3-aminoquinazolin-2,4-diones. An object of this invention is to provide these new compounds, and a method for treating bacterial infections in mammals by administering these compounds.


A dual fuel mixer is disclosed as including a mixing duct having an upstream end, a downstream end, and a centerline axis therethrough, where the mixing duct has a circular cross-section defined by a wall. A shroud surrounds the upstream end of the mixing duct and contains therein a gas manifold in flow communication with a gas fuel supply and control. A set of inner and outer annular counter-rotating swirlers are located adjacent the upstream end of the mixing duct for imparting swirl to an air stream. The outer annular swirler includes hollow vanes with internal cavities which are in flow communication with the gas manifold, the outer swirler vanes also having a plurality of gas fuel passages therethrough in flow communication with the internal cavities to inject gas fuel into the air stream. A hub is provided for separating the inner and outer annular swirlers to allow independent rotation thereof. A fuel injector is substantially aligned with the centerline axis for injecting liquid fuel axially into the upstream end of the mixing duct. High pressure air from a compressor is injected into the mixing duct through the inner and outer swirlers to form an intense shear region so that gas fuel injected into the mixing duct from the outer swirler vane passages and/or liquid fuel injected into the mixing duct from the fuel injector are uniformly mixed therein, whereby minimal formation of pollutants is produced when the fuel/air mixture is exhausted out the downstream end of the mixing duct into the combustor and ignited.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an air fuel mixer for the combustor of a gas turbine engine and, more particularly, to a dual fuel mixer for the combustor of a gas turbine engine which uniformly mixes either liquid and/or gaseous fuel with air so as to reduce NOx formed by the ignition of the fuel/air mixture.
2. Description of Related Art
Air pollution concerns worldwide have led to stricter emissions standards requiring significant reductions in gas turbine pollutant emissions, especially for industrial and power generation applications. Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), which are a precursor to atmospheric pollution, are generally formed in the high temperature regions of the gas turbine combustor by direct oxidation of atmospheric nitrogen with oxygen. Reductions in gas turbine emissions of NOx have been obtained by the reduction of flame temperatures in the combustor, such as through the injection of high purity water or steam in the combustor. Additionally, exhaust gas emissions have been reduced through measures such as selective catalytic reduction. While both the wet techniques (water/steam injection) and selective catalytic reduction have proven themselves in the field, both of these techniques require extensive use of ancillary equipment. Obviously, this drives the cost of energy production higher. Other techniques for the reduction of gas turbine emissions include "rich burnt quick quench, lean burn" and "lean premix" combustion, where the fuel is burned at a lower temperature.
In a typical aero-derivative industrial gas turbine engine, fuel is burned in an annular combustor. The fuel is metered and injected into the combustor by means of multiple nozzles along with combustion air having a designated amount of swirl. Until recently, no particular care has been exercised in the prior art in the design of the nozzle or the dome end of the combustor to mix the fuel and air uniformly to reduce the flame temperatures. Accordingly, non-uniformity of the air/fuel mixture causes the flame to be locally hotter, leading to significantly enhanced production of NOx.
In the typical aircraft gas turbine engine, flame stability and engine operability dominate combustor design requirements. This has in general resulted in combustor designs with the combustion at the dome end of the combustor proceeding at the highest possible temperatures at stoichiometric conditions. This, in turn, leads to large quantities of NOx being formed in such gas turbine combustors since it has been of secondary importance.
While premixing ducts in the prior art have been utilized in lean burning designs, they have been found to be unsatisfactory due to flashback and auto-ignition considerations for modem gas turbine applications. Flashback involves the flame of the combustor being drawn back into the mixing section, which is most often caused by a backflow from the combustor due to compressor instability and transient flows. Auto-ignition of the fuel/air mixture can occur within the premixing duct if the velocity of the air flow is not fast enough, i.e., where there is a local region of high residence time. Flashback and auto-ignition have become serious considerations in the design of mixers for aero-derivative engines due to increased pressure ratios and operating temperatures. Since one desired application of the present invention is for the LM6000 gas turbine engine, which is the aero-derivative of General Electric's CF6-80C2engine, these considerations are of primary significance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,447 to Joshi et al., which is owned by the assignee of the present invention, describes an air fuel mixer in which gaseous fuel is injected into the mixing duct thereof by means of passages in the vanes of an outer swirler. This concept was also utilized in U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,477 to Joshi et al, which is also owned by the assignee of the present invention, along with a separate manifold and passage through a hub between the outer and inner swirlers to provide dual fuel (gaseous and/or liquid) capability to the air fuel mixer. It has further been disclosed in three related applications, each entitled "Dual Fuel Mixer For Gas Turbine Combustor" and having Serial Nos. 08/581,813, 08/581,817, and 08/581,818, that liquid fuel alternatively may be provided radially to the mixing duct via certain passage configurations in a centerbody of the air fuel mixer. In each of these air fuel mixer designs, a centerbody is provided with the mixing duct thereof. It has been found that complex air flow may cause recirculation zones to form within the mixing duct which create a greater probability of flashback or autoignition along the centerbody.
Accordingly, it would be desirable for an air fuel mixer to be developed for the combustor of a gas turbine engine which has the capability of mixing gaseous and/or liquid fuel therein without the flashback/autoignition problems associated with having a centerbody in the mixing duct thereof.

Dual fuel mixer for gas turbine combustor


An impact energy management system comprises at least a portion of vehicle structure with an impact energizable structure attached thereto. The impact energizable structure receives impact energy from an obstacle and transfers the impact energy to the vehicle structure, and has a reconfigurable engagement area extending generally vertically with respect to the vehicle structure. The impact energizable structure is reconfigurable from a first position to a second position to increase the engagement area in response to an impact between the impact energizable structure and the obstacle.

Vehicle crash compatibility between trucks or sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and cars has received increased attention in recent years due to an increase in truck and SUV sales. Since trucks and SUVs are designed to be driven off road, truck and SUV vehicle structure tends to be further from the ground than car vehicle structure, thereby decreasing the likelihood that the truck or SUV vehicle structure will contact the ground when going over rough or steep terrain. Due to this mismatch in vehicle structure height, the truck/SUV vehicle structure typically does not fully engage the car vehicle structure during a crash.


A semiconductor device structure is provided. The semiconductor device structure includes a semiconductor substrate having a conductive region made of silicon, germanium or a combination thereof. The semiconductor device structure also includes an insulating layer over the semiconductor substrate and a fill metal material layer in the insulating layer. In addition, the semiconductor device structure includes a nitrogen-containing metal silicide or germanide layer between the conductive region and the fill metal material layers.

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced rapid growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. As the semiconductor industry has progressed into nanometer technology process nodes in pursuit of higher device density, higher performance, and lower costs, challenges from both fabrication and design issues have resulted in the development of three-dimensional designs, such as the fin field effect transistor (FinFET). FinFETs are fabricated with a thin vertical "fin" (or fin structure) extending from a substrate. The channel of the FinFET is formed in this vertical fin. A gate is provided over three sides (e.g., wrapping) the fin. Advantages of the FinFET may include reducing the short channel effect and raising the current flow.
Although existing FinFETs and methods of fabricating FinFETs have been generally adequate for their intended purposes, they have not been entirely satisfactory in all respects. For example, as the size of FinFET device structure has been reduced, problems (e.g., poor step coverage, opening overhang, void formation, and increased contact resistance) may occur when contact metal materials are filled into contact openings (e.g., vias or trenches) with small critical dimension (CD). Therefore, it is a challenge to form reliable contact structures at smaller and smaller sizes.

Semiconductor device with low resistivity contact structure

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD


The present invention is related to a method of fabricating borderless metal to contact structure. A dielectric layer is deposited on the silicon semiconductor wafer. The first photoresist pattern is formed by the conventional lithography technique. Then, the dielectric layer is partially etched to formed the first trench and second trench. The first trench is used as a contact hole, while the second trench is for second metal interconnection line. Thereafter, the second photoresist pattern which is only exposing the first trench region is formed. By using the second photoresist pattern as an etching mask, the dielectric layer is etched through to form the contact which is the place for the first metal line and second metal line to be electrically contacted. After the first and second photoresist patterns are stripped, the second metal layer is deposited to fill into the contact and the second trench as second metal interconnection lines. Finally, the second metal layer and a portion of the second dielectric layer are polished by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) technique to planarize the wafer surface. A borderless metal to contact structure according to the present invention is achieved.

(a) Field of the invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of fabrication of integrated circuits, and more particularly to the process of forming borderless metal to contact structure.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, the sizes of the integrated circuits have become continuously smaller so that the packing densities of these IC devices have increased considerably. For example, a number of semiconductor manufacturing companies in the world have already begun mass production of 16M bit or even 64M bit DRAMs. In the conventional circuit design rule (see, for example, Niel Weste in "Principles of CMOS VLSI Design", p. 105, 1985), there must be a spacing for metal line 10 over contact 8 extension a each side to ensure lithography misalignment would not cause contact problem as shown in FIG. 1. Please referring now to FIG. 2, it shows a metal to contact structure according to the prior art FIG. 1. The metal 1 layer 4 is sputtered on a silicon substrate 2, and then an dielectric layer 6 covers the metal 1 layer 4. A contact 8 which is formed by the conventional lithography and plasma etching techniques is the place for metal 1 layer 4 and metal 2 layer 10 to be electrically contacted. As shown in FIG. 1, the pitch between two metal 2 lines must increase by 2a in order to satisfy the old design rule. Therefore, the packing density of the IC device becomes much smaller.
In today's sub-microm or even deep sub-microm VLSI technology, how to reduce the pitch between metal lines becomes a top priority.

Method of forming borderless metal to contact structure


In a prosthetic leg installed with a hydraulic cylinder for adjusting bending and extension resistance of a knee joint portion, a buffer device is provided between a lower leg portion and a foot portion below the knee joint portion for displacing movably in opposite directions when the toe and the heel of the foot portion contact the ground, respectively. An extension passage and a bending passage are provided in the hydraulic cylinder, a toe grounding closing valve is provided in the bending passage, and a heel grounding closing valve is provided in the bending passage. The toe grounding closing valve and the heel grounding closing valve are connected in an interlocking manner by a closing valve connecting/operating member such that valve open/close orientations thereof are set in opposite directions. A grounding detection member is provided for detecting movable displacement of the buffer device and displacing movably when the toe or heel on the foot portion of the prosthetic leg contacts the ground, and a grounding transmission member is provided for transmitting the movable displacement of the grounding detection member to the closing valve connecting/operating member to cause the closing valve connecting/operating member to displace movably.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a prosthetic leg which is attached to a leg that has been amputated proximal to the knee as a substitute leg and has a hydraulic cylinder for adjusting the bending and extension resistance of a knee joint portion, and which enables walking on stairs, slopes, and level ground without buckling of the knee by employing the movable displacement of a buffer device provided between a lower leg portion and a foot portion below the knee joint portion to lock the knee of the prosthetic leg so that the knee does not buckle when the toe of the prosthetic leg contacts the ground and increase the knee bend resistance of the prosthetic leg when the heel of the prosthetic leg contacts the ground so that the knee bends slowly, and more particularly to a prosthetic leg which enables smooth walking on level ground and down slopes and stairs by allowing the knee to bend without locking the knee when a knee bending operation is performed continuously from a state in which the knee is extended while switching from heel grounding to toe grounding during walking.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-H11-19105, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2001-218778, and so on, for example, are known as prosthetic legs that are attached to an amputated leg proximal to the knee as a substitute leg and provided with a pneumatic cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder used to adjust the bending/extension resistance of a knee joint portion.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2005-87347 has been filed as a prosthetic leg which enables walking on stairs, slopes, and level ground without buckling of the knee by controlling bending and extension resistance in the knee of the prosthetic leg, during use, without detecting muscle contraction in the stump portion of the amputated leg, to lock the knee of the prosthetic leg so that the knee does not buckle when the toe of the prosthetic leg contacts the ground and increase the knee bend resistance of the prosthetic leg when the heel of the prosthetic leg contacts the ground so that the knee bends slowly.
In the invention of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2005-87347, walking on stairs, slopes, and level ground without buckling of the knee is made possible by controlling the bending and extension resistance in the knee of the prosthetic leg during use, without detecting muscle contraction in the stump portion of the amputated leg, to lock the knee of the prosthetic leg so that the knee does not buckle when the toe of the prosthetic leg contacts the ground and increase the knee bend resistance of the prosthetic leg when the heel of the prosthetic leg contacts the ground so that the knee bends slowly.
In the invention of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2005-87347, a toe grounding lock valve 76 and a heel grounding lock valve are disposed independently of each other, leading to a corresponding increase in the number of components, an increase in the amount of required space, and a corresponding increase in the structural complexity of the narrow hydraulic cylinder. Moreover, since the two valves are operated independently, a malfunction in which both the toe grounding lock valve and the heel grounding lock valve enter an open state or both valves enter a closed state may occur.
Further, in the invention of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2005-87347, during walking on level ground, the knee is not locked when the toes contact the ground with the knee in an extended state and when the knee bends to a small angle between 20 and 30 degrees, for example, but when the knee bends beyond this point, the knee is locked. Once locked, the knee does not bend further, and therefore it may be impossible to move smoothly forward when the toes contact the ground.
(Section A of FIG. 9)
Furthermore, when the heel of the prosthetic leg contacts the ground while walking down a slope or stairs, the knee bend resistance is increased so that the knee bends slowly, but when heel grounding switches to toe grounding knee bending is locked, preventing smooth walking.
As a preventative measure, locking may be prevented until the knee bends to 40 or 50 degrees, but in so doing, locking is not performed until the knee bends to 40 or 50 degrees even when walking upstairs, and as a result, it becomes difficult to walk upstairs.


A transmitter for an electronic animal control system of the type employing a boundary wire antenna for radiating a predetermined radio frequency signal, is provided with phase detection circuitry for detecting a phase difference between the applied radio frequency signal and the electrical current within the antenna. Phase control circuitry is provided for adjusting the phase of the voltage with respect to the current in response to detecting a phase difference.

Electronic animal control systems are known for confining an animal to a selected area, or to otherwise control the movement of an animal relative to a selected area. For example, such systems as are manufactured by the Invisible Fence Company of Malvern, Pa. have become a popular alternative to traditional fencing for confining animals in residential areas.
In an electronic animal control system, an antenna in the form of a wire is positioned to define the boundary of the selected area. Typically, the wire is laid underground along the perimeter of the area. The wire is connected to a radio frequency signal generator so that a radio frequency signal is radiated from the wire. A receiver for receiving and detecting the radio frequency signal is mounted upon the animal. The receiver includes a transducer, such as a speaker or a mild electric shock generator, for applying a corrective stimulus to the animal in the vicinity of the wire. Such systems, and components thereof, are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,425,330; 5,435,271; 4,996,945; and 4,967,695.
A desirable application for electronic animal control systems is to confine dogs or other carnivores within an agricultural area, such as a farm or orchard, for the purpose of discouraging rodents, deer, or other herbivores from consuming crops in the area. Such agricultural areas tend to be larger than residential areas, and hence require longer boundary antennae. For example, a typical residential installation may require a boundary wire antenna of a few hundred meters, while an agricultural installation may require several kilometers of wire.
With increasing length of the antenna, however, it becomes difficult to efficiently transfer the desired radio frequency signal from the signal generator to the antenna. One difficulty is that the distributed series inductance and the distributed parallel capacitance of the antenna can cause undesirable resonant oscillation that may interfere with operation of the animal control system. Another related problem is that the series inductance of the antenna can reduce the peak current in the antenna, and hence reduce the strength of the radiated signal.
One way to counteract the problems associated with using longer boundary wires would be to provide a capacitance in series with the output terminal of the signal generator, in order to cancel the series-inductive component of the distributed reactance of the boundary wire antenna. However, because each installation of an animal control system differs from other installations in terms of wire length, geometry, and soil conditions, a single capacitance cannot be selected to compensate for the series inductance under all conditions. Consequently, it has been necessary to provide skilled installation personnel to measure the relevant electrical parameters of each installation and to custom modify the signal generator to obtain the desired compensation. Aside from being expensive and inconvenient, it is then necessary to re-tune the signal generator whenever a critical parameter of the animal control system, such as the size or shape of the area, is desired to be changed.
In view of the difficulties of custom tuning a large-area electronic animal control system, and of maintaining such a system in tune, it would be desirable to provide a signal generator for such a system that would be capable of detecting whether the antenna current is in phase with the voltage applied by the signal generator, for indicating a degree to which the voltage and current are out of phase, and for providing a phase adjustment feature for correcting any detected phase difference. Such a signal generator would desirably achieve these objectives in a manner requiring little or no special skills or training on the part of the user.

Electronic animal control system transmitter with variable phase control


A probability indication signal V.sub.P indicates the probability that the audio signal received via the input is a speech signal. An analyzing circuit derives (NA) which is indicative of the ratio between a signal power in a first portion of a frequency spectrum of the received signal and a signal power in a second portion of the frequency spectrum. A signal pattern detector detects signal patterns in the analysis signal (NA) in another signal, for example, a music signal. An estimator derives the probability indication signal V.sub.P in dependence on the detected signal patterns.

1. Field Of The Invention
The invention relates to a speech signal discrimination arrangement having an input for receiving an audio signal and an output for supplying a probability indication signal which is indicative of the probability that the audio signal received via the input is a speech signal.
The invention further relates to an audio device including such a speech signal discrimination arrangement.
2. Description Of The Related Art
A speech signal discrimination arrangement and an audio device of the types defined above are known from Rundfunktechnische Mitteilungen; Band 12; 1968, Heft 6, pp. 288-291. The known speech signal discrimination arrangement is adapted to discriminate speech signals from music signals in a radio receiver. When a speech signal is detected, the received signal is processed to improve the intelligibility of the reproduced speech signal. When a music signal is detected the received signal is subjected to processing which is particularly suitable for use in the case of the reception of music signals.
The known speech signal discrimination arrangement utilizes the fact that the amplitude of music signals, in general decreases gradually whereas the amplitude of speech signals, in general decreases abruptly. These gradual decreases are detected and a signal producing, containing a pulse upon each detection, is integrated. This integrated signal indicates whether the received audio signal is a speech signal or a music signal. A drawback of the known discrimination arrangement is that in a comparatively large number of cases (3%), the integrated signal does not provide a correct indication of the type (music or speech) of audio signal received.

Device for indicating a probability that a received signal is a speech signal


A buffer means and a method for buffering containers, in particular in a container handling apparatus, like for example bottles in a bottle filling apparatus, is described. The buffer means comprises at least a first conveyor track. Furthermore at least a second conveyor track is provided, which is drivable along a second transport direction. The first conveyor track and the second conveyor track are parallel to each other and form a buffer module. A transfer device transfers the containers from an infeed conveyor track onto an outlet conveyor track of the buffer module. By means of a sliding device the required buffer capacity of the buffer means can be set. Between the infeed conveyor track and the outlet conveyor track of a buffer module at least two further drivable transfer conveyors are provided. Thus a closed surface of the buffer module is created.

A container handling apparatus usually comprises plural container handling units, which are arranged one after the other. Container handling units, for example, may be stretch-blow machines for manufacturing plastic containers (plastic bottles) from preforms. Furthermore, it is possible that the container handling unit is a labeling machine for labeling the containers. A further possibility of the container handling unit is a cleaning unit for cleaning the containers. To this is added a filling unit for filling the containers with a liquid or any other content, respectively. Eventually, a packaging unit for packaging or combining the containers to packs follows. Between the individual container handling units of a container handling apparatus plural transport means are provided. If a fault occurs at one of the container handling units, for example the labeling machine, the containers need to be buffered within the process. Through the buffering it is achieved that the container handling units upstream of the labeling unit can continue their operation, in order to transfer the containers only into the buffer of the transport means for buffering there, before supplying them to the labeling unit. Independently of the occurrence of a fault in a container handling apparatus it is also necessary to feed the containers to the individual container handling units of a container handling apparatus according to the step frequency of processing the containers in the individual container handling units. Therefore, it is necessary that the transport means, (buffer means) provided between the individual container handling units, can vary the buffering capacity depending on the required step frequency of the individual container handling units.
Canadian patent application CA 2 364 216 A1 discloses a transport system for the dynamical buffering of articles. The length of the transport system can be variably set, so that a certain number of containers can be buffered in the transport system. Thereunto a linear transport chain for transporting articles into the transport system and a second linear transport chain for transporting articles out of the transport system are provided. Between the first and the second linear transport chain plural U-shaped transport chains are provided, all of which are driven by one motor and thus are running at equal speeds. The bottom of the 'U' of each of these U-shaped transport chains is arranged at the side of the infeed of the containers into the transport system. The opening of the 'U' of each of these U-shaped transport chains is arranged at the side of the transport system opposite the infeed. The legs of the 'U' of the U-shaped transport chain are arranged parallel to the first and the second linear transport chain. Over the transport chains a transfer trolley is provided, which is displaceable along the transport chains. The transfer trolley exhibits a number of transfer discs equal to the number of U-shaped transport chains in the transport system. The transfer discs are positioned between linear transport segments of the transport chains. When articles reach one of the transfer discs of the transfer trolley from a transport chain, they are transferred to the next transport chain by the transport disc. The transport system is configured in such a way that linear transport segments, arranged parallel to each other, of all transport chains transport articles in opposite directions. Thus, the articles are transported back and forth in the transport system. By displacing the transfer system, moreover, the number of articles in the transport system, and thus the number of articles buffered there, can be set.
In the transport system described in CA 2 364 216 A1 all U-shaped chains have the same velocity. During the transfer of the containers from a transport chain to the transfer discs of the transfer trolley the containers are exposed to the risk of being damaged by collisions. Furthermore, there is the danger of a hand of a user getting between the transport chains during operation of the transport system or during maintenance work.
The company Nercon Eng. & Mfg., Inc., Oshkosh, Wis., USA, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,414, has described an endless transport system, in which the containers transported are not exposed to pressure from preceding containers. Furthermore, this company has developed a further transport system called "Flex Flow Accumulator", in which the containers transported are exposed only to little pressure from preceding containers, and which, moreover, similar to the transport system of CA 2 364 216 A1, offers the possibility of buffering containers within the transport system. Therein also the number of containers that can be buffered in the transport system can be varied. Unlike CA 2 364 216 A1 a continuous chain is used for transporting the containers in the Flex Flow Accumulator. In this way it is intended to assure that there is no back pressure from the production line.
In the Flex Flow Accumulator by the company Nercon the containers therefore are on one transport chain during the entire transport. Therefore, on the one hand, all containers in the Flex Flow Accumulator are transported with an equal velocity. On the other hand with this construction the transport chain needs to be dimensioned relatively large, and thus is heavy. As such chains become more expensive with increasing dimensions, and because a heavy chain requires a greater driving force, the Flex Flow Accumulator by the company Nercon is relatively expensive with respect to production costs as well as operational costs.

Buffer means for containers and method for buffering containers


Provided are bitumen nanocomposites. The bitumen nanocomposites have one or more clay, one or more polymer composition, and bitumen. A polymer composition can have one or more polymer and one or more crumb rubber. A polymer may have one or more maleic anhydride group. The bitumen nanocomposites can be used in, for example, road surfacing products and roofing products.

Bitumen is used extensively for road surfacing and roofing materials. It is obtained from the distillation of crude oil and contains a chemically complex mixture, which is classified typically according to the polarity of the constituents roughly into asphaltenes and maltenes; maltenes can be further separated by chromatographic techniques to saturates, aromatics, resins and altogether are referred to with the acronym SARA fractions. A satisfactory description of bitumen is that it is colloid. It has been suggested that asphaltenes form micelles and are dispersed in maltenes stabilized by the polar fraction of the latter.
The primary use of bitumen is in asphalt, where it serves as the glue or binder mixed with mineral aggregate (stone or sand) particles. Recent advances for bitumen used for pavement applications include addition of various polymers in order to improve performance and reduce rutting, cracking and water susceptibility.
Styrene-butadiene-styrene triblock copolymers (SBS) have proved very effective as polymer additives in bitumen. SBS shows good dispersability with good final properties, though storage stability issues still need to be resolved; the level of SBS addition in the bitumen matrix is limited to 3 to 6% wt. The reason is that higher loadings improve further the properties but they lead to phase separation and settling during storage. Various attempts for stabilizing SBS modified binders have been reported in the last several years. It was previously reported that successfully adding sulfur to SBS improving storage stability of bitumen. Even earlier work starting as early as 1958 describes a storage-stable SBS-modified asphalt by adding sulfur, though due to the excessive viscosity, the product could not be used in practice. Although the addition of sulfur has been exploited industrially for more than 30 years there still remain some issues; modified binders are more susceptible to oxidative aging; in addition hydrogen sulfide, a hazardous gas, can be generated during sulfur vulcanization. Another important drawback is poor recyclability, which might be caused by the chemical reactions of sulfur during the vulcanization process.
The use of nanoclays and other nanoparticles to improve the properties of polymers is already well documented. Similarly, several have reported nanoclay-bitumen nanocomposites. Addition of organo-modified montmorillonites (O-MMT) to bitumen without any polymer additives was previously reported and it was noticed that clays can improve the short-term aging behavior. However, the material still settled in long-term aging tests. A better aging behavior was reported later, but these researchers used an SBS modified bitumen as the matrix. A combination of SBS and hydrophobic MMT led to increased viscosity, higher stiffness and better rutting resistance though storage stability still remains a problem. Previous reports used organically modified vermiculite and montmorillonite and noticed that the binder modified by 2.5% of SBS and 2.5% of clays showed a similar behavior to the binder modified by 4.0% of SBS, which confirms that the nanoclays can serve as inexpensive substitutes for polymer additives. However, only the vermiculite based system showed improved storage stability.
Several papers report potential improvements to bitumen by using blends of polymers as additives. A previous report described using an experimental design analysis approach and optimized the conditions of blending SBS, crumb rubber and a polyethylene wax (PW), aiming mainly at the reduction of production costs. Crumb rubber (CR), which is produced from recycling rubber tires, is a promising additive especially for substituting part of SBS; considering that billions of tires are produced every year and a large part of them is eventually discarded without any further use, it is of considerable practical interest to substitute part of SBS with the less expensive CR without compromising performance. A previous report replaced part of SBS with crumb rubber to produce CR/SBS modified binders and noticed a significant improvement in failure temperature, moduli and viscosity, when the amount of SBS exceeded 1%. However, their CR/SBS-modified system shows obvious phase separation upon storing resulting from coalescence of SBS on the top of the sample and sedimentation of rubber particles at the bottom.


A system for synchronizing parallel processing of a plurality of functional processing units (FPU), a first FPU and a first program counter to control timing of a first stream of program instructions issued to the first FPU by advancement of the first program counter; a second FPU and a second program counter to control timing of a second stream of program instructions issued to the second FPU by advancement of the second program counter, the first FPU is in communication with a second FPU to synchronize the issuance of a first stream of program instructions to the second stream of program instructions and the second FPU is in communication with the first FPU to synchronize the issuance of the second stream program instructions to the first stream of program instructions.

This disclosure relates to parallel processing and particularly to synchronization of multiple functional units.
In many parallel processing systems, there are multiple functional units working independently but sharing a register file. In such a system, a fast synchronization method is needed. One known method of parallel usage of multiple functional units is decoupled access/execute architecture (DAE arch), which includes two independent units communicating using two queues and synchronization is achieved by the same queuing mechanism another known method is modern out-of-order architecture (Modern arch), in which several functional units are working in parallel but based on single program counter. In this method, dependency is enforced by complex register renaming and an interlocking pipeline is used. A third known method is VLIW architecture, in which all functional units proceed in lock-step.

Method of synchronizing independent functional unit

International Business Machines Corporation


There is disclosed some techniques for processing an authentication request. In one example, a method comprises the step of determining the velocity between authentication requests of a user associated with the requests. Additionally, the method determines the likelihood that a location associated with one of the requests is associated with the user location. Furthermore, the method generates an authentication result based on the likelihood that a location associated with one of the requests is associated with the user location.

Some service providers use conventional risk-based authentication systems to assess a risk of processing customer transactions. For example, an online bank may employ a risk engine of such a risk-based authentication system to assign risk scores to banking transactions where higher risk scores indicate higher risk.
In generating a risk score, the risk score engine can take as input values of various transaction attributes (e.g., geolocation). For each user, there is an associated history based on values of the attributes associated with previous transactions involving that user. The risk engine incorporates the history associated with the user into an evaluation of the risk score. Significant variation of one or more attribute values from those in the user's history may signify that the transaction has a high risk.
It will be understood that in some approaches the velocity of the user between transactions can be used as the input to determine the risk of the user. For example, a user cannot be in two distant places at the same time. Hence, whenever an input of the user location is received, it is used together with the former reported location to estimate the user's velocity. If the velocity of the user between the two transactions is too high, it may be that one of the locations is associated with an attacker trying to impersonate the user and a high risk score is generated.
Unfortunately, there are deficiencies with the above approaches to determining risk. For example, the problem with using the velocity of the user as an input to determine risk is that in many cases the location associated with the user is not correct. It may be the case that the location is estimated correctly but is not the user location leading to wrong velocity estimation and false alarms. For example, a user may connect remotely to a mobile network and log in through a VPN connection resulting in the user location being indicated as the location of the network provider even though the user may be anywhere in the globe. In another case, a user can have two devices, each reporting distant locations such as a mobile IP-geolocation reporting Boston while a PC reports London.
The present invention aims to overcome at least some of the above problems associated with prior risk-based authentication systems.


A computer-implemented method for fine-grained affective states prediction. The computer-implemented method creates training data comprising content conveying emotions. The method creates a trained model by performing an emotion vector space model training process using the training data to train a model using a feed forward neural network that converts discrete emotions into emotion vector representations. The trained model can be used to predict fine-grained affective states for text conveying an emotion.

Emotion, as a fundamental component of being human, plays an important role in our everyday lives. Numerous studies have been conducted in attempts to better characterize human emotion. Many researchers believed that as a subjective cognitive representation, emotion should be best measured using the traditional psychology-based approaches, such as self-reporting and observation. One key disadvantage of both the self-reporting and observation-based methods is that their results highly depend on the participants and are usually very hard to be conducted in large scales. Another problem is that both methods treat emotions as discrete states and ignore the inter-emotion relationships.
While noticing the drawbacks of the self-reporting and observation-based methods, computer scientists proposed several computational approaches with the aim to better understand and model human emotions. Many studies have demonstrated that individual's emotions are highly correlated with their writings and can be successfully predicted through affective text mining. Affect is a concept used in psychology to describe the experience of feeling or emotion. Various emotional lexicons were built with keywords or phrases that associated with emotions. However, due to its lack of theoretical foundation, existing emotion detection methods fail to detect the subtle difference between similar affective states (e.g. sad vs. hurt), and are only limited to detect the few basic emotions, such as angry, sad, happy, etc.

Method for fine-grained affective states understanding and prediction


A brushless motor control apparatus detects a phase current flowing in a brushless motor, converts the phase current to a vector current including a d-axis current of a magnetic flux direction component and a q-axis current of a torque direction component orthogonal to the d-axis current, calculates a vector voltage instruction value based on differences between a vector current and a vector current instruction value, calculates a phase voltage instruction value and controls rotation of the brushless motor based on the phase voltage instruction value. The apparatus further calculates electric power produced in the brushless motor and protects the brushless motor based on the magnitude of electric power.

In a motor system, an excessive current higher than that under normal operating condition flows in motor windings due to dielectric breakdown, overload, forced constraint, or the like. If such an excessive current flows, temperatures of the windings rise and exceed a heat-withstanding temperature of insulating coating of the windings, dielectric breakdown occurs, the windings short out. This further leads to abnormal operations of an apparatus connected to the motor.
To prevent such overheating of the windings, temperature protective devices such as a thermistor and a thermal fuse are attached and the temperature rise is suppressed by limiting currents flowing in the windings in response to winding temperatures or cutting off currents when they exceed a predetermined temperature. However, such overheat protection needs addition of a thermistor, a thermal fuse, etc. and addition of a peripheral circuit for detection. This causes increase in cost.
Moreover, as overheat protection techniques of the direct current motor, winding temperatures are estimated from a motor current value squared and a motor resistance value, and the current is limited according to the estimated temperature because the winding temperature is proportional to a product of the motor current value squared by the motor resistance value.
The brushless motor uses three-phase alternating currents. Consequently its accurate state cannot be grasped, except that the sampling period and calculation period of current, voltage, etc. are done at high speed. In a worst case, it is likely that calculation results may be different from actual values depending on the sampling period (for example, only low current values of the alternating waveform are sampled), and hence dielectric breakdown may occur due to a failure of the overheat protection.
For example, supposing that the brushless motor with 16 poles is in rotation at 2000 rpm, a motor current waveform becomes an alternating waveform of a period of 3.75 ms. That is, if this alternating waveform is intended to be sampled accurately and subjected to calculation, it must be performed in a period of a few hundreds of micro seconds or less, which increases a calculation load of a microcomputer. To prevent the calculation load in the microcomputer from increasing, a microcomputer capable of high-speed processing is necessitated. This will result in an increase of cost.
It is also proposed in JP 2003-164185A to realize the overheat protection by using a q-axis current that is a torque component current of the brushless motor, or both the q-axis current and a d-axis current that is an exciting component current while preventing increase in cost and calculation load.
The brushless motor is driven by the three-phase alternating currents. Each of its voltage, current, magnetic flux, etc. is represented by a composite vector that is a vector sum of components generated by alternating components of each phase. When driving the brushless motor, its control is simplified by converting the three-phase alternating currents that necessitate handling these vectors to two-axis direct currents.
This two-axis direct current conversion means conversion whereby a motor having a fixed part and a rotating part is converted to one in an orthogonal coordinate system whose coordinates are both fixed, i.e., a rotating orthogonal coordinate system, and is called d-q conversion. The q-axis is in advance of the d-axis by a phase of π/2 and the d-axis is orientated in a direction of a magnetic flux formed by a field magnet.
In the direct current motor, a field magnet circuit is formed with permanent magnets or by flowing constant field-magnet currents in field-magnet windings. Independently from it, an armature current is supplied in a rotor conductor from the outside, whereby a torque proportional to the armature current can be generated. Therefore, the direct current motor is rotated with the torque proportional to the armature current.
On the other hand, in the brushless motor, the rotor is not electrically connected with the outside. That is, only a primary current flowing in the stator generates both a rotating magnetic field and an induction current equivalent to the armature current. Therefore, the primary current contains both a current (exciting component current) that generates a secondary interlinkage flux crossing a secondary-side rotor and a current (torque component current) that flows in a secondary-side conductor.
A technique of controlling these two currents independently is the d-q conversion described above. With this conversion, if the exciting component current (d-axis current) is controlled to be constant, the torque component current (q-axis current) will be proportional to the torque. Therefore, the use of this q-axis current enables the brushless motor to be vector-controlled as in the case of the direct current motor.
Here, the principle of vector control will be described using FIG. 7. The magnitude and phase of a current determines the torque of the brushless motor, the alternating current motor, or the like. In practice, the current is divided into a current component (magnetic flux current) that forms a magnetic flux in the direction of a main magnetic flux established inside the motor and a current component with a phase advanced by 90° that controls the torque directly (torque current).
The two components are controlled independently. The magnetic flux current and the torque current are defined as a current component that forms a magnetic field in the d-axis direction and a current component that forms a magnetic field in the q-axis direction, respectively. The fact that each of the current, voltage, and magnetic flux is controlled after being divided into a d-axis component and a q-axis component may account for a name of the vector control. These current components can be calculated by the well known three-phase to two-phase conversion based on a rotation angle θ of the main magnetic flux to the stator in the d-q axis coordinate system.
Moreover, in estimation calculation of the winding temperature (electric power), the use of the d-axis current in addition to the q-axis current enables estimation with higher accuracy than that of an estimation only with the q-axis current, although it adds a slight increase in the calculation load.
However, in the above conventional method, because the brushless motor uses the three-phase alternating currents, when the motor is in rotation or when the motor is not in rotation and yet predetermined currents are flowing through it so as to produce a torque (motor lock state), currents applied to phase windings might differ largely among them even if the q-axis current or the d-axis current is the same. The current also might differ depending on a motor locking position (electrical angle).
As a result, in the case where only the q-axis current or the d-axis current is used to estimate the winding temperatures and the overheat protection is performed, estimation errors may occur and excessive overheat protection may be executed, which impedes the production of sufficient torque by the motor. Otherwise, too little overheat protection may result in short circuit of the windings, which leads to abnormal operations of an apparatus connected to the motor.

Brushless motor control apparatus having overheat protecting function


A computer-implemented method for augmenting a video conference between a first device and a second device. The method includes receiving a virtual object at the first device, wherein the virtual object is configured to augment the video conference and wherein the virtual object is specifically related to an event. The method also includes incorporating said virtual object into said video conference.

Participants in a video conference communicate with one another by transmitting audio/video signals to one another. For example, participants are able to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously. However, the participants may not be able to completely articulate what they are attempting to communicate to one another based solely on the captured audio captured by microphones and video signals captured by video cameras.
The drawings referred to in this description should be understood as not being drawn to scale except if specifically noted.