Heart valve delivery systems and methods of delivering and implanting heart valves using delivery catheters are disclosed. The delivery systems can include a handle assembly with a rotatable control knob and a catheter including an introducer shaft, an intermediate shaft extending from the handle assembly, an inner shaft extending from the handle assembly, and a capsule for containing a prosthesis. The distal end of the capsule can be connected to a distal end of the inner shaft, which can be moved in a distal direction by the rotatable control knob to deploy the prosthesis. By advancing the introducer through the deployed prosthesis and retracting the capsule to mate with the introducer, a smooth profile can be created for retraction of the system through the deployed prosthesis, minimizing hang-ups and snagging.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to heart valve delivery systems and methods of delivering and implanting heart valves using delivery catheters. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to delivery systems with a distal moving capsule for transapical delivery of a prosthetic heart valve.
2. Background
Recently, minimally invasive approaches have been developed to facilitate catheter-based implantation of valve prostheses on the beating heart, intending to obviate the need for the use of classical sternotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,016,877 to Seguin et al. illustrates a technique and a device for replacing a deficient heart valve by percutaneous route. An expandable prosthetic valve can be compressed about a catheter, inserted inside a lumen within the body, such as the femoral artery, and delivered to a desired location in the heart. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 7,914,569 to Nguyen et al. discloses advancing a catheter containing a prosthesis in a retrograde manner through the femoral artery and into the descending aorta, over the aortic arch, through the ascending aorta and inside the defective aortic valve. This procedure can be assisted by fluoroscopic guidance. Once the position of the catheter containing the prosthesis is confirmed, a sheath containing the prosthesis can be moved proximally, allowing the valve prosthesis to self-expand.
With regard to the structure of the heart valve prosthesis itself, U.S. Pat. No. 7,914,569 to Nguyen et al. describes an example prosthesis for percutaneous transluminal delivery, and is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The heart valve prosthesis can have a self-expanding multi-level frame that supports a valve body with a skirt and plurality of leaflets. The frame can be contracted during percutaneous transluminal delivery and expanded to an hourglass shape upon deployment within the native heart valve.
Other techniques for delivering prosthetic heart valves via a catheter include a transapical approach for aortic valve replacement, typically involving the use of an introducer port, i.e., a large-bore overtube, of a trocar. A crimped, framed valve prosthesis reversibly coupled to a delivery catheter can be transcatheterally advanced toward the native valve, where it can be either forcefully deployed using a balloon catheter, or, alternatively, passively deployed using a self-expandable system.

Delivery catheter with distal moving capsule for transapical prosthetic heart valve delivery


Disclosed herein are sliders with deep holes, data storage devices including such sliders, and methods of manufacturing such sliders. The holes can be situated near the edges of the slider to improve the stability and/or damping of the slider. The holes may be created, for example, using ion milling. In some embodiments, a slider comprises a leading pad comprising a first medium-facing surface that includes at least a first hole and a second hole, a first side pad comprising a second medium-facing surface that includes at least a third hole, and a second side pad comprising a third medium-facing surface that includes at least a fourth hole. In some embodiments, a trailing pad of the slider comprises a fourth medium-facing surface that includes at least a fifth hole and a sixth hole.

Data storage systems are used to store large amounts of information. A data storage system typically includes a read/write transducer for retrieving and storing information. Some data storage systems use rotating storage devices, such as rotating optical devices (e.g., CD and DVD drives) or hard disk drives containing rotating magnetic disks (also referred to as platters or media). In some such data storage systems, a suspended slider supports a head that includes the read/write transducer. The slider provides mechanical support for the head and the electrical connections between the head and the rest of the data storage system.
When the data storage system is in operation, the slider floats a small distance above the recording medium (e.g., a hard disk in a hard disk drive), which rotates at high speeds. Components of the data storage system move the slider and, therefore, the head to a desired radial position over the surface of the rotating medium, and the head reads or writes information. The slider rides on a cushion or bearing of air or gas created above the surface of the medium as the disk rotates at its operating speed. The slider has an air-bearing surface (ABS) that faces the medium. The ABS is designed to generate an air-bearing force that counteracts a preload bias that pushes the slider toward the medium. The ABS causes the slider to fly above and out of contact with the medium.
Spinning disks in hard disk drives at high revolutions per minute against the friction of an air atmosphere is largely inefficient and requires a certain amount of power. Accordingly, there is an ongoing need for improvements.

Slider air bearing design with ultra-low pressure for low power-consumption data storage devices


An apparatus for detecting the position of application of a sealing strip of heat-seal plastic material onto a multilayer web of packaging material for food products advanced along a predetermined path and including at least one base layer for stiffness and strength and one or more heat-seal plastic layers; the sealing strip has a first longitudinal portion, applied onto a longitudinal edge of the web, and a second longitudinal portion projecting laterally from the longitudinal edge. The apparatus comprises a light source for irradiating a transversal portion of the web during movement thereof along its path, and a sensor detecting a quantity related to different behavior of the materials forming the web and the sealing strip to light exposure and generating an output signal related to the width of the second portion of the sealing strip in a direction orthogonal to the web travelling direction and parallel to said web.

As it is known, many food products, such as fruit juice, pasteurized or UHT (ultra-high-temperature treated) milk, wine, tomato sauce, etc., are sold in packages made of sterilized packaging material.
A typical example of this type of package is the parallelepiped-shaped package for liquid or pourable food products known as Tetra Brik Aseptic (registered trademark), which is made by folding and sealing a laminated web of packaging material.
The packaging material has a multilayer structure substantially comprising:                a base layer for stiffness and strength, which may be defined by a layer of fibrous material, e.g. paper, or mineral-filled polypropylene material; and        a number of layers of heat-seal plastic material, e.g. polyethylene film, covering both sides of the base layer.
In the case of aseptic packages for long-storage products, such as UHT milk, the packaging material also comprises a layer of gas- and light-barrier material, e.g. aluminium foil or ethyl vinyl alcohol (EVOH) film, which is superimposed on a layer of heat-seal plastic material, and is in turn covered with another layer of heat-seal plastic material forming the inner face of the package eventually contacting the food product.
As is known, packages of this sort are produced on fully automatic packaging machines, on which a tube is formed continuously from the web-fed packaging material. More specifically, the web of packaging material is unwound off a reel and fed through an aseptic chamber on the packaging machine, where it is sterilized, e.g. by applying a sterilizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide, which is subsequently evaporated by heating, and/or by subjecting the packaging material to radiation of appropriate wavelength and intensity. The web of packaging material so sterilized is then maintained in a sterile-air environment, and is vertically fed through a number of forming assemblies which interact with the packaging material to fold it gradually from web form into a tube shape.
Afterwards, the tube is filled with the sterilized or sterile-processed food product and is sealed and cut at equally spaced cross sections into pillow-pack packages, which are subsequently folded mechanically to form parallelepiped packages.
Before reaching the forming assemblies, the web of packaging material is fed through an apparatus for applying a sealing strip of heat-seal plastic material, to which the packaging material is subsequently heat sealed to form the vertical tube.
More specifically, the sealing strip is normally heat sealed to the inner plastic layer of the web of packaging material at a pressing station to which the web of packaging material and the sealing strip, both heated beforehand, are fed along different paths, and where the sealing strip is pressed onto a first longitudinal edge of the web of packaging material. After the application, the sealing strip has a first portion heat sealed to the first longitudinal edge of the web, and a second portion projecting therefrom.
On interacting with the forming assemblies, the second longitudinal edge of the web is laid on the outside of the first longitudinal edge with respect to the axis of the tube being formed. More specifically, the sealing strip is located entirely inside the tube, and the face of the second longitudinal edge facing the axis of the tube is superimposed partly on the second portion of the sealing strip, and partly on the face of the first longitudinal edge located on the opposite side to the first portion of the sealing strip.
Apparatus of the above type are known in which the first and second longitudinal edge are heat sealed to form a longitudinal seal along the tube; more specifically, the heat-seal operation comprises a heating step to heat the second longitudinal edge without the sealing strip, and a pressure step to compress the sealing strip and the longitudinal edges.
The heating step melts the polyethylene layer of the second longitudinal edge, which transmits heat by conduction to the first longitudinal edge and the sealing strip, so as to melt the polyethylene layer of the first longitudinal edge and the heat-seal material of the sealing strip.
At the pressure step, the sealing strip and the longitudinal edges of the web of packaging material are pressed together, so that the heat-seal material of the sealing strip and the polyethylene layers of the longitudinal edges blend completely and form the molecular bonds defining the longitudinal seal of the tube.
The sealing strip performs the following functions:                to prevent the edges of the packaging material forming the longitudinal seal to absorb the packed product;        to improve the gas barrier properties of the longitudinal seal area;        to strengthen the longitudinal seal.
In order to properly work, the sealing strip should be correctly positioned with respect to the packaging material.
A need is therefore felt within the industry to control continuously and accurately the position of application of the sealing strip onto the web of packaging material without disturbing the functioning of the packaging machine.
A need is also felt within the industry to adjust the above-mentioned position when necessary, without stopping the packaging machine, to ensure correct application of the sealing strip onto the web of packaging material.

Apparatus and method for detecting the position of application of a sealing strip onto a web of packaging material for food products


Printer ink-drop detectors are used to detect ink stalagmites forming on a waste ink receiving spittoon. A warning message can be issued so that the stalagmites can be removed before automatic printer shutdown is initiated. Additionally, a record of the ink stalagmite detection can be stored within the printer for later access by service personnel during routine maintenance and/or resource replenishment.

Ink jet printing devices and processes use a multitude of controlled ink discharge nozzles in order to form images on print media. In some devices, automated testing procedures are performed to determine which, if any, of the ink discharge nozzles are failing to operate properly. Such testing procedures are referred to as "drop detection". Subsequent printing operations can be automatically modified, if needed, in the interest of mage quality once any failed nozzles are identified.
Waste ink is generated during each drop detection procedure. Over the course of numerous such tests, waste ink can accumulate and harden in the form of "stalagmites". Such stalagmites are typically supported by a waste ink receptacle (i.e., spittoon) and can grow until they interfere with the operation of the drop detection sensors (i.e., drop detectors). Such interference with the drop detectors can lead to false interpretation of massive nozzle failures, automatically rendering the ink jet printing device inoperative until serviced by personnel.
Accordingly, the embodiments described hereinafter were developed in the interest of addressing the foregoing problems.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A method of operating a configurable gaze tracking system includes initializing a plurality of sensors by determining positional information of the sensors, wherein the sensors establish a virtual framework, initializing a plurality of target objects by determining positional information of the target objects within the virtual framework, determining a current user using data output by the sensors, determining a gaze of the current user, matching the gaze to one of the target objects in the virtual framework, wherein a target object matched to the gaze is a current target object, and activating the current target object to receive input.

The present disclosure relates generally to sensor arrays, and more particularly to a system and method for a reconfigurable sensor array.
Conventional gaze tracking technology can be used to move a cursor or change an active window. These systems are tied, through hardware and/or software, to a single monitor. When a user turns their head, such that their eyes are no longer visible to a camera of the system, a gaze tracking capability is lost.
It is increasingly common to work with multiple displays, driven by one or more computers. These work environments typically involve a number of applications open simultaneously and displayed in different windows.
Immersive workspaces typically have many displays that can be oriented in different directions. In all of these situations a user will typically shift their focus between different points, and quickly repositioning their gaze to different displays, windows, applications, tabs, etc., while using a pointing device, such as a mouse or touch screen to activate different elements in the workspace. In at least some cases, the pointing device becomes a bottleneck in terms of speed and efficiency. Moreover, gaze tracking systems, limited to single monitor environments, are not applicable to this type of workspace.

Configurable sensor array for a multi-target environment

International Business Machines Corporation


A packaged semiconductor device includes a lead frame including plurality of lead terminals each having a plated wettable flank dimple including 2 or more different widths including narrower lead terminals and wider lead terminals. A semiconductor die is attached to the lead frame. A mold material terminates at a saw line of the packaged semiconductor device providing encapsulation except for an exposed bottom contact and an exposed sidewall contact for the plurality of lead terminals. The wider lead terminals have a necked region with a reduced width extending inward a predetermined distance from the saw line, where a terminal region inward beyond the necked region which is wider as compared to the necked region.

To ensure that today's needs such as for automobile's demand for safety and high reliability, the automotive industry requires original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to perform a 100% automatic visual inspection (AVI) post-assembly for packaged semiconductor devices. In the case of quad-flat no-lead (QFN) packages, due to the method in which packaged semiconductor devices such as QFN packages are singulated conventionally being with a saw blade, the surface of the exposed lead terminal (or 'pin') flank is flush with the molding compound such that solder does not readily climb-up (or "wick") the flank (or side-walls) of the lead terminals, so that the QFN package is not 'flank wettable'. There is also generally no easily viewed solderable or exposed lead terminals that enables one to determine whether or not the package is successfully soldered onto pads a substrate that is conventionally a printed circuit board (PCB). The exposed copper lead surfaces are prone to oxidation, making sidewall solder wetting more difficult.
With QFN device packages, the sidewall solder coverage can vary from 0% to 100%. Original equipment manufacturer (OEMs) incur additional costs due to yield issues from false QFN assembly failures, along with genuine failures where the packaged device assembly process has highlighted actual poor solder joints. The use of an X-ray machine to check for a good solder joint between the lead terminals and the substrate adds further expense, and in some cases may not be available.
To resolve the issue of side lead terminal solder wetting of leadless packages for primarily automotive and commercial component manufacturers, two different wettable flank processes which form dimples in the lead terminals are known, with each process providing a visual indicator of solderability which lowers the inspection time. The sawn wettable flank assembly process includes an additional step where the lead terminals of the leadless packaged device are step-cut to form a solderable side wall feature, and are then re-plated with a non-oxidizable metal plating, such as comprising matte tin (Sn), on one half of the sidewall of the lead terminals. Tin (or other plating metal) plating provides a protective cover over the exposed metal which is generally copper to prevent its oxidation.
During the PCB assembly process, due to the presence of plated dimples, the solder joint will extend from the underside of the lead terminal to 'wick' up the plated wettable sidewall of the lead terminal, resulting in an enhanced solder joint between the packaged device and the PCB. AVI can then assess whether there is sufficient solder coverage under each lead terminal of the device. The presence of a side fillet of solder over the dimple indicates a higher probability of a complete solder joint between the bottom of lead terminals and the land pads on the substrate.
The second known wettable flank process is a pre-etched, pre-plated dimple of sufficient depth to yield a side lead solder fillet. This feature is created by a double etch process using dry film masking and standard copper etchant chemistry. This feature comes included with a raw pre-plated lead frame, which may be plated with NiPdAu. After die attach then molding, the package can be singulated by a saw or be punch singulated.

Packaged device having selective lead pullback for dimple depth control


A steam generator includes a tank having an inlet in a lower part for feeding a fluid, and an outlet in an upper part for discharging a vapor-liquid two phase flow. A heating unit heats the fluid in the tank thereby producing the vapor-liquid two phase flow. A porous cylindrical member projects from the outlet into an inside of the tank and functions as a rectifying unit that homogenizes vapor-liquid distribution in the vapor-liquid two phase flow before the vapor-liquid two phase flow is discharged from the outlet.

I. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a steam generator for a boiler or a nuclear reactor, generates a vapor by heating a fluid, produces and discharges a vapor-liquid two phase flow of the fluid and the vapor.
II. Description of Related Art
Steam generators are used in boilers or nuclear reactors for generating a vapor from a fluid. In such a steam generator, a fluid is introduced into a tank, the fluid in the tank is then heated with a heater and/or a heat exchanger tube to generate vapor (gas bubbles) in the fluid, and the fluid containing the gas bubbles, i.e., a vapor-liquid two phase flow is then discharged to the outside. After that, the vapor-liquid two phase flow is separated into the vapor and the fluid with a vapor-liquid separator as required, and then used.
A boiler provided with such a steam generator is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open H8-285204 (JP '204) mentioned below. The boiler described in (JP '204) is configured as follows. That is, a feed pump feeds a fluid into a steam drum; a circulating pump feeds the fed fluid in the steam drum to the steam generator; the steam generator produces a vapor-liquid two phase flow of heated water by heating the fluid; the vapor-liquid two phase flow of heated water is returned to the steam drum; the vapor-liquid two phase flow of heating is separated into a vapor and a hot liquid in the steam drum; and the steam is supplied to a load of various kinds of steam use.


User profiles of remote desktops are managed in a crash-consistent manner. When a user logs into a remote desktop, metadata of the user profile is loaded from persistent storage while registry settings and files of the user profile are loaded asynchronously with respect to the login. During the remote desktop session, snapshots of the remote desktop image in persistent storage are generated periodically, and a change log that indicates changes to the user profile is created therefrom. The user profile stored in persistent storage is updated lazily using the change log at opportunistic times after snapshot generation. When the user logs out of the remote desktop, the user profile stored in the persistent storage is updated with any additional changes to the user profile by extracting the changes from the copy-on-write cache associated with the most recent snapshot.

Server-based computing allows a networked client computer, which may be remotely situated with respect to a server, to access computing resources on the server. Several protocols, such as Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), Virtual Network Computing (VNC), or PC over IP (PCoIP), have been developed to enable server-based computing. Increasingly, server-based computing has become supported by a virtualized computing environment. One such example is virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), which enables organizations to replace traditional personal computers (PCs) on the client side with instances of a desktop operating system that are hosted on virtual machines running on servers in a data center. A thin client that is installed on a user's terminal remotely connects to one of the virtual machines running the desktop operating system and presents a "virtual desktop" for the user.
In order to allow users of server-based computing to retain customizations of their desktops and provide them with a consistent desktop experience, various user profile management solutions, sometimes referred to as "persona management," have been developed. One such solution is user profile backup and restore. With this solution, the user profile is saved to persistent storage when the user logs out and restored from the persistent storage when the user subsequently logs in. This solution, however, has some limitations. The first is a spike in input-output operations (IOs) during popular login and logout times, such as at the beginning and at the end of a work day. Second, the login and logout processes are delayed as the user must wait for his or her profile to be loaded into memory upon login and to be saved to persistent storage upon logout. Third, the solution relies on the user to logout to trigger an update of the user profile. Some users, however, do not always logout after completing a remote desktop session. In such cases, the user loses any changes to the user profile if the server hosting the remote desktop session should crash. Also, if the user launches another remote desktop session, the original user profile will be restored onto the desktop and the user will now have inconsistent user profiles across different remote desktop sessions.
To overcome the drawbacks of the user profile backup and restore techniques, a user profile streaming technique has been developed by VMware, Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif. According to this technique, when a user logs into a remote desktop session, the basic components of the user's profile are first loaded. Other components of the user's profile are subsequently loaded on an as-needed basis, e.g., as they are accessed by the user. In addition, the user profile is updated in persistent storage as the components of the user profile are being updated during the remote desktop session. As a result, IO spikes are avoided and the login and logout processes take less time.

Preserving user profiles across remote desktop sessions


The present invention may include a call controller for initiating third-party call control requests. The invention may also include an endpoint control manager for determining whether a remote endpoint is a simple endpoint or intelligent endpoint. The invention may further include an intelligent device manager for coordinating third-party call control requests from the call controller for endpoints determined to be intelligent by the endpoint control manager, and a simple device manager for coordinating third-party call control requests from the call controller for endpoints determined to be simple by the endpoint control manager.

The present invention relates generally to telecommunications networks and, more particularly, to systems and methods for the transmission of voice and data information over a communications network, including the routing, interconnection, and third-party control of such information.
In the past, telephone calls and the voice data associated with such calls were transmitted over conventional plain old telephone systems. More recently, Voice-over-IP (VOIP) technology has emerged as a popular and cost effective alternative for transmitting and receiving voice data. VOIP technology has created an opportunity for telecommunications providers to combine both voice and data services through one medium. This convergence has resulted in the possibility of using separate networks for transmitting and controlling communications (i.e., one network to provide a communications path and another different network to initiate and control a communications session).
The ability to initiate a communications session independent of the endpoints connected to the transmission channels is generally referred to as third-party call control. An example of third-party call control is a click-to-dial capability that allows a user to initiate voice communications from a computer.
Providing session control independently of the endpoints involved in transmitting call information provides applications engineers with a host of new service options. For example, in addition to click-to-dial services, third-party call control typically supports flexible conference control services, such as network-initiated streaming content services, and the ability to provide a general set of application programming interfaces (APIs) accessible to third-party application developers.
Modern multimedia networks allow for the separation of the signaling from media transport and for the separation of applications from the signaling and media aspects of a communications session. Third-party application servers can create, delete, and modify the attributes of parties participating in a call.
Third-party call control interfaces, however, such as Computer Supported Telecommunications Applications (CSTA), Java Telephony Application Programming Interface (JTAPI), and Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) were created during a time period when central network entities were assumed to be intelligent software controlled computer systems and the network endpoints (e.g., telephones) were relatively simple devices.
As the cost of relatively powerful digital processing devices has decreased and the ability to provide high bandwidth data connections has improved, intelligent multifunctional endpoints have emerged. Although these endpoints have sophisticated autonomous features, they often have difficulty interacting with 3PCC services within the network. Further complicating this problem from the network standpoint is the presence of both simple and intelligent endpoints connected to the same network, each of which may require different commands to effectively and efficiently execute third-party call control.
Accordingly, what is needed is a communications network with the ability to discriminate between simple and intelligent endpoints to provide third-party call control services that are appropriate for each endpoint type.
In view of the foregoing, it would therefore be desirable to provide systems and methods that allow intelligent endpoints to effectively interact with networks having third-party call control features.
It would also be desirable to provide systems and methods that allow networks that provide third-party call control features to effectively interact with both intelligent and simple endpoints.
It would therefore be further desirable to provide systems and methods that allow a communications network to provide third-party call control features that discriminate between simple and intelligent endpoints and provide third-party call control features that are appropriate for each endpoint type.

Systems and methods for third-party call control


Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods for training a machine-learning model for predicting emotions from received media data. Methods according to the present disclosure include displaying a user interface. The user interface includes a predefined media content, a plurality of predefined emotion tags, and a user interface control for controlling a recording of the user imitating the predefined media content. Methods can further include receiving, from a user, a selection of one or more emotion tags from the plurality of predefined emotion tags, receiving the recording of the user imitating the predefined media content, storing the recording in association with the selected one or more emotion tags, and training, based on the recording, the machine-learning model configured to receive input media data and predict an emotion based on the input media data.

Current artificial intelligence ("AI") systems for the measurement of emotional expression ("empathic AI algorithms") capture only a fraction of the information that is intentionally or unintentionally conveyed by emotional expressions to perceivers. The main bottleneck in training better empathic AI algorithms (e.g., machine-learning algorithms that predict participant emotion-related behavioral responses, including ratings and recorded responses, from media data) is the quality and quantity of training data. Due to data limitations, empathic AI algorithms currently (1) fail to recognize many dimensions of emotional expression, as a result of limitations in the scope and diversity of the training data and (2) suffer from perceptual biases, as a result of confounding variables in the training data.

Empathic artificial intelligence systems


A cassette includes a main cassette body having a radiation detector for detecting radiation that has passed through a subject and converting the detected radiation into radiation image information, and a communication unit for wireless communications with a console. The communication unit is connected to the main cassette body by a cable and detachably mounted in a cradle part on said main cassette body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cassette having a radiation detector for detecting a radiation that has passed through a subject and converting the detected radiation into radiation image information.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the medical field, there have widely been used radiation image capturing apparatus which apply a radiation to a subject and guide the radiation that has passed through the subject to a radiation detector, which captures a radiation image from the radiation. Known forms of the radiation detector include a conventional radiation film for recording a radiation image by way of exposure, and a stimulable phosphor panel for storing radiation energy representing a radiation image in a phosphor and reproducing the radiation image as stimulated light by applying stimulating light to the phosphor. The radiation film with the recorded radiation image is supplied to a developing device to develop the radiation, or the stimulable phosphor panel is supplied to a reading device in order to read the radiation image as a visible image.
In an operating room or the like, it is necessary to read a recorded radiation image immediately from a radiation detector after the radiation image has been captured, for the purpose of quickly and appropriately treating the patient. As a radiation detector which meets such a requirement, there has been developed a radiation detector having a solid-state detector for converting radiation directly into electric signals or for converting radiation into visible light with a scintillator and then converting the visible light into electric signals, so as to read the detected radiation image.
As shown in FIG. 12 of the accompanying drawings, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-173907 discloses a cassette (electronic cassette) 306 having a battery 304 and an image memory 305 and connected to a cable 302 having a connector 300. It also discloses an X-ray image capturing system in which a connector 310 on a cable 308 or a wireless module 330 is connected to the connector 300, a controller 314 with a power supply 312 is connected to the connector 300 by the cable 308 or a wireless terminal 322, and an X-ray generator 318 having an X-ray bulb 317 is connected to the controller 314 by a cable 316. The controller 314 is combined with a monitor 320 for displaying captured images and a storage 338 for storing captured images.
The technology disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-173907 is problematic in that the cable 302 connected to the cassette 306 is cumbersome when the cassette 306 is carried around.
Japanese Patent No. 3494683 discloses a cassette which transmits captured radiation image information to a controller by way of wireless communications. According to the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3494683, no cumbersome cable is connected to the cassette.
According to Japanese Patent No. 3494683, no cumbersome cable is connected to the cassette as image data are transmitted from the cassette to the controller by way of wireless communications. However, when the cassette communicates with the controller after the cassette is set between a patient to be imaged and a bed on which the patient lies, if the directivity of an antenna of the cassette and the directivity of an antenna of the controller are not aligned with each other, then the transmission and reception sensitivity of the cassette and the controller is greatly reduced. One solution is to increase the intensity of a radio wave transmitted from the antenna of the cassette. The increased intensity of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna of the cassette necessarily results in an increase in the power consumption of the cassette.
Particularly, after the cassette disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3494683 is set between the patient and the bed, it is difficult to change the orientation of the cassette for increasing the transmission and reception sensitivity of the cassette and the controller. If the patient on the bed is seriously ill or an aged person, then it is all the more difficult to change the orientation of the cassette.
There is nothing disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-173907 for matching the directivity between the wireless module 330 and the wireless terminal 322.


A system for communicating with the user of a cellular telephone via the cellular mobile radio (CMR) system and the public switched telephone network (PSTN). A communications interface appends the telephone exchange number of an outgoing communication to include an identifier unique to the communications interface. The outgoing communication is transmitted by the cellular telephone to the CMR system, which recognizes and verifies the outgoing communication as originating with the communications interface. Accordingly, the origination of the outgoing communication from a communications interface is documented prior to forwarding the outgoing communication to its intended recipient via the PSTN. Communications incoming to a communications interface are authenticated as such, and a record as to this is created, prior to forwarding the incoming communication to the cellular telephone.

In recent years, the vast majority of the industrialized world has become telephonically accessible via public switched telephone networks (PSTNs). Nonetheless, there remain significant populations in rural or less developed areas who are not accessible via a PSTN for a variety of reasons relating to economy and geography. In such areas, remote communication has been accomplished by radio communications systems or cellular mobile radiotelephone (CMR) systems.
A conventional radio communications system uses a base station transceiver located at a site for favorable radio propagation and a set of transceivers typically located in remote areas. Most radio communication systems of this type are useful for conducting communications between short distances, such as within the boundaries of a town or city, via a very high frequency (VHF) radio link.
Although conventional radio communications systems are useful for specialized communications applications, two-way radios are not widely accepted for general purpose communications. In many locations, the use of two-way radios is governmentally regulated and the allocated frequency spectrum is relatively limited. Furthermore, the quality of communications is subject to the propagation conditions between communications sites. Additionally, two-way radio equipment is generally large and heavy and, as a result, is unlikely to be carried by a user at all times or to be installed in small or existing equipment.
Another form of two-way communication is a CMR system. Typical CMR systems are characterized by dividing a radio coverage area into smaller coverage areas or "cells" using low power transmitters and coverage-restricted receivers. As shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,906,166 and 4,268,722, the limited coverage area enables the radio channels used in one cell to be reused in another cell. As a cellular mobile radiotelephone within one cell moves across the boundary of the cell and into an adjacent cell, control circuitry associated with the cells detects that the signal strength of the radiotelephone in the just-entered cell is stronger, and communications with the radiotelephone are "handed off" to the just-entered cell. Thus, a CMR system can supply two-way communications for an array of cells, thereby supplying communications for a much wider area than conventional two-way radios.
Use of cellular mobile radiotelephones can pose an appreciable expense to the user. Initially, a cellular mobile radiotelephone must be purchased and an initial registration fee paid to a cellular carrier providing service to the geographic area where the handset will be used. A telephone number is assigned to the newly purchased radiotelephone and a "handset I.D." is established by the carrier and maintained within the CMR system. The handset I.D. identifies communications from that particular radiotelephone as coming from a subscriber to the cellular carrier's services.
Beyond the initial purchase and cellular carrier connection fees, expenses incurred in ordinary use of such a radiotelephone are even more significant. Historically, every communication placed from a radiotelephone is processed through the CMR system without regard for the location of the radiotelephone when the call is placed. Such processing incurs a combination of usage fees and toll or roamer charges. These fees vary depending upon the location of the radiotelephone relative to the geographic coverage area of the cellular carrier's services subscribed to, as well as other time and geographic related variables. In a basic case, a radiotelephone user who subscribes to a cellular carrier's services in Atlanta and who places a call from within his area of geographical coverage to a party, also located in Atlanta and within the same geographical coverage area, would be assessed a fee for accessing the CMR system, in addition to a per minute usage fee. The same call placed from a conventional telephone linked directly to the PSTN would be deemed a "local call" and would typically generate no per call fees. In a more extreme case, the same subscriber to a cellular service having a geographical service area in Atlanta who is on vacation in Los Angeles and desires to use his radiotelephone to place a call from his hotel room to a restaurant across the street will incur roamer charges for accessing the CMR system outside of his carrier's geographical coverage area, a fee for relaying the call from Los Angeles back to his carrier's mobile switching center in the Atlanta area, a fee for relaying the call from Atlanta back to the restaurant across the street from the caller in Los Angeles, all in addition to a per minute usage fee. Again, had the subscriber placed this call from his hotel room to the restaurant across the street via a conventional telephone linked directly to the PSTN, the call would have been deemed "local" and would have incurred no carrier-related fees.
Until recently, individuals in areas without direct access to the PSTN but desiring telephonic capability were essentially limited to costly and inconvenient CMR systems. Some of the inconvenience of using a home-based radiotelephone have been addressed with the advent of so-called fixed wireless (FWL) systems. FWL systems typically comprise a conventional cellular telephone physically connected to one or more conventional telephone handsets within a discrete location, such as a residence or office. The FWL system allows the connected conventional telephone handsets to access the CMR system through the cellular telephone to which they are connected. Even FWL systems, though, allow virtually no freedom of movement for the user and do not resolve other problems typically associated with CMR systems, including high cost of operation.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide individuals who do not have access to the PSTN a way to communicate telephonically in a reliable and cost-efficient manner. Additionally, there is a need to adapt current FWL systems so as to facilitate the use of such systems in conjunction with existing PSTN elements. Furthermore, there is a need to develop safeguards sufficient to prevent individuals who do not subscribe to a wireless system from gaining unauthorized access to the system, regarding both incoming and outgoing communications.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A portable audio wireless communication device cooperating with a portable electrical apparatus with a display component has a plug for matting with the portable electrical apparatus, a speaker and a cable connected the plug and the speaker. The plug has a signal contact connected one end of a signal wire of the cable, a ground contact connected one end of a matching antenna wire of the cable, a first antenna contact connected one end of a first antenna wire and one end of the matching antenna, and a second antenna contact connected one end of the second antenna of the cable. When the portable audio wireless communication device operates at wireless communication, cooperation of the first antenna wire and the matching antenna wire resonates at UHF broadcast band, and the second antenna wire resonates at FM broadcast band and VHF broadcast band.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a portable audio wireless communication device, and particularly to a portable audio wireless communication device capable of receiving wireless broadcast and cooperating with an apparatus with a display component.
2. The Related Art
In early stages, people listen in to music through audio broadcast such as frequency modulation (FM) broadcast and amplitude modulation (AM) broadcast. Recently, people watch television programs on high definition television (HDTV) through video broadcast such as very high frequency (VHF) and ultra high frequency (UHF) broadcast.
A conventional broadcast receiver capable of receiving various broadcasts is configured in an auto motor. So an antenna cooperated with the conventional broadcast receiver has large volume, which is also configured in the auto motor. According to development of display technology and wireless communication technology, a portable electrical apparatus with a display device such as a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, etc is equipped with the function for processing audio and video broadcast signal which is received from various broadcast bands, and then outputting audio through a speaker and video through the display device. Therefore, it is necessary that an antenna has small volume capable of cooperating with the portable electrical apparatus.

Portable audio wireless communication device


A distinct cultivar of Aglaonema plant named xe2x80x98000-D2xe2x80x99, characterized by its mostly upright and somewhat outwardly arching growth habit; freely clumping habit, full and dense plants; long lanceolate leaves with acuminate apices; glossy tri-colored leaves with alternating chevrons of light green and medium and dark green with dark green midveins and margins; dark green-colored leaf petioles; and low temperature tolerance.

Aglaonema hybrida cultivar 000-D2.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Aglaonema plant, botanically known as Aglaonema hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98000-D2xe2x80x99.
The new Aglaonema is the result of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Miami, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Aglaonema cultivars with unique leaf variegation patterns and interesting leaf shapes.
The new Aglaonema originated from a cross made by the Inventor in March, 1996 of the Aglaonema hybrida cultivar Gabrielle, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with the Aglaonema hybrid cultivar Maria, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Aglaonema was discovered and selected by the Inventor in October, 1996 as a single plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Miami, Fla. The new Aglaonema was selected on the basis of its unique leaf variegation pattern.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar by cuttings since November, 1997 in a controlled environment in Miami, Fla., has shown that the unique features of this new Aglaonema are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98000-D2xe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98000-D2xe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Mostly upright and somewhat outwardly arching growth habit.
2. Freely clumping habit, full and dense plants.
3. Long lanceolate leaves with acuminate apices.
4. Glossy tri-colored leaves with alternating chevrons of light green and medium and dark green spots with dark green midveins and margins.
5. Dark green-colored leaf petioles.
6. Low temperature tolerant.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Miami, Fla., plants of the new Aglaonema differed from plants of the female parent, the Aglaonema hybrida cultivar Gabrielle, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Aglaonema had smaller leaves than plants of the cultivar Gabrielle.
2. Leaves of plants of the new Aglaonema were more undulating and not as flat as leaves of plants of the cultivar Gabrielle.
3. Leaves of plants of the new Aglaonema and the cultivar Gabrielle differed in leaf variegation pattern and coloration.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Miami, Fla., plants of the new Aglaonema differed from plants of the male parent, the Aglaonema hybrida cultivar Maria, in the following characteristics:
1. Leaves of plants of the new Aglaonema were more undulating and not as flat as leaves of plants of the cultivar Maria.
2. Leaves of plants of the new Aglaonema and the cultivar Maria differed in leaf variegation pattern and coloration.
Compared to plants of the Aglaonema cultivar 000-D1, U.S. Plant Patent filed concurrently with this application, plants of the new Aglaonema are taller, more upright, have larger leaves, and differ in leaf and petiole coloration. Compared to plants of the Aglaonema cultivar 000-G2, U.S. Plant Patent filed concurrently with this application, plants of the new Aglaonema are more upright and differ in leaf and petiole coloration.
Plants of the new Aglaonema can be compared to plants of the Aglaonema cultivar Royal Ripple, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,070. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventor in Miami, Fla., plants of the new Aglaonema differed from plants of the Aglaonema cultivar Royal Ripple primarily in leaf pattern and coloration.


This invention is a printing control method of generating print data to be supplied to a print unit which is capable of forming dots on a print medium by ejecting at least one type of colored ink containing a color material and a quality-enhancing ink for enhancing quality of a printed material. The printing control method comprises a color conversion step of converting pixel values into multiple gradation data of each ink, the pixel values representing color of each pixel of given image data, the multiple gradation data of each ink expressing the color of the pixel by using the colored ink and the quality-enhancing ink available in the print unit and a gradation-reduction step of generating at least part of colored dot data and transparent dot data by ordered dither method. The gradation-reduction step includes a step of generating the transparent dot data in succession with specific colored dot data using a quality-enhancing ink threshold value which has a value generated according to a value read from a specific dither matrix used for generating the specific colored dot data for a specific colored ink.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to gradation-reduction processing technology for reducing the number of gradations for image data.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, as computer output devices, printers that eject ink from nozzles of a printing head are becoming very popular. For example, as disclosed in Unexamined Patent No. 2002-144551, by using quality-enhancing ink for improving the quality of printed matter, there is an attempt to improve quality of printed matter by improving coloring, moisture resistance, and light resistance, and suppressing glossiness. This kind of quality-enhancing ink is almost transparent, so with the gradation-reduction processing that is performed for generating dot data that shows the formation status of transparent dots on each pixel, even more than data precision, it is highly desirable to have shortened time required for the data generating process.
However, in the past, there had not been consideration of constructing a processing method from the perspective of shortening the time required for gradation-reduction processing that is performed with this kind of dot data generating process for transparent dots.

Ejection control of quality-enhancing ink


A method and apparatus of a device that recovers accessibility for an inaccessible virtual machine hosted by a cloud service provider is described. In an exemplary embodiment, the device receives an indication that a recovery disk has been attached to a virtual machine hosted by a cloud service provider, wherein the virtual machine is inaccessible to a client. In addition, the device executes an agent that recovers the accessibility of the virtual machine for the client.

Cloud service providers, such as AMAZON WEB SERVICES (AWS) or MICROSOFT AZURE, typically only provide an Internet Protocol (IP) address based access to log into virtual machine (VM) hosted by the cloud service provider. This IP address is provided and configured via a bootstrap process which usually involves DHCP or something similar. The problem is that if the VM instance loses this IP address (e.g., due to a configuration error in the VM, in the cloud infrastructure, or the user simply forgets the password), there is no way to login to the VM to restore or recover this instance of the VM. The only way out of this situation is to destroy and redeploy a different instance, which has the risk of losing valuable data residing in the VM, or causing network downtime in the case of a virtual networking appliance VM. This is a persistent issue for cloud users who deploy and operate VMs on public clouds.
Current cloud service providers can offer a monitoring service which checks for a heartbeat from the VM and then indicates, via a management system, to determine whether this VM instance is active or not. The only VM recovery option is to destroy this VM instance and start a new one which is not what cloud customers like, especially if they have data to save off.
For example, AWS provides user specific data (user-data) which can be "added" to the VM during the launch/start of the VM via the portal. This user-data contains the sane configuration that can be passed to the VM, but this method requires the reboot or restart of the instance, hence it is a disruptive recovery mechanism. As another example, MICROSOFT AZURE has the ability to reset user password from Azure portal. The downside to this resetting of the password is that this requires IP connectivity in order to perform the reset.
In a further example, a VM can be recovered by disruptively stopping the VM, detach the VM Operating System disk image, mounting this disk image on a different VM to fix/analyze the bad configuration, re-attaching to the original VM and restart the original VM. This method has the downside that it requires manual intervention and failure mode inspection, which makes it unsuitable for use in large scale automation.

System and method of a cloud service provider virtual machine recovery


The domino asynchronous successive approximation (ASA) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) converts an analog signal to an n-bits digital signal. The domino ASA ADC is made out of n-blocks, corresponding to the number of n-bits of the digital output. Each of these n-blocks generates a conversion bit and calibrates all following blocks, comparable to a domino structure. One key advantage of the domino ASA ADC is its modular structure; each block is independent from all others. The unity capacitors used need to be matched only within their specific blocks. The architecture is very flexible; it is possible to increase the resolution by adding more blocks of the same kind. The ASA ADC is very fast, its speed is only limited the RC constants during the sampling and measurement phase and the speed of the comparators used.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), and more particularly to asynchronous successive approximation (ASA) ADCs.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
The analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) is absolutely a prerequisite for digital signal processing. Most signals are analog by nature and have to be converted to digital format for a further digital signal processing. ADC bottlenecks are dynamic range, conversion speed, and power consumption.
Successive-approximation-register (SAR) analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) are frequently the architecture of choice for medium-to-high-resolution applications, typically with sample rates fewer than 5 megasamples per second (Msps). SAR ADCs most commonly range in resolution from 8 to 16 bits and provide low power consumption as well as a small form factor. This combination makes them commonly used for a wide variety of applications, such as portable/battery-powered instruments, pen digitizers, industrial controls, and data/signal acquisition.
There is still a need for high performance, low-power and low electromagnetic interference (EMI) ADCs. There are various patents available to improve the performance of ADCs:
U.S. Patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,747,589 to Srinivasan et al.) teaches a SAR ADC, which is operated by sampling an input voltage and redistributing a corresponding charge among the coupling capacitor and a plurality of binarily weighted capacitors of a CDAC array to produce a first voltage on a charge summing conductor. A successive approximation bit testing/conversion operation is performed at a first speed on a first group of bits, beginning with the MSB, to determine the bits of the first group with at least a first level of accuracy. A first error correction operation includes performing a bit testing/conversion operation on a last bit of the first group at a second speed which is lower than the first speed to determine the bits of the first group at least a second level of accuracy which is more accurate than the first level of accuracy. Both the voltage on the charge summing conductor and the bits of the group are incremented or decremented as necessary to elevate the level of accuracy of bits of the first group to at least the second level of accuracy.
U.S. Patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,731,232 to Kearney) discloses a programmable input voltage range analog-to-digital converter in which a split gate oxide process allows the use of high voltage (.+−0.15 volt) switches on the same silicon substrate as standard sub-micron 5-volt CMOS devices. With this process, the analog input voltage can be sampled directly onto one or more sampling capacitors without the need for prior attenuation circuits. By only sampling on a given ratio of the sampling capacitors, the analog input can be scaled or attenuated to suit the dynamic range of the SAR (successive approximation register) ADC itself. In the system of the present invention, the sampling capacitor can be the actual capacitive redistribution digital-to-analog converter (CapDAC) used in the SAR ADC itself, or a separate capacitor array. By selecting which bits of the CapDAC or separate sampling array to sample on, one can program the input range. Once the analog input signal has been attenuated to match the allowed dynamic range of the SAR converter, traditional SAR techniques can be used to convert the input signal to a digital word.
U.S. Patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,707,403 to Hurrell) discloses an ADC of balanced architecture for determining a digital word corresponding to a sampled voltage of an input signal from an input line comprising a first capacitor circuit comprising a most significant capacitor array and a least significant capacitor array, which are capacitively coupled by a coupling capacitor. A second capacitor circuit coupled to ground balances the first capacitor circuit. A differential comparator compares the voltage on the first capacitor circuit with that on the second capacitor circuit. A SAR responsive to the output of the differential comparator outputs switch bits to a main switch network for selectively switching the capacitors of the first capacitor circuit to respective high and low voltage reference lines until the voltage on first and second inputs and of the differential comparator are equal for determining the digital word corresponding to the sampled voltage on the input line. A first calibration circuit for calibrating the coupling capacitor for compensating for under or over capacitance of the coupling capacitor comprises a plurality of binary weighted first calibrating capacitors, which are coupled by a calibration coupling capacitor to the least significant capacitor array. A first calibration switch network is provided for selectively coupling the first calibrating capacitors to either the second input of the differential comparator, the first input of the differential comparator, or ground. By coupling appropriate ones of the first calibrating capacitors to the second input of the differential comparator over capacitance of the coupling capacitor is compensated for, and under capacitance is compensated for by coupling appropriate ones of the first calibrating capacitors to the first input of the differential comparator.

Domino asynchronous successive approximation ADC


Management of computer software in an enterprise includes receiving program requests from client computers associated with different enterprises. The program requests are validated and at least one requested program is sent from a database to at least one client computer.

A typical enterprise may have a large number of computers distributed over wide geographic areas spanning across different cities or countries. Each of the computers can be configured with a computing platform that may include different and often incompatible hardware components or software components such as different operating systems or application programs. The computing platform may have to be upgraded or replaced with a new computing platform because the current computing platform may have become obsolete.
To deploy a program or a new computing platform onto one or more client computers distributed across an enterprise often requires overcoming a large number of logistical problems. Factors such as the number and type of client computers in the enterprise must be considered. Moreover, it may be difficult to gather and analyze information related to the requirements of all the client computers in an enterprise.

Method and apparatus for deploying programs and computing platforms to selected computers


Computer control and sensory information are combined with gas lift valve having a plurality of individual openings which are openable or closeable individually to provide varying flow rates of the lift gas. Each of the openings is controlled and is sensitive to downhole sensors.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to well production control systems, and more particularly, to a computer controlled gas lift system.
2. Prior Art
In the operation of hydrocarbon production wells, gas lift apparati are occasionally employed to stimulate movement of fluid uphole. The operation ranges from simply pumping high pressure gas downhole to force fluids uphole to pumping additional fluids into the production fluid lowering the specific gravity thereof and thus increasing the "interest" of the fluid in migrating toward the surface. Gas lift apparati are also periodically employed when, a mixture of oil and water collects in the bottom of a gas well casing and tubing in the region of the producing formation and obstructs the flow of gases to the surface. In a "gas lift" well completion, high pressure gas from an external source is injected into the well in order to lift the borehole fluids collected in the well tubing to the surface to "clear" the well and allow the free flow of production fluids to the surface. This injection of gas into the well requires the operation of a valve controlling that injection gas flow known as a gas lift valve. Gas lift valves are conventionally normally closed restricting the flow of injection gas from the casing into the tubing and are opened to allow the flow of injection gas in response to either a preselected pressure condition or control from the surface. Generally such surface controlled valves are hydraulically operated. By controlling the flow of a hydraulic fluid from the surface, a poppet valve is actuated to control the flow of fluid into the gas lift valve. The valve is moved from a closed to an open position for as long as necessary to effect the flow of the lift gas. Such valves are also position instable. That is, upon interruption of the hydraulic control pressure, the gas lift valve returns to its normally closed configuration.
A difficulty inherent in the use of single gas lift valves which are either full open or closed is that gas lift production completions are a closed fluid system which are highly elastic in nature due to the compressibility of the fluids and the frequently great depth of the wells.
Prior art flow control valves for downhole applications, such as single gas lift valves per area, include the disadvantage of not providing a substantial amount of control over the exact amount of gas entering the well. This is because the valve is either open or closed and cannot be regulated. Hydraulically actuated downhole flow control valves also include certain inherent disadvantages as a result of their long hydraulic control lines which result in a delay in the application of control signals to a downhole device. In addition, the use of hydraulic fluids to control valves will not allow transmission of telemetry data from downhole monitors to controls at the surface.
Boyle et al patented a system capable of adjusting the orifice size of the valve through a range of values, thus providing a broader control over the amount of gas being injected into the system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,717 to Boyle et al discloses a variable orifice valve for gas lift systems. The system allows for adjustment of the flow through a particular valve body thereby allowing tailoring of the flow rate and alleviation of some of the previous problems in the art. The variable orifice valve allows greater control over the quantity and rate of injection of fluids into the well. In particular, more precise control over the flow of injection gas into a dual lift gas lift well completion allows continuous control of the injection pressure into both strings of tubing from a common annulus. This permits control of production pressures and flow rates within the well and results in more efficient production from the well.
The '717 patent solved many of the aforementioned problems with its variable orifice valve. Variable opening however provides some of its own inherent drawbacks such as lack of reliability of "openness" over time. More particularly, scale and other debris can build up and prevent movement more easily on orifice closures which are responsive to small increment movements and, in general, are only moved or adjusted by such small increments. Thus when conditions change downhole over time the variable orifice valve may be unable to comply with the changing conditions and would need to be replaced.
Another adjustable gas lift valve is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,988. The disclosure teaches a system having several parts or features but particularly includes an adjustable flow gas lift valve which includes a flow port and a plurality of differently sized nozzles selectively alignable with the port. Sensory devices are employed to maintain information about the state of the valve assembly. The variable nozzles are located on the actuator and, therefore, can be rotated into alignment with the orifice port to regulate the amount of gas flowing therethrough as desired.
Fully open/fully closed valves provide a large relative movement and tend to jar loose any buildup so that valve serviceability is maintained for a longer period of time. Therefore, these valves have a significant service life advantage over the more "advanced" variable opening valves. Also, where a plurality of these valves are employed in a given area, the closing of some (or opening) does not subject the individual valves to the same torsional forces because all flow is not pitted against a single structure. Thus opening or closing of the valves does not lead to excessive wear of valve components. The industry is in need of a system that experiences the benefit of variable orifice valves while concurrently benefitting from the serviceability of fully open/fully closed valves.


A method of forming a three-dimensional object 38 with a shape determined by model data defining a model 10 of the object, characterized by the steps of:    a) splitting the model 10 into a high elevation/low resolution base part 18 and a low elevation/high resolution cover part 20′;     b) forming a base body 30 with a shape as determined by the base part 18 of the model;    c) employing a 3D printing technique for printing a sheet-like cover body 34 with a shape as determined by the cover part 20′ of the model; and    d) matching the cover body 34 to the base body 30 by vacuum forming.

Conventional methods of forming three-dimensional objects comprise for example injection molding, hand-molding and firing material such as clay or the like, and machining a solid blank of, e.g. wood or metal, e.g. by means of a CNC machine tool.
Injection molding requires a specific mold and is therefore economical only in cases where a large number of objects with identical shape have to be formed. Hand-molding three-dimensional objects is laborious and requires a high skill.
Machining operations for forming three-dimensional objects can become very complicated, especially when the object to be formed has a surface relief with fine detail.
More recently, it has also become known to employ printing techniques, in particular ink jet printing, for forming three-dimensional objects by superposing several layers of curable ink. These techniques, which are termed "3D printing" or, if the elevation of the printed object is not too high, "2.5 D printing" or "relief printing". The term "3D printing" shall be used here as a generic term encompassing all these types of print process. The 3D printing techniques have the advantage that they permit to render fine details on the surface of the three-dimensional object and also permit to print a surface layer of the objects directly in the desired color.
However, these techniques tend to become inefficient if the object to be formed has a very high elevation requiring that large amounts of ink have to be applied and cured in order to obtain a large-volume bulk body.
Moreover, it is common practice to cure the ink by means of radiation, e.g. UV light.
Then, when the elevation of the printed object increases, the curing lamps have to be arranged at a large distance above the print surface, so that there is a considerable risk of hazard.

Method of forming a three-dimensional object


The present invention provides for a method for modifying a covalent organic framework (COF), the method comprising: contacting a COF comprising an imine group with a phenylacetylene in, or to form, a mixture, in a suitable reaction condition for converting the imine group into a quinoline group, and COF comprising a quinoline group. The present invention also provides for a superhydrophobic surface comprising a solid surface coated with or comprising the covalent organic framework (COF).

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are porous, crystalline networks constructed by linking molecular organic building units with covalent bonds1. Owing to their high surface area, chemical diversity, and tunable functionality, COFs have been adopted as an auspicious platform for a plethora of applications pertaining to gas adsorption2, separation3, chemical sensing4, catalysis5, optoelectronics6, and energy storage7. In order to establish a covalently linked periodic framework in COFs, current methods rely on the reversible covalent bond formation to connect multivalent monomers through thermodynamic equilibria8,9. This inherent reversibility of the linkages within COFs, however, severely limit fundamental materials properties such as environmental stability towards solvents and chemicals, thus constraining their practical applications. For example, COFs with boroxine linkages are susceptible to water or protic solvents10,11,12. COFs based on a more robust linkage, such as the C═N imine bond, represent the prevalent class of COFs that show improved hydrothermal stability13. The chemical stability of most imine COFs is however still far from satisfactory since they undergo hydrolysis under strongly acidic conditions or exchange with amines due to the reversible nature of imine14. As such, a facile methodology that enables the fabrication of chemically robust COFs is much desired15,16,17,18,19.

Compositions and methods for the modification of imine covalent organic frameworks (COFs)

The Regents of the University of California


A portable wireless transceiver (104) includes a receiver (206) for monitoring transmissions from neighboring transceivers (106A and 106B) to select a transceiver to use for communications. The portable wireless transceiver (104) further has a motion detector (204) for determining whether or not the portable wireless transceiver (104) is moving. If the portable wireless transceiver (104) is determined to not be moving, a processor (202) alters a schedule for monitoring of neighboring transceivers (106A and 106B) so that the monitoring is performed less frequently, thereby reducing power consumption by the portable wireless transceiver (104).

Radio and wireless protocols that allow a single wireless communications transceiver to seamlessly transfer communications between different base stations have greatly expanded the usefulness of mobile communications. Applications such as cellular phone systems allow a mobile radio transceiver to seamlessly transfer a communications session from one base station to another without interruption of the communications session. Such a transfer is usually performed as a mobile transceiver moves from one cell to another.
The multiple base stations of these systems are generally assigned a transmitting frequency on which to transmit an identifying transmission that may also contain other data. The RF frequencies used for these transmissions are generally restricted to a small set that can be efficiently monitored by a mobile receiver that is part of a mobile transceiver. A mobile receiver is able to monitor these base station transmissions and identify transmissions from base stations that are sufficiently close to the mobile receiver to allow effective reception. The base stations that are close enough to a mobile receiver so as to allow effective reception communications are referred to as "neighbor stations." In cellular telephone systems, these transceivers are referred to as "neighbor cells." Mobile receivers and transceivers periodically attempt to receive transmissions from neighbor stations and then measure the received signal quality of each received transmission. The mobile receiver is then able to determine, by identifying the received signal with the highest signal quality, the neighboring base station that is the best candidate for radio communications. Signal quality measurements include determining a signal to noise, carrier to interference (C/I) ratio, and/or Bit Error Rate (BER) for the received signal. The neighboring base station that transmits the signal that is received with the highest signal quality is presumed to also be the best base station with which the mobile transceiver can engage in two-way wireless communications. Once this highest quality base station is determined, it becomes the "serving cell" and the mobile receiver begins to decode control channel information from this cell according to a certain schedule. The other surrounding base stations are then categorized as "neighbor cells" whose "signal quality", or C/I, is periodically monitored according to a separate schedule. This allows the mobile receiver to switch over, or "hand off" to the neighbor cell with the strongest C/I when the serving cell C/I drops below a certain threshold relative to the neighbor cells.
The area near a cellular telephone base station transceiver in which mobile transceivers can effectively communicate with that base station is often referred to as a cell. As the mobile transceiver moves among the cells associated with different base stations, the base station with the highest quality signal is subject to change. Various radio mobility management algorithms are used in different mobile radio applications to monitor the neighboring stations in order to determine with which base station to communicate. Some of these protocols generally perform a cell monitoring process that monitors transmissions from neighboring cells, determines the transmission that is received with the highest signal quality, and selects the cell that corresponds to the transmission that is received with the highest quality for communications. This cell monitoring process is performed periodically according to the requirements of the particular protocol.
This periodic monitoring of transmissions from neighbor stations unfortunately consumes transceiver resources and power. This is a particularly significant consumption of resources and power when a mobile transceiver is operated in a standby mode that can last for hours or days while the mobile transceiver is not engaged in an active communications session. The conventional mobile transceiver continues to monitor neighbor stations at the same periodic monitoring rate to determine the best station with which to communicate, whether the mobile transceiver is stationary or moving.
Therefore a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.

Motion detecting wireless receiver and signal monitoring method therefor


This invention relates to an improved puller, wherein notch and slot means are arranged for adjustably engaging a mating slot and shoulder of gripping jaws to provide improved resistance to wear and misalignment through use, and reversible jaws enable adaption of use to removal of seals and the like from housings.

Many mechanical assemblies comprise an arrangement wherein a rounded shaft is jam fitted with a component such as a bearing, impeller, gear, wheel or the like, which is mounted to rotate with the shaft. Similarly, many mechanical assemblies comprise arrangements wherein a component such as a bearing, race, seal or the like is jam fitted around its periphery to an opening in a housing, usually to encircle a shaft or the like extending through the opening of the housing. Typically the removal of such components from a shaft and/or housing for repair or replacement is problematic and requires use of a puller or the like tool.
For example, liquid cooled internal combustion engines are commonly designed to incorporate water pumps as an integral part of the engine and/or drive train. Particularly in marine engine embodiments, the water pump generally comprises a flexible impeller of varying size, dimensions and number of blades. The impeller generally comprises a plurality of slightly resilient curved arms arranged as spokes around a metal hub, the hub having a central opening for mounting to a shaft which rotates the impeller.
It is not unusual for such impellers to be removed for replacement and/or repair, with removal being generally time consuming because of the close tolerance positioning of the water pump on the motor, the positioning of the motor in the vehicle and/or boat, the jam fit by which the hub of the impeller is typically mounted to a water pump shaft and/or the effects of corrosion, dirt and the like among the shaft and the impeller. It is not unusual for a technician to be forced to use a pair of flat screw drivers to slowly pry the impeller from the shaft, creating the danger of damage to the housing and in many instances so damaging the impeller and/or housing as to make it non-repairable, non-rebuildable or even nonreusable once removed.
Similarly, many motors and/or machines generally comprise a rotatable shaft extending through an opening in a housing, with the housing comprising a bearing and/or seal which is jam fitted therein, the bearing or seal generally has a peripheral rigid collar for jammed retention to the housing and an interior facing elastomeric and/or machined surface for engaging the shaft and preventing leakage of fluids. When such seals or bearings need replacement it is not unusual for a technician to be forced to use a hammer and chisel or the like tools to force the seal or bearing from its fitted position, usually at the risk of damaging the component and/or the housing.
Various pullers have been proposed for use in removal of components from their supporting shaft but each have limitations in use. U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,553 discloses puller particularly suitable for pulling impellers from water pumps of marine engines, which purports to solve the problem of flexible impeller removal from water pump shafts, but has been found problematic in that it is easily misaligned and can cause damage to the impeller and even further jam the impeller on the shaft and make the removal process more difficult and even technically illusive to a technician.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved puller which will facilitate the removal of components from shafts and housings.
It is a further object of the invention to improve the impeller puller of U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,553 to resolve the difficulty encountered with misalignment during removal of flexible impellers and make it adaptable to pulling seals or the like.
It is another object of the invention to provide a universal puller which is more easily aligned and more certain in operation for the effective removal of a flexible impeller with minimal damage to the impeller.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an improved puller which can be conveniently adapted for pulling components from a shaft and/or from a housing surrounding an opening.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent in the following recitation of the invention.


A method of capturing a photo using a mobile device is described. The method comprises detecting a signature motion of the mobile device; capturing video using a camera of the mobile device upon detecting the signature motion; and automatically identifying a start frame and an end frame of the captured images using neural networks. A mobile device for capturing a photo is also described.

Many mobile devices, such as digital cameras, wireless communication devices such as cellular telephone, and mobile computer devices such as laptop or tablet computers, have one or more cameras that enable a user to conveniently capture images at any time. However, there may be occasions where users of a mobile device may not have both hands free, making it difficult to both hold the mobile device and make the necessary contact with the mobile device (e.g. contact with a button or a touch screen display of the mobile device) to take a photograph or record a video.
Pressing a physical button or a touch screen to capture a photograph or video can also lead to unnecessary movement of the camera, particularly when capturing a photograph or video while holding the mobile device with one hand, or even when holding the device with both hands.
Further, when capturing an image that may comprise multiple images (also known as frames), such as in a panoramic view, it may be necessary for the user to carefully compose the photo, such as moving the camera in a single direction when scanning a scene for example. That is, the user cannot move the camera freely, but rather may be required to move the camera in one direction in order to generate a good panoramic picture. Also, there may be undesirable artifacts with one dimensional motion while taking a panoramic image.
Accordingly, there is a need for devices and methods for capturing a photo using a mobile device that overcome problems associated with conventional devices and methods.

Capturing a photo using a signature motion of a mobile device


A vehicle seat lifting unit is provided with a slider and a lift arm assembly that are driven by a drive unit to move a seat with a seat holder between an initial position inside the vehicle occupant compartment and a displaced position outside the vehicle occupant compartment that is lower than the initial position. The lift arm assembly has a pair of arms that cooperate with the slider and the seat holder to form a linkage mechanism. The drive unit moves the slider along the predetermined path between an advance position and a retreat position and causes the first and second arms of the lift arm assembly to selectively swing from backwardly tilted positions to forwardly tilted positions, which in turn selectively shifts the seat between the initial position and the displaced position outside the vehicle occupant compartment that is lower than the initial position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to seat lifting units for vehicles.
2. Background Information
Conventionally, seat lifting units are used to lower or lift a vehicle seat through a vehicle door opening. A known seat lifting unit of the above kind is described in Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication No. 2001-001812A.
This known seat lifting unit has a function to lower a vehicle seat from an initial position inside a vehicle occupant compartment to a displaced position outside the vehicle occupant and lift the vehicle seat from the displaced position to the initial position. The vehicle seat is retained by a seat holder. The seat holder includes two upright walls standing up along lateral sides of the vehicle seat. Each of the two upright walls is supported by one of two pairs of lift arms.
The seat holder is lowered while it is moving from the initial position inside the vehicle occupant compartment to the displaced position outside the vehicle occupant compartment by turning each of these lift arms in one direction, and it is lifted while it is moving from the displaced position to the initial position by turning each lift arm in the opposite direction.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved seat lifting unit. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.