The present invention relates to a cosmetic composition comprising guacatonga extract (Casearia silvestris), aroeira extract (Schinus tere-binthifolius raddi) and cosmetically acceptable adjuvants, for preventing and/or treating signs of skin aging. It further relates to the use of guagatonga extract (Casearia silvestris) and aroeira extract (Schinus terebinthifolius raddi) in the preparation of a cosmetic composition for preventing and/or treating signs of skin aging, as well as the use of this composition for simultaneously increasing tropoelastin, increasing the lysyl exidase (LOX) enzyme and reducing the activity of elastase in the dermis. The invention relates to a method of preventing and/or treating signs of skin aging, which comprises applying said cosmetic composition to the skin. Finally, the invention relates to a method of preparing said composition according to the present invention.

The skin covers the surface of the human body and is constituted by an epithelial portion, the epidermis, and a conjunctive portion, the dermis. The skin is one of the largest organs of the human body and performs multiple functions such as protecting the organism against the loss of water and against friction, transmitting information on the environment to the central nervous system, cooperating with the thermoregulation of the body and excreting several substances, among others.
The epidermis is constituted by a keratinized stratified squamous epithelium.
The dermis, in turn, is constituted by a conjunctive tissue, on which the epidermis rests and joints the skin to the subcutaneous tissue. The dermis has a thickness that varies according to the region observed, reaching a maximum of 6 mm.
The dermis is constituted essentially by two layers: the superficial papillary one and the deeper reticular one.
The papillary layer is thin, constituted by a loose conjunctive tissue, forming the dermal papillae. Here are special collagen fibrillae present, which are inserted from one side into the basal membrane and penetrate deeply into the dermis by the other side. These fibrillae aid in fixing the dermis to the epidermis.
The reticular layer, in turn, is thicker, and is constituted by a dense conjunctive tissue. Both layers contain many fibers of the elastic system, responsible for the skin elasticity.
The elastic fibers or elastin fibers are the main components of the elastic system of the skin. These fibers are formed by polymerization (junction or cross-link) of monomers called tropoelastin, the latter being a precursor of elastin. This process of polymerization is not spontaneous and depends on the actuation of the lysyl oxidase enzyme (LOX), which aid in polymerizing tropoelastin to elastin. On the other hand, the elastase enzyme is the enzyme that degrades the elastin fibers of the skin.
During the aging of the skin and with the constant incidence of UV radiation to which it is exposed over the years, there is a reduction in the mechanisms that form elastin, thus reducing the amount of elastin in the skin. Concomitantly, there is an increase in the degradation of these proteins due to the increase in the elastase enzyme, which is responsible for this degradation.
The products intended for retarding and/or improving the symptoms of skin aging, which already exist on the market, do not have a composition that raises the action mechanism proposed by the present invention. Besides, there is no description, in the prior art, of a product comprising specifically the guaçatonga and aroeira extracts for the purpose of retarding and/or improving the symptoms of skin aging according to the present invention. There are a few products that have the objective of increasing the production of elastin in the skin. However, there is no proof that there is effectively an increase in the deposition of elastin—for instance, only an increase in soluble tropoelastin is proven, without proving the actual deposition. Sometimes one talks of the increase in collagen or the reduction of collagenase in the skin, and that this, in some way, would enhance the elasticity of the skin. Such a concept is mistaken, since the collagen fibers are related to the firmness of the skin, not to its elasticity. There are also a few products that promise the increase of the LOX enzyme and, as a result, an increase of the functional elastin in the skin. However, there is no evidence of the increase in the protein tropoelastin and of functional elastin. A few products work only with the anti-elastase mechanism in isolated form, while others do not prove the action mechanism in the elastic system.
There are still products that are used for the purpose of being anti-elastase or, in most cases, the protection of elastin, but in isolated form, without proving an increase in the amount of elastin and of in the deposit thereof. There are still products that contain elastin hydrolysates in their composition and, in this way, they promise an increase in skin elasticity and in the capability thereof to regenerate and produce elastin. This concept is mistaken, because elastin does not penetrate the skin and so the promised effect is not achieved.
Finally, there are still products that promise an improvement in the functionality of the elastic fiber by means of the Dill seed extract, and it is said that this extract increases the concentration of LOX. However, the increase in the concentration of LOX alone does not guarantee an increase in elastin.
Thus, it is possible to note that no product available on the market has a multifocal approach that acts on multiple mechanism of the elastic system for deposition of functional elastin, as the composition comprising the plant extracts of guaçatonga and aroeira proposed by the present invention.
With regard to prior-art documents in the technological field of the present invention, document US 2004/0258676 relates to a composition for regulating elastogenesis in cases of abnormal or pathological elastogenesys, comprising an isoform of the LOX enzyme, as well as a screening methodology for selecting compositions capable of acting on the elastogenesis (formation of elastin). Said document, unlike the present invention, relates to the stimulation of the activity of the LOX enzyme only in cases of pathogenic or abnormal or elastogenesis-defficient states, such as fibrosis or solar elastosis. On the other hand, the present invention relates to a specific combination of guaçatonga and aroeira extracts, which works in conjunction with three biologic mechanisms specifically directed to the elastic system of the skin, namely, increase in tropoelastin (elastin precursor), increase in the LOX enzyme in healthful and normal cells, and reduction of the elastase activity. In spite of describing the actuation on one of the enzymes related to the elastic system of the skin, there is no mention or suggestion in said document, about the combined use of guaçatonga and aroeira, let alone for actuation on the elastic system as a whole. Said document does not describe either the stimulation of the activity of the LOX enzyme in a state other than pathogenic or abnormal.
Document US 2002/064538, in turn, discloses a method for controlling skin elasticity comprising a step of using a compound that inhibits or induces the expression of tropoelastin mRNA or protein in keratinocytes. Said document claims only the modulation of tropoelastin. Said document does not describe the reduction of elastase activity or the increase in deposition of elastin on the skin. Besides, the plant extracts used in the present invention are not used or even suggested as possible components of the composition disclosed in the prior art. Said document does not describe either the combined use of guaçatonga and aroeira in actuation on the elastic system as a whole.
On the other hand, document WO 2006/053415 discloses the supply of plant extracts listed in Tables 1 to 5 and the dermatologic uses thereof with an inhibiting effect on the MMP1, 3, 9 proteases and elastase of human leucocytes. However, said document is directed only to the inhibition of proteases. Contrarily, the present invention, as already mentioned above, has a multifocal approach on the elastic system, with a view to increase the deposit of elastin on the skin and, at the same time, prevent the degradation thereof with the combined use of aroeira and guaçatonga. The document in question does not cite the increase in deposition of elastin on the skin, and the composition of the plant extracts used in that invention are not comprised within the combination of the present invention.

Composition comprising guaçatonga extract and aroeira extract, use thereof and a method for preventing and/or treating signals caused by skin aging


A multi-frequency ultrasound therapy apparatus is configured to operate at its center frequency and at the higher harmonic of its center frequency. The center frequency can be for the entire apparatus or for each ultrasound source element. At least one source element can generate ultrasound energy at its center frequency while, simultaneously, at least another source element can generate ultrasound energy at the higher harmonic of its center frequency. In addition, the same source element can generate ultrasound energy at its center frequency and the higher harmonic of its center frequency, respectively, but at different times. A data storage unit that stores encrypted and encoded data is disposed on the apparatus. The encoded data includes a unique identification code of the apparatus, the condition of use of the apparatus, the center frequency of each source element, the ultrasound efficiency of each source element, and/or other parameters relating to the apparatus.

Ultrasonic transducers have been employed in ultrasound therapy systems to achieve therapeutic heating of diseased and other tissues. Arrays of ultrasound transducers operate to form a beam of ultrasonic energy that causes a conversion of sound to thermal energy in the effected tissue areas or treatment volumes, and a subsequent beneficial rise in the temperature in the treatment volumes. With proper monitoring of the heating effect, ultrasound therapy systems can be used to treat harmful cells and to controllably destroy cancerous tumors.
Ultrasonic transducers are constructed and operated to take electrical power and produce ultrasound energy waves from a surface of a transducer element in a process generally referred to as transduction. The nature and extent of the transduction depends on the material used to construct the transducers, transducer geometry, and the electrical input to the transducers. A common material used in construction of ultrasound transducers is piezo-electric transducer crystal material which comes in several forms.
Various designs for ultrasonic therapy systems have been used in the present field of art. Ultrasound therapy system design can be challenging, and improvements to such designs would improve the effectiveness, safety, and/or cost to manufacture such systems.

Multi-frequency ultrasound therapy system with data encoder


A molded component includes: a primary molded layer including a boxlike base portion that has a width direction in a first direction, a length direction in a second direction, and a height direction in a third direction and includes a first surface protruding in the third direction and a second surface that forms a spatial portion on the other side of the first surface, and a pedestal portion protruding outwardly in parallel to the first direction and the second direction from a circumferential edge of the base portion; a secondary molded layer formed of an optically-transparent resin material, that is laminated on the primary molded layer and has the same width and length as the primary molded layer; and an in-mold layer formed between the primary molded layer and the secondary molded layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a molded component having excellent durability and design, an electronic apparatus that uses the molded component for a casing thereof, and a method of producing a molded component.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a method of decorating a surface of an injection-molded component during molding, there is known, for example, an in-mold molding method. The in-mold molding involves pressing a film that is obtained by causing a pattern to adhere onto a sheet in advance by a print method, a vapor deposition method, or the like into a die, and transferring, simultaneous with molding of a resin, the pattern onto a surface of the molding resin (see, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-210971). However, an exposure of an in-mold layer on a surface of the molded component decorated by the in-mold molding is apt to cause an inconvenience that a decorative effect lessens due to abrasions and damages or an appearance is impaired.
On the other hand, there is known a two-color molding method for forming, on a surface of a primary molded component, a secondary molded layer formed of a resin different from a primary molding resin. For example, Japanese Patent No. 3,472,403 (hereinafter, referred to as Patent Document 2) discloses a method of molding a transparent secondary molding resin on a surface of a primary molding resin onto which an in-mold layer has been transferred. In Patent Document 2, the primary molding resin and the secondary molding resin are molded by respectively injecting a molten resin from a primary molding resin injection path and a secondary molding resin injection path formed in a common core. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 also discloses a molding method in which a surface of the secondary molded layer is additionally decorated by the in-mold molding method.

Molded component, electronic apparatus, and method of producing a molded component


A rack with a mounting bay to accommodate servers, wherein 1) the mounting bay defines two opposing internal areas disposed parallel to an insertion direction of the servers and divided into a multiplicity of slots, 2) one or more data lines for data connection of servers are configured in the rack, 3) the data lines include optical data lines, and 4) on at least one of the two internal areas of the mounting bay, an end section of a data line with a data interface is disposed on each slot such that a contactless optical data connection to a further data interface on a corresponding server is enabled.

Servers inserted into a rack are typically contacted via electrical lines from the front and/or from behind (i.e. on the surfaces perpendicular to the insertion direction) for the data exchange and for the power supply. An electrical contacting is effected either with a backplane or midplane in the rack or directly via electrical lines to a further server, a data switching unit (e.g. switch) or to a power supply unit. Since the servers are typically cooled by an airstream in the insertion direction on the rack, the various connections may in some circumstances severely hinder the airflow.
Solutions already exist to minimize the number of connections or the area on the front side and/or rear side of the servers required by the connections by narrow construction. More area for the through-flow of a cooling airstream can be obtained in this way. Further solutions provide for an improved design of the data connections themselves which further reduce the required area. In particular, the use of optical data connections exerts an increasing influence here. However, those solutions allow only a limited improvement in terms of the air throughput in the rack.
It could therefore be helpful to provide a rack, a server and an assembly comprising a rack and a server of the aforementioned type by which an improved cooling effect of servers in a rack is achieved and a data connection with a high data throughput for the data connection of the servers in the rack is nevertheless provided.

Rack, server and assembly comprising such a rack and at least one server

FUJITSU TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY GMBH


An apparatus and method for adjusting prism beam expander. The prism beam expander adjustment apparatus has a light source, a baseplate, a precise rotary stage, support columns, a two-dimensional slide stage, the first 90-degree bellcrank lever, an indication light source, the second 90-degree bellcrank lever, an optical filter, a photodetector, a computer, and an assembly platform. Incidence angles of all prisms of a prism beam expander can be precisely demarcated and designed beam magnification is obtained with the preferred adjustment methods. The parallel of the prisms can be guaranteed by monitoring the pitching of the prisms in the adjustment process. As a result, the linewidth narrowing and cavity losses decreasing can be improved by application of the fixed prism beam expander.

The prism beam expander has advantages including compact structure, simple alignment, low costs, and minimized chromatic aberration. The most important application of the prism beam expander is to realize one-dimensional beam expansion and collimation for the laser beam before the incidence on the optical grating, while reducing the energy density of the beam and decreasing the divergence angle of the beam. In the high gain laser cavity, an ultra narrow linewidth laser may be achieved through a beam expander and an optical grating operated in Littrow configuration, while the loss of the laser efficiency may be minimal. Therefore, the prism beam expander is widely used in spectral linewidth narrowing modules of dye pulse lasers and excimer lasers. See U.S. Pat. No. 7,366,219.
In order to obtain narrower laser linewidth, the beam magnification needs to be increased. However, the beam magnification of the prism beam expander is associated with the number of prisms and the incidence angle of each prism. See Zhang Haibo et al., "Optimized design of the prism beam expander within the narrow linewidth excimer laser cavity," Chinese Journal of Lasers 38, 1102008 (2011). On one hand, the beam magnification of the prism beam expander is sensitive to the prism incidence angle. In order to guarantee the beam magnification and the output laser linewidth in the prism beam expander, the incidence angle of each prism should be correctly demarcated. It is relatively easy to demarcate the incidence angle of a single prism without interference by adjacent prisms. The technical issue to be solved is to correctly demarcate the incidence angle of a plurality of adjacent prisms in the prism beam expander. On the other hand, the antireflection film of prisms has a good antireflection effect only in the scope of a narrow incidence angle. In order to improve the transmission of the beam of the coated prism and decrease laser cavity losses, the incidence angle of the prism should be consistent with the angle corresponding to the transmission peak of the prism, and the incidence angle of the prism should also be correctly demarcated. In addition, since the pitching of the prism affects the output energy of the laser, in order to improve the laser efficiency, the pitching of each prism should be tuned so that each prism in the prism beam expander is parallel.

Prism beam expander adjustment apparatus and method for adjusting the same

Shanghai Institute of Optics And Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences


An arrangement and a computer program product are provided for determining body surface characteristics. An arrangement includes an acquisition unit configured to detect body surface features by Multiple Spatially Resolved Reflection Spectroscopy (MSRRS) in a wavelength range between about 300 nm and about 1500 nm; a data storage unit to interrogate data using the characteristics; and a user interface comprising an output unit, wherein the user interface is configured to interact with a user. Further, the arrangement includes a portable computing unit configured for: interacting with a user and for evaluating the features and for determining the characteristics based on the features; obtaining from the data storage unit features of treatment products and/or application instructions for non-therapeutic treatment of a body surface according to the characteristics; and instructing the output unit to output information on the treatment products and/or application instructions to a user.

In many areas of daily life, there has been a recent trend towards personalized programs that specifically address individual prerequisites and needs (e.g. in the areas of nutrition or health). But this also applies to personalized cosmetics. The aim here is to enable consumers to find specific products or receive treatment instructions tailored to their individual needs. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide user-friendly and effective approaches for determining non-therapeutic treatment of the body surface as well as a set-up implementing such approaches.

Arrangement for determining body surface properties by means of Multiple Spatially Resolved Reflection Spectroscopy (MSRRS)


Embodiments herein address some of the problems associated with compromised configuration files used in a remote sessions of a virtual computing environment. Accordingly, a subset of settings in a configuration file are secured from malicious or accidental modification, while other portions of the configuration file are modifiable by a user as desired without invalidating the integrity of the secure subset. This not only allows for the user to be assured of the integrity of the settings, but also allows an administrator of the remote or terminal server with the ability to control how and what access a client has to resources thereon. Such access may be further controlled based on a trust level between the client, server, and/or publisher of the configuration file.

Although computers were once isolated and had minimal or little interaction with other computers, today's computers interact with a wide variety of other computers through Local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs), dial-up connections, and so forth. With the wide-spread growth of the Internet, connectivity between computers is becoming more important and has opened up many new applications and technologies. The growth of large-scale networks, and the wide-spread availability of low-cost personal computers, has fundamentally changed the way that many people work, interact, communicate, and play.
One increasing popular form of networking may generally be referred to as virtual computing systems, which can use protocols such as Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), Independent Computing Architecture (ICA), and others to share a desktop and other applications with a remote client. Such computing systems typically transmit the keyboard presses and mouse clicks or selections from the client to a server, relaying the screen updates back in the other direction over a network connection (e.g., the Internet). As such, the user has the experience as if their machine is operating as part of a LAN, when in reality the client device is only sent screenshots of the applications as they appear on the server side.
In such virtual computing environments, clients typically rely on the configuration file (e.g., RDP file) to provide a number of settings for the user's connection to the remote or terminal server. These settings include, but are not limited to, server name, username, device redirection options, remote program executables (i.e., applications accessible by a user), and other settings that specify how the virtual computing session is launched. As can be seen, these settings control virtually all aspects of a remote session such as security protocols, display options including screen resolution and/or color depth, resource accessibility by the client and/or server (e.g., applications, drives, etc.), and other features and options.
As can easily be seen, because these configuration files affect many sensitive (e.g., security and performance) aspects of a remote session, these settings are an important attack vector in many threats against both the client system and the remote or terminal server. Today, this attack vector can be completely under the attacker's control. For example, the configuration file can be constructed anonymously and no information may be available to the client about its origins. Consequently, while launching a session the default user experience has to be designed for the worst-case, least-trusted scenario with scary warnings and frequent pop-ups that increase in complexity as the remote server feature set expands. These warnings are often inappropriate, which desensitizes the users and trains them to ignore all warnings, a suboptimal result. The effect is unacceptable security, poor performance, and bad user experience.
Nevertheless, there exits great potential harm for such an attack. For instance, if a malicious entity could compromise the configuration file, then the user may unintentionally expose parts of their system that are controlled by the secure settings. For example, if the server name entity was comprised, a malicious entity could redirect the user to a rogue server. Furthermore, if the device redirection option was compromised as well, the malicious entity could choose to redirect the user's local disk to the malicious server. The server would then have access to the data on the user's local machine. In a remote program scenario, if the malicious entity comprises the remote program executable setting, they could choose to run a malicious application; e.g., "format C:" where "C:" could be the user's redirected local drive—thereby wiping the user's hard drive clean.
In addition to the settings that have security and performance implications, the configuration file contains a number of settings that should be modifiable by the user. For example, the user should typically be able to modify the color depth and resolution of their connection. Accordingly, the problem exists in configuring a way to secure portions of a configuration file, while still allowing a client to modify settings that are less likely to be prone or used for attack purposes.

Secure and modifiable configuration files used for remote sessions


A method of enhancing vertical polar localization of a head related transfer (HRTF). The method includes splitting an audio signal and generating left and right output signals by determining a log lateral component of the respective frequency-dependent audio gain that is equal to a median log frequency-dependent audio gain for all audio signals of that channel having a desired perceived source location. A vertical magnitude of the respective audio signal is enhanced by determining a log vertical component of the respective frequency-dependent audio gain that is equal to a product of a first enhancement factor and a different between the respective frequency-dependent audio gain at the desired perceived source location and the lateral magnitude of respective audio signal. The output signals are time delayed according to an interaural time.

Head related transfer functions (HRTFs) are digital audio filters that reproduce direction-dependent changes that occur in the magnitude and phase spectra of an auditory signal reaching the left and right ears when the location of the sound source changes relative to the listener. HRTFs can be a valuable tool for adding realistic spatial attributes to arbitrary sounds presented over stereo headphones. However, conventional HRTF-based virtual audio systems have rarely been able to reach the same level of localization accuracy that would be expected for listeners attending to real sound sources in the free field.
Since the 1970s, audio researchers have known that the apparent location of a simulated sound can be manipulated by applying a linear transformation. HRTFs, to the sound prior to its presentation to the listener over headphones. In effect, the HRTF processing technique works by reproducing the interaural differences in time and intensity that listeners use to determine the left-right positions of sound sources and the pinna-based spectral shaping cues that listeners use for determining the up-down and front-back locations of sounds in the free field.
If the HRTF measurement and reproduction techniques are properly implemented, then it may be possible to produce virtual sounds over headphones that are completely indistinguishable from sounds generated by a real loudspeaker at a location where the HRTF measurement was made. Indeed, this level of real-virtual equivalence has been demonstrated in experiments where listeners were unable to reliably distinguish the difference between sequentially-presented real and virtual sounds. However, demonstrations of this level of virtual sound fidelity have been limited to carefully controlled, laboratory environments where the HRTF has been measured with the headphone used for reproducing the HRTF, and the listener's head was fixed from the time the HRTF measurement was made to the time the virtual stimulus was presented to the listener.
Virtual audio display systems allow listeners to make exploratory head movements while wearing removable headphones; however, it has historically been very difficult to achieve a level of localization performance that is comparable to free field listening. Listeners are generally able to determine lateral locations of virtual sounds because these left-right determinations are based on interaural time delays (ITDs) and interaural level differences (ILDs) that are relatively robust across a wide range of listening conditions. However, listeners generally have extreme difficulty distinguishing between virtual sound locations that lie within a so-called "cone-of-confusion," FIG. 1 illustrates such a conventional cone of confusion 10 where all possible source locations that produce roughly the same LLD and ITD cues are positioned at an angle, β, from an interaural x-y-z axis 12. Within this cone 10, localization judgments have to be made solely on the basis of spectral cues generated by the direction-dependent filtering characteristics of the listener's external ear. If spectral cues are not precisely reproduced by the virtual audio display system, then poor localization performance in elevation may result.
There are at least three factors that contribute to the difficulty in producing a level of spectral fidelity to allow virtual sounds located within the cone of confusion 10 to be localized as accurately as free-field sounds. One such factor relates to the variability in frequency response that occurs across different fittings of the same set of stereo headphones on a listener's head. In most practical headphone designs, the variations in frequency response that occur when headphones are removed and replaced on a listener's head are comparable in magnitude to the variations in frequency response that occur in the HRTF when a sound source changes location within the cone of confusion 10. This means that in most applications of spatial audio, free-field equivalent elevation performance can only be achieved in laboratory settings where the headphones are never removed from the listener's head between the time when the HRTF measurement is made and the time the headphones are used to reproduce the simulated spatial sound.
In a controlled laboratory setting used by KULKARNI, it was possible to place the headphones on the listener's head, use probe microphones inserted into the ears to measure the frequency response of the headphones, create a digital filter to invert that frequency response, and use that digital filter to reproduce virtual sounds without ever removing the headphones (KULKARNI, A. et al., "Sensitivity of human subjects to bead-related transfer function phase spectra," Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 105 (1999) 2821-2840, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety). This precise level of headphone correction is unachievable in real-world applications of spatial audio, particularly where display designers must account for the fact that the headphones will be removed and replaced prior to each use of the system.
Another factor that can lead to reduced localization accuracy in conventional spatial audio systems is the use of interpolation to obtain HRTFs for locations of which no actual HRTF has been measured. Most studies of auditory localization accuracy with virtual sounds have used fixed impulse responses measured at discrete sound locations to do virtual synthesis. However, most practical spatial audio systems use some form of real-time head-tracking, which requires an interpolation of HRTFs between measured source locations. A number of different interpolation schemes have been developed for HRTFs, but whenever it becomes necessary to use interpolation techniques to infer information about missing HRTF locations there is some possibility for a reduction in fidelity in the virtual simulation.
Another factor that has a detrimental impact on localization accuracy in conventional spatial audio systems is the use of individualized HRTFs in order to achieve optimum localization accuracy. The physical geometry of the external ear (or pinna) varies between listeners and, as a direct consequence, there are substantial differences in the direction-dependent high-frequency spectral cues that listeners use to localize sounds within the cone-of-confusion 10. When a listener uses a spatial audio system that is based on HRTFs measured of another listener's ears, substantial increases in localization error can occur.
Conventional attempts to overcome these factors have included enhancement methodologies, such as individualization techniques, that are designed to bridge the gap between the relatively high level of performance typically seen with individualized HRTF rendering and the relatively poor level of performance that is typically seen with non-individualized HRTFs. An early example of such a system provided listeners with the ability to manually adjust the gain of the HRTF in different frequency hands to achieve a higher level of spatial fidelity. Further, conventional HRTF enhancement algorithms have focused on improving performance for non-individualized HRTFs and have not been shown to improve performance for individualized HRTFs.
While there is evidence that these customization techniques can improve localization performance, additional modification to the HRTF is necessary to match the characteristics of the individual listener. Still, many applications exist in which this approach is not practical and the designer will need to assume that all users of the system will be listening to the same set of unmodified non-individualized HRTFs. To this point, only a few techniques have been proposed that are designed to improve localization performance on a fixed set of HRTFs for an arbitrary listener.

Methods of using head related transfer function (HRTF) enhancement for improved vertical-polar localization in spatial audio systems

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force


A memory cell is provided that includes a vertically-oriented adjustable resistance structure including a control terminal coupled to a word line, and a reversible resistance-switching element coupled in series with and disposed above or below the vertically-oriented adjustable resistance structure.

Semiconductor memory is widely used in various electronic devices such as mobile computing devices, mobile phones, solid-state drives, digital cameras, personal digital assistants, medical electronics, servers, and non-mobile computing devices. Semiconductor memory may comprise non-volatile memory or volatile memory. A non-volatile memory device allows information to be stored or retained even when the non-volatile memory device is not connected to a source of power (e.g., a battery). In recent years, non-volatile memory devices have been scaled in order to reduce the cost per bit. However, as process geometries shrink, many design and process challenges are presented.

Memory cells including vertically oriented adjustable resistance structures


A computing device is configured to capture accessibility information for remote technical support diagnostics. The computing device includes a computer display, a data storage device, and a communication interface. The computer display displays an application window for an application program. The data storage device stores an image and corresponding accessibility context information. The image is a screen shot of display content, including the application window, on the computer display. The accessibility context information describes an accessibility parameter associated with the application window depicted within the image. The communication interface transmits the image and the associated accessibility context information to a remote user in response to a request from the remote user.

The internet has made it possible to offer technical support services from remote locations. There are many ways to provide technical services remotely. For example, a user of a computer (or other device) may call technical support staff and discuss the problem over the telephone. As another example, the user may send an email or instant message to the technical support staff. As another example, the user may authorize the technical support staff to remotely control the user's computer (or other device).
In situations where remote access to a user's computer is not possible, the user may send (e.g., via email) an image (i.e., a screen shot) of the information displayed on the user's screen to the support provider so that the support provider can reference the exact information depicted on the user's screen. However, a visual snapshot of the user's desktop content does not include the accessibility context information (i.e., information that can be used to convey information to a person with a physical disability or impairment) that is associated with various application windows depicted in the desktop content.
Thus, a conventional support service approach may be essentially useless to a support provider who is visually impaired. This makes the screenshot image useless, in this scenario. Additionally, conventional technical support services which use images to identify desktop content in an off-line manner may conflict with statutory or regulatory requirements to accommodate people with physical disabilities or impairments.

System, method, and apparatus for preservation of accessibility and serviceability information

International Business Machines Corporation


A spindle drive and patient positioning system is provided. The spindle drive includes a drive that is operative to drive a spindle nut. An axially transportable spindle is circled by the spindle nut. A catch nut that is not in mutual engagement with the spindle has a predefined distance to the drive. When the spindle nut fails, the spindle is operative to move the catch nut into mutual engagement with the spindle. A switching element is fixed to the catch nut and includes an emergency off switch, which is activated by a switching sensor.

1. Field
The present embodiments relate to a spindle drive and a patient positioning system.
2. Related Art
Spindle drives and threaded spindles are used in applications in which, for example, loads or system components have to be moved and precisely positioned. Spindle drives have been used in industrial applications such as machine tools and end user applications such as garage door openers. In addition, spindle drives are used in, for example, medical diagnostic and/or therapeutic devices (DT devices). For example, X-ray tube assemblies, X-ray image receivers, patient positioning systems, computer tomography equipment, magnetic resonance equipment or nuclear medicine and radiation therapy equipment, are moved and positioned using spindle drives.
Spindle drives may experience unidentified wear or mechanical failure, which creates considerable risks of injury and endangerment for the user or for other persons entering into contact with the spindle-driven apparatus, for example, in X-ray devices for the doctor or the patient. Generally, the spindle nut revolves on a threaded spindle, with an epicyclic gearing, for example, a recirculating ball gear. Unidentified wear, which leads to complete mechanical failure of the spindle drive, may be caused by the failure of the recirculating ball gear. If the balls of the recirculating ball gear are destroyed by wear, for example, then the recirculating ball gear is no longer in mutual engagement with the threaded spindle. The connection between the spindle and the mass to be moved is lost. The recirculating ball gear is no longer supported by the balls in the thread of the threaded spindle. The recirculating ball gear becomes freely movable. In a vertical spindle drive, the mass to be moved, in the worst scenario, falls down.
In order to reduce the risk of danger, due to an unforeseeable failure of the spindle drive, recirculating ball gears with catch nuts (safety nuts) are used. The catch nut is fixedly connected to the spindle nut and has a thread that is in mutual engagement with the thread of the threaded spindle, which is similar to the balls of the recirculating ball gear. The pitch of the thread of the catch nut here corresponds to the pitch of the thread of the spindle nut and to that of the thread of the threaded spindle. The catch nut can revolve jointly with the recirculating ball gear around the threaded spindle. For example, the thread of the catch nut revolves frictionlessly around the threaded spindle when the spindle nut, or, for example, the recirculating ball gear revolves truly around the spindle (i.e. within the predefined tolerances).
The catch nut is engaged when the spindle nut is no longer revolving truly around the spindle. For example, the spindle nut may be damaged or no longer revolve truly around the spindle because of excessive bearing play of the recirculating ball gear or destruction of the recirculating balls. When the spindle nut is damaged or no longer revolves truly around the spindle, the force closure between threaded spindle and recirculating ball gear is lost. Alternatively, the force closure between the catch nut and threaded spindle is established. An uncontrolled self-movement of the mass to be moved is then prohibited by the catch nut. The mass to be moved is prevented, for example, from falling down.
An operation of the spindle drive despite failure of the spindle nut is possible because the thread of the catch nut substantially corresponds to that of the spindle nut. When the spindle nut experiences mechanical failure, the catch nut steps in for the spindle nut and replaces it in its function.
Generally, a spindle drive and catch nut are not visible to a user, but are hidden, for example, behind panels or cladding parts. Accordingly, the failure of the spindle drive is not apparent to the user. If the spindle nut fails and the operation is continued on the basis of the catch nut, no further safeguard exists. If the catch nut subsequently fails, there complete failure of the spindle drive, for example, a height-adjusting device falls down.
Generally, in spindle drives with a fixed spindle nut and rotating spindle, the mutual connection of a catch nut and a spindle nut is frequently checked, for example, by an electrical device. For example, when the spindle nut fails and falls onto the catch nut, a mutual contact is formed, which is electrically or mechanically detectable. This mutual contact is detected and is used to activate an emergency off switch. However, in spindle drives with a fixed spindle, the spindle nut is driven and revolves around the spindle. Accordingly, checking the contact between the spindle nut and the catch nut is not readily possible because, for example, electrical contact between the two rotating nuts would be necessary. To create a contact between the two rotating parts is complicated. Standard contact types, for example, sliding contacts, are subject to wear and thus prone to error.
GB 896 914 C describes an apparatus for indicating an admissible wearing of a first nut. The first nut bears a load and, because of wearing, is subject to displacement along a threaded spindle. The apparatus contains a second nut, which bears no load and in which said threaded spindle engages. Only a relative axial displacement is allowed between the two nuts. The second nut has an adjustable stopper, which actuates a switch on the first nut whenever the relative axial distance between the two nuts falls below a value corresponding to the admissible wearing of the thread of the first nut. The switch is connected to a display means, which is switched on when the switch is actuated.
A spindle drive with a fixed spindle and revolving spindle nut and catch nut that is able to identify the failure of a spindle nut is desired.

Spindle drive and a patient positioning system


A powered operator for sliding plug doors mounted on a movable carriage mounted overhead of an opening in the side wall of a transit vehicle, said doors including a single electric prime mover driving dual helical drives, each operating a door hanger attached to a single door panel over and away from said opening and for moving said carriage out of said side wall pocket. Door hangers used provide controlled deflection of door panels when in a fully open position. Drive linkages lock door panels when in a plugged position. The operator also provides guidance for the lower edge of said door panels during plugging and unplugging operations. Control elements and a central controller provides sequential door panel movement into and out of a pocket in the transit car side wall.

This invention relates generally to power operated doors for mass transit vehicles and more particularly concerns door operators of the type wherein big-parting door panels are moved into and out of a pocket opening in the side wall of a transit vehicle and over and away from said opening to permit passenger travel into and out of said vehicle. Generally speaking, plug doors are used on vehicles where, in a closed and plugged position, the door panels are positioned in a pocket opening in the vehicle side wall, thereby becoming in a closed and plugged position, essentially part of the side wall. This type of construction minimizes interference with the car structure and presents an uninterrupted car body surface.
Plug doors have been in use for a substantial period of time. Operators of this kind are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,142,823 and 5,483,769. In addition, a certain plug door operator bearing the trade name ESCO-DOOR and marketed by Transferia Tebel also provides plug door operation.
Although the above mentioned operators are reasonably effective, certain shortcomings have been encountered in use, particularly in respect to complicated linkages between the electric prime mover and operator carriage, resulting in reduced reliability. Other shortcomings of these earlier designs include spring actuated over center locking of the plug and plug carriage, use of telescoping hangers incorporating poorly controlled door motion for individual door panels, and lever actuated plugging/unplugging links operated by extended motor shafts.
The invention disclosed herein overcomes the above-mentioned difficulties through the use of an integral carriage containing all operator elements. The plugging and unplugging movement is obtained through the use of a single shaft drive motor mounted on the carriage providing both panel door motion and plug/unplug motion through the use of planetary gearing.
Also, guidance for the door panel lower edges is provided by a lever operated vertical shaft actuated by the carriage during plugging and unplugging movements into and out of the car door pocket.
Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide a powered door operator for bi-parting door panels including plugging and unplugging operations wherein the entire drive system is mounted on a carriage movable into and out of the car door pocket.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a powered plug door operator for bi-parting doors wherein a combination of planetary and straight gearing provides door panel movement over and away from an opening in the car side wall and door panel plugging into a car side wall door pocket.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a plug door operator wherein in the door closed and plugged position doors are held in the door pocket through over-center linkage geometry.
It is yet an additional object of the invention to provide a plug door operator wherein individual bi-parting door panel hangers are of a simple non-telescoping design.


A process for removing mercury from a process gas includes: (i) reacting mercury vapor present in the process gas with mercuric chloride dissolved in a scrubbing solution so as to form a suspension containing mercurous chloride; and (ii) settling the mercurous chloride out of the suspension. Chlorine is injected into the suspension before the settling step (ii) so as to form a reaction solution.

Mercury (Hg) having the atomic number 80 is a heavy, silvery element and the only metal that is liquid at ambient temperature and pressure conditions (freezing point −38.8° C.; boiling point 356.7° C.). In addition mercury also has a high vapour pressure.
Mercury occurs in deposits throughout the world and is often associated with copper, zinc, pyrite and lead ores as well as coal. Upon thermally treating these ores or coals containing traces of mercury the mercury is volatized as mercury vapor and carried out with the off-gases.
Mercury and most of its compounds, however, are extremely toxic and must be handled with care. Accordingly, most countries have extremely stringent requirements with regard to the emission of mercury from industrial processes and the presence of mercury in products produced from process gases such as sulphuric acid from SO2-containing gases released in pyrometallurgical processes. Gases containing elementary mercury have constituted one of the great sources of the emission of industrial mercury to the environment and many new gas cleaning processes have been proposed during the last 30 years for eliminating the elementary mercury from such gases. Examples of such removing processes are the 'Bolkem process', the use of a selenium filter or a selenium scrubber.
However, the majority of these proposed gas cleaning processes and particular those that are most efficient are technically very complicated and require the use of expensive special apparatus or sophisticated reactants and additives in order to achieve a satisfactory result. One of the few processes that is widely used in practice and that also belongs to the most effective processes and that, therefore, has dominated the marked at least with regard to its application in the metallurgical field is the so called 'Boliden-Norzink process' also referred to as the 'chloride process' or Calomel Process. This method is very effective in removing mercury from SO2-gas processed to sulphuric acid. A product acid containing less than 0.5 ppm mercury can be produced from a gas containing up to 150 ppm mercury.
The process, of which various embodiments are described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,537, U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,274 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,751, is carried out in a plant shown in FIG. 1:
The process gas containing mercury is introduced via line 11 into a packing 10a of a scrubbing tower 10. In the scrubbing tower a solution containing dissolved mercuric chloride (HgCl2) is circulated (pump 14, lines 13, 15, 17). The mercuric chloride reacts with mercury contained in the process gas to form mercurous chloride (calomel) as follows:HgCl2+Hg→Hg2Cl2
The scrubbing process removes mercuric chloride from the scrubbing solution. If the concentration of mercuric chloride is not maintained, the scrubbing solution will become ineffective. The concentration of HgCl2 in the solution must be measured and if the concentration falls below a given value strong solution must be added. Sampling, measuring and adjustment of concentration must be done by experienced operation personnel. But due to the mix of continuous operation (scrubber) and batch-wise operation (addition of strong solution) the efficiency of the scrubbing process is slightly fluctuating.
To overcome the concentration losses so-called strong solution is added into the scrubbing tower from storage tank 38 via line 39. Strong solution contains HgCl2 in concentrations 10-20 times more than the concentration in the reaction circuit. Mercurous chloride (calomel) formed during the reaction is insoluble and precipitates from the solution.
The overflow from settler 20 is recirculated to the scrubbing tower, via pipeline 50. The process consumes mercuric chloride (HgCl2) continuously. The concentration of the reaction solution is maintained by batch-wise addition of strong solution.
Strong solution is produced in a separate circuit by regeneration of calomel removed from the reaction circuit via the settlers. A so-called chlorination tank 30 is used. Chlorine from bottles 40 is injected via pipeline 41 and injecting device 34 into a circulating stream of pump 32 lines 31, 33, 35 and 36. Chlorine is absorbed in the solution and reacts with mercurous chloride (calomel) to form strong mercuric chloride solution.Hg2Cl2+Cl2→2 HgCl2
When the required concentration for the strong solution is achieved, it is pumped through line 37 into a storage tank 38 from where it is fed to the scrubbing tower 10.
It takes about two days to generate sufficient strong solution to operate the scrubbing tower 10 for about two weeks. While HgCl2 is produced in the regeneration tank 30, the concentration of the mercury (II) chloride (HgCl2) is measured. If the chlorine concentration drops below a certain level, additional chlorine will be injected. This procedure is repeated until a washing solution with the defined concentration is achieved. As the process kinetics are quite complex, the addition of new chlorine is not done automatically, but by hand.
The production of strong solution is operated as a discontinuous process, while the removal of the mercury from the off-gases is a continuous process. The storage tank 38 serves to couple these two operating modes as it provides a buffer for the continuous addition of washing solution and compensates fluctuations in the mercury content in the off-gases.

Method and apparatus for removing mercury from gas


The invention is a method for implementing a split read/write operation in a multiple write enable dynamic random access memory device. A split read/write operation is an operation where the data in at least one bank is read while the data is being written to at least one remaining bank, all banks accessed by the same address. The method of the invention also implements writes and reads to all of the banks, a write to at least one bank, and a read to at least one bank. In instances where all of the banks are not written, the banks not being written are refreshed; and in instances where all of the banks are not being read, the banks not being read are masked for a write. The invention also provides individual masking of selected memory arrays in both write and read operations.

The dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device 1 represented by the diagram of FIG. 1 stores digital information or data in an arrangement of memory cells 3. An arrangement of memory cells is called an array. The cells 3 are arranged in the array in a configuration of intersecting rows 5 and columns 6. The rows 5 are also referred to as wordlines 5. Each memory cell comprises a storage capacitor (not shown) capable of holding a charge and a metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) (not shown) for accessing the capacitor charge; hereinafter this transistor is referred to as an access transistor. The charge is a voltage potential referred to as a data bit and is typified as either a high voltage or a low voltage. Therefore, the memory has two states; often thought of as the true logic state and the complementary logic state. The data bit is amplified and latched to the digit lines 7 by sense amplifier 8.
There are two options available in a DRAM memory; a bit of data may be stored in a specific cell in the write mode, or a bit of data may be retrieved from a specific cell in the read mode. The data is either transferred from the digit lines 7 to Input/Output lines (I/O) 9 in the read mode: or transferred from the I/O lines 9 to the digit lines 7 in the write mode. In either case, the data is transferred through MOSFETs 10 used as switching devices and called decode transistors. For each bit of data stored, its true logic state is available at a first I/O line 11 and its complementary logic state is available at a second I/O line 13, designated I/O complement. For purposes of this discussion, I/O and I/O complement lines are often referred to as just I/O lines 9. Although each cell 3 is only connected to one digit line 7 through an activated access transistor, each cell 3 is electrically referenced to two digit lines 7, referred to as a digit line pair 15, through the sense amplifiers 8. The digit line pair 15 comprises the "digit line" 17 for coupling true data and the "digit bar line" 19 for coupling complementary data. Typically, the digit line 17 is referred to as digit and the digit bar line 19 is referred to as digit bar. The digit line pair 15 couples the true and complementary data between the selected cell 3 and the I/O lines
In order to read from or write to a cell 3, the particular cell 3 in question must be selected or sometimes referred to as "addressed." A particular cell 3 is selected when the row decoder 21 activates a wordline 5 and the column decoder 23 activates a column 6. The electrical intersection of the activated wordline 5 and activated column 6 determines which cell 3 has been selected.
A supply potential V.sub.cc and a ground reference potential are available to the circuitry of the memory device. Between cycles of cell selection it is necessary to equilibrate the digit lines of each digit line pair 15 in a memory array to the same voltage, usually V.sub.cc /2. This equilibration of the digit lines is often referred to as the precharge cycle. Equilibrate circuitry (not shown) parallel with the sense amplifier essentially shorts the digit lines together and holds them at V.sub.CC /2. This equilibration is necessary so that the digit lines 7 are ready to receive data during the next cycle.
The I/O lines also equilibrate between cycles of cell selection by circuitry configured in parallel with the I/O and I/O complement. 3/5V.sub.cc is typically the equilibrate voltage of the I/O lines.
In order to facilitate an understanding of the present invention, pertinent aspects of a typical write operation to a single cell are explained below with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 more fully depicts the circuitry relevant to two digit line pairs 15A and 15B of the digit line pairs 15 shown in FIG. 1. The numbers pertinent to components in FIG. 1 are relevant to similar components in FIG. 2.
Digits 17A and 17B are connected to memory cells 3A and 3B respectively and are accessed through row 5A. Digit bars 19A and 19B are connected to memory cells 3C and 3D respectively and are accessed through row 5B. Therefore, memory cells 3A and 3B store data in true form and memory cells 3C and 3D store data in complementary or inverse form. The p sense amplifiers 8A and 8B and the n sense amplifiers 8C and 8D latch data on the digit line pairs 15A and 15B respectively during read and write operations.
During standby switching transistors 24 comprising the pull up p-type MOSFETs (p switching transistors) 25 and the pull down n-type MOSFET (n switching transistor) 26 are off and the data remains stored in cells 3A through 3D. During a write or read operation all of the p 25 and n 26 transistors are actuated. The p switching transistors 25 are actuated by a low signal applied to their gates. Once actuated, the p switching transistors 25 couple the supply voltage V.sub.cc 27 to the circuit. The n switching transistor 24 is actuated by a high signal applied to its gate 26. Once actuated, the n switching transistor 24 couples the ground reference potential 28 to the circuit.
For example, assume cell 3A is selected for a write operation. An active output from the row decoder activates wordline 5A. The active wordline 5A actuates the cells' 3A and 3B access transistors 29A and 29B pertinent to wordline 5A, while access transistors 29C and 29D pertinent to inactive wordline 5B remain deactivated. The switching transistors 24 are actuated and digit 17A is latched to the true data stored in cell 3A while digit bar 19A is latched to the complement of the true data. Similarly, digit 17B is latched to the true data stored in cell 3B while digit bar 19B is latched to the complement of the true data. Next the column decoder activates column 6A which in turn actuates decode transistors 10A. Column 6B remains inactive since it was not activated by the column decoder. Consequently decode transistors 10B remain off. In a write mode the input data is coupled through the actuated decode transistors 10A from the I/O lines 9 to the digit line pair 15A where the input data overwrites the data previously latched to digit line pair 15A. The data on digit line pair 15B is not disturbed since decode transistors 10B are off.
FIG. 3 is a portion of a DRAM 41 having a memory 43 comprising 16 individual memory arrays similar to memory array 45. Each array comprises 256K (K=1024) memory cells. Each memory cell stores a bit of digital information. In this case, the array is capable of storing 256 kilobits (262,144 bits). For any given address location a corresponding cell on each individual array is ,selected. Corresponding to each array is a DQ pin (not shown) in electrical communication with its respective array for accepting the bit of digital information from sources external to the DRAM in a write operation and from the internal memory cells in a read operation. In this discussion the designation DQ refers to a DQ pin and the ensuing subscript references the array to which the DQ pin corresponds. For example, digital information written to the fourth array is available at DQ.sub.4, and digital information read from the seventh memory array is available at DQ.sub.7.
Sixteen bits of information is called a word, and a memory cell is selected in each array to comprise the word. Eight bits of information comprises a byte. Typically, memory arrays 1 through 8 and memory arrays 9 through 16 comprise a byte.
Instructions, comprising an output enable (OE) signal and a write enable (WE) signal, generated in a central processing unit (CPU) control the read and write operations of a typical DRAM. (Throughout this discussion designations OE and WE will be considered the OE and WE signals unless stated otherwise, another option being the physical OE and WE outputs.) The active and inactive logic states of the OE and WE instructions determine whether data is written to or read from a memory cell. In order to read data from a memory cell, OE needs to be in an active logic state and WE needs to be in an inactive logic state. In order to write data into a memory cell, WE needs to be in an active logic state and OE needs to be in an inactive logic state. Both the read and write operations are preceded by an active row address strobe (RAS) signal and also require an active column address strobe (CAS) signal. In typical DRAMs, the WE and the OE are not activated at the same time. This is because the data ports are shared for input and output data. The DRAM logic inhibits the condition of both the OE and WE signals active at the same time by either not allowing it or by disabling the DRAM's ability to drive data to the output.
FIG. 4 is a timing diagram depicting the logic states of the OE and WE for typical read and write operations. Both operations require an active RAS signal 46 preceding an active CAS signal 47. OE 48 and WE 49 are active low signals, therefore when OE 48 is asserted low at point 51 the data 52 is read from the memory cell, and when WE 49 is asserted low at point 53 the data 52 is written to the memory cell.
The DRAM arrays can be thought of as being arranged in two banks. In the case of a 16 memory array device, a first or lower bank comprising memory arrays 1 through 8 and a second or upper bank comprising memory arrays 9 through 16.
The references contained herein to "upper" and "lower" banks of memory arrays, to corresponding "upper" and "lower" data ports, and to corresponding control signals are not intended to specify physical location, but are merely a reference to separate groups of these arrays, data ports, and control signals, as is understood by those skilled in the art.
Wide word DRAMs are characterized as a DRAM device having eight or more output bits. Some wide word DRAMs have either two WE signals or two CAS signals for byte control. The first device allows writes to one bank, byte write; or writes to both banks, word writes. The latter device allows reads or writes to one bank, byte reads and byte writes respectively; or reads or writes to both banks, word reads and word writes respectively.
Micron Technology, Inc. is developing a 256K by 16 DRAM device (16 memory arrays each containing 256K memory cells) having either two WE signal inputs or two CAS signal inputs. In both cases the two inputs drive NOR NAND logic internal to the DRAM device. The two WE input device is utilized to provide a word write or byte writes. The two CAS input device is utilized to provide a word write, byte writes, a word read, or byte reads. Neither device, as currently conceived, provides a split read/write operation, an operation where the data in one bank is read while the data is being written to the remaining bank, both banks accessed by the same address.
The 1991 Micron Technology, Inc. MOS Data Book provides a complete description of the two WE (MT4C16256/8) and two CAS (MT4C16257/9) devices being developed by Micron Technology, Inc.

Method for performing a split read/write operation in a dynamic random access memory


A method of automatically dialing for information service in a telephone system having memory including the first buffer storing time data corresponding time interval between digits input, the second buffer storing the time interval corresponding to the time data, and the third buffer storing the digits and time data. The method includes the steps of: forming a communication loop with a public switched telephone network when the first digit is input in an information registration mode, reading the time data corresponding to the time interval between the digits input from the first buffer and storing it between digits registered in the third buffer, and disconnecting the communication loop after completing registration of digits to be automatically dialed; and dialing a digit registered in the third buffer, delaying for a time interval corresponding to time data registered in the next location of the third buffer from the second buffer, and then dialing the next digit.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a data communication system having an automatic dialing function, and more specifically, relates to a method of automatically dialing a telephone number in a facsimile system having a telephone handset incorporated therein, when using an information service.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical automatic route selection (ARS) function in an information communication system such as a facsimile system having a telephone handset is to provide a variety of information services such as retrieving, inquiring, and reading out information from an automatic answer control system when a subscriber's communication terminal is connected to the automatic answer control system through a telephone line. The user can retrieve, inquire, or read out information by following a guidance message provided by the automatic answer control system when using the information service. Generally, there are two techniques of servicing information in the automatic answer control system. The first method relates to a way in which the next service information is progressed when any key is input in the middle of the reproduction of a guidance message. The second method relates to a way in which the next service information is progressed when any key is input after completion of the playback of guidance message.
When the subscriber wants the information service, and the service is one that progresses to the next procedure when any key is input in the middle of reproducing the guidance message, the subscriber can input numeral keys according to the guidance message, using an automatic dialing function of the telephone handset such as one-touch dialing, speed dialing, and redialing functions as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,506,895 for Telephone Apparatus With Automatic Dialing Function issued to Hirai et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,674 for Data Communication Apparatus Having An Auto-Dialing Function issued to Maeda, U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,533 for Facsimile Transmitting and Receiving Apparatus issued to Wasio et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,705 for Data Communication Apparatus With Abbreviated Dial Key Having A Plurality Of Dial Data And Capable Of Selecting One Of Two Communication Functions issued to Yoshida et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,134,653 for Automatic Dialing Machine issued to Satomi et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,560 for Method Of Automatic Dialing And Automatic Dialing Device For Facsimile Apparatus issued to Kayeyama. However, the subscriber cannot use the automatic dialing function when the information service is designed such that it requires the guidance messages to be completed before the next procedure can be requested. This service requirement often causes the codes entered according to the guidance message, to be input irregularly.
In the conventional automatic dialing function of the facsimile system having a telephone handset incorporated therein, dial signals are sequentially transmitted, and transmission interval of each pulse is fixed to three seconds, so that the user must calculate the transmission interval of pulses when registering a telephone number for performing an automatic dialing function. This manual operation interferes with accurate registration of the telephone number. Thus, the user cannot utilize some information services with automatic dialing functions because the automatic answer control system requires too long an interval between pulses.

Automatic dialing method for information service in telephone system


An imaging apparatus including a first recording apparatus (optical disk drive) for recording information on a removable/loadable recording medium and a second recording apparatus (HDD) for recording information on a recording medium incorporated therein, in which the first recording apparatus is provided with a lid portion to be opened/closed for removing/loading a recording medium and a lid opening/closing mechanism for opening/closing the lid portion and opening operation of the lid portion by the lid opening/closing mechanism is inhibited while the second recording apparatus is in an access state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus such as an imaging apparatus and a method of controlling the same and particularly to a technology protecting a recording medium such as a hard disc from a vibration and preventing the same from breaking.
2. Background Art
An imaging apparatus such as a video camera can take both a still image and a moving image and has recording portions one thereof suited for a moving image and the other suited for a still image. Accordingly, imaging apparatuses of the type having a plurality of recording portions have come to be widely used.
As a related art example of the imaging apparatus of the described type, there is one that is disclosed in JP-A No. 193678/2004. In this publication, it is stated as the problem to be solved, "to provide an imaging apparatus with excellent operability and small power consumption." And, as the means to solve the problem, it is stated "that the imaging apparatus has a plurality of photographing modes and also has removable recording media of different kinds corresponding to the photographing modes, that the imaging apparatus inhibits unloading of one recording medium depending on the photographing mode, and that the one recording medium 1009 is disposed as housed in a cover covering the other recording medium 1020." It is further stated "that excellent operability is attained by the inhibition of the unloading of the one recording medium 1009 and reduction of power consumption is attained by eliminating wasteful movements of the housing portion and the like."
Patent publication No. 1: JP-A No. 193678/2004


A signal receiving apparatus includes a tuner (102) for selecting a broadcasting station or a program, which becomes a reception subject, a program recording/playing circuit (202) for recording a received signal of the reception subject, and a control unit (109) for controlling start of recording a signal on the program recording/playing circuit (202). The control unit (109) controls the program recording/playing circuit (202) by using a fact that a selected time over which the reception subject has been selected exceeds a predetermined time, as a condition under which recording is started. Even if the user does not conduct operation for starting recording, therefore, recording can be started.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a signal receiving apparatus, and relates to a signal recording method. In particular, the present invention relates to an invention that can be suitably applied to a TV receiving apparatus. Furthermore, the present invention relates to an invention that can be suitably implemented in a receiving apparatus capable of receiving a broadcast wave with program information such as program start time/program end time and a program title, superposed.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a conventional video recording method for TV broadcast wave, there are absence video recording (video recording reservation) using a timer, and one-touch video recording for which operation is conducted by using a remote controller or the like when leaving the TV.
The following TV receiving apparatus has been proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 6-14289. In the case where a viewer leaves the TV while viewing a program, order information for pausing the displayed image is issued by key operation on a remote controller or the like, and video recording of the program is started from a point of time at which the image has been paused.
Thereafter, the viewer returns to the TV. When operation for canceling the image pause state has been conducted, the recorded program is played from the point of time at which program recording was started.
The technique described in JP-A No. 6-14289 concerns a TV receiving apparatus for video recording on a program which is being viewed in response to key operation conducted on a remote controller or the like when the viewer leaves the TV, and playing the recorded program from the point of time at which video recording was started, after the viewer has returned to the TV. However, there is, for example, the following problem. When there is a sudden telephone call or a sudden visitor while a viewer is viewing a program the viewer has looked forward to, the viewer conducts one-touch video recording. Since the viewer loses himself or herself in the talk over the telephone or with a visitor, however, the viewer might have a long talk and forget that the viewer started one-touch video recording. This results in a problem that a program subsequent to the program subjected to one-touch video recording is recorded successively.
In the case of a sudden telephone call or visitor, the viewer often receives the call or visitor without being able to conduct one-touch video recording because of immediate response, and the viewer cannot watch the program. Or the viewer might lose himself or herself in the talk, and reach the climax of the program without understanding the contents of the program the viewer has viewed.
In addition, the viewer might sleep while viewing a long program such as a movie or a drama. In this case, the viewer might overlook the climax of the program the viewer has viewed, or an image continues to flow even after the program has finished, resulting in wasteful electric power consumption.

Signal receiving apparatus and signal recording method


A multilayer optical disk apparatus comprises an optical pickup that emits N (N represents an integer of two or more) laser beams of the same wavelength. The optical pickup emits the N laser beams at the same time, focuses the N laser beams on a first recording layer group alternately configured by N recording layers of the multilayer optical disk and performs a recording operation on the N recording layers at the same time. When changing the recording layers the optical pickup focuses the N laser beams on a second recording layer group configured by recording layers adjacent to the respective recording layers configuring the first recording layer group and performs a recording operation on the N recording layers at the same time.

The present invention relates to an optical disk recording apparatus and optical disk reproducing apparatus and, more particularly, to a multilayer optical disk recording apparatus and multilayer optical disk reproducing apparatus capable of high-speed recording of a multilayer optical disk.
For a technology of the speeding up related to the present invention, for example, disclosed in JP-A-2006-164374. JP-A-2006-164374 discloses a method for irradiating two laser beams on a plurality of recording layers within a disk via one objective lens at the same time.

Multilayer optical disk, multilayer optical disk recording apparatus and multilayer optical disk reproducing apparatus


The portion of TDMA frames otherwise containing the sync word is eliminated for one or more data frames at the end of a TDMA data burst to provided added bandwidth for data payload or for a reduced bandwidth. Once a communication channel has been established and is in steady state mode (after receipt of one or more frames), the sync word is eliminated from the remaining frame structure. Drift of a local clock with respect to an incoming data stream is monitored using an oversampled or multiplied master clock to provide suitable resolution to determine an approximate position of an active edge of the master clock with respect to a bit or symbol being clocked. Any drift from center results in an adjustment of the local master clock. In a preferred embodiment, the drift is measured in a last bit or symbol of a received TDMA burst, and the master clock is adjusted to re-center the local master clock with respect to that last bit. Accordingly, the receiver is ‘tuned’ to the clock signal of the transmitting TDMA device such that the receiving TDMA device can predict where the next start of frame will occur. By doing so, the sync word is no longer necessary in the remaining frames of the TDMA burst to decode the start of next TDMA frame. The sync word may be included in more than one frames in the beginning of the TDMA burst, but is eliminated from one or more frames at the end of the TDMA burst.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to digital communications. More particularly, it relates to techniques and apparatus for increasing the reliability of recovered timing and frame boundaries and for simultaneously increasing bandwidth of a transmitted time division multiple access (TDMA) signal.
2. Background of Related Art
Digital communications take many forms and utilize many protocols. A very popular form of digital communications is called time division multiple access (TDMA).
TDMA, while being equally applicable to wired communications, is also a technology commonly used for delivering digital wireless service using time division multiplexing (TDM).
In a typical wireless application, TDMA works by dividing a radio frequency into time slots and then allocating the various time slots to multiple communication fields. In this way, a single frequency can support multiple, simultaneous data fields. TDMA is used, e.g., by GSM digital cellular systems.
FIG. 4 shows a plurality of transmitter devices communicating with a receiver device using TDMA frames.
In particular, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of TDMA transmitter devices 410–420 may utilize separate time slots of a TDMA communication field to communicate with a TDMA receiver device 400. While shown as a unidirectional field in FIG. 4, any or all TDMA devices 400–420 may be transceivers.
The TDMA devices 400, 410, 420 all include their own independent master clock 402, 412, 422, respectively, at opposite ends of the communication field. While locally wired TDMA systems typically allow the use of a common master clock routed to each TDMA device, wireless or remote TDMA devices are not afforded the same luxury, and thus require coordination of the timing as between communicating devices. For instance, it is a common practice to recover a data clocking signal from a received TDMA signal so as to allow appropriate detection of the data in the frame.
FIG. 5A shows multiple data frames within a single TDMA burst, and FIG. 5B shows a single data frame in more detail.
In particular, as shown in FIG. 5A, a TDMA burst between TDMA transmitters 410 and the TDMA receiver 400 typically includes a plurality of data frames 502–506. The length of each data frame and the number of data frames in a TDMA burst each depend upon the particular application.
FIG. 5B shows that the data frame 502 includes a plurality of fields 510–514. Anywhere between many fields and only one field may be implemented within a TDMA data frame, depending upon the particular application.
As shown in FIG. 5B, TDMA communications typically use a frame structure which includes a "sync word" 520 at the beginning of each frame 502, 504, 506. The TDMA receiver 400 recognizes and uses the sync word 520 to determine the "start of frame" for each data frame 502–506, so as to not lose any data bits from the communication.
FIG. 6 shows a conventional technique for clocking a received TDMA signal with a local master clock.
In particular, as shown in FIG. 6, the receiver front end 600 typically includes a receiver (e.g., an RF receiver) 604 operated by a master local clock 608. The received data is clocked by a data clock signal generated by the master clock 608, and the received data is monitored by a start of frame detector 620 to determine the positioning of the start bit or symbol of each new frame in a TDMA burst.
In such a conventional system, the master clock 608 must be reset or otherwise synchronized with the start of a new data frame to ensure proper clocking of received data bits and adequate tolerance allowed for jitter, etc. Furthermore, because master transmit and receive clocks typically will drift with respect to one another, the position of the first bit in the TDMA frame will occasionally move relative to the receive master clock. Thus, a sync word is conventionally used to locate the start of each data frame in a TDMA burst to ensure proper clocking of the received data clock. While the sync word provides a suitable marking for the beginning of each frame in a TDMA burst, it also requires a number of bits or symbols, and takes up valuable bandwidth. Bandwidth is a valuable commodity, and is preferably conserved whenever possible, particularly in wireless applications.
FIG. 7 shows the preferred positioning of an active edge of the recovered data clock (waveform (b)) with respect to the positioning of the recovered data (waveform(a)). Ideally, the active edge (e.g., the negative edge of the clock signal shown in FIG. 7) is centered on a respective bit or symbol of the received data stream in order to maximize the probability of correctly detecting received data.
As can be seen in FIG. 7, if the active edge (e.g., the negative edge) of the clock signal drifts too closely to the edges of the respective data bits, jitter or other anomalies may cause a data error, increasing the bit error rate.


A base station in a mobile digital system (TDMA/FDMA) utilizes a frequency hopping technique. The interconnection among receiver/transmitters (RT1-RTm) and process nodal points (NP1-NPm) takes place in base band using a common medium as distribution means of data relevant to the different users, which are entered on and sensed from at least one bus (B, B'). According to one embodiment two separate bus are foreseen, one for transmission and the other one for reception.

In a mobile system of this kind, both voice and signalling data are transmitted in a digital manner by modulating a carrier frequency. Each carrier supports n users whose bit bursts are grouped to form a time division frame (TDMA). The system has a given number K of usable frequencies which are differently distributed in the different cells depending on their traffic, up to a maximum of m frequencies per one very high traffic density cell, for a total of m.times.n possible simultaneous speech (physical channels). Thanks to the cell subdivision, the same frequencies are assigned to more cells far enough among them to avoid interference, thus obtaining a high spectrum effectiveness. One of the features foreseen in digital mobile systems to mediate speech quality is that of frequency hopping.
According to this technique, during the speech, the time slot assigned to one user hops on a different frequency at each frame, while maintaining unchanged the frame structure. More specifically, the time slot of one user goes from a frequency (or carrier) to another one among those assigned to the base station (SRB) according to a predetermined law, but remaining in the same position inside the frame of n time slots.
In this way each speech can be time distributed on all the frequencies assigned to the SRB, and the result is that attenuation and distortion effects presented by one transmission frequency shall concern only a reduced number of frames of each user, and their negative effects shall be distributed among all users and not concentrated only on some of them.
It has been proposed to make the switch required by the frequency hopping directly by radio frequency or in base band.
In the first case, considering for instance the reception aspect, the base station foresees a plurality of receivers connected to a combining circuit receiving all frequencies assigned to the SRB from an antenna. Single receivers vary their frequency according to the frequency hopping algorithm and therefore each receiver always produces at the output the same n time slots assigned to the same n users which are routed in the known manner towards decoding units, and from there to the switched telephone network. The same takes place of course for transmission.
This solution is disadvantageous since it requires a broadband coupling among the antenna and each single receiver preventing a selective coupling. Furthermore, frequency synthesizers of the receivers has to be very quick, with switching time in the range of one hundred nanoseconds to perform the necessary frequency changes from a time slot and the subsequent one.
In case of baseband switching (interconnection), it is possible to use selection couplers (narrow band) among the combining circuit and each receiver/transmitters operating at fixed and constant frequency. The correct connection of each receiver/transmitter is carried out through a dynamic interconnection matrix which changes its configuration according to the frequency hopping algorithm to connect each receiver/transmitter with (time by time) correct process nodal point of the station controller.
A multiplexing matrix performing these interconnections constitutes however a centralized device involving a very high number of connections, and therefore problems exist with cost, reliability and difficulty of installation problems.
It is therefore a critical component which should be redundant (that is foreseen as double). In case of a maximum equipment of m frequencies, the matrix should have (m.times.n.times.2).sup.2 cross points. This dimension should increase if it is requested to exchange through the same way to control data among nodal points. A separate connection should be foreseen for controlling data among nodal points and the station controller should be necessarily centralized.
One of the aims of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned troubles of the previous technique, and in particular to simplify and optimize the interconnection of a plurality of receiver/transmitters among them, or between the station controller and the different nodal points which must be interconnected in this base station, in a system performing in base band the switching required by the frequency hopping technique.
Another aim of the invention is to realize an interconnection system, which carries in a flexible manner the data from and to the station control center, among receiver/transmitters, process nodal points and also the possible supervision, maintenance and data collection systems. Furthermore the system according to the invention has the advantage of being easily redundant.

Base station for a mobile digital system with the frequency hopping technique

Italtel Societa Italiana Telecomunicazioni S.p.A.


A frequency control device capable of detecting a frame sync pattern and generating a frequency information accurately even if a reproduction signal is not zero-crossed, and an information reproduction apparatus having the same, which includes an oscillation circuit outputting a clock having a frequency corresponding to a control signal; a converter sampling an input analog signal having a predetermined pattern based on the clock and converting the same to a digital signal; and a frequency detection device detecting an object to be a sync pattern from a changing trend of the digital signal, generating a frequency information for controlling a reproduction clock based on the detected object to be the sync pattern, and outputting the same as the control signal to the oscillation circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a frequency control device applied to an RF signal processing system, such as an optical disk, and an information reproduction apparatus having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is known a frequency detection device used as a clock oscillation frequency control for a phase locked loop (PLL) circuit and a rotation control for a spindle in an optical disk or a hard disk drive (HDD).
As the control for a clock oscillation frequency by the PLL, there is known the following two methods, for example.
A first method is that a frequency detection device, in which a reproduction signal is sampled with a reproduction clock generated by the PLL and a difference of a maximum length pattern of a sampled mark length/space length (hereinafter, referred to a T-length) with respect to a maximum T-length defined by a format is calculated to determine a frequency drift of a PLL clock, is used and a frequency control amount is fed back to the PLL.
A second method is that a frequency detection device, in which a frame sync pattern is detected and a difference of an interval between detected frame sync patterns with respect to an interval between frame sync patterns defined by a format is calculated to determine the frequency drift of a PLL clock, is used and a frequency control amount is fed back to the PLL (for example, referred to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application (Kokai) No. 11-149704).

Frequency control device and information reproduction apparatus


A light quantity measurement unit measures a quantity of light of a light source that has a first light-emitting element that emits light of a first wavelength band and a second light-emitting element that emits light of a second wavelength band. The light quantity measurement unit includes first and second filters having the first and second wavelength bands as the detection wavelength bands. The first and second light-emitting elements are caused to sequentially emit light, and on the basis of the results of measurement of the quantity of light that is measured by way of the first and second filters, a control unit generates first compensation information in which light of the second wavelength band is measured with the first filter and second compensation information in which light of the first wavelength band is measured with the second filter, finds a first compensation light quantity of the first light-emitting element by excluding the quantity of light based on the first compensation information from the quantity of light that is measured by way of the first filter, finds a second compensation light quantity of the second light-emitting element by excluding a quantity of light based on the second compensation information from the quantity of light measured by way of the second filter, and then controls the quantity of light of the first and second light-emitting elements based on the first and second compensation light quantities.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for realizing optimum color mixing ratios and high luminance by combining green light from two different directions of a cross-dichroic prism and further combining the green light with red light and blue light. In other words, a high-luminance image display device is realized by using three liquid crystal panels of red, green and blue and causing a blue LED and green LED to simultaneously emit light and irradiate the same liquid crystal panel for blue.
Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for combining the output light from a plurality of light-emitting elements that emit light of different colors, then detecting, for each color, a portion of the combined light by using color filters that correspond to each light color, and then using these values to control the output of the light source.

Image display device and image display method


A heat transfer apparatus for heating and cooling a room includes a heat exchanger including a body with tubing and fins traversed by a heat transfer fluid, the heat exchanger including a first module and a second module. A plurality of helical fans downstream from the heat exchanger have axes of rotation passing between the first and second modules. A plate for storing heat is downstream from the plurality of helical fans is present. Each of the axes of rotation pass through the plate, and the plate and frame together define an air outlet configured to expel air from the apparatus in a direction parallel to the rotation axes, and define an air passage parallel to the plate from the helical fans to the air outlet, and wherein the apparatus defines an air inlet configured to draw air in a direction traverse to the rotation axes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of reversible radiators of the type comprising:                an exchanger of the type constituted by a body with fins and a tubing traversed by a heating or cooling heat transfer fluid;        a means of ventilation designed to draw the ambient air, to force its passage through the exchanger and to eject it, heated or cooled, into the room;        a frame, containing the aforementioned exchanger and the aforementioned means of ventilation, provided with at least one air inlet opening and at least one air outlet opening;        a plate, for storing and distributing calories or frigories, attached to the front wall of the aforementioned frame.
2. Description of Related Art
Radiators known of the type in question generally have a single exchanger module, one or two fans powered by alternating current and an air outlet which is generally located at the top, bottom and/or sides.
Such devices have disadvantages tied to the fact that:                the fans are large and affect the thickness of the radiators, they are noisy and consume energy;        the thermal efficiency between the drawn air and the exchanger is not optimized;        the lateral air outlet is less efficient than a front air outlet.
Among the documents of the closest prior art, can be cited:                the document EP1878978 which describes a reversible air conditioner, attached to the ceiling, comprising a temperature adjustment unit containing an exchanger and a ventilation means, a distribution chamber placed at the outlet of the aforementioned unit and a plate, radiant and air permeable, completely closing the aforementioned chamber, realized in a fibrous material;        the document JP11148711 describes an air conditioner comprising two fans arranged side by side, two exchanger modules positioned on each side of the row of fans and two openings positioned on each side of the latter.

Heat transfer apparatus for heating and cooling a room