A synthesis signal which was reproduced from reproducing apparatus and converted into an analog signal includes an analog information signal and a copy control code. The copy control code is modulated by a spread spectrum. A code reading unit of the recording apparatus extracts the copy control code by an inverse spread spectrum. A code changing unit changes the copy control code by a spread spectrum as necessary. An output signal of the code changing unit is converted into a digital signal. The digital signal is subjected to processes necessary for recording and is recorded to a recording medium.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information signal recording apparatus and method, information signal copying system and method, and an information signal recording medium. More particularly, the invention relates to a copy prevention system in which a signal is not lost even in a communication by an analog signal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are some methods for copy prevention in a recording system of digital data, for example, a digital VTR (video tape recorder). One of them is a method of inhibiting a copy by adding a copy control signal to digital data. First, a principle of a copy prevention system will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the principle of the copy prevention system. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes a reproducing apparatus; 101 a recording medium for reproduction; 102 a reproducing unit; 110 a recording apparatus; 111 a recording unit; 112 a copy control signal detecting unit; 113 a recording medium for recording; 121 a read signal from the recording medium 101; 122 a reproduction signal which is supplied from the reproducing apparatus 100 to the recording apparatus 110; 123 a copy control signal; and 124 a write signal to the recording medium 113.
In the reproducing apparatus 100 constructed by the recording medium 101 for reproduction and the reproducing unit 102 in FIG. 1, a recording signal is read out from the recording medium 101 by the reproducing unit 102 and is outputted as a digital or analog reproduction signal 122. On the other hand, in the recording apparatus 110 constructed by the recording unit 111, copy control signal detecting unit 112, and recording medium 113 for recording, the copy control signal detecting unit 112 detects the copy control signal 123. In accordance with the detection result, the recording unit 111 generates the write signal 124 which inhibits or permits the recording to the recording medium 113 for recording.
The recording apparatus for recording a signal to the recording medium 101 which is reproduced by the reproducing apparatus 100 will now be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the recording apparatus by a digital signal. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 200 denotes an analog unit; 201 an information source from which information to be recorded is generated; and 210 a digital unit. The digital unit 210 comprises: an encoding unit 211, a copy prevention code generator 212, a synthesizer 213, a writing unit 214, and a recording medium 215. An analog information signal 231 is converted to a digital information signal 232 by an ADC (analog/digital converter) 221 and is supplied to the digital unit 210. In the digital unit 210, the encoding unit 211 encodes the digital information signal and supplies an information code 233 to the synthesizer 213. The synthesizer 213 synthesizes the information code 233 and a copy prevention code 234 from the copy prevention code generator 212. An output signal 235 from the synthesizer 213 is supplied to the writing unit 214 and an output signal 236 of the writing unit 214 is recorded in the recording medium 215. The information code 233 and copy prevention code 234 are recorded in the recording medium 215. The system of FIG. 2 can be applied to, for example, a mastering of a read-only disk medium.
FIG. 3 shows another example of a recording apparatus for digitally recording. According to the example of FIG. 3, the copy prevention code is added in the encoding unit 211. The information code 233 from the encoding unit 211 is supplied to a code reading unit 216 and an added copy prevention code 237 is separated. The copy prevention code is supplied to a control unit 217 of the copy prevention code. The control unit 217 limits a generation of copy. For example, when the copy prevention code is a code for permitting a copy of one generation, the control unit 217 generates a control signal 238 for rewriting the copy prevention code to a code for inhibiting the copy and a control signal 239 for instructing permission or inhibition of the recording of a signal to the recording medium 215 by the writing unit 214. When the original copy prevention code permits the copy of one generation, the control signal 238 is supplied to a code changing unit 218, the copy prevention code is changed to a code having the contents of inhibiting the copy, and the writing is permitted by the control signal 239. The system of FIG. 3 can be applied to, for example, a digital VTR.
In a copy system using a digital medium, the operation in case of a digital connection and the operation in case of an analog connection are different. Examples in those cases will now be described, respectively. First, the digital connection will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a copy system by the digital connection. Reference numeral 301 denotes a digital data reproducing apparatus; 302 a digital data recording apparatus; and 311 a digital signal. As for the operation of FIG. 4, the digital signal 311 is supplied from the digital data reproducing apparatus 301 to the digital data recording apparatus 302 and the recording operation of the digital data recording apparatus 302 is controlled by the copy control signal included in the digital signal 311.
FIG. 5 shows an example of the copy system by the digital connection. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 400 denotes a reproducing apparatus; 401 a recording medium on the reproduction side; 402 a reading unit; 410 a digital interface; 411 a communication path; 420 a recording apparatus; 424 a copy prevention code reading unit; 425 a copy control signal control unit; 426 a code changing unit; 421 a writing unit; 423 a recording side recording medium; 431 a read signal; 432 a digital reproduction signal; 435 a copy prevention code which was read; 436 and 437 control signals; and 438 a write signal.
The operation of the construction of FIG. 5 will now be described. In the reproducing apparatus 400 comprising the recording medium 401 for reproduction and reading unit 402, the read signal 431 obtained from the recording medium 401 is supplied to the reading unit 402 and is outputted as a digital reproduction signal 432. The digital reproduction signal 432 passes through the communication path 411 of the digital interface 410 and is supplied to the code reading unit 424 and the copy prevention code 435 is separated. The copy control signal control unit 425 decodes the separated copy prevention code 433 and reads the information. The control signal 436 for changing the copy prevention code is outputted to the code changing unit 426 and the control signal 437 for instructing the permission or inhibition of the recording of the signal to the recording medium 423 is outputted to the writing unit 421. In the construction of FIG. 5, not only the permission and inhibition of the recording but also the limitation of the copy about the generation can be performed.
The copy system by the analog connection will now be described. FIG. 6 shows a schematic construction. Reference numeral 501 denotes a digital data reproducing apparatus; 502 a digital data recording apparatus; and 511 an analog signal transmitted between the apparatuses 501 and 502. In the construction of FIG. 6, the analog signal 511 which was D/A converted and outputted from the digital data reproducing apparatus 501 is inputted to the digital data recording apparatus 502 and is A/D converted and digitally recorded. In such a system, when the copy control signal has been extinguished in the analog signal 511, the copy prevention control cannot be executed in the digital data recording apparatus 502.
A few methods have been proposed as a method of preventing the copy by an analog interface. For example, when the analog signal is a video signal, a phase of a color burst of an analog video signal to be outputted is partially inverted or a pseudo synchronization signal having an extremely large level is inserted as a sync signal for AGC, so that even if the normal reproduction can be performed. When the video signal is recorded by the VTR, a normal reproduction image is not obtained in a monitor receiver.
In a conventional copy system, a digital copy prevention code is added to a signal in which an information source was digitally encoded. In case of a digital interface, therefore, the digital recording apparatus detects the copy control signal and can execute the copy prevention control. Even if the digital data reproducing apparatus is used, however, in case of an analog interface, the digital signal as a copy control signal added by the D/A conversion is dropped out. The copy control signal cannot be consequently detected in the digital recording apparatus in which the signal is finally recorded. The copy prevention control cannot be performed. Thus, it is necessary to prevent the copy by using the difference between the AGC methods of the VTR and the monitor receiver or the difference between the characteristics of the APC methods.
As mentioned above, when executing the copy prevention by using the difference between the AGC methods of the VTR and the monitor receiver or the difference between the APC characteristics, there is a fear of occurrence of problems such that the copy cannot be prevented, a reproduction image of the monitor receiver is disturbed by a countermeasure for the copy prevention, or the like.

Apparatus and method for synthesizing information signal and reproduction control signal and information signal recording apparatus


A power steering apparatus of rack-and-pinion type comprising an input shaft steered by a driver, an output shaft operatively connected to a rack bar through a rack-and-pinion gear mechanism, a hydraulic cylinder operatively connected to the rack bar, and a rotary valve operatively connected to the input shaft. The steering apparatus further comprises an intermediate rotary member disposed between the input shaft and output shaft for rotation about an axis offset from the rotational axis of the output shaft, and a reduction gear mechanism arranged between the rotary valve and the intermediate rotary member. A cam mechanism is disposed between the intermediate rotary member and the output shaft for transmitting the rotation of the intermediate rotary member to the output shaft. The cam mechanism is composed of a cam groove formed on one of the intermediate rotary member and output shaft, and a follower roller provided on the other of the intermediate rotary member and output shaft to be engaged with the cam groove.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a steering apparatus for steering steerable wheels in a wheeled vehicle and, more particularly, to a steering apparatus capable of decreasing the steering gear ratio in accordance with increase of the rational angle of the steering wheel.
2. Prior Art of the Invention
In general, a conventional front wheel steering apparatus of this kind includes an input shaft arranged to be rotated by the driver's steering effort applied thereto, an output member operatively connected to a set of steerable front wheels by means of a steering linkage, and an interconnecting mechanism in the form of a rack and pinion mechanism, a ball screw mechanism or the like for operatively interconnecting the input shaft to the output member. In the interconnecting mechanism, however, a displacement ratio of the output member relative to a rotational amount of the steering wheel is constant. For this reason, the driver's feel in steering operation becomes insufficient, i.e., the driver feels that the steering operation is too light, when the steering wheel is steered at a large angle from a neutral position, and a maximum rotational angle of the steering wheel necessary for steering the front wheels at a desired maximum angle becomes large (for example, 540 degrees). In the case that the displacement ratio of the output member is increased to overcome the above problem, the driver's feel in steering operation becomes excessive, i.e., the driver feels that the steering operation is too heavy, at an initial stage of steering operation from the neutral position of the steering wheel.
A front steering apparatus disclosed in Japanese patent laid open No. 14971/1990 has been proposed to overcome the above-mentioned problem. In this steering apparatus, an intermediate shaft is arranged in parallel relationship with the coaxially arranged input and output shafts of the steering apparatus. A pair of oval gears are fixed to the input shaft and intermediate shaft, respectively, for coupling the input shaft and intermediate shaft through the oval gears while a pair of circular gears are fixed to the intermediate shaft and the output shaft, respectively, for coupling the intermediate shaft and the output shaft. With this construction, the displacement ratio of the output shaft to the input shaft increases in accordance with increase of rotational angle of the input shaft from the neutral position thereof. This steering apparatus is also provided with a hydraulic power cylinder for applying an assist force to the output operation member connected to steerable wheels, and a servo valve which responds to an input torque applied to the input shaft to supply a pressurized fluid to a pair of cylinder chambers of the power cylinder.
The steering apparatus, however, has a problem that the machining of the pair of the oval gears is difficult, and that a desired steering feel cannot be obtained, because the steering feel changes depend on the meshing condition of the gears. Further, since it is difficult to simultaneously reduce a backlash between the pair of the circular gears and a backlash between the pair of the oval gears, the assembly of the steering apparatus is troublesome.


A method and apparatus for tracking purged data includes at least one of a data deletion module and a data deletion registry that are used to compare data, records and files of at least one computing unit to determine of any of the data, records or files stored within the computing unit have previously been purged. If so, the data, record or file is re-purged. Purging can include deleting the entire data, record or file or just a portion to anonymize the data record or file. Alternatively, instead of deleting all or a portion of a data, record or file, an encryption key required to access all or a portion of the data, record or file may be deleted thereby rendering the encrypted information inaccessible. Differing schemes and method for purging data, records and files may be utilized within a network.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to data management systems, networks, and methods.
2. Related Art
In today's computer age, data can live forever. Because of the ease with which data can be duplicated, computer devices, systems, networks, etc. have associated programs, hardware, protocols and methods for duplicating files and data. It is common practice to purchase disk drives, for example, whose sole purpose is to back up designated files. Further, it is also common to duplicate an entire computing unit or even network to assist with disaster recovery. For example, networks are duplicated in prior art networks in different cities so that, in the case of calamity to a geographic area, the duplicate network can step in and provided the expected services.
Not all data, however, should have a long life. For example, criminal records are often ordered by a court to be expunged (purged). Because of modern backup systems, however, such expunged records may eventually reappear. Similarly, private and personal information that is given to a company, organization or other entity will often have such information duplicated through back up systems, protocols, and methods. Once a relationship is terminated, it is desirable to have such data destroyed. Because of backup systems, again, purged data may re-appear. Similarly, companies often exchange confidential information and trade secrets. Confidentiality agreements require such information to be returned upon termination of the arrangement defined in the confidentiality agreement. And, once again, data that is "returned" and/or purged may reappear resulting in a breach of an agreement and potentially creating liability.


A process for fabricating a circuit board with an embedded passive component is provided. First, an electrode-patterned layer having electrodes is formed on a surface of a conductive layer. Then, a passive component material is filled in the intervals between the electrodes. Then, the conductive layer and the electrode-patterned layer are laminated to a dielectric layer, wherein the electrode-patterned layer is embedded in the dielectric layer. Next, the conductive layer is patterned to form a circuit layer.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a circuit board and a fabricating process thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a circuit board with an embedded passive component and a fabricating process thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Due to the increasingly greater degree of integration of electronic products, circuit layers of circuit boards applied in highly integrated electronic products have changed from single or double layers to six layers, eight layers, or even more than ten layers, so that electronic devices can be mounted more densely on circuit boards. However, with the increase of layer counts of circuit boards and the density of the lines, influences to electrical signals transmitted in circuit boards caused by resistance-capacitance delay (RC delay) or cross-talk become more and more obvious. Therefore, additional passive components must be disposed in limited areas of circuit boards to improve the electrical properties thereof.
As described above, besides passive components, various electronic devices are further arranged in limited layout areas of circuit boards. However, the specified passive components with particular electrical values may not completely meet a particular given circuit design. Therefore, it is practical to fabricate passive components directly in circuit boards. Moreover, passive components in circuit boards can also adjust the electrical values thereof depending on layout design, circuit board material selection, and the like.
FIGS. 1A-1E show schematic sectional views of a conventional process for fabricating a circuit board with an embedded passive component. First, referring to FIG. 1A, a first copper foil layer 110 is provided, and a capacitive material is coated on the overall first copper foil layer 110, so as to form a capacitive material layer 120. Next, referring to FIG. 1B, a second copper foil layer 130 is formed on the capacitive material layer 120 in a lamination manner. Then, referring to FIG. 1C, the second copper foil layer 130 in FIG. 1B undergoes a lithographic process and an etching process to form a second circuit layer 130′. Then, referring to FIG. 1D, the capacitive material layer 120 in FIG. 1C undergoes a patterning process, for example, including a lithographic process and an etching process, to form a patterned capacitive material layer 120′. Next, a multilayer circuit board L and a dielectric layer 140 are provided, and the structure formed by the above processes, the multilayer circuit board L, and the dielectric layer 140 are laminated, wherein the patterned capacitive material layer 120′ and the second circuit layer 130′ are embedded in the dielectric layer 140. Further, referring to FIG. 1E, the first copper foil layer 110 undergoes the patterning process, for example, including a lithographic process and an etching process, to form a first circuit layer 110′. Thereafter, a plurality of conductive vias (not shown) is formed in the structure formed by the above processes to electrically connect the multilayer circuit board L and the first circuit layer 110′.
However, only single layer capacitance devices can be fabricated through conventional circuit board processes, and just one kind of passive component (referred to as a capacitance device herein) can be embedded in the single layer. Moreover, each capacitance device occupies a large area, such that the area for accommodating other integrated circuit devices is relatively reduced.

Circuit board with embedded passive component and fabricating process thereof


The specification describes a container for spent nuclear fuel rods. The basket of the container comprises a plurality of stacked interlocking grid storage assemblies having an "egg crate" structure. The interlocking grid assemblies have radial tab extensions that extend through an intermediate shell and are affixed to an outer casing. The intermediate shell and the outer casing provide double containment, and the radial tab extensions provide heat sinks for transfer of heat from the storage grid assemblies to the exterior of the container.

As the nuclear power industry matures, the issue of safe storage, transport and disposition of spent nuclear fuel becomes increasingly critical. While the original intent in the industry was to reprocess spent fuel, that option has been delayed by a variety of cost and political concerns. Central storage of spent nuclear fuel in containers pending resolution of those issues, and in anticipation of future reprocessing, has been an industry goal, and storage containers for spent fuel have been designed in many cases in anticipation of hauling quantities of spent fuel over long distances to central storage facilities. The hauling of radioactively and thermally hot nuclear materials over public thoroughfares is highly regulated, and the containers for such materials must meet rigid safety and engineering standards. For this reason, the design and construction of containers for these materials is complex and expensive. However central storage of spent nuclear fuel has also been met with difficult regulatory and political issues, and to date has not been implemented on a large scale. Instead, nuclear power plants have resorted to on-site storage of spent fuel. Several plants have constructed expensive storage facilities for spent fuel utilizing water pools in which containers of spent rods are immersed. The surrounding water provides thermal cooling of the thermally "hot" materials, and affords radiation protection and isolation from the environment. However, pool capacity is limited and in some cases exhausted, and nuclear power plants are pursuing new and more economic strategies for handling spent fuel, including on-site dry storage.
Previously, thin walled containers were developed and utilized for ease in handling. These containers could be lowered directly into the fuel storage pool, loaded with spent fuel rods, and once sealed, removed from the fuel pool and transferred to an outdoor storage area. This technology was attractive since it could be handled easily by utilities and due to its structural advantages, transported directly from the utilities to a central storage facility or to an underground repository.
While thin walled metal transport and storage casks proved technically feasible, they also proved expensive. New technology, primarily storage only concrete containers were developed at a cost 6-8 times less expensive when compared to the metal containers. These concrete containers were approved for storage only and involved complex handling equipment and procedures since the large concrete containers could not be lowered into the fuel storage pool. In order to effect transfer, a thin walled metal transfer cask was lowered into the fuel pool, loaded with fuel and sealed. Its contents were transferred outside the fuel pool.
Engineering issues for on-site dry storage containers are primarily thermal cooling and radiation shielding. Radiation shielding can effectively be incorporated in storage containers using thick steel walls or thick walls of other high radiation cross section materials, but this approach to radiation shielding results in a very heavy and very expensive container. The preferred solution from a cost standpoint is to use a concrete container. Concrete typically contains a significant amount of hydrated water which acts as an effective neutron radiation shield, and also contains iron aggregates which are effective in shielding gamma radiation. However, with anticipated storage times of months and years, or even decades, thermal issues are paramount. Storage of radioactive materials involves the use of sealed containers, and it is difficult to effectively cool materials that are generating heat inside of a sealed container. It is especially difficult if the container is concrete, or contains a concrete layer, as concrete is a poor heat transfer medium. Thus a satisfactory concrete storage container for thermally hot nuclear materials has not been available in the industry.


The present application provides novel methods for the fabrication of nanostructures. More specifically, the invention relates to direct electron beam lithography with the use of silk fibroin as “green” resists.

Fabrication of nanostructures with a high degree of control is of great interest. Nanopatterning of polymers, for example, is attractive for a number of fields including biology, chemical engineering, medical science, and the development of nanoelectronics/photonics.
Since its inception over 200 years ago, lithography has been widely utilized as a relatively simple, versatile printing technique. Lithography generally takes advantage of chemicals that repel each other, e.g., a "positive" substance and a "negative" substance. While the technique provides a cost-effective means of producing high resolution printing, the process typically involves the use of highly toxic or hazardous materials, as well as strict waste management.


Method and apparatus for high rate code-division multiple access wireless communication is described. Each of a channel encoded data is modulated by an associated code having a small number of pseudo-noise spreading chips per orthogonal waveform period, thus producing a set of streams of modulated symbols. Each of the set of streams of modulated symbols is then gain adjusted, and combined to yield two streams of combined symbols. The combination is the set of streams is carried out to reduce a peak-to-average ratio of the transmission. The resulting two combined symbol streams are modulated by a complex multiplier using a user long code and a pseudorandom spreading code (PN code) and upconverted for transmission.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communications. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel and improved method and apparatus for high data rate CDMA wireless communication.
II. Description of the Related Art
Wireless communication systems including cellular, satellite and point-to-point communication systems use a wireless link comprised of a modulated radio frequency (RF) signal to transmit data between two systems. The use of a wireless link is desirable for a variety of reasons including increased mobility and reduced infrastructure requirements when compared to wire line communication systems. One drawback of using a wireless link is the limited amount of communication capacity that results from the limited amount of available RF bandwidth. This limited communication capacity is in contrast to wire based communication systems where additional capacity can be added by installing additional wire line connections.
Recognizing the limited nature of RF bandwidth, various signal processing techniques have been developed for increasing the efficiency with which wireless communication systems utilize the available RF bandwidth. One widely accepted example of such a bandwidth-efficient signal processing technique is the IS-95 over the air interface standard and its derivatives such as IS-95-A and ANSI J-STD-008 (referred to hereafter collectively as the IS-95 standard) promulgated by the telecommunication industry association (TIA) and used primarily within cellular telecommunications systems. The IS-95 standard incorporates code division multiple access (CDMA) signal modulation techniques to conduct multiple communications simultaneously over the same RF bandwidth. When combined with comprehensive power control, conducting multiple communications over the same bandwidth increases the total number of calls and other communications that can be conducted in a wireless communication system by, among other things, increasing the frequency reuse in comparison to other wireless telecommunication technologies. The use of CDMA techniques in a multiple access communication system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,307, entitled "Spread Spectrum Communication System Using Satellite or Terrestrial Repeaters," and U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,459, entitled "System and Method for Generating Signal Waveforms in a CDMA Cellular Telephone System," both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein.
FIG. 1 provides a highly simplified illustration of a cellular telephone system configured in accordance with the use of the IS-95 standard. During operation, a set of subscriber units 10a-d conduct wireless communication by establishing one or more RF interfaces with one or more base stations 12a-d using CDMA-modulated RF signals. Each RF interface between a base station 12 and a subscriber unit 10 is comprised of a forward link signal transmitted from the base station 12, and a reverse link signal transmitted from the subscriber unit. Using these RF interfaces, a communication with another user is generally conducted by way of mobile telephone switching office (MTSO) 14 and public switch telephone network (PSTN) 16. The links between base stations 12, MTSO 14 and PSTN 16 are usually formed via wire line connections, although
In accordance with the IS-95 standard each subscriber unit 10 transmits user data via a single channel, non-coherent, reverse link signal at a maximum data rate of 9.6 or 14.4 kbits/sec depending on which rate set from a set of rate sets is selected. A non-coherent link is one in which phase information is not utilized by the received system.
A coherent link is one in which the receiver exploits knowledge of the carrier signals phase during processing. The phase information typically takes the form of a pilot signal, but can also be estimated from the data transmitted. The IS-95 standard calls for a set of sixty-four Walsh codes, each comprised of sixty-four chips, to be used for the forward link.
The use of a single channel, non-coherent, reverse link signal having a maximum data rate of 9.6 of 14.4 kbits/sec as specified by IS-95 is well suited for a wireless cellular telephone system in which the typical communication involves the transmission of digitized voice or lower rate digital data, such as a facsimile. A non-coherent reverse link was selected because, in a system in which up to 80 subscriber units 10 may communicate with a base station 12 for each 1.2288 MHz of bandwidth allocated, providing the necessary pilot data in the transmission from each subscriber unit 10 would substantially increase the degree to which a set of subscriber units 10 interfere with one another. Also, at data rates of 9.6 or 14.4 kbits/sec, the ratio of the transmit power of any pilot data to the user data would be significant, and therefore also increase inter-subscriber unit interference. The use of a single channel reverse link signal was chosen because engaging in only one type of communication at a time is consistent with the use of wireline telephones, the paradigm on which current wireless cellular communications is based. Also, the complexity of processing a single channel is less than that associated with processing multiple channels.
As digital communications progress, the demand for wireless transmission of data for applications such as interactive file browsing and video teleconferencing is anticipated to increase substantially. This increase will transform the way in which wireless communications systems are used, and the conditions under which the associated RF interfaces are conducted. In particular, data will be transmitted at higher maximum rates and with a greater variety of possible rates. Also, more reliable transmission may become necessary as errors in the transmission of data are less tolerable than errors in the transmission of audio information. Additionally, the increased number of data types will create a need to transmit multiple types of data simultaneously. For example, it may be necessary to exchange a data file while maintaining an audio or video interface. Also, as the rate of transmission from a subscriber unit increases, the number of subscriber units 10 communicating with a base station 12 per amount of RF bandwidth will decrease, as the higher data transmission rates will cause the data processing capacity of the base station to be reached with fewer subscriber units 10. In some instances, the current IS-95 reverse link may not be ideally suited for all these changes. Therefore, the present invention is related to providing a higher data rate, bandwidth efficient CDMA interface over which multiple types of communication can be performed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

High data rate CDMA wireless communication system using variable sized channel codes


Testing of an electronic system is optimized by using a single set of sub-tests and varying the testing sequence to produce tests tailored for different purposes such as screening and diagnostic testing. For example, a programmable test sequencer in the electronic system responds to a test selection variable by using a first sequence of the sub-tests to optimize the testing process for screening and a second sequence of the sub-tests to optimize the testing process for diagnostic testing. In the diagnostic mode, the sub-tests are run so that each sub-test builds upon the previous sub-tests and uses previously-tested hardware to verify additional hardware. In the screening mode, the sub-tests are the same, but the execution order of the sub-tests is reversed so that more complex hardware is tested first as a screening mechanism.

This invention relates generally to the detection and diagnosis of system failures, and, more particularly, to the optimization of a test sequence for the separate goals of failure screening and failure diagnosis.
An electronic system as used herein can take the form of a workstation, server, personal computer, an appliance or, broadly speaking, any other electronic equipment that incorporates a digital processing device or a programmable controller. Such systems generally include at least one central processing unit (CPU) that is used to execute software or firmware instructions to perform various functions. The CPU communicates with other devices in the computer system through an interconnection subsystem, commonly called a xe2x80x9cbus.xe2x80x9d For example, a bus can interconnect the CPU, directly or indirectly, to other devices, such as chip sets, graphic adapters, memory devices, and input/output (xe2x80x9cI/Oxe2x80x9d) devices, such as keyboards, monitors, scanners and printers. In the case of a programmable controlled the bus can connect the controller to the devices which it controls, such as relays, solenoids and actuators.
Conventionally, defects and errors in such computer systems are identified and isolated by running testing software on the system. System testing software has three similar but separate goals: screening, diagnosis and verification. Screening software is run during the manufacturing process and conducts a set of tests or sub-tests in a predetermined sequence in order to identify hardware defects which can be corrected before the product is shipped to the user. When a problem is detected, it is not usually repaired on the spot; instead, the defective unit is sent to a repair depot for correction of the detected problem. Consequently, the most important feature of such software is the ability to quickly screen each system. The average screening time can be lowered by finding and reporting the first error as quickly as possible. Consequently, screening tests are arranged so that sub-tests during which a failure is most likely to occur are run first in order to identify defective systems as soon as possible.
Diagnostic software is used to identify failures and provide a test technician with information necessary to isolate and repair a problem. This software may be used to detect a board that causes a failure during manufacturing and the repair might be at the component or etch level. The important feature of this software is the ability to isolate a problem and to provide enough debug information concerning the problem to enable a test technician to determine what has caused the failure so that the system can be repaired. Diagnostic software also consists of a set of sub-tests that are run in a predetermined sequence, but the optimal sequence of these tests differs from the test sequence used in screening software. In diagnostic testing, the sub-tests are run initially to test small portions of the hardware. The test coverage is then gradually increased until the entire system is tested. The test sequence is designed to isolate errors at the lowest level possible so that the cause of the errors is most easily understood.
Verification software is used to determine if a system is either defective or good. The most important feature of this software is not the diagnostic information or the speed of the test, but rather the coverage. Verification software is designed to detect all defects so that if a system passes this test, the system should be good.
Two approaches are currently used to combine these three functions. In the first approach, one test program is written to serve all three purposes. By definition, it is a diagnostic program because the program has to isolate errors. In order to do this it must test from the xe2x80x9cbottom upxe2x80x9d xe2x80x94initially testing small portions of the hardware and then gradually increasing coverage until the entire system is tested. Since the program must quickly isolate the first error, each item must be tested before using it as part of another test. This approach provides good isolation, but errors can occur any time in the test. Consequently, the average screening time is extended.
In the second approach, two testing programs are used, one for diagnosis as above and another for the screening. The screening test exercises the whole system as quickly as possible. If the two tests are separate programs, an attempt is made to insure that they attain total system coverage. Since there are two tests they are more expensive to develop. In addition, designing a screening test to have total coverage is as difficult as writing a diagnostic test and lack of coverage minimizes the usefulness of the test. Diagnostic tests can be designed to perform screening, but generally at the expense of time, a major screening goal. Often both tests are written and run as needed for applications. This is a compromise that ends up running both tests for total coverage and system verification.
It would be desirable to optimize the overall testing process both during screening and diagnostic testing by reducing the time to perform the testing as much as possible without sacrificing the debugging information necessary to perform repairs.
In accordance with one illustrative embodiment of the invention, testing is optimized by using the same set of sub-tests and varying the testing sequence to optimize performance for different purposes, such as screening and diagnostic testing. In particular, with one embodiment, in the diagnostic mode, the sub-tests are run so that each sub-test builds upon the previous sub-tests and uses previously-tested hardware to verify additional hardware. In the screening mode, the sub-tests are the same, but the execution order of the sub-tests is reversed so that more complex hardware is tested first as a screening mechanism.
In accordance with one embodiment, a programmable test sequencer in the electronic system responds to a test selection variable by using a first sequence of the sub-tests to optimize the testing process for screening and a second sequence of the sub-tests to optimize the testing process for diagnostic testing.
In another embodiment, the test selection variable is a value stored in a non-volatile memory in the electronic system. In another embodiment, a test selector responds to a test selection variable by selecting one of several separate test sequencers.
In accordance with yet another embodiment, the test selection variable is a xe2x80x9cmodexe2x80x9d pin located on the system hardware which can be manipulated, for example, by connecting the pin to ground potential or power potential in order to change the testing sequence.
In accordance with yet another embodiment, two different test sequencers are provided, one of which is enabled in response to the test selection variable.
In still another embodiment, several different test sequences can be used to optimize testing for several different circumstances.

Method and apparatus for optimizing testing sequences for electronic equipment


Techniques and tools for rendering procedural graphics are described. For example, an architecture is provided which allows evaluation of geometric, transform, texture, and shading procedures locally for a given set of procedure parameter values. This evaluation is performed in parallel for different parameter values on a single-instruction, multiple-data array to allow parallel processing of a procedure set. In another example, a sampling controller is described which selects sets of parameter points for evaluation based on information in tag maps, rate maps, and parameter maps.

The evolution of graphics rendering technology has led to the development of procedural techniques for describing various steps in the rendering process. Procedural geometry is useful as a mechanism for producing arbitrarily complex geometry from compact descriptions. For a simple example, a cube object can be represented passively, as a polygonal representation comprising a list of eight vertexes and six sides. However, a more—compact, procedural representation can be developed where the cube becomes the result of a cube-generating procedure, which needs as input only position coordinates and a size. Thus, geometric procedures often provide a useful, compact way to represent shapes, avoiding the access and transfer of many points of data. More complex procedures, such as rotations or splines, offer even greater compression of data. Other processes, such as shading and texture also take advantage of procedural techniques. Indeed, programmable procedural shaders are seen by some as the most efficient way to represent complex material properties.
However, conventional graphics display or graphics processor unit ("GPU") architectures enforce a divide between procedural geometry and procedural appearance (such as procedural shaders and texture) by means of a processing chain that operates on fixed, passive polygonal primitives. A common approach is to relegate procedural geometry to the prerasterization stages, to expand the procedures into polygons, and to devote a large amount of bandwidth to feeding polygons to the transformation and setup stages of the graphics processor.
One example of these traditional techniques is shown in FIG. 1, which illustrates a simplified overview of a traditional GPU architecture. A display list 100, which may contain a combination of passively described geometry and procedural geometry, is input into vertex shaders 110, which generate polygonal representations of the geometric forms. These geometric forms are then input into a rasterizer, which interpolates the polygons and samples them to develop a sample set of points in image space, which can then be shaded and have texture added to them. These points are then passed to a series of pixel shaders 130, which may or may not be programmable, and which utilize parallel computing techniques to perform shading of the points. Additionally, the pixel shaders will sometimes add textures, which are kept in graphics memory 150 and cached in texture cache 140, to the image points. Once these processes are complete, the image points can then be placed in a frame-buffer 160 before being transferred to graphics memory 150.
However, as mentioned above, because geometric procedures are converted into polygons and then into a list of points in an image by the rasterizer, compact procedural graphics information tends to be compromised early-on in lieu of expanded sets of surface points. This can be beneficial when processing power is so low that it is desirable, from a resource and time perspective, to compute geometric procedures only once for each shape. However, as GPU processors are ever-increasing in power and efficiency, these processing concerns become smaller and smaller.

Adaptive sampling for procedural graphics


A utility knife having a preferred two piece construction is provided. The utility knife includes a knife handle of unitary construction and a blade carrier also of unitary construction. The blade carrier includes a cutting blade portion for engaging the cutting blade and a storage portion for engaging extra cutting blades. The blade carrier also includes a spring element having a button. The button includes a rib which engages notches located on a slot of the knife handle. The blade carrier, and hence the cutting blade, may be extended or retracted by depressing the button and moving the blade carrier within the knife handle. The blade carrier is locked in place as the rib on the button engages one of the notches in the slot. The blade carrier is removed from the knife handle by depressing the button and passing the blade carrier through an inner portion of the knife handle.

The present invention relates to utility knives, and more particularly to utility knives having retractable blades and in which the blades may be changed quickly in use.
Utility knives having replaceable blades and with a variety of end uses are well known in the art. Exemplary of such utility knives are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,107,426, 3,872,591, 3,577,637, 4,242,795, 4,586,256, and 4,663,845. Such knives incorporate a blade carrier which mounts and supports a blade in the interior of the knife handle. The blade carrier may also incorporate a thumb actuated button that is depressed to unlatch the blade carrier and blade from one of several latched positions and then moved forwardly or rearwardly to extend or retract the blade.
As use of the blades causes them to dull, the blades need to be replaced on a fairly frequent basis. The respective knives are adapted so that mounting and replacement of the blades is relatively simple. For example, in many instances, the knife comprises a pair of complementary halves which are held together by a screw or the like. Loosening or removal of the screw permits the knife to be disassembled and the blade accessed. However, even this relatively simple operation becomes tedious and time consuming for the user.
However, while such knife designs generally operate in an efficient manner, one continuing problem with them has been the tendency of the blades to release or disengage from the blade carrier during heavy use, particularly where strong lateral or twisting forces are imposed on the cutting edge of the blade. The twisting or lateral movement of the blade may cause the nose of the matching knife halves to open slightly, as the knife handle halves are typically secured only at their midpoint by a single screw. This, in turn, may permit the blade to release from the blade carrier and the knife handle, resulting in the need to stop using the knife and to reassemble the knife and blade. The release of the blade from the knife during use also potentially poses a safety problem.
Other utility knives have utilized designs where one portion of the knife handle is wedged into position and locked with a bolt with a knurled head for finger operation located at the rear of the knife. Still other utility knives have utilized designs where the matching knife handle halves are rotatable about their midpoints to open the knife and expose the blade for removal. Such knives typically also include some type of locking mechanism in the knife handle to insure that the handle halves do not rotate and open the knife accidentally. However, these knife designs suffer from their complexity both in the number of parts required for the knife as well as in their manufacturing and assembly.
Accordingly, a need still exists in the art for a utility knife design which is both simple to manufacture, has a minimum number of parts, and yet provides the user with the ability to remove and change blades quickly.

Retractable blade utility knife having quick change feature


A dispenser for dispensing on demand a predetermined amount of a past like material from a compressible tube like container. The dispenser is characterized in that it supports the tube for access by a user, the dispenser having a movable cover normally closing the aperture, the dispenser exerting force on the tube to cause controlled dispensing of paste when the aperture is uncovering until a substantial portion of the tube is emptied, the housing means to use external force to dispense the balance of the paste in a controlled manner.

There has been a long felt need for a simple and effective devise to be used to dispense paste from a tube in a controlled manner. For example, it is believed a toothpaste dispenser that can be readily mounted on the wall would encourage children and adults to better dental hygiene.
Over the years there have been numerous attempts to design a simple and effective paste dispenser. One of the more reasonable designs is that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,537,008. The problem with the device of the patent is that it requires numerous parts and a great deal of mechanical effort to dispense paste from the tube. Furthermore, the mechanism that permits access to the paste is that which exerts force on the tubular paste container thus permitting excess paste to be dispensed especially by young children.


A thermogelling, aliphatically modified polymer for use in drug delivery is described. Illustrative embodiments include poly(lactic-co-ε-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactic-co-ε-caprolactone) hexanoate and poly(lactic-co-ε-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactic-co-ε-caprolactone) laurate. Another illustrative embodiment includes a composition having a thermogelling amount of an aliphatically modified poly(lactic-co-ε-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactic-co-ε-caprolactone) and an effective amount of a drug. The thermogelling polymers are made by bonding an aliphatic group to poly(lactic-co-ε-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactic-co-ε-caprolactone). A method of use includes injecting a warm-blooded individual with a thermogelling amount of the aliphatically modified polymer and a drug.

This invention relates to drug delivery. More particularly, this invention relates to biodegradable tri-block copolymers that undergo reverse thermal gelation at about 30° C. That is, these polymers undergo a sol-to-gel transition as their temperature is raised from room temperature to body temperature. Thus, polymer solutions can be injected into an individual, and the solutions then undergo a transition to a gel, thereby forming a depot from which a drug can be released over time.
Biodegradable thermoreversible polymers in aqueous solutions that undergo the sol-to-gel phase transition upon temperature changes have been developed for their applications as delivery systems for drugs, cells, proteins, and genes. Jeong, B.; Bae, Y. H.; Lee, D. S.; Kim, S. W. Nature 1997, 388, 860-862; Rathi, R.; Zentner, G. M. U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,717, 1999; Zentner, G. M.; Rathi, R.; Shih, C.; McRea, J. C.; Seo, M.-H.; Oh, H.; Rhee, B. G.; Mestecky, J.; Moldoveanu, Z.; Morgan, M. J. Controlled Release 2001, 72, 203-215; Li, Z.; Ning, W.; Wang, J.; Choi, A.; Lee, P.-Y.; Tyagi, P.; Huang, L. Pharm. Res. 2003, 20, (6), 884-888. Such biodegradable thermoreversible polymers have typically been engineered from hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) block(s) and hydrophobic biodegradable block(s). With an exquisite balance of hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity, aqueous solutions of the engineered polymers have undergone the unique phase transition at below body temperature. Zentner et al., supra; Shim, M. S.; Lee, H. T.; Shim, W. S.; Park, I.; Lee, H.; Chang, T.; Kim, S. W.; Lee, D. S. J. Biomed. Mater. Res. 2002, 61, (2), 188-196; Jeong, B.; Bae, Y. H.; Kim, S. W. Macromolecules 1999, 32, 7064-7069. This unique gelation of the polymers has been considered useful for their applications for the formulation of sensitive macromolecular therapeutics, as well as for small molecular drugs, because a mild temperature rise upon injection results in polymeric gel depots in vivo, which can control drug release.
In early work on thermogelling biodegradable polymers, Jeong et al. synthesized di- and tri-block copolymers of PEG and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) to develop polymeric gels, which were suggested to find applications as injectable drug delivery systems. Jeong, B.; Bae, Y. H.; Lee, D. S.; Kim, S. W. Nature 1997, 388, 860-862. Later, the use of low molecular weight PEG led to thermogelling polymers that uniquely undergo gelation upon a temperature rise. Zentner et al., supra; Shim et al., supra; Jeong, B.; Bae, Y. H.; Kim, S. W. Macromolecules 1999, 32, 7064-7069. Thermogelling properties of the tri-block copolymers synthesized from PEG and PLGA were affected by the chemical structure, concentration, and hydrophobic block length of the block copolymers. Thermogelling polymers with longer hydrophobic biodegradable PLGA blocks usually underwent gelation at lower temperatures than the polymers with shorter hydrophobic blocks. Shim et al., supra; Lee, D. S.; Shim, M. S.; Kim, S. W.; Lee, H.; Park, I.; Chang, T. Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2001, 22, 587-592. It is also interesting to note that thermogelling PLGA-PEG-PLGA (BAB) polymers gelled at lower concentrations than PEG-PLGA-PEG (ABA) polymers, although overall block lengths of the polymers were similar. The effects of monomer ratio and PEG molecular weight on thermal gelation of block copolymers were also systematically investigated. Shim et al., supra. Polymers that are applicable to drug delivery could be synthesized from low-molecular weight PEG (MW less than 2000). Even though PLGA-PEG-PLGA tri-block copolymers have shown excellent biocompatibility, Youxin, L.; Kissel, T. J. Controlled Release 1993, 27, (3), 247-257; Zange, R.; Li, Y.; Kissel, T. J. Controlled Release 1998, 56, 249-258, biodegradation and biocompatibility of the gel depot formed from thermogelling polymers with the same structure have been assessed after in vivo injection of a polymeric solution. Depending on the polymer structure and the block lengths of polymers, polymeric depots from thermoreversible polymers that were synthesized from PEG, lactide, and glycolide could last for up to 1 month without any noticeable indications of toxicity. Zentner et al., supra.
In addition to linear block copolymers, graft copolymers (PEG-g-PLGA) have been synthesized from PEG-diglycidyl ether, lactide, and glycolide. Jeong, B.; Wang, L.-Q.; Gutowska, A. Chem. Commun. 2001, 16, 1516-1517; Jeong, B.; Kibbey, M. R.; Birnbaum, J. C.; Won, Y.-Y.; Gutowska, A. Macromolecules 2000, 33, 8317-8322; Chung, Y.-M.; Simmons, K. L.; Gutowska, A.; Jeong, B. Biomacromolecules 2002, 3, 511-516. The PEG-g-PLGA polymers have also been reported to possess reverse thermogelling properties. Biodegradable blocks could also be prepared from monomers other than lactide and glycolide for thermogelling polymers. Caprolactone, which can be polymerized by ring-opening polymerization, has been successfully used for the preparation of thermogelling polymers of ABA and BAB structures. Hwang, M. J.; Suh, J. M.; Bae, Y. H.; Kim, S. W.; Jeong, B. Biomacromolecules 2005, 6, 885-890; Bae, S. J.; Suh, J. M.; Sohn, Y. S.; Bae, Y. H.; Kim, S. W.; Jeong, B. Macromolecules 2005, 38, 5260-5265. Caprolactone-based thermogelling polymers have been claimed to be advantageous for handling and reconstitution of polymers for practical applications as drug delivery systems. Biodegradable polyphosphazene or poly(propylene fumarate) blocks have also been utilized for the synthesis of thermogelling systems. Lee, B. H.; Lee, Y. M.; Sohn, Y. S.; Song, S.-C. Macromolecules 2002, 35, 3876-3879; Behravesh, E.; K. Shung, A.; Jo, S.; Mikos, A. G. Biomacromolecules 2002, 3, 153-158.
Thermogelling polymers synthesized from PEG and PLGA have been studied for their applications as drug delivery platforms. GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) and insulin have been formulated and delivered with thermogelling PLGA-PEG-PLGA polymers. Kwon, Y. M.; Kim, S. W. Pharm. Res. 2004, 21, (2), 339-343; Choi, S.; Baudys, M.; Kim, S. W. Pharm. Res. 2004, 21, (5), 821-31. In vivo studies using rats have shown that thermally formed polymeric depots from the PLGA-PEG-PLGA block copolymer extended the release of the proteins up to 10 days. In addition to proteins, small drug molecules, such as paclitaxel, have been successfully delivered by means of minimally invasive subcutaneous injection. Zentner et al., supra; Jeong, B.; Bae, Y. H.; Kim, S. W. J. Controlled Release 2000, 63, 155-163; Duvvuri, S.; Janoria, K. G.; Mitra, A. K. J. Controlled Release 2005, 108, (2-3), 282-293. Thermogelling polymers composed of PEG and PLGA blocks have also been used for delivery of cells and genes as well as proteins. Zentner et al., supra; Li et al., supra.
Based on previous work, thermogelling polymers hold great promise for their biomedical applications. However, new thermogelling polymers, methods of making, and methods of use are needed to broaden the scope of drugs, proteins, cells, and genes that may be delivered.
In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that providing aliphatically modified biodegradable thermogelling polymers, methods of making, and methods of use would be significant advancements in the art.

Aliphatically modified biodegradable block copolymers as thermogelling polymers


The present invention provides a multi-piece solid golf ball having a core, an envelope layer encasing the core, an intermediate layer encasing the envelope layer, and a cover which encases the intermediate layer and has formed on a surface thereof a plurality of dimples. The core is formed primarily of a rubber material, the envelope layer and the intermediate layer are each formed primarily of the same or different resin materials, and the cover is formed primarily of a thermoplastic resin or a thermoplastic elastomer. The envelope layer, intermediate layer and cover have thicknesses which satisfy the condition: cover thickness<intermediate layer thickness<envelope layer thickness, and the condition: (cover thickness+intermediate layer thickness)<envelope layer thickness. The core surface, envelope layer, intermediate layer and cover have Shore D hardnesses which satisfy the condition: core surface hardness≦envelope layer material hardness<intermediate layer material hardness>cover material hardness. The golf ball has an outstanding flight performance and controllability which are acceptable to professionals and other skilled players, in addition to which it has an excellent durability to cracking under repeated impact and an excellent scuff resistance.

The present invention relates to a multi-piece solid golf ball composed of a core, an envelope layer, an intermediate layer and a cover that have been formed as successive layers. More specifically, the invention relates to a multi-piece solid golf ball which has a satisfactory flight performance and controllability when used by professionals and other skilled golfers, and also has an excellent durability to cracking under repeated impact and an excellent scuff resistance.
A variety of golf balls have hitherto been developed for professionals and other skilled golfers. Of these, multi-piece solid golf balls in which the hardness relationships among layers encasing the core, such as an intermediate layer and a cover layer, have been optimized are in wide use because they achieve both a superior distance in the high head speed range and good controllability on shots taken with an iron and on approach shots. Another important concern is the proper selection of thicknesses and hardnesses for the respective layers of the golf ball in order to optimize flight performance, the feel of the ball when played, and the spin rate of the ball after being struck with a club, particularly given the large influence of the spin rate on control of the ball. A further key concern in ball development, arising from the desire that golf balls also have durability under repeated impact and suppress burr formation on the ball surface (have improved scuff resistance) when repeatedly played with different types of clubs, is how best to protect the ball from external factors.
The three-piece solid golf balls having an outer cover layer formed primarily of a thermoplastic polyurethane that are disclosed in, for example, JP-A 2003-190330, JP-A 2004-049913, JP-A 2004-97802 and JP-A 2005-319287 were intended to meet such needs. However, these golf balls fail to achieve a sufficiently low spin rate when hit with a driver; professionals and other skilled golfers desire a ball which delivers an even longer distance.
Meanwhile, efforts to improve the flight and other performance characteristics of golf balls have led to the development of balls having a four-layer construction, i.e., a core enclosed by three intermediate and cover layers, that allows the ball construction to be varied among the several layers at the interior. Such golf balls have been disclosed in, for example, JP-A 9-248351, JP-A 10-127818, JP-A 10-127819, JP-A 10-295852, JP-A 10-328325, JP-A 10-328326, JP-A 10-328327, JP-A 10-328328, JP-A 11-4916 and JP-A 2004-180822.
Yet, as golf balls for the skilled golfer, such balls have a poor balance of distance and controllability or fall short in terms of achieving a lower spin rate on shots with a driver, thus limiting the degree to which the total distance can be increased.
Moreover, in the multi-piece solid golf ball described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,638, the thickness and hardness relationships among the respective layers such as the intermediate layer and the cover are not disclosed. This ball is thus inadequate for achieving the spin rate-lowering effect on shots with a driver that is desired in a golf ball for the skilled golfer.
The golf ball disclosed in JP-A 8-332247 is a three-piece solid golf ball in which a hard intermediate layer has not been formed. The spin rate-lowering effect is inadequate, resulting in a poor distance.


An apparatus of the present invention is adapted to provide a telephone line connection over a coax cable distribution system. In a home having a plurality of set-top television boxes which each require a connection to a telephone line, the present invention allows a single telephone line connection to be provided to the plurality of set-top boxes via the coax cable distribution system. The invention uses a first interface device connected to a telephone line to modulate telephone signals and transmit them over the coax cable distribution system. The device also includes a demodulator to demodulate signals received over the coax cable distribution system to be sent over the telephone line. The invention includes a second interface device at each set-top box which also includes a modulator and demodulator to transmit and receive telephone signals over the coax cable distribution system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for providing a telephone interface to a television system. More particularly, though not exclusively, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing a transparent remote connection to a telephone/audio modem located on a coaxial cable distribution system.
2. Problems in the Art
Various systems exist in the prior art for providing television signals to a TV including off air antennas, direct broadcast satellites (DBS), conventional cable services, or MMDS (Multi-channel Multi Point Distribution System) systems. U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,559 issued Feb. 28, 1995, entitled MMDS/ITFS Bi-Directional Over the Air Transmission System and Method Therefore, which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, describes an example of such a system and is incorporated by reference herein.
With any of these systems, there is a need to provide feedback from the consumer to the program delivery source. This feedback is typically used for pay per view services, but could also include purchasing information, computer data, etc. A typical prior art system for providing feedback from a consumer to the program delivery source includes the use of a set-top box which provides for a standard telephone line hookup for sending data back to the billing computer. This system can easily be installed by a customer to access pay per view programming, for example. However, many homes have multiple televisions which require multiple set-top boxes with a phone line connection at each set-top box. Connecting a telephone line to every set-top box is costly since a separate phone jack is required at each set-top box. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of such a prior art set up. As shown, a multi-set splitter is used to provide signals to a plurality of set-top boxes. Each set-top box is connected to a television. Each set-top box is also connected to a separate telephone jack (designated as "TELCO").
A prior art system exists for providing a telephone line connection to a plurality of extension phones without having a standard telephone jack located at each extension phone. This prior art system uses a device which communicates over the AC power wires found in a home. U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,386 issued on Jan. 22, 1985 entitled Telephone Extension System Utilizing Power Line Carrier Signals describes such a prior art system, and is incorporated by reference herein. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system using the AC power wiring to provide telephone line connections to a plurality of extension phones. As shown, a master linking circuit is connected to a standard power outlet which is connected to the AC power wiring of the home. The master linking circuit is also connected to a standard telephone jack. Elsewhere in the home, extension phones can be connected to extension linking circuits which are connected to other standard power outlets. The linking circuits use the AC power wiring to transmit and receive phone signals between the extension phones and the telephone jack. As is described in the above referenced patent, the interface devices allow telephone signals to be transmitted from the phone jack to each extension phone. A system which uses AC wiring to transmit phone signals has various disadvantages. For example, the equipment required for such a system is costly. Also, the 100 KHz and 200 kHz signals used for such prior art devices are susceptible to interference. Sources of interference include: microwave ovens, motors, remote control lighting, power line intercom systems, and remote speakers. In addition some 220 VAC services have a problem with AC power line signaling between the two legs of the 220 VAC power. The AC power wiring is not conducive to the radio frequencies due to lack of shielding from ingress and prevention of egress and the inability of the power wiring to pass the RF signals.
It can therefore be seen that there is a need for a system which provides a telephone line connection to a number of set-top boxes without the need of multiple telephone line jacks and without using AC wiring.

Apparatus and method for providing a telephone connection over a coax cable distribution system


It comprises a Short Message Service Center (2) (SMSC), STP nodes (4) (Signal Transfer Point), Home Location Register (3) (HLR) and Visitor Location Register (VLR); it is characterized in that it comprises additional SMS storage means (5) and storage means (3 or 4) of an identification of said additional SMS storage means (5), which relates the identification of the means (5) with their address in the mobile network, so that when sending a number corresponding to the identification of the means (5), means (3 or 4) are consulted, from which means the address of the network associated with the identification used as a VLR address for sending the SMS to means (5) is obtained, being stored in these means as if they were a mobile terminal. Storage is carried out such that each mobile terminal subscriber uses the identification of the means (5) for sending an SMS, which had previously been received or generated, in the same manner as it does when it sends an SMS to another mobile terminal.

Sending short messages SMS through the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) network or the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service) network is known, the mobile telephone network thereby comprises a Short Message Service Center (SMSC) through which SMS are sent from a sender mobile terminal, or from internet by means of a web interface, to another recipient mobile terminal, the SMSC thereby receiving the SMS and the recipient mobile terminal number (International Mobile Station ISDN Number (MSISDN)) in order to request information on the location of the recipient mobile terminal from a Home Location Register (HLR). Access to the HLR is carried out through an STP (Signal Transfer Point) node, such that from the recipient terminal MSISDN, the HLR obtains the recipient International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) and Visitor Location Register (VLR) in which the recipient mobile terminal is registered. The VLR register indicates the area in which the recipient mobile terminal is registered.
The HLR responds sending a message of these obtained recipient mobile terminal data to the SMSC, which transmits a new order to send the SMS to the VLR belonging to the obtained date so that the VLR sends the. SMS to the recipient mobile terminal. Once the SMS is received in the recipient mobile terminal, the latter confirms receipt of the SMS, and in case of not being available at that time, the SMSC receives confirmation that the mobile terminal is not available, it thereby stores the SMS for a certain, pre-established time period, for its subsequent automatic sending when the recipient mobile terminal is available, as long as the established time period has not elapsed since, once the time has elapsed, the SMS is deleted.
It is also possible to send short messages to an external application from the SMSC and by direct connection with the latter, using protocols such as SMPP (Short Message Point to Point protocol).
In any case, no copy of the short message remains in any node of the network, but rather it can only be visualized in the recipient mobile.
By means of the described structure, the subscriber has no way of accessing his/her messages if the network does not automatically send them, he/she does not even have a way of knowing if he/she has messages pending delivery.
In Spanish patent application number 9901879, belonging to the same holder as the present invention, a short message receipt, storage and sending system is disclosed, comprising independent SMS storage means where said SMS are stored for their subsequent sending to the recipient mobile terminal, and all this transparently for the sending mobile terminal subscriber, such that an intermediate short message storage means is obtained between the SMSC and the one used in the network, but there is no formula in the network for a subscriber to be able to voluntarily store the messages he/she has received or created in his/her mobile terminal, or created in any other application permitting this. This new function may be very useful, given the limitation mobile terminals have, and since this is the only means that subscribers have of storing their messages, i.e. there is no alternative to the mobile terminal and with many more messages than what can be voluntarily stored in his/her terminal, and which subsequently can be accessed or resent to an external application or to another mobile terminal.


An Internet-based computer-assisted supply-chain management system (SCMS) replaces the archaic commerce systems presently in use. It coordinates just-in-time distribution of items purchased by consumers from a plurality of merchants whereby the inventory in the distribution pipeline is reduced to inventory in transport. It uses regional distributions centers and neighborhood order aggregation facilities for an efficient transfer of items to consumers. Consumers can pick up aggregated orders at an order aggregation facility or have them delivered at a residence. The SCMS phases out conventional checkout registers in favor of web browsers with automatic transaction execution. Retailers can operate with little or no inventory. Window shops facilitate promotion of items and help consumers make selections and decisions with respect to purchases they may be contemplating. The SCMS provides real-time consumption monitoring and forecasts, significantly reduces supply-chain costs and retail prices, promotes economic growth, and minimizes undesirable cyclic economic fluctuations.

The conventional distribution of items to consumers is, and always has been, a most inefficient process that results in retail prices one order of magnitude higher than the manufacturing costs, wastes a considerable portion of available energy resources, wastes a significant amount of consumers' time, and limits the conveniences that can be offered to consumers.


A shoe midsole has a heel portion provided with an elastic shock-absorbing member which is embedded therein and which has an arcuate projection, an air chamber, a plurality of cavities located in the peripheries of the arcuate projection, a plurality of first air ducts through which the cavities communicate with the air chamber, and a plurality of through holes extending from the top surface of the arcuate projection to communicate with the air chamber. The elastic shock-absorbing member further has a plurality of second air ducts extending inwards along the peripheries thereof to communicate with the cavities. The heel portion is provided with a plurality of recesses corresponding in location and number to the second air ducts.

In an attempt to capture a lion's share of the shoe market, some ambitious shoe makers have made an effort to improve the quality of wearing comfort of the shoes they make. For example, some shoes are provided in the heel portion thereof with a highly elastic pad for enhancing the elasticity of the shoes. However, such shoes have a poor breathing effect. In order to improve the breathing effect of the shoes, some shoe makers have come up with a solution that the insole of a shoe is provided thereon with a breathable shoe pad. Nevertheless, such shoe pad is in fact capable of providing only a very limited breathing effect, because the shoe in itself is not provided with an air-circulating means.

7F-4, No. 18, Lane 19, Sec. 1, Shuang Shyr Rd.


A circle cutting devices includes a pair of opposing discs rotatably coupled together about a common axis by a spindle extending axially from one of the discs. A spring biasing assembly is coupled to the spindle to bias the discs together by a constant pressure. A cutting tool and a pair of rollers are positioned on an inner face of one of the discs to engage and cut the material by rotating the disc.

Devices for manually cutting circles from pieces of metal, plastic and glass have long been known and are commercially available. These devices typically consist of a central supporting structure and radially extending arm, pivotally attached to the central support. A cutting head is mounted on the arm for movement in a circular path about the supporting structure. The mounting arm is normally provided with a distance scale to facilitate setting of the head for cutting a circle of the desired diameter.
One example of a cutting device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,436. The disclosed apparatus is for manually cutting circles from glass utilizing a center support structure, in combination with a rule having a distance scale thereon, and a cutting head adjustably mounted on the rule. Reversal of the position of the cutting head on the supporting rule adapts it for use with either of two different forms of cutting components. The central pivot support includes a suction cup type device to secure the apparatus in place during use.
Another example of the prior art circle cutting devices is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,409. The apparatus is for cutting circular arcs or holes in a picture mat and includes a flat base upon which the mat rests and a platform provided above the base. A crank mechanism and an extending perpendicular arm are provided for a cutting blade is adjustably mounted along the arm at an angle to the mat. The circles or arcs are cut in the mat by rotation of the crank mechanism with a diameter determined by the position of the cutting blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,735,486 discloses a device for cutting an abrasive disc or gasket. The device includes a table and spindle extending upwardly from the table through the material to be cut. A knife is mounted on an arm extending from the spindle and parallel to the table. The arm is pivoted around the spindle to cut the material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,798 discloses a portable washer cutting device. The device as disclosed comprises a pair of enclosures to be interconnected and operative to rotate to progressively close the gap between the enclosures. A cutting knife is secured in one enclosure to progressively engage a flat washer blank with each rotation of the enclosure. The enclosures are rotated about a common spindle with respect to each other.
Numerous other circle cutting devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,060,893, 2,269,510 and 5,007,320. All of the above-noted devices are limited by their capacity, dimensions and ability to cut specified material. Some of these devices are limited to cutting holes in sheet goods of a predetermined size.
A demand continues in the art for a device that is able to cut circles from sheet materials and in particular sheet metal, plastics and other malleable materials to precise specifications. There is further a need for a device that is convenient and simple to use and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.


A tubular pipe adapted for transporting oil and water may be treated upon its interior surface to reduce frictional pressure of a multiphase oil/water mixture flowing through the pipe. The tubular pipe may have an interior wall and a central cavity. In some instances, the interior surface is provided with a first textured region being adapted for reducing the adhesive forces of transported oil along the interior wall. A second region upon the interior wall may be adapted for reducing the adhesive forces of water along the interior wall of the tubular pipe. In some applications, riblets may be provided upon the interior pipe wall to further reduce the frictional forces of fluid flowing through the central cavity of the pipe.

Oil and gas flow systems are required in the production of hydrocarbons. It is necessary to flow produced oil substantial distances from the point of production in a subterranean formation of a reservoir through production tubing to the top of a producing well. Once oil is produced from a well, it is sometimes necessary to move the oil a substantial distance through pipes or pipelines. Hydrocarbons, such as oil and gas, are produced with water in many instances. Thus, it is common to move oil and water together in a multiphase flow stream.
It is desirable to improve the flow performance of oil/water mixtures in pipes. The improvement in flow performance may reduce the energy lost in transporting such mixtures, enabling greater production from wellbores in some instances. In the case of pipelines, reducing the energy lost in transporting multiphase fluids through a pipeline is desirable.
Many surface modification techniques that are known for the interior of pipes are designed for the flow of a single phase of fluid through the pipe. This could be a single phase of water, or a single phase of a hydrocarbon, or another compound. However, the application of a surface modification technique that is designed for enabling reduced friction of flowing fluid of a single phase fluid does not address the problem of multiphase fluid flow. A surface modification technique that enables reduced friction for the flow of water is not likely to be as effective for the flow of a water/oil mixture. Likewise, a surface modification technique that enables the reduced friction flow of oil only also is not likely to be effective for the flow of an oil/water mixture.
In the production of hydrocarbons from subterranean wells, it is common for the early life of a well to produce substantially all hydrocarbons. However, later in the life of a well, a substantial amount of water is produced with the oil. Near the end of the life of a producing hydrocarbon well, the amount of water continues to increase, in many cases, to a point at which most of the produced fluid is water and the minority of the produced fluid is hydrocarbons. Thus, a strategy for reducing frictional flow of fluids from a well must take into account that the pipes or tubing installed as production tubing in a wellbore during well construction will encounter different proportions of oil to water during the production life of the well. The amount of water typically increases substantially during the producing life of the well. Further, it is likely to be uneconomical to replace production tubing during the life of a well. Therefore a need exists to provide a production tubing that is adapted to reduce the frictional flow of a multiphase flow that may be mostly hydrocarbons during the early life of the well and mostly water during the later life of the well.
It is generally desirable to reduce the kinetic energy lost in transporting multiphase oil/water mixtures in pipes and tubulars. The invention is directed to reducing frictional pressures in the transfer of oil/water mixtures in pipes, thereby conserving energy or maximizing production from a subterranean well.

Method and apparatus for reducing fluid flow friction in a pipe


An optical disc apparatus capable of time search function and a time search playback method thereof are disclosed, wherein the method comprises: searching for a playback area corresponding to a particular time using C_PBIT (Cell Playback Information Table) and VTS_VOBU_ADMAP (Video Title Set Video Object Unit Address Map) included in navigation information of an optical disc; and performing a playback operation from the searched playback area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present document relates to an optical disc apparatus capable of time search function and a time search playback method thereof wherein, when a time search playback is requested in the optical disc apparatus capable of play-backing an optical disc like a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a start address of a VOBU (Video Object Unit) corresponding thereto is searched to normally conduct a time search operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a DVD optical disc recorded therein with a high definition of video data and a high fidelity of audio data has been widely distributed and commercialized. For example, the optical disc apparatus searches Video Title Set Time Map Table (VTS_TMAPT) included in Video Title Set Information (VTSI) out of navigation information recorded in advance in the DVD as illustrated in FIG. 1 when a user selectively designates an arbitrary time to request a time search playback while conducting a data playback operation.
Furthermore, the optical disc apparatus refers to VTS_TMAP information recorded and included in the VTS-TMAPT. The VTS-TMAP information includes TMU (time unit), Map Entry Numbers (MAP_EN_Ns) and MAP_ENT (Map Entry).
Meanwhile, the MAP_ENT is recorded with VOBU Start Address as many as the MAP_EN_Ns, where the k th VOBU Start Address (VOBU Start Address #k) is a value of time of the TMU multiplied by 'k'.
Consequently, TMU multiplied by the MAP_EN-Ns becomes an entire playback time, from which a playback address of a particular area can be known. For example, if the TMU is 2 seconds, and the MAP_EN_Ns is '1800', the entire playback time of relevant program chain is 3600 seconds, i.e., 1 hour. If a playback operation is to be conducted from a 30-minute area in response to a user's request, a VOBU Start Address recorded in MAP_ENT of the 900 th area is searched and played back, and then a time search playback operation from the user-desired 30-minute area is implemented.
However, the VTS-TMAPT information searched for implementing the time search playback operation in the conventional optical disc apparatus thus described may be optionally recorded or not recorded in the DVD navigation information. If the VTS-TMAPT information is not recorded, there is no way of conducting the time search playback operation.

Optical disc apparatus capable of time search function and time search playback method thereof


A system for monitoring a movement disorder includes a movement detector configured to track at least one point of reference in three dimensions, and a computing device communicatively coupled with the movement detector. The computing device is configured to receive movement data associated with the at least one point of reference over a period of time, perform a kinematic data analysis based on the movement data, compute a weighted score using the kinematic data analysis, compute a trend based on historical movement data, the weighted score and the trend being associated with the movement disorder, and display the weighted score, the trend and the movement data on a display associated with the computing device.

Disorders that can benefit from these systems can include, but are not limited to, Parkinson's Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Huntington's Disease, Essential Tremor Traumatic Brain Injury and/or the like. This includes roughly 1 million Americans currently living with Parkinson's Disease, 10 million Americans with Essential Tremor 1.7 million people who suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury accident last year in America. There are many other clinical and research applications where the embodiments can be used for tracking and interpreting upper limb movement disorder.
Tracking and interpreting an upper-limb movement disorder, or tremor, in a quantified way typically employs using a system with accelerometers and/or markers attached to a person's body. There are many people who currently live with movement disorders and have no effective way to track progression of the disease outside of periodic qualitative review from a caretaker or practitioner who specializes in movement disorders. This physician makes a diagnosis by a subjective metric, which utilizes a visual based rating system (such as the TETRAS, WHIGET and Fahn-Tlosa-Marin scale) that fails to capture fine movement changes or irregularities in a patient's tremor over time. Symptomatic patients can exhibit a variety of movements that are characterized by the disorder itself but are adapted to the physiological constraints of the patient.

Marker-less monitoring of movement disorders


A sheet conveying apparatus includes a conveying guide configured to guide a sheet which is conveyed by a conveying roller and a driven roller, a pressing spring configured to press the driven roller toward the conveying roller, a holding portion configured to be provided to be rotated about a shaft center of the driven roller and to receive a pressing force of the pressing spring, and a supporting portion configured to support the driven roller in a direction perpendicular to a sheet conveying direction to abut on or be separated from the conveying roller. The holding portion includes a facing portion which is disposed to face the conveying guide. The facing portion is separated from the conveying guide in a state where the driven roller abuts on the conveying roller. The facing portion abuts on the conveying guide when the driven roller is separated from the conveying roller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus which conveys a sheet, and an image forming apparatus which is provided with the sheet conveying apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, when an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine performs a printing operation, a wide variety of sheets are used depending on purposes. In particular, there has been increasing demand for a thick sheet used in packages made of a boxing material as a wide variety of sheets, but the sheet has a problem in that rigidity is large and sheet clogging easily occurs. Therefore, as a countermeasure, a radius R of a bending portion in a conveying path is made large, resistance exerted from a conveying guide when the sheet is conveyed is reduced, and a nip pressure of a conveying roller is significantly increased to raise a conveying force.
Furthermore, in order to comply with the demand for the wide variety of sheets, space saving of installation area for the apparatus or cost saving is also increasingly demanded. However, when the radius R of the bending portion in the conveying path is made large, the apparatus is increased in size to cause the cost to be significantly increased, so that it conflicts with reality. For this reason, the countermeasures of raising the nip pressure of the conveying roller and increasing the conveying force are widely employed.
In addition, as illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B, likewise a driven roller 253 which is on a door side to be opened/closed with respect to a main body of the image forming apparatus, a configuration in which a pressing spring 256 is hooked around and presses a driven roller shaft 252 is employed in many products for the space saving and for the low cost (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-144633).
However, in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 10B, in a case where the nip pressure of the conveying roller is raised, the length of the pressing spring 256 is not possible to be long, so that a spring constant is increased. In this case, since a partial force f0 is generated in a direction of angle θ0 with respect to in a direction of a pressing force F0, a variation in pressure is easily increased still more. Then, since the pressing force is increased, a roller shaft 215c of a driving roller 215 or an opening/closing guide 221 is significantly bent, an actual length of the pressing spring 256 is reduced at the time of pressing, the spring constant is increased, and a necessary pressing force is also not obtained.
As illustrated in FIG. 10A, in the opening/closing guide 221 where an opening/closing hinge 227 is provided on a side (herein, an inner side) of a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheet, bending on the side (the inner side) of the width direction is different from that on the other side (the front side). For this reason, a difference of the pressing force on the inner side and the front side of the width direction is increased, so that the sheet is fed on the skew.

Sheet conveying apparatus and image forming apparatus


A system and method using a touch probe device for eddy current inspection. The touch probe provides a simple approach for coming within close contact of the specimen while maintaining a normal angle and pressure at the right positions. The use of the touch probe further reduces the total time for the eddy current inspection. The touch probe aligns the probe to a specimen to be inspected, for the purpose of reducing measurement errors and increasing productivity.

Eddy current (EC) inspection is commonly used to detect flaws in material properties such as residual stress, density, and degrees of heat treatment, as well as detect any cracks, pings, dings, or raised material on surfaces of manufactured components such as gas turbine engine components. EC inspection is required for most aircraft engine components on which abnormal indications are detected to ensure the engine's integrity until the next maintenance schedule. During this type of inspection, electromagnetic induction is used to induce eddy currents in the component being inspected. An array of coils inside an eddy current probe generates alternating magnetic fields, which induce the eddy currents when the probe is moved near the component. When flaws are present in the component, the flow of eddy currents is altered, thereby indicating the flaw to the inspector. The altered eddy currents produce changes in a secondary magnetic field, which are detected by the array of coils inside the eddy current probe. The array generates an electrical signal in response to the altered secondary magnetic field, where the amplitude of the electrical signal is generally proportionate to the size of the flaw.
In order to effectively inspect the surface and maintain the integrity of the EC signal, smaller sized coils are used to enable maneuvering around the surface of the component. A small coil typically used is around 0.02 inches, and is effective at detecting any imperfections in the surface of the component, however these small coils are also extremely sensitive to the inspection equipment. Further, the coil has to travel with a constant pressure in relation to the specimen. To enable easier inspection of the components with the probes, the probes are often designed smaller, so they can fit into the smaller areas of the component surface. Changes in the probe shape prevent the probe from being positioned a uniform distance from the inspected component. Further, due to variations in size and shape of the component being inspected, gaps sometimes occur between the probe and the component surface, which also prevents the probe from being positioned at a uniform distance from the component. For years it has been a challenge to place a moving probe in close proximity with the component while maintaining a normal angle and normal pressure at positions sufficient for accurate readings. Even with the current, more sophisticated methods and probes available on market, the procedure to align the probe for inspection can be very time consuming, where the small features of the components are particularly difficult to align with the probe.
One current method for EC inspections uses an alignment template for each individual inspection feature. The EC probe is aligned with the alignment template, which results in an accurate inspection, assuming the template is correctly aligned with the component. This alignment template method requires the construction of a precise template, repeating the steps of realigning the template to the component, aligning the probe to template, detaching the template, and finally checking the probe alignment with the component. This current method adds the unnecessary high cost of producing the templates as well as high labor costs and delays timely delivery.
Another method for EC inspection, described in "Eddy current inspection Method" U.S. Pat. No. 6,907,358, improves the alignment process and increases productivity. However, this method is a manual process that is slow and cumbersome. Because the alignment of the EC touch probe for EC inspection is visually or audibly checked manually by a technician to ensure that no gap existed between the probe and the component surface, the component was required to be re-inspected due to the changes in the various technician's perception. Also, this method is dangerous, as to effectively hear or see the probe touching the component surface, the technician often has to dangerously place his or her head near the moving parts, or bend and twist into uncomfortable positions to ensure that the alignment is correct. Further, some areas that require inspection are small and located between engine blades or in unreachable cavities. Since these areas are difficult and often impossible to reach, the manual alignment method cannot effectively inspect those areas. Lastly, since the manual alignment method is time consuming and often consumes a significant amount of a technician's time. Because so much of a technician's time is dominated by the alignment method, the method is costly as well.
Therefore what is needed is a method and system that is directed to an accurate and efficient EC inspection process that can reduce errors, alleviate safety concerns, and lower production costs.

Method of aligning probe for eddy current inspection