A latch assembly (10) is mounted to a follower door (275) of a double door (257) and includes a latch (231) and a pressing board (453) pivotably received in a cutout (411) of the latch (231). When the follower door (275) moves from an open position to a closed position, a pressing side (457) of the pressing board (453) is pressed by a top beam (35) of a door frame (31). The pressing board (453) pivots and presses against a bottom face (413) of the cutout (411) of the latch (231), moving the latch (231) from an unlatching position to the latching position until the pressing side (457) of the pressing board (453) completely enters the cutout (411), and then a slant face (236) of the latch (231) presses against the door frame (31), causing movement of the latch (231) from the latching position to the unlatching position.

The present invention relates to a latch assembly and, more particularly, to latch assembly for locking a follower door of a double door.
A double door generally includes a primary door and a follower door pivotably mounted to two vertical beams of a door frame. A lock is mounted to the primary door and includes a handle on a side of the primary door and a first latch on an end face of the primary door. The first latch can be retracted into the primary door upon pivotal movement of the handle. A latch assembly is mounted to an upper end of the follower door. The latch assembly includes an actuation latch extending beyond an end face of the follower door and a second latch normally extending beyond an upper face of the follower door. When the follower door is moving from an open position to a closed position, the second latch of the latch assembly is moved from an extended, latching position to a retracted, unlatching position by a faceplate mounted to the door frame. When the follower door is in the closed position, the second latch of the latch assembly is engaged in a groove in the door frame to lock the follower door. Since the first latch of the lock on the primary door is engaged with a receptacle in the follower door, the primary door can not be opened, either. Thus, the double door can be reliably locked. However, the faceplate for pressing against the latch is apt to become loosened after a period of time and moves to a position preventing the latch in the latching position from disengaging from the faceplate. Thus, the follower door can not be smoothly opened.
Thus, a need exists for a latch assembly for reliably locking a follower door in the closed position while assuring smooth operation of the latch.


Some embodiments include semiconductor constructions having stacks containing electrically conductive material over dielectric material. Programmable material structures are directly against both the electrically conductive material and the dielectric material along sidewall surfaces of the stacks. Electrode material electrically coupled with the electrically conductive material of the stacks. Some embodiments include methods of forming memory cells in which a programmable material plate is formed along a sidewall surface of a stack containing electrically conductive material and dielectric material.

Memory is one type of integrated circuitry, and is used in electronic systems for storing data. Integrated memory is usually fabricated in one or more arrays of individual memory cells. The memory cells are configured to retain or store memory in at least two different selectable states. In a binary system, the states are considered as either a "0" or a "1". In other systems, at least some individual memory cells may be configured to store more than two levels or states of information.
One type of memory is phase change memory (PCM). Such memory utilizes phase change material as a programmable material. Example phase change materials that may be utilized in PCM are chalcogenide materials.
The phase change material reversibly transforms from one phase to another through application of appropriate stimulus. Each phase may be utilized as a memory state, and thus an individual PCM cell may have two selectable memory states that correspond to two inducible phases of the phase change material.
The phase change materials may be difficult to incorporate into memory cells in that edges of the phase change materials may be damaged during fabrication of the memory cells. Accordingly it is desired to develop new architectures and fabrication methods which are suitable for incorporating phase change materials into memory cells. Similar problems may occur with other types of memory, and accordingly it would be desirable for the new architectures and fabrication methods to be extendible to additional memory besides phase change memory.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Semiconductor constructions and methods of forming memory cells


Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. Generally, the described techniques provide for determining shared resources associated with one or more user equipments (UEs) for sidelink communications, including control resources and data resources. A first UE may determine a first set of control resources in a first frequency band corresponding to a first group of UEs including the first UE. The first UE may transmit a sidelink request to reserve a subset of data resources to a second UE in the first group of UEs. The first UE may monitor for one or more sidelink responses indicating a positive sidelink response to the sidelink request, a negative sidelink response to the sidelink request, or both. The first UE may determine, based on monitoring for the one or more sidelink responses, whether to transmit a sidelink confirmation indicating a reservation of the data resources to the second UE.

Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (for example, time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM).
A wireless multiple-access communications system may include one or more base stations or one or more network access nodes, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (UE). Some UEs may communicate with each other, for example, via one or more sidelink channels, and may utilize shared resources, for example, time resources, frequency resources, or spatial resources.

Control signaling techniques for sidelink communications


Disclosed are a method and device for implementing an ad hoc network routing protocol in a multi-agent system. The device includes a trajectory information acquisition module, a data packet delivery module, a delivery confirmation module, a data packet forwarding module, a data transmission feedback module and a data storage module. The method includes: acquiring a separation and rendezvous timing table and an adjacency matrix of an ad hoc network composed of multiple agents at a given moment; if a source node has message sending requirement, performing data packet delivery and delivery confirmation based on the separation and rendezvous timing table and the adjacency matrix; and performing data packet forwarding and transmission status feedback by a non-source node.

An agent is an entity that can sense the environment through sensors and act on the environment through an actuator, and includes vehicles, robots, artificial satellites, flying vehicles and other controlled devices. Multi-agent system (MAS) can accomplish complex tasks based on interaction between multiple agents, and now has been widely used in aircraft formation, multi-robot collaborative control and transportation vehicle control.
An ad hoc network composed of multiple agents is a centerless and multi-hop wireless network, which can be flexibly deployed without relying on fixed facilities and adopts agents as nodes. The ad hoc network composed of multiple agents can be used to support the signal and information transmission between agents in MAS, which is necessary for functions of the MAS. In some fields such as emergency rescue and coordinated operation, the ad hoc network composed of multiple agents has a brilliant application prospect.
Traditional mobile ad hoc network (MANET) routing protocol is designed for randomly-movable nodes, i.e., movable agents. Due to the nodal random movement, to ensure the reliability and robustness of data transmission, a large number of control packets are required for route discovery and router table maintenance, which may cause the network performance to fail to meet requirements of the MAS. Specifically, the frequent route discovery in an on-demand routing protocol will increase the occurrence of transmission medium access violations, which leads to the retransmission of a large number of data packets, and extends the transmission delay, attenuating the network performance. The regular routing table maintenance in active routing protocols occupies more bandwidth and larger storage space, making the active routing protocols difficult to adapt to rapid topological changes. In addition, for an unstable link, the presence of a large number of control packets will not only affect the transmission of data packets, but also consume computing resources, communication resources, storage resources and energy resources.

Method and device for implementing ad hoc network routing protocol in multi-agent system

BEIJING UNIVERSITY OF POSTS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS


A tree view control is provided as a system resource that may be used by application programs. The tree view control enables an application program to display a hierarchical list of items. The hierarchical list of items may be expandable or collapsible so as to vary the view of the hierarchical tree that is visible to a user. The expansion and collapsing of the tree is performed by a mechanism that is independent of the selection mechanism that is used to select items in the hierarchical tree. An in-place editing mechanism is provided to facilitate the in place editing of labels of items in the hierarchical tree. As an optimization, the tree view control may provide for deferred evaluation of items such that the display information needed to display an item on an output device is not evaluated until needed.

In conventional systems, if application programs wish to display a hierarchical list of items, they must provide the code and data structures for displaying the list. This task can prove to be quite time-consuming and difficult. Unfortunately, conventional operating systems do not afford any relief as they do not provide support for applications to display such a hierarchical list of items.


An error rate sensitive error correction (ERSEC) system that applies a level of error correction that is inversely related to susceptibility to error as indicated by a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) profile of a channel. The SNR profile is estimated, detected or retrieved from an external source. The ERSEC system can be used with any channel for which the SNRs vary spatially, temporally or both.

Error correction coding techniques have been commonly used to reduce errors introduced during digital data transmission or storage. Prior to transmission, for example, each piece of data, such as a 16 bit word, may be encoded to incorporate additional information so that upon reception, the data may be recovered even when errors are introduced during transit between transmitter and receiver.
In 1962, Robert Gallager disclosed an error correction coding technique called low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. LDPC codes are linear binary block codes whose codewords satisfy a set of M linear parity-check constraints. LDPC codes were largely forgotten after their initial disclosure due to lack of computing power, but were revived in the mid 1990's and have since been recognized to offer better performance and less decoding complexity than many later disclosed error correcting codes.

Error correction coding for varying signal-to-noise ratio channels


The method and system for electronically processing transactional data and monitoring annuity funds includes identifying and storing annuity fund data, customer data, annuity beneficiary data, and banking institution data. Banking institutions which hold non-annuity funds for a particular annuity beneficiary are classified as non-available banking institutions for that beneficiary. The system sums all annuity funds identified with a single annuity beneficiary and designated for certificates of deposits issued by one of the banking institutions that is not classified as a non-available banking institution. If the sum exceeds the predetermined fund limit, that identified banking institution is classified as a non-available banking institution for that particular annuity beneficiary. The system then commands the transfer of all additional annuity funds identified with that single annuity beneficiary to another banking institution that is an available institution. In a preferred embodiment, the system generates various reports showing available banking institutions for each annuity beneficiary, non-available banking institutions for each annuity beneficiary, and the sum of all annuity funds for each respective annuity beneficiary that are provided by a corresponding customer. The method and system also stores and processes information regarding purchased certificates of deposit (CDs) and the due dates of those CDs such that when a particular CD becomes due and the principal is returned to the annuity company, the system declassifies the issuing banking institution from non-available to available for a particular annuity beneficiary or group of beneficiaries.

The present invention relates to a method and a system for electronically processing transactional data and monitoring funds invested in a plurality of annuities or life insurance investments such that the invested funds are protected by depositor's insurance, such as FDIC insurance.
Federally approved banking institutions, banks and savings and loans, pay premiums to the federal government such that money on deposit in those banking institutions is federally insured. If the banking institution becomes insolvent for any reason, the federal government pays the depositor for any losses up to an established insured limit. At present, deposits are insured up to $100,000.00. There is a regulation which provides that funds deposited by life insurance companies or a corporation solely to fund life insurance or annuity contracts will be insured up to the depositor's insurance limit ($100,000.00) per individual (annuitant) entitled to receive benefits under the contract. The persons entitled to receive benefits under an annuity contract are called herein "annuity beneficiaries" whether those persons are legally classified as annuitants or as beneficiaries. An annuity contract is a contract that pays an annuity beneficiary an amount at regular intervals or pays an annuity beneficiary a lump sum at a predetermined time in the future. The annuity contract is funded or provided for by a customer. Essentially, the customer pays a certain amount of money to a company, the company invests that money, and the company at a certain time in the future or at regular intervals pays the annuity beneficiary a prescribed amount as required under the annuity contract. Annuity beneficiaries are sometimes called "annuitants."
Some types of annuity contracts are deferred annuity contracts. Deferred annuity contracts allow funds to be accumulated on a tax deferred basis over the term of the contract and pay a lump sum or make periodic payments to annuitants at a certain time in the future. For example, a customer may fund a deferred annuity and, upon retirement of the customer, the company holding the annuity pays the customer either a lump sum or periodic payments as selected by the annuitant. In this example, the contract is annuitized upon retirement of the customer. If the contract is surrendered during early years, there are surrender penalties. If there are partial withdrawals, penalties sometimes apply. Interest if withdrawn is reportable as income in the year of withdrawal.
In order to obtain the benefit of the depositor's insurance, the corporation holding the annuity must establish an internal account for the annuity beneficiary and place the funds on deposit with a federally approved institution (FDIC institution) in the corporation's own name. However, the corporation can accumulate and combine investments for a number of annuity beneficiaries and invest that aggregate sum with a single banking institution. The regulations provide that, in the event the banking institution becomes insolvent, the federal agency providing the depositors' insurance will pay the company for losses sustained by a particular annuity beneficiary provided those losses do not exceed the established depositor's insurance limit value.
Tax deferred annuities are presently being marketed throughout the United States by life insurance companies. Tax law presently allows interest earnings in tax deferred annuity accounts to accumulate tax free until withdrawn. Consequently, this form of annuity has become a popular investment, particularly for those saving for their retirement years. However, funds invested in deferred annuities are not federally insured. There have been losses suffered by purchasers of annuities due to the inability of some insurance companies to remain solvent. This is particularly devastating for anyone depending on annuity income for support during retirement years. It would be a great benefit if the features of tax deferred annuities could be combined with federal deposit insurance.
Funds deposited in Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) banks solely to fund annuities or life insurance contracts are currently insured up to $100,000.00 for each annuitant. Present FDIC regulations permit this to be done. A system that enables life insurance and annuity companies to place annuity funds or life insurance funds so as to be covered by federal deposit insurance without exceeding those limitations and which continually monitors accounts for the same purpose, performs a valuable service for the customer.
Individuals that presently have funds in banks can maintain their deposits in different categories of legal ownership which makes it possible to have more than $100,000.00 insurance coverage in a single institution. This is true only if the funds are owned and deposited in different ownership categories. Individuals almost always monitor their deposits in savings institutions so as to maintain full insurance coverage at all times. However, if such individuals purchase a tax deferred annuity that is to be deposited in an insured institution, the responsibility to monitor such funds as to their insurability shifts to the insurance or annuity company. A problem immediately arises since a multi-state life insurance company collecting premiums from thousands of contract holders throughout the U.S. could inadvertently fund an annuitant's contract by depositing funds in an institution in which the annuitant already has a standard deposit, savings account or certificate of deposit. If the funds deposited by the insurance company and the already existing account in that same institution are maintained in the same category of legal ownership, FDIC regulations require that the insured limit must be applied to the combined total amount held within each category. This could result in funds being without insurance coverage. This would be a violation of the contract on the part of the insurance or annuity company that promised to place the funds so as to be federally insured. Given that a multiplicity of insurance companies would be depositing funds in a multiplicity of banks involving annuity accounts from thousands of customers, a system needs to be devised that would safeguard annuity purchasers from the risk of uninsured accounts, and which would enable insurance companies to meet their contractual obligations. Such a system must also periodically monitor accounts focusing on the impact of interest additions to all accounts and the impact thereof as it relates to insurance limits.

Method and system for processing federally insured annuity and life insurance investments


A structure and method are provided for self-test of a Z axis sensor. Two self-test current lines are symmetrically positioned adjacent, but equidistant from, each sense element. The vertical component of the magnetic field created from a current in the self-test lines is additive in a flux guide positioned adjacent, and orthogonal to, the sense element; however, the components of the magnetic fields in the plane of the sense element created by each of the two self-test current line pairs cancel one another at the sense element center, resulting in only the Z axis magnetic field being sensed during the self-test.

Sensors are widely used in modern systems to measure or detect physical parameters, such as direction, position, motion, force, acceleration, temperature, and pressure. While a variety of different sensor types exist for measuring these and other parameters, they all suffer from various limitations. For example, inexpensive low field sensors, such as those used in an electronic compass and other similar magnetic sensing applications, may comprise anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) based devices. In order to arrive at the required sensitivity and reasonable resistances that mesh well with complementary metal-oxide semiconductors (CMOS), the chip area of such sensors are generally in the order of square millimeters in size. Furthermore, large set-reset pulses from bulky coils of approximately 500 mA are typically required. For mobile applications, such AMR sensor configurations are costly, in terms of expense, circuit area, and power consumption.
Other types of sensors, such as magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) sensors, giant magnetoresistance (GMR) sensors, and the widely used Hall effect sensors have been used to provide smaller profile sensors, but such sensors have their own concerns, such as inadequate sensitivity and the temperature dependence of their magnetic field response. To address these concerns, MTJ, GMR, and AMR sensors have been employed in a Wheatstone bridge structure to increase sensitivity and to reduce the temperature dependent resistance changes. Hall effect sensors have recently become competitive in this type of application through the development of high sensitivity silicon (Si) based sensors coupled with a thick nickel iron (NiFe) magneto-concentrator for amplification of the local magnetic field. These Hall effect devices typically employ the current spinning technique for optimal temperature response, resulting in a larger than desired CMOS footprint for the circuitry associated with the multiplexing between the various tap point functionality. For minimal sensor size, cost and high performance, MTJ sense elements are preferred.
As a result of the manufacturing process variations, low field Wheatstone bridge based magnetic sensors may exhibit a small yet variable residual offset. Temperature shifts, mechanical stress, and the aging of the device may cause small changes in this offset. Furthermore, conventional magnetic sensors have a sensitivity built into the device by factors such as sense layer thickness, shape, and flux concentrator geometry. Therefore, small variations in the manufacturing process may create variations in the sensor parameters and therefore create a need for the magnetic sensors be tested and calibrated for optimal performance.
As magnetic sensor size becomes smaller, the packaging and test costs begin to dominate the final product cost. For a magnetic field sensing solution that minimizes manufacturing costs, increasingly attention must be paid to minimization of test time and complexity. As packaging and final test are increasingly performed by contractors at remote locations with massively parallel testing systems, the large development and installation cost of specialized test apparatus to apply an external magnetic field for testing of sensor characteristics becomes prohibitive. An additional problem is that the magnetic environment may not be completely controlled on the production floor.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an inexpensive low field three axis sensor and method that provides on chip testing and calibration. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the exemplary embodiments will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

Method and structure for testing and calibrating three axis magnetic field sensing devices


A projectile for use in a firearm ammunition cartridge, and a method of forming the projectile, the projectile including a core, and a jacket in which the core is disposed, the jacket having a closed rearward end and an open forward end, the forward end tapering inwardly toward a longitudinal centerline of the jacket to define an ogive portion of the projectile, wherein the forward end of the jacket terminates in a plane that is perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline of the jacket, and wherein an outer perimeter of the forward end of the jacket has a machined sharp edge.

Ammunition cartridges of the type commonly used in modern firearms are generally known in the art. An ammunition cartridge typically includes a generally cylindrical case which is sized and shaped to correspond to the interior of a firing chamber of a firearm. The case includes an open leading end having a projectile held therein. When the cartridge is received within the chamber, the leading end of the case carrying the projectile faces toward and along the bore of the firearm.
Lead, compacted metal powders, etc., are typically loaded into a jacket, such as a cup-shaped copper metal jacket. The core in the jacket is seated against the closed end of the jacket ("core seating"), and the open end of the jacket is formed about the core and shaped to define an aerodynamically desirable leading end of the projectile. For purposes of at least partially closing the open end of the jacket while defining the desired aerodynamic shape on that end of the core/jacket combination which will become the leading end of the projectile when it is fired from a gun, the core is chosen to be shorter in length than the depth of the jacket so that there is a portion of the jacket wall adjacent the open end of the jacket which is void of core material when the seating operation has been completed.
Core seating may take place with the core/jacket combination being held in a die while pressure is applied axially of the core to seat the core within the closed end of the jacket, and, in part, to the side wall of the jacket. Thereafter, and usually in a different die, the open end of the jacket is formed inwardly toward the longitudinal centerline of the jacket. This operation may take place in steps, and may involve more than one die, but in the end, the initially open end of the jacket is closed to the extend desired. The initially open end of the jacket may be fully closed or partially closed, in part depending upon the desired terminal ballistics of the projectile.
Regardless of the configuration of the leading end of the projectile, these rounds are often prone to bounce or glance off of a surface such as glass when striking at an angle. For example, some proponents of larger caliber ammunition believe that smaller calibers, such as 9 mm, are extremely prone to bounce off of windshields or other glass surfaces without inflicting any damage at all. Therefore, it may be desirable to design a round that will perform better when striking a glass surface at an angle.


In a method of producing splines on a shaft, cold deformation without removal of chips is effected on the outside face of a small-thickness tube in a single operation. The cold deformation includes hammering the small-thickness tube by a conjugate and simultaneous action of beating and kneading. The depth of the splines can be as much as half the thickness of the tube.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of producing splines on a shaft. The method of obtaining splines on a shaft is more particularly intended for use in the manufacture of automobile vehicle steering column shafts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Methods of producing splines on solid shafts by deformation are known in themselves. Methods of producing splines on the outside of relatively thick hollow shafts by removing material also known in themselves. The first type of method has the disadvantage of applying only to solid shafts if splines are to be produced without removing material. The second kind of method used previously has the disadvantage of necessitating the production of splines by removing chips when splines are to be produced on the outside of a tube, which must also be relatively thick.


An image developer, including a developer bearer rotatable facing an electrostatic latent image bearer; a developer feeder feeding a developer including a toner to the developer bearer; a developer collector collecting the developer separated and left from the developer bearer after the developer is fed to the electrostatic latent image bearer; a detour route including a developer stirrer and transfer stirring and transferring the developer between the developer feeder and the developer collector; a first opening connecting the developer feeder with the detour route; a second opening connecting the detour route with the developer collector; a developer supplier supplying the developer to the image developer; and a third opening connecting to the developer supplier, wherein the toner has a volume-average particle diameter of from 3 to 8 μm and a ratio (Dv/Dn) of the volume-average particle diameter (Dv) to a number-average particle diameter (Dn) thereof of from 1.00 to 1.40.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image forming apparatuses, particularly to copiers, facsimiles, printers and complex machines having these functions using electrophotographic processes.
2. Discussion of the Background
Recently, stable image quality which is free from uneven image density even when high-density or full-color images having a large image area are continuously produced is demanded.
Therefore, the image developer needs to separate and collect the developer from the developer bearer (herein after referred to as a developing sleeve) after producing images having a large image area consuming a large amount of the toner, feed the toner to the developer and uniformly disperse the toner therein to resume the original toner concentration, and quickly feed the developer to the developing sleeve.
However, in a conventional image developer as shown in FIG. 7, since a part separating the developer used for the development from the developing sleeve 2 and collecting the developer to a developer feeder 11 (hereinafter referred to as a screw) is close to a part feeding the new developer to the developing sleeve, the used developer is fed to the developing sleeve 2 again without a new toner, resulting in uneven image density.
In addition, since the collected developer and the developer being fed are mixed in a same section 13, the developer is difficult to have a uniform toner concentration between upstream and downstream sides of the screw 11 in FIG. 8. The developer has less toner concentration downstream and images having uneven image density in the longitudinal direction of the developing sleeve 2 are likely to be produced.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, Japanese published unexamined patent application No. 5-333691 discloses a marketed functionally-separated image developer in which a screw and a feed route having been laterally located are vertically located to separate sections of feeding and collecting the developer, i.e., the developer is separated and collected by a lower screw 5 at a section 8 and the developer is fed by an upper screw 4 at a section 7.
However, at a communicating route D where the lower screw 5 transfers the developer to the screw 4, the developer needs to be deposited and the developer is fed from the section 8 to the section 7, i.e., the used developer is directly fed to the developing sleeve 2 again, resulting in uneven image density.
In addition, only the lower and upper screws do not fully stir the developer, resulting in uneven image density and deterioration of image density. Japanese published unexamined patent application No. 11-167260 discloses an image developer as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, further including a section 9 besides the sections 7 and 8, having a stirrer 6 mixing and dispersing the collected developer and a toner fed from T to improve uniformity of the image density.
The two screws vertically located in FIGS. 5 and 6 save space more than the conventional two screws laterally located. However, as mentioned above, the developer deposited is fed to the developing sleeve again or is not well mixed with a newly-fed toner, i.e., the developer is not fully stirred, resulting in uneven image density and deterioration of image density.
In order to solve this problem, three screws are effectively located as shown in FIG. 3. The developer needs to deposit at a stirring detour 9 apart from the developing sleeve, the low-concentration developer just after collected is not fed to thereto again. Further, the collected developer and a newly-fed toner are sufficiently stirred at the stirring detour 9, which improves uneven image density.
On the other hand, the image developer has a toner concentration sensor detecting a concentration of the developer. This is typically a sensor detecting a magnetic permeability of the developer and detects a toner concentration of a specific amount of the developer close thereto. The sensor power and the toner concentration have a linear relationship each other, and the sensor detects excess and deficiency of the toner to drive or stop a feeder of the developer.
In order to detect whether a proper amount of the toner is fed, it is necessary to detect the developer fully dispersed and mixed and a specific distance is required between a position from which the toner is fed and a position the toner concentration is detected.
However, it is impossible to reduce the toner from or add the toner to the developer therebetween even when the toner is excessively or insufficiently fed from the position from which the toner is fed. Therefore, the developer has a part having a high toner concentration and a part having a low toner concentration while stirred and transferred, resulting in uneven image density after all.
In addition, polymerization toners frequently used lately are difficult to mix and disperse in image developers due to their shapes. This is because the polymerized toner having the shape of almost a sphere and a small particle diameter takes more time to mix with a developer in the image developer than conventional pulverization toners having a large particle diameter.
The toner concentration detector typically measures the concentration of the toner in a developer fully mixed. However, when the developer insufficiently mixed is detected, excessive toner feeding is repeated, resulting in toner scattering, background fouling and uneven image density.
Because of these reasons, a need exists for an image developer and an image forming apparatus capable of improving the dispersibility of a developer even including a toner having poor mixability and dispersibility, and precisely detecting the toner concentration to prevent uneven toner concentration of the developer and uneven image density.

Image developer providing improved developer dispersibility and image forming apparatus containing the same


A semiconductor device includes a driving active region defined in a substrate and at least three driving transistors disposed at the driving active region. The driving transistors share one common source/drain, and each of the driving transistors includes individual source/drains being independent from each other. The common source/drain and the individual source/drains are disposed in the driving active region.

The present invention described herein relates to a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device including a driving transistor.
Semiconductor devices include memory devices for storing data, logic devices for processing data and performing calculations, and hybrid devices for performing various functions at the same time. Types of memory devices include volatile memory devices which lose their stored data if power is interrupted and non-volatile memory devices which retain their stored data even if power is removed.
Demand for highly integrated semiconductor devices has increased substantially However, if the semiconductor device is highly integrated through simple scaling down, there may be various limitations. For example, if the minimum line width is reduced to several tens of nanometers, margins of processes for manufacturing a semiconductor device may become reduced. Additionally, it may be difficult to optimize all the characteristics of single components (e.g., various driving circuits and/or memory cells in a device) having various functions in the semiconductor device.

Semiconductor device including driving transistors


A system for enriching document content using enrichment themes includes a directed search service and an import-export service. The directed search service allows users to author documents while querying information providers using the directed searches that are inserted as part of the authored documents. The import-export service enables meta-document exchanges between systems that provide document enrichment by binding imported meta-documents to identical or similar information providers.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the management and use of documents, and in particular, to improved management and use of documents which may act as agents, generating requests for information, then seeking, retrieving and packaging responses to enrich the documents while facilitating reading comprehension, understanding relationships with other documents, and content creation. In particular, this invention relates to a directed search service and an import-export service.
2. Description of Related Art
Knowledge management through document management forms an important part of the knowledge creation and sharing lifecycle. A typical model of knowledge creation and sharing is cyclical, consisting of three main steps: synthesizing (search, gather, acquire and assimilate), sharing (present, publish/distribute), and servicing (facilitate document use for decision making, innovative creativity).
Most systems consider documents as static objects that only acquire new content when acted upon by an authorized user. A user's decision to read and modify a document, or to run a program on it which may change its contents (for example, by adding hyperlinks), is needed for the document to acquire new information. This view of the document as a passive repository leads to the current situation in which documents remain static unless a user is in front of the screen piloting the system. OpenCola Folders™ offers one solution to the view of the document as a passive repository by creating folders on a user's computer that look for a limited set of document types, according to criteria set by the user (i.e., a single purpose information retrieval system).
Both agent-based systems and content-based retrieval systems provide some management of information without user intervention. An agent is a software program that performs a service, such as alerting the user of something that needs to be done on a particular day, or monitoring incoming data and giving an alert when a message has arrived, or searching for information on electronic networks. An intelligent agent is enabled to make decisions about information it finds. Both such systems, however, consider documents to be fixed and static entities.
Many products provide various solutions for individual aspects of the overall problem of knowledge management: anticipatory services, unstructured information management, and visualization of information and knowledge. Watson, for example, from the InfoLab at the University of Northwestern, is a program which operates while a user is creating a document. Watson retrieves information as the user works, from which the user can select for further investigation. Information retrieved by Watson comes from a service provider, and Watson stores the retrieved information in memory associated with Watson.
Also, Autonomy.com's ActiveKnowledge™ analyzes documents that are being prepared on the user's computer desktop and provides links to relevant information. In addition, online services such as Alexa.com, Zapper.com, and Flyswat.com suggest links that are relevant to the content currently viewed highlighted in a browser window. The suggested links appear in an additional window inside or separate from the current browser window. These services treat documents as static objects. Specifically, using Zapper.com's engine, when a user right clicks on selected text, words surrounding the selected text are analyzed to understand the context of the search request, and to reject pages that use those words in a different context.
Various products, such as commercial information retrieval systems, provide unstructured information, such as web pages, documents, emails etc. (which content may consist of text, graphics, video, or audio). Typical management services for unstructured information include: search and retrieval; navigation and browsing; content extraction, topic identification, categorization, summarization, and indexing; organizing information by automatic hyperlinking and creation of taxonomies; user profiling by tracking what a user reads, accesses, or creates create communities; etc. For example, Inxight's parabolic tree is an example of a system that organizes unstructured information and presents it in an intuitive tree-like format.
Furthermore, it is known how to embed executable code in documents to perform certain functions at specified times. For example, European Patent Applications EP 0986010 A2 and EP 1087306 A2 set forth different techniques in which to define active documents (i.e., documents with embedded executable code). More specifically, these publications set forth that executable code within the document can be used to control, supplement, or manipulate their content. Such active documents are said to have active properties.
Notwithstanding these existing methods for statically and actively enriching document content, there continues to exist a need to provide an improved document enrichment architecture that allows ubiquitous use of document enrichment services. Such an improved document enrichment architecture would advantageously provide methods for facilitating the use of such services by automatically attaching, monitoring, and suggesting such services for users.

System with user directed enrichment and import/export control


In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprising: posting, by a broker computing device, device control data to a distributed datastore including distributed ledger and blockchain, wherein the device control data is collected at a plurality of directory services in a federation; receiving, at a computing hardware device, the device control data from the distributed datastore; using, by the computing hardware device, the device control data received from the distributed datastore, remotely managing user accounts and access control and security policies on at least one networked device.

The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.
Traditionally, devices are manually configured with user accounts and access control and security policies to allow or to deny access by users. When a user account is added or removed or when a change in the access control and security policies occurs, these devices need to be individually configured again. However, this traditional approach is time and labor intensive, especially for an organization that has thousands of devices that multiple users or entities require access to.
The development and deployment of internet of things (IoT) devices has proceeded with remarkable speed in the past several years. IoT devices are diverse, including everything from controllers of industrial equipment to smart watches and personal activity monitors. However, security infrastructure has not kept pace with the huge number and wide use of these devices. Some analysts estimate that billions of such devices will be operating and connected to internetworks within a few years, but there is presently no effective security architecture that can efficiently permit IoT devices to be secured effectively, yet readily usable. Key constraints in this technical field have included limited processing power, limited memory, and limited or absent user interface elements. All these characteristics of IoT devices make them difficult to integrate into existing client-server security systems. At the same time, misuse of IoT devices could be catastrophic by permitting an attacker or unauthorized user to gain control of industrial equipment or other systems that have embedded IoT devices.
Thus, there is a need for an improved and efficient approach to configure devices without human intervention at each of these devices. There is also a need for a secure method of storing, managing, and accessing user accounts and access control and security policies that is tolerant of security breaches.

Centrally managing data for orchestrating and managing user accounts and access control and security policies remotely across multiple devices


An improved method for enumerating resources for use by a client is described. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes method steps of: storing a source set of resources; receiving a request from the client for resources appropriate for the client; based at least in part on the request, determining a type for the client; based at least in part on the determined type, determining capabilities of the client; determining possible media types that may be derived from the source set of resources that are appropriate for the client; based on the possible media types and based on the set of resources, generating an extended set of resources; communicating the extended set of resources to the client; and processing requests from the client for access to resources from the extended set of resources.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to application resources (media) and, more particularly, to providing application resources to mobile devices and similar storage- and bandwidth-constrained environments.
2. Description of the Background Art
Today, with the wide availability of increasingly powerful mobile devices (e.g., graphics-enabled cellular telephones), there is much customer interest in mobile-based gaming. Despite that interest, a number of environmental differences exist today between mobile and gaming environments. For anything graphical in nature (which is the natural evolution for mobile gaming), an issue arises as to where, exactly, resources or "media" (e.g., bitmaps, icons, fonts, and the like) may be accessed. In the case of desktop PCs and home gaming consoles (e.g., Sony PlayStation), for example, systems have ready access to largecapacity storage, such as in the form of hard disk and/or CD ROM drives, that can easily supply the required graphical resources. Current mobile devices, on the other hand, do not have access to comparable storage facilities. Further, given that they connect wirelessly, mobile devices have a relatively limited amount of bandwidth available for downloading resources.
Additionally, the mobile environment does not benefit from the consistency found in the non-mobile space. For instance, every TV attached to a PlayStation console (i.e., non-mobile devices) is essentially the same—the resolution and signal are identical. Even in the PC environment, there is very little variation in screen differences. For instance, most PC monitors are full-color. Even though the screen resolution may change from one monitor to another, the aspect ratio remains constant. Thus, from the gaming perspective, PC monitors are essentially the same.
The cohesiveness exhibited by the PC environment has not translated well into the mobile environment. To begin with, significant variation in screen size exists among available mobile devices. Compounding the problem, a multitude of different aspect ratios can be found. For example, some mobile devices have square display screens, while others have rectangular ones. Further, there is a wide range of color capability found among available devices. Some devices are quite restrictive in the amount of color information that they can render. Even if a given mobile device is capable of rendering an image in fabulous color (with respect to the display hardware), current limitations in mobile device storage and communication bandwidth pose a problem as to how one could even deliver large-scale media to the device. At the same time, however, popular gaming platforms, such as PlayStation, owe much of their appeal to ready access to voluminous media.
In the wireless mobile gaming arena, the server suddenly becomes the main storage element for maintaining gaming media resources, as mobile devices tend not to have substantial storage capacity. Given that the server is the main storage element in a wireless environment and mobile devices have such varied capabilities (including not only physical capabilities, but also format compatibility capabilities), there is a need for a solution that supplies rich media to mobile devices so that the games are both consistent and appealing to customers.
It is instructive to briefly review how resources are currently handled for a related area, online gaming. In the case of PC-based online gaming, the basic approach has been to provide a single extensive download (e.g., multiple megabytes), which includes not only the game logic but also all of the resources associated with the game. In that environment, the only thing being communicated to the server is player location within the game so that position information of various characters (e.g., for a multi-arena game) may be shared with other players online. The actual game resources themselves are not being shared. A comparable situation exists for other (i.e., non-PC-based) online gaming environments. For example, using a PlayStation console for online gaming, players share position information, not actual game resources, with the online server.
The foregoing online approach to gaming may be slightly modified by creating different device-specific versions of a game. Then, the user is responsible for downloading the correct version of the game for the user's device. Palm device games are a good example of this. For example, many Palm games exist in color and monochromatic versions. Whether a particular download includes color or monochromatic icons, for example, depends on what version of Palm the download is targeting. Unfortunately, this modification requires the game developer to pre-generate all of the different versions that will be made available for download. Compromise often enters the process with game developers choosing to target the lowest common denominator platform, or target a relatively small set of target platforms.
This single "lump sum" download (or single large disk) approach works in the PC and console environments, given the minor amount of variation from one system to another. Thus, for example, the large download for a given game may include four or five variations of a given sprite (e.g., game character), but the extra overhead required is not particularly noticeable to the user of a PC (which has comparatively more resources available than a mobile device). Here, a single download will often include many resources that are (blindly) copied to the target machine but are not used or needed. Although these unused resources are unused data or resource "deadwood," they do not pose much of a problem given the substantial amount of local storage available on PC devices. In the mobile/wireless environment, devices are far more constricted in terms of available storage space, thus making the approach impractical.
However, constrained device-side storage capability is not the only reason that the "lump sum" approach is not suitable in the mobile environment. The amount of variation of required resources for targeting all of the available mobile devices is quite substantial when compared to the PC. For example, instead of, say, four or five variations of a given sprite, forty or fifty variations may be required. Further, users are often required to pay for the incremental bandwidth required for downloading games (e.g., byte-based charges), and thus users will not be receptive to paying for a bunch of unused resources (which of course would also need to be stored somewhere on the mobile device's limited storage). Given those constraints, it is not practical, in the mobile environment, to include (i.e., bundle in) that many variations of resources with an application.
What is needed is a more sensible approach to providing resources to applications, including improving the way downloadable games are provided to mobile devices. The present invention fulfills this and other needs.

System and methodology for providing a mobile device with a network-based intelligent resource fork


Disclosed herein is a battery module using battery cells each having an electrode assembly mounted in a battery case including a resin layer and a metal layer as unit cells, wherein each battery cell has a thin upper end, including a sealing part, which is formed at a region where electrode terminals are placed, and an impact-absorbing member is mounted at the upper end of each battery cell. The battery module according to the present invention prevents the weak upper parts of battery cells, such as electrode terminals and sealing parts, from the breakage of the battery module or the occurrence of a short circuit in the battery module due to the movement of the battery cells caused by dropping of the battery module or application of external impacts to the battery module.

Recently, a secondary battery, which can be charged and discharged, has been widely used as an energy source for wireless mobile devices. Also, the secondary battery has attracted considerable attention as an energy source for electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, which have been developed to solve problems, such as air pollution, caused by existing gasoline and diesel vehicles using fossil fuel. As a result, kinds of applications using the secondary battery are being increased owing to advantages of the secondary battery, and hereafter the secondary battery is expected to be applied to more applications and products than now.
As kinds of applications and products, to which the secondary battery is applicable, are increased, kinds of batteries are also increased such that the batteries can provide outputs and capacities corresponding to the various applications and products. Furthermore, there is a strong need to reduce the sizes and weights of the batteries applied to the corresponding applications and products.
Small-sized mobile devices, such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), digital cameras, and laptop computers, use one or several small-sized, light battery cells for each device according to the reduction in size and weight of the corresponding products. On the other hand, middle- or large-sized devices, such as electric bicycles, electric motorcycles, electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles, use a middle- or large-sized battery module (or a middle- or large-sized battery pack) having a plurality of battery cells electrically connected with each other because high output and large capacity is necessary for the middle- or large-sized devices. The size and weight of the battery module is directly related to the receiving space and output of the corresponding middle- or large-sized device. For this reason, manufacturers are trying to manufacture small-sized, light battery modules. Furthermore, devices, which are subject to a large number of external impacts and vibrations, such as electric bicycles and electric vehicles, require stable electrical connection and physical coupling between components constituting the battery module. In addition, a plurality of battery cells are used to accomplish high output and large capacity, and therefore, the safety of the battery module is regarded as important.
Based on their shapes, secondary batteries used as unit cells for such a battery module or battery pack are generally classified into a cylindrical battery, a prismatic battery, and a pouch-shaped battery. Among them, the pouch-shaped battery has attracted considerable attention since the pouch-shaped battery can be stacked with high integration, has high energy density per unit weight, is inexpensive, and can be easily modified.
The pouch-shaped battery is a battery constructed in a structure in which an electrode assembly having a cathode/separator/anode structure is mounted in a pouch-shaped battery case made of, for example, an aluminum laminate sheet while the electrode assembly is impregnated with an electrolyte in a sealed state. A representative example of the pouch-shaped battery may be a lithium-ion polymer battery (LiPB). The LiPB is a battery constructed in a structure in which cathodes, anodes, separators are joined with each other, while the separators are disposed respectively between cathodes and anodes, and the joined cathodes, anodes, and separators are impregnated with a lithium electrolyte, thereby maximally preventing the leakage of the electrolyte. Generally, the electrode assembly is manufactured by coating adhesive layers to opposite sides of the respective separators, and thermally welding the cathodes and anodes, to which active materials are applied, to the corresponding separators.
FIG. 1 typically illustrates a general structure of a representative LiPB including a stacking type electrode assembly.
Referring to FIG. 1, the LiPB 100 is constructed in a structure in which an electrode assembly 120 including cathodes, anodes, and separators disposed respectively between the cathodes and the anodes is mounted in a pouch-shaped battery case 110 in a sealed state such that two electrode leads 130 and 140 electrically connected to cathode and anode taps 122 and 124 of the electrode assembly 120 are exposed to the outside of the battery case 110.
The battery case 110 is made of a soft wrapping material, such as an aluminum laminate sheet. The battery case 110 includes a case body 112 having a hollow receiving part 111 for receiving the electrode assembly 120 and a cover 113 integrally connected to the case body 112.
The electrode assembly 120 of the LiPB 100 may be constructed in a jelly-roll type structure in addition to the stacking type structure shown in FIG. 1. The stacking type electrode assembly 120 is constructed in a structure in which the cathode taps 122 and the anode taps 124 are welded to the electrode leads 130 and 140, respectively, and insulation films 150 are attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the electrode leads 130 and 140 for securing electrical insulation and sealability between the electrode leads 130 and 140 and the battery case 110.
The LiPB 100 manufactured as described above is shown in FIG. 2. For convenience of description, the LiPB will be referred to as a battery cell.
Referring to FIG. 2, when the battery case 110 is thermally welded while the electrode assembly (not shown) is mounted in the battery case 110, sealing parts 114 and 115 are formed at the upper end and opposite sides of the battery case 110. Among them, the side sealing parts 115 are vertically bent upward such that the side sealing parts 115 are brought into tight contact with the battery cell body 116, whereby the total size of the battery case 110 is decreased. On the other hand, the upper-end sealing part 114 is not bent because the electrode leads 130 and 140 protrude from the battery case 110 through upper-end sealing part 114.
A middle- or large-sized battery module using the battery cell may be constructed in various manners. For example, one to four battery cells may be mounted in an additional member, such as a cartridge, and a plurality of cartridges may be stacked such that the cartridges are electrically connected with each other. Alternatively, a plurality of battery cells are stacked, without using additional cartridges, such that the battery cells are electrically connected with each other. The former example has an advantage in that the battery module has a structural stability but has a disadvantage in that the manufacturing costs of the battery module are high, and the size of the battery module is big. The latter example has an advantage and disadvantage directly opposite to the former example.
However, the battery cell shown in FIG. 2 has a low mechanical strength although the battery module is constructed in any structure. As a result, the battery module has a disadvantage in that the battery module including the battery cell is weak to external impacts. Especially, the upper end of the battery cell, including the electrode leads (the electrode terminals) and the sealing parts, which is indicated by a dotted-line region A of FIG. 2, is weak to dropping or external impacts. For example, the electrode terminals are connected to additional connecting members for electrical connection. When the battery cell moved toward the electrode terminals due to the dropping of the battery module or application of external impacts to the battery module, the battery cell body may be brought into contact with the connecting members or coupling members with the result that the battery case may easily break. Also, a short circuit may easily occur due to the contact between the battery cell body and the electrode terminals or the connecting members.
Consequently, there is high necessity for a measure to effectively solve the above-mentioned problems.

Middle or large-sized battery module employing impact-absorbing member


A computer includes a processor, a network communication interface controlled by the processor, and a memory accessible by the processor. Programming is stored in the memory which configures the computer as a network server to support configuration of a user interface on a mobile device for control of an appliance. The network server: 1) receives and stores registration information from the appliance, which includes an identification of the appliance and information for configuring the user interface to control the appliance, 2) receives, over a cellular network, a request from a mobile device which includes the identification of the appliance, and 3) transmits, over the cellular network, the configuration information to the mobile device which is used to configure the mobile device to display the user interface for wirelessly controlling the appliance on the mobile device.

In recent years, controlling home appliances by way of mobile devices has become increasingly popular. However, most conventional systems that implement mobile device control of home appliances are restricted in the configuration process, and cannot perform ad-hoc configuration and control.
For example, conventional systems may control a home appliance (e.g. thermostat) that is wirelessly connected to the user's home internet connection via a WiFi access point. A mobile phone of the user may then download a software application that has been specifically designed to control that specific home appliance. To control another device in the home, such as a television or set-top box (particularly if sold by a different and/or or offered from a different manufacturer), the user may need to download another software application that has been specifically designed to control that other type of home appliance. Each application provides a different configuration specific to the particular appliance or source of appliances. To the extent that each such application requires internal configuration, e.g. to allow a particular mobile device and/or user to control the thermostat or television installed in the user's particular premises from their particular mobile device, each application would require the user to configure the respective application for the user and the appliance at the user's premises.
Thus, conventional solutions implement very rigid configuration processes where specific software must be downloaded by the mobile phone in order to control an appliance configured to operate using that software. Ad-hoc configuration of mobile phones to control appliances is not possible with these systems.

Method and apparatus for controlling home appliances over LTE


A lithographic ink composition that comprises a colorant having absorbency wavelength cutoffs of about 300 nm or longer, acrylate-functional materials, and a photoinitiator that absorbs at a wavelength of 300 nm or longer is formulated with a mileage of from about 1.1 to about 1.3 grams per square meter or to reach a desired print density at 2 microns or less print layer thickness. The lithographic ink cures faster and can be printed at a faster rate, particularly when curing is to be done with an excimer light source.

Excimers are unstable, excited-state molecular complexes that occur only under extreme conditions, such as those temporarily existing in special types of gas discharge. Excimer complexes dissociate in less than a microsecond, releasing their binding energy in the form of ultraviolet radiation. The advantage of the excimer radiation as a light source for UV curing of compositions is that it provides radiation in a narrow band that can be matched to the absorbing radiation of a photoinitiator in the curing composition. In contrast, the mercury vapor lamps that often used for UV curing lithographic inks emit a broad band of ultraviolet, visible, and infrared radiation. Broadband radiation sources are problematic for plastic substrates because they tend to cause film deformation by heating the substrate.
Because excimer radiation delivers a narrow band of radiation, it is especially critical for the UV curing composition to be able to absorb a sufficient amount of energy at that wavelength to provide adequate cure. Nohr et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,265,458 describe photoinitiator selection for excimer curing. The pigment in inks interferes with light transmission, however, so that it is not only a matter of selecting an appropriate photoinitiator. It is generally thought that thinner films result in higher oxygen inhibition and a resultant decrease in the rate of cure, especially for dark colors.
To date, dark lithographic inks have been unable to provide print films sufficiently cured by excimer lamp and having the scratch resistance, overprintability, and adhesion to plastic substrates required of a commercially viable product, even though excimer lamps present a more energy efficient source of actinic radiation.


A system and method for wireless data transfer between a computer and a telephone line using a remote media interface (RMI). The computer bidirectionally transfers the data to the RMI using an infrared (IR) signal. The RMI acts as an interface between the computer and the telephone line. The wireless data transfer system of the present invention includes an IR transceiver housed on the computer and an IR transceiver housed on the RMI. The RMI includes a data access arrangement (DAA) for converting the data received from the computer into a signal suitable for transmission over the telephone line and vice versa. The RMI also includes an external data interface connected to the telephone line that receives and transmits the signal over the telephone line. A soft modem is installed on the computer whereby at least part of the soft modem uses software to perform the function of a digital signal processor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to data communications peripherals and more particularly to a system and a method for wireless data transfer between a computer and a telephone line using a remote media interface.
2. Background Art
Data communications peripherals such as modems are important and ubiquitous devices that allow a computer to transmit and receive data over telephone lines. Data may include text, sounds, images and video. The word xe2x80x9cmodemxe2x80x9d is a concatenation of modulator and demodulator. In general, a modem operates by taking a digital data stream and converting the digital data into a modulated analog signal for transmission over the telephone line. Because most telephone lines are designed to transmit only analog information the modulator in the modem ensures that the modulated analog signal conforms to the voice-like signal requirements of the telephone line. The demodulator is a complementary device that converts the modulated analog signal into a digital data stream.
A typical modem is made up of a several components that are used for both transmission and reception. For example, the transmission of data over a telephone line begins in data terminal equipment (DTE). The DTE, which is an interface between the computer and the modem, converts user input into digital data streams for transmission and vice versa. The DTE includes control logic, buffer and one or more input and output devices to the computer and essentially controls the flow of data in or out of the computer.
The digital data stream from the DTE then flows into the digital signal processor (DSP). The DSP, also known as a data pump, contains signal processing algorithms that manipulate and convert the digital data from a digital data stream into a modulated analog signal and vice versa. A controller, which is generally a microprocessor having storage media, is used for control, buffering and processing by the DTE and DSP.
After processing by the DSP the modulated analog signal is received by a data access arrangement (DAA). The DAA is data communications equipment that is furnished or approved by a common carrier (for example, a telephone company) that permits the attachment of privately owned data terminal and communications equipment to the common carrier""s network. Typically the DAA is an impedance matching device that acts as an electrical interface converter to convert the modulated analog signal into a signal compatible with local telephone lines. In addition, the DAA contains protection circuitry to safeguard the modem components from damage by the telephone line and vice versa. Because the DAA is the interface between the user""s computer and the common carrier""s network the DAA is usually the only part of the modem subject to government regulation. The DAA must meet the local requirements and regulations before it can be certified for use in the modem.
Electrical power required to operate the modem components generally comes from the computer""s power supply, battery or AC outlet. Each modem component requires some electrical power and any reduction in the number of modem components helps to decrease the power drain on the computer""s electrical power source.
The data transmission is completed by sending the modulated analog signal from the DAA to the telephone line using, for example, a registered jack-11 (RJ-11) connector. When data is received from the telephone line the flow through these modem components is reversed and the modem demodulates the incoming modulated analog signal into digital data.
Traditionally these modem components have been hardware. But the steadily increasing microprocessing power of computers has made possible the use of software to perform the functions of most modem components. These soft modems, as they are known, provide numerous advantages over the conventional hardware modems. One advantage of a soft modem is that the majority of hardware associated with a modem are eliminated making the soft modem less complicated, more economical and more reliable. Another advantage of a soft modem is that feature updates and bug fixes can be provided by simply downloading patches from a bulletin board service (BBS) or the worldwide web (WWW), thus eliminating the inconvenience of having to update the flash memory on the printed circuit board of the modem. Soft modems also decrease the drain on the computer""s electrical power source because some hardware components are eliminated. In a true soft modem the DSP components of the modem are all software and the controller functions are performed by the computer""s central processing unit (CPU). Because the DAA is an impedance matching device and contains protection circuitry, however, the DAA must be hardware.
This requirement that the DAA must be hardware also simplifies the regulatory and certification process of the modem. With a soft modem, the manufacturer can concentrate on configuring the DAA to meet the local regulations without involving other modem components. Moreover, the regulatory and certification process is simplified because the DAA by itself has a ringer equivalent number (REN) equal to one. The REN is a measure of how much power a device draws from the telephone line, and the DAA has a REN equal to other devices such as telephones, fax machines and answering machines.
One disadvantage of existing conventional and soft modems is that, as mentioned above, the DAA must be hardware and thus still requires electrical power to operate. When the modem is located on a portable computer such as, for example, a notebook computer or a personal digital assistant (PDA), this power consumption by the DAA can severely drain and shorten battery life. In a personal computer (PC) or any host computer (HC) this power consumption by the DAA can lead to higher operating temperatures and can impose additional cooling requirements that increase the cost, the complexity and the size of the computer.
Another disadvantage of existing modems is that they must be xe2x80x9ctetheredxe2x80x9d to telephone line by a telephone cable. This tethering severely restricts the portability of all types of computers, especially the conventional PC and the portable computers. For example, is it quite difficult to relocate the computer any more than a short distance from the telephone jack because of this tethering requirement. For these reasons there exists a need for a modem that retains all the advantages of a soft modem while reducing the power burden and eliminating the tethering restrictions on the computer.
To overcome the limitations in the prior art as described above and other limitations that will become apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, the present invention includes a system and method for wireless data transfer between a computer and a telephone line using a remote media interface (RMI). The system and method of the present invention require less power from the computer and are not connected by cables to the computer. As a result battery life of a portable computer is greatly increased (because less power is drawn from the computer) and the portability of a desktop computer is enhanced (because there is no cabling between the computer and the telephone line). Current modems draw a great deal of power from the computer which significantly shortens a portable computer""s battery life. In addition, current modems require cabling between the computer and the telephone line which severely restricts the computer""s portability.
The system of the present invention includes a remote media interface (RMI) for transferring data between a computer and a telephone line. The RMI and the computer are physically separate and in bi-directional wireless communication using infrared (IR) transceivers. In a preferred embodiment, the majority of modem components are located in the computer (either as hardware or software) and the only modem component included in the RMI is a data access arrangement (DAA) and possibly a codec. The DAA converts data from the computer (such data in digital form) into a signal that can be transmitted over the telephone lines. The DAA requires electrical power to operate and locating the DAA off the computer eliminates this power burden from the computer. The RMI can be located near an electrical outlet and a telephone jack while the computer can be located virtually anywhere within the range of the IR transceiver. The telephone cable between the computer and the telephone jack is completely eliminated and vastly enhances the portability of the computer.
The present invention also includes a method of wireless transfer of data between a computer and a telephone line using the RMI and the wireless data transfer system. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention as well as a more complete understanding thereof will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention. Moreover, it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited by the claims and not the preceding summary or the following detailed description.

Wireless data transfer using a remote media interface


To provide a drive switching mechanism for a vehicle which allows the number of parts to be reduced by simplifying the structure for 2WD/4WD switching and differential lock switching. In a drive switching mechanism for a vehicle which enables 2WD/4WD switching and differential lock switching to be effected by a single operating lever, a flange is supported on the body side so as to be pivotable in one direction, the operating lever is coupled to the flange and the flange is pivoted in the one direction, and the operating lever is supported so as to be pivotable in the other direction different from the one direction, the operating lever being operated in the one direction or the other direction to enable the 2WD/4WD switching and the differential lock switching.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drive switching mechanism for a vehicle which enables 2WD/4WD switching as well as differential lock switching.
2. Description of Background Art
A drive switching mechanism for a vehicle which enables 2WD/4WD switching and differential lock switching to be effected by a single operating lever is commonly known. See, for example, JP-B No. S62-046376. In the drive switching mechanism of this type, an operating mechanism for 2WD/4WD switching and an operating mechanism for differential lock switching are separately provided, these operating mechanisms are coupled together by a coupling mechanism, and a single operating lever is coupled to this coupling mechanism to perform 2WD/4WD switching and differential lock switching.
In the construction according to the related art, however, problems are involved wherein although a single operating lever is used, the presence of two operating mechanisms leads to an increased complexity of the structure and an increased number of parts. Further, in the construction according to the related art, since the operating lever is operated in a single direction, the 2WD/4WD switching and differential lock switching positions are present within that single direction. In this case, to ensure reliable operation, it is necessary to provide a positioning member or the like separately, which leads to such problems as the increased number of parts.


A specifying portion 371 for specifying a favorite content list of other user “U” indicating same contents as those indicated by a favorite content list D_t1 of a user U_A among a plurality of favorite content lists D_t respectively indicating contents favored by respective users “U” defined by corresponding to the respective users “U”; and a recommendation list generation portion 372 for ranking based on number of respective contents indicated by the favorite content lists D_t of other users by using the favorite content list D_t1 and a favorite content lists of other users “U”, and generating a recommendation content list D_r1; are provided.

For example, a data processing apparatus for providing contents, etc. that fit user's favorites based on data indicating attributes of a user (user's attributes), such as operation history of the user, has been known.
The above data processing apparatus takes account only of the user's own attributes, such as operation history, but not all favorites of the user can be perceived by the user's own attributes. Thus, those taking account of, for example, latent favorites other than user's attributes are desired.

Program, data processing method and data processing apparatus


System and method that can monitor pulse rate and passively produce a blood pressure measurement and automatically log the data for the user. Additionally, coupling to the Internet or Information Systems expands the options for the early detection of diseases, based on sudden detected changes and trend analyses, and the successful treatment of these patients while reducing the high costs associated with invasive procedures and in-hospital care.

Hypertension is a major risk factor that contributes to more than 625,000 fatal heart attacks and strokes each year in this country alone. Left untreated, high blood pressure can also lead to kidney and heart failure. With nearly 76 million baby boomers now approaching mid-life and beyond the numbers will continue to rise. It is well known that high blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, which are the first and third leading causes of death for Americans. Based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III [NHANES III, 1988-91], Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center for Health Statistics about 50 million Americans aged 60 and older have high blood pressure (or hypertension). In fact, one in five Americans (and one in four adults) has high blood pressure and 31.6 percent of hypertensives are undiagnosed. It has been demonstrated that early detection and intervention results in dramatic reductions in mortality and morbidity in hypertensive subjects.
The NIH describes congestive heart failure as the "new epidemic." Over 4.8 million individuals in the USA are diagnosed with congestive heart failure, with 400,000-700,000 new cases reported each year. Within the next 5 years, 20 million Americans will discover symptoms that are early warning signs for impending congestive heart failure including increased blood pressure. An estimated 10 million persons have diabetes in USA. Diabetes puts patients at a high blood pressure, heart disease, circulatory problems, and vision problems. In diabetics, blood pressure control can help reduce long-term complications. Thus, there are many groups that can benefit from the use of passive, on-demand blood pressure measurements.
Most doctors will diagnose a person with high blood pressure on the basis of two or more pressure readings taken from the brachial artery over several office visits. For patients with disparate readings, home monitoring is the method of choice and is now reimbursed by health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Home monitoring of blood pressure has certain advantages; it will avoid what is sometimes termed "white-coat hypertension" or elevated pressures due to nervousness in a doctor's office, and home monitoring of blood pressure will provide more accurate temporal measurements. Blood pressure can be measured using a variety of methods including mercury sphygmomanometer (the current gold standard), electronic blood pressure monitors, and by calculating blood pressure from mathematical transformations of pulse waves. For continuous blood pressure measurements, an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring device is employed. This device is usually worn for 24 hours and can take blood pressure at pre-programmed intervals (usually every 30 minutes). An ambulatory blood pressure device must be worn on the arm throughout the entire diagnostic period, which can be an inconvenience. Conventional blood pressure monitors have other disadvantages in that they are bulky, may cause hazardous mercury spills, and may be difficult to use by elder adults or the cognitively impaired. Furthermore, there is low patient compliance with taking blood pressure measurements regularly at home, due to the aforementioned disadvantages and/ or inconveniences.
The ability to measure blood pressure and other vital signs, such pulse rate; weight; and body mass index (BMI), and percent body fat during the time it takes for a typical morning weight check, and then automatically store the information in a database for continuous analysis could have a beneficial effect on the early detection of disease.

System and method for passive monitoring of blood pressure and pulse rate

University of Virginia Patent Foundation


A computer implemented method for providing communication between a secured client computer and a remote computer. There is provided a client computer that includes peripheral components. Each peripheral component is configured, by a processor, to process a corresponding peripheral component data of a data type that is not compatible with peripheral component data types processed by a processor of other peripheral components. The processor of each peripheral component is further configured to code the corresponding data of the specified data type. Each peripheral component is configured, by the processor, to establish a secured peer-to-peer communication channel between the peripheral component and the remote computer that is authorized to communicate with the client computer, and is further configured to code data that is communicated between the authorized remote computer and the peripheral component through the secured communication channel. The coded data being indecryptable by the processors of other of the peripheral components.

The ever-increasing usage of cloud-based services has increased the challenge of secured client computers (e.g. remote desktop, laptop, cellular phone and so forth) operating vis-à-vis the remote server (which may reside in the cloud) for achieving both transport security (such as a secured tunnel) and payload security (namely the content transmitted to and from the client computer and the remote server). In order to reduce or eliminate compromising of the client computer (which may adversely affect the transport security and/or the payload security), various approaches have been presented.
For instance, client computers that incorporate Intel® Skylake™ as well as later-introduced platforms, utilize the "Intel Software Guard Extension" (SGX)™ solution which is a new mode of execution of the CPU that creates an enclaved secured environment that can co-exist and co-execute with other codes such as untrusted OS (Open Source) code. The enclaved secured environment will maintain a high level of security, even if peripheral components of the client computer (such as keyboard, screen, camera and so forth) are compromised.
One of the limitations of the specified SGX™ solution is that it operates only with a given specific vendor and platform version.


An apparatus and method for controlling registration of a mobile identification number (MIN) of a mobile communication terminal. A memory stores a table in which MIN groups uniquely assigned to common carriers are stored, and a MIN of a mobile communication terminal. An input device inputs a MIN to be stored in the memory. If the MIN stored in the memory is a default MIN, a controller replaces the MIN stored in the memory with the MIN input from the input device. If the MIN stored in the memory is not the default MIN and the input MIN belongs to a MIN group assigned to a common carrier corresponding to the stored MIN, the controller replaces the stored MIN with the input MIN.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mobile identification number (MIN) of a mobile communication terminal, and in particular, to an apparatus and method for controlling registration of a MIN of a mobile communication terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Common carriers (mobile communication service providers) assign a unique mobile identification number (MIN) to each subscriber, and mobile communication terminal manufacturers assign a unique electronic serial number (ESN) to each mobile terminal. The MIN is a 10-digit number and its numbering system mirrors the phone numbering system for wire subscribers. The MIN is divided into MIN1 and MIN2. The MIN2 is a number assigned to each common carrier, such as 011, 016, 017, and 019, while the MIN1 is a serial number (normally comprised of 7 digits) assigned to each subscriber. The ESN is an identifier (ID) uniquely assigned to each mobile terminal and is used for call processing. The ESN is comprised of 32 bits and its 8 most significant bits (MSB) are designated for a manufacturer's identification number. The MIN can be changed by the common carrier. However, the 32-bit ESN cannot be changed once assigned.
In general, once a subscriber subscribes to a communication service, a MN is assigned to the subscriber, and the assigned MIN and ESN of the mobile communication terminal are stored together in a subscriber database of the corresponding common carrier. Whenever a call is attempted, the subscriber is authenticated using the ESN and MN in the database.
In further detail, for subscriber communication, the mobile communication terminal detects a signaling channel with a base station, tunes to the signaling channel and sends its hexadecimal ESN to the base station in response to subscriber dialing. The base station receives the MN and ESN from the mobile communication terminal and transmits them to a mobile switching center (MSC). The mobile switching center compares the received MIN and ESN with those stored in the subscriber database for authentication. If the mobile switching center identifies the subscriber as an authorized subscriber, it establishes a call over a public switched telephone network or a mobile phone network and assigns a voice channel to form a speech path.
Due to high mobility provided by mobile communication services adopting the cellular concept, the demand for mobile communication service is increasing exponentially. With this, the number of incidents of mobile communication identity theft—where someone illegally copies and uses a phone number—increases as well.
Manufacturers of mobile communication terminals record the ESN for each terminal in a read only memory (ROM) embedded in the mobile communication terminal during manufacture at the factory. After purchasing the mobile communication terminal, the user submits a subscription request to a common carrier and is assigned a MIN. From that point on, the common carrier allows the user (mobile phone subscriber) to use the mobile communication terminal (mobile phone).
In some countries, the mobile communication terminals are sold at below production cost to attract more subscribers. As a result, some dealers or users buy terminals at these low prices, register the mobile communication terminals, and then resell them on the black market. The black market users then subscribe to a mobile communication service provided by another common carrier in the same or another country.
To obviate the problem, companies that develop and sell mobile communication terminals create and provide a MIN lock feature for each country and each common carrier. However, if a mobile communication terminal has a MIN lock feature for each country and each common carrier, when the user registers an initial common carrier to the mobile communication terminal, only a common carrier corresponding to a predetermined MIN group can be registered. In other words, a common carrier having a different MIN group from the predetermined MIN group cannot be registered. Therefore, when the user registers the initial common carrier, the user cannot freely select a common carrier he/she wants.

Apparatus and method for controlling registration of mobile identification number of mobile communication terminals


A multiplexer circuit for multiplexing several clock signals is controlled by at least one selection signal, and includes for each clock signal a respective delay module producing a delayed clock signal taking the value of the clock signal in response to the appearance of a predetermined switching level of the clock signal while the selection signal is in a first state and no busy signal is then present, and interrupting the delayed clock signal in response to the appearance of the switching level if the selection signal is then in a second state. The busy signal is produced whenever any of the delay module is producing a delayed clock signal, and an output signal is derived from the delayed clock signal.

In electronic equipment provided with a plurality of clocks, provision is sometimes made to use some of these clocks in succession on the same component, e.g. for the purpose of reducing energy consumption or for synchronizing its operation with the operation of other components. It is therefore necessary to use a clock signal multiplexing circuit whose output signal satisfies the usual specifications for clock signals, and in particular a minimum duration for each high level and for each low level.
Multiplexers of the conventional type in which the output signal is switched from a first input signal to a second input signal as soon as the selection signal specifies a changeover cannot satisfy this condition. The switching may take place after a shorter period than that specified since the previous level change in the first input signal. It may also take place at a shorter period than that specified before a level change in the second input signal.
It is now known from the patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,351 and from the patent application EP 0 254 406 to provide means for ensuring that the output signal satisfies these constraints on minimum duration. However, the switchover from a first input signal to a second input signal takes place only after a relatively long delay. Further, given the way the circuits described in the above-mentioned documents are controlled, they are ill-suited to cases where the number of input signals is greater than two.
An object of the present invention is thus to provide a clock signal multiplexing circuit in which the switching time between the switching request conveyed by the selection signal and the effective switchover to the second input signal depends solely on the frequencies of the first and second input signals, and is minimal given the above duration constraints.
The invention is applicable regardless of the number of clocks; moreover, the clocks need have no a priori phase or frequency relationship with each other or with the selection signal.