Disclosed are compositions comprising, (a) a propylene polymer material grafted in the solid state with (i) styrenic polymer and further comprising (ii) ungrafted styrenic polymer, and, optionally (iii) a vinyl comonomer and when the optional vinyl comonomer is used, (iv) styrenic-vinyl copolymer; and (b) glass fibers treated with an organic silane compound; and optionally (c) at least one rubber polymer component comprising (1) from about 0 to 100% of at least one of (i) monoalkenyl aromatic hydrocarbon-conjugated diene block copolymers, (ii) hydrogenated products of (i), or (iii) mixtures of (i) and (ii); and (2) from about 100 to 0% of an olefin copolymer rubber; and (d) a coupling agent for the glass fibers and propylene polymer material plus said rubber polymer. The compositions exhibit a preferred balance of stiffness and impact strength at moderate cost and exhibit excellent surface qualities, making them particularly useful in molded parts.

Glass fibers are the largest volume reinforcing material for thermoplastics. The particular advantage of reinforcing with glass fibers is the potential for imparting further strength and rigidity to obtain relatively high modulus in combination with improved impact properties. Utilizing relatively short glass fibers permits the use of extrusion and injection molding processes typically used in the thermoplastics industry. Glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic compositions are used in a variety of applications, including athletic equipment, household products, batteries, pump housings, etc. Glass fiber reinforced polypropylene is a commercially available product (e.g., HiGlass, HIMONT U.S.A., Inc.) which has superior stiffness, heat resistance, etc. compared to unfilled polypropylene. However, further improvements are desired to provide improvements in physical properties to a level approaching the more expensive engineering thermoplastic resins.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,369 discloses glass fiber filled, grafted polypropylene compositions in which the grafting reaction is limited to a solution process and the use of a neutralizing agent for catalyst residues is required. It is taught that where a radically polymerizable unsaturated compound is graft polymerized onto crystalline polypropylene in a process which heat-treats by means of an extruder or Banbury mixer, the radically polymerizable compound remains in a large quantity, whereby the resulting composition is colored and poor with regard to improving stiffness and impact properties.
A modified polypropylene, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,974 as useful in blends with e.g., polyesters (col. 12, lines 57-59), polyamides or nylons (col. 13, lines 2-4) and polycarbonates (col. 13, line 6), contains as the essential modifier for the polypropylene a graft copolymer of a methacrylic ester, e.g., methyl methacrylate and can include an acrylic or styrenic monomer copolymerizable with the ester, including glycidyl methacrylate (col. 7, line 68).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,543 (Matsuno et al.) discloses glass fiber filled crystalline propylene-ethylene block copolymer compositions and including 15 to 20 weight % ethylene-propylene copolymer rubber useful as a vehicular instrument panel wherein at least a part of the block copolymer is modified with a modifying agent selected from an unsaturated organic acid (such as acrylic acid or maleic acid anhydride) or a derivative of an unsaturated organic acid (col. 2, lines 64-68). Concentration and dimensional limitations for the components are also specified including the modifying agent (0.01 to 5 weight % of the block copolymer, col. 3, lines 3-7); glass fibers are specified such that each fiber has an average diameter of 10 microns (col. 3, lines 35-40); and melt flow rate of the copolymer is within the range of 5 to 10 g/10 minutes (col. 3, lines 10-15). Furthermore, the rubber component is narrowly specified as having a Mooney viscosity (ML 1+4 @100.degree. C.) of not lower than 13 or greater than 19 (col. 3, lines 59-66) and useful in the blend in the concentration range of 15 to 20 weight % (col. 4, lines 53-59). A method of modifying the propylene-ethylene block copolymer is not disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,647 (Ueno et al.) discloses compositions which include a modified ethylene-propylene block copolymer modified with an unsaturated acid or their anhydride or an organosilane in the presence of an organic peroxide as well as blends of modified and unmodified polypropylene (col. 2, lines 47-61); the ethylene content must be at least 2% and no more than 30% by weight. Furthermore, it is disclosed that the amount of modifier is limited to 0.01 to 3 parts by weight per hundred parts by weight of the crystalline ethylene-propylene block copolymer to be modified. Additionally, there is included in the composition 3 to 20% by weight of an ethylene-propylene rubber, 2 to 12% by weight of a glass fiber and there is required to be present, 15 to 35% by weight of mica with a specified average particle diameter and aspect ratio (col. 3, line 60 to col. 4, line 60). The glass fiber length is specified as in the range of 2 to 15 mm (col. 4, lines 14-18).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,558 (DeNicola et al.) discloses compositions of a styrene polymer grafted onto a propylene polymer material and a rubber component. In a preferred method, the grafted copolymer is prepared by grafting in the presence of a free radical polymerization initiator (col. 5, line 33). It is also disclosed that various fillers and reinforcing agents, including carbon black and glass fibers, may be included in the composition at concentration levels up to about 80 parts by weight based on the total weight of graft polymer and rubber component (col. 6, lines 63-68).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,682 (Nomura et al.) discloses glass fiber reinforced polyolefin resin composition comprising polypropylene, polybutene-1 and glass fiber; 0.01 to 3 parts by weight of a crystal nucleating agent; and optionally, there is included up to 5 parts by weight of polyolefin modified with an unsaturated carboxylic acid derivative per 100 parts by weight of the resin composition (Abstract and Claims). It is also disclosed that the modified polyolefins include polyethylene, polypropylene and ethylene-propylene copolymer which are modified with unsaturated carboxylic acids, unsaturated carboxylic acid derivatives, chlorine and vinyl silane. A melt kneading process utilizing a peroxide is described for modifying the polyolefin. The required crystal nucleating agents are described in detail (col. 4, line 37 to col. 9, line 39). It is stated that polybutene-1 in the specified amount is "essential" for obtaining the object of the invention, as is the specified amount of crystal nucleating agent (col. 15, lines 8-24).

Glass fiber reinforced composition of propylene polymer grafted with styrenic monomer and containing styrenic polymer


A display device generates a combined display that is viewable by the driver of a vehicle. The combined display may be composed of a plurality of displays, wherein one or more overlaying displays appear partially or completely in front of a first display, each overlaying display having an opaque portion that conveys information and a substantially transparent portion through which the first display is viewable. One or more monitors may generate the first display and overlaying displays. A monitor may be divided into multiple screens to generate a plurality of the displays. A screen that generates the first display may be directly viewable by the driver, while the screens the generate the overlaying displays may be outside the driver's line of sight. The display device may include one or more reflecting surfaces and one or more refracting surfaces for directing the overlaying displays into the driver's line of sight.

Modern vehicles are capable of monitoring an ever-growing amount of information. The ability to display this information in a way for a driver to easily view and interpret can be difficult. In particular, maps and directions in current vehicles are often displayed by flat-screen displays positioned in front of or to the side of the driver. These displays can be built into the vehicle's dashboard or can include separate displays that are mounted to the vehicle's dashboard or front windshield. To provide for safe operation of the vehicle, it is important that the information presented on these displays be easily viewed and understood by a driver.
When a person looks at a physical map and scenery, his or her natural instinct is to hold the map in front of him while tilting the map to be somewhat parallel to the ground. By positioning the map in this manner, the person can more easily relate the information presented on the map to the user's surroundings. Similarly, in the case of portable navigation systems, a driver can physically tilt or slant the display to achieve a tilted view of the displayed map. Some navigation devices can depict two- or three-dimensional street-level maps that mimic a tilted viewing angle. This is achieved by virtually tilting the map within the device's display to simulate depth.
Unfortunately, these devices are generally limited to a single viewing angle, based either on the physical tilt angle of the display screen, or the simulated virtual tilt angle of the map. As such, it is difficult to use these devices to convey additional important driving information, such as distance to destination, vehicle speed, and other gauge values, which should be substantially orthogonal to the driver's viewing angle to allow the driver to read the information.


A high-speed programmable serial port having a finite state machine, a clock generator capable of controlling shifting of bits from a shift register and a shift register having a bit counter capable of maintaining a numbered count of data bits in a serial output. The clock generator and shift register reduce the burdens on a finite state machine, thus improving data throughput and the ability to provided data according to a multitude of data protocols.

Many serial port arrangements are known in the field of electronic circuits and data communications. For example, arrangements include static serial ports for transmitting and receiving data of a selected serial communications protocol (e.g., Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART) devices), and configurable serial ports (e.g., microprocessors with software controlled serial ports). Configurable serial ports provide the possibility of servicing a multiplicity of protocols with a single serial port device. Static and configurable serial ports are used for a wide range of applications, including communication with display devices, communication with modems, and serving as a universal system connector (USC).
Numerous serial communications protocols (also referred to herein as protocols) have been promulgated (e.g., to name a few, UART, I2C, HC11, IrDa), each defining specific parameters under which serial bits of data are communicated between serial ports. The parameters defining a protocol may include factors such as the timing of bits received or transmitted, electrical parameters (e.g., signal polarity, line driver characteristics, such as open-source or open collector output impedances, etc.), and logical definitions of bit meanings and sequences and sequences.
One example of a configurable serial port is provided by the Motorola M68HC11 family of microcontrollers, which include a programmable serial port known in the art as the Motorola Synchronous Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI). Such serial interfaces may be disadvantageous for several reasons. For example, the processor must execute a software program to control the serial port, and all data bits to be sent over signal paths pass through the processor, thus loading the processor, beyond whatever load is imposed on the processor as the processor performs the tasks for which it is otherwise employed. Also, because the serial hardware is a power-consuming part of the processor, additional power is consumed whenever the processor is executing a software program even if the serial port is inactive.
As an alternative to microcontroller-controlled programmable serial ports, programmable serial ports implementing a finite state machine have been developed to off-load from the processor the burden of having to control many aspects of the serial port. An example of such a programmable serial port is given in U. S. patent application entitled GENERIC SERIAL PORT ARCHITECTURE AND SYSTEM, Ser. No. 09/706,450, by Sorenson, filed Nov. 3, 2000.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of such a programmable serial port 100. In FIG. 1, when operating in transmit mode, a shift register 110 receives a parallel set of data bits on channels 102 from a buffer 120 and outputs the bits as a serial output on channel 104 (via a driver 180) under the control of a finite state machine (FSM) 120. Conversely, when operating in a receive mode, shift register 110 receives a serial input on channel 104 and outputs a parallel set of data bits on channels 102.
The phrase "finite state machine" is defined herein to be any device that stores an existing status (e.g., a program counter and a plurality of other registers) and upon receiving an input (e.g., an instruction or command), changes to a new status and/or causes a deterministic action or output to take place in response to the existing status and the input. While FSMs may not include an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) or other circuits conventionally associated with microprocessors, the term FSM as defined herein does not exclude devices including such circuitry or elements.
In programmable serial port 100, instructions corresponding to rules for implementing two or more protocols are stored in a memory 130. Using the instructions from memory 130, FSM 120 executes instructions corresponding to a protocol selected by controller 150 to provide an output according to the specified protocol on channel 104. A bit counter 170 provides the FSM 120 with a numbered count of bits transferred, to facilitate providing an output according to the selected protocol, as the processing of a bit frequently depends on the position in either the parallel channels 102 or the received or transmitted serial bit stream on channel 102. Typically an output is directed through a driver 180 to provide an output having (or compatible with) specific electrical parameters. In conventional FSM-based programmable serial ports (e.g., programmable serial port 100), execution of instructions to provide an output according to a selected protocol requires that FSM 120 receive a clock pulse from clock generator 160 and provide a clock signal to shift register 110 to control output of each bit from shift register 110 to channel 104 or buffer 120, as the case may be, and requires that the FSM maintain and process a bit count provided by a bit counter 170.
Providing an output according to a selected protocol requires that an output be provided at specified times. For example, in some protocols, an output on channel 104 must occur within aspecified time period following receipt of a timing signal (e.g., a rising edge on a channel 190) by programmable serial port 100. Because the time interval between receiving the clock signal and providing the output may be very short, an instruction set to achieve an output must be capable of short execution times or the serial port may have inadequate data output speed, and in some instances may be prohibited from serving some output protocols.
FIG. 2 is a flow chart 200 of a typical set of instructions for a conventional programmable serial port to achieve a standard output (e.g., a UART-compatible output). At step 205, the FSM waits for an indication that the shift register is full of data (i.e., a parallel set of data). At step 210, the FSM loads the driver with a start state (e.g., logic value one or zero). At step 220, the FSM initializes the bit counter (e.g. an initial bit count is loaded). At step 240, the FSM identifies the lines of code that define the loop by which data is shifted from the shift register. The first data bit is sent and maintained for as many clock cycles as necessary for the protocol, and the bit counter is decremented by the FSM at steps 250 and 260, respectively. Subsequent data bits are sent and the bit counter is decremented by the FSM (step 270), until the bit counter reaches zero. After all data bits are sent, the FSM causes a parity bit to be sent at step 280. Finally, the driver is set to a stop state at step 290.
One method of achieving faster execution time is to increase the clock rate at which the FSM executes instructions such that a greater number of instructions are executed in a given time interval (e.g., the time interval between a timing signal and commencement of outputting of serial data bits); however, a faster clock rate may require faster and more expensive electronic components. Additionally, a faster clock rate may require an increased power expenditure. Accordingly, a programmable serial port is needed which is able to receive and process any necessary inputs (e.g., timing signals) and provide any necessary outputs at a relatively high speed, while maintaining a relatively low clock speed. Additionally, a programmable serial port is needed which is capable of providing outputs and accepting inputs according to a wide variety of protocols.

Generic architecture and system for a programmable serial port having a shift register and state machine therein


A compact selectable AC/DC coaxial coupling having a cylindrical signal coupling capacitor disposed within a section of coaxial transmission line. Inner and outer plates of the capacitor are electrically connected to an external connector and the center conductor of the transmission line, respectively. A radially biased conductive collet or a conductive mesh axially disposed on the center conductor is biased into and out of contact with the inner plate of the capacitor to enable or disable DC coupling. Alternatively, a resilient contact member is displaced through an externally accessible actuating rod to connect the center conductor to the inner plate of the capacitor. The integral nature of these switching mechanisms within a coaxial environment provides both low insertion losses and continuous impedance matching.

The practice of selectably coupling a signal in either DC or AC modes is important in such fields as electrical testing apparatus. A basic AC or DC coupling selection circuit includes a capacitor connected in parallel with a conventional SPST switch. When the switch is open, AC current flows through the capacitor while DC current flow is blocked by the capacitor. Conversely, when the switch is closed, both DC and AC current flow through the switch, bypassing the capacitor.
However, simple circuit embodiments of a selectable AC/DC coupler are impractical in most high frequency environments. Typical implementation of the simple capacitor-switch circuit has been attained by utilizing commercially available components and hooking them together conventionally by using printed circuit boards or other modular techniques. Such circuits are often unwieldy, and suffer high insertion losses when utilized within precision environments requiring shielded transmission lines such as coaxial cables. In particular, the transition from signal source to coupler and from coupler to a reception point of interest invariably creates impedance mismatching which can give rise to significant standing wave problems. Also, variations in the positions of switches can affect the electrical properties of the coupler. Movement of the switch has an affect on the field thus altering the characteristic impedance of the coupler.

Selectable AC or DC coupling for coaxial transmission lines


Poly(ester-ethers) are produced by the copolymerization of tetrahydrofurans and cyclic carboxylic anhydrides using selected metal perfluoroalkylsulfonates and related compounds as catalysts. The resulting copolymers are useful as intermediates for monomers for use in other polymerizations.

Copolymers of tetrahydrofuran and cyclic anhydrides are known in the art. These polymers were made with the use of a Lewis acid catalyst such as an organoaluminum compound or an onium compound, optionally in the presence of a cocatalyst, see for example J. Habermeier, et al., J. Polym. Sci., Part C, p. 2131-2141 (1967). No mention is made in this paper of metal perfluoroalkylsulfonates as catalysts.
S. L. Borkowsky, et al., Organometal., vol. 10, p. 1268-1274 (1991) report that certain zirconium complexes can initiate the polymerization of tetrahydrofuran. No mention is made of zirconium perfluoroalkylsulfonates, or of copolymers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,842,019 describes the polymerization of oxiranes and other small ring compounds by a presumed cationic mechanism, using as the catalyst the decomposition products of metal perfluoroalkyl sulfonates. These catalysts are described as "latent", that is no reaction occurs until the metal salt is decomposed. The reactions reported are relatively slow, even at elevated temperatures.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,084,586 and 5,124,417 describe the cationic polymerization of various monomers, including cyclic ethers, using onium cations, whose corresponding anions are fluororalkylsulfatometallates. Onium ion catalyzed cationic polymerizations are well known, and there is no mention in these patents of the use of metal salts not containing onium ions, such as metal triflates, as catalysts for the polymerization of cyclic ethers.
German Patent application 2,459,163 describes the polymerization of THF using a combination of ferric chloride and carboxylic anhydride as catalyst.
G. A. Olah, et al., J. Appl. Polym. Sci., Vol. 45, 1355-1360 (1992) describe the use of boron, aluminum and gallium tristriflate to catalyze the polymerization of THF.

Copolymerization of tetrahydrofurans and cyclic anhydrides


A data protection method for an electronic device having a storage medium is provided, wherein the storage medium includes a plurality of partitions and a partition table. In the data protection method, a partition entry point and a partition data corresponding to the specific partition are captured and sent to an external storage device when the electronic device enters a shutdown process. Then, the partition entry point is deleted from the partition table and the partition data is removed from the storage medium. When the electronic device is turned on, a user has to provide the corresponding external storage device to restore the partition entry point and the partition data back to the storage medium. Thereby, personal data stored in the storage medium is protected and accordingly data security is ensured.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a data protection method, and more particularly, to a data protection method for protecting personal data when a same electronic device is shared by multiple users.
2. Description of Related Art
Along with the development of technologies and the widespread of computer systems, more and more people use computer systems to process documents, browse the Internet, play audio/video files, or store data, and accordingly computer systems have become one of the most indispensable tools in our daily life. Various mechanisms for preventing others from viewing or using data stored in a computer system have been developed in order to protect the privacy of users of the computer system.
Generally speaking, a user can set up a hard disk password for protecting the data stored in a hard disk. The user can enter the basic input/output system (BIOS) when a computer system boots up and selects the corresponding menu item to set the hard disk password. The password set by the user is sent as a packet to a hard disk controller, and the computer system will require the user to enter this password when next time the computer system is turned on. The user can only access the data stored in the hard disk when he/she enters a correct password. If the user does not enter a correct password, the hard disk is then locked and accordingly the computer system cannot read any data stored in the hard disk.
Data protection becomes more important when a same computer system is shared by multiple users. To prevent others from opening, altering, or even deleting personal files, a file security mechanism is provided by an operating system and this file security mechanism allows each user to access only part of the data. When a user is about to use a computer system, the user has to input a personal password to be authorized to access the hard disk. For example, three users A, B, and C share a computer system, namely, all the personal data of these three users is stored in the hard disk of the computer system. FIG. 1 is a diagram of a file system of the computer system. As shown in FIG. 1, the file system 100 has a tree structure, wherein the root directory 110 of the file system 100 includes a shared directory 120, a directory A 130, a directory B 140, and a directory C 150, and foregoing four directories respectively include a plurality of directories and/or files. When the user A logs into the computer system with his/her password, the user A can only see and access the directories and/or file in the directory A 130 and the shared directory 120. Similarly, when the users B and C log into the computer system, they cannot see or access the directories and/or files in the directories exclusive to the other users. In other words, even though the data of all the users is stored in the hard disk, a user logged into the computer system can only access the data stored in specific directories.


Receiver for receiving a received signal with a carrier frequency loop (18) which generates a carrier frequency deviation detection signal (TF) for detecting a carrier frequency of the received signal in a first carrier frequency capture range; a carrier phase loop (32) which generates a carrier phase deviation detection signal (TP) for detecting a carrier phase of the received signal, and settles when the carrier frequency deviation detection signal (TF) is within a second carrier frequency capture range; and with an offset control circuit (29) which changes the carrier frequency deviation detection signal (TF) and/or changes the second carrier frequency capture range by means of an offset control signal until a carrier phase lock detection circuit (21) indicates to the offset control circuit that the carrier phase offset of the received signal is less than an adjustable threshold value.

Quadrature amplitude modulation QAM is a digital modulation method which is particularly suitable for transmitting high data rates and combined ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying) and PSK (Phase Shift Keying), i.e. the signal carrier is modulated in amplitude and phase. The amplitude and the frequency or phase of a harmonic oscillation are modulated by two different time functions. In QAM, different variants are possible. In a 64-QAM, 6 bits per data symbol are coded. With increasing level (16-, 64-, 256-, 1 024-QAM) the bandwidth efficiency increases but so does the signal/noise power ratio required for reliable transmission.
FIG. 1 shows a first QAM receiver according to the prior art. The data coming from a data source are transmitted by a transmitter via a transmission channel to the QAM receiver and delivered by this QAM receiver to a downstream data sink. During the data transmission via the real data transmission channel, the received signal, as a rule, exhibits linear distortion and an additional noise component. This noise component can be modeled by additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). The QAM receiver has the task of reconstructing the bit sequence of the data source from the received signal. For this purpose, the received analog signal is first converted into a digital signal by an analog/digital converter ADC and then delivered to a mixing stage. A downstream receiving filter suppresses possible interference signals outside the transmission frequency band. The reliability of detection is increased by suitably dimensioning a matched filter (MF). The matched filter is specially adapted to a basic transmit pulse so that the greatest possible signal/noise power ratio (SNR) is achieved at the detection times. The impulse response of the matched filter MF is usually equal to the basic transmit pulse mirrored in time or displaced by one bit period. The matched filter is a digital receiving filter inside the receiver which is adapted to a transmit filter inside a transmitter, in such a manner that the amplitude of the received signal is maximum at the sampling times. The matched filter MF can be adaptively designed so that it can be adapted to the transmission channel. An adaptive equalizer which compensates for the distortion of the transmission channel can be provided before or after the matched filter.
The output signal of the matched filter MF is supplied to a carrier phase detector which is provided for detecting the carrier phase of a received digital signal. The carrier phase detector TPD delivers a carrier phase detection deviation signal TP to a downstream digital loop filter. The digital loop filter and the downstream NCO (numerically controlled oscillator) supply a digital control value for the mixing stage.
The QAM receiver according to the prior art, shown in FIG. 1, is constructed in one stage. Frequency and phase estimation are done in one stage. This has the disadvantage that a predetermined frequency range must be scanned for the carrier frequency of the received signal in a great number of small search steps in order to ensure that the target value is located within a narrow frequency capture range. The conventional QAM receiver shown in FIG. 1, therefore, needs a relatively large amount of time for such a search process.
For this reason, the QAM receiver according to the prior art shown in FIG. 2 was proposed. Such a QAM receiver is described in German patent application 101 33 898.8. The QAM receiver according to the prior art, shown in FIG. 2, is constructed in two stages. The QAM receiver contains a carrier frequency loop for detecting a carrier frequency of the received signal in a first carrier frequency capture range followed by a carrier phase loop for detecting a carrier phase of the received signal in a second carrier frequency capture range. Compared with the single-stage QAM receiver shown in FIG. 1, separating the frequency and phase estimation has the advantage that the frequency estimation by the carrier frequency loop has a large carrier frequency capture range.
The carrier frequency loop of the conventional QAM receiver shown in FIG. 2 has a carrier frequency detector which follows the two matched filters MF. The carrier frequency detector generates a carrier frequency deviation detection signal TF which is supplied to a numerically controlled oscillator NCO via a digital loop filter. The NCO delivers a control signal to the mixing stage.
The downstream carrier phase loop is constructed in a similar manner and contains a carrier phase detector TPD which generates a carrier phase deviation detection signal TP. The carrier phase deviation detection signal TP is also supplied to a loop filter which digitally filters the carrier phase deviation detection signal TP and delivers it to a downstream controlled oscillator NCO. The NCO forms a control signal which is supplied to a further mixing stage.
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the conventional QAM receiver shown in FIG. 2. If the carrier frequency of the received signal is at a nominal frequency fENOM, the carrier frequency loop generates a carrier frequency deviation detection signal TFIDEAL having the value zero. However, due to interference, the carrier frequency loop generates a real carrier frequency deviation detection signal TFREAL which has an offset as shown in FIG. 3c. The frequency error after the frequency estimation can have various causes, namely intrinsic noise of the frequency detector, amplitude phase errors in the transmission channel or, for example, a wrongly dimensioned anti-aliasing filter. In all these cases, the characteristic of the frequency detector, which forms an S curve, is distorted in such a manner that the detector output signal does not provide a frequency offset even though there is a frequency offset present. A resultant controlled variable thus has the value zero for a frequency value which deviates from the ideal frequency estimate (FENOM). The real carrier frequency deviation detection signal TFREAL thus has a frequency offset.
If the deviation or the error of the frequency estimation by the carrier phase loop is too great, the subsequent phase estimation of the carrier phase of the received signal by the carrier phase loop can no longer compensate for the remaining frequency error. If, as shown in the example of FIG. 3, the zero value of the real carrier frequency deviation detection signal is located outside the carrier frequency capture range, shown in FIG. 3d, of the carrier phase loop, the carrier phase loop can no longer compensate for this considerable frequency error and the conventional QAM receiver shown in FIG. 2 cannot receive a received signal. The carrier frequency capture range of the carrier phase loop depends on the signal/noise ratio SNR of the complete transmission system and can only be extended within narrow limits.


A coil unloading rig is adapted to handle, tilt and position a coil of sheet metal. An arcuate rail has opposed upper and lower open ends and an intermediate arcuate section. A trolley rotatably suspends the rail from a ceiling crane. A ring is disposed in a plane normal to the plane of the rail. A top brace is fixed to the upper rail end and the ring and a lower brace is fixed to the lower rail end and the ring. A pair of divergent posts are on each side of the lower brace, each post having post brackets for supporting and clamping the coil in a vertical position. A vertically movable brace bracket is movably mounted on the top brace for supporting and clamping the coil supported by the post brackets whereby the coil unloading rig is adapted to support and clamp a coil in a vertical position and tilt the coil by rotating the rail by the trolley to a horizontal position.

There exists a need for a practical and economical coil handling mechanism for positioning, handling and/or transferring metal coils from one location to another, particularly in mills as well as warehouses. The problem of handling metal coils is accentuated by the fact that the coils may be stored or disposed with their axis vertically or horizontally, or may be received on a pallet or conveyor with the axis either vertical or horizontal. Therefore, the coil handling mechanism is required to be selectively tiltable and preferably constructed to be conveniently coupled with and transported by a ceiling crane.
Metallic strip material is normally coiled to enable this material to be handled, and transferred to another location either for further processing or for shipment to a customer. By reason of the orientation of processing lines, as for example, that of a coil slitting station, the coiled strip is disposed on a horizontal axis and supported on a horizontally extending mandrel. These coils, even after slitting, are extremely heavy.
Although the coils are wound and unwound on a horizontal axis or after slitting are disposed on a horizontal axis, it is preferred to store or prepare the coils for shipment to customers with their axis vertical. In this manner, the coils are stable and may be stacked upon one another on a shipping skid or pallet for shipping.
While it has been proposed in the industry to use tilters to tilt newly formed coils from a horizontal to a vertical axis after coiling and then from a vertical to horizontal axis for further processing, these mechanisms are heavy and expensive and many are fixed and not capable of being readily moved from one location to another in a mill or customer plant.


Rough machining of a workpiece is performed by a numerically controlled machine tool using an adaptive toolpath technique. Material removal rate and machine efficiency are increased by forming a pre-roughing slot in the workpiece along medial axes, and machining the remainder of the workpiece using a toolpath that begins inside the pre-roughing slot and spirals outwardly in smooth curves.

1. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to automated machining techniques, and deals more particularly with a method of optimizing toolpaths used by automatically controlled cutting tools.
2. Background
CAD/CAM (computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing) systems may be integrated with CNC (computer numerically controlled) systems to provide rapid, efficient machining of workpieces. CAM systems use various toolpath strategies to guide a cutting tool during rough machining operations in which the workpiece is machined to near net-shape. In one toolpath strategy, commonly referred to as constant-offset or parallel-offset, the degree of radial engagement of the cutting tool with the workpiece varies as the cutting tool moves along the toolpath. While the material removal rate (MRR) may be optimized along straight cuts, the feed rate must be reduced when the tool enters sharp curves or corners where the radial engagement increases.
In order to increase machining efficiency and reduce tool wear/breakage, adaptive type toolpath strategies have been developed in which full radial engagement of the cutting tool with the workpiece is maintained substantially throughout the rough machining operation. Based on full radial engagement of the cutting tool, the CAM system may calculate an axial cutting depth and feed rate that result in higher utilization of the available machine tool power. Although adaptive toolpath strategies may significantly increase cutting efficiency, the machine utilization rate is still not fully optimized. This is because, while a toolpath program may call for constant cutting tool feed rate, the machine may not be able to actually achieve a constant feed rate due to its inertial mass. For example, when the cutting tool reaches an outer cut area boundary, the machine is required to decelerate, stop, reverse direction and re-accelerate. The loss of efficiency due to these frequent changes in toolpath velocity and direction may be particularly severe along narrow or tight regions of a workpiece. In these regions, numerous, short back-and-forth passes of the cutting tool are necessary, each of which requires the cutting tool to decelerate, change direction and reaccelerate.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method of rough machining a workpiece using an adaptive toolpath strategy that increases machining efficiency, particularly along narrow or tight regions of an area being machined. There is also a need for a machining method that maintains the feed rate of a cutting tool at a substantially constant velocity while the cutting tool remains in substantially full engagement with the workpiece.

Method of optimizing toolpaths using medial axis transformation


A sensing device is provided. The sensing device includes a plurality of pixel groups and a readout circuit. The pixel groups are arranged on a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns to form a pixel array. The pixel groups include a first pixel group and a second pixel group which are arranged on the different rows and the same column. The readout circuit is coupled to the pixel groups. When the first pixel group is triggered to perform a readout operation to generate a first sensing signal, the second pixel group performs a coupling operation to generate a reference signal. The readout circuit performs a subtraction operation based on the first sensing signal and the reference signal to generate a first readout data corresponding to the readout operation of the first pixel group.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sensing device, and more particularly, to a sensing device with low power noise.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, power noise is a problem in COMS image sensors. Especially, when CMOS image sensors operate at low light conditions, the power noise may affect disadvantageously the sensing quality. Several manners have been provided to reduce the effect of the power noise. In one manner, a low pass filter is used to filter out noise from a power line. However, when an on-chip RC filter is used, high-frequency noise is not easily filtered out. Moreover, if an off-chip RC filter is used for a CMOS image sensor instead of on-chip RC filter, the off-chip RC filter will increases the cost of the COMOS image sensor. In another manner, a regulator is used to generate clear power with low noise. However, high-frequency noise is also not easily filtered out. Thus, the power may still contain some high-frequency noise components.


Electronic messages such as pages are exchanged between a user device and a message service using one of multiple wireless communication networks. The wireless communication networks may include mobile and/or fixed wireless networks. The user device registers with the message service through at least one of the wireless communications networks. The user device may register through multiple wireless communication devices when available. The user device sends messages through the wireless network through which registration has been established and may apply rules to choose when registration has occurred via multiple wireless networks.

Currently, portable communication devices that provide for exchanging electronic messages between users utilize a mobile wireless communication network, such as a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) or a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network. This channel of communication is relatively narrowband but short electronic pages are not bandwidth intensive. However, the coverage area may be somewhat limited or hindered by obstructions. Furthermore, each message sent or received by a portable device operating on this mobile wireless communication network may be subject to a separate fee imposed by the carrier service.
Alternative wireless networks, including fixed wireless networks such as Wi-Fi are becoming increasingly available both in and out of areas served by the mobile wireless communication networks. This is especially true on campuses where there are many Wi-Fi access points providing a large coverage area including indoor and outdoor locations. While in some cases such fixed wireless networks may require a subscription before a user obtains access, once connected users may send and receive electronic messages including emails and instant messages without incurring a per message charge.
Often, individuals desiring to send an electronic message via a portable device that utilizes the mobile wireless network are in range of a fixed wireless network. These individuals may be out of range of the mobile wireless network, such as when in a building, and are thereby prevented from sending and receiving electronic messages. Even when in range of both the mobile and fixed wireless networks, the user may send and receive messages through the mobile wireless network and thereby accrue additional service fees, while the other user involved in the messages may also be in range of a fixed wireless network but is also exchanging the messages through the mobile wireless network and also accruing additional service fees.

Electronic message exchange over multiple wireless communication networks with a single device


A dot line printer provided with an ordinary dot density printing mode, a low dot density or draft printing mode and a high dot density printing mode. A hammer bank provided with a plurality of printing hammers is reciprocally movable in a shuttling direction for dot impressions when the hammer bank is moved through a printing region, and the moving direction of the hammer bank is reversed at a reversing region where a printing sheet is fed in a line to line direction. A shuttle cam is provided which is drivingly connected to the hammer bank. The shuttle cam has a cam profile capable of providing a cam lift characteristic approximately intermediate between a cam lift characteristics of the ordinary printing mode and that of the low dot density printing mode. A shuttling velocity of the hammer bank is changed in accordance with the selected printing mode and position of the hammer bank.

The present invention relates to a dot line printer in which dot line impressions are carried out during reciprocal movement of a hammer bank which secures a plurality of dot printing hammers. More particularly, the invention relates to such a dot line printer having at least two printing modes different from each other, which is capable of selectively performing dot printings under at least ordinary printing mode and a draft printing mode.
Generally, the dot line printer produces a dot line image during one shuttling movement of the hammer bank, and a plurality of the dot lines will produce one character line during the reciprocal movement of the hammer bank. Throughout the specification and claims, the terms "shuttling direction" imply a reciprocal moving direction of the hammer bank or one dot line extending direction, and the terms "line to line direction" imply a sheet feeding direction or a direction of an array of character lines.
In accordance with the development of data processing techniques, high printing speed and printing quality are required in a dot impact type line printer, which is one typical data output device. However, the requirement of high speed printing is in direct conflict with the requirement of high quality image printing, and thus it is very difficult to satisfy the both requirements at one time.
Further, depending on a processing mode, only one of the requirements may be needed. For example, in case of an ordinary office work, ordinary printing speed is available with a standardized ordinary dot density. On the other hand, if "draft printing" is to be performed, high speed printing is achieved by lowering the dot density. Further, if high dot image quality printing is to be performed, the printing speed must be decreased. This is a conventional dot line printer, a plurality of dot density modes can be set, and a selected one of the dot density modes is used for achieving an intended dot printing speed or print imaging quality. Such conventional dot line printers will be described below with reference to FIG. 1.
In the conventional dot line printer shown in FIG. 1, an ordinary dot density is 160 dpi (dots per inch) in the shuttling direction and 168 dpi in the line to line direction, and 6 dot lines are simultaneously printed during one shuttling motion of a hammer bank 8. The hammer bank 8 is provided with a plurality of printing hammers 16 arrayed in the shutting direction, and one end is connected to a shuttle mechanism S. The shuttle mechanism S generally includes a shuttle motor 1 such as a DC servo motor and a cam mechanism C which includes a shuttle cam 2 coupled to an output shaft of the shuttle motor 1, a shift plate 4 connected to the hammer bank 8, and a pair of cam followers 5 rotatably supported on the shift plate 4. The shuttle cam 2 is in rolling contact with the cam followers 5, and the shuttle cam 2 is eccentrically coupled to the output shaft of the shuttle motor 1, Therefore, the hammer bank 8 is bidirectionally moved in the shuttling direction by the single rotation of the shuttle motor 1 through the cam mechanism C.
The shuttle motor 1 is connected to a motor driver 25 connected to a control circuit 24. Further, a rotary encoder 26 is provided on the output shaft of the shuttle motor 1, and a sensor 27 connected to the control circuit 24 is positioned over the rotary encoder 26.
A platen 20 extends in the shutting direction and is spaced away from the hammer bank 8 by a predetermined gap. A printing sheet 9 is positioned between the platen 20 and the hammer bank 8. Further, an ink ribbon 29 is positioned between the printing sheet 9 and the hammer bank 8. The platen 20 bears dot impression force from the printing hammers 16, and serves to guide a travel of the printing sheet 9. The ink ribbon 29 is moved along an ink ribbon path defined by ribbon guides 23, 23, and is driven by a pair of ink ribbon drive rollers 21, so that the ink ribbon can be foldedly or corrugatedly accommodated in an ink ribbon cassette 22.
The shuttle motor 4 is driven for rotating the shuttle cam 2 by the motor driver 25 controlled by the control circuit 24. The rotation speed of the shuttle motor 1 is detected by the sensor 27 through the rotary encoder 26. A detection signal indicative of the motor rotation speed is transmitted to the control circuit 24 for a feed back control so as to provide a controlled constant rotation speed of the shuttle motor 1.
FIGS. 2 and 3 show a more detailed arrangement of the conventional shuttle mechanism S and a sheet feed mechanism F. In FIG. 2, a U-shaped shuttle frame 7 is disposed around the shift plate 4, and bearings 6 are provided at arm end portions of the shuttle frame 7. Through the bearings 6, 6, a shift shaft 3 axially movably extends, which is connected to the one end of the hammer bank 8. Another end of the hammer bank 8 is fixed to a bank shaft 17 which is slidingly supported by a shuttle bearing 19 fixed on a bank shaft holder 18.
The sheet feed mechanism F includes a sheet feed motor 10 fixedly secured to a side frame 30. A motor shaft of the sheet fed motor 10 extends through the side frame 30 and a drive pulley 11 is coupled to the motor shaft. A drive shaft 14 is rotatably supported by the side frames 30, and a driven pulley 13 is coupled to one end of the drive shaft 14. An endless belt 12 is mounted on the drive and the driven pulleys 11 and 13 for rotating the drive shaft 14 about its axis. A tractor 15 is mounted on the drive pulley 14 for feeding the printing sheet 9 in the sheet feeding direction, i.e, line to line direction.
In FIG. 3, the printing sheet 9 is intermittently fed in the line to line direction as indicated by an arrow Y when no dot printing is carried out to the printing sheet, i.e., when the hammer bank 8 is moved to a hammer bank reverse moving region. More specifically, by means of the shuttle mechanism S, the hammer bank 8 repeatedly performs reciprocal movement in the shuttling direction indicated by an arrow X in FIG. 3 in accordance with a cam profile of the shuttle cam 2 which defines a cam lift characteristic as shown in FIG. 4. In the cam lift characteristic shown in the graph of FIG. 4, in a printing regions P1 and P2, the hammer bank 8 is moved at a constant velocity, and in two reverse moving regions R1 and R2, the hammer bank speed is changed for reversibly changing the moving direction of the hammer bank 8. In the two reverse moving regions R1 and R2, the printing sheet 9 is fed by a predetermined dot number pitches by means of the above described sheet feed mechanism F. Thus, the dot printing in one shuttling direction is achieved without the sheet feed in the P1 region, and when the hammer bank 8 is reversely moved in the reverse moving region (R2) the sheet feeding with the predetermined length is performed, and thereafter, the dot line printing in an opposite shuttling direction is performed in the P2 region.
In such conventional dot line printers, in order to increase printing speed, the draft printing mode is selected in which dot density in the shuttling direction is lowered, and a rotation speed of the shuttle motor 1 is increased to increase moving velocity of the hammer bank 8. In order to maintain a given printing quality, the reverse moving period , i.e., the sheet feeding period in the draft printing mode must be equal to the period in case of the ordinary printing mode. However, the lift characteristic of the shuttle cam 2 of the conventional dot printer is designed to meet with the ordinary printing mode. Therefore, if the rotation speed of the shuttle motor 1 is increased for the draft printing, reverse period of the hammer bank 8 is also shortened. To make the reverse period in the draft mode equal to that in the ordinary printing mode, rotation speed of the shuttle motor 1 is reduced at the time of the reverse period in the draft printing mode. This will be explained with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.
FIG. 5 shows the relationship between an angular velocity .omega. of the shuttle motor 1 in the reverse and the printing/periods of the hammer bank 8. A line I represents the angular velocity .omega..sub.1 of the shuttle motor 1 under the ordinary printing mode in one moving direction of the hammer bank 8, and a line II represents the angular velocity .omega..sub.2 of the shuttle motor 1 under the draft mode in the one moving direction of the hammer bank 8. When using the shuttle cam 2 which provides the reversing period and the printing period of the hammer bank 8 such as those shown in the line I in the ordinary printing mode at the angular velocity .omega..sub.1, the reverse period would be reduced if the angular velocity of the shuttle motor 1 is increased to .omega..sub.2.
In order to obviate this problem, and to make the reverse period in the draft mode equal to that in the ordinary printing mode, angular velocity of the shuttle motor 1 must be controlled at the reverse period of the hammer bank 8 in the draft printing mode as shown in FIG. 6. That is, when the hammer bank 8 is moved at a transitional position from the printing position to the reversely moving position in the draft printing mode, the angular velocity .omega..sub.2 at the time of the printing period is suddenly reduced to (2.omega..sub.1 -.omega..sub.2), and when the hammer bank 8 is moved from the reversely moving position to the printing position, the angular velocity (2.omega..sub.1 -.omega..sub.2) is rapidly increased to .omega..sub.2. That is, deceleration and acceleration of the shuttle motor 1 is repeatedly performed at the reversing period. Accordingly, a large shuttle motor 1 must be used so as to provide high output capable of providing a maximum output torque of EQU 2I(.omega..sub.2 -.omega..sub.1)/t.sub.F
where I designates a moment of inertia of the output shaft of the shuttle motor, and t.sub.F designates a half period of the sheet feeding period.

Dot line printer having ordinary low dot and high dot density printing modes


An optical component in the form of an identification element (such as for counterfeit protection or copy protection) includes an optically anisotropic layer comprising regions of different optical axes that is arranged over a reflector. The anisotropic layer may be implemented with a liquid crystal polymer in which the orientation of the liquid crystals is different in different areas. Such an orientation pattern is initially hidden from a viewer, but becomes visible by means of an additional polariser. To improve the visual appearance of the identification element, a white light hologram may be used for the reflector.

The invention relates to an optical identification element, especially for counterfeit protection and copy protection, comprising at least one optically anisotropic layer, which has at least two regions having different preferred directions, and a layer that is at least partially reflective.
The demands made of the protection of items such as banknotes credit cards, securities, identity cards and the like against counterfeiting are constantly increasing as a result of the availability of high quality copying techniques. In addition, pirated copies of branded products, such as compact discs. computer software, electronic chips and so on, are increasingly being produced and distributed worldwide. On account of the growing number of instances of counterfeiting there is accordingly a great need for new, counterfeit-protected elements that can be identified both visually and by machine.
In recent years, new types of counterfeit-protected identification elements that utilise liquid crystals and associated optical effects have become known. Examples thereof are described in EP-A-0 689 065 and WO-A-98/52077, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Such identification elements are based on a hybrid layer structure which comprises a layer having molecules that are fixed (crosslinked) in the liquid-crystalline state, which layer is optically anisotropic and usually acts as an optical retarder. In the production of that layer the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules can be preset to be different in different areas, preferably by means of a correspondingly structured orientation layer, such as can be produced, for example, from a linearly photopolymerised polymer network. The result is an optically structured, fixed liquid crystal layer having an orientation pattern that has been determined in advance. When viewed without an additional aid, the orientation pattern, i.e. the information thus recorded in the liquid crystal layer, is initially invisible. The layers appear in this case to be transparent. The orientation pattern becomes visible only when the identification element is placed between two polarisers.
In especially suitable arrangements of such counterfeit-protected identification elements, the optically structured liquid crystal layer is located over a reflective background. This makes it possible for the orientation pattern, i.e. the corresponding information, to be rendered visible using only one polariser which is held above the element.
As the reflective background (referred to hereinafter as the reflector) there have been used hitherto materials such as diffuse or mirroring metal surfaces, reflective lacquers, reflective paper or the like. In that case the mode of operation of the identification elements usually requires the incident light to retain its polarisation state, at least to a certain extent, on reflection at the reflector.
A disadvantage of the reflectors known hither to for the said identification elements is that brightness and contrast are lost to a comparatively great extent on reflection.
According to the invention it is therefore proposed to use a holographic reflector. This type of reflector, known per se, reflect (and focuses) the ambient light into a predetermined cone of diffuse light and thus produces a substantial increase in brightness in the region of the cone. At the same time, dazzling reflections (glare) are largely avoided and an excellent brightness distribution is obtained. In addition, the polarisation is almost completely retained. These properties bring about a crucial improvement in the visual appearance of the identification elements, which is important both for the actual identification and its ability to be discerned and for market acceptance. Thus, according to the invention, there is provided optical identification element, especially for counterfeit protection and copy protection, comprising at least one optically anisotropic layer , which has at least two regions having different preferred directions, and a layer that is at least partially reflective, characterised in that the at least partially reflective layer is a holographic reflector.
Surprisingly, tests have shown that holographic reflectors, despite their complex structure, do not have an adverse effect on the mode of action of the identification element, which will usually likewise be of comparatively complex structure.
The reflector is preferably based on an achromatic, or white light, hologram, that is to say the predetermined cone of diffuse light produced by the holographic reflector is substantially white.
For the sake of simplicity the opening explanation, of the structure and principle of operation of counterfeit-protected identification elements having an optically structured, fixed liquid crystal layer was limited to basic principles. However, a large number of arrangements that are more complex in terms of structure and optical mode of action exist, some of which are described in the publications mentioned above, and it is possible to imagine other arrangements operating in accordance with the same basic principles. For example, it is possible additionally to integrate one or more polariser layers, for example in the form of a liquid crystal layer containing dichroitic dyes or in the form of a conventional polarisation film, it also being possible for a polariser to contribute to the information recorded in the element when the polarisation properties are different in different areas. Also possible are combinations of two or more information-carrying liquid crystal layers and optionally associated polariser layers, or alternatively configurations having cholesteric filters, especially for producing different colours. It will be clear to the person skilled in the art that all those arrangements and similar arrangements of counterfeit-protected identification elements, where they are used in reflection, will benefit from the above-mentioned advantages and are covered by the present invention.
According to a special embodiment of the invention, the holographic reflector is transflective or partially transparent. This enables, for example, an identification element according to the invention to be mounted over a visible feature, which nevertheless remains visible as a result of the partial transparency of the reflector.
Preferably, the optically anisotropic layer is formed with liquid crystal molecules that are substantially fixed in their orientation. The layer may be formed with a layer of crosslinked liquid-crystalline monomers, oligomers or polymers. An orientation layer may be provided for this liquid crystal molecules, preferably formed from a linearly photopolymerised polymer network.
The invention extends to an item such as a banknote or identity card with protection against forgery and/or copying, characterised by an optical identification element as set forth above.
A method of checking such an element for authenticity may comprise passing light through a polariser onto the optical component and viewing the reflected light from this layer through the polariser.


A cooking system and more specifically, a griddle type cooking system having a heating surface wherein a temperature of the griddle heating surface is substantially uniform across the entire surface is provided. This uniform surface temperature is maintained even when food products are placed on only a portion of the cooking surface. The cooking system minimizes overcooking of an outer surface of the food product in order to substantially reduce or eliminate the generation of mutagens or carcinogens while under cooking of the food product is likewise minimized thus eliminating harmful bacteria within the food product. The cooking system includes a sealed cooking medium chamber having a substantially planar top cooking surface, a bottom surface and side walls for housing a heating medium in the form of water. A mechanism for heating the water within the cooking medium chamber is provided either within the chamber itself or adjacent the chamber with a control device being provided to control a temperature of the top cooking surface wherein the temperature of the top cooking surface is uniform over an entire exposed surface of the top cooking surface.

There are a wide variety of known cooking techniques and there has been, within each, a great deal of experimentation with the several variables associates with such cooking techniques. For example, the use of steam as a heat transfer medium is well-known. Such steam cooking devices may employ the steam at atmospheric pressure utilizing convection heat transfer. In this regard, most commercial cooking equipment is highly specialized and include integrally designed burners specifically adapted for the particular unit. Because of the variety of such specialized forms of cooking equipment, it has not been possible to effectively optimize the manufacturer of such equipment. Moreover, the design of present commercial cooking equipment has focused primarily on speed and capacity of cooking with little regard to energy utilization efficiencies. Additionally, little significance has been placed on the production of the food product itself. That is, whether the food product is substantially cooked in order to avoid harmful bacteria or overcooked generating mutagens or carcinogens which are likewise undesirable for human consumption.
There has been a significant amount of research into eating habits as they relate to health. For example, in the article Prevention of Formation of Important Mutagens/Carcinogens in the Human Food Chain by Weisburger and Jones, it is pointed out that during cooking (typically frying or boiling) leading to the browning of meat or fish, mutagens or carcinogens are frequently generated. The article suggests the desirability of finding ways to lower or prevent the formation of these undesirable products during cooking. One scheme for lowering these undesirable products is to reduce the surface temperature during cooking. Another is to add additives to the meat or fish prior to the cooking process.
From the above article, it appears that the undesirable mutagens or carcinogens will be generated on the food surface during cooking, for example, of hamburger on a conventional hot grill and that these undesirable products will be scraped off the grill with the meat and placed in the consumer's sandwich.
The current method for cooking hamburger, for example, requires a lot of fat for three reasons. The fat acts as a release agent preventing the meat from sticking to the griddle and acts as a heat transfer medium itself. Finally, the fact provides the juiciness in the finished sandwich. The undesirability of the conventional "fast food" approach to cooking beef for sandwiches on a hot grill is now apparent.
In order to avoid the creation of such mutagens and carcinogens is to lower the cooking temperatures which not only reduces or eliminates the formation of such mutagens and carcinogens, but also provides a more palatable product. Exposing the meat to high temperatures causes the fibers in the meat to shrink, purging the meat of its natural juices. Such high temperature cooking also cooks the outer surface to its "done" state prior to the interior reaching that "done" condition. Thus, the outer portions are frequently comparatively overcooked, dry and tough while the interior is left virtually uncooked. Reducing cooking temperatures ensures that the food product will not only not be overcooked on the outside, but will be substantially cooked on the inside regardless of the time the food product is subjected to that reduced temperature.
As noted hereinabove, while overcooking of an outer surface of the food product is of concern, under cooking of the interior of the food product is likewise is of a significant health concern. It is a common occurrence that the interior portion of a hamburger is often left under cooked with this under cooking of the hamburger being a main cause of poisoning from E. coli. Often times, restaurant owners are fearful of under cooking the food product to the extent that the outer portion of the food product becomes significantly over cooked resulting in the above-noted problems as well as dryness of the product. Accordingly, in order to provide the consumer with a palatable product, the meat product is often times left under cooked in the interior and consequently can result in significant consumer health problems.
In addition to the foregoing issues relating to consumer health, direct energy consumption, which can be significant in commercial cooking, as well as other indirect energy consumptions, also can have an important economic impact. For example, in restaurants, fast food eating establishments, institutions and the like, griddles generate significant heating effects in the kitchen, create cooking odors and if gas fired, draw combustion air from the kitchen to generate combustion gases. In such establishments, it is common practice to employ large exhaust hoods above the cooking device for maintaining the kitchen in a properly vented condition, with the kitchen area likewise being air-conditioned on a continuous basis. Accordingly, due to the high cost of energy, improvements in either direct or indirect energy utilization, is also of a concern.
One effort to overcome the aforementioned shortcomings set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,542 issued to Scherer which discloses a cooking system particularly adaptable for commercial or institutional usage which includes a closed loop heat transfer circuit having a heating and vaporization zone which is adaptable to a griddle type cooking arrangement. However, the arrangement set forth therein merely passes a heating medium in the form of water vapor through a conduit system underlying a surface of the griddle in order to heat such griddle. This conduit system is similar to a radiator wherein the conduits are heated by the heating medium which subsequently heats the air below an underside of the griddle cooking surface a consequently the cooking surface itself. In this regard, the areas of the cooking surface directly adjacent the conduits are consequently heated to a greater degree than those portions of the heating surface which are not directly adjacent to a conduit. Moreover, should one or more of the conduits become slogged due to deposits in the heating medium, this non-uniform heating of the cooking surface would be exaggerated. Accordingly, the effect of such a system is not that different than an electrical or gas heated griddle.
Clearly, there is a need for a griddle type heating surface wherein a temperature of the griddle heating surface is substantially uniform across the entire surface. Moreover, there is a need for a griddle type cooking device wherein portions of the griddle heating surface are not permitted to increase to an excessive temperature. Additionally, there is a need for a griddle type cooking surface wherein under cooking of the food product is minimized thereby providing for a more healthy food product.


An apparatus and method for applying a flexible tarpaulin or other cover to a load which is transportable on a cargo carrier, such as a bed of a trailer truck or the like. The apparatus in preferred forms comprises a block like member which is weighted to counter-act any force imposed on this member. For example, slots in the block like member to receive the forks of the fork lift truck is effective for this purposes. An arm is mounted on and extends outwardly from this block-like member to receive a tube or spindle or spool and which contains a cover wounded thereon. The tube will rotate effectively on the arm as the forklift or other power mover is moved longitudinally with respect to the length of the truck and the cover will unwind from the tube and be draped over the load.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to new certain and useful improvements in both an apparatus and a method for automatically feeding to and covering a load with a tarpaulin or similar cover wound about an elongate tube as the tube is moved longitudinally with respect to the load on a flat bed truck or the like. More particularly, the apparatus and method of this type which reduces the incidents of injury and even death which arises from a need to climb on a truck bed for purposes of applying the cover to the load.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
It is a very common practice to attempt to drape a tarpaulin or similar flexible cover over a load on a flat bed truck, or for that matter, even on a railroad car in order to protect a load from weather conditions, temperature changes, road debris and the like. Moreover, tarpaulin covers of this type are partially effective in reducing the incidents of vandalism as for example, vandals or so-called "taggers" with spray cans of paint who otherwise may imprint a logo on the cargo.
In the application of a tarpaulin or other cover to a load on a flat bed truck trailer, it frequently is necessary for the driver or other personal to climb onto the flat bed truck and attempt to pull the tarpaulin over the load and to thereafter tie the tarpaulin straps or so called ties to the truck bed. However and even though the height of the truck bed may only be five feet from the road surface, a fall from that truck bed can result in serious injury, if not death. Moreover, because there are straps on the tarpaulin for tying the same, it is easy for a worker to get his or her foot caught in one of these straps or other portions of the load and trip and fall off of the bed of the truck, resulting in injury or death.
It can be observed that with the presence of the load on a truck, it becomes a difficult or even dangerous task to attempt to pull the tarpaulin across the load, particularly when standing on the bed of the truck.
Because of an increase in the number of occurrences of falling off a trailer bed, liability insurance costs have increased substantially and in some cases, organizations which ship goods by truck trailers are demanding a better means of transporting cargo with covers thereon, which would eliminate the need for manual labor to climb on the trailer. In many cases, haulers are often prone to just disregard the need a tarpaulin over the load, resulting in weather damage or other damage to the cargo carried thereon.

Apparatus and method for covering a transportable load


The invention relates to dissolving an anionic dye/cationic polymer complex including the step of applying to the complex a water-soluble solvent having a dielectric constant from 20 to 43 at standard temperature and pressure.

Dye-based inkjet inks have become a dominant technology in the inkjet ink arena. However, as many dyes are water-soluble, images printed using many of such dye-based inkjet inks are not as waterfast as may be desirable. The waterfastness and durability of anionic dye-based inkjet ink printed on media has been shown to be enhanced by overprinting or underprinting the printed image with a fixer, preferably from a separate pen. Fixers work to crash the colorants, e.g. anionic dyes, anionic pigments or carboxylated dyes, by changing the pH of the printed inkjet image or by adding salts such as Ca2+ and Mg2+ to the printed inkjet image. These fixers had the disadvantages of lacking durability, of causing pen wear and tear and corrosion due to the high salt content and the low pH.
More recently, cationic polymers have been used in the fixer. Thus, when the cationic polymer and the anionic dye contact one another on a substrate, a reaction between the dye and the polymer creates an image with improved durability and waterfastness. Inkjet images with improved waterfastness and durability can therefore be obtained by underprinting or overprinting a printed inkjet image with a cationic polymeric fixer.
Thus, anionic inks can be rendered more durable by printing with a fluid containing a cationic polymer. Sometimes during printing, the ink and the polymer fluids come into contact on the surface of one of the printheads, creating a durable complex which is difficult to remove with such servicing fluids as 1,2 hexanediol, glycerol and water.

Dissolving complexes of anionic dye/cationic polymeric fixer

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatus for remotely monitoring an elevation, or change in elevation, of a fluid surface, such as that of molten sapphire. The remote monitoring can be performed by measuring positions of a pair of reflected laser beams off the fluid surface as detected on an imaging sensor. As the surface elevation falls, the positions of the pair of reflected laser beams move relative to each other, and this positional change can be converted into a change in the fluid surface elevation.

Multiple variations on sapphire ingot growth (e.g., the Kyropoulos, Czochralski, Bagdasarov methods) involve crystallization on a sapphire seed within a crucible where molten sapphire is formed. In various growth methods an accurate knowledge of the volume of remaining molten sapphire is essential and can be ascertained via knowledge of the level or height of the fluid. For instance, since sapphire crystal is denser than the molten fluid, as the fluid crystallizes, the fluid level recedes, and the ability to monitor this changing level allows an inferred measurement of crystal growth rate.
Prior methods have used single-beam triangulation to measure the fluid level (see FIG. 1), but are difficult, if not impossible, to implement due to the requirement of a large angle (e.g., 20°) between the beam source and beam detector (e.g., MICRO-EPSILON's OPTONCDT). The chambers in which sapphire is melted can reach 2050° C., and in order to maintain such temperature, thick crucible walls are often used, allowing only a single long and narrow view corridor (or window) into the crucible. The ˜20° angle required by these methods is incompatible with such a long and narrow tube.
FIG. 1 illustrates a traditional single-beam triangulation system for remote displacement sensing. A vessel 102 contains a liquid 103 existing at a first level 104, and then at a second level 106. A single-beam triangulation-based displacement monitor 108 uses a laser source 110 to project an incident beam 112 onto the first and second surfaces 104, 106 of the liquid 103. A reflection 114 from the first level 104 is measured by a sensor 116 and the reflection 114 from the second level 104 is measures by the sensor 116. Based on the distance 120 between the positions of the reflected beams 114, 118 on the sensor 116, a distance 122 between the levels 104, 106 can be calculated. However, this system is generally inoperable in sapphire growth furnaces since displacement measurements typically are made through a narrow and elongated view corridor 202 as illustrated in FIG. 2, and the angle between the beams is typically greater than allowable through the narrow and elongated view corridor 202.
While some systems can make remote displacement measurements using smaller incident angles, and are thus compatible with the narrow and elongated view corridor 202 of a furnace 200, such systems typically do not achieve desired height resolutions for the fluid surface. These systems often use a single beam reflected off the molten sapphire fluid surface, and measure fluid height changes as a function of change in reflected beam position on a CCD. The reason such systems achieve low resolution is that a number of variables, other than movement in the elevation of the fluid level, lead to movements in the reflected beam position. Vibrations of the crucible, misalignment of the laser source, and fluctuations in the fluid surface can all cause the reflected beam to jitter across the CCD even where no change in the fluid level occurs. Furthermore, reasonably-priced CCD's are generally two-dimensional pixel arrays capable of no more than around 70 Hz refresh rates, and as a result, the rapid movements of the reflected beam are often detected as blurs rather than as ideal Gaussian circles or ellipses. All of these factors make accurate and highly resolved measurements of the fluid level difficult.
A further problem with the systems of the prior art is that the laser reflection is often overshadowed by the blackbody radiation of the over 2000° C. molten sapphire. The CCDs used in the art tend to saturate when sapphire reaches 1200° C., thus having very high signal to noise ratios long before the sapphire reaches its melting temperature.
One solution to this problem has been to use lasers operating at wavelengths where there is less blackbody intensity from the molten sapphire (e.g., blue such as MICRO-EPSILON's OPTONCDTBL). However, even when using short wavelength lasers, the CCD's tend to saturate above 1200° C.
Another attempted solution is the use of confocal displacement sensors, which use multiple frequencies of light focused at different distances to make nanometer resolution high refresh rate displacement measurements, but such devices are limited in range (e.g., MICRO-EPSILON'S CONFOCALDT has a maximum range of 24 mm). Confocal sensors are typically not applicable to molten sapphire measurements since the crucible design often requires that the sensor be around 1.5 m from the fluid surface.

Dual beam non-contact displacement sensor


An abrasive cutting-off wheel for stationary use is comprised of two partial abrasive wheels which are joined to each other. Each of these partial abrasive wheels comprises an interior supporting disk and a radially adjoining interior layer of abrasive grain. It further comprises an exterior layer of abrasive grain and an exterior supporting disk which is located radially there-within. A reinforcement layer is provided between the supporting disks and the layers of abrasive grain. Another reinforcement layer can be disposed between the supporting disks and the interior layers of abrasive grain.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an abrasive cutting-off wheel for stationary use.
2. Background Art
Abrasive cutting-off wheels of the generic type are used on stationary abrasive cutting-off machines, serving for severing workpieces, in particular of metal. A clearance is cut in the work being severed, corresponding to the total thickness of the abrasive cutting-off wheel. The material that is cut out constitutes a loss of material. In particular because of their large diameter, abrasive cutting-off wheels of that type must be very rigid towards side forces that act parallel to the central longitudinal axis. That is why known designs of those abrasive cutting-off wheels have a comparatively important overall thickness. Abrasive cutting-off wheels have several layers of abrasive grain which are composed of abrasive grain, binding agent and filler. Reinforcement layers are provided between the individual layers of abrasive grain, extending across the total diameter. Reinforcement layers are also disposed externally, extending only across a part of the diameter. The overall thickness of such an abrasive cutting-off wheel amounts for example to approximately 15 mm, given an outside diameter of 1250 mm. On the one hand, these known abrasive cutting-off wheels require lots of material because of their important thickness, which makes them rather costly; on the other hand, a user, when severing works, will have a comparatively high loss of material in the clearance being cut, which is not desirable.

Abrasive cutting-off wheel for stationary use


Methods for high-throughput screening in duckweed are disclosed. In one aspect, these methods are used to identify nucleotide sequences encoding polypeptides of interest. In another aspect, these methods are used to identify nucleotide sequences that modulate the expression of a target nucleotide sequence. The methods combine the predictive benefits of screening in whole plants with the speed and efficiency of a high throughput system.

The duckweeds are the sole members of the monocotyledonous family Lemnaceae. The four genera and 34 species are all small, free-floating, fresh-water plants whose geographical range spans the entire globe (Landolt (1986) Biosystematic Investigation on the Family of Duckweeds: The Family of Lemnaceae—A Monograph Study Geobatanischen Institut ETH, Stiftung Rubel, Zurich). Although the most morphologically reduced plants known, most duckweed species have all the tissues and organs of much larger plants, including roots, stems, flowers, seeds and fronds. Duckweed species have been studied extensively and a substantial literature exists detailing their ecology, systematics, life-cycle, metabolism, disease and pest susceptibility, their reproductive biology, genetic structure, and cell biology. (Hillman (1961) Bot. Review 27: 221; Landolt (1986) Biosystematic Investigation on the Family of Duckweeds: The Family of Lemnaceae—A Monograph Study Geobatanischen Institut ETH, Stiftung Rubel, Zurich).
The growth habit of the duckweeds is ideal for microbial culturing methods. The plant rapidly proliferates through vegetative budding of new fronds, in a macroscopic manner analogous to asexual propagation in yeast. This proliferation occurs by vegetative budding from meristematic cells. The meristematic region is small and is found on the ventral surface of the frond. Meristematic cells lie in two pockets, one on each side of the frond midvein. The small midvein region is also the site from which the root originates and the stem arises that connects each frond to its mother frond. The meristematic pocket is protected by a tissue flap. Fronds bud alternately from these pockets. Doubling times vary by species and are as short as 20-24 hours (Landolt (1957) Ber. Schweiz. Bot. Ges. 67: 271; Chang et al. (1977) Bull. Inst. Chem. Acad. Sin. 24:19; Datko and Mudd (1970) Plant Physiol. 65:16; Venkataraman et al. (1970) Z. Pflanzenphysiol. 62: 316).
Duckweed plant or duckweed nodule cultures can be efficiently transformed by any one of a number of methods including Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer, ballistic bombardment, or electroporation. Stable duckweed transformants can be isolated by transforming the duckweed cells with both the nucleotide sequence of interest and a gene which confers resistance to a selection agent, followed by culturing the transformed cells in a medium containing the selection agent. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,498 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/221,705; herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Recent advances in plant genome sequencing have provided a wealth of information regarding the sequence of genes encoding novel polypeptides and the associated nucleotide sequences that may serve to regulate the expression of these coding sequences. However, these sequence data provide no information regarding the precise role of these nucleotide sequences in physiologically-important processes.
To determine or confirm the function of novel genes, it is generally necessary to express these genes in vivo. When screening nucleotide sequences to determine their activities in plants, the highest predictive success comes from tests for the activity of the sequence in a whole plant. However, greenhouse testing of intact plants grown in soil is time- and space-consuming. Large amounts of labor are also required to prepare, care for, and score these screens, and these steps are generally not amenable to automation.
A method for screening for nucleotide sequences in a system that combines the predictive success of whole plant screening with the reduced size and cost of high-throughput screening is desirable. Accordingly, the present invention provides methods for conducting high throughput screens in a duckweed system.

Use of duckweed in high throughput screening


The present invention relates to the field of vector quantization of transmitted imagery. In particular, the invention is a method for automatically generating a codebook for use in the transmitter and receiver components of an amplitude-adaptive normalized differential vector quantization system based upon a specified signal-to-noise ratio goal. In accordance with this method, the specified signal-to-noise ratio goal automatically derives the amplitude thresholds and other required data to determine the tradeoff between image quality and data compression for the transmitted imagery.

Vector quantization as used in the transmission of imagery consists of dividing an image to be transmitted into rectangular blocks, or vectors, of pixels, referred to as the "starting image vectors." A vector quantization system generally comprises a transmitter unit and a receiver unit. The transmitter compares each starting image vector with a large library of typical vectors, called a "codebook," and selects the codebook vector that best approximates the starting image vector. The transmitter then encodes and transmits a codebook index corresponding to the selected codebook vector. The receiver, equipped with a copy of the codebook, decodes the index, retrieves the selected library vector and inserts it into the output image.
Differential vector quantization (DVQ) involves first obtaining a mean value of the starting image vector (referred to as the vector mean or image block mean) by averaging the pixel elements that make up the starting image vector, and rounding the average to the nearest integer. A difference vector is then obtained by subtracting the vector mean from each pixel in the string of pixels that make up the starting image vector. The vector mean is modulated, such as by pulse code modulation (PCM) or by difference pulse code modulation (DPCM), and is transmitted to a companion receiver unit, while the difference vector is used to obtain and transmit a corresponding vector index from the codebook. Normalized differential vector quantization (NDVQ) is DVQ with the codebook vectors normalized such that their magnitudes always equal 1. This method of vector quantization provides higher vector data compression than does DVQ, but requires the separate transmission of the difference vector magnitude.
A newer method of vector quantization is amplitude-adaptive NDVQ, details of which are described, for example, in a publication entitled "Proposal on Component Vector Quantization Coding Scheme" by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Annex 4 of CCITT Study Group VIII, Geneva (Dec. 1-12, 1986) (hereinafter "SG VIII"), and in other publications cited therein. In an amplitude-adaptive NDVQ system, a vector mean is subtracted from the pixels of a starting image vector, leaving a difference vector to be quantized. The vector mean is transmitted separately by PCM or DPCM. A binary tree-driven codebook search at the transmitter selects a normalized codebook vector from the codebook library which best correlates with the difference vector, i.e., the codebook vector which together with the difference vector produces the largest dot product. Since the codebook vectors are normalized, this selection is equivalent to minimizing the distance between the two vectors. The dot product is then transmitted by PCM or DPCM, and the index to the selected codebook vector is encoded and transmitted after index correction. Upon receiving this information, the receiver looks up the normalized codebook vector, multiplies it by the dot product and adds the vector mean to form the decoded version of the starting vector. The principal benefit of amplitude-adaptive NDVQ is that, for a given average distortion (square distance between the starting and ending difference vectors), the codebook can be more sparsely populated for small magnitude difference vectors than for large. It might be inferred from SG VIII that the codebook is partitioned by vector magnitude, with small sub-codebooks for small magnitude difference vectors and large sub-codebooks for large magnitude difference vectors. Consequently, it appears that small magnitude difference vectors are assigned short codebook vector index codes, and since small magnitude difference vectors occur much more frequently than large magnitude difference vectors, very high vector data compression can be achieved with good image quality.
However, SG VIII fails to address how to generate an efficient, robust (one that performs well with any image) codebook when there is a specified signal-to-noise ratio goal. The prior art does not appear to have addressed this problem either.

Method of codebook generation for an amplitude-adaptive vector quantization system


An aqueous cleaning composition comprises from about 0.1 to about 2 percent of hydrogen fluoride based on the volume of the composition, from about 9 to about 15 percent of hydrogen peroxide based on the volume of the composition, and from about 41 to about 47 percent of C.sub.1 to C.sub.6 alcohol based on the volume of the composition. The aqueous cleaning composition may be advantageous in that it offers increased cleaning efficiency and less corrosion in comparison to conventional cleaning solutions.

Injection of impurities into microelectronic (e.g., semiconductor) devices is often significant since it typically impacts a number of factors relating to the electrical function of the device, production yield, quality, and the like. Subsequent to impurity injection, the formation of device elements typically involves the use of deposited films or insulating films in connection with circuit distribution. In general, the manufacture of microelectronic devices often involves a number of steps including photolithographic process steps for transferring a mask having a predetermined pattern onto a wafer surface, oxidation process steps, impurity doping process steps, metallization process steps, and related process steps.
As a result of these processes, contaminants often accumulate on the devices. As an example, the devices may be sensitive to extremely low levels of contaminants such as those present on the order of 12 parts per million. Additionally, patterns in the devices may be adversely effected by the contaminants, such as those which are 12 micrometers or less in diameter. Thus close monitoring of the processes involved in manufacturing the devices may be desirable.
Wafer cleaning processes typically serve an important role in controlling contaminant levels in microelectronic devices. Device cleaning is often required after various individual processes are carried out such as, for example, oxidation, photolithography, diffusion, ion injection, epitaxial film formation using a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method, metallic processes, and the like. Conventional cleaning processes typically fall into two categories: chemical methods and physical methods. Chemical methods usually encompass using deionized water, acid or alkali etching, oxidation/reduction using corresponding agents, plasma carbonization of organic material, decomposition using organic cleaners, and the like. Physical methods typically encompass utilizing organic cleaners or ultrasonic waves on the wafers, grinding the wafers to attempt to remove particles which may be present on the wafers, brushing the wafers to potentially remove any deposited particles, and spraying the wafers with a high pressure medium such as deionized water, gas, or the like. These techniques are known to one who is skilled in the art.
A common method used in cleaning of microelectronic devices typically involves removing impurities on a wafer surface using a standard cleaning solution, rinsing the wafer using deionized water, contacting the wafer surface with a dilute hydrogen fluoride solution to remove oxidation films and metallic contaminants, rerinsing the wafer using deionized water, and finally spin drying the wafer. A standard solution usually contains a mixture of ammonium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, and deionized water which is intended to clean and remove: (1) inorganic contaminants such as dust, (2) organic components, and (3) thin oxidized films which may be present on the wafer surface. Other contaminants such as metallic contaminants can be removed from the wafer surface using dilute hydrogen fluoride.
The above cleaning method suffers from potential drawbacks. Specifically, it may be difficult to completely remove contaminants of elements having high oxidation numbers, such as copper for example, along with organic contaminants by only using the cleaning solution by itself. Moreover, erosion of the wafer surface may occur as a result of this cleaning method, with the surface having an undesirable .mu.-roughness.
There is a need in the art for cleaning compositions and methods of using the same which potentially remove organic contaminants, along with metallic contaminants having a higher oxidation-reduction potential than hydrogen. It would be particularly desirable if the cleaning compositions resulted in minimal wafer surface erosion when contacted by the compositions. These contaminants include certain contaminants more efficiently than current methods.

Cleaning compositions for wafers used in semiconductor devices