The invention disclosed herein relates to improved elastomeric articles and processes for making the elastomeric articles. In particular, the invention relates to the surface modification of elastomeric articles such as industrial, surgical, and examination gloves that provides for improved consistency with respect to surface tack on a single article, between different articles from a single production batch, and between articles from separate production batches. The surface modification treatment comprises application of an aqueous mixture of silicone emulsion and ammonium salts of alkyl phosphates to the surfaces of elastomeric articles.

Powder free gloves have been produced by using powder free coating technology in combination with chlorination or other post treatment processes. Some of these coated gloves use a manufacturing process which requires that the substrate be treated with acid or other harsh chemicals to improve adhesion of the coating to the base rubber glove. This additional chemical processing step is not preferable in glove manufacturing because the chemicals used are generally corrosive and/or difficult to handle in large scale production processes. Additionally, most of the coated and non-coated gloves do not have acceptable donning characteristics with respect to damp and wet skin, which is one of the critical product requirements for surgical glove applications. Furthermore, in the case of laminated rubber gloves, the laminates or coatings can easily crack and expose the wearer to the base natural rubber polymer used to construct the glove. Finally, some of these gloves also exhibit self-sticking between the inner glove surfaces which create difficulties for health care workers trying to don the gloves in a sterile environment.
The majority of commercially available powder-free latex gloves are manufactured by first preparing a powdered glove on-line and then removing the powder from the glove by chlorination and rinsing off-line. The chlorination process oxidizes the surface of the glove thereby providing improved dry donning characteristics. Chlorination also removes any powder deposited on the gloves during the rinsing operation. The chlorination process is generally rapid, which in turn leads to a problem in consistency during the processing step. Variation in processing between batches, between gloves in the same batch, and even between areas on the same glove can lead to differences in surface tack. For example, a single glove may have areas of reduced tack adjacent to areas of increased tack. Conventionally, surface tack describes the adherence of an article to itself or an identical article, whereas stickiness is used to describe the adherence of an article to other materials.
Accordingly, there exists a need for improved manufacturing processes for making powder-free elastomeric articles with consistency in surface tack between areas within a single article, between articles processed together, and between articles processed in separate batches.

Surface modification of elastomeric articles


According to a liquid crystal panel of the present invention, the focal length of micro-lenses is set to be longer than the distance between the micro-lens array and the first substrate, while light collected by each micro-lens is arranged to focus inside the first substrate. Thus, the divergence angle after focusing can be reduced. Therefore, the maximum light-emerging angle from the LCD panel can be reduced, and eclipse of the light which causes chrominance or luminance non-uniformity does not occur even when a lens having a high F number is used as a projection lens.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to liquid crystal panels, which have collecting micro-lenses opposing pixel electrodes driving liquid crystal pixels so as to achieve higher luminance, and projection type display devices using such liquid crystal panels.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, liquid crystal projectors and liquid crystal projection TVs, in which an image on a liquid crystal panel is projected onto a screen by a magnifying optical projection system utilizing a liquid crystal panel as an optical switching element, have been popularly developed. These apparatuses are advantageous in that they are thin and lightweight, have sharp images, are not affected by earth's magnetic field, and do not require registration adjustment.
Such liquid crystal display devices are classified into single-panel systems composed of a liquid crystal panel having color filters for three colors, i. e., B (blue), R (red), and G (green), and three-panel systems having monochrome liquid crystal panels for the B, R, and G optical paths. According to the single-panel systems, a compact and lightweight liquid crystal device can be readily formed at a lower cost because of its simple structure. However, since the color filters absorb a large amount of light, it is difficult to achieve higher luminance and efficient cooling.
To solve such problems, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-60538 (hereinafter referred to as "document (i)") and "ASIA DISPLAY '95, p 887" (hereinafter referred to as "document (ii)") disclose color liquid crystal display devices in which collecting micro-lenses are arranged as follows: one collecting micro-lens opposes every three pixel electrodes driving liquid crystal pixels, and light beams of three colors, i. e., B, R, and G, enter each of the micro-lenses from mutually different directions so as to be collected, and the resultant emerging light beam of each color enters a pixel electrode corresponding to the color of the emerging light beam. In this color liquid crystal display device, light beams which would normally enter the regions between the pixels (the matrix of opaque regions in which thin-film transistors (TFTs) are formed as pixel driving elements) can be effectively utilized so that the effective aperture ratio increases, thereby achieving a higher luminance.
According to such color liquid crystal display devices, the focal points of the micro-lenses opposing the pixel electrodes are positioned near the corresponding pixel portions. In other words, collimated light entering the micro-lens is collected to focus near the pixel portion, and then, diverges again.
Although data projectors and rear projection TVs based on the liquid crystal projection system have already been put into practical use, it is supposed that with the development of multi-media, these devices are required to display computer and AV (audio.multidot.video) images on the same panel at a resolution as high as that of high-definition televisions. In such a case, the optical system including the liquid crystal display elements must have higher resolution, higher image quality, and higher luminance as compared with conventional optical systems. For example, a liquid crystal display panel employed in presently used rear-projection TVs uses TFTs made of amorphous silicon (a-Si), and the total number of pixels is approximately 1,300,000 or less in a picture size of 3 to 5 inches. However, to achieve thinner and lighter devices according to the liquid crystal projection system, it is necessary to increase the pixel density to approximately 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 pixels in a picture size of 2 inches. Moreover, such compact high-resolution LCD panels, including their optical system, are advantageous in reducing prices. Thus, a further increase in consumer demand is expected in the future. Concerning process techniques, it is supposed that high-temperature polysilicon (polycrystalline silicon) TFT techniques or low-temperature polysilicon TFT techniques become important for producing such high-resolution liquid crystal panels.
As mentioned above, there is a greater necessity to reduce the area of pixel portions in liquid crystal projectors to achieve higher resolution. Thus, from now on, the TFTs, as the pixel driving elements, are required to be formed from polysilicon instead of amorphous silicon. This is because in the case of a-Si having low carrier-mobility, the size of the TFTs must increase to some extent for providing a certain amount of electric current for driving the pixels. Meanwhile in the case of polysilicon having high carrier-mobility, the size of the TFTs can be reduced. Practically, the pixel pitch is limited to approximately 100 .mu.m in the case of a-Si, while a small pixel pitch of 20 .mu.m can be employed in the case of polysilicon.
With such a reduction in the pixel area, the collecting diameter of the micro-lenses is required to be correspondingly smaller. Although, it is ideal that the light beams entering the micro-lenses from the projection optical system are completely parallel to the optical axis, in practice, the light beams are shifted from the parallel state by a small angle. Thus, light beams which should enter only one pixel reach the opaque regions between adjacent pixels, thereby reducing transmission efficiency. Consequently, the luminance of the display image decreases and the effects of the micro-lenses decline. Additionally, when a light beam, which should enters only one pixel for a certain color (e. g., the pixel for G), enters an adjacent pixel for another color (e. g., the pixel for R), so-called color mixing occurs and deteriorates the color image quality. For example, the incident light intensity and the shift between the original incident angle and the light beam entering a pixel of a certain color (e. g., the pixel for G) has the relationship shown in FIG. 5. The incident light intensity reaches its maximum value at angles slightly shifted from the original incident angle, as is shown in FIG. 5. Therefore, it is understood that the shift of the incident angle greatly affects the luminance and color mixing of the displayed images.
The larger the distance between each pixel portion and the corresponding micro-lens, the more significant the trend becomes. Therefore, with an increasing demand for high resolution, the distance between each pixel and the corresponding micro-lens must be correspondingly reduced. For achieving the above, the following methods can be employed: a method for reducing the focal length by decreasing the size of the micro-lenses while retaining their shape, and a method for reducing the focal length alone without changing the size of the micro-lenses. According to the former method, the aperture angle (the angle subtended by the lens diameter at the focal point) in the light-emerging side does not alter because the shape of the micro-lenses is retained. However, to design and produce such fine micro-lenses is not easy. Furthermore, it is not practical to reduce the size of the micro-lenses while retaining the shape, considering the relationship between the display-element format and other optical parts. Therefore, the focal length is required to decrease without greatly changing the lens diameter.
In such a case, the aperture angle can be raised by positioning the focal points at the pixel portion, as is mentioned above. The divergence angle of the emerging light beams from the micro-lens is thereby enlarged. Thus, to effectively utilize the entire light beams emerging from the liquid crystal panel without eclipsing, the F number of the projection lens positioned behind the liquid crystal panel must be considerably reduced, in other words, it is necessary to employ a bright lens system. This is because eclipses of light beams result in luminance or chrominance non-uniformity in images projected on a screen. However, it is generally difficult and costly to design and produce a lens system having a low F number, and thus the cost for the device as a whole increases.

Liquid crystal panel having micro-lens array with extended focal length and display apparatus having the same


A semiconductor device includes an emitter region, a collector region and a base region. The emitter region is implanted in a semiconductor substrate. The collector region is implanted in the semiconductor substrate. The base region is disposed between the emitter region and collector region. The base region includes no more than one LDD region and no more than one halo region. The base region contacts directly with at least one of the emitter region and the collector region.

Silicon semiconductor processing has evolved sophisticated operations for fabricating integrated circuits. An integrated circuit may include an interconnected array of active and passive elements, such as transistors, resistors, capacitors, and inductors, integrated with or deposited on a substrate by a series of compatible processes.
A bipolar junction transistor (BJT or bipolar transistor) is a type of transistor that relies on the contact of two types of semiconductor for its operation. BJTs may be used as amplifiers, switches, or in oscillators. BJTs may be found either as individual discrete components, or in large numbers as parts of integrated circuits.

Semiconductor devices including a lateral bipolar structure with high current gains


A data-processing system including an information inputting device for inputting one or more information; a transmitting/receiving device for transmitting/receiving the one or more information; and a processing device for processing the one or more information, the processing device including: an image processing module; a data extraction module; a data storage device; and a data tracking module; wherein the data tracking module is in operable communication with a user of the information inputting device to allow the user to organize the one or more information.

In general, consumers purchase products with warranties. A warranty is an obligation that an article or service sold is as factually stated or legally implied by the seller, and that often provides for a specific remedy such as repair or replacement in the event the article or service fails to meet the warranty. However, it is very difficult to find the warranties or any other information related to the warranties when the product actually fails due to the fact that such papers are easily lost or misplaced by the consumer. As a result, many consumers cannot take advantage of warranties that may still be in effect when a failure of a product occurs.
Typically most consumers store product warranties in shoeboxes that are discarded in closets, basements or attics where they may be forgotten or even accidentally destroyed. Moreover, some consumers may use a document scanning pen to scan, store, and transfer product warranty information onto a computer. However, these computer files may be accidentally deleted or forgotten. In addition, even though handheld scanners may be a convenient way to get printed text into an editable format on a computer, the best devices are prohibitively expensive and cumbersome to use.
Consequently, none of these methods has eliminated the inconvenience of losing one or more warranty information that many products come with, which may promise repair or replacement for months or years, or life of the product. Therefore, it would be highly desirable to provide a data-processing system and method that provides for and enables an efficient and reliable warranty document organizer.

Apparatus and method for providing online content service for product warranties


A semiconductor cassette reducer has a first substantially U-shaped plate and a second substantially U-shaped plate. A number of wafer supports connect the first substantially U-shaped plate to the second substantially U-shaped plate. Several retention springs are attached to the first substantially U-shaped plate. The retention springs hold the semiconductor cassette reducer in a FOUP (front opening unified pod).

Semiconductor wafers are produced in a number of different sizes. Older facilities typically have smaller size wafers. The size of wafers has increased over time as technology has advanced. As the size of the wafer increases the cost of processing each wafer increases. In order to justify larger wafer sizes the defect rate for each wafer must be low enough to provide a satisfactory yield. As a result, semiconductor processing facilities may want to prove out a design using smaller size wafers. This reduces the cost of mistakes. Unfortunately, the latest and best processing equipment is generally designed to processes the largest wafers. The wafers are held in containers called front opening unified pods (FOUPs). A FOUP 10 is shown in FIG. 1. Thus there exists a need for a device that allows facilities to use the latest processing equipment without being required to process the largest wafers.


A headset is disclosed having a headband configuration that distributes the compression forces on the user""s head to provide firm placement without causing discomfort to the user. The headband is preferably integrally formed with a soft overmold molded along a portion of its interface with the user""s head. The headband terminates in first and second ends. Either or both ends may terminate in a flared temple pad for further distribution of compression forces or may terminate in an earphone. A boom is pivotally connected to either a temple pad or an earphone and is optionally conformable for positioning towards the wearer""s mouth. The boom terminates in a microphone.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic headsets, and more particularly, to microphone headsets.
2. Description of the Related Art
Headsets are commonly used by musicians, coaches, telephone operators, and others who need to keep their hands available while speaking and/or listening. Typically these headsets will have a headband passing over the user""s head, with earphones at each end of the headband or an earphone and a temple pad at opposite ends of the headband. Frequently, a microphone is positioned at the end of a boom extending from the headband. The headset maintains its position by exerting a compressive force upon the user""s head.
Typically, the headband is resilient and shaped in an arc so that it must be slightly sprung to fit over the head; the resulting friction force holds the band in place on the typical headset. A key component of the headset design, therefore, is the headband.
The headset desirably is comfortable for long wear. A common source of discomfort in many headbands is pressure concentrated against the temple or outer ear by the temple pad or earphone respectively. It is desirable that the headband exert sufficient pressure to stay firm against the head yet not cause discomfort. On the other hand, should too little pressure be exerted, the headset may become loose and slide from the user""s head.
A certain amount of compressive force is required to hold the headset in place. Headsets often concentrate the compressive pressure only at the temple or ears. This results in a number of problems. First, the user may suffer considerable discomfort as a result of the concentrated force. Second, even if the temple pad and/or the earphones remain in place, the headband may slip from its position over the head. This results in the boom and microphone being moved from its position near the user""s mouth. Furthermore, if the headband slips, its weight may then cause the temple pad and/or earphone to slip from place. Third, the extra compressive force at the temple or earphone causes the space between the temple and temple pad and/or ear and earphone to be less penetrable to air. This in turn increases the probability of that area becoming excessively warm, resulting in the user perspiring. The perspiration causes the area to become moist and may increase the likelihood of the temple pad or earphone slipping from its position.
It is desirable to provide a headset that is highly stable, and does not come loose upon head movement by the user. This is particularly crucial for headsets used by musicians where there may be a large amount of head movement. Additionally, a musician may be using his or her hands to play an instrument, etc. and therefore would not have easy mobility for repositioning the headset should it slip from place. Furthermore, the headset should be both tough to avoid damage and light in weight so as not to tire the user.
Preferably, the headset should also be easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
The prior art fails to provide a headset that enables the user to wear the headset for long periods of time without undue discomfort while providing a secure fit that will prevent the headset from dislodging under the range of motions possible during use.
The invention is a headset for use with a microphone and, optionally, an earphone. The headset provides a stable, comfortable fit by distributing the compressive force required for positioning the headset over a headband as well as temple pad(s) and/or an earphone.
A headband is provided that curves over the top of the users head. The headband is preferably resilient such that it may be spring fit over a users head. Either end of the headband may be provided with either a temple pad or an earphone. The choice of termination elements depends on whether it is desirable for the user to speak and listen or merely to speak. A flared temple pad can optionally be used to distribute force at the temple. An overmold is provided over much of the headband of the headset to provide friction without providing excessive force, thereby providing a highly stable fit. The overmold distributes the force of the headband along the contact surface of the headband and the user""s head, rather than at the ear or temple alone. A boom may be provided at either the temple pad or the earphone for connection to a microphone. The resulting headset is light and durable as well as easy and inexpensive to manufacture.


Embodiments of the invention provide a method for generating labels for drawing elements of a computer aided design (CAD) drawing that may include some unknown number of associated or related drawing elements. The method includes receiving a selection of a set of drawing elements in the CAD drawing that are associated with the first drawing element, receiving a selection of fields specifying attributes of the drawing elements in the set of drawing elements to use in generating label content for a label of the first drawing element, and defining a label style based on the selection of the set of drawing elements and the selection of attributes of the of the drawing elements in the set of drawing elements.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to computer-aided design and, more specifically, to a system and method for generating for-each label components to label elements in a computer-aided design (CAD) drawing.
2. Description of the Related Art
The term computer-aided design (CAD) generally refers to a broad variety of computer-based tools used by architects, engineers, and other construction and design professionals. CAD applications may be used to construct computer models representing virtually any real-world construct. For example, computer-aided design (CAD) applications are frequently used to compose graphical representations of civil engineering constructs such as utility networks. Using a CAD application, a user may compose a CAD drawing by selecting drawing elements and positioning them within the drawing. Typically, drawing elements are provided to represent elements of the object being modeled. In the case of a utility network, drawing elements may represent segments of pipes, and structures such as manholes, catch basins, grates, headwalls, etc.
Additionally, CAD drawings may be used to convey architectural, construction, engineering, and other information related to the object modeled by a CAD drawing. Often, this information is provided in the form of labels associated with of elements in a CAD drawing. For example, a segment of pipe may include a label indicating the length and diameter of the pipe. More complex labels may indicate pipe material or even information such as an intended supplier cost, or tolerances of the pipe. Other elements in a drawing may also have labels appropriate for their individual element types. Such labels may be generated and displayed on screen and also included in construction or engineering documentation generated from a CAD drawing.
Given the usefulness of these kinds of labels, CAD applications often allow users to define a label style to use for a particular drawing element. Thereafter, any instances of that element in a CAD drawing may have a label generated according to the style. Further, if the properties of a drawing element change (e.g., a pipe is made longer), the label may be updated accordingly. This technique works well for labeling drawing elements with a fixed set of fields (e.g., the length and diameter of a drawing element representing a segment of pipe). However, as drawing elements become more complex, labeling systems that create labels by populating a fixed number of fields prove to be inadequate. For example, a drawing element representing a manhole structure (i.e., a concrete underground box) may have some number of pipes attached to it. The exact number may depend on the use of the manhole structure in a particular CAD drawing. Generating a label style for this type of structure cannot be done using the general process described above, as the number of pipe elements connected to the manhole structure is not known in advance.
One approach to creating labels for complex drawing elements is for users to create labels without relying on a label style. In such an approach, a user may inspect a CAD drawing to identify a set of drawing elements that are associated or related with a drawing element being labeled (e.g., a manhole structure), and then manually compose a label that includes data regarding each associated drawing element. If the drawing element is modified, a label of that element must be updated by hand as well. In addition to being tedious, this approach may lead to inaccurate labeling, because users may neglect to update a label after modifying elements of a CAD drawing.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for techniques to define, generate and display dynamic labels for elements in a CAD drawing that may include some unknown number of associated or related drawing elements.

“For-each” label components in CAD drawings


Techniques are provided for adaptive resource allocation for multiple workloads. One method comprises obtaining a dynamic system model based on a relation between an amount of a resource for multiple iterative workloads and a predefined service metric; obtaining an instantaneous value of the predefined service metric; applying to a given controller associated with a given iterative workload of the multiple iterative workloads: (i) the dynamic system model, (ii) an interference effect of one or more additional iterative workloads on the given iterative workload, and (iii) a difference between the instantaneous value and a target value for the predefined service metric. The given controller applies an adjustment to the amount of the resource for the given iterative workload based at least in part on the difference. The resource allocation for the multiple iterative workloads can be performed in a sequence substantially in parallel with an execution of the iterative workloads.

Cloud computing has become increasingly popular due to a number of benefits. For example, cloud computing offers pay-per-use computation for customers and resource sharing for service providers. Through virtualization, a pool of computation devices can be abstracted and computational resources can be offered that are tailored to the needs of customers, who may contract for more computation as their needs grow.
Using an infrastructure efficiently to execute workloads while respecting Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and, thus, guaranteeing a specified Quality of Service, poses a number of challenges. Service providers aim to provide services to their customers while respecting SLAs and minimizing resource usage. One challenge is that SLAs are typically set prior to execution of a job, but the execution environment is subject to a number of possible disturbances (e.g., poor knowledge about actual resource needs, demand peaks and/or hardware malfunctions). Thus, employing a fixed amount of allocated resources may not be a good solution.
A need therefore exists for improved techniques for resource allocation for execution of multiple workloads.

Adaptation of resource allocation for multiple workloads using interference effect of resource allocation of additional workloads on performance


An autofocusing circuit includes an extrinsic light eliminator including a light emitter such as an infrared emitting diode for projecting a signal light reflected by an object to be photographed and detected by a photodetector to determine the distance to the object. A chopper integrating circuit to convert the photocurrent from the detector to a corresponding voltage and simultaneously amplifies this voltage. In a preferred embodiment, the operating period of the chopper integrating circuit is set to 0.025 sec. multiplied by an integer in order to assure that any extrinsic light components derived from a commercial power supply is reliably eliminated from the detected photocurrent no matter whether the commercial power supply is of 50 Hz or 60 Hz.

Photographing sometimes takes place utilizing a strobe flash, but in most cases objects to be photographed are irradiated with the sunlight under the open sky. The luminance of sunlight is too intense compared with those of the other various light sources and would saturate an amplifier if it is directly input to a rangefinder circuit, making it impossible to obtain data necessary for range-finding. To overcome such inconvenience, a high pass filter has conventionally been used to eliminate monotonous luminance such as that of the sunlight. However, this countermeasure disadvantageously requires a high pass filter for each amplifier and consequently makes the relevant circuit arrangement correspondingly bulky.
FIG. 9 in the attached drawings is a block diagram illustrating the extrinsic light eliminator of the prior art, in which an infrared emitting diode (IRED) is used as the light emitter 1 and signal light projected, then reflected on the object is detected by the photodetector 2 as the corresponding photocurrent. This photocurrent is converted to the corresponding voltage and simultaneously DC component and/or low frequency component possibly accompanying the photocurrent is eliminated in a current/voltage converting amplifier 3. The voltage thus processed is amplified by a gain circuit 4, then held and further amplified by a hold circuit 5. The voltage held by the hold circuit 5 is amplified again and integrated by an integrating circuit 6. A comparator 7 compares the integrated voltage with a reference voltage and, when the integrated voltage exceeds the reference voltage, applies IRED drive terminating signal to a CpU 8. With this signal, IRED drive circuit 9 and therefore the light emitter 1 are disabled.
However, with this extrinsic light eliminator of the prior art as has been mentioned above, the low frequency component or the other undesirable components cannot be adequately eliminated and the relevant circuit arrangement remains bulky.
FIG. 10 exemplarily illustrates the extrinsic light eliminator of the prior art and FIG. 11 shows its frequency characteristic. As will be apparent from FIG. 11, the DC component is not adequately eliminated. FIG. 12 is a diagram of input/output waveforms exhibited by the conventional extrinsic light eliminator, showing (a) the input current waveform derived from a signal light which is projected from the light emitter, then reflected on the object irradiated with rays coming from a tungsten filament lamp and detected by the photodetector as the corresponding photocurrent and (b) the output voltage waveform from which the extrinsic light components have been eliminated by the current/voltage converting amplifier, respectively. The input current waveform detected by the photodetector 2 consists of the extrinsic light component waveform 2a and the signal component waveform superimposed thereupon and as indicated by FIG. 12(b), the low frequency component 2b corresponding to the extrinsic light component derived from the tungsten filament lamp is imperfectly eliminated.
Such residual low frequency component 2b remains until it is processed by the integrating circuit 6 and, in a disadvantageous consequence, the data required to determine a distance to the object necessarily contains an indeterminate factor resulting in a low reliability.
In view of such situation, it is a principal object of this invention to provide an extrinsic light eliminator for an autofocusing circuit so improved that rangefinding data of high reliability can be obtained by eliminating the extrinsic light components as perfectly as possible and the circuit arrangement can be simplified by minimizing the number of parts.

Extrinsic light eliminator for autofocusing circuit


An internal combustion engine having manifold ports and positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) passages integrated into the cam cover is disclosed. The engine system comprises a cam cover having an internal, gas-passing passage, a PCV valve associated with the passage, an oil separator associated with the PCV valve, and an intake manifold having a port, the port being associated with the PCV valve. An oil separator is fitted between the gas-passing passage and the PCV valve. The oil separator is mounted on the cam cover. A manifold chamber is also provided and the PCV oil separator is associated with the manifold chamber.

During the combustion stage of the air-fuel mixture within an internal combustion engine, exhaust gases are created that exit the engine via the exhaust manifold during engine operation. However, not all gases exit the engine at this time. Some of these gases are forced to bypass the piston and enter the crankcase because of the pressure created during combustion of the air-fuel mixture.
Relief of these collected gases is necessary to avoid damage to engine gaskets caused by the extra crankcase pressure. Such damage resulted in oil leakage. An early and direct solution to the build-up of exhaust gases in they crankcase was simply to exhaust the collected gases directly to the atmosphere via, for example, a road draft tube. However, this is an undesirable solution to the presence of these gases due to the negative environmental impact generated by these unburned hydrocarbon emissions.
As an alternative, these gases can be re-introduced into the engine by evacuating them from the crankcase and adding them to the air-fuel mixture entering the engine via the intake manifold. A typical solution has been to have the crankcase gases flow from the crankcase to the intake manifold by way of a positive crankcase ventilation ("PCV") system as regulated by a valve located along the PCV path.
According to one PCV example, the path for the PCV begins at the valve cover and ends at the intake manifold. During engine operation, the PCV valve increases a restriction between the intake system and the crankcase during periods of higher intake manifold vacuum, thus reducing the restriction between the intake manifold and the crankcase during periods of lower intake manifold vacuum. According to this system, a slight vacuum is maintained in the engine crankcase thereby drawing hydrocarbons from the engine crankcase and directing them into the engine intake system.
Known systems rely on a PCV valve typically fitted to the valve cover. An external PCV hose is fitted between the air/oil separator and the intake manifold. Hose connections may also include a hose connection on the cam cover and one on the intake manifold. Joints are required for each connection. While providing an environmentally sound method of relieving the collected gases, the reliance on rubber hoses introduces potential failure of the system due to aging of the hoses or leakage caused by accidental disconnection of the hose from the valve. In addition, the current combination of known intake manifold designs and known PCV systems can ingest an unequal distribution of water in the form of vapor trapped within the crankcase gases that can result in combustion performance and risk of freezing of the throttle plate in the throttle body.
Accordingly, as in so many areas of vehicle technology there is room for improvement related to the use and operation of PCV systems associated with the internal combustion engine.

Intake manifold ports and PCV passages integrated into cam cover


An electric motor (1) comprising an armature (10) having a plurality of teeth (20), and slots (30) configured between the teeth (20), at least one winding (40), which is constituted by a winding conductor (42), wherein at least part of the winding (40) is accommodated within one of the slots (30), a first guide (52) and a second guide (52), respectively having a spacer (56) and a guide slot (54), configured within the slot (30), wherein a winding conductor section (44) of the winding conductor (42) is guided at least in one of the guide slots (54), and wherein the spacer (56) separates the winding conductor section (44) from the winding (40), wherein the free ends of the spacer (56) and the openings in the guide slots (54) are configured in a mutually facing arrangement.

The invention relates to an electric motor having an armature, a guide means and a clamping element.
An electric motor, comprising an armature having a plurality of teeth and a plurality of slots, is already known. It is also known that a winding conductor, which constitutes a winding, is electrically insulated from the armature by means of an insulating material.


Provided are a method and apparatus for controlling direct memory access. In the method, data to be transmitted are read and stored in response to a direct memory access controller (DMAC) operation request, and a portion of the data corresponding to an initial burst size is first transmitted to a data destination. After resetting a burst size according to a state of the data destination, another portion of the data corresponding to the reset burst size is second-transmitted to the data destination. If all the data are not transmitted through the first-transmission and the second-transmission, the second-transmission is repeated until all the data are transmitted. If all the data are transmitted through the first-transmission and the second-transmission, an interrupt signal is generated. Therefore, interrupt signals can be less generated, and thus the processor can access an external memory less frequently, thereby increasing system performance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a direct memory access controller (DMAC), and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for controlling direct memory access to prevent a decrease in system performance by minimizing generation of interrupts.
This work was supported by the IT R&D program of MIC/IITA [2005-S-100-02, Development of Multi-codec and Its Control Technology Providing Variable Bandwidth Scalability]
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, voice data are processed on a ten to twenty millisecond basis in a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phone system. For this, a voice output unit of the VoIP phone system can include a high-capacity output storage medium such as a high-capacity first input first output (FIFO) for outputting voice data on a ten to twenty millisecond basis at a time. However, in this case, the manufacturing costs and size of the VoIP phone system increase due to the high-capacity output storage medium.
For this reason, VoIP phone systems use a low-capacity output storage medium and output voice data discretely.
Meanwhile, a voice output unit of a VoIP phone system receives voice data using a direct memory access controller (DMAC) in order to minimize intervention of a processor.
In response to a DMAC operation request sent from the voice output unit, the DMAC reads a portion of voice data corresponding to a burst size of an output storage medium from an external memory and transmits the read portion of the voice data to the voice output unit. Then, the DMAC generates an interrupt signal to inform a processor that the portion of the voice data is completely transmitted.
When the processor receives the interrupt signal, the processor suspends its current operation and stores information about the suspended operation in a memory such as the external memory. Then, the processor processes the interrupt signal prior to others and reads the information about the suspended operation from the external memory to resume the suspended operation.
However, it takes much more time for the processor to access the external memory for performing the above-described operation as compared with the time required for the processor to perform its internal operation. Therefore, system performance steeply decreases as the processor accesses the external memory more frequently for processing interrupt signals.
In other words, the system performance decreases much more when the DMAC generates more interrupt signals.

Method and apparatus for controlling direct memory access

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A cleaning implement has a reservoir, a dispenser and a fluid transfer tube. The reservoir retains a cleaning fluid and preferably is attached to a collapsible handle. The dispenser is attached to the reservoir by a universal joint which comprises a ball and fork configuration. The fluid transfer tube is connected to the reservoir in open communication with the dispenser, wherein the fluid transfer tube is positioned within the ball of the universal joint to prevent the fluid transfer tube from becoming entangled with the universal joint.

Cleaning implements are known, particularly cleaning implements having a mop head attached to a handle by a universal joint. Typically, these cleaning implements have a fluid reservoir attached to the handle and which dispense fluid to the cleaning head using a fluid transfer tube. However, these conventional cleaning implements attach the fluid transfer tube along the exterior of the mop, specifically, the exterior of the universal joint. In this way, the fluid transfer tube can become entangled in the universal joint and inhibit the movement of the mop head. In addition, the fluid transfer tube may become pinched or crimped by the universal joint and restrict, or completely block, the fluid transfer tube. As a result, conventional cleaning implements which utilize a universal joint and an external fluid transfer tube can have limited movement of the mop head and/or restricted fluid flow to the cleaning head.
In addition, most conventional cleaning implements utilize a handle having a straight shaft which is not collapsible or foldable. This significantly limits the ability to transport the cleaning implement using minimal space. In addition, the user is unable to manipulate the handle for smaller cleaning spaces and/or for storage.
Therefore, what is needed is a cleaning implement having a collapsible handle and a universal joint which encases the fluid transfer tube within the universal joint to prevent the transfer tube from inhibiting the movement of the universal joint, and subsequently the mop head, and to prevent the fluid transfer tube from becoming crimped and restricting fluid flow to the mop head.

Cleaning implement having a protected pathway for a fluid transfer tube


Diagnostic devices are generally described. In an example, an improved diagnostic device includes a display, a camera, a diagnostic probe, and a control unit. The display includes an aperture. The camera is configured to capture an image of a patient through the aperture. The diagnostic probe is configured to perform measurements of an area of interest of the patient through the aperture. The control unit is configured to analyze the measurements of the diagnostic probe and cause the display to present the image of the patient and results of the measurements on the image of the patient.

The following description is provided to assist the understanding of the reader. None of the information provided or references cited is admitted to be prior art.
Frequent monitoring of a person's body using imaging device is useful for early diagnosis and prevention of many diseases. Imaging devices such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) are useful tools for such applications. However, traditional diagnostic imaging devices require an operator separate from the patient to operate the imaging device (including, for example, a probe for performing measurements and a display for showing results to the patient).


A vehicle simulator having a projection system for projecting a generated scene and symbology onto a common viewing screen. Tracking apparatus is provided for providing position and/or angular orientation signals representative of the eye of a person viewing the projected scene and symbology. An image generation system is included for generating the scene and symbology for the projection system, such scene and symbology being generated as a function of the position and/or angular orientation signals provided by the tracking apparatus. Such symbology is representative of symbology produced by a head-up display. The image generation system generates the scene and symbology with characteristics which simulate vignetting and/or occulting effect characteristics of the head-up display. The OTW scene and symbology are projected onto a screen and are co-located while the image generator, base or data of the eye position of the user, produces the symbology to simulate the collimation, vignetting and occulting effects of the HUD optical type used in the vehicle that is simulated.

This invention relates generally to vehicle simulators and more particularly to vehicle simulators having head-up displays.
It is known in the art to use vehicle simulators, such as aircraft flight or tank simulators, to train operators of such vehicles.
With respect especially to aircraft flight simulators, many aircraft, particularly fighter aircraft, have head-up displays which enable a pilot to view the outside environment in front of the aircraft together with information which is typically displayed on an instrument panel of the aircraft. The head-up display enables the pilot to observe a scene outside the aircraft (i.e., an "out-the-window" (OTW) scene) and at the same time to see, i.e., in superposition with the OTW scene, information ("symbology"), which the pilot may need, such as altitude, speed, a pointer to a target, etc.
An example of one such head-up display (HUD) is shown in FIG. 1 wherein a head-up display (HUD) optical system 10 projects information provided on the HUD's display device, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) 12, to the eye 14 of an observer through an optical system 16. The optical system 16 is used to collimate the images ("symbology"), e.g., alphanumeric characters, lines, target pointers, etc.) produced on the HUD display device 12. The collimated HUD images are then viewed in superposition with the OTW imagery through the beamsplitter 18.
The HUD system 10 in the aircraft shown in FIG. 1 is focused at infinity (i.e., collimated) because the OTW scene being observed by the pilot is also typically at "infinity". In the HUD system 10 shown in FIG. 1, if the pilot moves his head to the right, for example, not only does the target he is observing move to the right, but the symbology on the beamsplitter 18, such an example a pointer generated by the HUD 10 pointing to a target, also appears at the eye 14 to move to the right on the beamsplitter 18, thereby remaining on the target.
Referring to FIG. 2, a flight simulator 19 of the prior art is shown. The simulator 19 has the cockpit portion 21 of the aircraft, including has a HUD system 10. Simulator 19 includes a projector 24 driven by an image generator 26 to produce the simulated OTW scene, and the generated OTW scene is projected by the projector 24 onto a screen 28 for observation by the pilot being trained.
In the simulator, as in the real world, an acceptable superposition of the HUD and OTW imagery occurs when the two images are focused at the same distance. The screen 28, however, is not at infinity but relatively close to the eye 14 of the pilot, and consequently, the actual vehicle's HUD, which is focused at infinity for use in a real environment, cannot be used without modification.
One approach for making a HUD for such a simulator is to modify the optical system in the HUD 10 so that it focuses at the same distance from the eye 14 as the screen 28, i.e., such that the optical system 16 of the HUD 10 makes the symbology appear to the eye 14 as if it were located on the screen 28. The HUD optical system 16 must be modified so that a simulated, distant target being projected on the screen 28, and a symbology pointer (generated by the HUD 10) pointing to the target (which is generated on the OTW screen 28) appear co-located wherever the pilot in the simulator moves his head.
One problem with this design is that each different type of aircraft usually has a different HUD type, or multiple HUD types, and simulators for a given aircraft may use different displays forming images at differing distances from the user's eye. The optical system 16 for the HUD system 10 in the simulator 19 is a function of both the screen placement and the HUD type used in the simulator 19. A different optical system 16 must therefore be designed for each HUD type used with each different display having a different screen distance from the eye. Further, as refocusing requirements become shorter and shorter, to match decreased distances in the simulator's OTW display, it becomes more and more difficult to refocus the HUD optics while maintaining the actual HUDs FOV, vignetting characteristics, and mechanical packaging.
A technique to avoid this problem is to project the HUD symbology on the same screen on which the OTW scene is projected, as shown the simulator 19′ of FIG. 3. Both the OTW projector 24, which projects the OTW scene, and a HUD projector 30, which projects the HUD symbology, appear on the same screen 28, and consequently, the OTW scene and the symbology are physically co-located.
However, referring again to FIG. 1, in an actual cockpit environment, the HUD system 10 provides the symbology on only a limited portion of the field of view available to the pilot. If the pilot moves his head around in an actual cockpit as in FIG. 1, portions or all of the symbology may or may not be visible to the pilot due to optical limitations of the HUD system, herein described as occulting or vignetting. The term "occulting" is meant to broadly describe any blocking or interruption in the visibility of the symbology, such as by structures of the cockpit or in the HUD optical system. The term "vignetting" refers to a type of occulting which is caused by movement of the viewer's eye beyond the optically functional portions of the lens system which is normally in the center of the lens or lenses. The occulting or vignetting is caused by a combination of things in the HUD optical system 10, i.e., the beamsplitter 18, the lenses and lens frames of the optics, and the CRT. For example, if the pilot's head is moved so that some of the HUD FOV falls outside of the beamsplitter coverage 18, that portion is no longer viewable by the pilot.
Consequently, in the arrangement shown in FIG. 3, while projection of the HUD generated symbology and the OTW scene onto a common screen 28 produces the desired co-location effect, the system does not simulate the vignetting or occulting characteristics associated with the real HUD being simulated. The prior art therefore fails to provide a realistic simulation of a vehicle heads up display.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Vehicle simulator having head-up display


An air filter element for internal combustion engines includes a filter media having an inlet portion and an outlet portion positioned adjacent to one another, so that a single filter element may be used with an air filter assembly; the filter element having an inlet and an outlet openings in the same direction. The inlet and outlet portions of the filter element are sealed with a housing by a common peripheral gasket.

Almost all air filter arrangements for internal combustion engines utilized a single stage air filter wherein dirty air enters the filter media on one side and emerges as clean air on the other side. Currently, there is interest in air intake filters which have spaced filter media wherein there is a first filter media for filtering out relatively large entrained particles and a second filter media for filtering out relatively small particles. By providing such an arrangement the capacity of filter elements is increased, the life of the filter elements is extended, the filter efficiency is increased and filter restriction is reduced.
Typically, the filters are arranged in tandem or series so that the second filter is aligned with the first filter whereby air passing through the first filter generally does not change direction to go through the second filter. Since the filters are separated there is now consideration given to just where the first and second filters should be placed in order to enhance the air cleaning process, preferably in an economical fashion.
While filtering air for internal combustion engines is one use to which multi-stage filters are put, such filters may be of use in filtering cabin air for vehicles or for filtering air or gases occurring in other situations such as enclosures in the form of rooms or buildings.

Combined inlet outlet air filter element


A container sealing apparatus comprising a conveyor for transporting containers, a sealer for sealing an opening edge portion of each of the containers with a closure material supplied adjacent to the container during transport by the conveyor, and a trimmer for blanking out a closure from the closure material affixed to the container, along the edge portion, the trimmer having a lifter for lifting the container from a path of transport of the container, a holder having a support for supporting the edge portion of the container lifted by the lifter and a cutter clearance groove formed externally of the support, and a cutter movable upward and downward so as to bring a cutting edge thereof into and out of the groove.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for sealing the openings of cuplike containers with a strip of closure material, for example, with a dessert accommodated in the containers.
Already known as such apparatus are those comprising a conveyor having a plurality of container holder plates and intermittently drivable for transporting the holder plates so as to stop the holder plates successively at a sealing station, a feeder for feeding a strip of closure material to the sealing station, a sealer for affixing the closure material to the opening edge portion of each container at the sealing station, and a trimmer having a cutter for blanking out a closure from the closure material affixed to the container, along the container opening edge portion, each of the holder plates being formed with a clearance groove for rendering the cutter free from contact with the plate when blanking out the closure.
The apparatus described has the problem that the holder plate has the cutter clearance groove and therefore can not be cleaned effectively. Furthermore, the need to form the clearance groove in each of the plurality of holder plates results in an increased machining cost. If the holder plate is reduced in thickness to decrease the material cost, the holder plate can not be grooved, so that the reduction in the thickness of the holder plate is limited.


This invention relates to a novel containment device which can be removably placed in the rear interior of a vehicle and used for containing sundry items. More particularly, this invention pertains to a novel flexible box tarpaulin which can be detachably installed in a vehicle and used to haul cargo without soiling the interior of the vehicle. A removable container for positioning in the interior of a vehicle which comprises: (a) a web-like member which forms an enclosure; (b) at least two securing members which removably secure the web-like member in an erect position to appropriate locations on the interior of the vehicle; and (c) a closable opening in the web-like member.

Many owners of vehicles use the rear compartments of their vehicles for hauling various types of cargo including garbage, yard trimmings, camping equipment, sports equipment and the like. Frequently, such materials are dirty and soil the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle owner must then clean the interior of the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,281, Altmann et al., discloses a protective liner for covering and protecting the interior surfaces of an enclosed or partially enclosed cargo area of a vehicle. The protective liner is held in place by fittings which are permanently installed in the interior of the vehicle. The liner has a floor, walls, a roof, and possible a gate and/or rear cover. An opening is provided in the liner to allow easy access to the interior cargo area located within the liner. The opening of the liner may be closed by attaching the gate and/or rear cover. A major disadvantage of the Altmann et al. protective liner is that the fittings which hold the liner are screwed into the interior walls of the vehicle and when removed leave unsightly and permanent holes. This can detract from the appearance of the interior of the vehicle and also the resale value of the vehicle. Also, the set positions of the permanent fittings reduce flexibility and versatility because they dictate the size and position of the liner.


Methods, devices and systems for wireless communication. A device user defines a list of contacts and receives a collective indication of which contacts are located within a neighborhood of the device. The neighborhood is defined at the device, for example by the device itself or by the user. A plurality of device users define respective user profiles including user attributes. One of the users defines a target attribute, and receives an indication of which other users that have that attribute have devices in the first user's neighborhood. The devices communicate among themselves either indirectly, for example via cellular base stations, or directly.

The present invention relates to wireless communication and, more particularly, to a method and system with which a user of a wireless transceiver can be informed which other users, of similar wireless transceivers, who are of interest to the user, are available for communication.
Cellular telephony networks are well-known and ubiquitous. A subscriber to a cellular telephony service can use a mobile telephone to communicate with other subscribers, or with subscribers to ordinary, fixed telephony service. The communication is wireless, via a set of fixed base stations.
Direct wireless communication between users of mobile handsets also is known. One such method of particular interest is the "three-in-one" usage model of "voice over BLUETOOTH™" as defined by Ericsson of Stockholm, Sweden under the BLUETOOTH™ standard for short-range ad hoc wireless networks, or "piconets". (Even though, strictly speaking, the term "piconet" is specific to the BLUETOOTH™ standard, this term is used herein to refer to an ad-hoc, temporary wireless network established under either the Bluetooth BLUETOOTH™ protocol or any similar wireless communication protocol.) In the most common implementations of the "three-in-one" model in "voice over BLUETOOTH™", the mobile telephone is used as a wireless telephone in communication with a home base station, or as a cellular telephone; but the model also includes the possibility of peer-to-peer communication in "intercom" mode.
The SERIES 60 SMARTPHONE™ software platform of Nokia Corp. Espoo, Finland supports multiplayer games in BLUETOOTH™. Users of devices that are based on this platform can get together to create a BLUETOOTH™ piconet for playing interactive multiplayer games. Friends can arrange to meet to play games, but there is no convenient way for friends to identify each other in a crowd for the purpose of spontaneously forming a BLUETOOTH™ piconet to play a game. More generally, there is no convenient way for a mobile phone user to use his/her mobile phone to identify members of a common interest group who coincidentally are nearby. The BLUETOOTH™ standard includes a "device discovery procedure" by which one BLUETOOTH™ device discovers which other BLUETOOTH™ devices are within wireless communication range; but this procedure finds all such devices, not just the devices that belong to members of a common interest group.

Device and system for selective wireless communication with contact list memory


In accordance with the invention there is provided a time control system for a cellular telephone having a control circuit, which includes an external control having a timing input arrangement for receiving use-time available to a user of the cellular telephone, an interface box connected with the external control detachably connected with the cellular telephone, an interface transmission module in the interface box, an internal data transmission circuit in the cellular telephone, a disconnectable transmission arrangement disposed between the interface transmission module and the internal transmission circuit, an internal timing control circuit in the cellular telephone having a timing storage arrangement for storing use-time available to the user of the cellular telephone, the cellular telephone control circuit having a disabling input connected with the internal timing control arrangement for disabling the cellular telephone upon expiration of use-time stored in the timing storage arrangement.

With the increasing popularity of cellular telephones, it has become practical for various businesses, e.g. car rental businesses and the like, to offer cellular telephones for rent, for example in connection with a car rental transaction. Since use of a cellular phone is paid for in accordance with special tariffs that are considerably higher than tariffs for conventional telephones, it can happen that a renter of a cellular telephone runs up a phone bill of considerable magnitude. It also frequently happens that cellular telephones are stolen from the rented vehicle, and that the thief runs up a very high telephone bill for which the owner of the cellular phone is responsible.
It is accordingly a primary object of the instant invention to provide a time control system for cellular telephones which limits the time available to the user of the phone to some preset length of time as agreed upon by the user and owner of the phone.
Applicants are unaware of any prior art relating to the invention disclosed herein.
Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment which is illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings.

Time control system for a cellular telephone


A decorative article and method for making an article is provided, the article having a base material, a decorative material covering a portion of the base material, and a trim material secured to the base material and the decorative material. The trim material is visible after application and during use of the article and serves to secure the decorative material to the base material as well as to frame the decorative material. Preferably, a portion of the trim material overlaps a portion of the decorative material, the two materials being secured by stitching along the overlapping portions. It is also preferred that the trim material be stitched to the base material along an outer edge and that the trim material be stitched to the decorative material along an inner edge.

Over the years, a variety of clothing articles have been created having a cut-out decoration fastened to a larger piece of fabric. The process of adding such decorations to wearable garments is known in the clothing industry as "applique". The term "applique" also refers to the cut-out decoration itself which is applied to the larger piece of material. The most popular and common process for applying an applique is by the use of an embroidery machine to apply a very tight satin stitch that completely follows the outline of the applique to be held in place. This process prevents fraying of the edges of the applique. The satin stitch itself is normally of one color and can only be applied by an embroidery machine.
Other means for applying decorations to clothing and fabrics are also known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,882,549 discloses a method of applying lace trim to a garment by attaching the trim to a straight section of bias tape such as by stitching. The bias tape can then be formed to a desired curve and attached to the garment edge, the tape thereby serving to secure the lace to the garment. Alternatively, two sections of bias tape can be stitched to lace trim, and the garment edge slipped between the exposed edges of the bias tape sections and stitched thereto. The reference contemplates using this method to apply decorative material such as lace to a garment edge, such that the decorative material is secured by one of its edges to an edge of the garment.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,173,927 discloses an edging or hem for curtains that comprises a strip of material doubled upon itself to provide a hem having two side portions and an open pocket. The free edges of the strip of material are folded or tucked inwardly between the side portions of the hem and stitched thereto. Lace edging is stitched or sewn to the bottom of the hem portion and projects therefrom. The bottom end of the curtain material is inserted into the open pocket such that the end of the curtain is straddled and concealed by the hem. The hem portion is then sewn to the bottom end of the curtain material
U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,919 discloses an applique that includes a chenille material having a decorative shape, a flexible backing material, and a polymer film. The flexible backing material is applied to the lower surface of the chenille material and the polymer film overlays the upper surface of the chenille material. Closely spaced stitching is used to secure the film and chenille material to the garment. The stitching covers and compresses portion of the film and chenille material along the edges of the chenille material. Unstitched portions of the film are removed from the upper surface of the chenille material and the finalized design comprises the stitched and unstitched portions of the chenille material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,040,332 discloses embroidering a design on an article of clothing. Embroidery stitches are formed on the base fabric in accordance with a selected embroidery design and a face fabric is applied over the embroidered stitches. The face fabric is thin and of a diaphanous nature and is stitched to the base fabric following the outline edges of the embroidery design, thereby sharply delineating the embroidery design and giving it a three dimensional effect in relief. A white or neutral color can be used for the face fabric so that the color of the embroidery stitches are visible through the fabric, thereby enhancing the ornamental effect of the design.
While these references disclose the application of a decoration to an article of clothing or other fabric, it has not been known to cover a portion of clothing or fabric with a decorative material and use a trim material to secure the decorative material to the clothing or fabric. In addition, it has not been known to use this trim material in a decorative fashion such that it is visible and provides a decorative frame or border for all edges of the decorative material, thereby adding to the overall appearance and design of the clothing or fabric. Moreover, the use of a trim material to secure an applique to an article of clothing or a fabric eliminates the need to use an embroidery machine to secure the applique with tight satin stitching, as is currently known in the art. Furthermore, because a trim material can include a wide variety of patterns, colors, and material types, the use of a trim material provides for a greater number of decorative possibilities than does the satin stitch, which generally is only adjusted in terms of color.

Clothing article having a trimmed applique and method for making the same


A system and method for determining a location within a physical structure are described. The location within the physical structure can be determined by storing a model of a physical structure comprising a plurality of nodes connected by a plurality of struts, each of the nodes and struts of the model corresponding to respective nodes and struts of the physical structure; assigning a non-unique ID to each node of the model according to a pseudo-random sequence, wherein each node of the physical structure encodes the non-unique ID assigned to the corresponding node of the model; receiving a set of non-unique IDs encoded onto respective nodes of a contiguous subset of nodes of the physical structure; locating a set of non-unique IDs in the model corresponding to the received set of non-unique IDs; and determining a location in the physical structure from the located set of non-unique IDs in the model.

Complex physical structures can be assembled from a limited set of components. The components may include a number of different types of joint nodes that can be connected to other joint nodes by compressive links or tension links, referred to collectively as tensegrity links. The complex physical structure may be comprised of a repeating pattern of connections between the joint nodes. Due to the repeating nature of the complex structure, only a limited number of different types of joint nodes and tensegrity links are required to assemble the complex structure.
Due to the repeating nature of the pattern within the complex structure, it can often be difficult to determine a specific location within the physical structure itself, either as it is being constructed or once it is constructed.
It is desirable to be able to easily determine a particular location within a complex structure, either as it is being constructed, or once it is constructed. If the location is known during the construction stage, it is possible to determine further steps in the construction that can be performed at the particular location.

System and method for determining a location within complex structures using pseudorandom encoding techniques


The present invention relates to an antimicrobial polymer coating composition including: a (meth)acrylate-based monomer or oligomer containing an alkylene oxide having 1 to 10 carbon atoms; a photosensitizer; and a photoinitiator, and an antimicrobial polymer film including a substrate layer including a polymer resin containing a (meth)acrylate-based repeating unit having an introduced alkylene oxide functional group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and a photosensitizer dispersed in the substrate layer, wherein the antimicrobial polymer film has surface energy of 32 mN/m or more.

A photosensitizer absorbs light to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), and photodynamic therapy (PDT), in which the photosensitizer is excited upon irradiation with light of a specific wavelength from the outside to generate active oxygen species or free radicals, thereby inducing apoptosis of various lesions or cancer cells and destroying them, is widely used.
Various attempts have been made to develop polymeric materials having antimicrobial activity using such photodynamic reaction, and for example, a method of melting a silicone resin or the like and then mixing the melted resin with a photosensitizer, and a method of using a coating solution formed by dissolving a silicone resin and a photosensitizer in a solvent, are known.
However, according to the method of melting a silicone resin or the like and mixing it with a photosensitizer, since dispersibility between the photosensitizer and the silicone resin is low, the photosensitizer in the silicone resin can be aggregated while not being homogeneously distributed.
In addition, when melted with the silicone resin, since it is impossible to adjust the thickness of the silicon after melting, it is limited in that it is not easy to produce products in accordance with application fields and uses, or it is not suitable for mass production.
Moreover, when a coating solution formed by dissolving a silicone resin and a photosensitizer in a solvent is used, it is known that a certain level of antimicrobial activity can be achieved without being severely limited in the field of application. However, it is not easy to produce active oxygen to such an extent that sufficient antimicrobial activity can be exhibited when light in the visible light region is used, and the produced active oxygen is present only for a very short period of time. Thus, there is a limitation in that an excessive amount of light energy must be irradiated for a relatively long period of time.

Antimicrobial polymer coating composition and antimicrobial polymer film


A method and system for processing digital image data taken from a three-dimensional topographic area including terrain and a right of way including a first and a second object to establish a clearance surface to define clearance violations within a boundary area. Waypoints are located to define a centerline and the boundary area to be analyzed. Vegetation coordinate points in the scene are determined from the digital image data. Ground coordinate points are determined from the digital image data. A clearance surface segment is constructed within the boundary area between the first and second object. The clearance surface is determined from the location of the first and second object and clearance criteria. The clearance surface is used to define a violation region.

Aerial photography, light detection and ranging ("LIDAR"), synthetic aperture radar, and other types of remote sensing technologies are capable of capturing digital imagery of real-world scenes for the purpose of extracting three-dimensional point coordinate (spatial geometry) data. These technologies are widely used in industry as vital tools to collect the data necessary for map-making, engineering modeling, land management, vegetation assessment/management, and/or asset management. These tools are valuable because they can capture spatial (point coordinate) data in a digital form that ultimately allows a wide variety of computer-based tools to be applied to the tasks of map-making, 3D modeling for engineering analysis, vegetation assessment/management, and/or asset management. Today, however, considerable time and effort (manual human intervention) is required to "interpret" the resulting imagery and extract information suitable (e.g., in a more meaningful object-oriented form) for the end-application use of the desired (necessary and sufficient) information. Thus, systems and methods are continuously sought to improve the accuracy, effectiveness, and efficiency of "measurements" which can be directly compared or contrasted against specific criteria to determine the risks associated with any failures to meet/satisfy such specific measurement criteria.
Three-dimensional coordinate point data (3D imagery of a real-world scene) is practically useless unless the location of individual points in 3D space can be compared to the locations of recognizable objects within the real-world scene (e.g., the relative spatial relationships between the recognizable objects and the individual measured points can be compared to specific measurement criteria). The immediate need is to determine whether or not specific clearance distances are maintained between the recognizable objects and the individually measured points on the potential violating object.
There are many tools available to model and analyze the spatial relationships between two objects after they have been recognized and after their geometric and physical attributes have been determined. However, at the present time, there are only a few rudimentary approaches (usually based on simple direct point-to-point distance measurements/calculations) to determine the degree of interference (relative spatial clearance criteria violation) between two objects in 3D space.
The most widely accepted manual approach to dealing with vegetation clearance violations is to "clear-cut" the rights of way of all "significant" vegetation. This is also the most expensive and most conservative approach, but it generally does away with the vegetation risks within the boundaries of the rights of way. Outside the rights of way, taller vegetation (trees) still pose a significant risk, and protracted negotiations (often involving protracted court cases) with land owners are required to gain the right to mitigate such risks. The issue of accuracy of the determination of the risk level is often the key point of the negotiations.
Another widely accepted manual approach to identifying vegetation clearance violations of specific right of way clearance criteria is to: a) have an arborist or forester attempt to visualize where an electrical conductor or other object of interest might physically be/exist under specific operating conditions; and then b) estimate and/or attempt to measure the distance from some vegetation point to an imagined point on a conductor or other object of interest where that particular conductor point might exist under a given operating condition such as conductor operating temperature. Again, the issue of accuracy of the determination of the risk level is often the key point.
One data intensive approach is to have photogrammetrists construct stereo-models from pairs of stereo photographs, either traditional film or scanned digital images, of the right of way having objects of interest. Then, the photogrammetrists use their visual interpretive skills to interpret the images and manually digitize (measure) the distance between selected points on the recognized objects of interest. The measured distance is compared to the required clearance criteria to identify violations. This is an interpretive approach subject to error.
Another data intensive approach is to have photogrammetrists and/or data analysts construct "point cloud" models from either stereo photography or 3D LIDAR/synthetic aperture radar derived points, visually interpret the point clouds, and digitize (measure) the distance between selected points on the recognized objects of interest. Then the measured distance is compared to the required clearance criteria to identify violations. Again, this is an interpretive approach subject to error.
Yet another data intensive approach is to have data analysts construct classified "point cloud" models from 3D LIDAR/synthetic aperture radar derived points. This is done by subdividing or classifying the total set of available points into smaller sets of points with each set being associated with a particular object or type of object and then comparing each point in one selected set of points with each point in each of the remaining sets of points to determine whether or not an interference (clearance violation) exists between any two points of the point sets being compared. The ability of the analyst to visualize the degree of interference (clearance violation) between any two interfering sets of points is difficult at best; while the requirement to communicate the location and degree of interference to others is tedious, laborious, and nearly impossible to resolve, particularly when the possibility of very large numbers of clearance violations readily exists.
Yet another data intensive approach is to have data analysts/engineers construct classified "point cloud" models from 3D LIDAR/synthetic radar derived points (e.g., subdivide or classify the total set of available points into smaller sets of points with each set being associated with a particular object or type of object), construct engineering models from the data, construct the conductor catenary curves for the appropriate conductor operating conditions, and compare the distance from each catenary curve to each vegetation point to the required clearance criteria in order to determine violations of the criteria using automated engineering analysis/design software packages. Although this approach produces accurate and useful results, it requires special 3D engineering model construction and analysis skills to accomplish the task.
Each of the preceding examples of existing available analytical approaches has at least one major shortcoming that has not been dealt with to date. That is, not one of the previously mentioned approaches provides the inspector in the field with a workable tool to accomplish his job after the initial analysis results have been consumed (e.g., the vegetation violations have been cut or trimmed), and/or the vegetation/trees have grown back to a state that the violations have reoccurred. Thus, the capability to audit or check the clearing/cutting work or check for new violations does not exist.
Each of the preceding examples of existing available analytical approaches is directed toward the task of discerning the existence of interferences (clearance violations) between two recognizable objects of interest within the real-world scene of multiple available objects. All of the above methods/approaches have major shortcomings; and few, if any of the methods/approaches mentioned above, lend themselves to being implemented "in the field" or out in the physical real world where the physical objects actually exist. The data processing events and computing power/equipment requirements of the previously mentioned approaches prohibit such in the field execution of such methods/approaches. The data volumes are simply too large to handle easily in the field. Meanwhile, manual methods require gross estimates of changing physical conditions and accuracy is limited, so drastic solutions such as clear-cutting prevail.
Thus there is a real need for a method/system and apparatus that resolves the measurements/results accuracy and reporting issues as well as the data volume issues while providing a solution approach that can be applied equally as effectively in the office using more capable data processing techniques and in the field using small, light weight, portable equipment.

Method and apparatus for direct detection, location, analysis, identification, and reporting of vegetation clearance violations


This invention uses the evanescent wave detection of particles to distinguish bound from free in an analyte-binding assay. Illumination below the critical angle is employed, and a beveled window is used to eliminate bulk fluorescence from the emitted evanescent wave liquid. The sample is held in a non-rigid film cuvette.

In order to determine the concentration of analytes in biological fluids, specific binding partners for analytes are often used. The analyte concentration is determined by generating a signal which is modulated in accordance with the amount of analyte bound to the binding partner. Many forms of binding assays have been described, most of which depend on a physical technique such as centrifugation or filtration to separate bound from free material. These techniques can be complex and expensive to automate. On the other hand, the optical phenomenon known as "total internal reflection" has been used to distinguish bound from free material in several immunoassay systems that do not require a mechanical separation step. Immunoassay systems employ antibodies as the analyte binding partners; the principles used, however, can be applied to other forms of binding assays such as those using hormone receptors or DNA probes.
Total internal reflection is a phenomenon that occurs when light is aimed at a glancing angle, above the so-called "critical angle", from a medium of high refractive index, such as glass, toward a medium of lower refractive index, such as water. The beam of light is reflected at the interface between the two media. Total internal reflection is described in E. Hecht and A. Zajac, Optics, Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Reading, Mass. (1974), pp. 81-84.
Under conditions of total internal reflection, it can be demonstrated that a portion of the light called the "evanescent wave" penetrates the low-refractive-index medium to a depth of a fraction of a wavelength, typically 100 nm or so. This light will therefore illuminate materials which are bound at the interface between the two media; materials not at the interface will not be illuminated. This provides a separation, a means of distinguishing bound from free material, without the need for a mechanical separation device.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,350 (Kronick et al.) describes an immunoassay system employing haptens or antibodies attached to a glass prism having a surface in contact with an aqueous medium. Immunologically-bound fluorescent antibodies are detected by their presence within the region illuminated by the evanescent wave. To achieve this, Kronick designed a system such that light enters the sample chamber above the critical angle. This requires sophisticated light sources such as lasers or arc lamps to produce a small diameter, collimated beam for illumination of a small sample. The samples are placed on a slide but nevertheless the sample chamber must be cleaned after each assay.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,434 (Hart) utilizes fluorescent latex particles as a label, giving potentially much greater signal per binding event than that obtainable by Kronick et al. Although an improvement over Kronick et al., Hart still is faced with the problem of using sophisticated light sources with the inherent disadvantages just related. Also, high quality sample cuvettes must be used which are formed to incorporate prisms. Even when well manufactured, plastic devices will not in general have the high optical quality of the glass, quartz or sapphire prisms.
EP 0 326 375 and EP 0 254 430 (Schutt et al.) describe a similar immunoassay system in which light-scattering particles, such as polymer latex or colloidal gold, are used in place of the fluorophores described by Kronick et al. The examples in these patents indicate that assays employing evanescent wave phenomena can achieve sensitivity otherwise obtainable only in assays that employ a mechanical separation step. Otherwise, Schutt et al. suffer from the same disadvantages as Hart and Kronick et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,546 (Hirschfeld) is an example of the use of an optical fiber or rod-like waveguide in an immunoassay. Since light is confined inside an optical fiber by a series of internal reflections, an evanescent wave field exists along the entire surface of the fiber. Antibodies or antigens are attached to the fiber, and the fiber is then immersed in the sample to be tested. Fluorescence or other optical changes can be detected at an end of the fiber. Because some such devices can be immersed directly into a neat biological fluid, they are sometimes referred to as "biosensors". Whatever Hirschfeld's advantages, his system still requires cleaning or replacement of the biosensor after each use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,658 (Shanks et al.) describe a waveguide which is placed in contact with an illuminated sample. Fluorescence from bound material produces an evanescent wave in the waveguide which exits the waveguide above the critical angle. Fluorescence from unbound material is refracted at the interface, and can therefore only exit the waveguide at an angle below the critical angle.
Systems such as those described by Schutt et al. and Shanks et al. rely upon optical apertures to limit the acceptance angle of the detector so that non-evanescent waves are excluded. The edge of the waveguide in these cases is an extended light source, as opposed to a point source. That is, light is emitted from regions that do not lie on the optical axis of the system. Under these conditions, no aperture can be designed that accepts all rays up to a given incidence angle, a, and rejects all others. Thus separation of evanescent and non-evanescent radiation will be less than ideal. Under most assay conditions, the evanescent signal is much weaker than the non-evanescent background, so good separation is essential. Furthermore, apertures must be properly aligned with respect to the waveguide and the detector in order to function well.
Another disadvantage of Shanks et al. is that the illuminating beam passes through the sample in order to reach the waveguide. This increases the interfering effects in the bulk solution of light scattering or absorbing substances on the evanescent wave signal.

Specific binding assay involving separation of light emissions


A data management system includes an external device and information processing device communicably connected with the external device. The information processing device includes a data sending unit sending a data file to the external device, a specifying information storing unit storing data specifying information, a request unit sending a request for data information regarding a data file stored in the external device to the external device, a response receiving unit receiving the data information as a response to the request, a judging unit judging whether the data file specified by the data information includes the data file specified by the data specifying information, and a deletion request unit sending a deletion request for deleting the data file specified by the data specifying information to the external device when the judgment is affirmative.

1. Technical Field
The following description relates to one or more data management techniques that make it possible to appropriately delete data stored in an external device communicably connected with an information processing device.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, there has been known a technique employed in an information processing device such as a personal computer, digital multifunction peripheral, and DVD player that deals with personal information, in which technique there can be deleted information stored in the information processing device that is not used any more or is to be discarded so as to prevent leakage of information (e.g., Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2006-323546).
Recently, such information processing devices have widely been installed not only into homes and offices but also into Internet cafés and hotels, and used by guests of the Internet cafes and hotels.
In the meantime, recently, there are some cases where information is stored not in an internal unit of the information processing device but in an external device connected therewith. For example, personal information is, in some cases, stored in another information processing device, such as a server via a network and an external hard disk drive, which is connected with the aforementioned information processing device.

Data management system, and information processing device and computer readable medium therefor


A single-use, disposable, elastomeric patient valve has a pair of one-way check valves disposed in the cross-piece portion thereof to create a barrier against patient infection. The check valves prevent contamination by a first patient of the reusable demand valve portion as he or she exhales into the patient valve and prevents the inhalation of possibly infected materials into the lungs, via the sampling chamber and associated tubing coupling same to the patient valve.

I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to pulmonary performance testing equipment, and more particularly to an improved, disposable, single-use patient valve employed in the breathing circuit of such equipment.
II. Discussion of the Prior Art
In an earlier U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,825 to James Huhn and entitled "Multi-Functional Patient Valve", which is assigned to the assignee of the present application, there is described a single-use, disposable patient valve for use in cardiopulmonary test apparatus comprising a molded, flexible, elastomeric tubular body of a cruciform shape and cooperating with the stem portion of the cross are first and second selectively actuable clamps which, when actuated, pinch off the flow of gases across the pinched portions. The full teaching and description of the patient valve described in that aforereferenced patent are hereby incorporated by reference.
As is fully explained in U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,825, a procedure called lung diffusion is used in accessing a patient's lung volume. In this procedure, the cruciform shape elastomeric patient valve has a patient mouthpiece having a flow measuring capability connected to one end of its stem and the opposite end is open to the ambient. A gas demand valve is coupled to a first end of the patient valve's cross member while the opposite end of this cross member is coupled to a gas sample apparatus. In use, a first clamp is actuated for pinching the patient valve to block off ambient air and, during the patient's inspiratory phase, a test gas, such as a mixture of carbon monoxide and neon, is inhaled through the demand valve, through the multi-functional patient valve, and through the mouthpiece into the patient's lungs. Now, a second clamp is actuated pinching off the patient valve between the mouthpiece and the valve's cross member such that the patient is made to hold the inhaled gas sample within the lungs for a predetermined time interval. Following this time interval, the second clamping means is released while the first is maintained. The patient may now exhale, with the expired gases passing through the patient valve into the sample chamber. The first clamping means is then released allowing the patient to breathe ambient air. The collected gas sample can be analyzed to determine the capacity of the lungs to absorb oxygen.
Those skilled in the art can appreciate that during use, and especially during the expiratory phase of the testing cycle, the demand valve and the coupling hoses leading to the sample chamber are exposed to the patient's respiratory gases, including moisture particles entrained in the expired gas stream. While the patient valve itself is a single-use, disposable item, it is intended that the demand valve and the coupling equipment utilized to join the patient valve to the sample chamber are intended to be reusable. Noting that bacteria and other infectious germs or viruses may be resident in the moisture particles exhaled by one patient, it is imperative that a means be provided for maintaining isolation of the demand valve circuit from exhaled breath and the mouthpiece from exposure to flow from the sample chamber during inhalation so that a subsequent patient undergoing similar testing will not be exposed to bacteria and germs from a prior patient.
It is accordingly a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved single-use, disposable patient valve of the type described in the aforereferenced Huhn patent, with a means for isolating the demand valve circuit from a given patient's expiratory gases and that patient from the flow of air or other gases from the sampling circuit when inhaling to thereby inhibit the possibility of a infection by a subsequent patient using the equipment, albeit with a new patient valve installed.

Patient valve incorporating one-way check valves for infection control