According to the present invention, there is provided a method for nonbiologically treating an chlorinated organic compound contained in an environment polluted with the chlorinated organic compound, which comprises the step of introducing silicon into the environment to dechlorinate the chlorinated organic compound.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for treating an chlorinated organic compound present in a polluted environment, particularly a soil or a ground water by dechlorination.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, as treatment methods of chlorinated organic compounds, various physical/chemical and biological methods have been used. In the case that a ground water is polluted with the chlorinated organic compound, a method is usually utilized in which the polluted water is pumped and then aerated to remove the chlorinated organic compound from the ground water. Furthermore, as another treatment technique of the water containing the chlorinated organic compound, there is a method in which the chlorinated organic compound is decomposed by the irradiation of ultraviolet light. In the case of the pollution at an extremely low concentration, a method can be utilized which comprises dissolving hydrogen in the polluted water, and then bringing it into contact with the surface of a metal to carry out dechlorination (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2412/1980). On the other hand, for the treatment of the chlorinated organic compound present in water in a soil or among soil masses, there can be used a vacuum extraction method which comprises a suction step by the utilization of reduced pressure, an on-site or an off-site burning method which comprises digging out a polluted soil, and then subjecting it to a burning treatment, a heat desorption method which comprises releasing the chlorinated organic compound from the soil by heating, and a soil cleaning method which comprises oozing out the chlorinated organic compound by the use of water or another solvent. In addition, as a purification method for a low-concentration pollution in a wide range, a bioremediation method utilizing microorganisms has also been investigated.
However, the above treatment methods all have the following problems regarding treatment efficiency, cost, easiness and the like.
Firstly, of the above treatment methods, the physical/chemical treatment method requires facilities and apparatus for separating the chlorinated organic compound from the environment and then treating it, and for the installation of the facilities, their operation and maintenance, a great deal of cost is required. On the other hand, in the bioremediation method in which a biological treatment is done, it is necessary to properly control a temperature, a pH, the concentrations of nutrient salts and dissolved oxygen, and the like for the purpose of keeping up the activity of micro-organisms for the treatment, and hence an apparatus for continuously adding oxygen and the nutrient salts to the environment is required.

Method for treating chlorinated organic compound


Autonomous carriers or totes that include vacuum units are provided. As the totes move or are moved through a warehouse carrying products, they collect debris. The debris can be analyzed at the tote, and actions can be performed based upon the analysis.

Warehouses and other storage facilities store products, parts, components, and other items. Sometimes debris enters the facility. Debris may include dust, smoke, or contaminants to mention a few examples. The debris may make it sometimes difficult and, in some cases, hazardous for humans or automated vehicles to retrieve warehouse items.
One type of storage facility utilizes automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRSs). The ASRS manages the retrieval and movement of products (or other items) within the facility. For efficiency, these types of facilities are usually densely packed making it especially difficult and/or expensive for humans or large automated vehicles to remove debris from these types of facilities.

System and method for removing debris from a storage facility


A retainer for a vehicle cargo area that is bounded in part by a floor and a door moveable between open and closed positions includes a retaining member spanning at least a portion of the cargo area, a pivot feature operably associated with the retaining member, and a retaining feature that yieldably retains the retaining member in its second position to facilitate retaining cargo within the cargo area. The retaining member pivots about the pivot feature relative to the cargo area between a first position and a second position wherein the retaining member is inclined relative to the floor of the cargo area. When the door is open the retainer is normally in its second position to facilitate retaining cargo within the cargo area.

Many vehicles include cargo areas having a relatively flat floor leading to a door, such a liftgate, tailgate or hatchback. The door typically pivots away from the flat floor to facilitate access to the cargo area. As a result of the relatively flat cargo area floor, some objects stored in the cargo area may shift during vehicle travel or otherwise come to rest against the door. Upon movement of the door away from the floor, these objects may roll, slide or otherwise fall out of the cargo area. Particularly with a hatchback or liftgate that pivots vertically away from the cargo floor, it can be difficult to prevent cargo from falling out of the vehicle upon opening the liftgate.


An optoelectronic component and a method for manufacturing an optoelectronic component are disclosed. In an embodiment an optoelectronic component includes a diffractive optical element comprising at least one conversion material and a light source configured to emit primary radiation, wherein the conversion material is encapsulated in the diffractive optical element, and wherein the conversion material is arranged in a beam path of the primary radiation and is configured to convert the primary radiation at least partially into secondary radiation.

So far, optoelectronic components with a desired radiation characteristic are provided, which include conventional converters with Lambert radiation. The secondary radiation converted by the converters can then be deflected by means of complex optics and/or reflectors to produce a desired radiation characteristic. Alternatively, directionally receiving converter materials can be encapsulated separately from the optics. This makes it easier to generate the components if necessary. However, additional process steps are necessary, which can lead to a larger geometry.

Optoelectronic component and method for manufacturing an optoelectronic component


In a delta sigma modulator, generally comprising one or more integrators fed into a multilevel quantizer, the output of which is the output of the delta sigma modulator and is also fed through a digital to analog converter in a feedback loop to the integrators, the quantizer is made sparse, i.e. the levels output by the quantizer are not evenly spaced, but rather are closely spaced for small deviations from 0 V, and broadly spaced for large deviations from 0V. The A/D converter in the feedback is matched to the quantizer. For example, the levels might be -1 V, -1/8 V, 0V, 1/8 V, and 1 V. The digital output signal from the sparse quantizer is fed into a correction RAM, which corrects for nonlinearities in the D/A converter before the digital signal is filtered by a low pass filter and frequency down converted. The contents of the RAM are selected whenever the A/D conversion system is powered on. The contents of the RAM are selected by closing a series of sets switches in the A/D converter and adjusting the output of the RAM to 0.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to analog to digital (A/D) data converters. More particularly, the present invention relates to wide dynamic range A/D converters.
2. Description of the Related Art
A digital signal processing type hearing aid must include an analog to digital (A/D) data converter, to turn the analog signal from the receiver into a digital signal prior to processing. Such an A/D converter must have low power requirements, and must also handle signals having a wide dynamic range. Speech signals might have dynamic ranges exceeding 80dB.
The preferred A/D converter for audio in general, and hearing aids in particular, is based upon a delta sigma modulator. Delta sigma modulation incorporates a noise-shaping technique whereby the noise of a quantizer operating at a frequency much greater than the bandwidth is moved to frequencies not of interest in the output signal. A filter after the quantizer removes the out of band noise. The resulting system synthesizes a high resolution data converter, but is constructed from low resolution building blocks. A good overview of the theory of delta sigma modulation is given in "Oversampling Delta-Sigma Data Converters," by Candy and Temes, IEEE Press, 1992.
A delta sigma modulator generally comprises one or more integrators for the input signal, which are fed into a quantizer, the output of which is the output of the delta sigma quantizer, and is also fed through a digital to analog converter in a feedback loop to the integrators. In the case of an A/D converter, the integrators are time sampled analog, usually switched capacitor, and the output is a digital bit stream to a decimation filter. In a delta sigma converter, there are three major factors which contribute to dynamic range, the order of the loop (the number of integrators), the number of levels of the quantizer, and the over sample ratio. In practice, delta sigma modulators are generally at least second order, because higher order modulators better reduce noise in the signal band, due to improved prediction of the in-band quantization error. Thus, the resulting signal to noise ratio is better. Second order delta sigma modulators are relatively stable, and easy to design. U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,042 describes how to build high order modulators for higher precision. U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,381 provides a good reference on implementation details of switched capacitor sigma delta converters.
Conventional, one bit, delta sigma converters must be clocked at around 2 MHz to achieve the desired wide dynamic range for audio signals. Such high clock speeds require more power than is desirable in a hearing aid. In order to achieve the desired dynamic range for a hearing aid at lower clock speeds, the quantizer in a conventional the delta sigma modulator could be given many levels. This means the quantizer would require many comparators, each of which dissipates power. More importantly, the digital to analog converter in the feedback loop must match the quantizer extremely accurately. This is not readily achieved without expensive techniques, such as trimming. Some of the error may be corrected by digital circuitry on the output of the delta sigma modulator.
Several other configurations have been proposed to improve the dynamic range of an A/D converter. For example, it has been proposed that the levels of the quantizer and the D/A converter in the feedback loop of the delta sigma modulator be exponentially spaced. As an example, the quantizer levels could be 1, 1.5, 1.5 2, 1.5 3, etc. This would achieve a nearly constant signal to noise ratio over a wide variation of input signals. The concept is not practical, as there is no practical way to build a exponential D/A that is also low power and fast. The accuracy demands on the D/A are severe.
A Swiss research company, Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique SA, has shown a "floating point" delta-sigma converter having several different ranges of gain, which switches between the gains as necessary to keep the signal in range. This is difficult to do accurately, as the states in the integrators must be modified when the switch takes place, and a separate circuit must monitor the converter for appropriate times to change gain.
Any converter can be preceded by an analog gain compressor. It is difficult to make this system track, and to achieve low distortion at low current. U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,529 uses an analog compressor before the a/d converter. It has proven difficult to reverse the compression by latter logic well enough to get a true result.
A need remains in the art for a low power A/D converter with sufficient signal to noise ratio and dynamic range at low power.

Wide dynamic range delta sigma A/D converter


The device prevents any relative translation movement in a first plane between two members moving one with regard to the other in a second plane substantially perpendicular to the first plane. Two linkages P.sub.1 P.sub.4 and P.sub.2 P.sub.3 are flexibly connected at their middle parts by members F1,F6 and a reinforced part 7. The two linkages have one of their ends connected to the first member by a fixed pivot point P.sub.1 and a movable pivot point P.sub.3, the other end of the two linkages being connected to the second member by a fixed pivot point P.sub.2 and a movable pivot point P.sub.4, the fixed pivot points and the movable pivot points being comprised of flexible portions, F.sub.1 to F.sub.4,8 and 9 of the linkages.

In the field of web products, when it is necessary to carry out an operation according to a determined pitch, such as a perforating, punching, stamping or stitching operation, it is sometimes necessary to have great precision in positioning the tool carrying out the desired operation.
Thus, in the patent application filed on 17 Sep. 1992 by the applicant and Jacques F. Gaudillat, Ser. No. 7/927,502, entitled "Process and Device for Driving a Surface in a Reciprocating Motion in a Given Plane", a description is given of a device for carrying out an operation, according to a given pitch, on a web movable uniformly and continuously. The device comprises a first block fitted with a tool describing, in an reciprocating manner, a short portion of an arc of a circle around a stationary horizontal axis parallel to the movement axis of the web, in order to be able to make the tool cooperate periodically with a member complementary to the tool. The complementary member is provided on a second block, the first block being connected to the second block along the stationary axis. The two blocks are fixed and suspended in this way to a stationary frame and are driven parallel to the movement plane of the web by a reciprocating movement of greater magnitude than the movement of the first block around the stationary axis and of identical period.
For this type of device, particularly when applied to perforating, it is essential that there is no translation movement, in the movement plane of the web, of the blocks in relation to each other.
In the previous technique, it is common to make use of mechanisms of the "SCOTT-RUSSEL" type, which will be described in greater detail in the description which follows and which include a number of joints, pivots or slides. These mechanisms undergo fairly rapid wear, which causes increasing inaccuracies in the positioning of the tool. Furthermore, it is difficult to use such mechanisms when the second plane (i.e, the short portion of an arc of a circle) is not exactly perpendicular to the first plane (i.e. the plane of the web). Such a mechanism is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,102,721.

Device for guiding a translation movement


The invention relates to devices configured and adapted to give a fluid stream the appearance of being lighted. Different colors of light, such as those provided from LEDs, may be used to generate an aesthetically pleasing effect of flowing colored fluid. In some embodiments, the fluid illumination may be accomplished by a light source directed towards a fluid stream from an external angle, for example. Alternatively, the light source may be pointed in the direction of the fluid stream, lighting it substantially internally. In yet other embodiments, the fluid illumination may be enhanced with the employment of reflective surfaces that bounce light around and through the fluid stream. To increase the appearance of being lighted, the reflective fluid surface area may be increased by generating turbulent flow. In certain embodiments, turbulent flow is achieved with the use of a separator to separate a single fluid stream into a plurality of micro-streams.

There are numerous known methods of object coloring by a conventional filtered light source. The most common is theatrical lighting, where a powerful incandescent lamp, strategically positioned inside of the reflector, shines the light onto the object through a colored diffuser. The same principle is used in flashlights, regardless of the lamp type. A disadvantage with these devices, and the principles under which they perform, is they color only the surface to which they are pointed. If there is a need to cover a large object, a stronger light or multiple light beams are needed.
When it comes to other objects, such as moving transparent fluids, e.g., water, the refractory properties of these objects are different from those of solid objects. Consequently, the known methods are neither practical nor perform to a reasonable satisfaction when it comes to lighting these objects. In addition, none of the known devices are capable of uniformly coloring the moving fluid along the flow direction. Moreover, customer demand for aesthetically pleasing optically enhanced static or dynamic fluids creates a need in the art for a low-cost, low-energy, compact device to provide water stream coloring in devices such as common household appliances and fixtures.
The present invention addresses these and other drawbacks with known lighting systems.


An exemplary method of combining two images to form a fused image is provided. A hierarchical structure for each of a plurality of volumes is built. All blocks in each of the hierarchical structures that intersect a slicing plane are found. Each of the plurality of volumes is divided into stacks of parallel slices, and the parallel slices are sorted by visibility order. A next slice in the sorted parallel slices is chosen. The next slice belongs to a current volume. Rendering parameters are changed if the current volume is different from a previous volume associated with the chosen slice in a previous iteration of the step of choosing the slice. Based on the rendering parameters, the next slice is rendered by intersecting the slicing plane with the blocks corresponding to the current volume. The steps of choosing the slice, changing the rendering parameters, and rendering the slice are repeated until all of the sorted parallel slices are rendered.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of imaging, and, more particularly, to an accelerated texture-based fusion renderer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern medical technology provides different modalities for acquiring 3D data, such as computed tomography ("CT"), magnetic resonance imaging ("MRI"), positron emission tomography ("PET"), and ultrasound. The information obtained from different modalities is usually complementary; for example, CT provides structural information while PET provides functional information. Thus, it is generally desirable to fuse multiple volumetric datasets.
FIG. 1 presents a sample fused image where functional data from PET is correlated with structural information from CT. FIG. 1 shows a sample fused rendering. The image on the left (FIG. 1(a)) shows structural information derived from a 512×512×512×12-bit CT dataset, while the image in the center (FIG. 1(b)) shows functional information derived from a 256×256×256×16-bit dataset PET dataset. The image on the right (FIG. 1(c)) is a simple fusion of the CT and PET datasets correlating structural and functional information. The "negatives" of each of the images is shown to facilitate printed reproduction.
Most existing fusion renderers require that all volumes be aligned and have the same resolution, thereby necessitating that all volumes be re-sampled except the one that is treated as the reference volume. The reference volume generally refers to the volume with the finest resolution to avoid losing information—the other volumes are re-sampled according to the grid of the reference volume. The reference volume may need to be expanded to fill the bounding box enclosing all volumes. The aggregate bounding box of the ensemble of volumes can be significantly larger than individual bounding boxes when the orientation of a volume happens to lie near the diagonal of another volume. The number of voxels after re-sampling is proportional to the volume of the aggregate bounding box. Therefore, re-sampling can significantly increase the processing time (both initially and for each rendering) as well as the amount of memory required.
The volumes usually need to be registered because different scanners can have different coordinate systems (in terms of origins and orientations). During registration all volumes, except the reference volume, are referred to as floating volumes. Various transformations, such as rotation, translation, scaling, and shearing, are applied to the floating volumes so that their features match those in the reference volume. Furthermore, re-sampling must be performed again after such a transformation. Registration typically requires user interaction, with visual feedback, that is repeatedly applied to refine the registration. The resample-based fusion render cannot response quickly enough for such requirements.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Accelerated texture-based fusion renderer


Methods and apparatus, including a concentrator, for operating a station coupled to a ring in a token ring network. The ring carries signal at an active monitor clock rate. The method includes the steps of generating a local clock at an accelerated clock rate that is equal to or greater than the active monitor clock rate, operating the station at the accelerated clock rate when the station is a standby monitor, operating the station at the active monitor clock rate when the station is the active monitor, operating the station at its own clock rate when the station is in loopback mode, and receiving signal from the ring and transmitting signal to the ring at the active monitor clock rate. The station operates at the accelerated clock rate of the local clock except when the station is the active monitor or is in loopback mode.

A token ring computer network includes a plurality of stations connected to a data transmission path, or trunk, in the form of a closed loop. A block diagram of a conventional token ring network is shown in FIG. 1. Trunk coupling units (TCU's) 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, etc. are connected in series on a ring 20. Stations 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 receive and transmit signals through TCU's 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, respectively. A token ring network can include up to 250 stations. The ring 20 can comprise shielded twisted pair, unshielded twisted pair, optical fiber, or any other suitable media (for example, microwave).
Information is transmitted on the token ring network in frames. Token ring networks operate such that only one station at a time transmits data. The frame containing the data includes source and destination addresses. After transmission of data has been completed by one station a token circulates on the ring 20 until another station seizes the token and begins transmitting data.
The token ring network uses a synchronous data transmission technique wherein the clock and data are combined in the transmitted signal. As used herein, the term "signal" refers to the combined data and clock utilized in token ring networks. Although the clock is recovered from the signal, the data and clock remain combined except within the station. A clock transition occurs at the center of each data bit position. A transition or a lack thereof at the beginning of each bit position indicates a one or a zero in the binary data. In the insert mode, the transmitted signal is received by a TCU from its upstream neighbor and is forwarded to the station. The station receives the signal and recovers the clock and data it contains. The station then combines the two to form a new signal and retransmits the signal to its TCU. Its TCU in turn forwards the signal to its downstream neighbor. In bypass mode, as contrasted with insert mode, the TCU forwards the signal it receives from its upstream neighbor directly to its downstream neighbor. This process is repeated until the signal reaches the active monitor. When the active monitor receives the signal, it sinks the recovered clock and stores the recovered data in a FIFO buffer. The active monitor then builds a new signal with the data and its own internal clock. The new signal then goes through the same repeating process as it did before the active monitor until it reaches the station which a initially transmitted the data. Along its path, the signal data content may also have been altered if the signal passed its destination, where it will have been marked as received, or if a station detected an error in the data content of the signal, where it will have been marked as erroneous. The operation and signalling in token ring networks is governed by IEEE 802.5/1989 standard for token ring systems.
One of the stations in the token ring network is designated as an active monitor. The selection of the active monitor station is established in an arbitration process when the system is turned on, when the active monitor station ceases performing the active monitor functions, or under certain error conditions. Thus, different stations can function as the active monitor at different times. All other stations on the network function as standby monitors. The active monitor sources and sinks the clock that circulates throughout the token ring network. The standby monitor stations have the capability of generating the clock. However, when a station is in the standby monitor mode, it recovers the clock and data from the signal issued by its upstream neighbor and transmits a signal composed of the recovered clock and data to its downstream neighbor.
A block diagram of a station in a conventional token ring network is shown in FIG. 2. Incoming signal passes through an equalizer 40 to a phase locked loop 42 and a demodulator 44. The phase locked loop 42 recovers the clock from the incoming signal and controls the demodulator 44. The recovered data is input to a FIFO buffer 46 if the station is the active monitor. The recovered data and clock are supplied to a MAC layer and SMT within the station after buffering for the active monitor. The output data from the station is supplied by the MAC to a modulator 48 which combines the data and clock to form a signal which it inputs to a transmit filter 50. The modulator 48 is controlled by the recovered clock from phase locked loop 42 when the station is a standby monitor. The modulator 48 is controlled by a clock 52 (active monitor clock) when the station is the active monitor.
A number of interoperability problems have arisen in token ring networks. One of the main interoperability problems involves the operation of the phase locked loop circuits used for clock recovery. The conventional token ring network as described above consists of a chain of up to 249 phase locked loops driven by a master oscillator/clock in the active monitor station. The standard modulation technique used to encode and transmit information on the physical media combines both data and clock in a composite signal of electrical or light pulses. The station receiving the signal must recover the clock and data from the signal. Most stations use a single clock recovery circuit for both reception and transmission functions. The design of the circuit is a compromise between fast tracking ability for the received signal and low jitter content for the transmitted signal. As stations recover and retransmit the clock to downstream neighbors, distortions can occur. The distortions are dependent on implementation details and can accumulate in a very complex manner. Since the performance of each of the 250 phase locked loop circuits in a token ring network is interdependent, performance requirements on these circuits is critical. The most severe problems are clock jitter and accumulated phase slope. If these problems become sufficiently severe, system errors and system failures can occur.
In a token ring network, trunk coupling units, stations, ring media and media between the TCU and stations can be supplied by different vendors. Since the IEEE 802.5/1989 standard for token ring networks does not define how these units are implemented, the analysis of a system supplied by mixed vendors is extremely difficult. The signal received by a particular station in the network depends on all upstream stations up to the active monitor.
One prior art attempt at reducing clock coupling in the token ring network utilizes dual phase locked loops in the station. This approach breaks the overall coupling chain and apparently provides performance improvements. However, each station is still affected by its upstream neighbor and still affects its downstream neighbor. The clock coupling between stations is not broken. Furthermore, this approach can be used only in new stations and does not improve the performance of existing stations. Such stations may insert or withdraw from the ring at will and their benefits on an existing ring are thereby not assured unless practically all stations on the ring include this feature.
In general, there is a need for a token ring network architecture wherein the clock coupling between stations is broken so that deviations from normal operation do not propagate through the network. The architecture should be entirely compatible with existing stations. The principal requirement is to transmit data from station to station using frames which are relayed by every station in a synchronous clocked scheme.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide improved token ring networks.
It is another object of the present invention to provide token ring networks wherein clock coupling between stations is broken.
It is further object of the present invention to provide an improved concentrator for coupling a plurality of stations to a token ring network.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide improved methods and apparatus for coupling a ring to a station in a token ring network.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for coupling a ring to a station in a token ring network which are compatible with existing stations.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide improved methods and apparatus for coupling to an existing token ring network.


A system to controls access to a database, including: an acquiring section which acquires an access program including a plurality of database access instructions; a detecting section which detects a plurality of different tables in the database that are accessed by the plurality of access instructions; a join control section which executes a join instruction prior to the execution of the access instructions, the join instruction obtaining a result table from the database by combining the plurality of different tables detected; and a conversion control section which executes a conversion instruction prior to the execution of the plurality of access instructions, the conversion instruction extracting records from the result table for the access instructions and converting the records into the form of a structure accessible for the plurality of access instructions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system which accesses a database and a method therefor and, in particular, to a system which controls access to a database and a method therefor.
2. Background Art
Business application programs frequently access multiple tables, which relate to one another in a database (hereinafter referred to as a DB). For example, a program may access a table called "Customer" that manages information of customers to obtain data for a particular customer. The program then may access a table called "Account" that manages customers' accounts to obtain the account data associated with that customer. The program issues separate queries sequentially to the two tables.
In this example, the second access is made by using data retrieved with the first access as a key. That is, the data obtained with the second access depends on the data obtained with the first access. Therefore, there is a problem that these accesses cannot be merged into one by using existing optimization techniques that use data dependencies between the values of variable.
The problem is especially noticeable in batch processing in which the above business logic is repeated many times. One way to optimize batch processing may be to cache data to use in the next round of processing beforehand at each checkpoint operation. For example, values of a variable representing an access key can be analyzed to identify the range of data that will be accessed, and the data in that range can be fetched from a DB beforehand.
However, for the table "Account" mentioned above, the range of data that will be accessed cannot be identified beforehand because the access key is stored in the table "Customer". Consequently, the data cannot be retrieved from the DB beforehand and the DB must be accessed each time in the batch iteration loop. As a result, performance of the entire program can deteriorated.
As another example, a program can access different tables using a single key. In this case, the program issues a query for each table. However, queries to DBs are often sent over an external network, and the efficiency of a program as a whole can degrade as the number of queries increases.
To address these problems, several techniques for controlling access to DBs have been proposed in the past. A brief overview of these techniques will be provided below.
(1) Generation of Inspection Loop
This technique improves the efficiency of access to table B that is made based on data obtained from table A. In this technique, an inspection loop is executed for a result set actually obtained by the query to table A during execution of a program to collect a set of keys to use for accessing table B. Then, an instruction code for obtaining data from table B in the range specified with the set of keys is generated dynamically.
(2) Use of Read-Ahead Mechanism Using CMR (Container Managed Relationship)
This method provides a mechanism that allows a programmer to specify that there are multiple tables that relate each other on an application server. The specified tables are read from the DB using a join operation and then stored in a cache that can be referred to by the program (see WebSphere Journal URL: http://websphere.syscon.com/read/43288.html and WebSphere information center URL: http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/wasinfo/v5r0/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.websphere.base.doc/info/aes/ae/cejb—read.html). In particular, the programmer uses a specifier called "deployment descriptor" to specify the multiple related tables. An EJB (Enterprise Java® Beans) container that manages the cache issues SQL statements on the basis of the specifier. Java is a registered trademark.
However, in the aforementioned technique that generates the inspection loop, the processing for generating data to be inspected by issuing a query to table A is an extra work of the program. The execution of the inspection loop to analyze the access keys is also an extra of the program. These additional work can degrade the performance of the program as a whole. Furthermore, because SQL statements accessory table B are generated dynamically, static optimization cannot be applied to the SQL statements. Moreover, execution of inspection loops complicates the program and therefore can deteriorate the maintainability and robustness of the program.
In the aforementioned technique that uses the CMR, the programmer must specify mutually related tables, which task adds a burden on programmers. If the technique is to be applied to batch processing without making modifications to the structure of an existing program, the technique has limited applications. That is, in batch processing, in which the same operation is iterated, the relation between records accessed by one iteration and another iteration cannot be specified by the deployment descriptor. Therefore, it is not possible to optimize programs in such a way that a bulk of records required for a set of iterations is fetched at a time before starting the actual iterations.
Another method may be to manually rewrite SQL statements by a programmer. However, this method is not practical because the efficiency varies depending on the ability and experience of programmers, and it takes both costs and true to rewrite individual programs. Rewriting EJB (Enterprise Java® Beans) program involves extensive modifications. Specifically, in an EJB (Enterprise Java® Beans) programming model, each DB record is represented by an entity bean and is accessed with getter or setter methods. The programmer can obtain a required record by using these methods without knowing the structure of the DB. The task for manually integrating multiple DB accesses into one is against this programming model. Even if such integration were possible, the maintainability of the program would be significantly deteriorated.
Therefore, an objective of the present invention is to provide a system, method, and program capable of solving the problems described above. The objective can be achieved by a combination of features defined in the independent Claims of the present invention. The dependent Claims define more advantageous specific examples of the present invention.

System and method for controlling database access

International Business Machines Corporation


A method for monitoring and identifying changes in one or more parameters of an OS is disclosed. The method includes performing a measurement by a measurement application of a first computer system of the one or more parameters of a first OS executing on the first computer system, receiving the measurement of the one or more parameters of the first OS by an appraisal application, and storing the measurement of the one or more parameters of the first OS in a data store. The method also includes comparing the measurement with one or more first OS parameter norms associated with the first network slice, and identifying a change in the one or more parameters of the first OS by the appraisal application in response to comparing the measurement of the one or more parameters of the first OS with the one or more first OS parameter norms.

Network slices provide a dedicated communication network for use by a user, such as an enterprise, organization, or individual, where the dedicated communication network may be delivered as a virtual resource to the user. From the point of view of the user, the network slice may behave as if it were a separate network infrastructure, but the network slice may be delivered by virtualized computing resources provided by a common physical communication and computing infrastructure. In some networks, including 5G networks, each network slice may be delivered in the form of a network slice container (also referred to herein as a "containerized network slice") hosted by a computer system or server of the network. The server may host a plurality of containers each housing a unique network slice. An underlying operating system (OS) of the server may support each of the plurality of containerized network slices hosted by the server, the OS of the server being partitioned between the plurality of containerized network slices.

Remote monitoring and assessment of operating system parameters


A computer system and method providing for viewing and switching of audio-video data. The system comprises: a plurality of audio/video sources containing information referring to an event; a streaming server, streaming the contents of a first audio signal and a first video signal from the audio and video sources to a user; a feed distributor controllably feeding the first audio signal and first video signal to the streaming server; and a user-operated control unit communicating with the feed distributor and controlling operation of the feed distributor, so as to instruct the feed distributor to switch between audio or video. Switching between audio signals occurs without altering the video signals and switching between video signals occurs without altering the audio signals.

According to the webcast streaming technology, a client-server connection is established, where the server transmits multiple streams or files to each client. Each stream or file relates to a different point of view. Each stream or file is output either from stored files or from live encoded feeds, for example by means of encoding stations.
FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of such prior art system. Products embodying such technology are, for example, produced by the company iMovie Inc. A streaming server 7 located on the server side receives audio-visual information from a number of different audio-visual files or streams connected to the source of information such as an audio file FA and video files FV1 . . . FVn, all indicated with 2 in the Figure.
The audio-visual content of the number n of files 2 (three in the example) is streamed from the server to the client over a connection 3. The connection 3 is an Internet connection. As a consequence, it can assemble different network technologies, such as Ethernet, Frame Relay, ATM switch, CDN, satellite uplink and downlink, DS1, D2, DS3 (or the corresponding European E1, E2, E3), fiber, modem, ISDN, xDSL, and so on. All these technologies use the IP protocol and are interconnected by routers, bridges and gateways. Assuming that the maximum available bandwidth for the connection is b, the maximum bandwidth for each streamed file will be b/3.
On the client side, a streaming client software 4 provides for the interpretation of the received streams. One of the streams is shown on the screen of the client in a current view. For example, the contents relating to the video file FV2 can be shown, as indicated by the box 5, represented in solid lines and relating to the "current view (2)", namely the view relating to the contents of FV2.
As soon as the viewer wants to switch on a different point of view, he will send a command to the GUI (graphic user interface) 6, for example by means of a pointing device (not shown in the Figure), and from the GUI 6 to the streaming client 4. As a result, the audio-visual content shown on the screen will from now on relate for example to the contents of FV1 indicated by the box 7, shown in boxes represented by dotted lines marked VIEW1 21 or VIEW2 30.
A problem of the prior art shown in FIG. 1 is that the required bandwidth is directly proportional to the number of cameras (different points of view) adopted. Therefore, a high bandwidth is required in order to obtain an audio-visual content of a good quality.
In order to solve such problem, a different session for each view could be established. This means that only a single audio-visual content at the time would be streamed and, each time a client desires to switch from one view to another, the streaming server 7 would pick a different file and retransmit it to the client. Such technology is, for example, adapted in the BigBrother series, when transmitted over the Internet. While this solution allows a larger bandwidth, the switching delay is unacceptable for the user. In fact, according to the usual way of streaming signals, a first step of the streaming process is that of buffering data on the client computer. Then, after a predetermined amount of time, the data are shown on the screen of the client while, at the same time, the remaining data are being transferred over the connection. This means that, each time a switching occurs, a considerable amount of time would be spent in buffering again the audio-visual data of the following stream, with a delay which would be unacceptable for most kinds of commercial applications and which would result in an interruption of both the audio and the visual content of the signal transmitted on the screen.

Audio-video data switching and viewing system


Computationally efficient, highly accurate, and cost-effective approach for detection of damage in a structure is described. Methods include a combined analysis in both global and local regions of a structure to predict the received wave signals at a location due to scattering of Lamb waves at a damage site. Through comparison of an actual received wave signal with the predicted signals, identification of damage location and/or type can be provided. Methods can be particularly beneficial when considering damage assessment in a complex structure that includes plate-like structures that include an extension off of a base plate, e.g., a stiffened structure.

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is used to determine the condition of a structure by use of sensors that are attached, embedded in or otherwise in communication with the structure. SHM is performed with either a passive or an active system. Passive SHM includes monitoring one or more of a number of parameters including, but not limited to, loading stress, environmental action, performance indicators, and acoustic emission (for instance from cracks). Active SHM utilizes proactive interrogation of sensors embedded in/on the structure to detect damage and thereby determine a more detailed analysis. Methods used for active SHM resemble those of nondestructive evaluation (NDE), e.g., ultrasonics, eddy currents, etc., with one difference being that the active SHM methods can be carried out with permanently affixed sensors. One widely used active SHM method employs embedded piezoelectric wafer active sensors (PWAS) as guided wave transmitters and receivers to determine the presence of cracks, delamination, dis-bonds, corrosion, etc. Due to similarities to NDE ultrasonics, this approach is also known as embedded ultrasonics.
Guided waves can travel a long distance through large plate-like members and interact with damage and as such are very useful for SHM. Lamb waves are a type of guided waves that propagate in a relatively thin (with reference to the propagating wavelength) plate of relatively large surface area. The basic principle of Lamb wave-based damage detection for SHM applications includes investigation and analysis of the incidence, reflection, transmission, and conversion of Lamb wave modes as they interact with damage in a structure. Upon damage interaction, Lamb waves will scatter, and accurate detection and analysis of the scattered waves can provide information concerning the presence, type and level of damage.
Finite element method (FEM), boundary element method (BEM) and other numerical techniques have been used in the study of propagating elastic waves for detection of structural flaws and damage. However, FEM and BEM require extensive computation for a large structure, and it is difficult to attain computational accuracy by these methods. To improve results, researchers have adopted semi-analytical finite element (SAFE) methods. In this approach, in-plane displacement is accommodated by means of an analytical double integral Fourier transform, while the anti-plane displacement is approximated by using finite elements. Other researchers have adopted a combined global analytical-local FEM analysis. This approach couples the global analytical wave expression with the local FEM analysis around the damage, incorporating wave damage interaction coefficients. This method can show a higher computation efficiency as compared to an entire FEM analysis of the model, but the FEM analysis over local damage remains quite time-consuming. Spectral Finite Element Method (SFEM), which is a particular FEM formulated in the frequency domain, is another approach. This method expands the unknown solution in trigonometric series (harmonic waves in time and space). The exact wave propagation solution is used as the interpolating function for finite element formulation. The constants of the solution are made to satisfy the boundary conditions in the frequency domain, and thus all the requirements are satisfied at each frequency and time domain data can be obtained.
The interaction of Lamb waves with structural damage is a complex phenomenon and damage characterization requires both fast and accurate analysis and prediction of scattered waves. Existing complexity in the structure (e.g., a stiffener) makes the physics of wave propagation even more complicated. One of the main challenges of accurate SHM and damage detection through guided wave analysis remains solution of the scattering problem and in particular satisfaction of the thickness dependent boundary conditions at a discontinuity. Unfortunately, existing technologies have proven to be not very stable and to have slow convergence, particularly for complex structures, and in practice it has proven extremely difficult to distinguish a scattered wave field from the overall Lamb wave fields.
What are needed in the art are SHM methods based on the physics of Lamb wave propagation that are both highly efficient and accurate. An approach that provides for analysis of guided waves in a structure in an efficient manor so as to quickly provide accurate understanding of the presence of damage in the structure, particularly a complex structure, would be of great benefit.

Combined global-local structural health monitoring


Provided is a field-effect transistor (FET) having small off-state current, which is used in a miniaturized semiconductor integrated circuit. The field-effect transistor includes a thin oxide semiconductor which is formed substantially perpendicular to an insulating surface, a gate insulating film formed to cover the oxide semiconductor, and a gate electrode which is formed to cover the gate insulating film. The gate electrode partly overlaps a source electrode and a drain electrode. The source electrode and the drain electrode are in contact with at least a top surface of the oxide semiconductor. In this structure, three surfaces of the thin oxide semiconductor are covered with the gate electrode, so that electrons injected from the source electrode or the drain electrode can be effectively removed, and most of the space between the source electrode and the drain electrode can be a depletion region; thus, off-state current can be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a field-effect transistor and a semiconductor device including it.
2. Description of the Related Art
A field-effect transistor (hereinafter, FET) used for a semiconductor integrated circuit or the like has been conventionally formed using a semiconductor such as silicon (see Non-Patent Document 1, for example). In recent years, a field-effect transistor including an oxide semiconductor having a band gap of 2.5 eV or more is reported. In particular, it has been revealed that by extremely lowering the donor concentration in a semiconductor layer, off-state current can be lowered to a value which cannot be measured by an ordinal method (see Patent Document 1, for example).
For example, the off-state current per micrometer of the channel width is generally larger than or equal to 1×10−15 A/μm in an FET including silicon, while the off-state current per micrometer of the channel width can be smaller than or equal to 1×10−18 A/μm in an FET including an indium-gallium-zinc-based oxide (In—Ga—Zn-based oxide) semiconductor. This is because the concentration of thermally excited carriers in an intrinsic semiconductor is extremely low due to its large band gap. When the band gap is greater than or equal to 3 eV, the smallest off-state current is smaller than or equal to 1×10−31 A/μm in theory.
When such an FET having extremely small off-state current is used in a dynamic random access memory including one FET and one capacitor (1T1C DRAM), the interval between refresh operations can be sufficiently longer. Ideally, data can be held semipermanently without a refresh operation (see Patent Document 2).
Further, when a gain cell memory including two transistors and one capacitor (see Patent Document 3) is formed using FETs each having an extremely small off-state current, a non-volatile memory which can hold data semipermanently can be provided. Although a gain cell memory, which has been proposed so far, does not need a capacitor with large capacity and has been regarded as an element to overcome disadvantages of the 1T1C DRAM, the off-state current of the gain cell memory cannot be sufficiently reduced in many cases, and thus, the gain cell memory has not been put into practical use.

Field-effect transistor including oxide semiconductor, and memory and semiconductor circuit including the same

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A method and system for compact representation of interactive data and transmitting the data via a computer network is disclosed. The system and method provide for logically separating the data into a graphical and multimedia data sections. The multimedia data section is further divided into at least three sequencing schemes in order to facilitate data transfer between a server and a user. The three sequencing schemes include a hierarchical structure of bounding boxes facilitating data compression and interaction between the user and the displayed interactive content, a sequencing map comprising one or more tracks for mapping paths through the bounding boxes, and a time map for synchronizing the sequence map with an audio or video recording. Providing interactive printable sheet music is described as one of the embodiments of the system and method of the present invention.

Compact representation of data transmitted over a network, such as the Internet, to a user provides for a faster transmission of a stream of data between a server and a client. Compact representation reduces the size of the transmitted files, contributing, therefore, to the reduction of time the user needs to wait for the file to be downloaded from the host server to the user's computer. Compact representation and fast transmission of data becomes especially important in the case of large files, since long downloading time often is the key consideration in the user's decision to download a certain file from an Internet site. From the viewpoint of a business operating an Internet site and selling various products to its customers in the electronic form via the Internet site, compressing the data for faster transmission to the customers without sacrificing the quality of the data is one of the most important issues contributing to successful business operation.
Graphical representation of sheet music can be transmitted over the Internet similarly to other non-music graphical materials. If all that is transmitted to the user is a file of a graphical representation of sheet music to be displayed on the user's computer screen, then the transmission time of such a file is similar to that of a standard graphical file. However, the size of a file and the transmission time greatly increase, if the representation of sheet music comprises not only its graphical representation, but also a variety of interactive capabilities available to the user. Such interactive capabilities may include playback features, notation tools, and scrolling the score as the music is played. The problem of achieving a compact representation of interactive printable digital sheet music and preparing the compact file of such music before uploading the file to server and then allowing the user to download the file is not easy to solve. It is also desirable to have the ability to separate various interactive features of an interactive sheet music file to give a user an option to download, for example, only the interactive part corresponding to a particular musical instrument or voice, or highlight only a specific part of the score as the music plays, or download the music only in the MIDI representation.
The need, therefore, exists, to provide the system and method for providing compact representation of printable sheet music with interactive features and the capabilities to choose and receive a preselected number of interactive features, the compact representation allowing the files containing such sheet music to be quickly transmitted from the server to the user.

System and method for transmitting interactive synchronized graphics


A shaft seal includes an annular rigid seal case insertable into a cylindrical bore in a seal housing. The joint between the seal case and the bore is sealed by an annular resilient sleeve stretched over the outer surface of the case. The sleeve is initially formed as a thin flat annular elastomeric disk by a low cost molding or slicing operation. Installation of the sealing element on the seal case is accomplished by stretching the disk radially and then turning it angularly from a radial disk orientation to an axial sleeve configuration.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to rotary shaft seals, and particularly to seal assemblies adapted to be installed in cylindrical bores concentric with the axis of the rotary shaft.
2. Description of Prior Developments
Polytetrafluoroethylene has been used to form the sealing lip in rotary shaft seals because of its resistance to elevated operating temperatures, resistance to chemical attack, and resistance to wear. An example of a shaft seal assembly using polytetrafluoroethylene as a shaft seal lip element is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,462,333 to McCormick, et al.
In many cases the polytetrafluoroethylene seal element is mounted within an annular metallic seal case that has an outer annular surface adapted to fit into a cylindrical bore in a housing wall that serves as a mount for an anti-friction shaft bearing. It is necessary that the annular peripheral joint between the metal seal case and cylindrical bore be adequately sealed against liquid flow. In the past, this seal between the seal casing and bore has sometimes been formed by molding or coating an annular layer of rubber or elastomer onto the outer surface of the seal case as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,682,488 to Matsushima.
In many cases, heat is required to subsequently mold or bond the outer annular elastomeric seal to the metallic case. Such heat can have an adverse effect on the polytetrafluoroethylene shaft seal element, particularly as regards its dimensional stability, resilience and wear characteristics.
Because polytetrafluoroethylene must be heated to its gel temperature of about 621.degree. F. to bond the PTFE to the seal case, any layer of elastomer applied to the metal seal case must be applied after the polytetrafluoroethylene-to-metal bond has been completed. Otherwise, the elastomer will be degraded or rendered inoperative by the high temperatures required for polytetrafluoro-ethylene bonding. Thus, the elastomeric seal material must be applied to the seal case after the PTFE bonding operation.
Accordingly, a need exists for a shaft seal having a PTFE sealing element bonded to a metal seal casing and which includes an elastomeric sleeve bonded around the outer surface of the seal case without adversely affecting either the PTFE sealing element or the elastomeric sleeve.

Separately bonded elastomeric sleeve for seal casing


A solid state zig-zag slab laser amplifier in which depolarization occurring at total internal reflection from opposed lateral faces of the amplifier slab is controlled by selecting a complex evanescent coating that provides a selected phase retardance that results in minimization of depolarization. Without use of the complex coating, small changes in incidence angles can result in phase retardance changes large enough to increase depolarization significantly, especially when the amplifier is operated at higher powers. Appropriate selection of the complex evanescent coating allows a desired phase retardance angle to be maintained relatively constant over a small range of angles of incidence, at a given wavelength, and therefore permits minimization of depolarization and birefringence effects.

This invention relates generally to laser amplifiers and, more particularly, to end-pumped zig-zag solid state lasers. A zig-zag solid state laser includes an elongated slab of rare earth doped lasing material, such as yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG). An input beam generated by a master oscillator is launched into one end facet of the slab, at an angle selected to result in multiple internal reflections from the internal faces of the slab. A pump beam is also input at one end of the slab and amplification of the input beam takes place as the input beam is reflected back and forth along the slab. The doped region of the slab in which amplification takes place is cooled by external means.
The laser structure briefly described above is disclosed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,094,297, referred to in this document as the Injeyan '297 patent, issued to Hagop Injeyan et al. and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
Although the amplifier described in the Injeyan '297 patent is efficient and produces a beam of good quality and polarization properties, improvement is called for when many such amplifiers are combined to produce higher power beams. For such a configuration, it is highly desirable that each amplifier output should have linear polarization. Linear polarization is also required by applications that utilize frequency conversion of the output. As this zig-zag slab architecture has been extended to higher powers, it has been found that the polarization properties of the amplified output can degrade significantly, such that linear polarization can no longer be maintained effectively.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved zig-zag slab laser amplifier having significantly improved linear output polarization properties. The present invention is directed to this end.

Zig-zag laser amplifier with polarization controlled reflectors


A measuring device is provided for use in the preparation of custom garments. According to one embodiment, the device includes a flexible belt capable of being encircled about a body part of an individual, and a strap attachable fixedly to the belt. One or both of the belt and strap may be formed as closed continuous loops by molded brackets/blocks formed on the belt and strap. The belt and strap each contain a respective scale of measurement indicia. Also provided are several methods for utilizing the measuring device.

Most consumer garments are made available for purchase in ready-to-wear stock sizes, for example, at retail outlets such as department or specialty stores. Consumers typically travel to one or more stores to estimate their garment size, then proceed through a trial-and-error process of trying on garments of different sizes close to their estimate until arriving at a size that fits best. While this process permits most people to obtain garments that overall fit well enough to wear, depending upon eccentricities in the body of the wearer a garment may properly fit one body part while improperly fitting another body part. For example, traditional dress shirts such as used for men's business attire are often available by neck size and arm length. However, discrepancies in shoulder broadness and girth, even between individuals sharing common neck sizes and sleeve lengths, can result in the shirt properly fitting a first individual and not fitting a second individual.
Currently available stock sized garments often present additional drawbacks. Although most manufacturers adopt standard numbered sizes or more subjective designations such as small, medium, large, etc., there can be a wide variation in the actual "size" of a garment produced by one manufacturer when compared to that of another. As a result, people frequently find that although a certain size of garment fits them when produced by one manufacturer, they require a different size when purchasing garments made from a different manufacturer.
Manufacturers have contributed to this problem by frequently introducing different lines of clothing under a single label or brand that purportedly are aimed at different classes of purchasers such as younger individuals versus older individuals or those of smaller or larger stature as compared to those of so-called normal stature. In such instances, although manufacturers retain traditional size designations such as medium, etc., the garments so designated from one line fit and are dimensioned differently than those from another line. Manufacturers routinely offer little or no clue to the consumer as to these differences other than occasional use of highly subjective terms such as sport, athletic, junior or petite to indicate such size differences. It is not uncommon, therefore, for consumers to be somewhat perplexed or exasperated as they find that a garment from a particular manufacturer that bears "their" size does not fit them only to be told by a salesperson that despite the size designations on the garment, that the garment is from a particular line of that manufacturer that runs bigger or smaller.
These problems are compounded by the fact that pricing pressures in the retail marketplace require many garments to be produced faster than in the past and/or under less stringent garment to garment quality control standards. The consistency and, therefore, reliability of size designations even for garments of a designated size from the same producer have suffered. It is not uncommon, for example, to find a variance of up to an inch or more in the waistband or length of jeans from a single manufacturer that purports to be the same size and style. All these trends have resulted in increased consumer confusion and dissatisfaction as they are forced to deal with the hidden intricacies of what are supposed to be ready-to-wear stock sizes to the potential detriment of clothing manufacturer's sales figures.
The current problems that proliferate so-called ready-to-wear stock size garments are further compounded by the popularity of the use of the internet for clothing purchases and current fashion trends. It has become commonplace for consumers to try to save time and effort by using the internet as a shopping tool rather than traveling to retail locations. This trend has included shopping for clothing. While the internet can provide many pictures of clothing and verbal descriptions of how a garment may fit, consumers will not get a true idea of the fit of the garment until they purchase it, receive it and try it on.
The problems with existing stock-sized garments have led many internet shoppers to only be willing to consider purchasing garments over the internet from manufacturers or manufacturer's style lines that they already own, neglecting to consider either other manufacturers or styles. This consumer behavior presupposes that a given manufacturer does not change the cut or sizing of its garments in general or of a particular style line, which frequently is not the case. The verbiage and charts frequently offered on web sites to help a customer determine the appropriate size to purchase usually have no effect since consumers lacking tailoring experience usually do not bother to go through a complete measurement before they make a purchase of clothing or they are confused or daunted by the task of attempting to decipher the directions to determine their size.
At a minimum, these problems associated with internet clothing shopping can result increase in frustration and wasted time and expense as a consumer has to send purchases back one or more times to the manufacturer in favor of a different size until this trial and error process hopefully results in obtaining an appropriately fitting garment. If the consumer's level of frustration is higher, this process may lead to a consumer, who might have been a loyal customer of a given brand, to either no longer shop for clothing via the internet or no longer continue their purchases from that particular manufacturer.
Current fashion trends further exacerbate the problems associated with so-called stock-size garments. Stock sizes impair the ability of consumers to obtain a garment that appropriately fits their particular anatomy in a way in which they desire. The variability in the look, style and fit of clothing has continued to vary over a wide spectrum. Fashion trends have caused clothing styles to run the gamut from extremely oversized garments to virtually skin-tight form-fitting garments. Some fashion styles dictate a tight fit in one area of a garment and a loose fit in another.
These realities have made sizing designations further unreliable. For example, a consumer may desire extremely high or low rise for a pair of pants or jeans to accomplish a given style or look. This can cause the waistband of the garment, for example, to end up riding either across or very low on the hips in one instance to other instances where they are above or very high on the hips in another. Similarly, the purchaser of such garments may desire the crotch of the garment to very closely follow the contour of the body or provide a considerable space of up to several inches between the wearer's crotch and the location of the crotch on the garment. These trends have rendered many traditional garment such as the inseam measurement relatively useless since these measurements depend upon the height or location of the waistband on the wearer and the location of the rise. Traditional inseam measurements virtually never represent a standard measurement that is of any use in crafting such varied custom fashion clothing. To a lesser extent, the reliability of crotch outseam and length measurements has also been lessened by these trends since they depend completely upon the location of the waistband in relation to the wearer's hips.
In order to overcome the problems associated with stock-sized garments as set forth above, consumers who are more discerning about their clothing and clothing fit or have unusual requirements in this regard have at times rejected stock-sized items in favor of custom-made garments. A major benefit of custom-made garments is the ability to have them tailored to complement the particular body size and style of the individual. However, custom garments are typically much more expensive than standard or ready-to-wear garments and usually require a extended time period for production of the garment. The extra expense of custom garments stems in part from the fact that production of such garments requires the time and expertise required by a skilled tailor, working with a tape measure, to accurately measure the person for whom the garment is being customized. In addition to the expense, consumer who chooses the custom garment resigns himself to the fact that he can not accomplish the process himself and will need to make one or more trips to a tailor to accomplish the measuring process alone. In return for the additional time and money invested for the custom-made garment, the consumer commonly expects precise fit and pleasing comfort in the tailored clothing. It is, therefore, imperative that the tailor have adequate tools to take precise measurements and to fit the consumer with a garment that meets the consumer's expectations.
Generally, a tailor begins a custom tailoring process by measuring his or her customer to determine various body dimensions for use in production of the custom garment. Typically, this measurement process is performed with a standard measuring tape, which the tailor applies along and around various body parts of the individual. Tailors usually work from certain "standard measurements" such as chest, waist, hip and inseam measurements. These so-called standard measurements, however, are rendered meaningless if the wearer, for example, intends to locate the waistband of the finished garment at a point other than where the tailor has taken his traditional waist measurement.
Another problem associated with this process is that tape measures are made of a different material than the material of the new custom garment and must be held in place by the tailor while the individual being measured remains still to obtain a measurement. Due to the differences in material and dimension, the texture and sensation of a tape measure about the consumer's body part, such as the waistline, are not accurately representative of the visual and tactile sensations that the actual garment material will provide. Tape measures are also usually not capable of staying secured, as a waistband would, without the tailor holding it in place. The finished tailored garment may, therefore, provide the consumer with a significantly different feel and appearance than the consumer anticipated from the measuring tape. As a consequence, even though a finished garment is tailored commensurate with the specifications of the customer using measurements taken with the measuring tape, the consumer may, upon trying on the finished garment learn that the selected material is ill-fitting or uncomfortable to wear.
The differences between the tape measure and the garment material may raise additional problems, especially in the measurement of the waist size and length of pants. Because a measuring tape has a different appearance and feel than the garment material, the consumer often finds it difficult to identify, using the tape measure, the exact height at which he prefers the waistband of the pants on his or her body. Errors in judgment of waistband location by the tailor or consumer during the measurement process are reflected in the tailored garment when the consumer tries on the pants but places the waistband at a different height than originally estimated using the tape measure. Similar problems can result from the fact that the tape measure does not have the same bulk or drape of the garment material when attempting, for example, to obtain accurate crotch or outseam measurements. Such judgment errors, whether attributable to the consumer or tailor, cause the tailor to bear additional time and expense in altering the garment or may even require the garment to be remade. This, of course, serves to increase consumer frustration, delays and expense.
A further problem associated with tailoring using a conventional measuring tape is that the tailoring process involves taking multiple measurements that are interrelated with one another. For example, when measuring for the waistband for a pair of pants, the height on the customer's waist at which the measuring tape is placed will directly affect pants length and crotch measurements, which typically start at the waistband. It is therefore important that pants leg measurement start from the same location where the waistband measurement was taken and not from some standard waist measurement location.
The prior art has attempted, with very limited success, to address some of the aforementioned drawbacks. One such attempt is found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,248,035 to Taylor, which discloses a measuring device comprising a belt that fits about the waist, suspended measuring tapes slidingly engaged to opposite sides of the belt, and a strap slidingly engaged to the rear of the belt.
The measuring device of the Taylor patent has several drawbacks. For example, the loops that engage the tape measures and strap to the belt may be prone to slippage or bending the belt when tensioned thereby compromising the accuracy of measurements. The loops also are not readily detachable from the belt when the belt is encircled about the waist of the user. As a consequence, the measuring device of the Taylor patent has limited convenience, and can be difficult to use in taking certain obstructed measurements accurately, such as front and rear rise. Additionally the buckle of the Taylor patent is substantially the same as a standard belt buckle. As such, it is not infinitely adjustable and is prone to providing inaccurate waist measurements.
The Taylor patent further fails to utilize the material and dimensions of the corresponding portion of the ultimate garment. Additionally, the use and arrangement of multiple measuring strips as depicted in the Taylor patent require the use of different strips for each separate measurement, limit the measuring device to pants fitting, and render the device impractical for measuring for other garments, such as shirts, jackets, and hats.

Measuring device for garment tailoring, and related methods


A coin inspection method and apparatus capable of inspecting coins having different materials and surface patterns with high accuracy by a simple coil arrangement. An exciting coil is arranged in the vicinity of one side of a coin passage inclined at a predetermined angle so that two magnetic poles thereof face the coin passage. Two receiving coils having substantially identical characteristics are arranged in the vicinity of the same side of the coin passage so that the receiving coils are electromagnetically coupled with the exciting coil. The exciting coil is excited at a predetermined frequency and an oscillation voltage of the exciting coil is detected. Also, an influence of a reactive magnetic field produced by eddy current induced on a surface of the coin is detected by the receiving coil. Material of the coin can be determined based on the oscillation voltage level of the exciting coil. The degree of the reactive magnetic field differs depending on a difference in surface irregularity of the coin, so that the coin can be discriminated based on the difference in irregularity. The apparatus is simple in construction and thus manufacturable at low cost.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for inspecting coins, and more particularly to a method of and apparatus for discriminating authenticity of coins, for use in automatic vending machines, game machines, etc.
2. Description of Related Art
An apparatus for inspecting coins, which is prevailing in recent years, is of an electronic type using induction coils.
This type of coin inspection apparatus generally utilizes the falling of coins due to their own weight and is provided with a passage for guiding a coin inserted from a coin slot. Also, a plurality of sets of induction coils are arranged along the passage to produce electromagnetic fields excited by respective different frequencies.
Inspection of coins is performed on the well-known principle. When a coin passes through the electromagnetic field, an amount of electrical change (change in frequency, voltage, or phase) derived due to the interaction between the electromagnetic field and the coin is detected to thereby inspect the authenticity of the coin.
Since in many cases features of coins appear in relation to frequency-dependent parameters, a conventional coin inspection apparatus employs techniques of inspecting materials, diameters, thicknesses, etc. of coins by using electromagnetic fields of a plurality of frequencies, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,137.
In recent so-called borderless societies in which coins can be easily brought from one country to another, an increasing number of unacceptable coins tend to be used erroneously or deceitfully. Some of the coins used in various countries resemble each other in material, diameter, thickness, etc., and a typical example is 5-cent coin used in the U.S.A. and 5-centesimo coin used in Panama. Such coins differ from each other only in surface design (surface irregularity pattern) and are substantially identical with each other in material, diameter, and thickness. With the conventional arrangement using induction coils, a change in thickness caused by the surface irregularity pattern of coin cannot be detected by simply using a plurality of frequencies, with the result that resembling coins like those mentioned above cannot be discriminated from each other.
Attempts have also conventionally been made to adopt an optical process such as image processing as a means of discriminating resembling coins like those mentioned above. However, the optical apparatus has a problem in that the authenticity determination of coins can be adversely affected by adhesion of dust or the like, and also has a problem in that the apparatus is expensive because of its large size and complicated structure.

Coin inspection method and apparatus therefor


A continuous process for the removal of hydrogen sulfide from a gas stream using a membrane comprising a metal oxide deposited on a porous support is disclosed.

The current state of U.S. dependence on foreign oil reserves for much of its energy needs is undesirable in light of the possibility of recurring supply and price disruptions. Accordingly, the Federal Government and the DOE, in particular, have been promoting the development of domestic energy sources, including the abundant supply of inexpensive coal and natural gas. Recent efforts in advanced coal-based technology have focused in part on the use of coal gas as a potentially more efficient and economical alternative to pulverized solid coal. However, the presence of significant quantities of contaminants such as particulates, alkalis, and sulfur compounds presents a serious problem. Sulfur is of particular concern in that it may promote the corrosion of power generation equipment, is a poison to catalysts in fuel cell power plants and gas liquefaction, and is a principal source of air pollution and acid rain. For these same reasons, sulfur is also a problem when present in other gas streams used in energy production such as natural gas.
Since bulk energy production is a highly price driven industry, technologies like polymer membranes and aqueous scrubbers which require cooling of the gasification product streams prior to treatment incur a heavy penalty and are not economically feasible. The current state-of-the-art in high temperature, high pressure desulfurization involves the use of chemical sorbent beds. The materials, generally supported or unsupported metal oxide pallets, remove sulfur from the gas by a chemical reaction of the type: EQU MO.sub.x +H.sub.2 S.fwdarw.MS.sub.x +H.sub.2 O
wherein M is a metal reactive with S. A number of such systems have been studied extensively and demonstrated a high degree of effectiveness. However, as the capacity of the sorbent is approached, its effectiveness drops, and it must be removed from service, making it a batch process with all the associated restrictions and engineering complexities thereof.
Because the metal-sulfur reaction is stoichiometric, large quantities of bulky sorbent must be used. Moreover, although some sorbents may be regenerated by means of highly exothermic reactions using an oxidant, even the regenerable sorbents must be replaced after a number of cycles, thereby introducing replacement costs and the more and more vexing problem of large scale solid chemical waste disposal.
Membrane separation can offer increased flexibility of design, continuous operation, and lower cost, and is rapidly replacing other technologies in many applications. Membranes currently being studied for hot coal gas separations are porous ceramics that can withstand high temperatures and pressures in corrosive chemical environments. See, for example, "Gas Separation Using Inorganic Membranes", Egan et al, Proceedings of the Tenth Annual Gasification and Gas Stream Clean-up System Contractors Review Meeting, Morgantown, W.V. (August, 1990). Since the size of the pores of the ceramic membranes are generally larger than about 40 angstroms, the dominant mechanism of separation must be Knudsen diffusion under the driving force of the differential pressure between the two sides of the membrane. In Knudsen diffusion, hydrogen can permeate through the membrane up to about 4.12 times faster than hydrogen sulfide. Accordingly, the permeate stream is enriched in hydrogen while most of the contaminates stay in the retentate stream. Although the degree of separation may be improved by staging, a significant quantity of fuel will always be lost to the retentate stream. Furthermore, the low pressure hydrogen-enriched permeate must be repressurized after each stage. For these reasons, current passive membrane systems are not presently economically competitive with sorbent-based processes for the removal of H.sub.2 S from gas streams.
It is an object of the present invention to develop a continuous process for the removal of sulfur from gas streams in an economical fashion.


A deployable toothbrush holder includes a single piece of sheet material including spaced first and second end edges. A single fold area across the sheet material defines a holder portion and a base portion. The holder portion terminates in the first end edge and has a length relative to the base portion to impart a smooth sloping curvature to the holder portion without fold lines when the toothbrush holder is deployed. The base portion terminates at the second end edge. At least one toothbrush receiving orifice in the holder portion is sized to receive the shaft of the toothbrush. At least one toothbrush receiving orifice in the base portion is sized to receive the shaft of a toothbrush and is aligned with the orifice in the holder portion. A key extends outwardly from the second edge, and a lock for receiving the key is disposed in the holder portion. The lock is spaced from the first end edge to angle the base portion and to deploy and support the holder portion in a position spaced from the base portion with the orifice in the base portion elevated.

There are many different types of toothbrush holders. Conventional holders are typically fixtures attachable to, or mountable on, a wall. Various types of fasteners, screws, bolts, nails and/or adhesives are utilized to affix these holders to the wall. Most holders include holes or openings to accommodate the shaft of the toothbrush so the toothbrush hangs down as the bristles of the toothbrush dry. However, conventional toothbrush holders have several disadvantages. They are often permanent, and/or generally cannot be removed without damage or blemish to the wall or surface to which they are attached. Furthermore, such devices are difficult to clean. As toothpaste and residue builds up, the holders become hotbeds of germs and bacteria, and become unsightly. Also, such toothbrush holders take up wall valuable wall space, which can be limited especially in bathrooms where toothbrushes are kept.
Moreover, these types of attached toothbrush holders are not practical for travelers. The traveler cannot bring the affixed toothbrush holder from his or her home. Also, the notion of placing one's toothbrush in a hotel or motel toothbrush holder that countless strangers have used, or even into the holder in the home of a friend or family member, may be less than appealing to the traveler.
As a result, the traveler may simply leave the toothbrush laying on the sink area, or may store it in a plastic bag or container. Leaving the toothbrush on the sink exposes the toothbrush to dirt, contamination, and/or unsanitary conditions. Enclosing the wet toothbrush in a plastic bag or container prevents the toothbrush from drying satisfactorily, which can also lead to unhealthy results.
Alternatively, the traveler may devise means to care for the toothbrush, such as using available drinking glasses or cups to store and dry the toothbrush. Use of a drinking glass or cup also has disadvantages. In most hotels, motels, or inns, only a finite number of glasses or cups are provided, and use of one as a makeshift toothbrush holder translates to either one less glass that may be needed, or to washing the glass prior to using it for drinking. Also, a typical drinking glass does not provide sufficient means to keep toothbrushes separate should there be more than one toothbrush that needs to be stored, such as when the traveler is staying with companions. Plastic cups suffer from the same disadvantages. In addition, plastic cups usually fail to properly stand up to the weight of a toothbrush leaning on one side. Without proper and delicate balancing, the cup will fall over, dropping the toothbrush. This can be frustrating and exasperating for the traveler.
Those skilled in the art have previously attempted to overcome these problems. A disposable drinking cup with breakthrough tabs located on the bottom, base or side sections is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,065. The breakthrough tabs must be leakproof for drinking when intact, yet the user must punch through them in order to store the toothbrush, leading to relatively complex manufacturing, assembly, and required steps for usage. Also, once the holes are punched through, the cup no longer can be used for drinking, or for rinsing the mouth after brushing more than once.
A rounded stackable toothbrush holder in the shape of an upside down cup is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,027. While there is little to no assembly required, this design suffers from the disadvantage that it is also relatively complex to manufacture. Also, the size and shape preclude easy shipping and storage. This type of toothbrush holder could not readily be provided in a hotel accommodation kit, for example. Moreover, it would not fit easily into a traveler's travel case without taking up too much room, or without the possibility of being deformed or crushed.
The upright rounded plastic toothbrush holder disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,855 is quite similar in shape to the toothbrush holder having the upside down cup shape as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,027, except that it has no sides. Instead, U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,855 discloses legs supporting the top portion. The top portion contains holes for toothbrushes. Although it does not quite have a full upside down cup shape, this holder suffers from the same disadvantages of relatively large, bulky size and complexity of manufacture in addition to not supporting the toothbrush against sliding out from underneath the holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,379 discloses a toothbrush holder formed from a single piece of material. However, it also has a number of disadvantages. It requires a relatively complex assembly along a number of fold lines such that a user may be unable to satisfactorily assemble the holder, or may give up trying after realizing that it is not a sufficiently quick and easy process. Moreover, the proper assembly of side tabs along the bottom edges must be engaged to prevent the handle of the toothbrush from moving laterally out of the confines of the toothbrush holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,677 also discloses a toothbrush holder formed from a single piece of material but it also has a number of disadvantages. In one embodiment there are multiple fold lines and panels. This results in a holder that is relatively complex and time-consuming to assemble. Also, this embodiment includes two panels parallel to the supporting surface on which it rests, such as a table, and one of those panels serves to support the weight of the toothbrushes. A second embodiment without a bottom panel also includes multiple folds and panels, and therefore is also relatively complex and time-consuming to assemble. A third embodiment includes openings which are not sized for the shaft of a toothbrush, but rather are substantially horizontal and slanted with respect to the supporting surface. In this embodiment, the bottom panel has no openings. As a result, the toothbrushes are not very stable, and must essentially be balanced in the toothbrush holder by the user. Also, because the toothbrushes are not upright, there will be less drainage, and the drainage that does occur will potentially wet more of the holder.
Moreover, modern, ergonomically designed toothbrushes have relatively large handles. Toothbrushes with these features often do not fit into traditional toothbrush holders.


3,4-Cis-isomers of compounds having the formula ##STR1## in which R is hydrogen, halogen, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkoxy, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 haloalkyl or mono- or di-(C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl) and R.sub.1 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, are herbicides.

It has been disclosed that certain pyrrolidinone compounds have herbicidal activity. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,110,105 and 4,210,589 disclose a series of N-(optionally substituted)phenyl 4-haloalkyl pyrrolidinones. These include the commercial herbicide fluorochloridone [(3-chloro-4-chloromethyl-1-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)-2-pyrrolidinone], employed to control weeds in crops such as winter wheat and sunflower.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,954 discloses another series of herbicidal pyrrolidinones, namely N-(substituted)phenyl-3-(substituted) phenyl-4-ethyl pyrrolidinones, and indicates that certain N-(3-isopropylphenyl)-3-(halophenyl)pyrrolidinones of this type are particularly useful as selective herbicides for control of weeds in paddy rice crops.
Some N-benzyl pyrrolidinones are also known in the art. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,069,038 and 4,119,636 disclose N-(benzyl and p-chlorobenzyl)-3-chloro-4-chloromethyl-2-pyrrolidinones as specific herbicidal compounds and contain a disclosure of a broader generic class of 4-chloro- or bromoalkyl compounds of this type as being herbicidal. U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,466 discloses N-(benzyl or 3-halobenzyl)-3-(chloro or bromo)-4-C.sub.3 -C.sub.5 haloalkyl)pyrrolidinones, again as herbicides particularly useful for controlling weeds in paddy rice.
As a consequence of the presence of unsymmetrically substituted carbon centers in many of the compounds of this type, cis-trans isomers may exist. Varying comments have been made in the above patents concerning the relationship between this isomerism, particularly at the 3- and 4- positions on the pyrrolidinone ring, and the herbicidal activity of the compounds described therein. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,589 shows (Table III) that for one compound at least the cis-isomer has much greater herbicidal activity than the trans-isomer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,466 (column 4, lines 21-27) indicates a similar preference for cis-isomers. On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,954 indicates a preference for trans-isomers.