A bulkhead and a bulkhead are provided in a rocker so that a portion of the rocker, which portion is subject to bending due to buckling, is positioned between the bulkheads. If the portion of the rocker is bent due to buckling, for example, at the time of vehicle collision, a bulkhead is caught between the bulkheads, and absorbs a load applied to the bulkheads. In this way, when the rocker is deformed, the load is absorbed by the bulkhead.

A vehicle body structure, in which reinforcement members and bulkheads are disposed on a wall surface of a structural member, is available (for example, Japanese patent application Publication No. 10-244970). In the vehicle body structure, the bulkheads are disposed facing each other, and each of the bulkheads forms a predetermined angle with respect to one longitudinal end of the corresponding reinforcement member. According to the vehicle body structure thus configured, if the structural member is bent due to buckling, for example, at the time of vehicle collision, the one longitudinal end of the reinforcement member interferes with the corresponding bulkhead, whereby inward deformation of the structural member in the vehicle is impeded.
However, in the aforementioned vehicle body structure, a space is created between the bulkhead and the one longitudinal end of the corresponding reinforcement member. Therefore, there is a possibility that the shock is not sufficiently absorbed until the bulkheads are brought into contact with the reinforcement members, and as a result, the amount of deformation of the structural member can become large.


Palatable boiled and seasoned peanuts in the shell which can easily be split into two by pressing with fingertips are preferable as a relish for beer or other alcoholic beverages and as a snack per se. This peanut product can be produced by boiling and seasoning raw peanuts with shell including not more than 38% (on a dry matter basis) of lignin in its raw shell, so as to control the moisture content of the shell in said boiled and seasoned product to within the range of 10 to 55% and preferably, and so as to obtain an average lightness value (L) on the color-difference meter of not less than 40. More preferably, it is desirable that the moisture content in the seed becomes 15 to 41% (on a dry matter basis). The degree of the easiness in splitting by fingers can be determined by measuring the disruptive strength of the half shell by texturometer. The preferred texturometer unit for disruption of the half shell is 1 to 7 in the above boiled and seasoned peanuts with shell.

Immature green soybeans, so-called "EDA-MAME" in Japan, are a favorite food which is eaten with beer because of its light taste, and now it has an established position in relish foods.
More recently, green seeds of peanuts which have a peculiar taste different from green soybean has attracted common attention instead of green soybean. But the former has a problem about its producibility because it has a short harvesting period as short as only one week, and further, according to an authentic opinion, it must be dug up at early morning and immediately boiled in the factory within that day in order to prevent said unripe peanuts from rapid deterioration in its quality which is caused by physico-chemical reactions. However to precisely determine the time to be harvested and to exactly keep such a strict time are much difficult, rather almost impossible for every farmers. Accordingly, although there have previously been marketed some kinds of products originated from the unripe raw peanuts which were packed in a can or film pouch with retort process, but also they are not palatable to be favored.
Under the above circumstances in the supply of boiled and seasoned peanuts derived from immature green peanuts, the present invention is directed to provide new boiled and seasoned peanuts with shell which are accommodate with common favorite as a snack or an accompaniment with dry liquors and its shell can easily be split into two with fingertips starting from mature peanuts with shell which can be stored for 2 years or more under comparatively loose conditions, e.g., at 15 centigrade and 60% relative humidity.

Boiled and seasoned peanuts with shell, and method for preparation thereof


A communication system including a communication terminal apparatus and a wireless key apparatus in wireless communication is provided. The communication terminal apparatus includes a first communication unit operable to receive a first wireless signal, and a first control unit operable to determine a distance between the communication terminal apparatus and the wireless key apparatus based on the received first wireless signal, wherein the first control unit limits a predetermined function of the communication terminal apparatus based on determining the distance. The wireless key apparatus includes a second communication unit operable to receive a second wireless signal, and a second control unit operable to determine the distance between the communication terminal apparatus and the wireless key apparatus based on the received second wireless signal, whereby the second control unit decreases transmission power associated with the second communication unit based on the determined distance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, for example, to a communication system suitable for being applied to an apparatus constituted by a communication terminal apparatus such as a mobile telephone terminal and a wireless key apparatus restricting the operation of the terminal apparatus and to a communication terminal apparatus and a wireless key apparatus constituting the communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a mobile telephone terminal which is one of communication terminal apparatuses a user always taking along in possession has a trend such that various functions other than wireless telephone functions of primary functions are built-in so as to contain multi functions.
For example, there exists such a terminal in which a camera function carrying out a filming of a still picture and a moving picture, a recording and reproducing function of music data, a viewing and listening function of television broadcast or the like is built-in.
In addition, in recent years, there has been rapidly developing a mobile telephone terminal in which a function as a non-contacting IC card is built-in. This non-contacting IC card is utilized as a boarding ticket of transport facilities, a membership card, an employee ID card, a card for price settlement means at a shop or the like. In this case, an authentication process is carried out by performing wireless communication between adjacent reader and writer, so that it is easy-to-use as compared with a magnetic card or the like. It should be noted in a case when an IC card function unit is mounted in a mobile terminal that the IC card function unit is not always necessarily to have a card type shape.
And now, it is preferable for the mobile telephone terminal having multi functions in this manner to be carried out with a process in order to secure some kind or another security for preventing various functions provided in the terminal from being abused when the terminal is lost. In particular, in case of a terminal installed with an IC card function unit, there is a possibility that personal information stored as the IC card function is read out unjustly or unjust settlement or the like utilizing the IC card function is carried out, so that the necessity for a function for preventing the unjust use thereof is high. There are descriptions, for example, in patent documents 1 and 2 that a wireless card which forms a pair with respect to the mobile telephone terminal is prepared and authentication request is wireless-transmitted periodically from that wireless card such that the functions of mobile telephone terminal is made to be restricted in a case when collation with respect to the authentication request cannot be taken.
More specifically, in a case when the mobile telephone terminal and the wireless card exchange ID (identification information) inherent therein periodically and a favorable communication state is maintained, that is, in a case when the ID exchange is realized, the mobile telephone terminal carries out a normal operation. On the contrary, when it is a state where the ID cannot be exchanged, that is, when the communication state is deteriorated or the communication is cut off, the use of partial function in the mobile telephone terminal is to be limited. In other words, it is possible to execute function limitation after presuming a distance between the mobile telephone terminal and the wireless card by utilizing wireless communication characteristics such that a favorable communication is possible when communication distance between the mobile telephone terminal and the wireless card is short and the communication state becomes deteriorated when the communication distance becomes long.
FIG. 1 shows one example of state transition in a terminal function limitation disclosed in related Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-195059 which was filed by the same applicant. FIG. 1 shows states of "page/page-scan mode", "normal connection mode" and "low power consumption mode".
In "page/page-scan", the wireless card side performs transmission process of a transmission signal and the mobile telephone terminal side performs detection of aforesaid transmission signal such that it is attempted whether or not the connection of the wireless card and the mobile telephone terminal can be realized. It is needless to say that it is also possible that the mobile telephone terminal side performs the transmission process and the wireless card side detects the transmitted signal.
In "normal connection mode", both apparatuses confirm authenticity of the connected partner and carry out a process for shifting to a low power consumption communication process if there is no problem. A sound telephone call period of a mobile telephone terminal or the like also lies in this state.
In "low power consumption mode", both apparatuses carry out packet transfer with the connection partner intermittently and confirm whether or not the wireless connection between the wireless card and the mobile telephone terminal is maintained.
Procedures on the occasion when limiting the use of the mobile telephone terminal function by utilizing aforementioned three states will be described.
(1) If packet cannot be received in "normal connection mode" and "low power consumption mode" state for a certain predetermined time period, it is deemed to be a connection abnormality or a connection failure (Abnormal LinkLoss) and the connection of the wireless card with the mobile telephone terminal is cut off.
(2) Further, when this connection abnormality is detected, a lock timer is activated. It is defined that a lock timer is a time period after the connection abnormality is cut off until the function limitation of the mobile telephone terminal is carried out.
(3) Then, after the abnormality is cut off, it is shifted to from "normal connection mode" or "low power consumption mode" to "page/page-scan mode (4)" and the mobile telephone terminal or the wireless card attempts a reconnection (paging).
(4) Here, in a case when the paging is succeeded within lock timer period, the lock timer is reset and it is shifted to "normal connection mode" and an operation is repeated from aforementioned 1).
(5) In a case if the paging is not succeeded within lock timer period, the mobile telephone terminal is function-limited (locked). When this function limitation is applied, it may be constituted such that a warning notice rings from the wireless card (warning mode) when the paging is not succeeded within a certain predetermined time period after the lock timer is activated and further the function limitation of the mobile telephone terminal is carried out after the time period elapses.
(6) Here, if a function limitation is applied to the mobile telephone terminal once, the function limitation of the mobile telephone terminal will not be released so long as a reconnection is succeeded by the paging (in this case, it is shifted to a normal connection mode from the paging).
According to abovementioned method, for example, if a user carries a wireless card attached his body and goes away from a mobile telephone terminal by putting only the mobile telephone terminal somewhere as it is, the communication state is deteriorated according to the free space loss or the like, the detection of a packet which a partner device transmits becomes difficult, finally a connection abnormality cut off occurs and a function limitation is executed on the mobile telephone terminal. In this manner, it is possible to execute a function limitation on the mobile telephone terminal when the wireless card is far from the mobile telephone terminal by a constant distance. Further, in a case when a connection can be carried out again after the function limitation is executed, it is possible to release the function limitation automatically. In this manner, it is possible to operate the security function of the mobile telephone terminal without consciousness of a user.
[Patent Document 1] Jap. laid-open patent publication No. 2001-352579
[Patent Document 2] Jap. laid-open patent publication No. 2001-358827

Communication system, communication terminal apparatus and wireless key apparatus

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan, Inc.


This invention relates a process for the manufacture of the HFO trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (HFO trans-1234ze). More particularly, the invention pertains to a process for the manufacture of the HFO trans-1234ze by first dehydrofluorinating 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane to thereby produce a mixture of cis-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene, trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene and hydrogen fluoride. Then optionally recovering hydrogen fluoride and then recovering trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene.

This invention relates a process for the manufacture of trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (HFO trans-1234ze). More particularly, the invention pertains to a process for the manufacture of the HFO trans-1234ze by first dehydrofluorinating 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane to thereby produce a mixture of cis-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene, trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene and hydrogen fluoride. Then optionally recovering hydrogen fluoride, followed by recovering trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene.
Traditionally, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) like trichlorofluoromethane and dichlorodifluoromethane have been used as refrigerants, blowing agents and diluents for gaseous sterilization. In recent years, there has been widespread concern that certain chlorofluorocarbons might be detrimental to the Earth's ozone layer. As a result, there is a worldwide effort to use halocarbons which contain fewer or no chlorine substituents. Accordingly, the production of hydrofluorocarbons, or compounds containing only carbon, hydrogen and fluorine, has been the subject of increasing interest to provide environmentally desirable products for use as solvents, blowing agents, refrigerants, cleaning agents, aerosol propellants, heat transfer media, dielectrics, fire extinguishing compositions and power cycle working fluids. In this regard, trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (trans-1234ze) is a compound that has the potential to be used as a zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and a low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerant, blowing agent, aerosol propellant, solvent, etc, and also as a fluorinated monomer.
It is known in the art to produce HFO-1234ze (i.e. HydroFluoroOlefin-1234ze). For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,710,352 teaches the fluorination of 1,1,1,3,3-pentachloropropane (HCC-240fa) to form HCFC-1233zd and a small amount of HFO-1234ze. U.S. Pat. No. 5,895,825 teaches the fluorination of HCFC-1233zd to form HFC-1234ze. U.S. Pat. No. 6,472,573 also teaches the fluorination of HCFC-1233zd to form HFO-1234ze. U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,510 teaches the formation of cis and trans isomers of HFO-1234ze by the dehydrofluorination of HFC-245fa in the presence of an oxygen-containing gas using either a strong base or a chromium-based catalyst. European patent EP 0939071 describes the formation of HFC-245fa via the fluorination of HCC-240fa through intermediate reaction product which is an azeotropic mixture of HCFC-1233zd and HFO-1234ze.
It has been determined that these known processes are not economical relative to their product yield. It has also been noted that significant amount of cis-1234ze is generated together with its trans-isomer in these know processes. Hence, there is a need for means by which trans-1234ze can be isolated from product mixtures and cis-1234ze can be recycled. Accordingly, the present invention provides an integrated process for producing trans-1234ze from which highly pure trans-1234ze can be obtained at a higher yield than prior art processes and cis-1234ze can be recycled in contrast to known processes. In particular, it has now been found that trans-1234ze may be formed by dehydrofluorinating 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane in the absence of an oxygen-containing gas to produce a mixture of cis-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene, trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene and hydrogen fluoride. Then optionally, but preferably recovering hydrogen fluoride and then recovering trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene. The cis-1234ze and HFC-245fa may then be recycled.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Process for the production of HFO trans-1234ze from HFC-245fa


A voice-based system may comprise a local speech interface device and a remote control service. A user may interact with the system using speech to obtain services and perform functions. The system may allow a user to install applications to provide enhanced or customized functionality. Such applications may be installed on either the speech interface device or the control service. The control service receives user speech and determines user intent based on the speech. If an application installed on the control service can respond to the intent, that application is called. Otherwise, the intent is provided to the speech interface device which responds by invoking one of its applications to respond to the intent.

Homes and other user premises are increasingly equipped with always-on Internet or "cloud" connectivity. In many cases, even mobile users have constant or nearly constant data connectivity. The common availability of network communications, in combination with increasing capabilities of computing devices, has created a number of new possibilities for services and other functionality that use the variety of connected devices accessible to users. Language-based and speech-based systems are examples of technologies that may be used to provide conveniences to users as they interact with automated systems.


An information processing apparatus includes: an object detection unit to detect an object included in a frame image based on a feature amount of the frame image, and generate and output object information concerning the detected object; an event detection unit to detect an event of the object based on the object information output by the object detection unit, and generate and output event concern information concerning the detected event of the object; and a transmission unit to transmit the frame image, the event concern information, concerning the frame image, output by the event detection unit, and time information concerning the frame image, as associating them with others. Thus, even in a case where event detection timing and event occurrence timing are different from each other, it is possible to perform a display by which a user can easily confirm the event.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a digital monitoring system using a network camera and a computer has been rapidly introduced. That is, the digital monitoring system like this is constituted by the network camera, a video recording apparatus for recording a video produced by the network camera, and a viewer for reproducing a live video produced by the network camera and a recorded video recoded by the video recording apparatus. Here, the viewer has a function of displaying a phenomenon of the system and a phenomenon occurred in the video, as events.
For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open 2007-025950, an abnormality is detected by analyzing a video produced by a camera, and, if the abnormality is detected, an informing signal or a message is output. Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open 2007-049378, an abnormality is detected by a sensor, a camera related to the sensor is specified based on layout information indicating the relation between the sensor and the camera, and a current video produced by the specified camera is displayed.
However, for example, in a case where a phenomenon that a certain person misplaced or mislaid a bag or the like is detected as an event, such a problem as described below occurs. That is, only if the person goes away from a place where the bag has been put on, a user of the system can actually detect such misplacement of the bag. In this connection, even if the video obtained at the time when the misplacement of the bag is detected can be displayed by such conventional techniques as described above, it may be difficult for the user to discriminate which person misplaced the bag. According to circumstances, there is a possibility that the person who is the owner of the misplaced bag has left. Like this, if there is a gap between the time at which the event can be detected and the time at which the event occurs (in this example, at a moment that the person leaves from the bag), it is impossible in the conventional technique to perform a display which enables the user to confirm the occurrence of the event.
The present invention has been completed in consideration of the above-described conventional problem, and aims to perform the display that enables the user to confirm the occurrence of the event even if the time at which the event is detected is different from the time at which the event occurs.

Image pickup apparatus and method for detecting an entrance or exit event of an object in a frame image and medium storing a program causing a computer to function as the apparatus


Compounds of the formula ##STR1## wherein Z.sup.1 denotes a single covalent bond or --CH.sub.2 Ch.sub.2 --; ring A.sup.1 represents 1,4-phenylene, pyrimidine-2,5-diyl, pyridine-2,5-diyl or, when Z.sup.1 stands for --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, also trans-1,4-cyclohexylene; X.sup.1 stands for fluorine or chlorine; X.sup.2 signifies fluorine, chlorine or hydrogen, with the proviso that X.sup.2 only signifies hydrogen when X.sup.1 is chlorine or when ring A.sup.1 signifies pyridine-2,5-diyl and Z.sup.1 signifies --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --; and R.sup.1 signifies 1E-alkenyl with 2 to 12 carbon atoms,. their manufacture, liquid crystalline mixtures which contain these compounds and their use for electro-optical purposes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with halogenated three-ring alkenyl compounds, their manufacture, liquid crystalline mixtures which contain these compounds and their use for electro-optical purposes.
2. Description
Liquid crystals are used primarily as dielectrics in indicating devices, since the optical properties of such substances can be influenced by an applied voltage. Electro-optical devices based on liquid crystals are well-known to a person skilled in the art and can be based on various effects. Examples of such devices are cells having dynamic scattering, DAP cells (deformation of aligned phases), guest/host cells, TN cells having a twisted nematic structure, STN cells ("super-twisted nematic"), SBE cells ("super birefringence effect") and OMI cells ("optical mode interference"). The most common indicating devices are based on the Schadt-Helfrich effect and have twisted nematic structure.
The liquid crystal materials must have a good chemical and thermal stability and a good stability towards electric fields and electromagnetic radiation. Further, the liquid crystal materials should have low viscosity and in the cells should give short response times, low threshold potentials and a high contrast. Further, at the usual operating temperatures they should have a suitable mesophase, for example a nematic or cholesteric mesophase for the above-mentioned cells. Further properties such as the electrical conductivity, the dielectric anisotropy and the optical anisotropy must fulfil different requirements depending on the type of cell and field of application. For example, materials for cells having a twisted nematic structure should have a positive dielectric anisotropy and an electrical conductivity which is as low as possible. In addition to the general interest in compounds having high optical anisotropy there has been an increased interest recently in materials having a low optical anisotropy, especially for actively addressed liquid crystals indicators, e.g. for TFT applications ("thin film transistor") in television sets, whereby, however, effects such as the occurrence of highly ordered smectic phases or an increase in the threshold potential and in the response times, which are frequently observed in the case of such materials, should be avoided as far as possible.
Since liquid crystals are usually used as mixtures of several components, it is important that the components have a good miscibility with one another.

Alkenylcyclohexane liquid crystalline compounds


An apparatus for surface treatment according to the present invention used for carrying out dry etching, thin film deposition and so forth is provided with a neutral beam etching apparatus in order to improve etching rate. In an embodiment, microwave wave-guides forming a duplex tube, a discharge tube, a pair of solenoids arranged coaxially, a multiaperture electrode for extracting an ion beam, gas supply pipes, a set of charged particle retarding grids, a device for controlling temperature of a specimen and a vacuum unit are provided.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for and a method of surface treatment for carrying out dry etching, surface cleaning, thin film deposition and the like, and more particularly to an apparatus for and a method of surface treatment suitable for pattern delineation of microelectronic devices such as semiconductor integrated circuits.
Surface treatment techniques such as etching, surface cleaning and deposition utilizing plasma have ben widely used in fabrication processes for electronic devices such as semiconductor integrated circuits in recent years.
These techniques are called dry processes in general, and claimed advantages exist in that surface treatment is possible at low temperatures, the processes are able to delineate very fine patterns, and so forth. Particularly, the dry etching technique is an indispensable technique for delineating very fine patterns of semiconductor integrated circuits, in that pattern delineation on thin film materials can be done without pattern width shift from the mask width by making the most of directional movement of ions from plasma.
In such a process utilizing plasma, however, various radiation damage is are caused on a specimen because of the facts that the energy of particles which are incident on the specimen is high, particles have electric charge, and so forth.
In particular, a problem of degradation of a thin insulating film is caused by an electric charge of particles that is accumulated on a specimen surface and a large current flows further in an element and a thin film in the specimen is a serious problem attended with plasma treatment as reported in "Solid State Technology", 27 (1984) pp. 263-266 and "Extended Abstracts of the 19th Conference on Solid State Devices and Materials", Tokyo (1987) pp. 195-198. This problem becomes more and more important because an insulating film constituting an element becomes very thin with the development of refinement of elements for the future.
Degradation of an insulating film by means of a plasma process as described above is generated because a large quantity of charged particles such as ions and electrons are incident on a specimen from plasma.
Therefore, the present inventor et al. have developed a technique of carrying out etching with a neutral beam without having charged particles be incident on a specimen surface by an apparatus and a method disclosed in JP-A-61-248428 and JP-A-62-259443.
In this system, an ion beam extracted from plasma by accelerating to desired kinetic energy, e.g., several hundred eV, is made to pass through a gas at 10.sup.-2 -10.sup.-4 Torr, a part of the ion beam is converted into a neutral beam by charge exchange reactions with atoms and molecules in the gas, residual ions are repelled to proceed by means of appropriate electric field or magnetic field which is applied in front of the specimen, and only the neutral beam is radiated onto the specimen.
A gas containing halogen such as Cl.sub.2 is supplied at the same time so as to be adsorbed on the specimen surface. Thus, a chemical reaction between halogen and a surface material is proceeded at a location where a neutral beam at several hundred eV is radiated and etching of the surface can be proceeded by converting the surface material into a volatile material such as halide.
Since only electrically neutral particles are incident on the specimen in a system described above, it has been confirmed that almost no charge build-up is produced on the surface and thus almost no degradation in breakdown voltage of a thin insulating film contained in a semiconductor element and the like is generated.
Etching can be applied to variety of materials such as Si, SiO.sub.2, Si.sub.2 N.sub.4, WSi.sub.2, TiN and Al forming semiconductor integrated circuits by this method.
Rare gas atoms such as Ne and Ar may be used principally as a neutral beam, and an appropriate gas may be selected among Cl.sub.2, F.sub.2, XeF.sub.2, CCl.sub.4, NF.sub.3, BCl.sub.3 and so on depending on a material to be etched as a reactive gas supplied to the specimen surface.
Since etching reaction is proceeded only at a location irradiated with a neutral beam, etching is applied along a direction of the neutral beam and highly precise pattern delineation can be realized without etching pattern width shift.
As a result of study for putting neutral beam etching described above to practical use, following problems have been revealed.
A first problem is that the etching rate is very low. For example, in case Si was etched with a neutral beam of Ar and a Cl.sub.2 gas, the etching rate was 30 nm/min at most, and when SiO.sub.2 was etched with a neutral beam of Ar and a CHF.sub.3 gas, the etching rate was about 10 nm/min.
These values are one to two orders of magnitude smaller as compared with an etching rate by a plasma etching technique employed in a present fabrication process of semiconductor integrated circuits, and this technology cannot be adopted as it is as a production technology in mass-production.
Incidentally, a technology in which a gas composed of molecules containing halogen is formed into plasma by glow discharge in advance outside of a vacuum chamber of an apparatus for surface treatment and fragment molecules and radicals in the ga which has been formed into plasma are introduced proximately to a specimen has been disclosed in JP-A-62-291032 by the present inventor et al.
It has also been disclosed in this official gazette that the surface reaction of the specimen is enhanced by introducing fragment molecules and radicals proximately to the specimen.
As to the contents disclosed therein, however, the present inventor has found that enhancement of the surface reaction of the specimen is not necessarily sufficient probably because of the fact that processing to form a gas into plasma is carried out outside of a vacuum chamber and the gas formed into plasma is introduced proximately to the specimen.
The degree of improvement of the etching rate according to this construction is 1.5 to 2 times as fast as a conventional case for instance. This value varies depending on a quality of a material to be etched and so on.
A second problem is that an etching rate is not constant, but a phenomenon in which the etching rate is decreased gradually with the progress of etching is presented frequently.
A third problem is that a material of an ion beam deflection plate or an ion beam retarding grid which is used for radiating only a selected neutral beam generated from an ion beam to a specimen is sputtered and incorporated into the specimen, thus causing metal contamination in semiconductor elements.
In case the material of the electrode or the grid is stainless steel or tungsten, contaminating metal is Fe, Ni, Cr, W and the like, which is not desirable to be introduced into a semiconductor element which is used as a specimen even if a very small amount.
A fourth problem is that, although a neutral beam etching is superior in directional etching, it causes disadvantage frequently. Particularly, it is required to apply etching on a surface provided with steps for accumulating a plurality types of elements and parts of constitute circuits in multilevel structures, but etching residue is liable to be produced along the steps.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus of etching which solve or reduce four problems in a neutral beam etching technique described above.

Apparatus for and method of surface treatment for microelectronic devices


An angle adjusting device for a bicycle saddle is disclosed. The device includes a frame coupling block, which is coupled at a lower end thereof to an upper portion of a height adjustment unit. A saddle coupling post is coupled at a lower end thereof to an upper end of the frame coupling block and is coupled at an upper end thereof to the saddle, with a through hole formed in the upper portion of the saddle coupling post. An angle fixing unit includes a pair of fan-shaped plates attached to left and right sides of the frame coupling block, and a pair of rectangular plates coupling front and rear edges of the fan-shaped plates to each other. An angle adjusting unit is coupled to the saddle coupling post, and is detachable from holes in the angle fixing unit to control the rotation of the saddle coupling post.

Generally, bicycles are vehicles that are moved by pushing pedals with two feet. In a broad sense, bicycles include vehicles having three or four wheels and vehicles moving in places other than the ground, for example, a water bicycle or an ice bicycle. Bicycles are widely used as representative transportation means using human power. Recently, bicycles have been used as sports equipment for the promotion of health, and in addition, have been widely applied as recreation means. Further, due to the environment-friendly characteristics of bicycles, the demand for bicycle has steadily increased.
A conventional bicycle includes wheels, a frame, pedals, a chain, a saddle, handlebars, and other parts. Generally, the bicycle is provided with a height adjustment unit for adjusting the height of the saddle at the junction between the saddle and the frame. Thus, even if users of various heights ride the bicycle, the height of the saddle can be adjusted to be appropriate for the height of the user so that his or her feet comfortably reach the pedals. As a result, the user can ride the bicycle stably.
As such, in the conventional bicycle, the height of the saddle may be adjusted in a vertical direction so that the interval between the user's feet and the pedals can be adjusted. However, even if people are the same height or their legs are the same length, the lengths of their upper bodies or arms may be different from each other. Thus, when the length of one's legs is much greater than the average length, and the height of the saddle is adjusted according to the length of the legs, it will be difficult to grip the handlebars with the hands. Conversely, when the legs are short, the arms must be bent when gripping the handlebars. In these cases, it is inconvenient to ride the bicycle for a lengthy period of time.
Further, when a user goes up or down a steep hill while riding the bicycle, his or her body leans toward the front or rear portion of the bicycle. At this time, because the angle of the saddle is fixed, the user is uncomfortable, so he or she frequently stands up rather than remaining on the saddle. However, when the user stands up and puts his or her weight only on the pedals, stability is low and the possibility of accidents is thus increased. Further, while the user goes up and down a hill for a lengthy period of time, he or she must continue standing up, which is fatiguing.

Angle adjusting device for bicycle saddle


A system and method for enabling testing a data link of a data packet signal transceiver device under test (DUT). A RX data packet signal originating from a reference device is conveyed for reception by a DUT, and a TX data packet signal originating from the DUT is conveyed for reception by the reference device. At least a portion of the RX data packet signal is conveyed with a signal attenuation and at least a portion of the TX data packet signal is conveyed with a different signal attenuation.

The present invention relates to testing data packet signal transceivers, and in particular, to testing a data link of a data packet signal transceiver.
Many of today's electronic devices use wireless signal technologies for both connectivity and communications purposes. Because wireless devices transmit and receive electromagnetic energy, and because two or more wireless devices have the potential of interfering with the operations of one another by virtue of their signal frequencies and power spectral densities, these devices and their wireless signal technologies must adhere to various wireless signal technology standard specifications.
When designing such wireless devices, engineers take extra care to ensure that such devices will meet or exceed each of their included wireless signal technology prescribed standard-based specifications. Furthermore, when these devices are later being manufactured in quantity, they are tested to ensure that manufacturing defects will not cause improper operation, including their adherence to the included wireless signal technology standard-based specifications.
For testing these devices following their manufacture and assembly, current wireless device test systems typically employ subsystems for providing test signals to each device under test (DUT) and analyzing signals received from each DUT. Some subsystems include at least a vector signal generator (VSG) for providing the source signals to be transmitted to the DUT, and a vector signal analyzer (VSA) for analyzing signals produced by the DUT. The production of test signals by the VSG and signal analysis performed by the VSA are generally programmable (e.g., through use of an internal programmable controller or an external programmable controller such as a personal computer) so as to allow each to be used for testing a variety of devices for adherence to a variety of wireless signal technology standards with differing frequency ranges, bandwidths and signal modulation characteristics.
Other subsystems can include a reference device that is similar to the current DUT and has been tested and proven to be in conformance with the performance and operation characteristics of interest for purposes of the tests to be performed upon the current DUT. This reference device is controlled and operated in a manner to exercise the current DUT to determine its conformance, or failure to conform, with the wireless signal technology standards for which it has been designed.
As part of the manufacturing of wireless communication devices, one significant component of production cost is costs associated with these manufacturing tests. Typically, there is a direct correlation between the cost of test and the sophistication of the test equipment required to perform the test. Thus, innovations that can preserve test accuracy while minimizing equipment costs (e.g., increasing costs due to increasing sophistication of necessary test equipment, or testers) are important and can provide significant costs savings, particularly in view of the large numbers of such devices being manufactured and tested.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have techniques for testing increasingly sophisticated DUTs with increasingly varied performance characteristics and requirements without also requiring increasingly sophisticated testers with similarly increasingly varied testing characteristics and requirements.

System and method for enabling testing a data link of a data packet signal transceiver


A computer receives data from a keyboard having one or more keys which cause generation of keyboard data that quantitatively describe the relative force applied to those keys. The keyboard data are transmitted in an HID report containing identifiers for one or more keys that have been pressed and force data for each key. The force data may be a multi-bit value quantifying the key force, or a null indicator signaling that the key is not force-sensing. Keyboard data messages are then prepared which identify keys pressed, contain force data, and may indicate whether the force data updates previous force data. Force updates are only provided to application programs registering for key force data. In other aspects of the invention, key repeat messages are automatically generated for a key held pressed by a user. The key repeat messages are generated at a rate controlled by the amount of force applied to the key.

As more and more uses are found for computers, and as existing uses are augmented and improved, it is often necessary to provide increasing amounts of input to computers. Numerous input mechanisms already exist, and additional mechanisms continue to be developed. For many purposes, however, the computer keyboard remains the primary computer input device. As such, there are numerous possible advantages to increasing the amount of data that a user can input to a computer via a keyboard. As used herein, "keyboard" includes, but is not limited to, "QWERTY" computer keyboards as described by, e.g., International Standard ISO/IEC 9995-1.
One manner of increasing the data which a keyboard can input is by increasing the number of keys. For example, many keyboards contain standard function keys (e.g., F1, F2, etc.). Some keyboards have application-specific keys in addition to the common character and function keys; examples include a separate key which a user presses to connect to the Internet, etc. There are practical limits on the number of keys that can be added, however. If the keys become too numerous, some of the keys may be difficult to reach, and users may have difficulty remembering the purposes of all keys.
As another alternative, additional functions can be added to existing keys. For example, many keyboards are configured so that certain keys generate a first signal if a key is pressed in isolation and another signal if the key is pressed in combination with a "modifier" key (e.g., the CTRL, ALT or SHIFT keys). Although it is possible to add additional modifier keys so as to assign even more possible functions to existing keys, this also has practical limits. Users are unlikely to remember all functions corresponding to all possible key combinations, and software developers are often unlikely to uniformly assign the same function to a particular key combination.
Force-sensing keys offer an advantageous way to increase the amount of data that a user can input with a computer keyboard. In most existing keyboards, a given key can only have two states; the key is either pressed (i.e., it is "down") or it is not pressed (i.e., it is "up"). Because of this, a single key can only generate two values. A force-sensing key, on the other hand, can generate (or cause the generation of) a range of values corresponding to the amount of force exerted on the key. Pressing the key lightly may generate one signal, pressing slightly harder may generate another signal, pressing even harder may generate a third signal, etc. The additional signals can then be given meanings related to a character or function assigned to the key.
A keyboard having one or more force-sensing keys presents many data processing challenges. Indeed, the present inventors are unaware of any computer operating system software that provides a way of receiving force data from individual keys and providing that information to application software. Moreover, an operating system able to process key force data would, in all probability, also be used in combination with non-force-sensing keyboards. Accordingly, compatibility with both types of keyboards would be highly advantageous. Similarly, not all software applications may be able to use the additional data provided by a force-sensing keyboard, and key force data should be processed in a manner compatible with applications that do not use key force data.

Method for processing data quantifying force applied to one or more keys of a computer keyboard


The pump (20) has a rotor (80) rotatable by a drive in a pump duct (25). The rotor (80) has a pump element (90) with undulating boundary faces extending radially. The boundary faces are bounded cylindrically and run in a fitted manner in a cylindrical conveying region (27), their highest points running adjacent to the end faces (35) of the pump duct in a sealed manner. In addition, a sealing slide (31) is provided, which is displaceable parallel to the axis of rotation (76) and which seals off the pump duct (25) between the inlet (22) and the outlet (23), so that during rotation the rotor (80) follows the undulating movement of the boundary faces (96) of the pump element (90). In addition, sealing means seal off the media-conveying pump chambers from the housing (21). The rotor (80) is detachably connected to the drive shaft (180) while forming connecting boundary faces, which are arranged on the drive side on the other side of the sealing means with respect to the media-conveying pump chambers.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a pump for fluids or fluid-like media, in particular for foodstuffs or articles of consumption as well as medicines or cosmetics, with a housing, an inlet, an outlet, a pump operating chamber with a pump duct, an intake chamber, a conveying area, an outlet chamber, and with a rotor which has a rotor shaft and which can be rotated by a drive and which is releasably connected to a drive shaft while forming connecting boundary faces with the aid of a fastener and which has a pump element cylindrical on its external peripheral face and rotating in the pump duct and with undulating boundary faces extending radially from the rotor shaft, in which case the pump duct is cylindrical at least in the conveying area and is provided at least in the conveying area with a pump-duct end face against which the greatest radial points of the pump element rest in a sealed manner, and a shut-off element displaceable axially with respect to the rotor axis is provided in the pump operating chamber, the shut-off element sealing off the pump duct between the inlet and the outlet and comprising opposed sealing faces which rest in a sealed manner against the undulating boundary faces of the pump element, so that during the rotation of the rotor the shut-off element follows the undulating movement of the boundary faces of the pump element, and with a seal which seals off the media-conveying pump chambers from the housing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A pump of this type is known from DE 34 18 708 A1. In this case the pump element of the rotor is integrally joined to a hollow cylindrical rotor shaft and a hub respectively. The hub is pressed axially onto a hub pin formed with the drive shaft and is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to the hub pin or the drive shaft by means of feather keys engaging in grooves in the hub and the hub pin. In order to fix the hub axially to the pump element on the hub pin the hub pin is provided at its free end with an attachment thread onto which is screwed a mounting and retaining nut which in the tightened state presses the hub against a stop provided at the rear and thus prevents axial displacement. With this design it is not possible to prevent undesired bacteria and/or fungi from eventually becoming established, which can lead to a corresponding contamination of the pumped medium. This is particularly serious for those pumped media whose handling and transportation have to meet rigorous safety and hygiene conditions, i.e. for example for foodstuffs and articles of consumption as well as for medicines and cosmetics. In addition, if the mounting and retaining nut is not properly tightened it can become unscrewed. As a result, this can lead to breakdowns in the pump operation and even to the destruction of essential pump parts in conjunction with complete failure of the pump.

Rotary pump having a drive shaft releasably connected to the rotor


Methods, compositions, systems, devices and kits are provided for preparing and using a multi-layer polymeric microstructure composition for delivering a therapeutic agent to a subject. In various embodiments, the therapeutic agent includes at least one selected from the group of: a drug, a protein, a sugar, a carbohydrate, and a nucleotide sequence. In related embodiments, the composition is a fiber, a suture, a sphere, an implant, or a scaffold.

The delivery of hydrophilic therapeutics from small diameter wet spun microfibers is often characterized by an initial burst due to drug trapped on the surface during encapsulation (Williamson et al. 2004 Biomaterials 25:5053-5060; Change et al. 1998 Journal of Biomedical Research Part A 84A: 230-237). Rapid drug burst from microfibers is detrimental under the circumstances of a drug having a narrow therapeutic range, thereby resulting in local drug concentrations that quickly become toxic, and little advancement has been made to slow the release of therapeutics from wet spun microfiber-based delivery systems (Schakenraad et al. 1994 Biomaterials 367: 258-260). Previous work addressed double-walled microspheres with drug localized to inner or outer core for controlled release kinetics (Rahman et al. 2003 Journal of Controlled Release 94:163-175; Pekarek et al. 1994 Nature, 367:258-260). There is an urgent need for microencapsulation and phase separation techniques which slow the release of therapeutics from wet spun microfiber-based drug delivery systems.

Compositions, methods and kits for therapeutic treatment with wet spun microstructures


The present invention is a system for making online purchases using electronic funds transfers from the buyers' bank account to the vendor's bank account, enabled by an intermediate funds transfer from the buyer's account to a holding account maintained by the buyer's bank or a third party. The system is further enabled by the buyer's bank acting as a portal to the Internet that pre-authenticates buyers, enforces security, and speeds the execution of online transactions.

This invention relates to payment of online purchases, and more particularly to a system that executes such payments in a efficient and cost-effective manner so as to make it economical to sell and purchase online products and services priced as low as just a few pennies per item.
The major issues that confront online purchasing systems are fraud, security, execution speed, and transaction costs. The last of these issues, transaction costs, is of particular concern to Internet vendors because of the nature of products typically sold over the Internet, and price expectations of their customers. Many of the products and services provided over the Internet are information-based, with virtually zero incremental cost of goods and small cost of delivery. As such, customers have expectations of low prices for such goods and services. Such expectations, coupled with the cost and inconvenience of executing online transactions have contributed to the commonly used practice of companies giving away software and information for free.
Existing electronic payment methods are either costly, slow to consummate, or both. For example, debit cards typically costs $0.50 per transaction. (Banks also impose dollar limits on the amount that can be debited.) Electronic check payments are only slightly better. Electronic bill payment systems typically charge users around $0.20 per transaction, and can take several days to deliver payment to the Internet-based merchant. "Electronic Cash" systems have been developed to support on-line transactions. However such e-cash systems have yet to be adopted on a broad scale, and their cost-effectiveness when used exclusively for low-value items has yet to be established.
The "free information" model (paid for by advertising) actually works to the disadvantage of Internet users. Since vendors cannot economically collect the small revenue associated with each transaction, there is little financial incentive for small-transaction businesses to emerge on the Internet, thereby limiting the richness of products and resources available to users. Furthermore, many free Web sites that do exist tend to be overloaded, resulting in long waits times, because the Web site owners cannot afford to invest in infrastructure that would improve responsiveness.
A low-cost online purchasing system can stimulate more diversity and competition in Internet-based services. Such products and services might include, for example, drawings, maps, greeting cards, publications, recipes, search services, advice services, sales alerts, stock alerts, whether and traffic alerts, and buying services. Thus a purchasing system that could economically execute transactions of arbitrary size would benefit both customers and vendors, and further stimulate e-commerce.
A new paradigm is also needed for the way financial institutions are reimbursed for supporting the transactions of online vendors. Specifically, instead of charging online vendors on a per-transaction basis, banks may charge online vendors for maintaining accounts. Alternatively, banks may charge online vendors based on the dollar volume of transactions processed by the bank on behalf of the vendor. Still another model is for banks to serve as an Internet portal through which buyers are authenticated for making purchases from online vendors, with banks charging online vendors for access through the portal. This model is analogous to mall operators charging shops in the mall rental space and security fees. It is also clear that some combination of the above models is also a possibility. The present invention supports all of the business models described above.

System for inexpensively executing online purchases


The antifouling film includes a substrate, and a polymer layer disposed on a surface of the substrate and including on a surface thereof an uneven structure provided with multiple projections at a pitch not longer than a wavelength of visible light. The polymer layer is a cured product of a polymerizable composition, the polymerizable composition containing, in terms of active constituents, 15 to 40 wt % of an urethane acrylate containing six or more functional groups, 35 to 60 wt % of a multifunctional acrylate containing four or more functional groups and 3 to 15 ethylene oxide groups for each functional group, 15 to 30 wt % of a monofunctional acrylate with no ethylene oxide group, 0.5 to 10 wt % of a fluorine release agent containing a perfluoropolyether group and having a fluorine atom concentration of 50 wt % or lower, and 0.5 to 5 wt % of a polymerization initiator.

Various optical films exhibiting antireflective performance have been studied (e.g., see Patent Literatures 1 to 3). In particular, optical films having an uneven structure of nanometer scale (nanostructure) are known for their excellent antireflective performance. This uneven structure has a continuously varying refractive index from the air layer to the substrate, thereby capable of reducing reflected light significantly.


A novel triazole derivative for use in an insecticide or an acaricide has a general formula [I]: ##STR1## (wherein R.sup.1 is an alkyl group, X is a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group or the like, n is an integer of 1-5, Y is an alkenyl group, an alkynyl group, an alkoxyalkyl group or the like) and controls various injurious insects and mites, particularly mites and aphids without damaging crops.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to novel triazole derivatives as well as insecticide and acaricide containing the same as an active ingredient.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent laid open No. 56-154464 and DE-A-363-1511 disclose that various triazole derivatives develop insecticidal and acaricidal activities. However, it can not be said that the insecticidal and acaricidal activities of these compounds described in these specifications are satisfactory.
Up to the present, various compounds such as organophosphorus compound, organotin compound and the like have been used for the control of pests in farm and garden crops and mites. However, these compounds have been used over many years, so that the above injurious insects have a resistance to chemicals to a certain extent and it recently becomes difficult to control these insects. Particularly, this tendency is conspicuous in lepidopteran injurious insects, mites and aphids and becomes serious. As a result, it is demanded to develop new types of insecticide and acaricide having a different function.

Triazole derivatives as well as insecticide and acaricide


A sensor for the detection of an analyte comprising a cis-diol moiety, which comprises a holographic element comprising a medium and a hologram disposed throughout the volume of the medium, wherein an optical characteristic of the element changes as a result of a variation of a physical property occurring throughout the volume of the medium, and wherein the medium is a polymer comprising a group of formula (I): wherein n is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; each X (if present) is independently is an atom or group which, via an electronic effect, promotes formation of a tetrahedral geometry about the boron atom; and Y is a spacer which, when n is 0 or otherwise optionally, is an atom or group which, via an electronic effect, promotes formation of a tetrahedral geometry about the boron atom. Such a sensor may be used for the detection of glucose.

WO-A-95/26499 discloses a holographic sensor, based on a volume hologram. The sensor comprises a holographic element, the element comprising an analyte-sensitive holographic support medium having an optical transducing structure disposed throughout its volume. Because of this physical arrangement of the transducer, the optical signal generated by the sensor is very sensitive to volume changes or structural rearrangements taking place in the analyte-sensitive matrix as a result of interaction or reaction with the analyte. For example, a sensor comprising a gelatin-based holographic medium may be used to detect trypsin. Trypsin acts on the gelatin medium, irreversibly destroying the integrity of the holographic support medium.
WO-A-031087899 describes a method for the continuous detection of an analyte in a fluid involving the use of a holographic sensor. The support medium of the sensor comprises a group which is capable of reacting reversibly with the analyte. Thus, when fluid is passed over the holographic element, any analyte present can be detected continuously.
In particular, WO-A-031087899 describes how a holographic sensor formed by the polymerisation of monomers including vinylphenylboronic acid may be used to detect glucose. The pendant phenylboronic acid groups can react reversibly with a cis-diol group of glucose, resulting in swelling of the holographic support medium. A limitation of this technology is that the sensor is only effective over a limited pH range; there remains the need for sensors which can detect glucose continuously over a range of conditions, in particular physiological conditions.


A virtual three-dimensional presentation in accordance with the present invention includes three stereoscopic layers, a stereoscopic background layer, a stereoscopic video insert layer, and a stereoscopic three-dimensional foreground layer. A surface, the Z-sphere, is defined in the virtual three-dimensional space of the three-dimensional scene with reference to the aim point, the distance between the cameras, and the distance from the camera of the video scene, of a virtual stereoscopic camera looking at the three-dimensional scene being created. The separation of the virtual stereoscopic camera lens and distance to the aim point are set based on the stereoscopic cameras that are creating the video insert layer. The stereoscopic three-dimensional foreground layer scene may include a key which defines the transparency of objects in the foreground layer. The stereoscopic video insert layer may be generated by positioning a presenter, or other object, in a chroma-key set which is captured with a stereoscopic camera. The stereoscopic video insert layer may be distorted before being composited with the background and foreground such that elements of the stereoscopic video appear to move across a three-dimensional floor of the stereoscopic three-dimensional scene.

Television news and, in particular, weather broadcasts, commonly employ chroma-key or virtual set technology as part of the news and/or weather presentation. Such technology enables a presenter in a studio to appear as if he is in a more complex environment. Using this technology, scenes including images from a number of image sources, such as live video and computer graphics, can be created and combined together into a three-dimensional virtual presentation.
In many television programs which are broadcast from television studios, live video is combined with background images which were prepared in advance. The typical technology employed to create such combined images is called "chroma-key". The background images used in this technology can be still photographs, videotaped material, computer generated graphics, or any other image or compilation of images.
In generating a presentation using chroma-key technology, a presenter (the news caster, weather forecaster, etc.) stands in front of a colored or patterned screen in the studio. A television camera shoots both the presenter (live video) and the screen. The resulting picture is then transferred to a chroma-keyer for processing. At the same time, a background picture from a different source (such as another camera, pre-taped video, or computer graphics) is transferred to the chroma-keyer.
Both pictures, the live and the background picture, are combined in the chroma-keyer and broadcast as one picture which shows the live video on top of or in front of the background. For example, the final result can be a weather forecaster standing in front of a computer generated virtual weather map which cannot be seen at all in the physical studio.
The chroma-keyer differentiates between the live video image of the presenter and the screen according to the pixels (picture elements). Wherever a pixel from the live video image of the presenter is identified, it is transferred to the combined broadcast picture. Wherever a pixel from the screen is identified, the appropriate pixel from the background is placed in its place in the broadcast picture. In this way, a new picture is created and broadcast using the background which was chosen.
Many broadcast or other video presentations involve the use of three-dimensional graphics or animations. In some situations, it is desirable to place live or pre-recorded two dimensional video elements into a three-dimensional scene that has been rendered by a computer. Chroma-keying and virtual set technology may be used to generate such a video presentation. For example, a multi-layer video presentation may be created where a first layer consists of a computer generated graphics background, a second layer includes live video, e.g., of a presenter, hiding parts of the first layer, and a third layer consists of additional computer graphics, hiding parts of both the first and second layers. The generation of such a three-dimensional multi-layer presentation is typically accomplished in real time. In order to accomplish this effect in real time and fully automatically, the location of live video objects, e.g., the presenter, in the virtual space must be known. The three-dimensional location of a live video object or presenter in the three-dimensional virtual space of a multi-layer video presentation to be generated may be derived using three cameras positioned in a triangle pointing to the center of a chroma-key stage, to capture the contour of the live video object or presenter from three different directions. One of the three video cameras may be designated the main camera. The virtual environment, or three-dimensional set database, is created using a computer. For each frame in the video, the virtual image is calculated according to the main camera position image. Each of the three cameras see the presenter as a two-dimensional image. After filtering out the screen background using a chroma-keyer, the contour image of the presenter remains. This shape represents the physical volume from the camera's point of view to the stage surface. By utilizing the inputs of all three cameras in the triangle, the approximate location of the presenter within the three-dimensional virtual image can be obtained using the cross-section of the overlapping volumes. The cross-section of the overlapping volumes represents the object volumetric image. By obtaining the presenter's three-dimensional volumetric shape, the depth location of the presenter on the stage can be obtained. The depth location allows a depth value (Z value) to be assigned to each pixel of the presenter's image. Once the depth location of the presenter in the set is known, it can be calculated which virtual objects will appear behind the presenter and which virtual objects will appear in front of him. Thus, a multi-layer video presentation may be generated.
Other techniques have also been developed for generating a three-dimensional multi-layer virtual presentation in a chroma-key/virtual set technology environment. However, all such systems typically involve generating the multi-layer presentation in real time by a host computer using two variables which are provided to the process in real time, the position and pointing direction of a video camera, and a position, in real three-dimensional space, of the presenter. The live presenter is placed in the chroma-key set, and the position information of the location of both the camera and the actor is fed in real time to a host computer, which generates a virtual three-dimensional scene. The rendered three-dimensional scene and the live video are then keyed together to form the multi-layer presentation.
Such real-time methods for generating multi-layer three-dimensional virtual presentations, combining a computer generated three-dimensional scene and a two-dimensional video image, have several significant limitations. All such current methods utilize a great deal of expensive hardware and software to insert two-dimensional video elements into the three-dimensional scene in real time (30 fps). Elaborate systems, such as that described above, are used to determine the location of a person in front of a chroma-key wall. The video of the person is then rendered into the three-dimensional scene in real time using high-end computer systems. Since the rendering of the virtual three-dimensional scene is done in real time, the quality of the rendered scene is limited. For example, in the production of a live weather segment for broadcast news, it may be desired to render complex three-dimensional weather scenes. Even with high-end computers, however, the number of polygons (i.e., the complexity) in the three-dimensional scene that can be rendered in real time is limited to the rendering power of the computer. For this reason, extremely detailed and complex three-dimensional objects cannot be created. Furthermore, the complexity of the process described above for generating a multi-layer presentation combining a computer generated virtual three-dimensional scene and a live video presenter is difficult to control in the normally short production times typical of broadcast news. Also, in such systems, there is usually a delay of several frames through the system, which makes it difficult for the live presenter to match his movements to objects in the computer-generated virtual scene. The challenge is, therefore, how to include a two-dimensional video element into an extremely complex three-dimensional scene without the use of very expensive and elaborate hardware set-ups.

System and method for generating three dimensional presentations


For restraining jitter amount of a transmission clock signal (16) generated by a digital PLL (8), a data transmission apparatus comprises a {fraction (1/24)} clock generator (6) for dividing frequency of a receiving clock signal (4), a clock multiplier (7) for generating a reference frequency signal (18) by multiplying frequency of the output of the {fraction (1/24)} clock generator (6), and a control unit (28) for controlling a frequency multiplying ratio of the clock multiplier (7) and controlling a frequency dividing ratio of a frequency divider provided in the digital PLL (8). According to jitter amount detected by a jitter detection signal generator (19), the frequency of the reference clock signal (18) is selected among {fraction (1/12)}, xe2x85x9 and ⅙ of the frequency of the receiving clock signal.

The present invention relates to a data transmission apparatus wherein ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) cells are transmitted according to a clock signal generated in synchronization with a clock signal of receiving ATM cells.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional example of a data transmission apparatus of this type.
Referring to FIG. 3, an optical signal carrying ATM cell data, STM-1 (Synchronous Transport Module 1) signal, for example, is transmitted through an optical cable 14 and inputted to an O/E (Optic/Electric) transducer 1. The O/E transducer 1 converts the optical signal into an electric signal, from which a receiving data signal 3 and a receiving clock signal 4 are extracted and supplied to a receiver-side terminator 2.
In the receiver-side terminator 2, a receiving cell-data signal 5 is reproduced from the receiving data signal 3 and the receiving clock signal 4.
The receiving clock signal 4 is also supplied to a clock generator 31 to be frequency-divided thereby. The output of the clock generator 31 is frequency-multiplied by a clock multiplier 32 and supplied to a digital PLL (Phase Lock Loop) 34 as a reference frequency signal 33.
Therefore, the frequency of the reference frequency signal 33 can be represented as F/M, F being the frequency of the receiving clock signal 4 and M being a rational number. However, in the following paragraphs, the frequency dividing ratio M is assumed to be a positive integer for simplifying the description.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an inner configuration of the digital PLL 34 of FIG. 3, comprising a clock oscillator 800, a controllable frequency divider 801, a phase comparator 802 and a 1/M frequency divider 804. When the frequency dividing ratio M is not an integer, the 1/M frequency divider 804 may be replaced with an appropriate combination of a frequency multiplier and a frequency divider.
In the example of FIG. 4, the oscillation frequency f of the clock oscillator 800 is designed to be f≈nF, n being a positive integer.
Here, it should be noted that the oscillation frequency f and the. receiving clock frequency F are both subject to their own fluctuation. However, the value of n, and consequently the oscillation frequency f, are so selected as to satisfy a condition f/(nxe2x88x921) greater than F greater than f(n+1).
The controllable frequency divider 801, consisting of a programmable counter, for example, is controlled to divide the oscillation frequency f by nxe2x88x921, n or n+1. When the dividing ratio of the controllable frequency divider 801 is controlled to be 1/n, an output clock signal 35 of a frequency f/n≈F is outputted from the controllable frequency divider 801, and the output frequency of the 1/M frequency divider 804 becomes almost F/M.
Phases of the output of the 1/M frequency divider 804 and the reference frequency signal 33 (of the frequency F/M) are compared by the phase comparator 802. When the output phase of the 1/M frequency divider 804 is delayed from the phase of the reference frequency signal 33, the phase comparator 801 enables an UP signal, which controls the frequency dividing ratio of the controllable frequency divider 801 to be nxe2x88x921) and the phase of the output clock signal 35 advances.
When the output phase of the 1/M frequency divider 804 is leading from the phase of the reference frequency signal 33, the phase comparator 801 enables a DOWN signal. By the DOWN signal, the frequency dividing ratio of the controllable frequency divider 801 is controlled to be (n+1), delaying the phase of the output clock signal 35 so that the output phase of the 1/M frequency divider 804 coincides with the phase of the reference frequency signal 33 outputted from the clock multiplier 32.
Thus, the phase of the output clock signal 35 of the digital PLL 34 is maintained in synchronization with the receiving clock signal 4.
Returning to FIG. 3, a transmitter-side signal generator 10 generates a transmission data signal 11 from a transmission cell data 13 and a transmission clock signal 12 making use of the output clock signal 35 of the digital PLL 34. The transmission data signal 11 and the transmission clock signal 12 are converted into an optical signal by an E/O (Electric/Optic) transducer 9 and transmitted through an optical cable 15.
In the conventional data transmission apparatus as above described, there has been a problem that the transmission data signal 11 is affected by jitters of the output clock signal 35 generated by the digital PLL 34.
As can be easily understood from FIG. 4, the frequency of the out-put clock signal 35 may change discontinuously from one of f/(nxe2x88x921), f/n and f/(n+1) to another of them, under control of the phase comparator 802. This discontinuous change of the output frequency of the digital PLL 34 causes the jitter of the transmission clock signal 12 and when the jitter exceeds its tolerance level, it causes data transmission errors such as cell losses of the data transmission apparatus.
There have been proposed several countermeasures for restraining the jitter of the digital PLL.
By making large the frequency dividing ratio n of the controllable frequency divider 801 together with the oscillation frequency f of the clock oscillator 800, the jitter amount can be restrained. However, the condition f/nxe2x88x921) greater than F greater than f(n+1) can not be satisfied and it becomes difficult for the output frequency of the digital PLL 34 to follow the reference frequency F/M adequately.
In a Japanese patent application laid open as a Provisional Publication No. 166919/""90 entitled xe2x80x9cA Digital PLL Systemxe2x80x9d, there is disclosed a digital PLL similar to the digital PLL of FIG. 4, which comprises a plurality of controllable frequency dividers 801. By phase-shifting the output of a clock oscillator 800, a plurality of clock signals of a frequency f and each having a phase different with each other are generated. Each of the clock signals is supplied to a respective one of the controllable frequency dividers 801 to be frequency-divided by (nxe2x88x921), n or (n+1). According to output of a phase comparator 802, output of an appropriate one of the controllable frequency dividers 801 is selected to be outputted as the output clock signal 35 of the digital PLL.
Thus, the jitter amount is restrained in this prior art without enlarging the frequency dividing ratio n.
When the frequency dividing ratio n is made large together with the oscillation frequency f, the pull-in time, which is needed for the phase difference detected by the phase comparator 802 being controlled to zero, becomes long. For dealing with this problem, another prior art is disclosed in a Japanese patent application laid open as a Provisional Publication No. 131492/""95 entitled xe2x80x9cA Multi-Relay Systemxe2x80x9d, wherein two digital PLLs are cascade-connected. In the first stage PLL, the oscillation frequency of the clock oscillator is designed to be comparatively low for shortening the pull-in time, while the oscillation frequency of the clock oscillator is designed to be comparatively high in the second stage PLL for restraining the jitter amount.
In still another Japanese patent application laid open as a Provisional Publication No. 326963/""95 entitled xe2x80x9cA Digital PLL Circuitxe2x80x9d, the jitter amount is restrained without prolonging the pull-in time, by controlling the duration ratio of the controllable frequency divider for dividing the oscillation frequency f by n and nxe2x88x921, or the duration ratio for dividing by n and n+1, depending on the polarity and the absolute value of the output of the phase comparator.
However, there has been disclosed no idea to control the digital PLL according to the jitter amount actually detected, in any of these prior arts. It is preferable that the jitter amount of the transmission clock signal is as small as possible. However, in practical use, it is sufficient when the jitter amount is smaller than a tolerance level for performing data transmission without error.
Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a data transmission apparatus wherein the frequency of the reference frequency signal supplied to the digital PLL is selected according to jitter amount actually detected, for realizing a simple and efficient apparatus for transmitting ATM cells according to a clock signal generated in synchronization with a clock signal of receiving ATM cells.
In order to achieve the object, a data transmission apparatus according to the invention comprises:
a receiving clock generator for dividing a frequency of a receiving clock signal which is extracted from a receiving optical signal carrying ATM cells;
a clock multiplier for generating a reference frequency signal by multiplying a frequency of an output of the receiving clock generator;
a digital PLL for generating an output clock signal referring to the reference frequency signal;
a transmission-side signal generator for generating a transmission data signal and a transmission clock signal to be multiplexed into a transmission optical signal in synchronization with the output clock signal;
a control unit for controlling a frequency multiplying ratio of the clock multiplier and controlling a frequency dividing ratio of a frequency divider provided in the digital PLL corresponding to the frequency multiplying ratio;
a jitter detection signal generator for generating a jitter detection signal indicating a jitter amount relative to the receiving clock signal and the transmission clock signal;
a comparator for comparing the jitter detection signal to a threshold value; and
a clock selector for selecting a frequency of the reference frequency signal, according to which the control unit controls the frequency dividing ratio of the frequency divider and the frequency multiplying ratio of the clock multiplier.
The data transmission apparatus may preferably comprise a monitor display for displaying a current value of the jitter amount indicated by the jitter detection signal.
The data transmission apparatus may preferably comprise also a jitter amount register for storing the jitter amount being associated with each possible frequency multiplying ratio of the clock multiplier, referring to which the clock selector selects the frequency of the reference frequency signal.


A system for selling, manufacturing and distributing a custom digital data product from retail stores, over the Internet, over the telephone, or by electronic means (e.g., fax, e-mail, and the like) wherein a customer is provided (e.g., by electronic mail verification) order tracking information. After a customer selects a xe2x80x9csetxe2x80x9d of sound recordings or data from a library or catalog of such recordings or data and payment or credit is received or verified, an image of the xe2x80x9csetxe2x80x9d is assembled from a storage or xe2x80x9cdiskxe2x80x9d farm. The image is preferably assembled at a manufacturing facility, e.g., a CD-ROM burner farm, where the product is then made. Every data object on the product may have a code associated therewith for later reference. The disk and burner farms communicate via a high speed communications subsystem to facilitate continuous processing. Upon assembly and manufacture, the product is packaged and shipped. Throughout the manufacture and distribution, the customer may track the process by activating a hyperlink in one or more e-mail confirmation messages provided by the service provider, or by entering order/tracking numbers from retail terminals or by telephone, or the like.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to computer-aided product manufacture and distribution and, more particularly, to a method and system for assembly, manufacture and distribution of custom xe2x80x9cdataxe2x80x9d products, such as a CD (read only), CD (read/write), DVD or similar static storage medium (collectively, a xe2x80x9cCDxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cCD-ROMxe2x80x9d), especially a CD product incorporating customer-selected musical sound recordings.
2. Description of the Related Art
The standard model for the manufacture and distribution of music is well-established in the entertainment industry. With the explosive growth of the Internet, however, it is now possible to transfer large amounts of digital data electronically. Thus, the Internet has the capability of being a useful medium for transfer of digital data comprising sound recordings. To this end, it has been proposed to provide an xe2x80x9cinteractivexe2x80x9d World Wide Web (xe2x80x9cWWWxe2x80x9d) site at which users may create their own xe2x80x9ccustomxe2x80x9d CD-ROMs. Using an interactive xe2x80x9cfill-in formxe2x80x9d type of interface, the user selects a plurality of sound recordings from a library or catalog of available recordings. Once the CD selections are made, the user is prompted for a credit card number. The credit card is verified, and the CD-ROM is then manufactured and delivered to the user.
Although the above-described system has the advantage of enabling a user of the Internet to create a custom CD product, there are no currently available sites from which a broad range of musical recordings may be assembled, nor are the sites or assembly operations scaleable to facilitate large scale operations. Moreover, such sites do not provide significant tracking, inventory control and other administrative and management tools to facilitate such a large-scale operation.
The present invention addresses this problem.
It is a primary goal of the present invention to provide a custom CD assembly, manufacturing and distribution method and system.
It is a more specific object of this invention to enable a customer to assemble or create a user-defined xe2x80x9csetxe2x80x9d of musical recordings from a massive library or archive of such recordings. After selection, the set of recordings are xe2x80x9cassembledxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cburnedxe2x80x9d into a physical medium (such as a CD-ROM), preferably at a large-scale manufacturing or xe2x80x9cburningxe2x80x9d facility. Individual burner machines in the facility operate in an essentially autonomous or xe2x80x9cstandalonexe2x80x9d manner to facilitate large scale production of custom CD products. This xe2x80x9cburner-centricxe2x80x9d architecture facilitates continuous and efficient production of products as the service is scaled to handle very large number of orders in a concurrent fashion.
It is a more general object of the invention to implement a large-scale custom music CD service where custom CD-ROMs (or other such digital xe2x80x9cproductsxe2x80x9d) are ordered at retail establishments, over the Internet, by electronic communication (e.g., fax, e-mail, or the like) or over a conventional telephone connection.
It is still another object of this invention to implement a computer-assisted custom CD ordering, assembly, manufacturing and distribution service wherein a customer may easily track the entire manufacturing and delivery process at all operative stages.
It is yet another more general object of this invention to provide computer-aided ordering, assembly, manufacturing and distribution of digital data products.
It is yet another aspect of this invention to maintain, in the custom CD manufacturing system, certain information about a customer""s musical or data preferences, creditworthiness, and past buying habits, to thereby facilitate future product purchase transactions.
Another more specific object of this invention is to provide such a system for making, selling and distributing a custom digital data product over the Internet, in retail stores, via electronic communication, or over the telephone, wherein a customer is provided (preferably by electronic mail (xe2x80x9ce-mailxe2x80x9d) verification) with order tracking information.
According to the invention, a customer xe2x80x9cordersxe2x80x9d a custom product in a variety of ways. Thus, for example, a customer may create, order and purchase the product from a retail site and, in particular, through entry of information at a computer terminal in an online process. Preferably, but not necessarily, the computer terminal is a xe2x80x9cdisklessxe2x80x9d computer, also known as a xe2x80x9cnetworkxe2x80x9d computer. Alternatively, a user may create, order and purchase the product by accessing an Internet site from which the custom CD xe2x80x9cservicexe2x80x9d is provided. Another alternative is for the user to access a telephone network (such as an 800-number service), and to order the custom CD through interaction with a human or automated operator, or by fax or e-mail. Regardless of how the user accesses the system, it is assumed that the customer selects a xe2x80x9csetxe2x80x9d of sound recordings (or data) from a library or catalog of such recordings (or data), and he or she then determines the order of presentation of the selected recordings (or data). The library of available recordings is preferably supported by a massive xe2x80x9cdisk farm,xe2x80x9d which is preferably a relatively large collection of computers on which (or attached to which) are stored digital data comprising the available recordings (or data). Once the CD has been assembled in a manner to allow the system to automatically xe2x80x9cmanufacturexe2x80x9d the product, the product is preferably created at a dedicated manufacturing facility (e.g., a xe2x80x9cburner farmxe2x80x9d). The product is then shipped to the customer, or to some third party as may be requested by the customer.
Preferably, the individual song. tracks comprising the requested CD product are assembled at the burner farm. Alternatively, the customer (or the disk farm) may assemble the song data in a prior process and submit the assembled data (e.g., as a xe2x80x9ccompilationxe2x80x9d) to a burner machine directly or alternatively transmit the data electronically.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a custom CD set is created in an online manner using an appropriate user interface. Then, the customer is prompted to enter appropriate information from which some form of payment is extracted. Thus, for example, the user may enter his or her credit card number through a secure interface (e.g., a secure sockets layer or xe2x80x9cSSLxe2x80x9d). Upon payment or credit verification, the set of data components (i.e., the song tracks) selected by the customer are caused to be transferred from the disk farm to the manufacturing facility, which preferably comprises a collection of machines that xe2x80x9cburnxe2x80x9d or otherwise generate the products. The set of components is sometimes referred to as an xe2x80x9cimagexe2x80x9d of the CD product. Preferably, the xe2x80x9cburnerxe2x80x9d farm (like the disk farm) comprises a large number of connected computers and associated burner machines useful in manufacturing CD-ROM (or other digital data) products. The system further includes appropriate control, administrative and management routines and devices as are necessary to ensure that a large number of products may be continually assembled, manufactured, packaged and shipped as multiple customers continually access the facility (e.g., through retail sites, the Web site, through direct electronic communication, and the like) and multiple product xe2x80x9cimagesxe2x80x9d are in turn transferred from the disk farm to the facility.
In a particular preferred embodiment, large scale processing of CD product orders is facilitated by operating a burner farm with many hundreds or even thousands of individual burner machines. The entire set of such machines is preferably organized into a hierarchy of subgroups, with each subgroup including approximately 30-50 individual burner machines, depending on available bandwidth, burn capability and other considerations. Upon initialization, however, each individual burner machine or server is self-directed or xe2x80x9cautonomousxe2x80x9d and thus takes on as much xe2x80x9cworkxe2x80x9d (e.g., new requests to burn CD products) as it is capable of handling given the network and subgroup load, and other operating conditions. The manufacturing facility is thus xe2x80x9cburner-centric,xe2x80x9d as individual burner machines or servers in the large set of such machines control their own destiny. This architecture is highly scaleable and efficient, and it facilitates processing of a very large number of concurrent orders as such orders are placed from the various order entry terminals and other means previously described.
Preferably, after an order is xe2x80x9cacceptedxe2x80x9d for processing, a customer is provided with an e-mail communication verifying the transaction. The e-mail message preferably also includes a xe2x80x9chyperlinkxe2x80x9d that includes an order confirmation or other order tracking identifying number(s). Activation of the hyperlink by the customer automatically launches the customer""s Web browser software to a Web site from which he or she may then track the manufacture of the actual product (i.e., during the various stages of assembly and burning of the CD-ROM). After the product has been manufactured and packaged, the customer preferably is provided with a second e-mail indicating that the product has been shipped. Preferably, the second e-mail also includes a hyperlink with an associated shipping tracking number. Upon activation of the hyperlink, the customer accesses the Web site (or some other site, such as a UPS(copyright) or Federal Express(copyright) site) and may then xe2x80x9cfollowxe2x80x9d the product as it moves to its intended destination through one or more distribution channels.

Method and system for custom manufacture and delivery of a data product


A mechanism is described for facilitating dynamic real-time volumetric rendering of graphics images on computing devices. A method of embodiments, as described herein, includes dividing a volume of a first image into a first volume and a second volume, where the first volume is associated with a fuzzy portion of the image, and the second volume is associated with a non-fuzzy portion of the image. The first volume may contain an array of metavoxels, where a metavoxel having an array of voxels. The method may further include applying particles to each metavoxel to detect a first set of voxels found inside one or more particles, and a second set of voxels found outside the particles, and generating, based on the first set of voxels, a second image from the first image. The method may further include to rendering the second image.

Graphics processing units (GPUs) are optimized for triangle rendering and not well-suited for rendering of volumetric effects. Certain conventional techniques provide for filling of volume using a fluid dynamics simulation where the entire volume has to be processed, which limits such techniques to only those volumes that can be affordably stored and processed. These conventional simulation techniques are different from directly-authored effects and lack in direct artistic control that is valued by artists and designers.

Facilitating dynamic real-time volumetric rendering in graphics images on computing devices


In one embodiment, an apparatus can include: (i) logic configured to detect an advanced warning indication, such as for a degraded signal condition, on a first link between first and second network devices, where the detection can utilize a number of corrected bits and forward error correction (FEC), for example; and (ii) logic configured to reroute packet traffic from the first link to a second link when the degraded signal condition is detected.

Various mechanisms at layers 2 and 3 can provide protection against network failures. Some of these mechanisms (e.g., multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) fast reroute (FRR)) may be relatively fast, and may guarantee a short duration from failure detection to diversion of traffic onto an alternate route. Other mechanisms, such as interior gateway protocol (IGP) routing protocols, such as open shortest path first (OSPF), can take longer to converge. Newer protocols, such as Internet protocol (IP) FRR are also being implemented.
In such conventional approaches, the switching criterion may be a failure of a signal at an incoming synchronous optical networking (SONET) or other interface. These failures may typically be "hard" failures, such as loss of signal. While protection could be triggered by a degradation of the signal, these degradations may be rare when a router interface is connected to a dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) transport network because the signal is likely to be corrected via a transponder, as long as the error rate is below a certain level. Once the error rate exceeds a given level, the signal can become corrupt, and result in a traffic hit while the router switches to a protection path.

Proactive protection mechanism based on advanced failure warning