A computing device configured to receive data from a peripheral device, such as a stylus. The computing device includes a processor, a touch interface, such as a touch screen, in communication with the processor and configured to detect an input corresponding to an object approaching or contacting a surface. The computing device further includes a touch filter in communication with the touch interface and a peripheral filter in communication with the touch interface. The touch filter is configured to reject a peripheral frequency corresponding to a peripheral signal of the peripheral device and the peripheral filter is configured to reject a touch frequency component corresponding to a touch signal corresponding to a touch input.

Many types of input devices may be used to provide input to computing devices, such as buttons or keys, mice, trackballs, joysticks, touch screens and the like. Touch screens, in particular, are becoming increasingly popular because of their ease and versatility of operation. Typically touch screens can include a touch sensor panel, which may be a clear panel with a touch-sensitive surface, and a display device that can be positioned behind the panel so that the touch-sensitive surface substantially covers the viewable area of the display device. Touch screens allow a user to provide various types of input to the computing device by touching the touch sensor panel using a finger, stylus, or other object at a location dictated by a user interface being displayed by the display device. In general, touch screens receive a touch event and a position of the touch event on the touch sensor panel, and the computing system can then interpret the touch event in accordance with the display appearing at the time of the touch event, and thereafter can perform one or more actions based on the touch event.
Some capacitive sense touch sensor panels can be formed from a matrix of row and column traces, with capacitive sensing elements or nodes present where the rows and columns cross over each other while being separated by a dielectric material. Each row can be driven by a stimulation signal, and touch locations can be identified through changes in the stimulation signal. Typically, a touch location is sensed based on an interference of the stimulation signal, such that a touch location may correspond to a location where the stimulation signal is the weakest.
In some instances it may be desirable for input devices, such as styli, to be able to transfer data, in addition to the touch location data, to the touch screen. For example, a stylus may have a finer tip than a user's finger and may be better able to transmit fine characters or symbols (such as those used in handwriting) better than a user's fingers. As another example, data from sensors in the input device may enhance the user experience, with the touch screen, e.g., a sensor may transfer force input parameters to the touch screen to vary an output corresponding to the input device. However, in many instances, the touch screen may have difficulty detecting the input device and/or may not recognize the signal from the input device, and data communication between the touch screen and the input device may be difficult to implement.

Input device for and method of communication with capacitive devices through frequency variation


An optical head includes a plurality of unit regions repeatedly arrayed in one direction. Each region is constituted by a light-emitting element which is driven by a current to emit light, a control transistor which is connected in parallel with the light-emitting element, and which receives gray-scale data that specifies a high gray-scale level for the light-emitting element so as to be turned off and which receives gray-scale data that specifies a low gray-scale level for the light-emitting element so as to be turned on, and a driving transistor which is connected in series with the light-emitting element to generate a current. In each of the plurality of unit regions, a thermal resistance between the light-emitting element formed in the unit region and the control transistor formed in the unit region is smaller than a thermal resistance between the light-emitting element and a control transistor formed in a unit region adjacent to the unit region.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an optical head which causes a current-drive-type light-emitting element, which is driven by a current to emit light, to emit light, thereby forming a latent image on an image carrier, and an image forming apparatus which forms an image using the optical head,
2. Related Art
The above optical head is configured such that a plurality of unit circuits each including a current-drive-type light-emitting element used as a light source, and a driving transistor (an active element, such as a thin-film transistor) which generates a driving current are arrayed in one direction. A variation in characteristics may exist in the driving transistor. This tendency becomes significant when the driving transistor is a thin-film transistor. If such a variation exists, there is a possibility that an unevenness may occur in the gray-scale of a latent image. Thus, a technique of compensating (correcting) the variation in the characteristics of the driving transistor to reduce the unevenness in the gray-scale is suggested (refer to JP- A-2002-144634).
The current-drive-type light-emitting element has a temperature characteristic of emitting light with high luminance, if the temperature thereof is high. For example, even if the gray-scale data that specifies turn-on (high gray-scale level) is supplied to the same unit circuit two times, the light-emitting element will emit with different luminances if the temperatures of the light-emitting element when the light-emitting element of the unit circuit emits light according to the gray-scale data differ from each other. This leads to an unevenness in the gray-scale of a latent image. Accordingly, in an optical head used for an image forming apparatus, the temperature of the light-emitting element is kept constant during a period when an image is formed.
The temperature of the light-emitting element fluctuates according to a heat quantity which is obtained by subtracting the quantity of heat radiated from the light-emitting element by heat conduction from the applied heat quantity of the light-emitting element, i.e., the quantity of heat applied to the light-emitting element. Among the heat quantities applied to the light-emitting element, a large heat quantity is applied when the light-emitting element is used as a heat source, and a large heat quantity is applied when the driving transistor which drives the light-emitting element is used as a heat source. These heat quantities are generated while the light-emitting element is turned on, but are not generated while the light-emitting element is turned off. Accordingly, in order to keep the temperature of the light-emitting element constant, certain measures need to be taken. However, such measures have yet to be implemented.
Further, in the optical head, unit circuits are arranged in proximity to each other so as to be adjacent to each other. Thus, a heat quantity applied to a light-emitting element of a certain unit circuit (hereinafter referred to as "first unit circuit") also includes a heat quantity where a light-emitting element or a driving transistor of a unit circuit (referred to as "second unit circuit") adjacent to the first unit circuit is used as a heat source. As the resolution of an image to be formed is higher, that is, unit circuits adjacent to each other are closer to each other, this heat quantity becomes larger. Further, this heat quantity is generated while the light-emitting element of the second unit circuit is turned on, but is not generated while the light-emitting element is turned off. Therefore, in order to keep the temperature of the light-emitting element constant, certain measures need to be taken. However, such measures have not yet, to be implemented.

Optical head and image forming apparatus


A network device for managing data flow can have at least one receiving port configured to receive data, a first counter configured to monitor at least one pointer, and a second counter configured to record the at least one pointer to correspond to the at least one receiving port therein when the data is a plural cast data, and the plural cast data is received in the at least one receiving port. In addition, the network device can include a control module configured to at least monitor the second counter with respect to the data flow of the network device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for managing data flow in a network communication environment such as Ethernet, Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet environments. In particular, the present invention relates to a network device for managing data flow based on a receiving-side flow control scheme. The network device of the invention can be implemented on a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon chip. The present invention also relates to a method of managing data flow based on a receiving-side flow control scheme which can be implemented on a semiconductor substrate or in a software application, or a combination of both.
2. Description of the Related Art
High speed networking devices, such as switches and switching systems, are becoming more significant in the communication network environment, and therefore are in great demand. As the amount of data and communication between network devices increases, so does the possibility of data congestion on the network. For example, when multiple consecutive bursts of large data packets are received at a destination device on the network, congestion of data flow can occur which can significantly slow down the traffic and flow of information. Accordingly, fair and efficient data flow control and management systems are important in minimizing or possibly eliminating such data congestion.

Using shadow Mcast/Bcast/Dlf counter and free pointer counter to balance unicast and Mcast/Bcast/Dlf frame ratio


A dual package container formed from a single-piece blank that is separable, for example, from a standard twelve-bottle container into first and second six-bottle packages. The first package includes an inner wall that is connected across a first fold line located along its lower edge to the inner wall of the second package. Tabs extending from top and bottom flaps of the first package are glued to corresponding top and bottom flaps of the second package. The tabs are attached the top and bottom flaps of the first package across second fold lines. The first and second fold lines are perforated to facilitate tearing during a separation process in which the first package is separated from the second package. The single-piece blank includes panels that form the walls of the first and second packages. Flanges extending from inner wall panels are respectively glued to end wall panels of the first and second packages. Another flange is either formed on an end panel of the blank and glued to the inside wall panel of the first package, or formed on the inside wall panel and glued to the end panel. The single-piece blank is folded and glued using standard automated machines to form the dual package container.

The packaging industry typically uses automated machines to form and assemble containers, such as corrugated cardboard boxes. For example, automated die cut machines are used to cut or punch-out blanks from sheets of corrugated cardboard. In addition, automated folder/gluer machines are used to fold and glue the blanks to form flattened (knocked-down) containers, and to erect the containers and glue the bottom flaps. Automated machines are also used to insert partitioning walls and remove/insert products (such as wine bottles) into the open-ended containers. Finally, automated machines are used to glue the top flaps of the filled containers for shipment and storage prior to retail sale.
The automated machines utilized by the packaging industry are typically optimized for containers formed with walls and flaps having predetermined sizes and shapes (hereafter "standard containers"). While such automated machines can be modified to handle non-standard containers, such modification is typically expensive, thereby increasing the overall cost of the contained products. However, product manufacturers occasionally encounter situations in which the use of non-standard containers is unavoidable. One such situation involves the export of wine from the U.S. to Europe.
Modern wine production utilizes highly automated processes during which wine is bottled, for example, in 750 ml (milliliter) bottles, and distributed throughout the world using standard containers (e.g., corrugated cardboard boxes having specific dimensions). Wine producers often utilize machines to automatically fill and cork their wine in 750 ml wine bottles, and to automatically insert the bottles into containers for distribution.
In the U.S., automated machines are used to bottle wine in 750 ml bottles in standard twelve bottle containers. Typically, these twelve bottle containers are cut, folded and glued by a container manufacturer, and shipped to a glass house in a predetermined flattened (knocked-down) state. At the glass house, the flattened twelve bottle containers are automatically erected, the bottom flaps of the container are glued and partition walls inserted that divide the container into twelve compartments in a three-by-four arrangement. Twelve empty bottles are then inserted into each container, and then the containers are transported from the glass house to a wine producer. The wine producer utilizes automated machines to remove the empty bottles from the containers, and to fill, seal and label the bottles. The filled bottles are then automatically re-inserted into the container, and then the top flaps of the containers are automatically closed and glued.
A problem arises when U.S. wine producers wish to export their wine to Europe because the standard U.S. container for 750 ml wine bottles is different from that used in European. As mentioned above, U.S. glass houses and wine producers utilize automated machinery specifically configured to erect and fill U.S. standard containers that hold twelve bottles in a three-by-four arrangement. In Europe, a "standard" container holds six bottles, and therefore cannot be readily processed by the automated machines used in the U.S. Consequently, when U.S. wine producers wish to export their wine to Europe, either the automated machinery used to erect the containers and insert bottles must be modified to handle six-bottle containers, or an additional production step is required to remove the 750 ml bottles from the twelve-bottle containers, and to repackage the bottles in six-bottle containers. Modification is particularly expensive because it must be implemented in the automated machinery of the container manufacturer, the glass house and the wine producer. On the other hand, removing and repackaging wine bottles in six-bottle containers is time consuming, and typically results in the disposal of the twelve-bottle containers.
What is needed is a dual package container that has dimensions and flaps that are consistent with standard automated machinery, and can be readily separated into two discrete packages. More specifically, what is needed is a twelve-bottle standard container for 750 ml wine bottles that can be readily separated into two six-bottle packages for distribution in Europe.

Dual package container formed from single-piece blank


A multiplier in a floating point processor includes a circuit to determine for each bit of the multiplier operand a 3 times booth recode and a booth recode multiplier array which implements a 3 times booth recode multiplication. The multiplier includes logic to determine a fast sign extend to replace bit positions shifted in the array as well as a rounding adder to provide a rounded result while determining the final result from the booth recode multiplier. The multiplier also includes a circuit to determine a contribution to the final multiplication result from a lower order product with out forming the entire product.

This invention relates generally to floating point processors used in computers and more particularly to a method and apparatus to multiply floating point numbers.
As it is known in the art, many applications in computers require the use of numbers that are not integers. There are several ways in which nonintegers can be represented in computers. The most common approach is the so-called floating-point representation in which a number is divided into separate sections. one section of a floating-point number is referred to as a fraction which represents the precision of the number and the another section is referred to as an exponent. A third section is a bit for the sign of the number or operand.
One operation commonly performed in floating-point processors is the multiplication of two floating-point numbers. One approach used to multiply two floating-point numbers is to provide the floating-point numbers i.e. multiplicand and multiplier to a multiply array comprising a plurality of rows of carry-save adders which determine partial products of the multiplication operation in redundant form. The result of each row of the array is a sum and a carry vector which is shifted prior to being combined with a more significant sum and carry vector in the next row of the array. The sum is shifted by M positions in order to align the sum vector with the next sum vector while the carry vector is shifted by M-1 positions. After the resulting carry vectors and sum vectors propagate to each of the rows of the array, a final carry vector and sum vector are provided from the last row of the array. To obtain the final result, the final sum and carry vectors are added together to provide the product of the multiplication operation. A floating point multiplication of two floating point operands, each with N bits, produces a result of 2N bits of fraction. The desired result is the product normalized such that the fraction is between onehalf and one and then correctly rounded to N fraction bits. Since the least significant N bits of the full product are not included in the fraction results, the width of the multiplier might need only to be n+2 bits wide. The additional two bits accounts for rounding bits for the fraction results greater than one-half and less than onehalf so long as the contributions are partial product bits in the n-2 least significant bit positions to the n+2 most significant bit positions is included.
One problem that exists, therefore, is in not duplicating the entire multiplier array for the lower N-2 bits of the multiplication result since such a duplication in the multiplier array will reduce the speed of the multiplication operation and will require a large amount of logic circuits to implement.
It is also known that there are techniques for reducing the size of the multiplier array particularly with respect to the most significant bits of the result. So-called "booth" coding is often used in order to reduce the total number of partial products and resulting summations which must be performed on a multiplication of two floating-point operands. By reducing the partial products which are summed such as with an odd-even booth encoding scheme, the number of carry-save adder delays need to determine the product are concomitantly reduced, but it is necessary, nevertheless, to account for the product data which is shifted off the array in order to determine what contribution, if any, to the final rounding result would be made by the lower order bits of the lower order product.
One technique known to account for a contribution from the lower order product used on the Alpha 21064 microprocessor manufactured by Digital Equipment Corp. assignee of the present invention, uses a half adder to add two of the initial partial products in the first row of the multiplier array. The sum and carry from the half adder in the multiplier array as well as bits of the initial partial (Products) were fed to a lower order array of two levels of carry. save adders and carry chain. This solution had some drawbacks since it required an extra row of carry save adder delay because only two initial partial products are summed by the initial half adder. This increases the overall propagation length of the array and thus reduces performance.

Fast determination of carry inputs from lower order product for radix-8 odd/even multiplier array


A battery monitor circuit includes a first monitoring unit for detecting voltages of battery cells in a first group, a second monitoring unit for detecting voltages of battery cells in a second group, and a current cancellation unit for canceling a difference between first and second currents that flow through the first and second monitoring units, respectively. One terminal of a series connection of the battery cells in the first and second groups and one terminal of the first monitoring unit are connected, the other terminal of the first monitoring unit and one terminal of the second monitoring unit are connected, and the other terminal of the second monitoring unit and the other terminal of the series connection are connected. The current cancellation unit is disposed between a connection point between the first and second monitoring units and a middle connection point in the middle of the series connection.

The present disclosure relates to a battery monitor circuit, a storage apparatus, and an electronic apparatus, an electric-powered vehicle, and a power system which use power from the storage apparatus.
The application of secondary batteries such as lithium-ion batteries has rapidly expanded to a power storage apparatus that uses a new energy system such as a solar battery or a wind power generator with a secondary battery and a vehicle storage battery. In a case where many storage elements such as unit batteries (that are also referred to as electric cells or cells and will be hereinafter referred to as battery cells) are used so as to obtain high output power, a structure in which a plurality of storage modules are connected in series is employed. A storage module is formed of battery blocks each including a plurality of battery cells, for example, four battery cells connected in parallel and/or series. Many battery blocks are included in an exterior case, so that a storage module (also referred to as an assembled battery) is formed.
A structure (referred to as a battery system) in which a plurality of storage modules are connected and a common control apparatus is disposed for these storage modules has been proposed. Each of the storage modules includes a processing unit (microprocessor (MPU)), and the MPU and the control apparatus communicate with each other via a communication unit.
In a battery system, it is necessary to monitor the state of charge (SOC) of each battery cell so as to prevent the battery cell from being overcharged or overdischarged. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-030399 discloses the probability that variations in current consumption between management units (integrated circuits) for detecting the voltage of a block (storage module) will cause variations in charging state between blocks.
The number of battery cells (or parallel connections of battery cells, but hereinafter merely referred to as battery cells) in a storage module for which an integrated circuit (hereinafter referred to as a monitor Integrated Circuit (IC)) can perform voltage detection is limited. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a battery monitor circuit 40 including a plurality of monitor ICs (a monitor IC1 and a monitor IC2) is provided in a single storage module.
Referring to FIG. 1, ten battery cells B1 to B10 (for example lithium-ion secondary batteries) are connected in series, and form, for example, a single storage module. In a storage module, battery blocks each obtained by connecting a plurality of battery cells in parallel are used. However, for the simplification of explanation, a case in which only battery cells are used will be described.
The ten battery cells B1 to B10 are classified into two groups, a first group of the battery cells B1 to B5 connected in series and a second group of the battery cells B6 to B10 connected in series. The voltages of the battery cells B1 to B5 in the first group are detected by the monitor IC1 via paths (not illustrated), and the voltages of the battery cells B6 to B10 in the second group are detected by the monitor IC2 via paths (not illustrated). That is, since the maximum number of battery cells that can be monitored by a single monitor IC is limited, two monitor ICs, the monitor IC1 and the monitor IC2, are used.
As a power supply for the monitor IC1 and the monitor IC2, a power supply generated by the series connection of the battery cells B1 to B10 is used. That is, one power terminal (+ side) and the other power terminal (− side) of the monitor IC1 are connected to one terminal (+ side) of the series connection of the battery cells B1 to B10 and the point of connection between the battery cells B5 and B6, respectively. One power terminal (+ side) and the other power terminal (− side) of the monitor IC2 are connected to the point of connection between the battery cells B5 and B6 and the other terminal (− side) of the series connection of the battery cells B1 to B10, respectively. Each monitor IC operates with power supplied from the above-described power supply route, and performs the detection of the voltage of a battery cell and cell balance control. By connecting the point of connection between the battery cells B5 and B6 to a point of connection between the monitor IC1 and the monitor IC2, the potential of the point of connection between the monitor IC1 and the monitor IC2 can be determined.

Battery monitor circuit, storage apparatus, electronic apparatus, electric-powered vehicle, and power system


An air compressor system having a cast separator tank for use with an oil-flooded air compressor. The cast separator tank including an integrally cast air-end inlet opening which is mountable in face-to-face engagement with an air-end discharge opening of the compressor; an integrally cast first channel which extends between the air-end inlet opening and a separation chamber; an integrally cast second channel which communicates with a lower portion of the separation chamber and which extends along an outer portion of the cast separator tank; and an integrally cast lip which extends around an inner wall of the separation chamber. The integrally cast air-end inlet opening which is mounted to the discharge opening of the compressor, serves as a mounting foot, and supports the compressor on its discharge end. The compressor system further having a motor, such that the compressor, the motor and the cast separator tank are attached to from a single unit for ease of handling. The compressor system also has a plurality of mounting feet for attachment to an appropriate sub-base.

The present invention relates generally to an air compressor system and more particularly to an air/oil separator tank for use with an oil-flooded air compressor.
In conventional air compressor systems which utilize an oil-flooded compressor, air is compressed in a compression chamber or airend by a set of rotary screws, and a lubricant, such as oil, is injected into the compression chamber and mixes with the compressed air. The oil is generally injected into the compression chamber for a number of reasons including cooling the air compressor system, lubricating bearings, balancing axial forces and sealing the rotary screws. Although using oil is essential for operating these types of air compressor systems, the oil must be removed from the stream of compressed air before the compressed air may be used downstream for pneumatic equipment and/or other tools.
Thus, in such conventional air compressor systems, the compressed air and oil mixture discharged from the airend of the compressor flows with a high velocity into a separator tank where the air and oil of the air/oil mixture are caused to separate. The separator tank is usually cylindrical and the air/oil mixture is directed around an inner wall of a separation chamber. The combination of the centrifugal forces acting on the air/oil mixture and contact between the air/oil mixture and the inner wall of the separation chamber causes much of the oil to separate from the air/oil mixture, thereby allowing gravity to draw the oil downwardly into a lower portion of the separation chamber and also allowing the air to separate from the oil and flow upwardly in the separation chamber. This type of separation effect is known in the art as primary separation.
As generally known, an air/oil separator tank for an oil-flooded air compressor system generally provides two functions. The separator tank provides a means to separate oil from the air/oil mixture introduced into the separation chamber as described above and it also functions as an oil sump for the compressor system.
Conventional air compressor systems as described above include multiple hoses, tubes, pipes or the like and associated fittings connecting a compressor to a separator tank. Hoses and associated fittings provide potential leak paths which, if developed, could adversely affect the overall operation of the compressor system. Using hoses and associated fittings also requires additional assembly time. Thus, there is a need for an air compressor system which eliminates or at least reduces the number of hoses and associated fittings used to connect a compressor to a separator tank.
As commonly understood, conventional air compressor systems as described above include a motor or drivetrain to operate the compressor. Since conventional air compressor systems use a hose, typically a flexible hose, to connect the compressor to a separator tank, the drivetrain, the compressor and the separator tank are not securely attached as a single unit, thereby making it virtually impossible to maneuver the entire compressor system as one. In addition, since the compressor and the separator tank are individual units, each is provided with its own isolation or supporting mounts, thereby adding undesirable cost to the overall compressor system. Thus, there is a need for an air compressor system which is easier to handle and which is assembled together in such a way that the entire compressor system can be handled or moved as a single unit, and which is also mountable to an associated subbase, so as to provide a more cost effective compressor system.
Conventional air compressor systems as described above may include a baffle element strategically placed within a separation chamber of a separation tank to inhibit the migration of oil separated from the air/oil mixture introduced into the separation chamber from undesirably migrating upwardly into an upper portion of the separation chamber. However, such a baffle element adds to the overall cost of the compressor system and increases the assembly time associated with the compressor system. Thus, there is a need for an air compressor system which does not require the use of a baffle element and which still inhibits the migration of oil separated from the air/oil mixture introduced into the separation chamber from undesirably migrating upwardly into the upper portion of the separation chamber.
The present invention provides in one aspect thereof, a cast separator tank having an airend inlet opening which is directly mountable to an airend discharge opening of a compressor. The construction of the invention eliminates any need for a hose and associated fittings to connect the airend discharge opening of the compressor to the airend inlet opening of the separator tank.
The present invention provides in another aspect thereof, a cast separator tank having an integrally cast channel extending between an airend inlet opening and a separation chamber. An air/oil mixture discharged from a compressor enters the airend inlet opening and flows through the channel into the separation chamber. The integrally cast channel further eliminates the need for associated hoses and fittings between the compressor and the separator tank.
In one embodiment, a cast separator tank includes an integrally cast member which surrounds the airend inlet opening and which is positioned beneath the airend discharge opening of the compressor, so as to support the end of the compressor which houses the airend discharge opening of the compressor. In one aspect of the present invention, a drivetrain for operating the compressor is provided with a mounting foot and the separator tank is provided with an integrally cast mounting foot. The integrally cast member of the separator tank that supports the end of the compressor which houses the airend discharge opening of the compressor provides a third mounting foot. Because the compressor and the separator tank are directly attached to one another and the motor is directly secured to the compressor, the entire compressor system can be moved as a single unit. The mounting feet are conveniently attached to a support base in a chosen location.
The present invention provides in another aspect thereof, a cast separator tank having an integrally cast channel which is in fluid flow communication with a lower portion of a separation chamber and which extends along an outer surface of the separator tank. Oil separated from an air/oil mixture introduced into the separation chamber collects in the lower portion of the separation chamber. Pressure within the separation chamber causes the oil to flow into the channel and out of the separation chamber. Because the channel is integrally cast with the separator tank, there is no need for a hose and fitting device to enable the oil to flow out of the lower portion of the separation chamber.
In another embodiment, a cast separator tank includes an integrally cast lip which extends circumferentially around an inner wall of a separation chamber between an upper and a lower portion of the separator chamber. The integrally cast lip inhibits oil in an air/oil mixture introduced into the separation chamber from migrating up into the upper portion of the separation chamber when the air/oil mixture is directed around an inner wall of the separation chamber and subjected to centrifugal forces. Because the lip is integrally cast with the tank, the use of a baffle element is not required.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description, claims and drawings in which like numerals are used to designate like features.

Air compressor system and an air/oil cast separator tank for the same


The invention relates to hot-melt adhesives characterized in that they include: a) 30 to 90% by weight (A) of at least one essentially amorphous poly-alpha-olefin and (B) of at least one ethylene/alkyl (meth)acrylate copolymer, the weight ratio (B)/(A)+(B) being between 0.05 and 0.55; b) 10 to 70% by weight of a tackifying resin; c) 0.1 to 3 parts by weight of an antioxidant for 100 parts by weight of the compounds under a) and b). It also relates to the use of these adhesives in the wood, bookbinding and packaging industries.

Industrial adhesive bonding, especially in the wood, bookbinding and packaging sectors, is carried out by means of machines operating at a high output rate, the setting time of the bonding being generally less than a few seconds.
To reach this output rate, it is known to employ hot-melt adhesives which have the property of bonding various materials merely by cooling. These adhesives consist chiefly of a polymer which gives the adhesive its mechanical properties, a tackifying resin with high adhesiveness when hot and, where appropriate, a rheology-modifier such as an oil, a wax, or a plasticizer.
The hot-melt adhesives of the prior art are generally based on a polymer chosen from copolymers of ethylene and of vinyl acetate (EVA), polyamides, poly-alpha-olefins essentially amorphous ("amorphous poly-alpha-olefins" or APAO) and mixtures of APAO and of a copolymer of ethylene and of vinyl acetate or of alkyl (meth)acrylate (see FR-A-2 721 039 and AU-B-63181/90).
However, the adhesives just mentioned exhibit disadvantages in the course of the adhesive bonding in the abovementioned conditions.
Thus, EVA-based adhesives have a limited temperature strength. For example, in the wood sector the strength is of the order of 80 to 110.degree. C. depending on the nature of the edge employed.
Adhesives containing a polyamide are stable only at a temperature lower than 200.degree. C. and are liable to be degraded by oxidation. In addition, they are high in cost.
Adhesives including an APAO have a slow increase in cohesion, which makes it necessary to lengthen the period of holding the articles under pressure and hence to reduce the output rate. In addition, the bonding frequently includes, downstream of the machine, a stage of in-line cutting of the articles by means of guillotines and/or saws the blades of which are rapidly fouled by incompletely hardened adhesive. Furthermore, these adhesives form threads on coating devices, for example using a roll or intermittent nozzle, and this produces, on the one hand, fouling of the machine and, on the other hand, soiling on the bonded articles.

Hot-melt adhesives based on ethylene/alkyl (meth)acrylate copolymer and on poly-alpha-olefin and uses thereof


A technique is provided for visualizing a volume of interest, such as may be acquired by a tomosynthesis imaging system. The technique provides for the use of one or more weighting functions, such as depth-dependent weighting functions, in the determination of pixel values in a volume rendering. The weighting functions may modify, for example, an intensity determination for a pixel, either directly or by modifying other contributing functions, such as for determining occlusion effects. The volume rendering may then be displayed for review by a technologist or clinician.

The present invention relates generally to the field of medical imaging, and more specifically to the field of tomosynthesis. In particular, the present invention relates to the visualization of reconstructed volumes from data acquired during tomosynthesis.
Tomosynthesis is an imaging modality that may be used in a medical context to allow physicians and radiologists to non-invasively obtain three-dimensional representations of selected organs or tissues of a patient. In tomosynthesis, projection radiographs, conventionally known as X-ray images, are acquired at different angles relative to the patient. Typically, a limited number of projection radiographs are acquired over a relatively small angular range. The projections comprising the radiographs generally reflect interactions between x-rays and the imaged object along the respective X-ray paths through the patient and, therefore, convey useful data regarding internal structures. From the acquired projection radiographs, a three-dimensional volumetric image representative of the imaged volume may be reconstructed.
The reconstructed volumetric image may be reviewed by a technologist or radiologist trained to generate a diagnosis or evaluation based on such data. In such a medical context, tomosynthesis may provide three-dimensional shape and location information of structures of interest as well as an increased conspicuity of the structures within the imaged volume. Typically, the structures within the reconstructed volumetric image, or within a slice, have a significantly higher contrast than in each of the respective projection images, i.e., radiographs.
However, evaluating the three-dimensional volumetric image may pose challenges in clinical practice. For example, viewing the volumetric image slice by slice may require viewing forty to sixty slices or more. Therefore, small structures present in a single slice may be easily missed. Moreover, the three-dimensional position and shape information, in particular the depth information (i.e., essentially in the direction of projection for the data acquisition), is only implicitly contained in the stack of slices, with the "depth" of a structure that is located within a given slice being derived from the position of that slice within the full slice sequence or the volumetric image.
To address these problems, three-dimensional volume visualization or volume rendering may be employed. These visualization techniques attempt to show the full three-dimensional volumetric image simultaneously, with the location and shape information being conveyed mainly through changes in view angle, i.e., perspective. In addition, volume visualization may be enhanced by including an occlusion effect, which hides (or partially hides) structures that are located behind other structures, depending on the view angle.
However, one drawback of many volume rendering methods is an associated loss of contrast, which may more than offset gains in contrast achieved by the three-dimensional reconstruction process. This problem typically occurs when showing the full volume from a view angle requires some type of averaging of values of the volumetric image for a range of depths. As a result, the perceived contrast of a small structure may be significantly smaller in the rendered image than in the original projection image data set. In addition, if a structure of interest is not located "close to the viewpoint," i.e., in front of most other structures, as seen from the viewpoint, occlusion effects may further diminish the contrast of the structure, or even hide it completely. This problem may be addressed by visualizing, i.e., rendering, only the region or volume of interest within the volumetric image. This technique, however, requires either a priori knowledge of the volume of interest or an intelligent way of continuously adjusting the volume of interest during the volume rendering process to allow the visualization of any subvolume of the full reconstructed volumetric image. A technique for visualizing three-dimensional tomosynthesis data that provides good visualization of the three-dimensional context, i.e., localization and space information, without reducing contrast may, therefore, be desirable.

Method and system for visualizing three-dimensional data


A composition having a mixture of discreet particles, each particle comprising an active substance and a coating material, the active substance being at least partially coated with the coating material. The mixture of discreet particles includes a first batch of first particles, the first particles of the first batch having a first average weight % ratio of the active substance to the coating material; and a second batch of second particles, the second particles of the second batch having a second average weight % ratio of the active substance to the coating material, the second average weight ratio being different from the first average weight ratio.

Ruminants are mammals that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally through bacterial actions. The process typically requires the fermented ingesta (known as cud) to be regurgitated and chewed again. The process of re-chewing the cud to further break down plant matter and stimulate digestion is called rumination. The rumen forms the larger part of the reticulorumen, which is the first chamber in the alimentary canal of ruminant animals. It serves as the primary site for microbial fermentation of ingested feed. There are about 150 species of ruminants, which include both domestic and wild species. Ruminating mammals include, but are not limited to: cattle, goats, sheep, giraffes, yaks, deer, camels, llamas, antelope, and some macropods.
Sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA), also known as chronic or sub-clinical acidosis, is a well-recognized digestive disorder that is an increasing health problem in most dairy herds. Results from field studies indicate a high prevalence of SARA in high-producing dairy herds as producers respond to the demands for increased milk production with higher grain, lower fiber diets that maximize energy intake during early lactation. Dairy herds experiencing SARA will have decreased efficiency of milk production, impaired cow health, and high rates of involuntary culling. The economic cost associated with SARA can be staggering. It is estimated that SARA costs the North American dairy industry between $500 million and $1 billion (USD) annually, with the costs per affected cow estimated at $1.12 (USD) per day. The challenge for dairy farmers and dairy nutritionists is to implement feeding management and husbandry practices that prevent or reduce the incidence of SARA, even in high-producing dairy herds to which higher levels of concentrate are fed to maximize energy intake.
Dietary buffers, such as sodium bicarbonate and sodium sesquicarbonate are commonly added to dairy rations to help manage SARA. Methods of feeding ruminants dietary buffers vary from mineral blocks to supplemented bunk fed total mixed rations (TMR). Research indicates that these buffers increase ruminal pH, and a feeding rate of 0.75% of ration dry matter (DM) is recommended. However, conventional dietary buffers are immediately solubilized in the rumen environment. Although conventional dietary buffers provide a degree of instant neutralization of rumen acid, they are unable to buffer post-meal rumen pH. Accordingly, there is a need in the industry to deliver dietary buffers to ruminants to provide a systematic, longer lasting buffer for acidic rumen conditions.

Compositions for multiphase, staggered, or sustained release of an active substance


A process for producing a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) comprising (a) providing a fluoropolymer-lined reactor; (b) adding a chlorinated organic compound in liquid phase and a fluorination agent to the reactor; and (c) reacting at least a portion of the chlorinated organic compound with at least a portion of the fluorination agent to produce the HFC.

Because hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) do not deplete the ozone layer, they are becoming popular substitutes for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) for use as heat transfer agents, blowing agents, and propellants. HFCs are typically prepared by fluorinating a chlorinated organic compound with a fluorination agent such as hydrogen fluoride in the presence of a fluorination catalyst. This reaction may be conducted in either the liquid or gas phase. Generally, the liquid phase fluorination is preferred because the reaction is controlled at relatively lower temperatures which results in less by-product formation due to decomposition.
Liquid phase fluorination, however, uses and generates corrosive compounds, such as, for example, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, and catalysts, which form superacids. These superacids tend to corrode the reactor in which the reaction is conducted, even reactors comprised of corrosion-resistant materials such as Inconel 600, NAR25-50MII, Hastelloy C, Hastelloy G-30, duplex stainless steel, and Hastelloy C-22. Corrosion of the reactor compromises the structural integrity of the reactor and reduces its useful life. Therefore, a need to minimize reactor corrosion exists.
One method of reducing such corrosion is taught in Japanese Kokai Patent Application Publication No. 233102(1995). In this publication, a method is disclosed for the liquid phase fluorination of a chlorinated organic compound in a reactor made or lined with a fluorine resin. The method involves gaseous feeds of hydrogen fluoride and chlorinated organic compound. Because the process is restricted to gaseous feed streams, it is limited in the type of HFCs it can produce. Chlorinated organic compounds having two or more carbon atoms tend to decompose before reaching their gaseous state. For example, pentachloropropane tends to decompose significantly at temperature greater than 90.degree. C. while its boiling point is about 190.degree. C. Thus, as a practical matter, the process disclosed in this publication can only be used to produce fluorinated methanes.
The aforementioned Japanese publication also states that when heat transfer through the reactor is necessary, which is usually the case in liquid phase fluorination, the fluorine resin liner should be applied using a molding method. The only molding method identified therein is rotary-baked molding.
Generally, reactors having a molded liner, such as a rotary-baked or sprayed-on liner, are not suitable for large-scale commercial production. Reactors having such liners must be baked in large kilns or ovens, which are expensive and frequently unavailable. Indeed, fitting a large reactor, for example, greater than about a 1,000 gallons, with a baked liner is impractical.
A molded liner not only imposes practical limitations on the reactor, but also introduces structural limitations. It has been found that molded liners tend to be permeable and, under high pressures and over time, reactants tend to penetrate the liner and develop pressure between the liner and the reactor wall. This pressure causes the liner to blister, and eventually the liner comes loose. The problem of liner penetration is exacerbated by the absence of weep holes in a molded-liner reactor. Ordinarily, weep holes allow reactants that penetrate the liner to escape from the reactor. A molded liner, however, generally cannot be used in a reactor with weep holes. When applying a molded liner, a fluid fluoropolymer is applied to the reactor wall, and, thus, holes in the reactor wall will result in holes in the molded liner. Holes in the liner obviously compromise the reactor's ability to be pressurized. Therefore, while a rotary-baked, fluorine-resin liner may minimize reactor corrosion, its structural limitations nevertheless limit the reactor's useful life.
Therefore, a need exists for a commercially viable method of producing a wide range of HFCs while minimizing reactor corrosion. The present invention fulfills this need among others.

Process for preparing hydrofluorocarbons


A packet voting server and associated method for performing voting services on multiple radio channels simultaneously and including capability to be dynamically assigned (trunked) to service any given radio channel, for example, on a packet by packet, call by call, or less frequent basis.

Multiple site communication systems which comprise a plurality of repeaters and transceivers that are distributed throughout a large geographic region are well known. Many multi-site systems use same-frequency simulcast, i.e., the same communication channel (or carrier frequency) is used by multiple sites throughout the region to simultaneously relay communications to subscriber communication units that are located throughout the multi-site system. This is an efficient frequency reuse technique when the subscribers are routinely located throughout the multi-site system.
The use of comparators, and their associated voting algorithms, within simulcast communication systems is known. In general, a comparator, operably coupled to a plurality of base stations or satellite receivers located in geographically diverse areas, attempts to select or construct a favorable representation of an audio signal given multiple sources of the signal (e.g., the base stations). This is accomplished by comparing the signals received from the signal sources and selecting, from amongst all of the signal sources, portions of the signal having the best signal quality. The selected portions are then reassembled to produce a favorable voted signal frame. The voted signal frame can then be retransmitted by a base station, thereby increasing the probability of good reception (i.e., intelligibly decoded audio) at the signal destination (e.g., a mobile communication device). The signal selected as the best by the comparator is typically distributed therefrom to the transceiver sites for simultaneous re-transmission.
More recently, digital simulcast radio communication systems have been developed. In such systems, digital information is formatted into information frames. Each information frame is made up of a plurality of information packets that are transported through the system infrastructure.
Current systems allow for a single voting session to occur in each comparator, i.e. each comparator operates on and is dedicated to a single radio channel. This does not provide a cost effective means for operating in multi-channel trunking systems, systems where each radio channel represents a single radio frequency or a single time division multiplex (TDM) slot, since a separate comparator is necessary to service each of the multiple radio channels. Also in the current scheme the radio receivers of a given channel have connectivity only to a single comparator which does not provide fault tolerance in the event that the comparator fails, since currently the entire radio channel becomes inoperable.
The trunking (dynamic assignment) of single channel capable comparators is known. This trunking scheme employs a digital circuit switch to reroute all the individual point to point connections between each comparator and each of multiple base station receivers for each radio channel.
Conventional comparator trunking techniques do not allow for multiple radio channels to be serviced from a single device. Consequently, at present there is no way to load share the voting services in the event that a failure occurred to one or multiple comparators.
In addition, because each comparator must be provided with the capability of interfacing with all available base sites, when a specific voting session involves only a subset of the available sites, the remainder of the processing capability in the comparator could not be used to process another session. Conventional comparators and their associated algorithms do not provide a connection mechanism by which multiple radio channels could be brought into a single voting device to enable the former.
Therefore, a need exists for a providing voting services on multiple radio channels simultaneously by a single device and which device can be dynamically assigned (trunked) to service any given radio channel, for example, on a packet by packet, call by call, or less frequent basis.

Packet voting server and associated method for performing voting services on multiple radio channels simultaneously


An apparatus is described comprising: a data processing device comprising a base with a plurality of input elements configured thereon, and an adjustable display having a display screen for displaying text and graphics, the display cooperatively engaged with the base to move from between a first position, in which none, or only a subset of the input elements are accessible, to a second position, in which all of the input elements are accessible; and a first support arm having a first end and a second end, the first support arm pivotally coupled to the base at the first end at a pivot point, and engaged with a first track on the display at the second end, wherein during movement of the display from the first position to the second position, the first support arm pivots around the pivot point at the first end and runs along the first track at the second end, thereby guiding and supporting the display during the movement.

Portable data processing devices such as Personal Digital Assistants ("PDAs") and programmable wireless telephones are becoming more powerful every day, providing users with a wide range of applications previously only available on personal computers. At the same time, due to advances in silicon processing technology and battery technology, these devices may be manufactured using smaller and smaller form factors. Accordingly, users no longer need to sacrifice processing power for portability when selecting a personal data processing device.
Although processing devices with small form factors tend to be more portable, users may find it increasingly difficult to interact with them. For example, entering data may be difficult due to the absence of a full-sized keyboard and reading information may be difficult due to a small, potentially dim Liquid Crystal Display ("LCD").
To deal with this problem, the assignee of the present application developed a data processing device which adjusts from a first position, in which a first set of input elements are exposed, to a second position, in which a full-sized alphanumeric keyboard is exposed. One embodiment of this data processing device 100 which includes an adjustable display 102 is illustrated in FIGS. 1a-b (which correspond to FIGS. 1a and 1, respectively, in Duarte, U.S. Pat. No. 6,636,419, also assigned to the assignee of the present application). FIG. 1a shows the adjustable display 102 in the second position in which a full-sized alphanumeric keyboard 104 is exposed and FIG. 1b shows the adjustable display 102 in the first position in which a limited number of the keys are exposed. Thus, the user may enter data and perform control functions in both the first and second display positions.
The sides of the data processing device 100 include tracks 110 that guide the display 102 between the first and second positions. The display 102 includes a complimentary pins or other engagement elements 114 to engage the tracks 110. Latches may also be included in the tracks 110 and/or in the track engagements 114 so that the display is latched in the open and/or closed position.

Support and adjustment apparatus for a data processing device display


A clothes pressing apparatus has a body block movable between a supply position at which an article of clothing can be placed on the body block and a press position at which pressing work can be achieved. A sleeve holder is also mounted on the base for holding sleeves of the an article of clothing and having a sleeve tucking iron. Also included are a body air supply device for supplying a first air blast suitable for pressing the body portion of the article of clothing, and a sleeve air supply device for supplying a second air blast for pressing the sleeve portion. The apparatus further includes a controller for operating the sleeve air supply device for supplying the second air blast only when the body air supply device is operated for supplying the first air blast.

This invention relates to a clothes pressing method and apparatus for pressing clothes such as a dress shirt placed on a body block by blasting hot air (a hot blast) into the entire of a body portion, including side portions and a shoulder portion, as well as sleeve portions.
The conventional clothes pressing apparatus of this kind generally comprises an air supply means of a single system composed of a single air supply source (blower) and a single air conduit system for shunting and supplying air into different positions of the clothes. In a clothes pressing apparatus proposed by the same assignee of this application in a Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-96093, paragraph 0019 of the specification, in particular, air supplying means having only one system supplies air blasts to both of the body portion and the sleeve portions of the clothes.
However, the following inconvenience has been experienced with the clothes pressing apparatus that employs a single common air supply system for the body portion and the sleeve portions of the clothes.
That is, an air bag that suitably inflates when air is introduced is provided in the body portion, either in the entire body portion or in some portion of the body portion such as shoulder or side portions, and the respective portions are expanded by the inflated air bag from inside to be press-finished. As for the sleeve portions, however, they are lightly pulled to be stretched to their lengths and air is blasted into the sleeves from the shoulder openings of the body with the sleeves (cuffs) closed so that the cylindrical sleeve portions are directly inflated and pressed by the blasted air without using air bags.
Thus, the body portion of the clothes, such as a dress shirt or the like, is pressed by means of the inflated air bag, but the sleeve portions, which are formed by a relatively thin clothes material, are pressed by the air directly blasted into the sleeve portions. Therefore, the press conditions, such as air supply pressure, supply amount, supply time period, supply temperature or the like, cannot be separately optimized for the body portion and the sleeve portions of the clothes with the conventional pressing apparatus employing a common single air supply system. Therefore it was very difficult that the body portion and the sleeve portions be pressed to the satisfactory conditions.
On the other hand, if the pressing operations suitable for the body portion and the sleeve portions, respectively, are desired to be achieved with the air supply apparatus of a single air supply system, the pressing operations of different pressing conditions must be carried out in succession, resulting in an elongated pressing operation and decrease in productivity.


The invention is an apparatus and computer method for controlling the operation of a computer running under an operating system such as WINDOWS.RTM. 95 and WINDOWS.RTM. NT operating system, or their like, that do not require a footprint in the programs running under the operating system. A program, hereinafter referred to as CrashGuard.TM., is stored and installed in a computer thereby being established as the "debugger" in the user's systems. Once so established CrashGuard.TM. may be stored elsewhere then the computer memory. Whenever a fatal error occurs the "Just in Time" debugging facility of the WINDOWS.RTM. 95 and WINDOWS.RTM. NT operating system, or their like, will suspend the target program, will load CrashGuard.TM. as the designated "debugger" into memory space not allocated to the target program, identifies the target program to CrashGuard.TM. and executes CrashGuard.TM.. CrashGuard.TM. will cause additional memory space to be added to the virtual memory of the target program. Thereafter CrashGuard.TM. will store into the additional memory space a routine that will allow the user to take such actions as to execute a Save or Save As command thereby not losing data that would otherwise have been lost.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a computer method and apparatus for modifying the allocated memory space assigned to a program running under control of an operating system. More particularly, the invention relates to a computer method and apparatus for expanding the memory space presently allocated to a program running under WINDOWS.RTM. 95 or NT (registered Trademark of Microsoft Corporation)operating systems while requiring a zero footprint in programs running under WINDOWS.RTM. 95 or NT operating systems, or their like.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are instances, such as in a debugging program, that it is desirable to add instructions to a program running under WINDOWS.RTM. 95 and NT operating systems, or their like. However under the architecture of WINDOWS.RTM. 95 and NT operating systems, or their like, a program is allocated memory space in memory referred to as a virtual memory. Further to allow multiprocessing of programs resources are allocated to a program which are referred to as a virtual processor. The virtual processor includes a series of programmable registers, including but not limited to programmable register commonly referred to as registers eip, esp, eax, ebx and ecx which are used by the operating system in executing the program. The state of the programmable registers is commonly referred to as the context of the program.
WINDOWS.RTM. 95 and WINDOWS.RTM. NT operating systems, or their like, includes a "Just In Time" (JIT) debugging facility which detects fatal error occurring in programs presently being processed. Upon the occurrence of a fatal error JIT will stop the program and collect data about the status of the program and the virtual processor running the program experiencing the fatal error (hereinafter referred to as a target program). The user has no choice but to exit the target program thereby losing any updated data that had not previously been stored.
There are debugging programs designed to prevent errors within WINDOWS.RTM. 95 and WINDOWS.RTM. NT programs from causing the target program from being immediately terminated. These debugging programs achieve this end by intercepting all errors and exceptions within the running programs, which in turn requires code associated with the debugging program (a debugging footprint) to be loaded into all programs before the programs are executed. The loading of the code associated with the debugging programs has been accomplished by the use of virtual device drivers (Vxd) and by the use of system hooks. Although the hooks pose the greatest risk, debugging programs have the drawback that they must load code into every program and the code might actually cause malfunctions in the programs that they are supposed to protect.
It is known that additional code can be loaded into a program by the library function (LoadLibrary) which implicitly expands the program's virtual memory. However the library function requires interaction with the program and where the program has incurred a fatal error, the use of the library function poses unknown risk one of which could be a system shutdown destroying not only the data of the crashed program but of all other program being run under the operating system.

Zero footprint method and apparatus for expanding allocated memory space of a process using a virtual memory area


A light source unit is provided that is adapted for efficient cooling and for illumination of high luminance, and a projector including the same. A light source unit including a solid-state light source and a lens further includes a first fluid flowing in the vicinity of the solid-state light source thereby absorbing heat generated from the solid-state light source, and a second fluid flowing in the vicinity of the first fluid thereby absorbing the heat contained in the first fluid.

1. Field of Invention
Exemplary aspects of the present invention relate to a light source unit and a projector.
2. Description of Related Art
In related art projectors (projection display apparatuses), halogen lamps, as an older type, or ultra-high pressure mercury lamps (UHP lamps), as a modern type, have been widely used as a light source. The UHP lamps feature high luminance and high luminous efficiencies. The light source employing the UHP lamp, which is a discharge lamp, requires a high-voltage source circuit and has a large size and a heavy weight. Hence, such a light source constitutes an obstruction to the reduction of size and weight of the projector. The UHP lamp has not yet achieved a sufficient length of service life although the service life thereof is longer than that of the halogen lamp. Furthermore, it is almost impossible to control the light source employing the UHP lamp (high-speed turn-on, turn-off, or modulation). In addition, the UHP lamp requires several minutes for activation.
An LED device is being considered as a light source. The LED has an ultra-miniature and ultra-light structure as well as a long service life. Furthermore, the LED allows for free control of turn-on, turn-off and the amount of illumination light by way of the control of a drive current. Unfortunately, however, it is difficult for the state of the art to attain a sufficient luminance from a projector employing the LED as the light source. This is because the LED has a luminous efficiency of about ½ to ⅓ of that of the UHP lamp so that a small amount of light is attained from the LED operating on an upper limit of the rated current. Technological innovations have steadily been enhancing the above efficiency so that the LED may achieve an efficiency comparable to that of the current UHP lamp in the years ahead. At least in the foreseeable future, however, the status quo for the projectors with the LED light source, which are to be brought to the commercial stage, will remain unchanged. There is a related art method where LEDs are arranged in an array in order to increase the amount of illumination light. However, this method does not provide much notable effect because a light emitting point is increased in size so that the efficiency of the illumination light of an optical system is lowered.
As the last viable approach, it may be contemplated to increase the amount of illumination light from the LED. However, the amount of illumination light is limited by the rated current for the LED, as described above. The maximum amount of illumination light from the LED is automatically decided by the ratings and the luminous efficiency thereof. Considering that the rated current for the LED primarily depends upon the amount of generated heat, a cooling technique has been proposed to address the heat generation, the technique wherein a fluid having high heat conductivity is filled in a related art LED package. See, for example, JP-A-2001-36148.


A method of manufacturing conductive wiring includes: printing on an insulated substrate 1 with ink 2 to form a predetermined pattern (S1); placing (spraying) conductive powder 3 on the ink 2 (in the predetermined pattern) before the printed ink 2 dries (S2); pressing the placed conductive powder 3 against the insulated substrate 1 to compress the conductive powder 3 (S3); and heating the compressed conductive powder 3 to sinter the conductive powder 3 (S4), and by such a series of processes (S1 to S4), conductive wiring 20 is manufactured.

Conventionally, as a method of forming conductive wiring on an insulated base material, there is a photolithographic method for etching copper foil formed on an insulated base material and then sintering the same, or a printing method for screen-printing or inkjet-printing conductive paste on an insulated base material and then sintering the same.
For the purpose of solving a problem of too many processes in the photolithographic method and a problem of surface oxidation tendency of metal particles used in the conductive paste in the printing method together, a method of manufacturing a circuit board using conductive paste containing metal microparticles, which are metallic materials having particle diameter of the order of microns, and metal nanoparticles, which are metallic materials having particle diameter of the order of nanometers, is disclosed (for example, refer to Patent Literature 1).

Method of manufacturing conductive wiring and conductive wiring


Interferometric focusing (IF), rather than conventional geometric focusing, of excitation light onto a guide-star that is embedded deeply in tissue, increases its fluorescence intensity. The method can extend the depth of wavefront measurement and improve correction inside of tissues because of its ability to suppress both scattering of diffuse light and aberration of ballistic light. The results showed more than two times improvement in SNR and RMS error of the wavefront measurement. Although only ballistic light in the excitation path is corrected, the intensity after wavefront correction increased by 1.5 times. When applying IF to a two-photon microscope with a near infra-red laser, this method would further extend the measurement depth and achieve high SNR for the wavefront sensor.

With the advantages of high-resolution and viewing of live organisms, optical microscopy has become an important tool for biological research and continues to open new avenues in its capabilities. In recent years, image resolution and speed has been dramatically improved. However, the improvement of the resolution and penetration depth for optical microscopy is still in its infancy. As light passes through biological tissue, it can be absorbed, refracted and scattered, limiting the resolution and depth of optical imaging in biological tissues. Overcoming these challenges will benefit a wide range of applications from basic biological research to clinical investigations. The present invention addresses these challenges.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Interferometric focusing of guide-stars for direct wavefront sensing

The Regents of the University of California


An electro-kinetic air conditioner for removing particulate from the air creates an airflow using no moving parts. The conditioner includes an ion generator that has an electrode assembly including a first array of emitter electrodes, a second array of collector electrodes, and a high voltage generator. Preferably, a third or leading or focus electrode is located upstream of the first array of emitter electrodes, and/or a trailing electrode is located downstream of the second array of collector electrodes. The device can also include an interstitial electrode located between collector electrodes, an enhanced collector electrode with an integrally formed trailing end, and an enhanced emitter electrode with an enhanced length in order to increase emissivity.

The use of an electric motor to rotate a fan blade to create an airflow has long been known in the art. Unfortunately, such fans produce substantial noise, and can present a hazard to children who may be tempted to poke a finger or a pencil into the moving fan blade. Although such fans can produce substantial airflow (e.g., 1,000 ft3/minute or more), substantial electrical power is required to operate the motor, and essentially no conditioning of the flowing air occurs.
It is known to provide such fans with a HEPA-compliant filter element to remove particulate matter larger than perhaps 0.3 μm. Unfortunately, the resistance to airflow presented by the filter element may require doubling the electric motor size to maintain a desired level of airflow. Further, HEPA-compliant filter elements are expensive, and can represent a substantial portion of the sale price of a HEPA-compliant filter-fan unit. While such filter-fan units can condition the air by removing large particles, particulate matter small enough to pass through the filter element is not removed, including bacteria, for example.
It is also known in the art to produce an airflow using electro-kinetic techniques, by which electrical power is converted into a flow of air without mechanically moving components. One such system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,801 to Lee (1988), depicted herein in simplified form as FIGS. 1A and 1B and which patent is incorporated herein by reference. System 10 includes an array of first ("emitter") electrodes or conductive surfaces 20 that are spaced-apart symmetrically from an array of second ("collector") electrodes or conductive surfaces 30. The positive terminal of a generator such as, for example, pulse generator 40 that outputs a train of high voltage pulses (e.g., 0 to perhaps +5 KV) is coupled to the first array, and the negative pulse generator terminal is coupled to the second array in this example. It is to be understood that the arrays depicted include multiple electrodes, but that an array can include or be replaced by a single electrode.
The high voltage pulses ionize the air between the arrays, and create an airflow 50 from the first array toward the second array, without requiring any moving parts. Particulate matter 60 in the air is entrained within the airflow 50 and also moves towards the second electrodes 30. Much of the particulate matter is electrostatically attracted to the surfaces of the second electrodes, where it remains, thus conditioning the flow of air exiting system 10. Further, the high voltage field present between the electrode arrays can release ozone into the ambient environment, which can eliminate odors that are entrained in the airflow.
In the particular embodiment of FIG. 1A, first electrodes 20 are circular in cross-section, having a diameter of about 0.003″ (0.08 mm), whereas the second electrodes 30 are substantially larger in area and define a "teardrop" shape in cross-section. The ratio of cross-sectional radii of curvature between the bulbous front nose of the second electrode and the first electrodes exceeds 10:1. As shown in FIG. 1A, the bulbous front surfaces of the second electrodes face the first electrodes, and the somewhat "sharp" trailing edges face the exit direction of the airflow. The "sharp" trailing edges on the second electrodes promote good electrostatic attachment of particulate matter entrained in the airflow.
In another particular embodiment shown herein as FIG. 1B, second electrodes 30 are symmetrical and elongated in cross-section. The elongated trailing edges on the second electrodes provide increased area upon which particulate matter entrained in the airflow can attach.
While the electrostatic techniques disclosed by the '801 patent are advantageous over conventional electric fan-filter units, further increased air transport-conditioning efficiency would be advantageous.
Ion wind devices such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,801 provide accelerated gas ions generated by the use of differential high voltage electric fields between an array of one or more emitters and a plurality of collectors (accelerators). The ions are entrained in the ambient bulk gases, causing the gases to flow. Gas velocities can reach as high as eight hundred feet per minute. However, the high voltage electric fields used to generate the gas ions and provide the force necessary for gas acceleration are also responsible for creating molecular disassociation reactions, the most common of which include ozone generated from oxygen when such devices are operating in a breathable atmosphere. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has determined that indoor, airborne ozone in concentrations above 50 ppb (parts per billion) may be hazardous to humans. NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) has ruled that indoor concentrations of ozone above 100 ppb may be hazardous to humans. Devices which utilize high voltage electric fields to generate atmospheric plasma, corona discharge and air ions, are all susceptible to generating this allotropic of oxygen, ozone. There exists a linear relationship between the level of the high voltage fields and current and the level of ozone concentration in most direct current operated ion wind systems. Also, a linear relationship exists between the acceleration velocity and intensity of the electric fields. Typically, the higher the voltage the higher the acceleration. Since it is desired to have maximum acceleration, methods must be employed to reduce ozone production or convert unwanted ozone back to oxygen before it is expelled into the breathable atmosphere. It is an object of this invention to provide methods to convert generated ozone back to oxygen in such devices.
Ion wind devices that have been specifically designed as air cleaners have also been inherently limited in their airflow and in the amount of particle contamination they can remove. Unlike electrostatic air cleaners that rely upon a motor driven fan to propel air into an ionizing field, the ion wind device utilizes a structured ionizing field as the primary air movement force. This requires molecular ionization levels at many orders of magnitude greater than are used in electrostatic precipitator devices. Consequently, like-charged particles and matter clustered in the air stream inhibit some airflow and precipitation ability of ion wind devices. It is a further object of this invention to teach a method and apparatus for de-ionizing a large portion of the charged molecules responsible for the resisting forces in the air stream and to improve precipitation efficiency of the charged contaminant particles by accelerating them towards an oppositely charged collector plate array.

Air treatment apparatus having an interstitial electrode operable to affect particle flow


A Storage Domain architecture in which a pool of storage devices is controlled by one or a plurality of Storage Domain Servers (SDS) and create a single, compatible, enterprise wide, storage resource pool that appears to the system as a gigantic shared disk drive. These storage devices may be connected to the Storage Domain Server directly via SCSI enclosures attached to the server, across a private Fiber Channel (FC) network, and/or across a public SAN fabric via switches and hubs. The Storage Domain Server logically maps physical storage data on individual storage devices to logical storage data and presents to each host the storage resources allocated to that host by the storage administrator within the Storage Domain. Data stored in the system is available to all authorized hosts and protected against unauthorized access. Storage Domain Servers control all storage devices directly attached to them or scattered in the FC network, and present a consolidated view of that available storage to hosts. The storage resource pool is divisible into multiple and secured “virtual and logical data volumes” that match the requirements of individual hosts. The volumes are allocated to the appropriate host regardless of physical location and then granted a set of properties and rules through the Storage Domain. The Storage Domain allows the volume to be handled independent of the hardware, such that it uniformly supports all storage devices, such as optical discs, magnetic disks, arrays, storage controllers, etc. All volumes can be addressable as simple disc drives.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to computer data storage systems. In particular, it relates to the organization and partitioning of data in Fiber Channel (FC) based storage area networks (SANs) into storage domains (SDs) that are controlled by Storage Domain Servers (SDSs) such that global control and access to data storage is provided by the SDS.
2. Background Art
The development of computers initially focused on local systems with attached dedicated storage devices. Over time, communication systems were developed to allow sharing of data between computers. However, these early systems were slow and often not capable of allowing widespread or complete access to data across the network. As the need for data sharing between systems increased, a more effective method of controlling access to data between systems was needed.
Today, computing systems face a crisis in data access, storage, protection and availability. Critical data is now found on all platforms spread throughout the enterprise. This information is often isolated, incompatible, and too slow to respond to the emerging needs of the enterprise. However, while the storage and retrieval of common data by the entire enterprise is now a requirement, much of that data currently resides on incompatible, disparate, and isolated storage systems organized as localized "islands of information." As a result, while the need to access data is global throughout the enterprise, control of that data is local. It would be desirable to have a system that could provide global control of data throughout the enterprise.
Isolated islands of storage were acceptable as long as enterprise applications were also isolated to a given locality or operating system cluster and amongst a small number of server platforms. With the advent of large-scale networking, enterprise applications have proliferated onto a myriad of interconnected computer systems. The combination of networked servers and private storage has guaranteed that data is allocated, replicated, and managed in an ad-hoc manner. Today the limitations of storage technology determine the manner in which data is organized and presented. It would be desirable to be able to manage data on a large-scale, across interconnected computer systems, in such a manner that data availability could be controlled in a uniform and comprehensive manner and not limited by the particular storage technology being used.
Until recently, data storage devices have required close coupling to computing systems. High bandwidth access was achieved through distance limited connections in point-to-point configurations. Early mass storage control techniques recognized these physical limitations and concentrated storage in large locally attached storage controllers. These controllers provided high levels of connectivity combined with large storage capacity. To achieve high levels of performance these early controllers were also proprietary, expensive, and complex in design.
The networking of these storage controllers was impractical due to the limitations in bandwidth of early network technologies. These technologies could not eliminate the problem of "islands of information." In part, this was due to the fact that the logical allocation of storage resources between these controllers was impossible.
One step in the solution to the problem of providing adequate access to data has been the development of high-speed Fiber Channel (hereinafter "FC") connections. It should be noted that, for the purpose of this discussion, the term "fiber" in fiber channel can be used to denote either an optical or an electrical (i.e. copper wire) connection. FC connections provide computer systems with extremely high-speed data transfer rates. For example, they can deliver sustained bandwidth's of over 97 MB per second. In addition, due to their relatively low cost of implementation, cost per megabyte of data transfer is low.
Another advantage of FC technology is that, unlike other data transfer mechanisms such as ethernet, FC technology is protocol independent. It can be used for transferring audio/video, TCP/IP, Internet Protocol (IP), SCSI data, etc. FC technology also provides advantages over prior technologies due to the large distances which can be supported without serious degradation of performance or reliability. For example, FC systems can support devices as far away as ten kilometers. As a result, as computing networks control and support ever larger data volumes, data transfer rates, and total numbers of users, FC architecture has emerged as important element in the solution to the problems related to managing data in those large-scale networks.
Another element of the solution to storage management problems has been the development of storage area network ("SAN") products. A SAN is a connection scheme between computers and storage peripherals which is based on an FC data transport mechanism. SANs typically use FC technology as the data transport means between multiple systems and networks due to their excellent performance and reliability.
A Storage Area Network ("SAN") can be defined as an architecture composed of a group of storage systems and servers that are connected together via Fiber Channel (FC) equipment, such as a switch or hub. The introduction of SANs provides some partial solutions to a number of problems related to the "islands of information" in global storage systems. These solutions are limited to high bandwidth, increased connectivity, and robust topologies using FC hubs and switches. However, SANs address only two of the emerging enterprise storage requirements: improved connectivity and higher bandwidth. The resultant storage systems themselves remain proprietary and non-interoperable. The other requirements, such as interoperability, storage resource allocation and management, and high performance, have not been addressed with today's SAN architectures.
Despite their promise, SANs today are largely confined to two areas: 1) as extended server host and device connection methods for proprietary storage controllers; (i.e. as the backbones for vendor "private" networks); and 2) as storage networks specific to applications, typically those in which direct access to physical disks (1 to 1 mapping) is required and storage administration is limited or nonexistent. Other critical requirements, such as storage resource allocation and management, security, administration, and interoperability have not been addressed with today's SAN architectures.
SANs therefore have two major limitations. First while they may provide extended host and device interconnection for proprietary storage controllers on private networks, the resulting storage systems are isolated and not interoperable within the enterprise as a whole. Second, storage networks are tied to specific applications and provide only one-to-one mapping. For example, in Windows/NT™ systems, NT will seek out and attempt to control all drives within the network even if those drives are required to be logically separated. Within UNIX, each OS will attempt to logically map all attached devices. Therefore, in UNIX, there is no centralized management and security structure which is aware of the overall storage management structure of a distributed system. SANs therefore increase the exposure of data storage systems to corruption because they lack a network oriented logical to physical mapping facility for disk drives, controllers, and operating systems. SANs allow a large number of devices to be attached to a system; however the visibility of these devices to the system is insufficient to "virtualize" the physical devices into logical pools of integrated and secure storage. It would be desirable to improve upon SANs with a system that bridges the logical mapping requirements of operating system file services, physical devices, and the SAN interconnection to provide universal data resource control and availability in conjunction with the performance and conductivity advantages of SANs.
While addressing the basic desirability of using SANs to provide wide scale access to data, the prior art has failed to provide a uniform and secure method of using SANs which also provides universal access and logical mapping of data across large-scale computing environments independent of the storage platforms used in the system.

Apparatus and method for using storage domains for controlling data in storage area networks