An image forming apparatus prevents foreign matter, such as dust or the like, from being sucked into an ink passage from an ejection opening when a liquid ejection head ejecting a liquid is elevated from an image forming position to a recovery process position located above the image forming position. The image forming apparatus includes a liquid supply passage connected to the liquid ejection head which is provided with ejection openings for ejecting liquid, a liquid supply device for supplying liquid to the liquid ejection head via the liquid supply passage, a recovery process device for recovering the ejecting condition of liquid from the liquid ejection head, a head moving device for moving the liquid ejection head between the recovery process position for performing recovery process of the liquid ejection head by the recovery process device and an image forming position for forming an image on the printing medium by the liquid ejection head, and a closing device for closing the liquid supply passage during movement of the liquid ejection head into the recovery process position by the head moving device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming method and an apparatus for forming an image on a printing medium by ejecting a liquid from a liquid ejecting head. More particularly, the invention is suitable for application to an ink-jet printer mounting a full-line type ink-jet head, in which a plurality of ejection openings for liquid are arranged over the entire width of an image forming region of the printing medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ink-jet printer for forming a desired image by ejecting an ink droplet onto a paper, a cloth, a resin, a metal and the like, features non-contact recording with respect to a printing medium and thus is superior in low noise, high printing speed, capability of high resolution printing, easiness of color printing, and capability of down-sizing of the overall apparatus.
As one of such ink-jet printers, there has been known a printer shown in FIG. 10, in which a plurality of elongated so-called full-line type ink-jet heads, each having a plurality of ejection openings arrayed over the entire width of an image forming region of a printing medium, are arranged in a feeding direction of the printing medium.
Namely, the printer includes four ink cartridges 33Y, 33M, 33C, and 33B respectively storing a yellow ink, a magenta ink, a cyan ink, and a black ink (hereinafter referred to as ink cartridge 33) and four ink-jet heads 21Y, 21M, 21C and 21B (hereinafter referred to as ink-jet head 22) connected to respective ink cartridges 33 via ink supply tubes 32, respectively.
The ink-jet heads 21, each of which is switched power supply between ON and OFF for respective ones of not shown electrothermal transducers by a head driver 61 connected to a control unit 60, are arranged with a predetermined interval along a feeding direction of an endless feeding belt 62 so as to face a platen 63 via the feeding belt 62. By head moving means 64 for recovery process, which is controlled by the control unit 60, the ink-jet heads 21 are moved up and down with respect to the platen 63. On the side portion of each ink-jet head 21, capping members 22, for performing recovery process of the ink-jet heads 21 by performing preliminary ejection of old inks within not shown ink passages provided within the ink-jet heads 21 from the ejection openings in advance of printing operation with respect to a printing paper 65, are arranged in a condition shifted by one-half pitch with respect to an arrangement interval of the ink-jet heads 21. By moving means 66, which is controlled by the control unit 60, the capping members 22 are moved to positions immediately below the ink-jet heads 21 at recovery process positions so as to receive waste inks ejected from the ejection openings.
The feeding belt 62 feeding the printing paper 65 is wound around a driving roller 68 connected to a belt driving motor 67. The driving direction of the feeding belt 62 is switched by a motor driver 69 connected to the control unit 60. On the upstream side of the feeding belt 62, an electrostatic charger 70 is provided for electrostaticly charging the feeding belt 62 for adhering the printing paper 65 on the feeding belt 62. The electrostatic charger 70 is switched ON and OFF by a driver 71 connected to the control unit 60. To a pair of paper feeding rollers 72 for supplying the printing paper 65 on the feeding belt 62, a paper feeding motor 73, for rotatingly driving the pair of paper feeding rollers 72, is connected. The operation of paper feeding motor 73 is switched by a motor driver 74 connected to the control unit 60.
Accordingly, in advance of the printing operation for the printing paper 65, the ink-jet heads 21 are elevated to the recovery process position away from the platen 63. Then, the capping member 22 is moved immediately below the ink-jet heads 21. Then, after the recovery operation for the ink-jet heads 21, the capping member 22 is returned to an initial position. Also, the ink-jet heads 21 are moved toward the platen up to the image forming position. Then, the electrostatic charger 70 is actuated while the feeding belt 62 is driven. Also, the printing paper 65 is mounted on the feeding belt 62 by the paper feeding roller 72, and a desired color image is formed on the printing paper 65 by the ink-jet heads 21.
In the full-line type ink-jet printer shown in FIG. 10, the ink-jet heads 21 are located on the upper side of the ink cartridges 33. A problem of causing leakage of the ink through the ejection openings of the ink-jet heads 21 due to a liquid pressure of the ink stored in the cartridges 33 can be successfully prevented.
Because of the constructions set forth above, when the ink-jet heads 21 are elevated from the image forming position to the recovery process position, as illustrated in a sectional structure of the lower end portion of the ink-jet heads 21 in FIG. 11, an ink surface (ink meniscus) M of the ejection openings 40 is located at a position shown by a two dotted line at the image forming position, namely at an ejection opening surface 44 where the ejection openings 40 are formed, and whereas, at the recovery process position above the image forming position, a waterhead difference between the ink surface M and the ink cartridge 33 becomes large to cause recession of the ink surface M into the ink passage 58, as shown by the solid line.
As a result, foreign matter W, such as dust and the like deposited in the vicinity of the ejection openings 40 can be sucked into the ink passage 58 to be held within the ink passage 58 even if the recovery process is performed. In such case, ejection failure can result to prevent formation of a good quality image.
Such drawback may be caused not only in the ink but also in treatment liquid for adjusting printing ability of the ink on and/or in the printing medium.
An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming method which can successfully prevent the drawback of sucking foreign matter, such as dust or the like from the ejection openings into ink passages even when a liquid ejection head ejecting a liquid is elevated from an image forming position to a recovery process position.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus which can implement the image forming method set forth above.
The first aspect of the present invention is an image forming method forming an image on a printing medium in an image forming position utilizing a liquid ejection head for forming the image on the printing medium by ejecting liquid in the image forming position, comprising:
a step of performing a recovery process at a recovery process position set on an upper side of the image forming position for recovering ejecting condition of liquid from the liquid ejecting head; and
a step of closing a liquid supply passage for supplying liquid to the liquid ejection head during movement of the liquid ejection head from the image forming position to the recovery process position.
The second aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for forming an image on a printing medium utilizing a liquid ejection head provided with an ejection opening for ejecting liquid, comprising:
a liquid supply passage connected to the liquid ejection head;
recovery process means for recovering ejecting condition of liquid from the liquid ejection head;
head moving means for moving the liquid ejection head between the recovery process position for performing recovery process of the liquid ejection head by the recovery process means and an image forming position for forming an image on the printing medium by the liquid ejection head; and
closing means for closing the liquid supply passage during movement of the liquid ejection head at least to the recovery process position by the head moving means.
According to the present invention, when the image is formed on the printing medium, the liquid ejection head is moved into the image forming position by the head moving means to form the image on the printing medium using the liquid ejection head at the image forming position.
When recovery process of the liquid ejection head is performed, the liquid supply passage is closed by operating the closing means to restrict flow of liquid between the ejection opening of the liquid ejection head and the liquid supply passage. At this condition, after moving the liquid ejection head from the image forming position to the recovery process position by the head moving means, the closure means is again operated to open the liquid supply passage, and recovery process of the liquid ejection head is performed by the recovery process means at the recovery process position.
The liquid ejection head on which the recovery process has been effected is again returned to the image forming position by the head moving means and image formation on the printing medium is performed.
According to the present invention, when the recovery process is performed in order to recover ejecting condition of liquid from the liquid ejection head at the recovery process position set on the upper side of the image forming position, since the liquid supply passage for supplying liquid to the liquid ejection head is closed during movement of the liquid ejection head from the image forming position to the recovery process position, even when the liquid ejection head for ejecting liquid is elevated from the image forming position to the recovery process position, a problem of suction of foreign matter, such as dust or the like into the ink passage from the ejection opening can be successfully prevented.
In the image forming method by the first aspect of the present invention, the recovery process position may include a capping position for covering an ejection opening surface provided with an ejection opening of the liquid ejection head for ejecting liquid, and a wiping position set on an upper side of the capping position for wiping the ejection opening surface.
The recovery process may include at least one of steps of performing preliminary ejection of liquid from the ejection opening of the liquid ejection head at the capping position, expelling liquid from the ejection opening of the liquid ejection head by pressurizing the liquid supply passage, and sucking liquid from the ejection opening of the liquid ejection head.
Liquid may be ink or treatment liquid for adjusting printing ability of the ink on and/or in the printing medium.
In the image forming apparatus by the second aspect of the present invention, the recovery process position may include a capping position and a wiping position located above the capping position, the recovery process means having a capping member for covering the ejection opening surface provided with an ejecting opening of the liquid ejection head ejecting liquid at the capping position and a wiping member for wiping the ejection opening surface at the wiping position. The recovery process means may preliminarily eject liquid from the ejection opening of the liquid ejection head at the capping position, expelling liquid from the ejection opening of the liquid ejection head by actuating the liquid supply means or sucking liquid from the ejection opening of the liquid ejection head via the capping member.
The liquid ejection head may have an ejection energy generating portion for ejecting liquid from the ejection opening. In this case, the ejection energy generating portion may have an electrothermal transducer for generating thermal energy.
The ejection openings may be provided for the liquid ejection head and may be arranged over the entire width of a printing region of the printing medium.
The above and other objects, effects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Image forming method and apparatus therefor


A node for a low loss passive optical hub is provided. The low loss passive optical hub includes a 1:N-split fiber and a plastic-optical fiber. The 1:N-split fiber has a fused-fractional end and N second-fractional ends. The 1:N-split fiber is formed from N sub-fibers. The N sub-fibers each have a first-fractional end and a second-fractional end. The N first-fractional ends are fused to form the fused-fractional end. The plastic-optical fiber has a first end and a second end. The first end of the plastic-optical fiber is optically coupled to the fused-fractional end of the 1:N-split fiber.

Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) is gaining popularity in avionic lower bandwidth (10-50 mbps) networks since plastic-optical fibers are low cost, light weight, and easy to install and to maintain. POF has inherently higher loss than glass fibers so the link budget is an important factor in the acceptance of POF into aircraft. A Passive Optical Hub (POH) would be an ideal component to enable plastic-optical fiber in a conventional bus network. However, unlike the copper data bus, the currently available passive optical hubs suffer loss that limits the network size (e.g., the number of nodes) and the distance covered by the hub. Current bus network passive optical hub designs incorporate either a mirror or a return loop. Both the mirror and return loop suffer from return loss, reflectivity losses, dispersion, and uniformity losses.
For the reasons stated above and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the specification, there is a need in the art for improved passive optical hubs.

Low loss passive optical hub for use in the plastic optical fiber networks


Provided is a method of shielding ultraviolet light and increasing visible light, enabling shielding or removal of ultraviolet light, transmission of visible light, effective utilization of ultraviolet energy to obtain visible light, and not requiring use of rare metal thus being low in cost. The method has: a first excitation step of exciting a fluorescent material by external light of 200 nm to 330 nm: an internal light emission step in which the fluorescent material excited in the first excitation step emits internal light of 330 nm to 400 nm; a second excitation step of exciting the same or a different fluorescent material by external light of 330 nm to 400 nm and by the internal light of 330 nm to 400 nm; and a visible light emission step in which the fluorescent material excited in the second excitation step emits visible light of 400 nm or more.

A glass given an ultraviolet-light-shielding function is used as a glass plate for buildings, a glass plate for vehicles, and a glass plate for solar cell modules and the like in order to protect a person or an object inside against damage from the ultraviolet light. As an example of such an ultraviolet-light-shielding glass, Patent Document 1 describes an ultraviolet-shielding-glass formed by layering a ZnO—SiO2 thin film, and a TiO2—SiO2 thin film or ZrO2—SiO2 thin film on a surface of a glass substrate in a coating manner.
As a technique of shielding ultraviolet light and also effectively utilizing the energy of the ultraviolet light, Patent Document 2 describes that cerium ions having a valence of three are included in a glass substrate of a photovoltaic module, as a substance to convert the ultraviolet light into visible light.

Method of shielding ultraviolet light and increasing visible light, and ultraviolet-light-shielding and visible-light-increasing material which enables implementation of the method


A method of fabricating a high voltage fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD SOI) transistor, the FD SOI transistor having a structure including a region within a body on which a gate structure is disposed. The region includes a channel separating the source region and the drain region. Above the source region is disposed a carrier recombination element, which abuts the gate structure and is electrically connected to the region via the channel. The drain region is lightly doped and ballasted to increase breakdown voltage. The FD SOI may be fabricated by forming a body with a thin silicon layer disposed on a buried oxide (BOX). Alternatively, the body may be formed using a partially depleted (PD) SOI where the region formed therein has a reduced thickness in comparison to the overall thickness of the PD SOI.

1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to a fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD SOI) metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) and the structure thereof. More particularly, the disclosure relates to fabrication of a FD SOI MOSFET incorporating carrier recombination elements.
2. Related Art
In the current state of the art, the demand for interface standards in high voltage devices/transistors has reached as high as 5V. Partially depleted (PD) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) currently used in the fabrication of metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) is not able to attain interfaces of this voltage range. The limiting factor lies with the floating body in the PD SOI, which with high voltage behaves like a bipolar transistor. When a bipolar transistor turns on, parasitic bipolar currents lead to breakdown at a high voltage, particularly in an n-type FET (NFET). To overcome this limitation, a source-body tie in the PD-SOI FET is used to increase the breakdown voltage. However, the increment of the breakdown voltage is by only a few tenths of a volt, which is too low to meet the demand for high performance interfaces and stacking of FETs.
In view of the foregoing, it is desirable to develop an alternative method for fabricating a high voltage SOI FET.

Method of fabricating high voltage fully depleted SOI transistor and structure thereof

International Business Machines Corporation


An apparatus and method of removing fixed pattern noise in a digital image processing apparatus are provided. The apparatus includes a controlling unit adjusting a number of image frames of a same image photographed by an imaging device and an exposure time of a shutter, and controlling a movement direction of the imaging device, which photographs the image; and a signal processing unit which median-combines the image frames of the same image photographed by the imaging device during the adjusted exposure time after moving the imaging device. The total photographing time is reduced by skipping a process of photographing a dark image and fixed pattern noise can be effectively removed by median-combining the image frames photographed while physically moving the imaging device between the photographing of consecutive image frames to remove the fixed pattern noise.

This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2004-0090918, filed on Nov. 9, 2004 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for removing noise from digital images, and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for removing hot pixels from a digital image, in which an imaging device is physically moved between successive image frame captures, and the resulting image frames are median combined.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital imaging devices such as digital cameras and digital camcorders use charged coupled devices (CCDs) in place of film. A CCD is a sensor that converts light into electric signals. It has a silicon chip with minute photodiodes disposed on top of it. These photodiodes are organized into numerous "pixels" on top of the silicon chip in a checkered pattern. Each pixel of the CCD captures light that is eventually converted into one "pixel" of an image.
CCDs are sensitive to heat. As a result, heat noise is frequently generated when a CCD operates, which prevents a cell from accurately generating the color for its pixel. Pixels generated by CCDs as a result of this heat noise are called hot pixels. Hot pixels usually show up at a fixed location for a short period of time. That is why hot pixels are also called "fixed pattern noise." Fixed pattern noise frequently occurs when the shutter of a digital camera is open for a long period of time, and it hinders the smooth reproduction of an image.
FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a conventional method of removing fixed pattern noise. First, an image frame (Frame 1) is photographed according to a set sensitivity (ISO) and exposure time (100). The image frame (Frame 1), including the fixed pattern noise, is stored in a memory (not shown) (102). Then, a so-called "dark frame" (Frame 2) is photographed using the same ISO and exposure time as the photographed image frame (Frame 1) (104). A dark frame (such as Frame 2) is an image photographed with the shutter manually closed to physically block all light from reaching the CCD. The dark frame (Frame 2) is not affected by light but does include the fixed pattern noise.
The same exposure time is used when photographing the image frame (Frame 1) and the dark frame (Frame 2), so as to accurately reproduce the fixed pattern noise of in the image frame (Frame 1) on the dark frame (Frame 2). Ideally, the same number n hot pixels will occur on both the image frame (Frame 1) and the dark frame (Frame 2).
The photographed dark frame (Frame 2) is then stored in the memory (106). Frame subtraction is then performed to remove the fixed pattern noise. That is, the dark frame (Frame 2) is subtracted from the image frame (Frame 1) (108). Through such frame subtraction, a new image frame (Frame 3) with the fixed pattern noise removed is generated. The new image frame (Frame 3) is then corrected by image processing, and an image file (e.g., JPEG) is generated (110).
The method illustrated in FIG. 1 the total photographing time is more than twice the set exposure time of the digital image processing apparatus. For example, referring to FIG. 9A (which illustrates the total photographing time of a conventional digital image processing apparatus) if the exposure time is 10 seconds, {circle around (1)} the image frame (Frame 1) is photographed for 10 seconds, {circle around (2)} the dark frame (Frame 2) is photographed for 10 seconds, {circle around (3)} the noise removal after frame subtraction takes s1 seconds, and {circle around (4)} the post-processing of the frame subtraction takes s2 seconds. Consequently, the total photographing time ({circle around (1)}+{circle around (2)}+{circle around (3)}+{circle around (4)}) is more than twice the exposure time, that is, more than 20 seconds.
Thus, it can be seen that there is a need for a new method and apparatus for removing noise from a digital image that avoids the foregoing problems.

Method and apparatus for removing noise from a digital image


A method for transmitting pilot bits instead of partial bits of CQI (Channel Quality Indicator) information indicating channel quality of an HS-PDSCH (High Speed-Physical Downlink Shared CHannel) in a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) communication system such that a Node B can control power of a high-speed uplink control channel. The system transmits high-speed packet data from the Node-B to UE (User Equipment) through the HS-PDSCH, and the UE is located in a handover area between the Node-B and another Node-B adjacent thereto. Predetermined bits are then removed from given bits of the code symbols. The removed bits are then replaced with high-speed pilot bits for power control.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for coding and decoding CQI (Channel Quality Indicator) information in a communication system using an HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), and more particularly to an apparatus and method for coding and decoding CQI information to insert a pilot signal into an HS-PDSCH (High Speed-Physical Downlink Shared CHannel) and transmit the HS-PDSCH having the pilot signal inserted therein such that power of a high speed uplink control channel can be controlled.
2. Description of the Related Art
Standardization of an HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) based on high-speed downlink data transmission technologies is actively conducted in the 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project). First, a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications system) will be described.
FIG. 1 is an overview illustrating a structure of the UMTS. The UTMS includes a core network 100, a plurality of RNSs (Radio Network Subsystems) 110 and 120, and UE (User Equipment) 130, wherein the UE 130 can also be referred to as a user. The RNSs 110 and 120 are configured by RNCs (Radio Network Controllers) 111 and 112 and a plurality of Node-Bs 113, 114, 115 and 116, wherein a Node-B can also be referred to as a cell. An RNC is referred to as an SRNC (Serving RNC), a DRNC (Drift RNC) or a CRNC (Controlling RNC) according to the RNC's function. Alternatively, the SRNC and the DRNC can be classified by the UE's role.
Hereinafter, the RNCs will be described in detail. The SRNC is an RNC for managing UE information and communicating data with the core network 100. When UE data is transmitted and received through an RNC other than the SRNC, the above-described RNC is the DRNC. The CRNC is an RNC in the process of controlling Node-Bs.
The above-described RNCs will be described with reference to FIG. 1. When the RNC 111 manages information of the UE 130, the RNC 111 becomes the SRNC. When the UE 130 moves and data of the UE 130 is transmitted and received through the RNC 112, the RNC 112 becomes the DRNC. The RNC 111 controlling a Node-B 113 becomes the CRNC corresponding to the Node-B 113.
As described above, the standardization of the HSDPA based on the high-speed downlink data transmission technologies is actively conducted in the 3GPP. Moreover, many fields relating to the HSDPA are discussed. The HSDPA will be described on the basis of contents discussed up to now. The high-speed downlink data transmission is implemented by using a plurality of OVSF codes, adaptive channel coding, and HARQ (Hybrid Automatic Retransmission Request) based on a fast retransmission and soft combining. The maximum number of OVSF (Orthogonal Variable Spreading Factor) codes applicable to one user is 15, and a modulation scheme based on QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying), 16QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) or 64QAM is adaptively selected according to channel states. When erroneous data is detected, the data is retransmitted between UE and a Node-B and then the soft combining for a plurality of data is carried out, thereby improving overall communication efficiency. At this time, the retransmission is based on an n-channel SAW HARQ (Stop And Wait Hybrid Automatic Retransmission Request) process.
The n-channel SAW HARQ process will be described in detail. Two new approaches are introduced to the n-channel SAW HARQ process for the HSDPA in order to improve a conventional SAW ARQ (Stop And Wait Automatic Retransmission Request) process.
First, a receiving side temporarily stores erroneous data and combines the erroneous data and retransmitted data, thereby reducing a probability of error occurrence. This is called soft combining. The soft combining is classified into CC (Chase Combining) and IR (Incremental Redundancy). In relation to the CC, a transmitting side uses the same format for a first transmission and retransmission. If m symbols have been transmitted as one coded block at the time of the first transmission, the same m symbols are also retransmitted at the time of the retransmission. That is, the same coding rate is applied to the first transmission and retransmissions. Accordingly, the receiving side combines a first transmitted coded block with a retransmitted coded block, performs a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Code) check using the combined coded blocks and determines whether an error has been generated.
Next, the IR will be described. In relation to the IR, the transmitting side uses different formats for the first transmission and retransmissions. If n-bit user data has been coded to the m symbols, the transmitting side transmits only a portion of the m symbols at the time of the first transmission and sequentially retransmits remaining portions at the time of the retransmission. For this reason, transmission bits at the first transmission and retransmission are different. Accordingly, the receiving side adds bits received at the first transmission to non-redundant bits received at the retransmission and executes error correction after configuring a coding block having a higher coding rate. In relation to the IR, the first transmission and respective retransmissions are classified by RV (Redundancy Version) values. Thus, the first transmission is referred to as RV 1 a retransmission subsequent to the first transmission is referred to as RV 2 and another retransmission subsequent to the retransmission is referred to as RV 3. The receiving side combines a first transmitted coded block with a retransmitted coded block using version information. An RV value contained in Part-2 of an HS-SCCH (High Speed-Shared Control CHannel) indicates the above-described version information.
The second approach introduced to improve the efficiency of the conventional SAW ARQ process, is as follows. The conventional SAW ARQ process can transmit a next packet only when an ACK (positive acknowledgement) for a previous packet is received, but the n-channel SAW HARQ process can consecutively transmit a plurality of packets in the case where the ACK is not received, thereby improving the utility of a radio link. If n logical channels between UE and a Node-B are configured and the channels are identified by channel numbers in the n-channel SAW HARQ process, the UE on the receiving side can identify a certain channel to which a received packet belongs at an arbitrary point of time. Moreover, the UE can re-configure received packets in order and take necessary actions such as soft combining of a corresponding packet, etc.
The n-channel SAW HARQ process will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1. It is assumed that a 4-channel SAW HARQ process is carried out between an arbitrary Node-B 113 and UE 130, and logical identifiers of 1 to 4 are allocated to respective channels. A physical layer between the UE 130 and the Node-B 113 has an HARQ processor corresponding to each channel. The Node-B 113 allocates a channel identifier "1" to a first transmitted coded block (indicating user data transmitted in one TTI (Transmission Time Interval)) and transmits it to the UE 130. If an error has been generated in a corresponding coded block, the UE 130 transfers a coded block to a first HARQ processor 1 corresponding to a channel 1 using the channel identifier, and transmits an NACK (negative acknowledgement) to the channel 1. On the other hand, the Node-B 113 transmits a subsequently coded block to a channel 2 irrespective of the reception of the ACK for the coded block of the channel 1. If an error has been generated also at the subsequently coded block, the coded block is transferred to a corresponding HARQ processor. When the Node-B 113 receives the NACK for the coded block of the channel 1 from the UE 130, it retransmits a corresponding coded block to the channel 1. Thus, the UE 130 transfers the coded block to the first HARQ processor 1 using a channel identifier of the coded block. The first HARQ processor 1 of the UE 130 carries out soft combining for a previously stored coded block and a retransmitted coded block. As described above, the n-channel SAW HARQ process corresponds a channel identifier to an HARQ processor with a one-to-one correspondence. Without delaying user data transmission until the ACK is received, the n-channel SAW HARQ process can appropriately correspond a first transmitted coded block to a retransmitted coded block.
A plurality of UEs can simultaneously use a number of OVSF codes available in the HSDPA. Namely, there is possible concurrent OVSF code multiplexing between the UEs. The concurrent OVSF code multiplexing will be described with reference to FIG. 2.
FIG. 2 shows an exemplary OVSF code assignment in a conventional HSDPA system. The case where an SF (Spreading Factor) is 16 as shown in FIG. 2, will be described.
Referring to FIG. 2, respective OVSF codes can be represented as C(i, j) on the basis of the OVSF code tree. A parameter i of C(i, j) is a value of an SF, and a parameter j of C(i, j) is a code number. For example, when an OVSF code is C(16, 0), an SF is 16 and a code number is 0. At this time, C(16, 0) is a first code of SF=16 in the OVSF code tree. FIG. 2 shows the case where 15 OVSF codes, i.e., C(16, 0) to C(16, 14) corresponding to 1st code to 15th code of SF=16, are assigned in an HSDPA communication system. The 15 OVSF codes for the UEs can be multiplexed. For example, OVSF codes as shown in the following Table 1 can be multiplexed.
TABLE 1ABCT0C(16, 0)~C(16, 5)C(16, 6)~C(16, 10)C(16, 11)~C(16, 14)T1C(16, 0)~C(16, 3)C(16, 4)~C(16, 14)—T2C(16, 0)~C(16, 3)C(16, 4)~C(16, 5)C(16, 6)~C(16, 14)
In the above Table 1, A, B and C are arbitrary users, i.e., arbitrary UEs using the HSDPA communication system. As shown in the above Table 1, the UEs A, B and C multiplex OVSF codes assigned to the HSDPA communication system at periods of time T0, T1 and T2. The number of OVSF codes assigned to the UEs and OVSF code positions in the OVSF code tree are determined by the Node-B, utilizing parameters such as the amount of user data of the UE stored in the Node-B, a channel state between the Node-B and UE, etc.
Control information exchanged between the Node-B and UE includes the number of OVSF codes available in the arbitrary UE, code information associated with positions designated on the OVSF code tree, channel quality information needed for determining an adaptive modulation scheme according to a channel state, modulation information, channel number information needed for supporting the n-channel SAW HARQ process, ACK/NACK information, etc. Hereinafter, channels used for transmitting the control information and user data will be described.
The types of channels used in the HSDPA other than channels used in a conventional WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) system are classified by a downlink and uplink as follows. First, downlink channels include an HS-SCCH (High Speed-Shared Control CHannel), an associated DPCH (Dedicated Physical CHannel), and an HS-PDSCH (High Speed-Physical Downlink Shared CHannel), while an uplink channel includes an HS-DPCCH (High Speed-Dedicated Physical Control CHannel).
Timing relations of the channels are shown in FIG. 3. First, the UE measures channel quality between the UE and a Node-B using PCPICH (Primary Common Pilot CHannel), etc., and notifies the Node-B of a result of the measurement through a CQI (Channel Quality Indicator). The CQI is transmitted through the HS-DPCCH. The Node-B carries out a scheduling function using the CQI. The scheduling function decides which UE is to actually receive data for a next TTI among UEs receiving an HSDPA service within the same cell. The scheduling function also decides a modulation scheme to be used for a data transmission, the number of codes to be assigned, etc. If the data transmission for an arbitrary UE is decided, the Node-B transmits control information 301 needed for receiving the data through at least one HS-SCCH. At this time, the UE can identify the HS-SCCH to be received using a UE ID. Moreover, the UE needs to receive a maximum of four HS-SCCHs with considering UE complexity. One cell can easily schedule packet data by operating more than the four HS-SCCHs. A set of HS-SCCHs assigned to the arbitrary UE is referred to as a serving HS-SCCH set. The serving HS-SCCH set can be designated on a UE-by-UE basis. Other details will be described below.
The control information 301 contained in the HS-SCCH is as follows. The control information 301 includes 7-bit information associated with OVSF codes to be used in the HS-PDSCH (hereinafter, referred to as "code information 302"), 1-bit information indicating a modulation scheme to be applied to the HS-PDSCH, 6-bit information indicating a size of data to be sent through the HS-PDSCH, and HARQ information. The HARQ information consists of 7 bits including 1-bit information of a new data indicator indicating whether data to be sent through the HS-PDSCH is new data or not, 3-bit information relating to an RV value of data to be sent through the HS-PDSCH, and a 3-bit channel number associated with n-channel SAW HARQ of data to be sent through the HS-PDSCH. FIG. 4 shows a structure of the HS-SCCH.
As shown in FIG. 4, the HS-SCCH is transmitted on the basis of OVSF codes of SF=128, and divided into three parts of Part-1, Part-2 and a CRC. The 8 Part-1 information bits is coded with 40 bits in a first slot of an HS-SCCH frame, and the 13 Part-2 information bits and 16 CRC information bits are coded with 80 bits in second and third slots of the HS-SCCH frame. UE carries out individual channel codings of the Part-1 information and the Part-2 information. Although the UE receives only the Part-1 information in the first slot, the UE can identify which of the four HS-SCCHs sends control information needed for receiving an HS-PDSCH.
The Part-1 information includes code information indicating positions on the code tree of OVSF codes to be used in certain UE, the number of the OVSF codes, and modulation scheme information. FIG. 5 shows a scrambler based on the channel coding of the Part-1 information and UE ID needed for identifying UE after receiving the Part-1 information. The Part-1 information is coded by a rate ½ convolutional coder and then rate-matched producing 40 bits corresponding to one slot through a rate-matching algorithm. A 10-bit UE ID is coded by a (32, 10) block code used in coding of TFCI (Transport-Format-Combination Indicator) based on Rel. '99 specifications and then 32 bits are produced. The produced 32 bits are then extended to 40 bits by repeating the first 8 bits. The 40 bits based on the Part-1 information are XORed with 40 bits based on the UE ID. As a result, a scrambling procedure based on the UE ID is completed.
The Part-2 information includes information relating to a size of a TB (Transport Block) indicating a length of data to be sent through the HS-PDSCH, a channel number of n-channel SAW HARQ, a new data indicator indicating whether corresponding data is new data or retransmission data, and an RV value indicating which version the corresponding data is based on, in relation to the IR.
The CRC information includes a result of a CRC check for the Part-1 information and the UE ID. The UE ID may consist of 10 bits and the UE ID itself is not separately sent. The transmitting and receiving sides produce the UE ID at a time of calculating a CRC, respectively. Thus, the UE can identify whether information contained in an arbitrary HS-SCCH is its own information or not. For example, where control information is transmitted to UE A through the HS-SCCH, a Node-B produces the CRC using the Part-1 and Part-2 information and the UE A's ID. When the UE A calculates a CRC using its own UE ID and the Part-1 and Part-2 information, it determines that the control information has been successfully received through the HS-SCCH if an error is not detected by the CRC check.
An operation of the UE receiving HS-SCCHs is as follows. The UE generates a scrambling sequence using a stored UE ID, scrambles an HS-SCCH corresponding to a first slot in four HS-SCCHs, and performs Viterbi decoding of a convolutional code. Then, the UE identifies the HS-SCCHs allocated to its own UE and receives control information needed for receiving the HS-SCCHs. After receiving the control information of the HS-SCCHs, the UE calculates a CRC using the Part-1 and Part-2 information and its own UE ID, and determines that the control information has been successfully received if an error is not detected in the CRC check. Then, decoding of HS-PDSCH information is performed and the decoding is stopped if an error is detected in the CRC check.
The UE performs necessary operations such as demodulation of data received through the HS-PDSCH on the basis of the information received through the HS-SCCH. At this time, through code information, the UE determines whether it receives an HS-PDSCH based on what OVSF code and determines how to demodulate the HS-PDSCH on the basis of modulation information. The UE decodes data received through the HS-PDSCH. After the decoding procedure is completed, the UE determines whether erroneous data is detected in a CRC check and then transmits ACK/NACK information. That is, if erroneous data is not detected, the ACK in transmitted. Otherwise, the NACK is transmitted.
The UE transmits the ACK/NACK information for packet data and CQI information associated with a downlink channel state through an HS-DPCCH. A structure of the HS-DPCCH is shown in FIG. 6. In terms of the HS-DPCCH, a spreading factor SF=256 and an HS-DPCCH sub-frame corresponds to three slots. The ACK/NACK information is transmitted in a first slot of the HS-DPCCH sub-frame. In second and third slots of the HS-DPCCH sub-frame, the CQI information is transmitted. One-bit ACK/NACK information is repeated ten times such that 10 bits can be outputted. Five-bit CQI information is coded by (20, 5) channel coding such that 20 bits can be outputted.
That is, the CQI information is provided to identify a state of a downlink channel. The CQI information is needed to identify the channel's state. Hence, when UE or a system is implemented, its complexity increases in channel coding and decoding.

Apparatus and method for coding and decoding CQI information in communication system using high speed downlink packet access


Solvent-free spraying system including methods and apparatus for spraying plural component materials without requiring the use of solvents to flush out equipment or as part of the materials being dispensed. Materials sprayed can have simultaneously widely varying viscosities, pressures, temperatures and ratios between two or more respective components being combined by the spraying apparatus. Cure rates and gel times can vary widely from hours to less than 10 seconds for mixing and dispensing various plural component thermoplastic and thermosetting materials including foams, moldings and coatings made from urethanes, ureas, epoxies, polyesters, phenolics and other chemical compositions that react rapidly upon mixing of the components thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to methods and apparatus for spraying plural component materials without requiring the use of solvents to routinely flush or purge equipment or as part of the materials being dispensed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Spray applied plural component thermoplastic and thermosetting materials have gained wide commercial acceptance as protective and decorative coatings. Similarly, spray applied foams are in widespread use throughout the world. Molded products produced from spray application equipment are also gaining greater acceptance and becoming popular in some industries. There is a large body of prior art with respect to these types of materials that usually come as two part formulations in which the respective parts chemically combine into finished form once dispensed from the spray application system. The cure rates and gel times vary widely for the various formulations from several hours to less than 10 seconds. In many formulations, the rates can be modified through the use of varying temperatures, types and amount of catalysts and other means.
Plural component formulations do occasionally come in 3, 4 or more parts but this is not the norm with the vast majority of plural component systems being two part systems. The respective components of a plural component system are often identified as a Part A and Part B respectively, with additional Part C, Part D, etc. in instances where there are more than the typical two fluid components involved. For purposes of this disclosure, the typical two part system and nomenclature will be used throughout although the applicants' intention is to not limit the scope of disclosure and claims to only two component systems by doing so. It is an accepted well known practice to introduce catalysts (accelerators), blowing agents, coloring agents, etc. as separate components in a plural component system rather than pre-blending such ingredients into one of the fluid components of a plural component system. However, describing these more complex systems can become cumbersome, particularly in the drawings, so the applicants respectfully ask readers to consider a plural component system as being defined herein as a formulation that comes in two or more parts.
Many formulations employ solvents in varying types and amounts either within the formulations themselves or to clean and purge some or all of the equipment components of the spraying systems known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,618, issued to Norman R. Mowrer in 1987, discloses that a then "growing emphasis on compliance with government environmental and health regulations that limit both the type and amount of volatile organic compounds (VOC) has prompted coating manufacturers and end users to evaluate new coating technologies" (Col 1 Row 40-44). Since that time, manufacturers have produced an increasing number of formulations that are described in the art as being as much as 100% solids—a term used to describe the percentage of the ingredients that remain in the formulations after completion of the cure cycle. This confirms there has in fact been a long felt need to reduce or eliminate the use of said solvents and other volatile components from formulations and also from equipment purging and cleaning processes.
Manufacturers of formulations and equipment respectively are having difficulties developing new technologies that meet the tightening environmental and health requirements while meeting customer and end user demands for better solutions without increasing costs. In particular, eliminating the use of solvents has made it much more difficult to develop improved formulations that maintain 1:1 volumetric ratios with matched viscosities. The trend has been toward formulations that have widening ratios with 4:1 currently considered the maximum viable ratio. For the purposes of this disclosure, the standard ratios are: 1:1, 1.5:1, 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1 with ratios wider than that considered non-standard. Many practitioners consider ratios beyond 2:1 to be non-standard while recognizing that more formulations with wider ratios are coming into use.
It is desired to have spraying systems that go beyond this to accommodate in excess of 10:1 for some formulations. Generally, the widely held perception is that the further a ratio moves from 1:1, the more difficult it becomes to successfully mix and dispense the material. Viscosities are similarly becoming more divergent, generally increasing, with formulations known in the art that have viscosities increasing to as much as 1,000,000 cP (centipoise). In comparison, other materials have much lower viscosities, as little as 50 cP. It has therefore become a common practice to include elaborate heating systems to decrease the viscosity of thick materials such that they can be successfully pumped, mixed and dispensed using spraying technology. As a point of clarification, the term "spraying" is being used for expediency, while other applying or dispensing techniques are also envisioned.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,490, issued to Peter Paul Roosen et al. in 1994, discloses a plasticised gypsum composition that includes plural component formulations that have volumetric ratios ranging between 4:1 to 9:1 and large differences in viscosity between the respective Part A and Part B components. Roosen is one of the applicants herein and the disclosure of the '490 patent is incorporated herein by reference. Roosen '490 formulation Example 1 is for a plural component gypsum composition that contains 41% PBW (parts by weight) gypsum in total and is typically prepared in two parts with Part A being the gypsum and various other ingredients totaling 83% PBW and Part B being the balance 17% isocyanate. This 5:1 PBW ratio translates to a volumetric ratio of approximately 4.5:1 which is not a standard industry ratio and has therefore been difficult to dispense by means of a solvent-free spray application using conventional off the shelf equipment. Roosen and others were forced to use non-spraying means to dispense the formulations due to numerous failed attempts to disperse the material by means of a suitable spraying system.
The Roosen '490 patent also discloses a formulation in which the gypsum composition contains 75% PBW gypsum and a much smaller percentage of isocyanate (less than 7% PBW) that is produced into various finished products including products similar to those prepared using the above Example 1 formulation. This Example 2 formulation is quite similar to the Example 1 formulation with the increased amount of gypsum being the primary difference. It has always been one of Roosen's objectives to find a suitable means to spray apply the Example 1 formulation that contains 41% PBW gypsum and, if possible, to use spraying systems to apply formulations that have higher percentages of gypsum, approaching the 75% PBW gypsum level of the Example 2 formulation. Those efforts of almost 20 years have consistently failed. This failure is partly due to his lack of willingness to incorporate petrochemical solvents into the formulation or as part of a purging or routine flushing system for a spraying system.
The above Roosen formulations and products derived from them have been recognized in Canada and other countries as excellent examples of "green" and sustainable technologies that have minimal adverse impact on the environment. There have been further developments to replace the petrochemical derived isocyanate component with other materials to further enhance the green aspects. In fact, in 2010, Roosen was awarded a $100,000 cash prize for having won Canada's national "Greenvention" competition in front of millions of television viewers and he has been named the country's top "Eco-preneur". He has steadfastly refused to accept any proposed method to dispense formulations using spraying equipment that uses petrochemical solvents as either ingredients or part of a routine purging system, both of which are among common and widespread current industry practices.
As an interesting contrast, to the Roosen '490 formulations, Mowrer '618 reveals a series of two-component, solvent-free polyurethane compositions which may be combined at substantially 1:1 ratio by volume, and applied with commercially available, plural component, airless spraying equipment at ambient temperatures. He goes to some length in describing his formulations and reasons for conforming to various perceived technical limitations. His formulations appear to be composed of well marketed standard petrochemical ingredients produced by a relatively small number of well established chemical manufacturers. We believe that approach of conforming to a narrow band of technical constraints has the disadvantage of limiting the ability of practitioners to invent new and useful products of potentially greater value to customers and end users.
Furthermore, it makes it much more difficult to develop sustainable and environmentally sound solutions. Mowrer's approach, however, has been and continues to be preferred by equipment manufacturers.
Another important variable is pressure. Modern plural component spraying equipment has been engineered to operate at increasing pressures, currently in excess of 7,000 psi (50,000 kPa) for some systems. This is largely due to the need to successfully proportion, mix, and disperse solvent-free formulations with high viscosity components. The ability to operate at lower pressures is preferred to increase equipment life and operator safety while reducing operating and maintenance costs. Mowrer and others suggest system pressure and viscosity limits of 3,000 psi (21,000 kPa) and 1,000 cP (centipoises) respectively. Graco Minnesota Inc. is a well established Minneapolis based manufacturer of plural component spray equipment. In a 2011 Graco technical manual for the company's Fusion™ Solvent Purge Plural-Component Gun, there is an explicit instruction to balance the gauges at the required pressure. This Graco gun is a relatively heavy apparatus that is awkward and difficult to use due to its excessive weight and bulky size and it therefore has limited utility. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,744,019 issued to Matthew Merchant, there is an explicit expressed requirement to introduce the two respective components of a two part system into the mixing tube at the same pressures, which in this case is approximately 3,000 psi (21,000 kPa).
There is a strong tendency toward keeping viscosities, ratios and pressures matched that is well established in the prior art.
Although there has been a trend toward reducing the amount of solvent that is used within the formulations, the opposite has been the case for cleaning and purging plural component spray system equipment. There is a tremendous amount of prior art pointing toward likely millions of gallons (liters) a year of solvents used to clean and purge said equipment. For instance, it is common knowledge that for many epoxy coating systems of the 100% solids type, it typically takes approximately 5 gallons (20 liters) of solvent to purge and clean the equipment after each use. For a typical use of 50 gallons (200 liters) of said epoxy coating, that amount of solvent would be equivalent to having the formulation containing 10% solvent within it. It would appear that much of the benefit of reducing the solvent within the formulations is lost when taking account of the purging and cleaning requirements.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,918,369 5,678,764 6,544,204 5,178,326 4,760,956 4,695,618 4,967,956 6,811,096 and 6,824,071 are among the many examples of prior art explicitly applying solvent purging and cleaning systems. Graco appears to have substantial interest in many of these above patents and in publications such as WO 2009/036129 directed toward solvent injection systems. The company's current Fusion™ Solvent Purge Plural-Component Gun for which it claims patent pending status appears to represent the state of the art.
The solvent purge or flush spraying systems currently in widespread use typically employ a set of ratio proportioning pumps that deliver two or more respective components of a plural component fluid formulation under pressure to a manifold where the two streams are combined after which the combined fluids are forced through one or more static mixing elements located in the fluid path, through a single hose or tube often called a whip then through a spray gun which dispenses the mixed material. Static mixers can also be located further downstream and are sometimes found in the gun itself or at more than one location in the mixed fluid pathway. A separate solvent pump delivers a stream of solvent which is pumped through the manifold, static mixing elements, whip and gun at the end of each operating cycle to purge any mixed material from the system before such mixed material cures and clogs one or more parts of the system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,326, issued to Timothy S. Kukesh et al., is directed to such a system with the inclusion of additional compressed air impingement acting on the mixed material after exiting the spraying orifice of the spray gun. Kukesh '326 illustrates this conventional solvent purge approach quite well.
There is also prior art describing spraying equipment that has been designed for mixing in the gun very close to the spraying orifice. The mixing of the plural component formulations occurs in a small mixing chamber through the impingement mixing of plural fluid streams that exit the spraying orifice, sometimes referred to as a spray tip, very near the location of the impingement mixing. For clarification, the plural components are brought into the gun separately and mixed very close to the spray tip. U.S. Pat. No. 7,527,172, issued to Jonathan R. McMichael, is directed toward improvements in such a plural component (two components) mixing and dispensing apparatus. The McMichaels '172 apparatus requires the volumetric proportioning ratio to be near or at 1:1, the fluid viscosities of the respective two fluids to be relatively low and closely matched and the pressures to be relatively closely matched because it relies on impingement mixing to mix the two fluid components. These types of spray guns are primarily used for fast set urethane foams that normally cure in a matter of seconds. Many of the impingement mixing type guns that are typically used for fast setting urethane foams and ureas also employ solvent purging although it is not as necessary as for the more common non-impingement mixing type of gun where solvent usage is widespread. Some of the impingement mixing type guns including the one disclosed in McMichaels '172 use air to purge the relatively small amount of mixed material that needs to be quickly purged at the end of each use of the gun. Guns of this type are not effectively being used for non-standard ratio formulations, particularly where there are high viscosity fluids involved. Attempts to use impingement mixing guns for such materials generally produce inadequate results due to insufficient mixing, poor spray pattern, clogging or a combination of these.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,799,403, issued to Richard O. Probst et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a spray gun in which the mixing chamber is movable with respect to the housing as a practical and simple means of stopping and starting the flow of plural fluid components and also so that a gas such as compressed air can be used to purge the mixing chamber of the mixed residue of plural component material upon termination of the dispensing operation. Although such guns have been in use for many years, it is difficult to obtain consistent, high quality mixing of the fluid components, especially when the ratios, viscosities and/or pressures are uneven.
Another strategy for purging plural component system is to shut off one of the fluid components and let another fluid component continue to flow to purge mixed material from the system. This is often ineffective due to what is sometimes referred to as a crossover effect, whereby the purge fluid flows in a reverse direction toward where the fluid component that has been shut off normally enters the mix chamber. This is where mixed material builds up and eventually clogs or impedes flow.

Solvent-free plural component spraying system and method


A water soluble drip stop plug for stopping water flow in a pipe and for dissolving after a predetermined time after water flow is restored. The plug is a cup shaped water soluble plug which has tapered sides to fit snugly into the inside diameter of pipes. The end wall of the plug is designed to dissolve in a predetermined time after contact with fluids. The end wall of the plug has a different wall thickness than the side wall of the plug. A preferred embodiment has an end wall with a portion of reduced wall thickness which allows it to break away quicker than the remainder of the end wall. Additionally, the drip stop plug may have reinforced side walls to provide support for plugs of larger diameter.

I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a water soluble drip stop plug for stopping dripping or water flow in a pipe and for dissolving after a predetermined time after water flow is restored to permit unimpeded flow, and more particularly to a cup shaped water soluble drip stop plug which has a unique configuration to allow for dissolution at various predetermined times.
II. Description of Related Art
A number of prior art patents have recognized the desirability of shutting off the flow of water in a pipe to permit repairs to be made. U.S. Pat. No. 4,357,960 issued to Han on Nov. 9, 1982, entitled Plumbing Method And Composition For Use In Same discloses the use of plugs of water soluble alginate into the open ends of a pipe to allow a repair to be made, after which the alginate dissolves, allowing water flow to be restored.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,393 issued to Jaggard on Jan. 18, 1977, entitled Gel-Like Composition for Use as a Pig in a Pipeline discloses the use of a gel-like composition as a pig or blockage in a pipeline. The gel-like mass is disclosed as a hydrocarbon liquid gel with a metal salt. The pig is used to separate the fluids in a conduit by introducing the gel between the flowing fluids. U.S. Pat. No. 3,631,870 issued to Livingston on Jan. 4, 1972, entitled Method of Stopping Flow in a Pipeline also discloses a method of arresting the flow of liquid in a pipeline so the pipeline can be repaired by transforming the flowing liquid into a gel to form a plug of material which stops flow downstream. U.S. Pat. No. 3,338,499 issued to Gilbert on Aug. 29, 1967, entitled Device for Welding Pipe Ends discloses the use of water soluble plastic plugs to seal the ends of two pipes in order to allow them to be welded. After the repair is made, the plastic plugs are dissolved by flushing with water.
All of the foregoing plugs and methods have some or all of the following limitations or disadvantages:
1. The plugs are not designed for dissolving at a predetermined period of time after water is restored.
2. The plugs are not designed to have the end break away prior to dissolution of the sides.
3. The plugs have a large indeterminate volume of material which needs to be purged from the pipe.


An engineering wood based laminated panel for use as structural flooring for vehicle decking systems replaces a traditional hardwood decking and is cheaper plus having superior structural and wear properties. The panel has a plurality of layers in order down from a top surface, comprising a surface layer (1) having at least two high density wood veneer plies oriented parallel to one side of the panel, a load distribution layer (2) having at least one high density wood veneer ply cross oriented to the one side of the panel; a core layer (3) having from about 8 to 14 wood veneer plies oriented parallel to the one side of the panel with centre plies of the core layer being high density wood plies, and a resin impregnated reinforcement layer (4).

In North America platform trailers, van trailers, and intermodal containers and chassis are commonly used to transport goods. The floors of these vehicles are load bearing elements required to resist repeated applications of gravity loads from wheels of lift trucks carrying goods into and out of the vehicles. The floors typically consist of wood based decking elements and steel supporting beams.
In terms of the steel supporting beams, the basic structural system of a typical platform trailer is very different from that of typical van trailers and/or intermodal containers and chassis. Usually there are two main steel girders spaced 1.2 m apart and two smaller C-channels spaced 2.4 m apart, running along the length of a platform trailer. Perpendicular to the length of the trailer, light weight high strength steel I-beams are mounted onto the main girders forming the basic steel supporting elements. These heavy girder elements stiffen the floor and allow weaker wood based flooring panels to be used effectively to service the applied loads. Van trailers and/or intermodal containers and chassis, however, usually only consist of two small C-channels running along the length of the vehicle spaced 2.4 m apart. In effect this monocoque construction require stronger flooring material to be used effectively to service the applied loads.
The flooring panels are subjected to loading from wheels of lift trucks carrying goods into and out of the vehicles. Such loading results in shear and bending stresses in the flooring panels. Throughout the panel depth, the shear stress is highest close to the neutral axis near the centre of the panel and very small close to the edges. The bending stress, on the other hand, is zero at the neutral axis near the centre of the panel and reaches maximum value at the edge. Consequently, two common failure modes are encountered with laminated wood panels in flooring applications: shear failure near the centre of the panel or bending tension failure at the bottom face of the panel.
Hardwood species are traditionally used for vehicle decking, either a tropical species group Apitong or laminated oak. These species have superior structural and wear and tear properties compared to softwood species. In the late 80""s the continued availability of the hardwoods at a reasonable price became an issue. Furthermore, if alternate vehicle decking made from less dense softwoods were available, it would be possible to increase vehicle payloads which is an important cost incentive for the vehicle owners.
Existing softwood based panels can fulfil the industry requirements for service on platform trailers but have not been able to meet the structural requirements of the larger van trailers and intermodal containers and chassis market. The structural requirements on the flooring as stipulated by the Truck and Trailer Manufacturer Association (TTMA) consist of carrying a repeatedly applied front axle load for 3000 cycles without failure. The load rating for the van trailers and intermodal containers market spans from 73 kN to 107 kN front axle load.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,041,322 and No. 5,143,418 both to Fouquet disclose veneer flooring panels for trucks made from softwood Douglas-fir veneers pressed and bonded together by a resin to form panels of at least 11 veneers. The majority of veneers are arranged with the face grain oriented along the longitudinal direction of the panel with two cross ply veneers toward the upper and lower edges of the panel to provide stability and a small load carrying capacity in the width direction. Panels constructed according to this arrangement and tested under bending in the longitudinal direction typically fail in rolling shear in the cross plies. These results indicate that this panel does not meet the TTMA requirements.
Applicant has developed an engineered wood based laminated panel that addresses the shortcomings of the prior art. The panel of the present invention has been developed for use as structural flooring material in transportation vehicles via attachment to the steel frame of the vehicle. The panel has a unique structure that mixes high and low density veneers and resin impregnated reinforcements to create a panel of superior strength that is able to meet the structural requirements specified by the TTMA.
According to one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a wood based laminated panel with a plurality of layers in order down from a top surface, comprising: a surface layer having at least two high density wood veneer plies with the grain oriented parallel to one side of the panel; a load distribution layer having at least one high density wood veneer ply with the grain cross oriented to the one side of the panel; a core layer having from about 8 to 14 wood veneer plies with grain orientation parallel to the one side of the panel with high density wood plies, and a resin impregnated reinforcement layer.
In another embodiment there is provided a method of manufacturing the wood based laminated panel as described comprising the steps of coating the veneer plies with resin, arrange the plies in a predetermined lay-up together with the resin impregnated reinforcement layer; lacing a resin impregnated paper layer on top of the lay-up, and pressing the lay-up together at predetermined temperature and pressure to cure the resin and form the panel.


A poultry agitator is operable for use in conjunction with long rectangular confined poultry houses equipped with a flow-through ventilation system. The agitator imitates the action of a human moving through a congregation of birds to encourage the birds to exercise, feed and intake water. The agitator is formed as a continuous cable that is supported in a circumferential route around the poultry house. The cable is entrained around a drive wheel that is operable to circulate the flexible cable and the agitator members attached thereto. A stop mechanism halts the movement of the agitator members near the end of the building and effects a reversal of the direction of operation of the drive wheel to cause the agitator to be returned to the initial home position. The cable is supported from spaced hangers without the need for massive support beam structure to carry the agitator along its path of travel along the side walls of the poultry house. The agitator is clamped on the cable to move therewith. The agitator is formed as an elongated frame having a target supported near the floor of the poultry house. A programmable control is operable to time the movement of the agitator without operator intervention.

This invention relates generally to device for encouraging housed poultry to be active and, more particularly, to an agitator driven by a continuous cable drive mechanism to move poultry within a housing structure to enhance feed consumption and promote healthier birds.
Poultry raised in confined areas have a restricted amount of room in which to move around. As the birds grow and become larger, the amount of room becomes even more restricted. It has been found that walking through the confined housing encourages the birds to move around. A number of devices have been devised to simulate a human""s movement through the confined area, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,304,194 and 4,313,397. Other prior art devices have utilized targets to encourage the birds to move from one area to another, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,167,153 and 5,076,212. Movement of confined poultry results in increased food consumption and, therefore, weight for the birds. Furthermore, movement also gives the birds needed exercise to strengthen muscles and promote healthy growth.
Some modern poultry houses are constructed with a ventilation system that directs the flow of fresh air from one end of the long rectangular building to the other, creating a tunnel effect. This flow-through ventilation system tends to urge the birds to migrate to the side walls of the building where less air is being moved. The congregation of large numbers of the birds creates a significant build-up of heat energy and results in suffocation of the birds. Since the watering and feeding systems for the birds are positioned through the building, the congregation of the birds at the side walls prevents the majority of the birds from reaching either food or water, thus hampering growth and promoting sickness in the flock. The known prior art devices attempt to keep the birds more homogeneously distributed throughout the building.
The drive mechanisms for the agitator devices identified above generally utilize tracks or channels on which the devices are mounted for movement through the building. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,167,153, the drive mechanism is an electric motor mounted directly on the agitator and supported in a channel-shaped rail having a drive mechanism housed therein to cause the baffle to be moved around the poultry house. This channel-shaped rail needs to be of substantive mass to support the weight of the motor and associated baffle structure. Placing such a massive structure in a modem poultry house which can be hundreds of feet long is cost prohibitive.
Similarly, the drive mechanism in U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,212 includes a substantial pipe supported fore-and-aft through the length of the poultry house. The carrier is connected to a flexible cable that is wound on a spool that drives the carrier back and forth along the length of the poultry house. As with the drive mechanism of the U.S. Pat. No. 4,167,153, the expense of hanging the support tubing and providing a drive spool for each of the lines on which the carriers are mounted would be substantial. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,304,194 and 4,313,397 are very similar in nature to the massive supports taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,167,153 and would be cost prohibitive for large modem poultry houses.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a poultry agitator that would be operable to move poultry from away from the side walls of a poultry house having flow-through ventilation systems, and to provide a drive mechanism for the agitator mechanism that can be inexpensively installed and operated to provide a cost effective device for enhancing the growth and health of confined poultry.
It is an object of this invention to provide a poultry agitator that is operable to move poultry away from the side walls of a poultry house having a flow-through ventilation system.
It is another object of this invention to provide a poultry agitator structure that can be installed and operated in a cost effective manner to promote the health and growth of confined poultry.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a drive mechanism for a poultry agitator that is permits the agitator to be utilized in modem poultry houses.
It is an advantage of this invention that the drive mechanism permits the installation of a cost effective poultry agitator.
It is a feature of this invention that the poultry agitator does not require a substantial support beam for carrying the agitator members through the poultry house.
It is another advantage of this invention that the agitator carrier does not have to support the drive mechanism.
It is another feature of this invention that the drive mechanism is positionable in a conveniently accessible corner of the poultry house while being operable to cause movement of the agitator carrier along the length of the poultry house side walls.
It is still another advantage of this invention that the single drive mechanism is operable to effect simultaneous movement of two agitator carriers along opposing side walls of the poultry house from a single location.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a cost effective poultry agitator that will enable poultry growers to install and operate the agitator to maximize profits.
It is yet another feature of this invention that the agitator structure utilizes hangers spaced along the length of travel of the agitator members to support a flexible cable entrained around a drive wheel to cause the cable to circulate around the circumference of the poultry house.
It is yet another advantage of this invention that the agitator encourages the poultry to exercise, feed and intake water, thus promoting the health of the birds being confined in the poultry house.
It is still another feature of this invention that the agitator mechanism is operated by a programmable control apparatus that is easy to program and utilize.
It is a further feature of this invention that the agitator structure includes a mechanism that operates to reverse the direction of operation of the drive wheel to return the agitator members to a home position.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a poultry agitator that is durable in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, carefree in maintenance, easy to assemble, and simple and effective in use.
These and other objects, features and advantages are accomplished according to the instant invention by providing a poultry agitator that is operable for use in conjunction with long rectangular confined poultry houses equipped with a flow-through ventilation system. The agitator mechanism imitates the action of a human moving through a congregation of birds to encourage the birds to exercise, feed and intake water. The agitator mechanism is formed as a continuous cable that is supported in a circumferential route around the poultry house. The cable is entrained around a drive wheel that is operable to circulate the flexible cable and the agitator members attached thereto. A stop mechanism halts the movement of the agitator near the end of the building and effects a reversal of the direction of operation of the drive wheel to cause the agitator to be returned to the initial home position. The cable is supported from spaced hangers without the need for massive support beam structure to carry the agitator along its path of travel along the side walls of the poultry house. The agitator member is clamped on the cable to move therewith. The agitator is formed as an elongated frame having a target supported near the floor of the poultry house. A programmable control is operable to time the movement of the agitator without operator intervention.


An optical disk apparatus for detecting synchronization signals of an optical disk. Marks and spaces are alternately arranged as synchronization signals of the optical disk. An encoding/decoding circuit of the optical disk apparatus utilizes a rule for alternately arranging synchronization signals, thereby verifying a detected synchronization signal. When the polarity of a synchronization signal detected from a preceding synchronization frame is a mark, the next synchronization signal is a space. When the polarity of a detected synchronization signal is a space, the signal is determined to be a correct synchronization signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disk apparatus, and more particularly, to a device for reproducing data from an optical disk on which synchronization information is formed in accordance with a specific rule.
2. Related Art
The optical disk apparatus hitherto optimizes recording power by means of techniques called OPC (Optimum Power Control) and ROPC (Running Optimum Power Control), thereby recording data. According to the OPC technique, test data are recorded in a predetermined area (PCA) of the optical disk while variously changing the recording power before recording data, and the test data are reproduced. Recording power at which the quality (e.g., a β value) of the reproduced signal becomes optimum is selected and taken as optimum recording power. In the mean time, according to the ROPC technique, consideration is given to the fact that the sensitivity of a recording film of the optical disk is not necessarily uniform within the plane. When data are actually recorded at the optimum recording power determined through OPC, the quantity of return light arising at the time of recording of data is monitored. The recording power is controlled by feedback such that the quantity of return light assumes a constant value. In general, the quantity of light of level B is used as the quantity of return light. The level B represents the quantity of return light acquired when a pit is formed upon exposure of the optical disk to recording power (i.e., the quantity of return light resulting from the recording power having been diffracted by the pit). Specifically, when the quantity of return light of level B is lower than a given value, pits are determined to be formed excessively. Hence, the recording power is reduced. In contrast, when the quantity of return light of level B is higher than the given value, pits are determined not to be formed sufficiently, and the recording power is increased.
Here, data having pit lengths 3T to 11T are recorded on a CD-R/RW or the like. However, difficulty is encountered in monitoring the quantity of return light arising at the time of recording of data having a short pit length to control the recording power through feedback. In light of this difficulty, the quantity of return light arising at the time of recording of data having the longest pit length 11T is detected, thereby effecting ROPC. The CD-R/RW complies with specifications of 11T being included in the synchronization information (SYNC) and of 11T continuously appearing twice at all times on a per-frame basis. Any of the two 11T pit lengths inevitably turns into a mark(i.e., an area where a pit is formed by radiation of the recording power). Therefore, ROPC is carried out cyclically (at the timing of synchronization information to be cyclically inserted) through use of the 11T pit length, thereby making an attempt to cyclically optimize the recording power.
In the case of a DVD-R/RW or the like, 3T to 11T pit lengths are formed as in the case of the CD-R or the like. However, a 14T pit length is used for synchronization information. In contrast with the CD-R, the DVD-R/RW complies with specifications of the 14T pit length being not continuously inserted twice (i.e., a mark and a space are not inserted as a pair) but being inserted only once in one frame (93 bytes). Taking the pit length 14T as a mark or a space is arbitrary. For example, when all of the pit lengths 14T are set as a space, pits are not formed to the longest pit length 14T, and hence ROPC cannot be conducted. Consequently, the recording power cannot be cyclically optimized, which in turn poses a problem of difficulty in maintaining recording quality. As a matter of course, ROPC can also be considered to be enabled by means of setting all of the 14T pit lengths as marks. However, when all of the 14T pit lengths are set to marks, a DSV value is increased, which may result in an increase in low-frequency components. Here, the DSV (Digital Sum Value) is a value determined by accumulating all bits in a sequence from the top while one status (e.g., 1) of the bit sequence—which takes two statuses—is taken as +1 and the other status (e.g., 0) of the same is taken as −1. The low-frequency component (a DC component) becomes small if the DSV value is small, as a result of which the recording and reproducing quality is improved.
A technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-91819 is for setting marks and spaces as synchronization information such that they are alternately arranged. According to this technique, ROPC, or the like, is carried out in accordance with the synchronization information about the marks, whereby an attempt can be made to optimize the recording power.
As mentioned above, as a result of the marks and the spaces being alternately formed as synchronization information, ROPC or the like can be cyclically carried out, and the DSV value is also suppressed, thereby diminishing the low-frequency components of a reproduced signal. In addition, the synchronization information alternately appears according to a predetermined rule rather than arbitrarily appearing in the form of either marks or spaces as in the conventional technique, so that the feasibility of various reproduction processing can be expected.

Optical disc apparatus with rule based synchronization


A pulling device for a foldable ladder joint, comprising: two inner bodies, having facing front surfaces, with aligned sets of three arc-shaped holes each along a circular path; an arc-shaped piece, inserted between the front surfaces of the two inner bodies, extended along the circular path and glidingly movable along the circular path, guided by pins or projections, which extend into the arc-shaped holes of the inner bodies; and a spring with two ends, which are held on a fixed position on one of the inner bodies and one end of the arc-shaped piece, so as to exert an elastic force on the arc-shaped piece along the circular path.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a pulling device in a joint of a foldable ladder, particularly to a pulling device of simplified structure and improved operation.
2. Description of Related Art
A joint for a foldable ladder has been disclosed in the German Utility Model No. 29600583,5. Therein, as shown in FIG. 5, three gliding pins 8 are each connected with a spring 9 to form three pulling devices. A handle 7 allows to vary the opening angle of the foldable ladder between three different adjustments. This arrangement has few structural parts and thus works reliably.
The main characteristic of the present invention is that a single spring is substituted for the three springs 9. An arc-shaped part connects the three gliding pins 8, forming a single pulling device. The handle 7 for unlocking the joint, when operated, is exposed to an elastic force from the pulling device. Since the three gliding pins 8 are connected by the arc-shaped part, they will be moved along a circular line. Thus reliable functioning of the pulling device is ensured. At the same time, the number of structural parts is reduced.
The present invention can be more fully understood by reference to the following description and accompanying drawings.

Pulling device for foldable ladder joint


A method for operation of a printing mechanism in an electrographic printer or copier, whereby a charge image is applied at a surface region of a toner image carrier. The surface region provided with the charge image is conveyed past at the transfer surface of a transfer element at a spacing of a developing gap. The actual width of the gap is controlled with a loop control circuit.

The invention is directed to a method for the operation of a printing mechanism in an electrographic printer or copier, whereby a charge image is applied at the surface region of a toner image carrier. The surface region provided with the charge image is conveyed past the transfer surface of a transfer element at the spacing of a development gap, so that toner is transferred from the transfer surface to the surface of the toner image carrier.
The width of the developing gap is essentially determined by the spacing between toner image carrier and transfer surface of the transfer element. Different demands are made of the allowable width of the developing gap dependent on the printing or copying method employed. Applied, among other things, are electrophotographic methods, electromagnetic methods and inographic methods. Single-component and multi-component toners are employed as the toner. Liquid and solid toner are also distinguished.
In a known method, a relatively constant width of the developing gap is achieved in that the transfer surface is pressed against the surface of the toner image carrier by a pressing mechanism. The developing gap spacing can be prescribed via a spacer that, for example, rolls along on the toner image carrier with the assistance of rollers.
What is disadvantageous about this solution is that the rollers and the photoconductor as well are exposed to increased wear due to this type of spacing regulation. With increasing wear, however, the spacing is no longer held constant to the required extent.
DE 42 32 232 C2 discloses a method for setting the width of a developing gap, whereby an average gap width is set before the beginning of the printing process with a control circuit, without taking the radial deviation of a photoconductor drum into consideration. The radial deviation is then compensated during the printing process via a controller that employs a data bank having permanently prescribed data.

Method for the operation of a printing mechanism in an electrographic printer or copier


A turbine engine component has an airfoil portion with a pressure side wall, a suction side wall, and a trailing edge. The turbine engine component further has at least one first cooling circuit core embedded within the pressure side wall, with each first cooling circuit core having a first exit for discharging a cooling fluid, at least one second cooling circuit core embedded within the suction side wall, with each second cooling circuit core having a second exit for discharging a cooling fluid, and the first and second exits being aligned in a spanwise direction of the airfoil portion.

The present application is directed to an airfoil portion of a turbine engine component.
Some existing trailing edge microcircuits consist of a single core 10 inserted into a mainbody core and run out the center of a trailing edge 12 of an airfoil portion 14 of a turbine engine component, or to a pressure side cutback (see FIG. 1). Other schemes run two cores 10 and 10′ out the aft end of the trailing edge 12 (see FIG. 2) of the airfoil portion 14. Of the two microcircuits in this configuration, one behaves similar to other trailing edge microcircuits while the other dumps to the pressure side upstream of the trailing edge.

Full coverage trailing edge microcircuit with alternating converging exits


Small feature patterning is accomplished using a multilayer hard mask (HM). Embodiments include sequentially forming a first HM layer and a multilayer HM layer over a substrate, the multilayer HM layer comprising sublayers, etching the multilayer HM layer to form a first opening having an upper first opening with sides converging to a lower second opening and a second opening with substantially parallel sides and an opening substantially corresponding to the lower second opening of the first opening, etching through the second opening to form a corresponding opening in the first HM layer, and etching the substrate through the corresponding opening in the first HM layer.

As the dimensions of semiconductor devices continue to shrink, various issues arise imposing increasing demands for methodology enabling patterning of smaller features without sacrificing pattern profiles. Previous methods of patterning smaller features resulted in poor pattern profiles and in insufficient critical dimension (CD) shrink. Known solutions to the problem include extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography and electron beam (e-Beam) lithography. However, both methods are expensive, and thus do not provide satisfactory manufacturing solutions. Another proposed solution involves low temperature oxide (LTO), or oxide spacer, CD shrink. However, LTO shrink has pattern density loading effects and the potential for defects.
A prior approach to form small features, such as stacked poly gates and densely packed contacts and metal lines, is illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1D and employs a silicon antireflective coating (SiARC)/hard mask (HM) shrink. The method employs an amorphous carbon HM, as amorphous carbon allows high etch selectivity to films typically used in the semiconductor industry, i.e., it exhibits good plasma etch selectivity during oxide or nitride etches, and it can be easily removed with an oxygen plasma.
Adverting to FIG. 1A, substrate 101, the layer to be patterned, can be an insulating layer, a semiconductor layer, such as bulk silicon or silicon germanium, or a metal layer. Amorphous carbon layer 103, i.e., the HM, antireflective coating (ARC) 105, and resist 107 are consecutively formed over substrate 101.
As illustrated in FIG. 1B, resist 107 is etched to form an opening 109 which is larger than the desired feature size. The resist is used as a mask to etch ARC 105 in FIG. 1C. ARC shrink is employed to enable smaller feature patterning. In other words, ARC 105 is etched with a tapered profile 111 to form an opening that converges from upper opening 109 to a smaller lower opening 113. Amorphous carbon layer 103 is also etched with a tapered profile 117 to further reduce the feature size in the substrate. The resulting amorphous carbon layer 103 is used as a mask for patterning substrate 101.
It was found, however, that when substrate 101 is etched, the tapering in carbon layer 103 created an environment that induced a significant degree of high bias ion reflection resulting in bowing 119 illustrated in FIG. 1D and, consequently poor profiles, thereby limiting CD shrink capability.
A need therefore exists for methodology enabling formation of smaller features without sacrificing pattern profiles.

Method of semiconductor manufacturing for small features


A recovery process for embedded processors monitors other processes in the system. Each process may specify a recovery policy residing in nonvolatile electronic memory that preferably includes a recovery count, a recovery time, and a recovery action. If a process terminates unexpectedly, the recovery process determines whether the process had a corresponding recovery policy. If not, the recovery process does not recover the process. If the process has a corresponding recovery policy, the recovery process determines whether it can recover the process by examining the recovery count and recovery time specified in the recovery policy. If the process can be recovered, the recovery process performs the recovery action specified in the corresponding recovery policy. If the process cannot be recovered, the recovery process resets the system. In this manner, a single process may be recovered by the recovery process without user intervention and without affecting other processes running on the system, and without performing a reset of the entire system.

1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to data processing, and more specifically relates to recovery of software processes in an embedded processor system.
2. Background Art
Modern electronics provide many conveniences of life. Many modern appliances use embedded processors to perform control functions, display information to a user, etc. One example of an embedded processor is found in many electronic appliances, such as microwave ovens and clothes irons. Another common example of an embedded processor is found in many modern automobiles. Many commercially-available embedded processors include specialized functions. For example, one may include display drivers that allow the processor to directly drive seven segment light emitting diode (LED) displays, such as those found on some microwave ovens. Another may include on-chip analog-to-digital (A/D) and/or digital-to-analog (D/A) converters that allow the processor to be connected directly to external analog circuitry. Many specialized functions are available on-chip in known embedded processors.
One problem with an embedded processor system occurs when a software process terminates unexpectedly. Because there is no consistent user interface for embedded processor systems (such as a keyboard and display on a desktop computer system), there may not be any way for the processor to notify a user that the process has terminated, and even if notification is possible, there may be nothing the user can do about it. For this reason, it is desirable to provide intelligence within the embedded system to know how to handle the unexpected termination of a process. Referring to FIG. 2, a prior art method 200 for an embedded processor system begins when a process abnormally terminates (step 210). We assume that control code (such as an operating system kernel) monitors all processes, and detects when any process terminates abnormally (step 220). In response, the control code resets the system (step 230). One of the problems with prior art method 200 of FIG. 2 is that a single abnormal termination of a process results in resetting the entire embedded system. This may not be desirable if the process that abnormally terminated was a non-critical process, or if the abnormally terminated process could be restarted without affecting other processes that are running on the embedded system. Without a way to recover a process in a way that does not require user intervention and that does not force reset of the entire system, the embedded control industry will continue to suffer from inefficient mechanisms for handling the unexpected termination of a process.

Apparatus and method for process recovery in an embedded processor system


A web content generation platform is provided that is operable to initiate and guide the creation of interactive web content, including video debate content, and publish the content dynamically to one or more pages. The platform also includes an analytics engine that is operable to establish information regarding user preferences and interests based on their creation of interactive content or related content, consumption of interactive content or related content, and/or engagement with one another based on such interactive content or related content. A novel workflow for guiding the creation of video debate content is also provided, which is embodied in the content engine of the web content generation platform.

Numerous platforms are known for enabling engagement with the audience for content. Computer network implemented audience engagement platforms exist for example for embedding interactive features such as social media features into web content such as a website. Audience engagement platforms for example link to a website, or embed into a website, feedback applications, review applications, commenting tools, blogging tools, reviewing tools, polling applications, galleries, contest functionality, tools enabling communications between users (such as discussion threads, billboards, or messaging applications), and so on ("audience engagement platform features").
In order to create a rich multimedia experience, websites are increasingly expected to incorporate sophisticated interactive functionality. Such functionality enhances user engagement, which can be leveraged to define interest of the users, for example, for the purpose of creating new content or to target advertising to users.
There is a need for new interactive content, and methods for managing the creation of such content that are easy to use and bring to completion. There is a need for integration of such interactive content into web properties in a seamless way, and for providing access to useful analytics related to consumption of such interactive content.
The present invention has been developed with a view to the foregoing considerations.

Systems and methods for interactive content generation