There is provided an injection molding device in which the film cutoff and the injection molding can be conducted in one process without fine positional adjustment of the stopper and the shape of the edge surface of the member is not limited to the shape of the cutting blade.

The injection molding device which injects resin to fill it in metallic molds to form it into a desired shape is capable of stably forming the resin into even a complex shape, and is hence employed to produce various members including parts of articles for daily use and electronic appliances.
A so-called insert molding device which inserts a film in metallic molds for injection molding and injects resin in the molds to thereby form a desired member makes it possible to also conduct surface decoration by the film in the same process as the member forming process, and hence is employed to produce housings and exterior trim items for electronic appliances, interior trim members for cars, and the like.
The film to be inserted in the molds in the insert molding is generally in an elongated form wound up in the shape of a roll or is a sheet of film having a predetermined size not associated with a member to be formed; hence, in a state in which the film is inserted and the injection is conducted thereto, the film is not appropriate for the use as a member. That is, a remaining portion of the film exceeding the size of the molds fixes onto a periphery of the member.
To avoid such state, the remaining portion of the film is cut off after the injection molding in some cases. Further, the injection molding is conducted depending on cases after the film which is beforehand shaped to conform to the shape of the molds in advance and which is trimmed to match the size of the molds is inserted in the molds. When these schemes are employed, a second process is disposed before and after the injection molding, making the processes complicated; hence, these schemes are not suitable for mass-production and cost reduction.
On the other hand, Patent Document 1 describes an injection molding device which inserts a film including the remaining portion thereof in the metallic molds to achieve cutoff of the film and the injection molding in one process.

Injection molding device, injection molding method and housing

Abstract: Resin is injected between a film (8) arranged on a cavity (1) as a metallic mold including a depression-shaped portion and a core (2) as a metallic mold including a projection-shaped portion to be inserted in the depression-shaped portion of the cavity (1), to thereby form a member; the cavity (1) includes a cutting blade (7) in an outer edge of the depression-shaped portion to cut off the film (8) arranged to project toward an outside plane of the depression-shaped portion; the core (2) includes an edge (3) in an outer edge of the projection-shaped portion to form an edge surface of the member; and when the core (2) is inserted in the cavity (1), the film (8) nipped by the cutting blade (7) and the edge (3) is cut off.


An exercise apparatus includes a body roller and at least one resistance band. The body roller includes an interior channel. The resistance band passes through the interior channel of the body roller. Ends of the resistance band extend outward on each side of the body roller. The body roller facilitates applied pressure to a user's body. The resistance bands facilitate resistance training exercises by the user. The body roller provides a structural support for the resistance bands during the resistance training exercises.

The convenience and ease of personal and home exercise equipment is an attraction for many interested in personal fitness. Conventional systems are designed to conserve space and maintain portability. However, an increase in portability in conventional systems has often resulted in a reduction in functionality. Conventional systems have become highly specialized which requires a fitness enthusiast to own and/or use multiple individual systems in order to perform a few exercises. For example, if a fitness enthusiast is doing an exercise with one piece of equipment and then moves to another exercise, with many conventional systems an entirely separate piece of equipment must be used. Using multiple pieces of equipment can be limiting and time consuming.


A multiprocessor system includes a plurality of processors, a shared bus coupled to the plurality of processors, a resource coupled to the shared bus and shared by the plurality of processors, and an exclusive control unit coupled to the plurality of processors and configured to include a lock flag indicative of a locked/unlocked state regarding exclusive use of the resource, wherein the processors include a special purpose register interface coupled to the exclusive control unit, and are configured to access the lock flag by special purpose register access through the special purpose register interface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to multiprocessor systems, and particularly relates to a multiprocessor system which manages exclusive control of shared resources.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the multiprocessor environments, i.e., in the environments in which systems are comprised of a plurality of processors, resources such as memories provided on a shared bus are shared by a plurality of processors. When a processor uses a memory, there may be a need under certain circumstances to exclusively use the memory for a predetermined duration by preventing the other processors from accessing the memory. Such a need arises because the consistency of the system cannot be maintained if the other processors access the memory or change the data during the ongoing transaction, for example. In order to grant exclusive use of shared resources, the control of the resources by use of a semaphore register is typically performed.
In the control of resources by use of a semaphore register, a processor wishing to gain exclusive control of a memory refers to a semaphore flag prior to access to the memory. If the flag is not on, it is ascertained that other processors are not using the memory. In such a case, the processor changes the flag to an on state so as to notify the other processors of its exclusive use of the memory, followed by accessing the memory. During the period in which the flag is on, the other processors cannot access the memory. When the use of the memory comes to an end, the processor having been using the memory cancels the on setting of the semaphore flag.
When a semaphore register is used, rigid control of the flag is necessary. A processor may refer to a semaphore flag, and may set the flag to an on state after confirming that the flag is not on, for example. If there is a time gap between the action of referring to the flag and the action of setting the flag, another processor may refer to the semaphore flag during this time gap. In such a case, the latter processor having referred to the semaphore flag ascertains that the memory is available because the flag is not on.
In order to avoid such a situation, the checking and setting of a semaphore flag is typically performed by use of a special access method called atomic LOAD/STORE. In this method, a read operation and a write operation are performed together as a single indivisible unit operation, i.e., are performed in a single bus cycle. Since the checking and setting of a flag is performed by carrying out a read operation and a write operation in a single bus cycle, this method achieves rigid flag control.
Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a mechanism for managing exclusive control is provided between processors and a shared connection network. Further, Patent Documents 2 through 6 disclose a configuration which manages exclusive control by use of a special locking mechanism.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-187652
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-225117
[Patent Document 3]
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-110847
[Patent Document 4]
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-314869
[Patent Document 5]
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-282291
[Patent Document 6]
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-343159
In exclusive control methods used by related-art multiprocessor systems, a typical configuration is that the semaphore flag is provided in the memory space of a shared memory. Because of such a configuration, each processor needs to access the semaphore flag in the shared memory through a bus. This makes it necessary to attend to access arbitration at the time of bus access. If a cache mechanism or the like is provided between the processor and the shared memory, the processor needs to access the shared memory by going through a lengthy access path. This may further add to the access time. There is thus a problem in that processing time required for exclusive control becomes lengthy.
Accordingly, there is a need for a multiprocessor system in which the processing time required for exclusive control is short.

Multiprocessor system with high-speed exclusive control


A sector windowing system, method and medium for reducing the number of transmission to various users in a multi-user computer game are disclosed. In various embodiments, the disclosed system, method, and medium determines what characters should receive notification of activities of other characters based on the proximity of the characters in the game, the load on a server's system and current backlog in the server's queue for each receiving user. The disclosed method and system allows a large number of users to be aware of their surroundings while reducing the number of transmission required for slow and unaffected characters.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to computer software processing which supports interactive multi-player computer games. More particularly, the invention provides an enhanced way of determining which game characters should receive updated information as available bandwidth decreases.
2. Related Information
Interactive multi-player computer games such as Doom.TM., Quake.TM., Duke Nukem 3-D.TM. are well known. In such games, players can navigate through various "rooms" requiring player interaction in the form of uncovering clues, answering questions, and making selections. In certain versions of these games, each player is provided with a dedicated personal computer which interacts with a central computer over the Internet or other communication medium. New players can enter a game already in progress, while others can exit at their choosing.
As one example, a game might provide a room where a large number of players represented by characters can interact, exchange messages, and engage in group actions. An example of room might be a "submarine" room which can hold a limited number of people at a time, wherein each player controls certain activities in the room. Based on the skills of each player, the submarine can be made to move toward various destinations and, upon successful arrival at a particular location, one or more players can move from the submarine into a different room. The players can play the game from different geographic locations and yet, because of coordination in a central computer program, each player is made aware of the actions of the other players.
FIG. 7 shows a conventional arrangement of characters 101-110 in room (or sector) 100. As character 107 moves about in room 100 or makes statements about its surroundings, each and every action taken by character 107 is transmitted to all of the other characters in the same room 100. The transmission of these messages are represented by the arrows from character 107 to each and every other character.
Several problems exist with the conventional arrangement depicted in FIG. 7. For one, it is not uncommon for a very large number of game players (hundreds or thousands) to simultaneously play one game. When a large number of players participate in a game, the server supporting room 100 has to transmit each and every action from each and every character to each and every other character. For a few characters, a server supporting room 100 may handle the messages properly. However, with numerous characters, the server supporting room 100 bogs down with the numerous messages transmitted between characters. The extra load on the server becomes cumulative with every passing instant as more messages keep coming. This situation can force the server to cancel its connections with characters or even shut itself down. Thus, conventional multi-player games are resource-intensive as they may quickly bog down a server with multiple players playing the game. Due to the increasing popularity of interactive computer games, this problem has become more widespread. Accordingly, a need exists to provide a more efficient and stable platform for interactive multiplayer game systems.
Also, a single player may on occasion experience a slowdown in its computer's processing ability. For example, the player's computer's its connection to the server supporting room 100 may become temporarily disabled. Alternatively, the player may be using a slow modem connection. If disabled or delayed for any length of time, the messages attempted to be sent to the player will overload the server, the player will be considered dead and the player will be cut off from playing the game. This is an unpleasant occurrence for the player. Accordingly, a need exists to minimize the likelihood of a player being cut out of a game because of a temporary delay at the player's machine.

System method and medium for sector windowing


A system and method for interference cancellation of received data via a communication channel in a cellular communication system having corresponding channel impulse response coefficients. Linear filtering of the received data is performed and thereafter a non-linear detection is executed to get detected data by non-linear signal processing. Filter coefficients are determined for linear pre-filtering of the received data to suppress non-Gaussian interference. The pre-filtered data is further processed by non-linear detection to get detected data.

Single antenna co-channel interference cancellation (SAIC) is important, especially for Global System for Mobile communications/Enhanced Data (GSM/EDGE) downlinks. In field trails, tremendous capacity gains have recently been demonstrated [1] 3G Americas, "SAIC and synchronized networks for increased GSM capacity," particularly for synchronized networks in urban areas. As a consequence, the upcoming GSM/EDGE release will be tightened with respect to interference cancellation.
One of the most challenging tasks is the design of the interference canceller, especially if, due to cost, volume, power consumption, and design aspects, only one receive antenna is available. Most interference cancellers fail if the number of receive antennas do not exceed the number of co-channels [2] J. H. Winters, "Optimum combining in digital mobile radio with co-channel interference," IEEE J. Sel. Areas Commun. vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 528-539, 1984, [3] A. M. Kuzminskiy and D. Hatzinakos, "Semiblind estimation of spatio-temporal filter coefficients based on a training-like approach," IEEE Signal Processing Letters, vol. 5, no. 9, pp. 231-233, September 1998, [4] A. M. Kuzminskiy, C. Luschi, and P. Strauch, "Comparison of linear and MLSE-spatio-temporal interference rejection combining with an antenna array in a GSM System," in Proc. IEEE Veh. Techn. Conf. '00, Tokyo, Japan, pp. 172-176, May 2000.
A receiver structure with linear filtering and decoupled non-linear detection has been studied in [5] D. Giancola, U. Girola, S. Parolari, A. Picciriello, U. Spagnolini, and D. Vincenzoni, "Space-time processing for time varying co-channel interference rejection and channel estimation in GSM/DCS systems," in Proc. IEEE Veh. Techn. Conf. '99, May 1999, [6] S. Ariyavistakul, J. H. Winters, and N. R. Sollenberger, "Joint equalization and interference suppression for high data rate wireless systems," IEEE J. Sel. Areas Commun. vol. 18, no. 7, pp. 1214-1220, July 2000, [7] R. Friedman and Y. Bar-Ness, "Combined channel-modified adaptive array MMSE canceller and Viterbi equalizer," in Proc. IEEE Veh. Techn. Conf. '01, pp. 209-213, 2001, [8] A. L. F. de Almeida, C. M. Panazio, F. R. P. Cavalcanti, and C. E. R. Fernandes, "Space-time processing with a decoupled delayed decision-feedback sequence estimator," in Proc. IEEE Veh. Techn. Conf. '02, Birmingham, Ala., USA, May 2002, [9] K. Kim and G. L. Stuber, "Interference cancelling receiver for range extended reception in TDMA cellular systems," in Proc. IEEE Veh. Techn. Conf. '03, October 2003 using multiple receive antennas. A special case of linear filtering in conjunction with a memory-less detector has been investigated in [10] B. R. Petersen and D. D. Falconer, "Suppression of adjacent-channel, co-channel, and intersymbol interference by equalizers and linear combiners," IEEE Trans. Commun. vol. 42, no. 12, pp. 3109-3118, December 1994, [11] H. Trigui and D. T. M. Slock, "Cochannel interference cancellation within the current GSM standard," in Proc. IEEE ICUPC '98, pp. 511-515, 1998, [3], and [4] for the case of multiple receive antennas. Further, there is known Kammeyer's pre-filter [12] K. D. Kammeyer, "Time truncation of channel impulse responses by linear filtering: A method to reduce the complexity of Viterbi equalization," AEÜ, vol. 48, no. 5, pp. 237-243, 1994, which is designed in order to truncated a single InterSymbol Interference (ISI) channel, but which does not take Co-Channel Interference (CCI) into account. A similar pre-filter has also been proposed by Al-Dhahir and Cioffi [13] N. Al-Dhahir and J. M. Cioffi, "MMSE decision feedback equalizers: Finite-length results," IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 961-975, July 1995, for the case of Gaussian noise plus interference. In the present case, focus shall be on a few numbers of dominant interferers, which is the typical case in cellular networks, i.e., on non-Gaussian interference. [14] R. Meyer, R. Schober, and W. Gerstacker, EP 1221780 A1, published July 2002 discloses a pre-filter with real-valued processing, being designed according to the principles established in [11]

Method and communication device for interference cancellation in a cellular TDMA communication system

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


An improved container dumping apparatus is described for automatically lifting residential refuse containers to an elevated position and dumping them into the elevated access area of a collection tank. A carriage with gripping arms is guided up the vertical portion of a set of tracks. The tracks transition into a curved portion at the top end which inverts the container over the access area through movement along the curved track. The carriage is self-powered by a hydraulic motor mounted on the carriage. The dumping apparatus uses an rack and pinion arrangement for forcibly elevating the carriage, with the rack being parallel to the set of tracks and the pinion mounted on the shaft of the motor on the carriage. A piston operated power assistance apparatus is located coincident with the curved portion of the track to engage the carriage as it approaches the curved portion, to provide additional power to aid movement of the carriage over the curved portion, and to control its speed.

A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an improved refuse loader and more particularly to an apparatus for lifting, tilting, and emptying on-site trash containers into the access area for a compartment of a mobile collection vehicle.
Mobile collection systems for the picking up trash, refuse, or recyclable articles at numerous and separated sites are well known to the art. These systems consist of a vehicle traveling a standard route and standard containers designed to be automatically picked up on-site and dumped into the vehicle by an apparatus associated with the vehicle. These standard sized collection containers all have the same capacity but capacities differ from system to system, usually from approximately 50 to 300 gallons. In practice, the on-site containers are filled by the user and periodically the contents of the container are transferred to a mobile collection vehicle for transportation to a dump, land fill, or recycling center.
In order to provide a mechanism for efficiently emptying the on-site containers into the collection vehicle, various devices can be found in the prior art. These devices generally incorporate a vertical mast or boom which supports a means for grasping the container which is resting on a level surface, elevating the grasping means and grasped container to the top of the mast, dumping the container into an access opening in the top of the collection compartment, and returning the grasped container to its original position. Most of these devices also have a means for extending the vertical mast or boom a distance from the vehicle to accommodate the variable distance between the vehicle and the container.
B. Description of Prior Art
The prior art is replete with various devices for elevating and dumping the contents of a grasped container into a collection vehicle. These devices used to perform these two functions fall generally into two categories, those using chain drives and those using lever arms, either articulated or non-articulated.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,434, issued on Oct. 7, 1975, to Ebeling, is an example of the chain drive device. The invention employs a continuous linked chain driven by sprockets, or gears, mounted at the top and bottom of the mast, whereby the container grasping means, connected by links to the chain, and grasped container are carried to the top and then over a semicircular shaped mast head. The mast is connected by horizontal supports to the frame of the collection vehicle so that the entire apparatus can be extended away from the collection vehicle a short distance in order to provide more precise positioning to the container. A disadvantage of this device is that it has a large number of moving parts, so that the chains wear and frequently break from the stress of use.
The second type of device is illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,333, issued on Jan. 24, 1984, to Ebeling, in which the chain drive mechanism is replaced with an articulated arm arrangement powered by a hydraulic cylinder and piston. A special linkage operating in conjunction with the articulated arm assembly and having four separate axes of rotation within its parts rotates an upper arm so as to swing the container grasping means and grasped container up along guide tracks to the top of the mast where the container was tipped and its contents dumped into a collection vehicle. From a pivot point at the top of the mast, the articulated arm lifts the container grasping means and grasped container the vertical distance of the mast. Like the chain drive device, the entire apparatus can be extended from the collection vehicle by various means mounted to the frame of the collection vehicle, whereby the device can be positioned more precisely with relation to the container. However, this device has several disadvantages as well. First, the height of the arms as they swing over the top of the collection vehicle can cause vertical clearance problems in tightly restricted areas. Second, the number of pieces comprising the linkage creates problems of manufacturability and cost. Third, the design itself tends to be heavy and cumbersome and does not lend itself to downsizing for smaller, residential loads which, because of their reduced weight and bulk, can be serviced with a lighter device having commensurate less expense to manufacture.
All such refuse loading devices share another common problem, namely, as the container grasping apparatus traverses over the top portion of the mast, more force is required to move the container grasping apparatus. For the linear portion of the mast, the force vector necessary to lift the apparatus only has a vertical component since it is overcoming gravity only. However, when the apparatus changes direction as it begins to traverse the curved portion of the mast, a horizontal component of force is required, so that the vector sum of the original vertical force component and the increasing horizontal force component is now greater in magnitude than the magnitude of the original force. Thus, more power is required as the apparatus traverses the curved portion of the mast.
The use of chains, pulleys, and cables employed in the elevation mechanism all increase the part count and thus provide more opportunity for failure of a part. A rack and pinion gear is commonly known in the mechanical arts, as for example in the steering mechanism of cars. Such rack and pinion arrangements can be used for lifting objects, as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,181, issued on Sep. 24, 1996, to Bundo. In this invention, an elevator is driven by a plurality of pinions carried on the elevator cage which engage a plurality of vertical racks secured to the sidewalls of the elevator passage. A primary feature of this device is the presence of a crown gear driven by a screw shaft connected to a motor mounted on the elevator cage, thus creating an irreversible driving device; this arrangement prevents the cage from falling in the event of a motor failure. However, this invention does not suggest or teach the use of a single rack and pinion for such purposes, and emphasizes the irreversible aspect to the invention as a safety device to provide passive braking.
What is needed therefore is an apparatus for elevating a trash container and inverting it over the elevated access area of a compartment that will accomplish the following objectives:
1. Reduced requirements for horizontal and vertical clearance so that it may be operated within narrow alleyways and driveways in residential areas;
2. Reduced number of parts to aid in manufacturability and reduce expense; and
3. Reduced number of moving parts to improve repairability.
4. Controlled traversal of the container grasping means as it traverses the curved part of the apparatus to reduce centrifugal force on the container and thus reduce strain on the apparatus.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for elevating a grasped container from a rest position on a level surface to an elevated position above the access area of a collection compartment and tipping the container so that the contents of the container falls by gravity into the access area.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of controlling the speed of the container grasping apparatus as it traverses a curved portion of the elevating device which causes the container, along with the container grasping apparatus, to be inverted.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of providing power to assist the container grasping apparatus as it traverses the curved portion of the elevating device which causes the container, along with the container grasping apparatus, to be inverted.
Another object of the invention is provide an improved means for mounting the invention to a trash collection vehicle.
Another object of the invention is to provide a means for mounting the invention to a trash collection vehicle in a location other than the under carriage so as to improve ground clearance for the vehicle which is so equipped.
Another object of the invention is to provide a trash elevation apparatus which has a reduced part count so as to aid in manufacturability, maintenance, and expense.
These objects of the invention are achieved by an apparatus consisting of an improved track assembly with a linear portion in a substantially vertical plane and with a curved portion at its upper end. The track assembly is supported by extendable, horizontal frame assembly at its upper end connected to the collection tank, and not connected at its lower end connected to the vehicle frame as heretofore. The improved track assembly supports and guides an improved carriage assembly having a self-contained motor which powers the carriage assembly vertically up and down the track assembly and arcuately over the curved top of the mast assembly. To assist movement of the carriage assembly over the curved portion of the track assembly and to control the speed at which the carriage moves over the curved portion, an improved dumping assembly is provided. It consists of a crank on one end of a rotatable tie bar for grasping trunions protruding from either side of the carriage assembly as the carriage assembly approaches the top of the vertical portion of the track assembly, and a piston connected to the opposing end of the tie bar through an arrangement of an articulated, pivotable yoke and offset mounts, whereby the carriage assembly is guided up and over the curved top portion of the track assembly by the crank, the container is upended, and its contents is dumped into the collection tank. The configuration of piston, yoke, and offset mount provides a unique means to, first, brake the momentum of the carriage assembly as it goes over the top of the track assembly and, second, to provide additional power to assist the movement of the carriage assembly as it transitions from a linear to an arcuate path. This configuration also does not extend beyond the confines of the track assembly and thus prevents clearance problems when the vehicle on which the apparatus is mounted travels through narrow streets and alleyways.
The method of moving the improved carriage assembly along the track assembly consists of a rack and pinion arrangement, whereby the rack extends the length of the mast and the pinion gear is mounted on the carriage assembly and self-powered by a motor within the carriage assembly. A pair of guide rails are provided on either side of the rack to hold the carriage assembly to the track assembly by means of wheels mounted on the carriage assembly and journeled into channels provided by the guide rails. This arrangement also maintains the pinion gear in close proximity to the rack so that the teeth of the rack and pinion mesh properly. The pinion gear also serves as a brake to prevent the carriage assembly from descending the track assembly when movement is arrested.
The vertical portion of the rack is a standard linear sheet of metal in which is stamped or formed a series of spaced ridges forming teeth. The curved rack portion of the rack consists of a unique arrangement of horizontal bars mounted between the guide rails and having the spacing which meshes the bars to the pinion gear. These bars allow the carriage to continue movement beyond the top portion of the track assembly and over the curved portion of the track assembly, by providing engagement points for the pinion gear in the carriage assembly. It is also believed that this arrangement aids manufacturability by removing the necessity of fabricating a curved rack portion from sheet metal which has a different spacing of teeth in the curved portion of the rack due to the rack""s curvature. An additional advantage of this bar arrangement is that debris cannot build up on the curved portion of the rack but will fall between the bars.
A container grasping apparatus which is standard to the industry and commonly used is connected to the carriage assembly and powered by hydraulic means.
The manner in which the frame assembly is moved transversely is considered to be a unique and innovative part of the invention. A double piston arrangement is used to achieve movement and is powered by the same hydraulic system used to power the carriage assembly, the gripping assembly, and the power assistance assembly. The double piston arrangement is used in lieu of previous chain and sprocket mechanisms and/or nested channel arrangements, so as to achieve a more dependable, less breakage prone mechanism.
The improved trash handling apparatus thus described is believed to be more compact and lightweight than similar devices described heretofore, and improves manufacturability of the apparatus because of its reduced parts count and simplicity of construction.

Container dumping apparatus for refuse collection vehicle


A tracheal assembly comprises an endotracheal tube and a tracheal shield. The tracheal shield has a stiff rod extending along the endotracheal tube, and a stop at the machine end of the shield which limits the extent of insertion of the shield into the tube. At its patient end, the shield has a plate or similar shield member that expands when the shield member is inserted beyond the patient end of the tube, to protect the posterior wall of the trachea during a tracheostomy procedure. The shield member can be rolled up or otherwise contracted for insertion and removal along the tube.

This invention relates to tracheal assemblies.
A patient may be ventilated and supplied with anaesthetic gas via an airway in the form of an endotracheal tube inserted via the mouth or nose, the patient end being located in the trachea just below the vocal chords. In other cases, a laryngeal mask airway may be used for ventilation, the patient end of this device terminating in the region of the pharynx. Alternatively, the patient may be ventilated by means of a tracheostomy tube, the patient end of which is inserted in the trachea via a surgically made opening in the patient's neck. Tracheostomy tubes are preferable for long term use because they do not provide any obstruction in the mouth and are better tolerated by the patient. In some cases, a patient may be ventilated initially using an endotracheal tube and then by a tracheostomy tube, when it becomes apparent that the patient will need prolonged ventilation. The surgical operation needed to introduce the tracheostomy tube involves cutting through the skin and tissue over the trachea in order to make the tracheostomy. One problem with this is that, if the cut is made too deep, it can cause damage to the posterior wall of the trachea. This risk is particularly great where a percutaneous or cricothyroid puncture tracheostomy is made.

Smiths Industries Public Limited Company


A climbing structure is provided. The climbing structure comprises a first support post and a second support post. The climbing structure also comprises a panel with a first and second connection point. The climbing structure also has a first clamp, configured to couple the panel to the first support post at the first connection point. The climbing structure also has a second clamp, configured to couple the panel to the second support post at the first connection point. The first connection point is on a first connection plane. The second connection point is on a second connection plane. The first and second connection planes are offset from each other.

Research has found that learning and playing on playgrounds facilitates learning other subjects and enhances skills that children inevitably use in other areas. Childhood is the time when children learn about their world, primarily through play. If a play environment contains sufficiently rich, stimulating elements, there will be a continuous exposure to new elements followed by the child's playful experimentation and learning. One example of a playground feature used to facilitate learning dexterity skills is the climbing structure, which allows students to learn to climb, and fall.


The invention relates to a method for determining a weight coefficient of an artificial associative neuron synapse, where the synaptic weight coefficient is determined on the basis of the temporal average of a product of two signals. The method comprises the steps of taking temporal samples from the product of said two signals at such moments when one of the signals starts to deviate from zero, feeding said samples into such a shift register chain, from where a predetermined number of said samples taken at previous moments are continuously available, deducing on the basis of said samples taken at previous moments, whether a value deviating from zero is to be set as the synaptic weight coefficient. The invention also relates to an artificial associative neuron synapse.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a method for determining a weight coefficient for an artificial associative neuron synapse and a corresponding artificial associative neuron synapse. The invention particularly relates to implementing the synapse in such an artificial associative neuron in which the weight coefficient, or strength, of the synapse is determined on the basis of a temporal average of the product of two signals according to the Hebb rule or a modification thereof (Jain, Anil K., Mao Jianchang, Mohiuddin K. M. (1996) "Artificial Neural Networks: A Tutorial" in Computer, March 1996, p. 31 to 44).
2. Discussion of Related Art
International patent application WO 98/43159 discloses an artificial associative neuron that can be used in artificial neural networks. The neurons are connected in parallel to form layers, and such layers are arranged in succession to form a neural network. Neural networks can be used in various calculation and pattern recognition tasks.
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art associative neuron including n synapses. Since the number n may be quite high (ranging from 100 to 10 000, for example), FIG. 1 shows only the first, second and nth synapse of the neuron. The input signals of the neuron are a main signal s and associative signals a1, a2, . . . an. Label so indicates the output signal of the neuron. Said signals are, for example, voltage levels. Circuit blocks 1 to 4, 8 to 11 and 12 to 15 correspondingly describe the first, second and nth synapse of the neuron, and its operation is described in greater detail below. Block 5 is a summing circuit in which the output signals obtained from the synapses are summed. Block 6 is a summing circuit in which the main signal s and the sum of the output signals obtained from the synapses are summed. Block 7 is a threshold circuit.
Information about the simultaneous occurrence of the main signal s arriving at the associative neuron and the associative signal ai (where i=1,2 . . . ,n) arriving at the synapse is stored in the synapses. This information may be presented, for example, in voltage form so that the voltage concerned represents the temporal average of the product s*ai of the main signal and the associative signal. For this purpose the synapse includes a multiplier block (blocks 1, 8, 12) in which said product is calculated (s*ai). In FIG. 1, signals s and a1 are applied to the first synapse in order to calculate said product, and the product s*a1 is calculated in the multiplier block 1. Signals s and a2 are applied to the second synapse, and the product s*a2 is calculated in the multiplier block 8 of the second synapse, and signals s and an are applied to the nth synapse, and the product s*an is calculated in the multiplier block 12 of the nth synapse.
If the signals s and ai can have only the logical values 0 and 1 (for example, a particular supply voltage value corresponds to the logical value 1 and the zero level corresponds to the logical value 0), then said product (s*ai) can be calculated as a logical product. The logical product (s*ai) is applied to blocks 2 (first synapse), 9 (second synapse) and 13 (n synapse), in which the temporal average of said product is formed and maintained. The temporal average is conveyed from blocks 2, 9 and 13 to blocks 3, 10 and 14, respectively.
In blocks 3, 10 and 14 the temporal average is compared to a particular threshold level. When the temporal average exceeds the threshold level, then said associative signal ai can be considered to correlate with the main signal s. Thus, a value deviating from zero, i.e. number 1, is set as the actual strength of the synapse or as the weight coefficient, the value otherwise being zero. The desired weight coefficient of the synapse wi, where i=1,2, . . . ,n depending on the synapse concerned, is the output of blocks 3, 10 and 14. For example, the weight coefficient w1 of the first synapse is the output of block 3, the weight coefficient w2 of the second synapse is the output of block 10, and the weight coefficient wn of the nth synapse is the output of block 14. The weight coefficient of the synapse obtains value 0 or 1.
The weight coefficients of the first, second and nth synapse are applied to blocks 4, 11 and 15, respectively, in which the weighted product wi* ai is calculated in order to obtain the output signals of the synapses. Said output signals are applied to block 5, where they are summed, as mentioned above. The sum is applied to block 6, in which the main signal s is summed with the sum of the output signals obtained from the synapses calculated in block 5. The output signal of block 6 is applied to block 7. Block 7 is a threshold circuit that determines the output signal so of the entire neuron by comparing the sum calculated in block 6 to a particular threshold voltage. The signal so is thus the output signal of block 7, which is simultaneously the output signal so of the entire neuron.
A problem with such an associative neuron synapse is the technical implementation of the generation and maintenance of the temporal average of the product of said two signals (s*ai).
FIG. 2 shows a known implementation that is applicable for determining the weight coefficient of each associative neuron synapse shown in FIG. 1. This known implementation is a circuit having said two signals as the input signals thereof, i.e. the main signal s and the associative signal ai. The output signal of the circuit is the weight coefficient wi of the synapse. The subindex i may obtain values 1 to n depending on which synapse weight coefficient is being determined.
The main signal s and the associative signal ai are applied to an AND circuit, AND1, where the logical product of the signals s and ai is formed. The AND1 circuit implements the multiplier block 1, 8 or 12 of the synapse shown in FIG. 1. As both the main signal s and the associative signal ai have a logical value 1, the output of AND1 circuit obtains value 1, whereas it otherwise obtains value zero. As noted above, the logical value 1 may correspond to a particular voltage value of a signal (such as 3.3 V) and the logical value 0 may correspond to the voltage value zero, for example.
The logical product, or the AND1 circuit output, is applied through a diode D1 and a resistor R11 to a temporal averaging RC circuit that comprises a resistor R21 and a capacitor C11. The resistor R21 and capacitor C11 are connected from one end to the ground level and from the other end to the other end of the resistor R11. As the logical product is 1, the output of the AND1 circuit is nearly the same as the supply voltage of the AND circuit, in which case the capacitor C11 is charged towards the supply voltage with the time constantτ, where τ=R11 * C11
In the time constant equation R11 is the resistance of the resistor R11 and C11 is the capacitance of the capacitor C11. The time constant equation holds true when the resistor R21 is much higher than the resistor R11, in which case the. effect of the resistor R21 on the time constant can be left unnoticed.
When the logical product is 0, the output of the AND1 circuit goes to the zero level, whereby the capacitor C11 is discharged (partly or entirely depending on the discharge time) through the resistor R21, until the logical product again obtains the value 1, whereby the charging state of the capacitor C11 starts to increase again. The diode D1 prevents the discharging of the capacitor C11 through the resistor R11 and the AND1 circuit. Thus the capacitor C11 can be discharged through the resistor R21 only with the time constantτ, where τ=R21*C11
In the time constant equation R21 is the resistance of the resistor R21 and C11 is the capacitance of the capacitor C11.
The capacitor C11 is charged and discharged as a temporal function of the logical product s*ai. The temporal average of the logical product is then stored in the capacitor and is instantaneously represented by a voltage across the capacitor C11. The diode D1, the resistors R11 and R21 as well as the capacitor C11 thus implement block 2, 9 or 13 shown in FIG. 1.
The voltage across the capacitor C11 is applied to the first input of a voltage comparator COMP1. The input impedance of the voltage comparator COMP1 is high so that the capacitor C11 cannot be discharged through here. A particular reference voltage V is applied to the second input of the voltage comparator COMP1. If the signals s and ai simultaneously obtain value 1 sufficiently many times so that the voltage of the capacitor C11 exceeds the reference voltage of the voltage comparator COMP1, i.e. the so-called learning threshold of the synapse, then the output voltage of the voltage comparator COMP1 rises up.
The output of the voltage comparator COMP1 is applied to a set reset circuit SR1. A reset signal generally provided with value 0 is the second input in the set reset circuit SR1. The set reset circuit SR1 comprises two outputs Q and Q′, one of which being inverted. The value of the output Q is the weight coefficient wi of the synapse. When the output voltage of the voltage comparator COMP1 increases, the set reset circuit SR1 permanently changes its state from value 0 to value 1, so that the output Q, i.e. the weight coefficient wi of the synapse, obtains the value 1. The voltage comparator COMP1 and the set reset circuit SR1 thus implement block 3, 10 or 14 shown in FIG. 1 for the generation of the weight coefficient wi of the synapse.
A microcircuit implementation of the RC circuit shown in FIG. 2 presents a problem, as the required time constants call for high capacitance values. However, in practice only fairly small capacitors, with capacitances of 1 pF or less, can realistically be placed onto the microcircuit. If the capacitor C11 is of this size, then the resistor R21 must correspondingly have an extensively high value (typically 1 TΩ or higher), for the desired time constant. The implementation of such a high resistance on the microcircuit is nevertheless difficult. In addition, a capacitor of the magnitude 1 pF takes up a lot of space on the microcircuit.


A method for debugging a target application comprising Java code having native method dll's associated therewith. The method is carried out in a computer having an operating system, a system debug application programming interface (API), and a Java virtual machine having a Java debug API. According to the method, the Java virtual machine is first launched under the system debug API. The application is then run under the Java virtual machine. Because the Java virtual machine that runs the target application itself runs under the system debug API, simultaneous control of the target application via the system debug API and the Java debug API is enabled. Thus, the method effects the debug of the target application by simultaneously debugging the Java code and the native method dynamic load libraries.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to computer software development tools and more particularly to a method for debugging a Java application that includes native method dynamic load libraries (e.g., C or C++ code).
2. Description of the Related Art
Java, originally developed by Sun Microsystems, is a known software programming environment in which software programs, known as Java applications, are developed, tested and maintained. Java applications have found extensive use on the World Wide Web, which is the Internet's multimedia information retrieval system. Java developers often "extend" a Java application by linking the Java code with native method dynamic load libraries (or "dll's"). A "native method" dll is usually a function written in "C" or "C++" programming language and that is not portable across different operating platforms without recompilation. When the Java application includes linked native method dll's, a problem arises in debugging the application.
In particular, while "tools" for debugging Java code, on the one hand, and tools for debugging C/C++ code, on the other hand, are well-known, there are no available techniques for simultaneously debugging a piece of software that includes both types of code. As a result, the prior art has addressed the problem of debugging Java applications having linked native method dll's by a brute force approach--typically, by using distinct debug routines that are run separately. This approach requires the Java application (with the linked dll's) to be executed twice (one for each debug routine), thus substantially increasing the time necessary to debug the Java application. Another approach is to use distinct debugging routines, one for Java and one for the C or C++ code, and then switch back and forth between the two routines as needed. While such an approach is theoretically possible, the prior art has not found a way to implement such a technique in a reliable, efficient manner.
The present invention addresses this problem.

Method for debugging a Java application having native method dynamic load libraries

International Business Machines Corporation


Data is transferred via FIFO memories on a word unit basis. The FIFO memory is designated by an upper bit portion of a write address. An ID bit indicating whether a transfer word indicates a command or parameters is allocated to a lower bit portion and is written into the FIFO memory together with inherent word data. Upon reading, a lower bit portion of a read address is compared with the ID bit read out from the FIFO memory. When they don't coincide, the presence of an error is decided. In case of adding redundant bits to the transfer word and judging a loss of word, on the transmission side, transmission side judgment bits having a fixed bit arrangement 01 of two bits are added to each word. Further, with respect to the m-th word, the transmission side judgment bits are shifted by (m-1) bits and a bit arrangement is changed and the resultant data is transmitted. On the reception side, the transmission side judgment bits are reversely shifted to the original positions and three bits in which one bit adjacent to the transmission side judgment bits was added thereto are checked. When a bit arrangement of the reception side judgment bits corresponding to the transmission side judgment bits coincides with a bit arrangement of the transmission side judgment bits, it is determined that there is no word loss. When they don't coincide, it is decided that there is a word loss.

The present invention relates to data transfer apparatus and method in which data which was processed in parallel is distributed and transferred to other parallel units at a high speed via FIFO memories and, more particularly, to data transfer apparatus and method for detecting errors when drawing data which was processed in parallel by a three-dimensional graphics apparatus or the like is distributed and transferred at a high speed via FIFO memories.
In the 3-dimensional graphics display apparatus, to execute processes at a high speed, the processing stage is divided into a figure process by a software and a drawing process by a hardware and the processes are, further, executed in parallel. When there is an error in the result of the figure process by the software, however, the drawing process is not correctly performed, so that there is a case where the apparatus enters a runaway state and not only no data can be displayed but also the occurrence of an abnormality cannot be recognized. It is required to avoid such a situation as much as possible.
FIG. 1 schematically shows a conventional 3-dimensional graphics display apparatus. A figure processing section 200 executes geometrical conversion such as coordinates calculation, clipping, color calculation, and the like, drawing pre-processes of formation of line segments, and drawing processes such as line segment drawing and hidden image erasure to figure data constructing a three-dimensional model that is obtained from a memory 202 and comprises a set of polygons, thereby forming 3-dimensional image data when it is seen from a visual point. The figure processing section 200 executes in parallel the geometrical conversion, drawing pre-processes, and drawing processes to the figure data by a pipeline construction. The drawing data obtained in parallel by such a series of figure processes is transferred in parallel to a drawing processing section 220 through a parallel distributing mechanism which is constructed by input FIFO memories 214-1 to 214-n, an input/output (I/O) selecting section 216, and output FIFO units 218-1 to 218-n. On the basis of the drawing data transferred, the drawing processing section 220 executes in parallel interpolating calculations of pixels which are arranged between the start point and the end point of a line segment and performs a mapping process into a frame buffer 222. After completion of the mapping process, image data is displayed on a CRT 224 or the like.
FIG. 2 shows 2-dimensional drawing data indicative of a triangular polygon in a 3-dimensional space. Since the triangular polygon constructing a 3-dimensional model is a set of vertex data, it is expressed as a set of line segment data (span data) in the direction of an X axis by processes by the figure processing section 200 as shown in FIG. 3. Each span data is expressed by a set of a command and parameters. In this case, a fact that a line is a line segment is indicated by a command ID. A Y coordinate of the line segment, X coordinates of the start point and end point, a position (depth) in the direction of a Z axis of the start point, a concentration of each color of red, green, and blue at the start point, and an increased amount value per one pixel which is developed on the line segment by an interpolating calculation are shown as parameters. One unit which is data transferred is defined as one word. One word consists of, for example, 32 bits. The line segment data consists of, for instance, 10 words.
The figure processing section 200 in FIG. 1 obtains in parallel the line segment data including a command and parameters shown in FIG. 3 on a polygon unit basis and transfers to the drawing processing section 220 through a parallel data distributing mechanism using FIFO memories. The drawing processing section 220 must correctly extract the command and parameters from the transferred drawing data. FIGS. 4A and 5A show the case where data has correctly been transferred to the drawing processing section 220. Since the first word that is taken out from the FIFO memory on the output side includes the command ID, it is interpreted as a command A. In this case, as for a format of the data subsequent to the command A, since it will be understood that three parameter words continue, data is set into necessary registers while sequentially accepting parameters 1, 2, and 3. After the necessary number of parameters were received, it is possible to decide that the data to be read next is a command B. A format in which the number of parameters subsequent to the command is previously included in the command word is also considered. The drawing processing section 220 first receives the command and interprets a part of the command and counts the number of read data while setting the subsequent parameters into the necessary registers. When the designated number of parameters coincides with the count value, it is possible to recognize that the next data is a command. In a manner similar to the above, the drawing processing section 220 sequentially discriminates the command and the parameters subsequent to them and writes the data into the registers and performs the drawing process by interpolating calculations.
FIGS. 4B and 5B show the case where an abnormality occurred in a part of the transfer data due to some reasons. First, in FIG. 4B, surplus dust data is added between the parameter 1 subsequent to the command A and the parameter 3. Since the command A ought to have three parameters, the drawing processing section 220 interprets the parameters 1 and 2 and the dust as parameters and finishes the processes of the command A. The drawing processing section 220 interprets the parameter 3 as a next command. In FIG. 5B, the command A is deformed and changed to another command X. For example, when it is now assumed that the parameters of the command X have four words, the drawing processing section interprets that the commands up to the command word of the next command B as parameters. The parameter 1 of the command B is interpreted as a next command.
Now, assuming that the portions of the parameters were merely changed, a part of the line segment of the triangular polygon is merely lost. Therefore, such a state doesn't cause a large problem from a viewpoint of the image display. However, in the case where an abnormality occurred in the command portion as shown in FIGS. 4B and 5B, the subsequent data train cannot be interpreted. What is called a runaway state of the drawing processing section 220 such that it is also difficult to recover the drawing operation occurs. Such an abnormality of the transfer data mainly occurs due to a program error of the figure processing section 200 at the front stage. In this case, however, the processor of the figure processing section 200 cannot recognize such an abnormality and cannot execute an error recovering process.
On the other hand, so long as the apparatus has a function to separate the command portion on the side of the drawing processing section 220, the abnormality can be recognized. An error can be notified to the figure processing section 200. Further, the drawing process can be again executed. FIG. 6 shows an example of a data format in which the command and parameters of the transfer data can be discriminated on the side of the drawing processing section 220. The most significant bit of each word is allocated to an ID bit. In case of a command, the most significant bit (MSB) is set to 1. In case of a parameter, the MSB is set to 0. However, in the case where a special bit in one word is allocated as a bit to distinguish the command and the parameters, there is a drawback such that an amount of information which can be expressed by the command and parameters is limited.
On the other hand, in general, there is a possibility such that errors certainly occur in data due to the existence of a transfer medium in not only the 3-dimensional graphics display apparatus but also the transfer of digital data. Therefore, there is used a method whereby redundant code bits having a regularity are ordinarily added to data to be transferred, such a regularity is checked on the reception side, and when there is an abnormality in the regularity, it is decided that the transfer data includes an error, and a retransfer is requested to the transferring side.
Hitherto, as a method of detecting an error of the transfer data in a data bus, a method by a parity check as shown in FIG. 7 is generally known. That is, parity bits are added in accordance with a rule such that the total number of bits 1 included in the word to be transferred on the data transmission side is set to an even number. On the reception side, the parity bits are compared with the parity bits produced from the transferred word. When they don't coincide, it is decided that the transfer data is wrong. On the other hand, there is also a method whereby in the case where the total number of data 1 on the reception side is merely equal to an odd number, it is decided that the transfer data is wrong.
However, according to the bit error detection by the parity as mentioned above, although a bit error in one word can be detected, a loss of the word itself cannot be detected. FIG. 8 shows the case where one transfer group is constructed by six words and it is continuously transferred on a word unit basis. Parity bits are respectively added to six words on the data transmission side. For example, it is now assumed that the fourth word was lost on the reception side due to a trouble of the signal to control the transfer of the data bus. However, in this case, since it is determined that all of the parity bits are correct, the loss of word cannot be detected.
FIG. 9 shows a 2-dimensional data error detecting method whereby in order to detect the loss of data word, as well as the addition of the parity bits to each word, data indicative of the number of words to be transferred since now is added. That is, upper four bits of each word denotes the additional data to decide a communicating procedure to indicate the number of subsequent words or the command transfer data. Remaining lower four bits indicate the number of transfer words or the data. For example, all of the upper four bits of the first word are equal to 1, the first word indicates the additional data indicative of the number of words and shows that the number of subsequent transfer words is equal to 3 because it is expressed by 0011 as a binary number. In the three second to fourth words, all of the upper four bits are equal to 0 and the remaining four bits indicate the data to be inherently transferred. The parity bit is respectively added to each word.
FIG. 9 shows the case where the fourth word is lost on the reception side. In this case, the number of transfer words (=3) designated by the additional data of the first word doesn't coincide with the number of words up to the additional data indicative of the number of next transfer words. Therefore, it is decided that there is an error in the transfer data. As an inserting method of the additional data, there is also a method whereby data of a bit pattern in which a probability of occurrence is low is inserted once a predetermined number of times.
As another error detecting method regarding the loss of word itself, as shown in FIG. 10, there is also a method whereby the word numbers are also simultaneously transmitted. According to this method, for instance, the word number of three bits is added to each word and transmitted and a continuity of the word numbers is checked on the reception side, thereby knowing a loss of data. In FIG. 10, it will be understood on the reception side that the fourth word as a word number 100 was lost.
According to the conventional error detection by the parity check, however, it is an object to detect a bit error regarding one word to be transferred and the loss of word itself cannot be known. On the other hand, according to a method of deciding a communicating procedure that is effective to detection of the loss of word itself, in the case where the data is out of the rule of a predetermined procedure, an error can be certainly detected. However, large amount of vain transfer data for such a detection is needed. The above method is unsuitable to a high-speed data transfer circuit. Although the method of simultaneously transferring the word number is the most certain method, in case of applying such a method to the error detection of the data transfer on the data bus, a large number of transmission bits of the bus are necessary.

System for judging read out transfer word is correct by comparing flag of transfer word and lower bit portion of read destination selection address


Advanced communication services are deployed for a user device, such as a VoIP telephony device, based on utilizing a model view controller architecture within a network system (e.g., a VoIP system) configured for communication with the VoIP telephony device. The VoIP telephony device and a service node of the VoIP system each are configured for executing at least one corresponding model object, view object, and controller object of a prescribed network service. The model object, view object, and controller object each are configured for utilizing transaction-based messages associated with the prescribed network service. Moreover, the service node is configured for selectively transferring any one of the model object, view object, and the controller object to another node, for example the VoIP telephony device or another network node, and terminating execution of the transferred object, without interruption in service for the user.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to network enabled telephony devices, for example Voice over IP Telephones, configured for executing applications related to attributes of a telephony user.
2. Description of the Related Art
Telephony devices have advanced to provide enhanced features for business consumers. For example, a business premises deploying a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) for intraoffice or interoffice communications utilizes telephony devices capable of receiving messages from the PBX, including a time of day string or a calling party identity string. However, proprietary PBX systems limit the availability of features that can be added to the telephony device. In addition, proprietary PBX systems typically provide voice-only services, such that text, data, or images cannot be transferred to the telephony device.
Voice over IP (VoIP) technology has evolved to provide network enabled telephony devices, for example Voice over IP telephony devices, configured for performing multiple operations that emulate a telephony device. VoIP telephony devices often include large display screens or other display capabilities, enabling new service features to be provided for a user. For example, the VoIP telephones, such as the commercially-available Cisco Telecaster 7960 IP Telephone from Cisco Systems, San Jose, Calif., includes user input and display operations. These user input and display operations enable a user to access multiple windows displaying respective applications based on soft key or hard key inputs, such as accessing a central telephone directory for retrieval of an employee's telephone number using a search query or selection from the displayed list. A user of the VoIP telephone can access one window configured displaying call status (e.g., duration of call, called party identity), or access another window configured for displaying the central telephone directory.
The executable software resident in the VoIP telephone, however, tends to be device-specific. Hence, the executable software needs to be rewritten for newer VoIP telephones having different hardware configurations (e.g., different sets of hard buttons, color display vs. grayscale display, different-sized display, etc.), although compatibility issues may be reduced using hardware abstraction layers and input abstraction layers between the telephone display controller, the display portion, and the input portion. Moreover, the device-specific nature of the VoIP telephone software limits the manner in which different application services can be added to the VoIP telephone device for the device user: the VoIP telephone software needs to be modified to add the different application services. In addition, the VoIP telephone typically is configured for communication with a single call server, resulting in additional resource requirements imposed on the call server as services are added.
Efforts are underway to improve the graphical user interface (GUI) of the telephony devices in order to enable additional services to be provided to a user of the telephony device. For example, browser-based telephony device technology is being implemented in wireless telephones using Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). In particular, WAP uses Extensible Markup Language (XML) technology to communicate interface changes to wireless devices such as digital wireless telephones and pagers, enabling applications and services to be provided to the digital wireless telephones. The use of XML tags enables the data to be displayed on the digital wireless telephone display in a prescribed manner.
The WAP-based approach to displaying data on the digital wireless telephone still suffers from the disadvantage that the input and display controllers of the digital wireless telephone interact with a single WAP portal (i.e., server), limiting the flexibility of the telephony device operations. In particular, a user is unable to send or receive a wireless telephone call on his or her web-enabled digital wireless telephone while using the digital wireless telephone to access the Internet. In addition, the VoIP telephone typically is configured for communication with a single call server, resulting in additional resource requirements imposed on the call server as services are added.
Hence, existing VoIP technology is limited in the available services due to the control of services by a remote server. Consequently, existing VoIP systems have had limited flexibility in providing advanced services to a VoIP telephony device.
"Model view controller" is an architecture used for dividing a graphic user interface (GUI) based application into three logical parts: the model object, the view object, and the controller object. The model view controller paradigm was originally developed to map traditional input, processing, and output operation into a GUI based paradigm. The model object includes logic for managing information, notifying observers when information changes, and responding to information queries. The model object is used to serve as a computational abstraction of a executable processor system, and defines the state and logic of the process.
The view object is configured for mapping (i.e., rendering) data such as text and/or graphics onto a device. Changes to a model object causes the view object to automatically redraw the affected part of the image to reflect the changes. In addition, multiple view objects for the same model may be utilized to render the contents of the model object according to a different corresponding display (e.g., data table, monthly chart view, daily chart view, linear scale, logarithmic scale, etc).
The controller object provides the means by which the user interacts with the application; the controller object accepts input from the user, and instructs the model object and the view object to perform actions based upon the user input, effectively mapping user inputs to application response. Examples of a controller object include controllers for buttons, microphones, and sensors.
Use of the model view controller architecture typically has been limited to instances where GUI interfaces may be utilized for different hardware configurations (e.g., different displays, different input devices) by substituting the corresponding view object or controller object, without the necessity for changing the model object.

Delivery of services to a network enabled telephony device based on transfer of selected model view controller objects to reachable network nodes


An object retrieval system providing an expanse of flexible material variably configured by travel of a material support element between a first position and a second position which generates movement in objects that collect on the material surface for retrieval.

An object retrieval system providing an expanse of flexible material variably configured by travel of a material support element between a first position and a second position which generates movement in objects that collect on the material surface for retrieval.
There are a variety of circumstances under which objects collect within a particular area and must be retrieved. Retrieval of these objects can be time consuming and expensive due to the number of objects, the amount of objects that collect, or the nature of the typography in which the objects collect. As but one non-limiting example, a significant problem for golf courses can be that golf balls collect in water traps. A conventional manner of retrieving the golf balls and other debris that falls into these water traps can be to periodically hire divers. The divers manually collect the submerged golf balls and debris by hand.
Specifically, with respect to utilizing divers to retrieve objects from water traps or pond, a significant problem can be that the process is time consuming and expensive. Divers must be specially trained to work underwater which commands greater pay than for grounds keepers. The golf balls or other debris which collects at the bottom of the water trap or pond must be retrieved by hand. Moreover, this type of work can be more hazardous than routine grounds keeping activities. Additionally, the collection of golf balls or other objects from water traps or ponds can be motivated by the value of the golf balls or other objects which can be recovered. However, collection of golf balls manually from the bottom of a water trap or pond can exceed the value of the recovered golf balls or other ojects.
Another manner of retrieving golf balls and debris from water traps in golf course is to submerge a net under the surface of the water and periodically lift the net above the surface of the water with an inflatable device as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,205 or with a lift device such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,988.
A significant problem with either of these methods can be that the net has fixed securement to a portion of the lift or inflatable device. As the portion of the lift or inflatable device travels from a first position to a second position the net can become unequally tensioned across the surface. This unequal tensioning can lead to a failure of the device to move objects and debris toward the secured perimeter for a variety of reasons. In certain cases, the net can be torn because fixed securement of the lift device to the net creates localized tension in the net that cannot otherwise be released. In other cases, the secured perimeter of the net comes undone and the net loses tension sufficient to maintain a surface on which objects or debris can travel to the perimeter. Finally, the travel of the lift may be restricted to prevent damage to the net resulting in insufficient elevation in portions of the net to allow travel of objects toward the secured perimeter.
The instant invention provides an object retrieval system which addresses each of the above-described problems.


A method is provided by a computer system processing XMI-based XML documents. The method compares two such XMI-based XML documents for identical content. The method begins with the step of parsing each of the documents to create for each a semantic graph of the document""s objects. Next, a list of names of properties for each of the objects having significant order is read. For each of the objects, and then for each object""s property not listed as having significant order, values of said properties are sorted. Finally, the objects of the semantic graphs are compared.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention generally relates to the field of object-oriented computer programs and in particular to a system and method for comparing XMI-based XML documents for identical contents.
Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a new format designed to bring structured information to the Web. It is a Web-based language for electronic data interchange. XML is an open technology standard of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which is the standards group responsible for maintaining and advancing HTML and other Web-related standards.
XML is a sub-set of SGML, which maintains the architectural aspects of contextual separation while removing non-essential features. The XML document format embeds content within tags that express the structure. XML also provides the ability to express rules for the structure (i.e., grammar) of a document. These two features allow automatic separation of data and metadata, and allow generic tools to validate an XML document against its grammar.
XML Metadata Interchange (XMI) combines the extensibility of XML with the object modeling power of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and the Meta Object Facility (MOF) to provide a model-driven framework for sharing complex information.
The purpose of XMI is to make it possible for different tools, applications and repositories on a variety of platforms and middleware to meaningfully share metadata and data. XMI is already being used to share modeling and programming metadata, and its use is expanding into other fields like data warehousing, component management, business objects, and various application domains.
Three complementary standards (XML, UML and MOF), which were brought together by XMI, may be summarized as follows:
a) Extensible Markup Language (XML):
XML is a language used as a foundation for creating specific types of documents. Each type of document has a Document Type Definition (DTD) that describes the structure and element types used in a document. The DTD is used to validate documents of that type.
Popular web browsers now include a built-in XML parser since XML is becoming a dominant way to pass information across the web. Note that XML is not limited to the webxe2x80x94it can be used wherever files or streams are supported.
XML has gained wide acceptance quickly. Over 40 books about XML were published in less than a year after XML became a standard. XML is already supported by tools from numerous vendors: Adobe, Arbor Text, DSTC, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Netscape, Oracle, Platinum, Select, Sun, Unisys and Xerox. Moreover, XML is used in several applications such as publishing, repositories, modeling, database design, data warehousing, services, financial data interchange, health care, and more. Each application has its own document type and corresponding DTD.
b) Unified Modeling Language (EML):
The UML is a notation for object-oriented analysis and design supported by graphical design tools. UML models are used in many domains to describe object-oriented systems. UML models are often used to generate programming language syntax or database schemata. XMI defines how UML models can further be used to generate XML document types.
c) Metaobject Facility (MOF):
The MOF is an extensible framework for models of metadata, providing model-based interfaces for storing and accessing metadata managed by repositories or other tools. The MOF maps core UML concepts, like Class and Association, to specific object interfaces.
The MOF specification defines two levels of object interfaces for creating and accessing the modeled information. First, the MOF defines a single reflective interface that can be used for all types of models. Second, the MOF defines a pattern for generating specific interfaces for individual models. The generation pattern is now standardized for CORBA IDL, a Java pattern is coming, and other object languages are expected to follow.
XMI Brings XML, UML and MOF Together:
XMI adds an XML stream-based interchange capability to the two levels of object interfaces. The XMI specification defines the pattern for turning a model into a DTD and for turning modeled data into XML.
The XMI Specification defines how a model in a MOF system is translated into an XML document type (DTD) and how modeled objects are translated to and from XML. UML is the starting point where object-oriented discipline and rigor are applied to defining a model. MOF rules then define the resulting interfaces to documents defined by the model. The XMI specification defines the XML document type.
In the prior art, it is a tedious and time consuming task to compare XMI-based XML documents for identical content. Prior art techniques use a method based upon comparison of textual content. These techniques are incapable of returning as identical two documents that are semantically identical but are arranged in a different order. Instead, when order is not significant, they return semantically identical documents as unequal along with semantically un-identical ones. Thus, the user has to manually sift through all documents returned as unequal to identify documents that are semantically identical but have a different order. This is a highly time consuming and tedious task when a large number of XMI-based XML documents need to be processed. Accordingly, there is a need for automatically comparing XMI based documents for identical content.
An associated problem with prior art techniques is that current methods fail to ignore differences in internal identifier values. Thus, semantically identical documents arranged in the same order but with different XMI internal identifier values are returned as unequal when using current methods of comparison.
Another problem with prior art techniques for comparing XML documents is that currently, comparison methods must be customized or changed for individual document types. This is because these comparison methods are highly context specific and need to be told what kind of comparisons to expect.
As will be amplified in greater detail hereinbelow, the present invention solves one of the prior art problems by creating a semantic graph of all documents before applying the comparison algorithm, which helps to standardize all XML documents to a common standard semantic graph based format that the comparison algorithm is capable of processing.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for comparing a semantic graph encoded in documents rather than comparing textual content as in current XML comparison methods.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for comparing documents that considers order only where order is significant.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for comparing documents that ignores differences in internal identifiers (e.g., xmi.id values).
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a universal system and method for comparing XML documents that works for any XMI-based document type.
These and other objects, which will become apparent as the invention is described in detail below, wherein a method is provided by a computer system processing XMI-based XML documents. The method compares two such XMI-based XML documents for identical content. The method begins with the step of parsing each of the documents to create for each a semantic graph of the document""s objects. Next, a list of names of properties for each of the objects having significant order is read. For each of the objects, and then for each object""s property not listed as having significant order, values of said properties are sorted. Finally, the objects of the semantic graphs are compared.
Still other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein is shown and described only the preferred embodiment of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated of carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive, and what is intended to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims. The present invention will become apparent when taken in conjunction with the following description and attached drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts, and which drawings form a part of this application.

Method in a computing system for comparing XMI-based XML documents for identical contents


The invention relates to the reception of MPEG encoded television signals from a Video-On-Demand server (1) via a network (3). Non-linear playback functions such as `pause` and `resume` require a very accurate control of the bit stream, taking account of typical network aspects such as network latency. The receiver (2) comprises a latency buffer (24) for storing the signal delivered while the reproduction is stalled. The pause and resume commands from the user are not forwarded to the server until the latency buffer reaches a predetermined fullness. This allows the receiver to resume flawlessly signal reproduction after a pause.

The so-called "Transport stream" and "Program Stream" as defined within the MPEG-2 standard provide a standardized mechanism for the transmission and storage of MPEG compressed audio and video (A/V) information. Both streams contain time stamps to synchronize the decoding and presentation of the conveyed audio and video information while ensuring that data buffers in the decoders do not overflow or underflow during linear playback. In addition, these time stamps are used for the correct delivery of the streams themselves. The MPEG Transport Stream is tailored to the communication or the storage of one or more programs of digital data in environments in which significant errors may occur. Such environments are for example terrestrial and satellite broadcast channels, cable channels, and other telecommunication networks. The MPEG Program Stream is tailored to communication or storage of one program of digital data in environments where errors are very unlikely, and where software processing of system coding is a major consideration. Such environments are, for example, PCs with optical and magnetic storage media.
In the last few years, significant effort has been devoted to applications that involve the linear playback and transmission of Program and Transport Streams. For example, broadcasting MPEG-2 encoded programs involves the distribution of Transport Streams of infinite length. However, the non-linear playback of MPEG Transport Streams and Program Streams from video servers has not received the same level of attention. Nonlinear playback involves the interruption and continuation of the stream and is necessary for basically all kinds of trick modes. Trick-modes require an accurate control of the stream. For local disc-based systems, solutions are known to support trick-modes such as pause, slow motion, and fast forward. However, the known solutions can not be applied to network environments, because networks differ from local systems in two aspects.
The first aspect is the delay decoder-network-server-network-decoder. This delay, which is further referred to as the network latency, is not constant and can have a magnitude of up to one second. A consequence of the network latency is that after the end-user requests a pause (resulting in a stall of the decoding and display process and sending a pause command to the server), the network will continue to deliver bits to the decoder for some period of time. The subsequent continuation of the stream is also complicated by the network latency. Namely, because of the network latency there is a significant delay between the transmission of the `Resume` command to the server and the arrival of the requested bits at the decoder. The bits delivered after the pause command and the temporary lack of bits after the resume command have to be handled by the decoder in such a way that the decoder can flawlessly resume its decoding and display process.
The second aspect is the possible presence of MPEG-2 remultiplexers in the network. The presence of remultiplexers complicates the support for trick-mode because remultiplexers allow the packets having different PIDs in a Transport Stream to be reordered. A PID is a Packet IDentifier as defined in the MPEG-2 standard. In practice this means that the packets do not enter the decoder in the same order as they were sent by the server. Note that the presence of remultiplexers does not complicate the trick-mode support for Transport Streams with only one PID, e.g. video, because remultiplexers are not allowed to reorder the packets within one PID.

Method of receiving compressed video signals using a latency buffer during pause and resume


Disclosed is a method and apparatus for playing media resources. The method includes that: a multimedia resource server is searched for multimedia resources including identity attribute information, and a first play list is generated according to a search result; when there is a first multimedia player that is pre-selected, the first play list is searched for multimedia resources corresponding to multimedia file formats supported by the first multimedia player, and a second play list is generated on the basis of the found multimedia resources; and multimedia resources in the second play list are sequentially pushed to the first multimedia player for playing. By means of the technical solutions of the present disclosure, favorite multimedia resources of a user can be conveniently selected, and the favorite multimedia resources of the user are correspondingly played in a selected multimedia player.

With the continuous development of digital home concept applications, a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) device serves as an apparatus directly facing users, a good user experience thereof undoubtedly being a big selling point of the DLNA device.
DLNA devices may be classified into home network devices, mobile handheld devices and home interoperability devices.
A home network device includes a multimedia resource server such as a Digital Media Server (DMS), a multimedia player such as a Digital Media Player (DMP), a Digital Media Renderer (DMR), a multimedia controller such as a Digital Media Controller (DMC), and a multimedia printer such as a Digital Media Printer (DMPr).
The mobile handheld device includes a mobile multimedia resource server such as a Mobile Digital Media Server (M-DMS), a mobile multimedia player such as a Mobile Digital Media Player (M-DMP), a mobile multimedia uploader such as a Mobile Digital Media Uploader (M-DMU), a mobile multimedia downloader such as a Mobile Digital Media Downloader (M-DMD), and a mobile multimedia controller such as a Mobile Digital Media Controller (M-DMC).
The home interoperability device includes a Mobile Network Connectivity Function (M-NCF) and a Mobile Interoperability Unit (MIU).
The multimedia resource server may be any device having a file storage function in DLNA interconnection devices, and the multimedia player may be any device having a display function and an audio/video playing function in the DLNA interconnection devices.
3 interaction modes of playing media resources are specified in a DLNA protocol:
1. a multimedia resource server can actively push stored audio/video files to any one DMR device for playing;
2. a multimedia player can actively search the multimedia resource server and select the audio/video files in the multimedia resource server for playing;
3. the audio/video files in the multimedia resource server can be read via the multimedia controller, and the selected audio/video files are pushed to the multimedia player for playing.
In currently existing DLNA applications, multiple multimedia resource servers may exist in a digital home network, each multimedia resource server is provided with some resources in which users are interested, the audio/video files in these multimedia resource servers can be played in different multimedia players, the multimedia resource servers may actively push multimedia resources to the multimedia players, but the multimedia resource servers do not care whether the multimedia resources can be played in the multimedia players. The multimedia players will search for media resources in some multimedia resource servers for playing, but the multimedia players do not know whether to support the searched media resources. Similarly, a user may select some media resources from the multiple multimedia resource servers as his/her own play lists, but it is impossible for the user to enjoy all media in all lists once, so that in a next usage process, the user needs to re-select his/her own media resources to be played. The media resources in the multimedia resource servers in the digital home network continuously increase, and it is complicated for the user to select a resource and a playing device from huge media resource libraries in the multimedia resource servers and to judge whether the playing device can play this resource, thereby influencing the user experience. For example, the user searches for the resources each time and needs to select the multimedia players each time.

Method and apparatus for playing multimedia resource


A gate driver integrated circuit is provided. The gate driver integrated circuit includes a first well region disposed at one side of a first gate structure near an isolation region, and a second gate structure between the first well region and the isolation region. The second gate structure is used to suppress a leakage current in a parasitic PN junction formed by a drift region between the first well region and the isolation region. A performance of the gate driver integrated circuit is improved.

A high-voltage gate driver integrated circuit involves power electronic device technologies and microelectronic technologies, and is one of the key components of mechatronics. The high-voltage gate driver integrated circuit is widely used in many applications, including electronic ballasts, motor drivers, dimmers, different power modules.
A high-voltage gate driver integrated circuit usually includes a high-voltage-side driver control module, a low-voltage-side driver control module, and a level-shift module. The low-voltage-side driver control module operates as a control signal portion under a normal voltage, while the high-voltage-side driver control module mainly includes a high-voltage control signal portion. The level-shift module is used to transmit low-voltage-side control signals to the high-voltage-side driver control module.
To implement above functions, a high-voltage gate driver integrated circuit is usually expected to have a high withstand voltage performance. In the meantime, with semiconductor technologies developing, a leakage current in a high-voltage gate driver integrated circuit should be decreased to further improve a performance of the high-voltage gate driver integrated circuit.
The disclosed devices and methods are directed to at least partially alleviate one or more problems set forth above and to solve other problems in the art.

Ningbo Semiconductor International Corporation


The present invention provides a bonding wire for a semiconductor device suitable for cutting-edge high-density LSIs and on-vehicle LSIs by improving the formation rate of Cu—Al IMC in ball bonds. A bonding wire for a semiconductor device contains Pt of 0.1 mass % to 1.3 mass %, at least one dopant selected from a first dopant group consisting of In, Ga, and Ge, for a total of 0.05 mass % to 1.25 mass %, and a balance being made up of Cu and incidental impurities.

Currently, as bonding wires for a semiconductor device (hereinafter referred to as bonding wires) for use to bond electrodes on semiconductor elements with wiring such as external leads of a circuit wiring board, fine wires approximately 15 to 50 μm in wire diameter are mainly used. As a method for bonding the bonding wires to electrodes on a semiconductor device, a thermosonic bonding process is used commonly, and a general-purpose bonding machine, a capillary jig, and the like are used, where the capillary jig is used for connection by passing the bonding wire therethrough. A bonding wire bonding process involves heat-melting a wire tip by arc heat input, forming a ball (FAB: Free Air Ball) by surface tension, pressure-bonding the ball portion (hereinafter referred to as ball bonding) to an electrode of a semiconductor element heated in a range of 150 to 300° C., then forming a loop, and pressure-bonding a wire portion to an electrode on the side of the external lead (hereinafter referred to as wedge bonding) to complete the process. An electrode structure made up of an alloy film composed principally of Al and formed on a Si substrate is mainly used for the electrode on the semiconductor element to which the bonding wire is bonded while an electrode structure or the like plated with Ag or Pd is used for the electrode on the side of the external lead.
Gold (Au) and copper (Cu) are mainly used as bonding wire materials. Among others, Cu, which has the advantages of being higher in electric conductivity and lower in cost than Au, is used for various packages. Bonding wires made of Cu are roughly divided into: bonding wires having a coating layer of Pd, Au, or another element on the surface of Cu (hereinafter referred to as coated Cu wires); and bonding wires not having a coating layer (hereinafter referred to as bare Cu wires). Generally, in terms of performance, the coated Cu wires are superior to the bare Cu wires in many respects. This is because the coating layer improves oxidation resistance of the bonding wire surface, thereby improving ball formability and wedge bondability. On the other hand, in terms of price, the bare Cu wire is superior to the coated Cu wire. This is because there is no need to form a coating layer in a production process, which makes the bare Cu wire lower in production cost than the coated Cu wire. Recently, there has been growing demand for price reductions of bonding wires, and bare Cu wires have begun to attract attention.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a bonding wire containing 0.001 wt % (inclusive) to 0.1 wt % (exclusive) of one or more elements selected from Sn, Zn, Zr, Ag, Cr, and Fe and 0.001 to 2 wt % of one or more elements selected from Mg, Ca, rare-earth elements, Ti, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Ni, Pd, Pt, Au, Cd, B, In, Si, Ge, Pb, P, Sb, Bi, Se, and Te, with the balance being substantially made up of copper.
Also, Patent Literature 2 discloses a wire material containing 20 to 360 ppm of one or more elements selected from In, B, Bi, Ge, and Si; and 10 to 650 ppm of one or more elements selected from As, Zn, K, Sr, Mg, Ca, and Tl or 25 to 250 ppm of one or more elements selected from Sb, P, Li, Sn, Pb, and Cd; with the balance being made up of Cu.
Until now, large-diameter wires for power device applications have been in the mainstream of bare Cu wires. In recent years, along with enhancement in the functionality and accuracy of bonding machines used to bond bonding wires, the scope of application of bare Cu wires has been expanding. In particular, there are expectations for application of bare Cu wires to high-density LSIs in which a large number of wires are mounted and which can enjoy the benefits of cost reduction as well as to cutting-edge on-vehicle LSIs which have stringent performance requirements. Small-diameter wires are in the mainstream of bonding wires for such cutting-edge devices and bonding is done by forming balls smaller than usual (hereinafter referred to as small-ball bonding). The small-ball bonding presents a problem which is not encountered in usual ball bonding and which is expected to be dealt with in the development of bare Cu wires.

NIPPON STEEL CHEMICAL & MATERIAL CO., LTD.