In a disclosed image forming apparatus, a developing bias applied to a developer carrier or exposure energy with which an image carrier is exposed is adjusted such that an isolated one-dot image on the image carrier has a predetermined image density. When the image carrier is exposed to form dot images continuously arranged in a main scanning direction, the exposure time period for each dot image is shorter than that when the image carrier is exposed to form the isolated one-dot image.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, and a copier, and an image forming method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image forming apparatuses such as low-cost laser-beam printers employ a contact-type developing method performed with the use of a non-magnetic one-component developer. With this method, the image forming apparatus can have a simple structure and power source costs can be reduced. In the contact-type developing method performed with the use of a non-magnetic one-component developer, no gap is formed at the developing nip between a photoconductor, which acts as a latent image carrier, and toner. Therefore, in this method, a wraparound electric field is not generated, unlike the case of using a two-component developer (hereinafter, "two-component developing") or using a one-component developer in a non-contact-type developing method (hereinafter, "one-component non-contact developing"). Accordingly, in the contact-type developing method performed with the use of a one-component developer, an edge effect does not occur as much as in the case of two-component developing or one-component non-contact developing; hence, the latent image can be precisely developed.
When light is written onto a photoconductor to form an isolated one-dot image, the latent image electric potential distribution is substantially a Gaussian distribution (normal distribution). In the case of two-component developing or one-component non-contact developing, an edge effect occurs, and therefore an isolated one-dot image can be reproduced with a weak laser beam. However, in the case of a contact-type developing method performed with the use of a non-magnetic one-component developer, a wraparound electric field is not generated, and therefore an isolated one-dot image cannot be properly reproduced with a laser beam having the same intensity as that used in two-component developing or one-component non-contact developing.
As a result, as indicated by a line joining ⋄ marks in the graph shown in FIG. 11, the low density portions in area gradation including isolated one-dot images will have a lower density than the ideal density.
In order to enhance the reproducibility of isolated one-dot images, various measures are taken, such as intensifying the laser beam or adjusting the developing bias (see, for example, Patent Document 1).    Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-292929
If the laser beam is intensified in an attempt to enhance the reproducibility of isolated one-dot images, the following problem arises. That is, gradation loss will occur (portions that are supposed to be blank will be developed) in high density portions of the area gradation, as indicated by a line joining ● marks in the graph shown in FIG. 11.
Area gradation is described with reference to FIG. 12. In a matrix of 4 dots×4 dots=16 dots, a first gradation level is expressed by forming an image at one portion (one dot) of the 16 dot matrix. As the gradation level increases, more portions of the 16 dot matrix will include dot images. At a sixteenth gradation level, the entire 16 dot matrix will be filled with dot images. In FIG. 12, the matrix includes a region corresponding to dot images (the black portions in the figure) and a region corresponding to non-image dots (the white portions in the figure). However, in reality, an error diffusion method is employed to disperse the image dots and the non-image dots.
In FIG. 13, (a) illustrates an example of potentials on a photoconductor surface at a low density portion in the area gradation and corresponding dot images. In FIG. 13, (b) illustrates an example of potentials on a photoconductor surface at a high density portion in the area gradation and corresponding dot images.
As shown in (a) of FIG. 13, at a low density portion in the area gradation, non-image dots are continuously arranged, and each dot image is isolated. In such a case, by intensifying the laser beam, the reproducibility of one-dot images can be enhanced so that favorable gradation properties are attained.
As shown in (b) of FIG. 13, at a high density portion in the area gradation, dot images are continuously arranged, and each non-image dot is isolated. The laser beam is intensified in an attempt to enhance reproducibility of isolated one-dot images. Thus, if each dot image on either side of the isolated non-image dot is used for exposing, the potential of the isolated non-image dot will be attenuated. As a result, each of the isolated non-image dots will have a potential (potential of exposed portions) that is lower than the developing bias, and the isolated non-image dots will be developed (i.e., portions corresponding to isolated non-image dots, which are supposed to be blank, will appear as dot images in the developed image). In this manner, gradation loss will occur in high density portions of the area gradation.
Another method of enhancing reproducibility of isolated one-dot images is to adjust the developing bias.
FIG. 14 illustrates an example in which the developing bias is adjusted to enhance the reproducibility of isolated one-dot images.
As shown in (a) of FIG. 14, in order to enhance the reproducibility of isolated one-dot images by adjusting the developing bias, the latent image region is developed with the use of the developing bias (2), which is closer to the potential of unexposed portions of the photoconductor than the conventional developing bias (developing bias (1)). Accordingly, the developed latent image region can be made to have a width of one dot, thereby enhancing the reproducibility of isolated one-dot images.
Furthermore, if the developing bias is adjusted to enhance the reproducibility of isolated one-dot images, the width of a latent image potential distribution on the surface of a photoconductor will be narrower compared to the case of intensifying laser beams. Thus, as shown in (b) of FIG. 14, at each isolated non-image dot, the latent image potentials that are adjacent to the isolated non-image dot (on opposite sides thereof) in the main scanning direction are not overlapping each other. Therefore, the potential at the non-image dot will not become as low as the potential of the exposed portions. As a result, gradation loss will not occur in high density portions of the area gradation.
However, even by adjusting the developing bias, the potential on the photoconductor surface significantly attenuates at portions where dot images are continuously arranged, although not as much as that in the case of intensifying the laser beam. In the case of adjusting the developing bias to enhance the reproducibility of isolated one-dot images, the developing bias is made to be closer to the potential of unexposed portions of the photoconductor. For this reason, the difference between the potential of exposed portions of the photoconductor surface and the developing bias (developing potential) becomes large. As a result, at portions where dot images are continuously arranged, the toner density becomes dark. Thus, there has been a problem in that the image density becomes dark at mid-density portions to high density portions in the area gradation where dot images are continuously arranged.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Image forming apparatus and image forming method which controls the exposing of an image carrier to change the exposure time period in the main scanning direction


A testing apparatus for testing a device under test, includes a power source for generating a current, a coaxial cable unit for supplying the current to the device under test, a detecting unit for detecting a voltage applied to the device under test when the current is supplied to the device under test and a judging unit for judging quality of the device under test based on the detected voltage, wherein the coaxial cable unit includes a first coaxial cable including a first internal conductor and a first external conductor, and a second coaxial cable including a second internal conductor and a second external conductor, wherein the first internal conductor and the second external conductor conduct a current from the power source towards the device under test, and the first external conductor and the second internal conductor conduct a current from the device under test towards the power source.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to coaxial cable unit, test apparatus and CPU system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a coaxial cable unit, a testing apparatus and a CPU system including the coaxial cable unit for supplying a device with an electric current generated by a power source.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a testing apparatus 100 according to the conventional art relating to the present invention.
The testing apparatus 100 supplies a DUT (Device Under Test) 110 with a predetermined electric current and performs a current application voltage test to measure the voltage applied to the DUT 110. The testing apparatus 100 includes a power source 120, a coaxial cable unit 130, a detecting unit 160 and a judging unit 170.
The power source 120 generates an electric current and sends it to the coaxial cable unit 130. The coaxial cable unit 130 includes a first coaxial cable 140 and a second coaxial cable 150 and supplies the current generated by the power source 120 to the DUT 110.
The first coaxial cable 140 includes a first internal conductor 142 and a first external conductor 144 provided around the first internal conductor 142 via an insulator. The first internal and external conductors 142 and 144 conduct the current from the power source 120 towards the DUT 110. The second coaxial cable 150 includes a second internal conductor 152 and a second external conductor 154 provided around the second internal conductor 152 via an insulator. The second internal and external conductors 152 and 154 conduct the current from the DUT 110 towards the power source 120.
The detecting unit 160 detects the voltage applied to the DUT 110 when the current generated by the power source 120 is supplied to the DUT 110, and sends the detected voltage to the judging unit 170. The judging unit 170 judges the quality of the DUT 110 based on the voltage detected by the detecting unit 160.
According to the testing apparatus 100 in the conventional art relating to the present invention, through the coaxial cable unit 130, the current application voltage test can be performed with a large current supplied to the DUT 110.
FIG. 2 shows an equivalent circuit of the coaxial cable unit 130 according to the art relating to the present invention.
The first coaxial cable 140 conducts the current from S1 to S2. The equivalent circuit of the first internal conductor 142 includes a plurality of coils 146, each of which has self-inductance L1 and is coupled in series with one another. The equivalent circuit of the first external conductor 144 includes a plurality of coils 148, each of which has self-inductance L2 and is coupled in series with one another.
The second coaxial cable 150 conducts the current from G2 to G1. The equivalent circuit of the second internal conductor 152 includes a plurality of coils 156, each of which has self-inductance L1 and is coupled in series with one another. The equivalent circuit of the second external conductor 154 includes a plurality of coils 158, each of which has self-inductance L2 and is coupled in series with one another.
If the current generated by the power source 120 is changed, the current flowing through the first internal conductor 142 is changed, so the magnetic flux generated by the coils 146 is changed. Accordingly, a self-induction electromotive force is generated in the first internal conductor 142. The generated self-induction electromotive force acts to impede the flow of the current in the first internal conductor 142. In addition, if the current generated by the power source 120 is changed, the current flowing through the first external conductor 144 is changed, so the magnetic flux generated by the coils 148 is changed. Accordingly, the magnetic flux crossing the coils 146 is changed, and then a mutual induction electromotive force is generated in the first internal conductor 142. The generated mutual induction electromotive force acts to impede the flow of the current in the first internal conductor 142.
In this way, for each of the first external conductor 144, the second internal conductor 152 and the second external conductor 154, the generated self-induction and mutual induction electromotive forces act to impede the flow of the currents in the respective conductors.
Due to the induced electromotive forces acting in the testing apparatus 100 in the art relating to the present invention, the responsiveness of output current to the change in input current is decreased with regard to the coaxial cable unit 130. Particularly, by these induced electromotive forces, the testing apparatus 100 needs more time from when the current generated by the power source 120 is changed to when the current supplied to the DUT 110 is changed. Therefore, in case a sudden change in current is needed, it is difficult to perform the test highly accurately.

Coaxial cable unit, test apparatus, and CPU system


Disclosed are apparatus and methods for facilitating annotation of media objects by a user. Mechanisms present a user with an easily usable set of annotation suggestions that are most likely to be relevant to the particular user and/or media context. In general, existing annotations are analyzed to determine a set of suggested annotations. Annotation suggestions for a particular user are based on an analysis of the relevance, to the particular user, of existing annotations of one or more media objects so that the most likely relevant annotations are presented as suggested annotations. In particular embodiments, this analysis depends on whether the existing annotations were created and/or selected by the particular user, a member of the particular user's social network, or members of the general public.

The field of the present invention relates generally to manipulation of media objects or the like, such as photographs, video, audio files, and websites. More particularly, it relates to associating annotations with media objects.
Consumer photography has made it exceedingly simple for people to capture images, which they do at an increasing rate. The growing rate of photo capture is driven by the proliferation of capture devices (such as digital cameras and camera-phones) as well as decreasing storage costs. At the same time, however, creation of semantic metadata about the photo content that is relevant to the content or context of the media's capture environment remains an elusive goal. This type of metadata is required in order to facilitate retrieval from large collections of photographs and media. Completely automated tools for annotating media, though improving, have not proven sufficient in providing complete and accurate semantic metadata. Manual annotation interfaces, even on desktop computers, remain time-consuming, often presenting the user with an overwhelming number of photos to annotate with custom created annotations.
Accordingly, improved mechanisms for facilitating media annotation as performed by a user are needed.

Context-based community-driven suggestions for media annotation


Systems and methods for correcting color and geometry in an image are disclosed. In one example, image data are received in one format and are then converted to another format to perform color correction. In another example, geometric corrections are first applied to each color component of an image data to correct for different distortions including lateral chromatic aberrations. Next, color distortion corrections are performed to correct for each color component of the image data independently. In one particular exemplary embodiment, color distortion corrections are applied using surface function representation of a grid data transformation relating uncorrected values to corrected values.

Most image display devices exhibit some form of color distortions, which depending on the type of display device, could be accompanied by geometric distortions. These distortions are a result of non-ideal geometric behavior and non-ideal color response of the system components. Various causes such as imperfections of the optical components in the system, misalignment of the system components, material manufacturing faults, complicated surfaces in displays, and operational variations in the system can result in distortions. For instance lateral chromatic aberration in an RPTV (Rear Projection TV) or other projection systems is caused by dispersion of light optical lenses in these systems. An optical solution to correct for such a distortion, such as using extra-low dispersion glass, is costly and adds to the complexity of the system.
Visual manifestation of color distortions includes pixel-by-pixel variations, as well as non-uniformity of color, which includes brightness variation across a group of pixels. This causes a signal of fixed chrominance and luminance is seen to vary across the display or differ from its intended perception.
As for geometric distortions, warping algorithms and methods relevant to can be found in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,064,770 and 7,126,616, and the United States Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0120620A1, all assigned to Silicon Optix Inc. which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention devises color and geometry distortion correction schemes that apply to a wide variety of displays, are flexible in terms of the types of distortions allowable, and are efficiently executable for real-time image processing.

Color and geometry distortion correction system and method


A method of regulating voltage output from an alternator of a vehicle charging system is provided in response to transient alternator loads during idle speed operating conditions. The method comprises the steps of: (a) delivering a first alternator field control signal to the alternator; (b) detecting an impulse electrical load based on a variation in battery voltage; and (c) gradually increasing the alternator field control signal duty-cycle over a time period, such that the time period is based on the magnitude of the alternator field control signal duty-cycle, with respect to a maximum alternator field control signal duty-cycle, and based on the engine rotational speed of the vehicle, thereby regulating voltage output and torque load of the alternator. More specifically, the variation in battery voltage is the difference between a measured battery voltage and an average delta battery voltage, where the average delta battery voltage is indicative of the change in battery voltage over a period in time, and the duty-cycle of the alternator field control signal is incremented by a predefined amount until it reaches a maximum value or until a calculated average battery voltage is substantially equal to a predefined voltage regulator set point value. In addition, the first alternator field control signal is delayed for a preliminary period after the step of detecting a variation in battery voltage to minimize battery voltage drop.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method of controlling an automotive charging system, and more particularly to a method of controlling current flow into an alternator field circuit and thereby controlling the electrical output of the alternator in response to impulse and/or transient electrical loads during idle speed conditions of a motor vehicle.
2. Discussion
It is becoming difficult to calibrate automatic idle speed (AIS) compensation for varying alternator loads, primarily due to ever increasing vehicle electrical loads that make it necessary to use larger amperage alternators (i.e., larger torque loading), larger intake manifolds creating a larger delay time in engine RPM response to AIS steps, smaller capacity batteries that have less capacity to handle current draws, and lower engine idle speeds resulting in alternator operation at less efficient speeds. Due to their inability to respond well to the periodic application of impulse electrical loads (e.g., the activation of the radiator fan), current methods for controlling the alternator field have been determined to be a primary cause of highly unacceptable engine speed fluctuations and other system instabilities at idle speed conditions.
Regulating the battery voltage level during vehicle operation consists of controlling the electrical current supplied to the alternator field circuit. This electrical current creates a magnetic field in the alternator that is proportional to the magnitude of the current. The magnitude of the magnetic field and the rotational speed of the alternator together determine the output of the alternator. The electrical field current is controlled and delivered by the powertrain control module (PCM). The PCM approximates a variable direct current by delivering a pulsewidth modulated control signal to the alternator field circuit. In a steady-state mode, alternator field control is accomplished by driving the alternator field control output pin of the microprocessor in the PCM to a prescribed ON/OFF pattern that effectively delivers one of several different duty-cycles (i.e., 0%, 12.5%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 87.5%, 100%). Periodically, for example once every 3.5 mS, the appropriate duty-cycle is chosen based on the magnitude of the difference between the most recent "trimmed" battery voltage level (from an AND conversion that occurs in the same routine once every 3.5 mS) and a desired operational battery voltage value, also referred to as the voltage regulator set point. However, missing from this control process is consideration of electrical load levels on the engine system at the time and also consideration of the engine speed at the time. As a result, the current control methods poorly manage the application of higher alternator field duty-cycles in response to impulse electrical loads (such as the activation of the radiator fan, the rear window heater, or the window motors), and it is this deficiency that has been determined to be the main cause of engine speed instability during idle speed conditions.
The problem that is caused by impulse or transient electrical loads is a result of how the system battery voltage drops (when they are applied) and how the control system detects and responds to these system battery voltage fluctuations. For instance, when the radiator fan is turned "on," the large in-rush of current that occurs because of the initial low impedance of the fan motor causes the system battery voltage to drop by a significant amount over a very short period of time. When the control system detects the system battery voltage drop, it attempts to recover by immediately increasing the alternator field current control duty cycle. This increase in alternator field current control duty cycle causes a proportional torque load on the engine as the alternator works to increase its output and restore the system battery voltage to its desired control value.
Current charging system control methods employ different strategies for managing the application of impulse loads and attempt to limit the corresponding maximum alternator field current control duty-cycle to avoid engine stall. These strategies produce undesirable engine speed fluctuations or undesirable dimming of headlamp and instrument panel lights. For example, when the control system determines that the radiator fan needs to be turned "on," it will open the AIS a prescribed number of steps and then delay a prescribed length of time before turning the radiator fan "on." This strategy effectively minimizes the possibility of the engine stalling when the radiator fan is turned "on" while operating at low engine speeds. It causes the engine speed to flare slightly before dropping sharply when the radiator fan is finally turned "on." It should be noted that this approach does not really make the idle speed any more stable, it merely makes the idle speed fluctuate above and below a target idle speed to prevent engine stall.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a method of controlling the alternator field current which would result in regulating the voltage in an automotive charging system in response to transient electrical loads. The method of the present invention will control current flow into an alternator field circuit during idle speed operating conditions, and thus regulate alternator output and engine torque loading to achieve an acceptable balance between engine speed fluctutation and system battery voltage drop. Upon detecting an impulse electrical load, the alternator field current flow will be gradually increased over a period of time based on the engine's rotational speed and also based on the magnitude of the delivered duty-cycle with respect to a maximum duty-cycle value. The new method effectively reduces engine speed and system voltage fluctuations that normally accompany the application of transient or impulse electrical loads. As these fluctuations are reduced, the noticeable side-effects are reduced, including changes in headlight, interior light and instrument panel light intensity, blower motor speed, and engine noise and vibration.

Method of controlling an automotive charging system in response to transient electrical loads


A communication system has multiple paths including one or more Tx paths for processing Tx signals and one or more Rx paths for processing Rx signals, one or more PAs coupled respectively to the one or more Tx paths for amplifying the Tx signals, one or more LNAs coupled respectively to the one or more Rx paths for amplifying the Rx signals, one or more Tx filters coupled respectively to the one or more Tx paths for filtering the Tx signals, one or more Rx filters coupled respectively to the one or more Rx paths for filtering the Rx signals, and an antenna comprising multiple feeds coupled to the multiple paths, respectively, to provide physical separation of the multiple paths from each other. Physical separation among the multiple paths and impedance matching provides isolation among the multiple paths, and relaxes rejection considerations on the filters.

Frequency bands and modes associated with various protocols are specified per industry standards for cell phone and mobile device applications, WiFi applications, WiMax applications and other wireless communication applications, and the number of specified bands and modes is increasing as the demand pushes. Examples of the frequency bands and modes for cell phone and mobile device applications are: the cellular band (824-960 MHz) which includes two bands, CDMA (824-894 MHz) and GSM (880-960 MHz) bands; and the PCS/DCS band (1710-2170 MHz) which includes three bands, DCS (1710-1880 MHz), PCS (1850-1990 MHz) and AWS/WCDMA (1920-2170 MHz) bands. Examples for uplink for transmit (Tx) signals include the frequency ranges of DCS (1710-1785 MHz) and PCS (1850-1910 MHz). Examples for downlink for receive (Rx) signals include the frequency ranges of DCS (1805-1880 MHz) and PCS (1930-1990 MHz). Examples of frequency bands for WiFi applications include two bands: one ranging from 2.4 to 2.48 GHz, and the other ranging from 5.15 GHz to 5.835 GHz. The frequency bands for WiMax applications involve three bands: 2.3-2.4 GHz, 2.5-2.7 GHZ, and 3.5-3.8 GHz. Use of frequency bands and modes is regulated worldwide and varies from country to country. For example, for uplink, Japan uses CDMA (915-925 MHz) and South Korea uses CDMA (1750-1780 MHz). In this document, "modes" refer to WiFi, WiMax, LTE, WCDMA, CDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, DCS, PCS and so on; and "bands" or "frequency bands" refer to frequency ranges (700-900 MHz), (1.7-2 GHz), (2.4-2.6 GHz), (4.8-5 GHz), and so on. Laptops, tablets, personal digital assistants, cellular phones, smart phones and other mobile devices include a communication system which is generally designed to have paths or chains to process signals in multiple modes and bands. In this document, a combination of a mode and a band is denoted as "mode/band."
As new generations of wireless communication devices become smaller and packed with more multi-mode multi-band functions, designing new types of antennas and associated air interface circuits is becoming increasingly important. In particular, signals in different frequency bands in such a dense RF circuitry tend to interfere with each other, and in some cases even damage sensitive components if the gap between the bands is small. Therefore, a proper isolation provision needs to be considered in designing such a multi-mode multi-band system having multiple paths therein.

Communication systems with enhanced isolation provision and optimized impedance matching


A high frequency multi-layer printed circuit board, according to the present invention, comprises a through connection having an impedance adapting structure surrounding the through connection and enabling an adjustment of the characteristic impedance of the through connection to a desired value. Thus, high frequency signals may be led through the printed circuit board with reduced signal deformation. The high frequency multi-layer printed circuit board is applicable for high frequency signals up to the GHz-range.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of connecting techniques for high frequency devices, and, more particularly, to a through connection for multi-layer printed circuit boards for high frequency applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
As semiconductor manufacturers continue to scale down on-chip features, the on-chip operating frequencies of those reduced size features may be accordingly increased, due substantially to reduced parasitic device capacitances. While, some applications, for example, state of the art microprocessors, may be driven with an on-chip operating frequency (clock rate) that may be higher than the input/output frequency, other applications, for example, high frequency transmitter and receiver devices, e.g., for wireless local area networks (WLANs) or mobile phones, may need to input/output high frequency signals in the GHz-range. For example, a WLAN transceiver may supply/receive a 2.4 GHz-signal to/from a connected antenna that may, for instance, be printed on a common substrate. Typically, integrated circuit die are mounted on a substrate and connected to other devices by conduction lines formed on an elaborate multi-layer substrate. In particular, connections for high frequency signals of more than 300 MHz are subjected to certain constraints with respect to the employed substrate materials and the line design and may be formed, for example, by microstrip lines to provide connection lines with a controlled impedance. Conventional through connections, however, may cause signal reflection and attenuation of high frequency signals, in particular in the GHz range.
On the other hand, as a general rule, scaled features enable increased functionality at a maintained die size, or a reduced die size at a maintained functionality. In both cases, however, the density of inputs and outputs (I/Os) on the die is increased. For a conventional peripheral bond pad arrangement, the resulting bond pad pitch (the distance between the centers of two adjacent bond pads) is accordingly reduced. Thus, bonding of die of advanced integrated circuits, in particular for high frequency integrated circuits, is a challenge for manufacturers of electronic components. Typically, integrated circuit devices are mounted on a substrate and the contact pads of the device are connected to corresponding pads on the substrate by wire bonding, tape automated bonding (TAB) or flip chip bonding techniques.
Contrary to wire bonding and TAB, flip chip bonding is not restricted to the employment of peripheral bond pads. The flip chip technology, however, requires an equal bump pitch on the die and on the substrate to which the die is to be bonded. The minimal bump pitch achievable on a substrate depends on the carrier material and on the corresponding available technology. In general, bond pad redistribution is required to provide reliable and cost-efficient components. Consequently, semiconductor manufacturers arrange the bond pads in two or more rows disposed in the peripheral region of the chip area (peripheral array), or redistribute the peripheral bond pads over the entire chip area (area array) to allow for a higher bond pad pitch. For high frequency integrated circuits, die with on-die redistribution of bump pads and chip carriers providing the required functionality are, in general, not available.
As a high frequency chip carrier material may be employed, for example, ceramic, polyimide or flame-retardant fiberglass epoxy laminate (FR4). In large-scale production, FR4 is, in spite of the poor material properties (high dielectric constant, high loss angle), even for high frequency applications, a widely used material for its economical benefits. Through connections formed with conventional FR4 printed circuit board (PCB) technologies, however, may cause undue high frequency signal deformation.
In view of the above-mentioned problems, there exists a need for an improved connection technique for devices in high frequency applications.

Multi-layer printed circuit board comprising a through connection for high frequency applications


An adjustable seat cushion for use on a support surface such as the seat of a motorcycle. The seat cushion is cellular and laterally spreadable inwardly or outwardly depending on the space between the ischial tuberosities of a user seated on the cushion for improved comfort. In an embodiment, the cellular cushion cups the buttocks and also tilts the pelvis of a user seated on the cushion forward for enhanced seated stability.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cellular cushion which is laterally spreadable inwardly or outwardly depending on the space between the ischial tuberosities of a user seated on the cushion. In addition to providing pressure-relieving comfort for the bony prominences of a sitter's pelvis, the cushion also provides enhanced seated stability.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The pelvis serves as the body's center of mass. When a person moves from a standing to a seated position, the pelvis tends to rotate backwardly, causing the lumbar spine to flatten from its natural lordotic (inwardly curved) shape, resulting in increased muscle activity as the body attempts to restore balance. This results in increased fatigue and discomfort for a sitter over time. In addition, a sitter's pelvis has bony prominences such as the ischial tuberosities and coccyx. Pressure on the bony prominences, particularly the ischial tuberosities, leads to discomfort in sitting.
Providing a comfortable cushion in a vehicle is particularly a problem because of vibrational forces involved riding. Known seats for vehicles, such as motorcycles, usually have a supporting base layer, a cushion layer and an exterior cover layer. On long rides, a rider may fatigue and become saddle sore.
For comfort in sitting, a cushion should help sustain the forward tilt of the pelvis and transfer pressure from the skin tissue surrounding the bony prominences to the buttocks and thighs. A cushion should also adapt to the variable spacing between the ischial tuberosities of the two sexes (i.e., the tuberosities of females are usually more widely spaced than the tuberosities of males) and between different members of the same sex. Hence a cushion that feels good to one user may not be comfortable for another.


An IC card reader includes contactors contacting to IC contact points of the IC card, a frame forming with a card insertion path into which the IC card is inserted and a retraction domain for retracting the contactors in a direction away from the insertion path, a plate spring biasing the contactors to the retraction domain, and a mechanism responsive to the insertion of the IC card, advancing the contactors into the insertion path with the plate spring deflected to make contact the contactors to the IC contact points of the IC card, and responsive to extraction of the IC card and retracting the contactors to the retraction domain with the plate spring released force of the plate spring, becoming difficult for deformation and damage of the contactors.

The present invention pertains to an IC (Integrated Circuit) card reader which performs processing of information by bringing contactors into contact with IC contact points of the IC card.
There are IC card readers which perform information processing with respect to contact-type IC cards. These IC card readers ensure a state of electrical connection with the IC card by bringing electrically conductive contactors into contact with IC contact points provided on the front face of the IC card, and, through the contact or and the IC contact, perform read or write processing of information with respect to the IC card.
In order to bring contactors into contact with the IC contact points of an IC card, various structures have been proposed for some time. E.g., in JP-A-10-63792, a contactor is ordinarily made to protrude into the card insertion path into which an IC card is inserted. When, as a result of this, the IC card is inserted into the card insertion path and the advanced end of the IC card makes contact against the contactor, the contactor hits the top side of the IC card, and when the IC card has been inserted up to a specified position, the contactor is located on the IC contact point of the IC card and is in contact with the IC contact point.
Also, in JP-A-9-147064, a contact head is disposed in the upper part of the card insertion path by using a linking mechanism, a contactor is provided on the contact head so as to face the card insertion path, and a contact portion is provided so as to protrude to the card insertion path. In this way, the IC card is inserted into the card insertion path by a transport means, and when the advanced end of the IC card makes contact with the contact portion, the contact head is pushed toward the IC card and is moved obliquely downward as a result of a rotation of the linking mechanism, and the contactor is brought into contact with the IC contact point of the IC card.
Moreover, in Japanese Patent No. 2593143, there are disposed, in the upper part of the card insertion path, a component made up of a card groove formed on the lateral face and inclined in a downward direction and a carriage supported by means of a support pin in the guiding groove, there being provided on the concerned carriage a contactor facing the card insertion path and a contact portion protruding in the card transport path. In this way, when the IC card is inserted into the card insertion path and the advanced end of the IC card makes contact with the contact portion, the carriage is pushed by the IC card and moves obliquely downward due to a movement along the guiding groove of the support pin, and brings the contactor into contact with the IC contact point of the IC card.
In the structure of the aforementioned JP-A-10-63792, since the contactor is ordinarily made to protrude into the card insertion path, the leading edge of the IC card makes contact with the contactor when the IC card is inserted, so it is easy for deformation or damage of the contactor to occur. If deformation or damage of the contactor occurs, the contactor no longer makes contact with the IC contact point of the IC card, and the IC card reader can not perform information processing with respect to the IC card and becomes impossible to use. In other words, with the structure of JP-A-10-63792, there is a problem of the IC card reader being short-lived.
Since, in the structure of the aforementioned JP-A-9-147064 and Japanese Patent No. 2593143, the connector head or the carriage is located in the upper part of the card insertion path and the contactor is retracted from the card insertion path when the IC card has not yet been inserted, and the connector or the carriage moves obliquely downward to approach the IC card and the contactor is brought into contact with the IC contact point of the IC card when the IC card is inserted, it is difficult for deformation or damage of the contactor to occur, so the life of the IC card reader can be extended.
However, with the structure of JP-A-9-147064, a relatively large space must be reserved in the upper part of the card insertion path for the purpose of rotating the linking mechanism in order to move the contactor from a position where it is retracted from the card insertion path to a position where it is in contact with the IC contact point of the IC card, since a contact head and a linking mechanism are used, so the IC card reader ends up being thick. Also, with the structure of Japanese Patent No. 2593143, since a guide component made up of a carriage, a support pin, and a guiding groove is used, it is necessary to let the guide component height have a size enabling the formation of a guiding groove having a width exceeding the diameter of the support pin i.e. a size resulting from adding, to the height from the bottom to the top of the guiding groove, the distance from the top of the guide component to the top of the guiding groove and the distance from the bottom of the guide component to the bottom of the guiding groove. As a result, a relatively large space must be reserved in the upper part of the card insertion path for the purpose of disposing the guide component, so the IC card reader ends up being thick. In other words, with the structure of JP-A-9-147064 and Japanese Patent No. 2593143, there is the problem of not being able to provide for making IC card readers thinner.


This invention relates to liquid application for skin rejuvenation created from specific amino acids, lipids, nucleic acids and vitamins. This collection of molecules delivers precisely the factors necessary to a specific site requiring healing; a direct intervention system to most expeditiously remodel skin with building blocks. This delivery is a transdermal topical delivery.

Methylation is key to the epigenetic perfect expression, peak maintenance and re-assembly of all genes (DNA/RNA). On the skin surface or wound site, methylation can be part of the energy cycle to facilitate in the epigenome's perfect retooling; the Methyl Nicotinate molecule (MN) is present to affect this reassembly on the skin surface or wound site. This process occurs without any systemic dilution or metabolic transformation that would occur by the oral or parenteral administration of the administered substance. Methyl Nicotinate molecules are lipophilic in nature and at the cellular level easily traverse through the plasma membrane. The methyl group provides energy directly to the site of application on the order of 3 protons (H+) or 12ATP's for every Methyl Nicotinate molecule. Once in the cytosol, it can readily enter the nucleus, delivering the Nicotinate ligand and energy. This Methyl donor energy interacts with the gene (DNA/RNA) via multiple venues; one is the histone sheath. This exposes more of the gene (DNA/RNA), now expressing its increased function and/or repair, and/or gene silencing, and/or its activation of apoptosis. The genome (DNA/RNA) is thus rebooted by the MN thereby allowing epigenetically more of the phenotypic aspects of the gene (DNA/RNA) to facilitate a renewed, reorganized and enhanced structure within the cell. The repaired gene can now perform with greater efficiency, and the repaired cell containing this gene (DNA) becomes more efficient in its innate cellular functions. There is a special energy balancing synergy to maintain perfect structure and function that requires the delicate pre-programming of the following cellular pathways: CAMP, PGC1A, Ppars, Foxol, PARP1a, peroxisomes and proteasomes. These pathways work in synergy, aiding and contributing to optimize each individual cellular mechanism. The protons/ATP, seamlessly delivered, assist with the process of cellular respiration and maintain the balance of NAD, NADH, FAD and FADH.
Whether the gene is carrying out its normal functions or effecting self-repair, it can now do so expediently due to this delivery of energy that is both transdermally applied and systemically recruited via specific nutrients. Where RNAi or the gene has been silenced, or is malfunctioning, the increased energy can retool this nuclear function. If the malfunction is not fixable, this energy can allow the cell to have PARP (parp1 in this case), induce apoptosis or autophagy via demethylization. When and if the cell rejuvenates, in turn, the energy and the nicotinate ligand for the nuclear super family of transcriptional related genes (NSFTRG) will induce the nucleus to engender increased production of mitochondria, proteasomic activity, Ppars, PGC1a and Sirtuin activations to continue their ever-vigilant maintenance of the gene (DNA).
Through the use of Methyl Nicotinate, the nicotinate ligand, as a promoter of the nuclear super family of transcriptional related genes (NSFTRG), is attracting cytoplasmic organelles into the cytosol for increased mitochondria activity.
Within the barrier of the skin where the wound begins, the nicotinate molecule functions as a false analog, creating a false injury (an autocoid response) that is quickly recognized by the body and is quelled more rapidly than a true injury, then stimulating an anti-inflammatory-healing process. The delivered beta alanine also defuses the inflammatory response allowing the anti-inflammatory response to occur more quickly.
With the absorption and transfer of the array of accompanying materials for rebuilding cellular tissue (dermis), Methyl Nicotinate causes Phase-1 Cell Cycle (G-1) stimulation. This, coupled with MN activation of lipolysis via adipose tissue releasing free fatty acids (FFA), including arachidonic acid (AA) that recruits both the lox cascades and cox cascades, along with a myriad of other cytokines and chemokines. These enable local inflammation at the cell/wound site. There is also a local transformation of stem cells to mast cells with the increased production of histamine and heparin and their powerful antioxidant and anticoagulation effects at the cell site due to this local false inflammatory reaction.
Arachidonic acid by-products are legend. The body will transform AA to leukotriene (LTA4) that hydrates to LTB4. Then glutathione helps engender LTC4 from B4. Removal of specific amino acids manifests D4 and E4 from C4. The healing cascade is as follows: B4 causes adhesion and chemotaxis and Superoxide dismutase (SOD) manufacture and, in general, invites systemic cells to come to this site to assist in a quick/short false inflammatory response. This is followed by a dedicated anti-inflammatory healing response.
The nutrients delivered to the wound site with Methyl Nicotinate are specific for wound/skin healing. This action truncates and expedites the cellular healing process.
The amino acid L-Histidine is a delivered nutrient, whose safety, pharmaceutical evaluation, bioavailability with physiology, metabolism, medical usage and physiologic impact are well documented in the scientific and biomedical literature. Histidine functions as a safe anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Histidine on its own permeates the skin (integument) to reach the full dermis, down to the keritinocytes, where it renders several restorative functions. Methyl Nicotinate, described above, further enhances tissue penetration and saturation of Histidine while its redox properties allow metal cations, singlet oxygen and hydroxyl groups to be reduced and/or neutralized, and rendered non-toxic. Free. Histidine (HD) is found in all tissue. As HD is decarboxolated to histamine (HA), beta-alanine can combine with HA in the presence of carcinine synthetase forming carcinine (CA). Alternately, HD may combine with beta-alanine, in the presence of carnosine synthetase, to become carnosine.
Carnosine (CS) is important in protein manufacturing and diminishing glycosylation and carbonylation. By the modes of actions of HA/HD/CS/CA cells may restore their intrinsic resting electrical potential. This energizing effect further creates within the epidermal and subdermal layers of the skin the re-scaffolding needed for new tissue formation and for the building from connective tissues using CS, an integral component, along with glycine and imidizole acetic acid (IAA), which are needed to provide for the collagen and elastin formation.
While in the re-scaffolding process, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) need suitable blockade occurring via the HD, HA, CA and CS molecules that prevents the oxidative deterioration and weakening of the newly formed scaffolding. In fact, all the nutrients and molecules being delivered to skin/wound have an increased shelf life because of these antioxidant molecules. Quintessentially, HD opens the aquaporine channels (AQP0). Specifically, aquaporine increases the PH within the cell as a signaling mechanism and turns on the calcium channel-signaling pathway that provides cellular hydration directly through aquaglyceroporin channels, as well as a milieu to enhance cellular respiration and increase energy manufacturing. Induced Carcinine (CA): HA, derived from HD, can be biochemically changed to CA via HA combining with beta alanine and P-5-P in the presence of Carcinine synthase. CA is an analog of CS. Although CA is best produced in the central nervous system (CNS) at a rate of 15-fold greater saturation than found in any other tissue, its mode of action for healing is mainly seen through the cardiovascular system. The Epiphenomenon permits CS and CA to work directly to influence an increased blood flow and cardiac output to heal injured tissues. Deep tissue (muscle and fascia) restoration relates to CS presence that is essential with deep wound healing. CA directly decreases and/or reverses skin aging. The transdermal mechanism allows application and delivery to the exact area of injury of HD, HA, MN, CS, CA, amino acetic acid (AA), IAA, glycine, P-5-P, Copper (CU++), and the medium chain triglycerides (MCT) molecules that the integument requires for repair. These restorative nutrient components are either applied to the site of repair or are biochemically and/or physiologically produced in situ or alternatively delivered to the site by bodily circulation and/or neurologic discharge.
Additional concentrations of HA and HD pool at injury sites acutely by proximal neural firing. This effects increased HD and HA locally. HA and HD may then be oxidized along with beta alanine to amino acetic acid, and/or imidazol acetic acid (IAA), and/or they can be methylated. Pain at the N-Methyl D-Aspartate (NMDA) sites may be mitigated by IAA occupying the glycine receptor adjacent to the glutamate site. HD is ubiquitous and creates special prostaglandins of the 2 series (PGE2) at the inflammatory sites, which assist in creating accelerated tissue growth. HD and HA, with their bio-degratory amino acetic acids (AAA) are integral in nucleic acid production, essential for new cell growth and replenishment.
Energy for healing is essential. Methyl Nicotinate, a nicotinic acid (B3), with a methyl group attached for its lipophilicity, transports and transfers energy locally. Nicotinate increases the surface temperature of the skin (warming) and causes a significant release of prostaglandins (PGE 2) from the skin. It stimulates histamine release from mast cells in the tissue, thereby initiating the autacoid response of the specific immune system. Methyl Nicotinate, a forerunner of NADPH and NADH are the keys in glucose metabolism. They are required for the energy production needed for healing. This action is accomplished through the donation of an electron, resulting in increased energy for rapid and repeatable cellular tissue repair.
Methyl nicotinate synergizes with pyridoxal-5-phosphate (P-5-P) and cu++ to promote scaffolding for the collagen elastin infrastructure and to efficiently reassemble "big" collagen (potential scarring) to normal collagen. The direct infusion of cu++ increases skin growth and matrix molecules for faster keritinocyte growth, thereby yielding faster dermal growth. A nicotinic acid receptor, known as the G-Protein-Coupled Receptor G(1), is highly expressed in adipose tissue. Including both methyl nicotinate and nicotinic acid in this formula promotes a two-pronged "time released" effect on G(1).
Pyridoxal-5-phosphate (P-5-P) assists in energy production, and in wound/skin methylation by direct application to the site of injury. Like Methyl nicotinate it bypasses per oral digestion and systemic dilution, locally empowering this wound/skin site to grow and heal more rapidly than normal. P-5-P directly facilitates copper in the proper redox state to avoid toxicity, thereby increasing the reactive oxygen species (ROS) being neutralized. The increased bioavailability of the vitamin C for tissue factors (e.g. Glycosaminoglycan) is enhanced by healthy copper at the wound site. P-5-P is a critical factor for the supply of energy, materials and preparation required for on site healing.
Ceramide manufacture, engendered by niacin, increases skin production, along with signaling molecules for apoptosis, cell growth and/or cell differentiation.
Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT's) are structured lipids C-6 through C-12 that are applied topically to the wound to assist in energy, cell wall manufacture and healing.
Heat Shock Proteins (HSP). The induced local inflammatory site engenders heat shock proteins (HSP) to assist in the chaperoning of specific molecules to their necessary destination of skin and soft tissue remanufacturing sites. Additionally, heat shock factors (HSF1) partner in this same process.
Ribosome switches, or Ribo switches, are now recognized as one of the major metabolite controlling systems that account for about two percent (2%) of genetic regulation in bacteria. They respond to various metabolites, including co-enzymes, sugars, nucleotide bases, amino acids and cations. With Thiamine, Methyl donor groups, glycine and B-alanine, the ribo switches can be turned on, off and incrementally speed up the healing of skin/wounds, bypassing part of the molecular networking that could impede this process.
Sirtuins are necessarily activated by the upstream and downstream energy circuitry that is engendered by multiple networking molecules (CREB, CREM, CAMP, FOXO1, FOXO3a, PPARS, and PGC1a). PGC1a becomes a special additional immediate fuel source for SIRTS by its manifold acetylated lysines. This entire energy loop is the source for wound healing. The above is engendered in part or all by the methylation process and redox upregulation by Methyl Nicotinate, P-5-P, Cu and Inosine (a nucleoside). Inosine is a necessary precursor of cellular energy and efficiency. It sustains cellular and extra cellular ATP for integument maintenance and growth. In new skin formation it enables oxygenation and new ATP manufacture essential for growth. Its neuro protectant application is essential for preservation and regrowth of neural tissue in the healing wound. Inosine is commonly found in tRNA that impacts on RNA editing and RNAi for maximal cellular integrity.
Additional transdermal nutrient delivery molecules in this invention that augment efficacy and potency of this invention are (1-5):
1. ALA (alpha lipoic acid) a thiol and antioxidant that interacts with lipid and water soluble antioxidants increases peak longevity of these several nutrients. ALA reboots vitamin C, vitamin E, ubiquinone and glutathione thereby reducing ROS yet increasing local nutrient bioavailability. ALA architecturally undergirds new dermal growth with glycine and imidizole acetic acid (IAA) allowing dermal structure to emerge under the scrutiny of a genetic cleavage system (caspase proteases) under the protection of the above antioxidants. It also increases eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase) and increases nitric oxide vasodilation.2. Beta-alanine, above biochemically discussed and applied in earlier text here, is key to the remodeling of injured, diseased or aged skin, suppresses leukotriene (LT) especially LT (B4) thereby diminishing the circadia of the false inflammatory autocoid response of methyl nicotinate (MN) and thus more rapidly engenders an anti-inflammatory healing response.3. Glycerol, propylene glycol and polysorbate 20 allow more efficient transdermal penetration of molecular substrate. These hydroscopic nutrients with medium chain triglycerides (MCT's) enable enhanced dermal permeation and therefore expedited regrowth.4. Thiamine enables pyruvate dehydrogenace activity to increase by energizing all cellular rejuvenatory capacity via the TCA cycle and thus defusing neuropathy, myopathy, vasculopathy and endocronopathy.5. Riboflavin, in addition to its manifold attributes, provides the litmus test of transdermal penetration of this invention by the increased yellow intensity of the urine as absorption crescendos and later decrescendos. It visually depicts the transdermal invention as transit through your body.
All of these nutrients, whether supplied transdermally or recruited to the site, play an important role in the accelerated healing and/or rejuvenation that takes place with this unique formulation and delivery system.
Aquaporins ("AQPs") constitute a major conduit for movement of water across plasma membranes. AQP0 is expressed in the fiber cells. AQP0, engendered by Histidine, is critical for cell homeostasis. Several cellular functions have been attributed to AQP0. In vitro and ex vivo experiments have confirmed the water permeability function of AQP0. It is our belief that AQP0 performs cell-to-cell adhesion. There is strong support and empirical data validating the possible structural role of AQP0 as a cell-to-cell adhesion protein influencing subdermal ceramides.

Topical transdermal method for delivering nutrients through the skin for expedited wound healing and skin rejuvination

Abstract: Healing is via specific molecules that engender a false autocoid reaction rapidly followed by an incremental healing-anti-inflammatory response augmented by very specific (GRAS″ ingredients in the invention and also recruited from the body to this needy site. Energy is brought to site by transdermally delivered protons and enhanced by the local vascular flow initiated by transdermal molecules.

Abstract: This delivery system bypasses digestion and dilution. Key is a lipophilic carrier with nuclear and mitochondrial ligands that rapidly penetrate and permeate all membranes and truncates the inflammatory site quickly manifesting curation. Other delivered molecules expedite healing at every level.


In one aspect, the invention relates to an ultrasound imaging system that includes an ultrasound receiver configured to receive ultrasound signals scattered from a sample in real time; an acoustic beam former; and an ultrasound data demodulation system. In one embodiment, the ultrasound imaging system further includes a processing system configured to process demodulated scan data and perform ultrasound image generation and flow processing and a display configured to show ultrasound image data and blood flow velocity data relative to such image data. Signals that include positive flow information and negative flow information are separated from received signals using phase-filters and analytic signal transforms such that a first and a second autocorrelation signal processing stage is used to generate mean positive flow, mean negative flow, and variance data for such flows.

Among the medical imaging modalities, ultrasound imaging technology is noninvasive, safe, affordable and generally easy to use. Ultrasound operates using a short burst mechanical wave transmitted into a patient's body. The echo reflected from structures in the patient's body is processed to form two dimensional or three-dimensional images for tissue and flow information. The frequency range for a noninvasive medical ultrasound imaging system is normally between 1 MHz to 15 MHz. The ultrasound images are normally displayed in real-time. Therefore, the operator or clinician can make an immediate diagnostic decision, or archive it for future comparison purposes.
As part of a given ultrasound data collection session, the data can be used to detect blood flow. Such flow detection can be performed using ultrasound Doppler imaging. A probe that includes one or more transducers can be used to transmit acoustic waves to and receive scattered waves from a sample of interest. The waves or echoes backscattered from the sample include information about the sample and its properties and components. When it comes to detecting blood flow in a sample, the backscattered acoustic waves can be compared to a frequency reference to determine if a Doppler frequency shift occurred. Such a frequency shift can occur in the backscattered waves as a result of moving backscattering elements from the sample such as blood cells within an artery.
Further, such a frequency shift, which can also correspond to a phase shift, when detected using the ultrasound system, can be correlated with the velocity of the blood flow in the sample. The blood velocity is calculated by measuring the phase shift. The change or shift in backscattered frequency increases when blood flows toward the transducer and decreases when blood flows away from the transducer.
Color flow images are produced by superimposing a color image of the velocity of moving material, such as blood, over a gray scale anatomical B-mode image. Typically, a color flow mode displays hundreds of adjacent sample volumes simultaneously, all laid over a B-mode image to represent each sample volume's velocity. When arteries are adjacent, regions of overlap in an image can be challenging to resolve and result in ambiguities relating to flow direction. A need therefore exists for methods to resolve such ambiguities and improve upon color flow mapping techniques. The embodiments of the invention address these needs and others.

Systems and methods for processing ultrasound color flow mapping


An information processing apparatus includes a display panel, a frame, a touch sensor, and a controller. The display panel includes a display surface of a predetermined display area. The frame includes a frame surface that surrounds the display panel and determines the display area. The touch sensor is configured to detect touches to the display surface and the frame surface. The controller is configured to execute predetermined processing when a touch to a first area on the display surface is detected, and to execute the predetermined processing when a touch to a second area on the frame surface is detected, the second area being adjacent to the first area.

The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus that enables touch operations to be made, and to an information processing method in such an information processing apparatus.
In recent years, an information processing apparatus such as a PC (Personal Computer) tends to install a touch panel. In general, a display area and a touch operation valid area correspond to each other in this touch panel. However, when a small icon or the like is displayed in the corner of the display area, a touch operation by the user may be difficult because a frame surrounding the display area of the display apparatus becomes obstacle and a contact range of the finger is larger than the size of the icon, for example.
Related to such a problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-355593 (hereinafter, referred to as Patent Document 1) discloses a touch panel that facilitates touch inputs to the peripheral portion of a display screen by setting a touch input valid area to be larger than the display screen.
Further, each of US Patent Application No. 2006/0238517 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,919,802 (hereinafter, referred to as Patent Documents 2 and 3) discloses a portable device that enables touch operations to be made in not only a display but also a bezel and border area surrounding it.

Information processing apparatus and information processing method


An electrical connector (1) includes an insulative housing (10) for receiving a number of contacts (2), and a metal shield (3) enclosing the insulative housing (1). The metal shield includes a first frame (401) and a second frame (402). The first and second frames share a partition wall (403) therebetween. The second frame includes a second bottom face (4023) defining a mating slot. The partition wall has a fixing portion (4032) wedged into the mating slot for ensuring a firm configuration of the second frame (402).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector with firm frame for mating with a corresponding connector.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,939,177 B2, discloses a conventional electrical connector which includes an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts retained in the insulative housing, and a metal shield enclosing the insulative housing (seen in FIGS. 16˜17 of the prior patent). The metal shield includes a first frame, a second frame and a partition wall separating the first and second frames. The first frame includes a first top wall and a first bottom wall opposite to the first top wall. The second frame includes a second top wall coplanar with the first top wall, and a second bottom wall adjacent to the first bottom wall. The partition wall extends integrally from the first bottom wall. The partition wall includes a protrusion received in a hole defined between the first and second top walls of the metal shield, thereby ensuring the configuration of the first frame. However, the structure of the second frame is not stable enough because the island second bottom not engages with any other part of the first frame. After repeated insertion of the mating connector into the second frame, the second frame subjects to an undesired relative movement to the first frame because of exerted excessive forces. As a result, a distortion occurs in the second frame.
Hence, it is desired to have an electrical connector solving the problem above.

Electrical connector with firm frame for mating with corresponding connector


An enclosure is constructed of electromagnetic radiation shielding material for housing and supporting circuitry that emits electromagnetic interference. Symmetrical top and bottom covers are fabricated of a generally U-shaped configuration, with a downwardly extending tab on one side region of the upper cover and an upwardly extending tab on an opposite side region of the lower cover, these tabs for covering a butt joint between the upper and lower covers. Symmetrical front and rear covers are each constructed having inwardly extending sides also for covering the butt joints, with a lip on each of these side regions. Slots in these lips support circuit boards in the enclosure. Segmented lips on upper and lower sides of the front and rear covers contact upper and lower regions of the upper and lower covers. Constructed as such, there are no significant gaps in the enclosure to radiate electromagnetic radiation.

In the use of high-speed digital circuitry, such as circuitry housing computer signal conditioning equipment manufactured by Cybex Corporation of Huntsville, Ala., the signals originating in such circuitry possess extremely fast rise and fall times, generally in the single-digit nanosecond range, which tends to produce electromagnetic radiation at these frequencies. If not suppressed or blocked, this radiation is capable of producing electromagnetic interference (EMI) with television and radio communications and may further interfere with other digitally operated devices.
In an effort to prevent electromagnetic radiation leakage, manufacturers of digital and other high-speed switching equipment typically resort to enclosing the individual circuit boards which emit the offending radiation inside metallic electromagnetic interference shields, these shields in many instances being mounted and grounded directly to the circuit boards. This is done primarily because the outer enclosure housing the device and its circuit boards may not be constructed of a material suitable for blocking electromagnetic radiation or may be constructed having openings and/or slits that may pass high-frequency noise.
Examples of mounting shielding directly to a circuit board are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,816,911, issued on Jun. 18, 1974, to Knappenberger; 4,386,388, issued on May 31, 1983, to Beun; and 5,014,160, issued on May 7, 1991, to McCoy. These circuit boards with shielding mounted thereto are then mounted in an outer enclosure with other components to form the completed product. In other instances, such is as found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,864,077, issued on Sep. 5, 1989, to Wadell; 4,300,016, issued on Nov. 10, 1981, to Bergeron et. al.; 4,661,888, issued on Apr. 28, 1987, to Jewell et. al.; and 5,034,856, issued on Jul. 23, 1991, to Cook et. al., the shielding is constructed in the form of a module within which a discrete circuit board is mounted. Here, the module is then mounted in the outer enclosure with other like-shielded modules to form the completed product.
Problems with these techniques are that the shielding, whether mounted directly to the circuit board or constructed as a module within which the circuit board is mounted, is usually of complex shapes, and in some instances is constructed from a number of asymmetrical sections that must be fitted together. In addition to increasing time required to assemble a device shielded by one of the aforementioned methods of the prior art, fabrication costs are increased due to the assymetrical nature of the discrete sections of the shielding.
Accordingly, since the applicants are unaware of any such outer enclosure that provides efficient EMI shielding, and because the outer enclosure is constructed of symmetrical sections for ease of manufacture, it is an object of this invention to provide an outer enclosure that also serves as an electromagnetic radiation shield by providing an enclosure wherein all joints are of overlapping character.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such an enclosure that is constructed of completely symmetrical components to allow for ease of construction and fabrication.

Integral enclosure and shield for EMI radiating circuitry


A satellite based telecommunications system having a multiple registration location register which enables a terminal to register with more than one earth station simultaneously, without any particular one of the earth stations knowing that the terminal is registered elsewhere. The multiple registration location register receives the registration information from each of the earth stations and records the information. This information is used by the multiple registration location register to re-route calls to an earth station that is providing coverage for the terminal. The multiple registration location register may consider many system factors, including satellite to earth station connectivity and satellite to terminal connectivity, in determining to which earth station it should route calls.

In known terrestrial cellular telecommunications systems the resources that enable a terminal 1 (FIG. 1) (e.g., mobile phone, fixed terminal, etc.) to communicate on the system are fixed with respect to the terrain. Generally the terrain is divided into distinct cells 2 (FIG. 1) which may be grouped into location areas 9. By way of example, the borders of the location areas 9 are set forth in bold. The location areas 9 are grouped into mobile service switching centers (MSC) regions 6. The MSC regions 6 together constitute the service area of a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) 8.
Each cell 2 is supported by a unique set of radio resources, including a radio tower. These resources are part of a Base Station Subsystem (BSS). The resources devoted to a single cell 2 are supported by a Base Transceiver Station (BTS). The terrestrial area included in a cell 2 is therefore dictated by the coverage capabilities of its associated radio tower. A location area 9 is a set of cells which are treated as a common pool of radio resources for certain functions such as the paging of a terminal 1 to notify it of an incoming call. That is, all cells in a location area 9 would page the called terminal 1. By grouping cells into location areas 9, the system defines a larger terrestrial area than that supported by a single cell 2. Hence, a terminal 1 is allowed to roam over a larger area and still have the cellular network consider its position as being `known`.
A location area 9, in turn, will belong to one and only one MSC region 6. A MSC region 6 is the geographical area served by a Mobile-services Switching Center (MSC) (for example, MSCs 11 or 21 of FIG. 1) and its associated Visitor Location Register (VLR) (for example VLRs 13 or 19 of FIG. 1). MSCs and VLRs may be paired together. When it is not important to make a functional distinction between an MSC and a VLR, the pair is referred to as an MSC/VLR. The MSC is the point at which a cellular network interfaces its radio resources network into a traditional landline based network. Also the MSC may interface with the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), in which case it is referred to as a gateway-MSC (GW-MSC) 5.
When a terminal 1 is purchased, it is assigned a mobile-services integrated services digital network (MSISDN) number, i.e., a mobile phone number, from the block of numbers assigned to the cellular services provider. This number and subscriber service information is entered into a data base called a Home Location Register (HLR) 3. When a terminal 1 is turned on, it searches the airwaves for a broadcast channel which is transmitting location area identification (LAI) information, which information identifies the location area 9 within which the terminal 1 is currently located. Each BTS operates such a broadcast channel in its cell 2, continuously broadcasting the LAI of the location area 9 to which its cell 2 belongs. The terminal 1 receives the LAI information and compares it to the LAI stored in its memory (if any). The LAI in the terminal's memory represents the last LAI in which the terminal 1 was located while in an active state, or the terminal's memory may be blank as in the case of a new terminal which has never registered. If the broadcast and memory-resident LAIs match, then the terminal 1 goes into a standby mode and is ready to originate or terminate calls.
If the two LAIs do not match, then the terminal 1 must reregister, for the network is not aware of the terminal's current location. The terminal 1 registers by signaling (through the BSS) to the MSC/VLR whose region includes the terminal's current location area 9. For example, in FIG. 1, terminal 1 would register by signaling to MSC/VLR 11/13. The MSC/VLR 11/13 notes the terminal's current location area 9 and determines whether the terminal 1 is already registered with it in another location area 9 in the same MSC region 6. If so, then the MSC/VLR 11/13 changes the terminal's LAI in its VLR, the registration ends, and the terminal 1 enters a standby mode. However, if terminal 1 were to move from location area 9 to location area 4, the terminal 1 must reregister with MSC/VLR 21/19. Otherwise, neither MSC/VLR 11/13 nor MSC/VLR 21/19 will be able to access terminal 1 since MSC/VLR 21/19 will lack the necessary terminal identification and location information and MSC/VLR 11/13 will be too remote to maintain an RF communications link with the terminal 1. To effect re-registration, the MSC/VLR 21/19 informs the terminal's HLR 3 that the MSC/VLR 21/19 is now servicing the terminal 1. The HLR 3 notes this information and checks to see whether the terminal 1 was previously registered with another MSC/VLR, such as MSC/VLR 11/13. If a previous registration is recorded, the HLR deletes this old registration and signals the MSC/VLR 11/13 holding the previous registration information to de-register the terminal 1.
The purpose of this exchange of information is to enable the routing of mobile-terminated calls (calls to the terminal) and to be able to identify the terminal 1 when it places mobile-originated calls (calls from the terminal). If such re-registration did not occur, calls placed to terminal 1 would be lost after they reach the GW-MSC since gateway 5 will route such calls to MSC/VLR 11/13 which represents the last known MSC/VLR registered with the HLR 3 for terminal 1. The use of the VLR and HLR information in PLMNs is described below.
Mobile-terminating calls enter the PLMN from the PSTN at a GW-MSC 5 designated to serve this function by the terminal's service provider. The method for routing the call to the GW-MSC 5 may be any standard telephony practice based on the MSISDN number of the called terminal 1. The GW-MSC 5 examines the called terminal's MSISDN number and determines which HLR 3 serves the subscriber. Based on this information, the GW-MSC 5 signals that HLR and requests information on how to route the call to the called terminal 1. The HLR 3 consults its data base to determine which MSC/VLR is currently supporting the terminal 1. This is why the MSC/VLR had to inform the HLR that it is now serving the terminal 1 after the terminal 1 moved. The HLR 3 informs the currently listed MSC/VLR that a call is pending for the terminal 1 with the called MSISDN number, and the HLR 3 requests a telephone number from the MSC/VLR's block of such numbers to be temporarily assigned to the called terminal 1. This temporary number is referred to as a roaming number. The MSC/VLR delivers the roaming number to the HLR 3, and the HLR 3 passes it on to the GW-MSC 5. The GW-MSC 5 uses the roaming number to forward the call to the proper destination MSC/VLR. When the call reaches the MSC/VLR, the MSC/VLR queries its associated VLR to determine the actual identity of the terminal 1 to which this roaming number was assigned and the LAI of the location area 9 in which that terminal 1 should be paged. This is why the terminal 1 must inform the MSC/VLR whenever its location area 9 changes. The VLR responds to the MSC with the terminal's identity and LAI. The MSC requests the BSS to page the terminal 1 in the terminal's location area 9. The BSS sends this paging request on to the BTSs covering the cells within that location area 9, and these BTSs broadcast the page. The called terminal 1 hears the page and responds. After a brief exchange of signals, the end-to-end call connection is completed.
Mobile-originating calls do not require so elaborate a routing mechanism. However, as a security measure against fraudulent use of the PLMN and to preserve the confidentiality of the mobile subscriber, the VLR can be given information known only to itself and the terminal 1. This information is constructed as part of the registration signaling between the terminal 1 and the MSC/VLR and is stored at the terminal 1 and in the VLR. When a mobile-originated call is initiated, this information must be present in the VLR so that fraud-prevention and confidentiality mechanisms can be implemented.
Note that terminal registration (other than the initial registration of a brand-new terminal) is caused by terminal 1 movement from one location area to another. This movement is not coordinated among the terminals 1, and thus occurs randomly and at a relatively low rate.
Note also that the collecting of cells 2 into location areas 9 is an important trade-off in the detailed design of a cellular system. Large location areas 9 reduce the number of terminal registrations because terminals 1 have to travel farther before they leave their current location area 9. Since registration consumes radio signaling resources, lowering the number of registrations that occur tends to increase the capacity of a PLMN with a given amount of radio resources. On the other hand, terminals 1 must be paged across their entire location area 9 since a terminal 1 is free to move around inside its location area 9 without informing the network of its movement (via registration). As a location area 9 is made larger, the terminals 1 within it must be paged in more cells 2. Since paging also consumes radio signaling resources, decreasing the size of location areas 9 tends to increase the capacity of a PLMN with a given amount of radio resources. Thus, it is desirable to find an acceptable size for location areas 9 so that a minimum of radio signaling resources are employed for the joint duties of registration and paging.
The foregoing operation is manageable in conventional terrestrial systems since re-registration is dictated by random movement of individual terminals 1 between location areas 9. Hence, terminals 1 re-register individually. The terrestrial system never requires simultaneous mass re-registration of a large number of terminals 1.
However, satellite based systems experience difficulties which do not exist in terrestrial systems. Proposed satellite-based telecommunications systems include terminals, satellites, BSSs/BTSs, earth stations, MSC/VLRs, GW-MSCs, and a terrestrial network interconnecting the earth stations and PSTN. The satellites may perform some functions related to the functionality of the BTSs and the earth station may perform some functions related to the functionality of the BSS.
Satellite-based telecommunications systems have been proposed which employ satellites orbiting the earth at other than geostationary altitudes. The satellites in these systems move with respect to the earth's surface, and so their fields of coverage on the earth's surface continuously change. In an analogy with PLMNs, it is as if the radio towers (BTSs) were in continuous motion. A cell 2 in a mobile system is defined by the reach of the network radio resources supporting that cell 2, and thus the cells 2 in the satellite-based systems are in continuous motion. Since the cells 2 are in continuous motion, so too are the location areas 9. Because, as shown above, a terminal 1 must re-register whenever its location area 9 changes, either the terminals 1 would also be continually registering or location areas 9 would have to be made very large.
Further, registrations caused by cell motion can have catastrophic consequences on the operation of the satellite-based systems. The root of the potential catastrophe is the fact that the motion of the satellites affects many terminals 1 in the same way simultaneously, or nearly simultaneously. When a satellite no longer covers a terminal 1, it is also not covering any other nearby terminals 1. The ground speed of the field of coverage of satellites in proposed satellite-based telecommunications systems is several kilometers per second. Thus, a great number of terminals 1 may become uncovered by a particular satellite in a matter of seconds. If all of these terminals 1 were to try to immediately re-register over the radio resources in another satellite, that other satellite would be inundated with registration signaling. Such a near-simultaneous registration of terminals 1 in a given geographic area is termed a "mass registration event." At the very least, the satellite's traffic capacity would fall by the amount of signaling required for the registrations. More likely, all available signaling channels would be choked with registration signaling, and no new calls either to or from terminals 1 in the area could be initiated during this registration activity cycle.
To further illustrate the concept of mass re-registration, reference is made to FIG. 2 which illustrates how changing satellite-to-terminal connectivity can trigger re-registrations between times t.sub.1 and t.sub.2. At time t.sub.1 satellite 23 covers terminals in area 25. At time t.sub.2 satellite 23 moves beyond area 25. According to the aforementioned process, when satellite 23 moves, terminals in area 25 registered through satellite 23 at earth station 27 must re-register with earth station 29 or be lost to the system.
Moreover, a mass registration event may occur even while a collection of terminals in a region remains under the coverage of a single satellite. In order for a satellite-based telecommunications system to function, the satellites must remain in contact not only with the terminals but also with the network. The network contact points for satellites are the earth stations. From time to time as it orbits, each satellite breaks contact with some earth stations and establishes contact with others. Conventional satellite-based telecommunications systems include MSC/VLRs as integral parts of each earth station. A satellite must be in contact with an earth station in order to be in contact with the MSC/VLRs in that earth station. Thus, when a leaving satellite breaks contact with an earth station it also breaks contact with the uncovered earth station's MSC/VLR. Hence, when the system routes mobile-terminated calls to the MSC/VLR at which the called terminals are registered, if coverage is being provided through a leaving satellite which has lost contact with the MSC/VLR in the earth station, the uncovered MSC/VLR can no longer complete the mobile-termination calls to the called terminals. All of the terminals registered at the uncovered MSC/VLR and being covered by the leaving satellite have effectively lost contact with the network. In order to regain contact, they must all register with some other MSC/VLR which is still in contact with the covering satellite(s). This mass re-registration event would again choke the satellites' signaling resources and either greatly diminish or altogether eliminate the capacity for call traffic on the impacted satellite.
FIG. 3 illustrates how satellite-to-earth station connectivity can trigger re-registrations. In FIG. 3, terminal 31 is registered in MSC/VLR 33 of earth station 35. As satellite 37, the only satellite covering terminal 31, moves overhead, it breaks contact with earth station 35. At that point, terminal 31, and all similarly registered neighbors, must re-register with earth station 39, or be lost to the system.
It is not practical to enlarge location areas in satellite-based telecommunications systems to the point where re-registration is not caused by satellite motion. Several proposed satellite-based systems deploy low- and medium-earth orbit satellites whose fields of coverage move across the entire earth in less than a day. Enlarging location areas to a size to include all of the earth or very large portions of the earth would place an impractical paging burden on the radio resources of the satellite systems.
To be effective, a satellite-based telecommunications system must support a range of location area sizes while limiting the number of re-registrations to only those necessitated by the movement of the terminals from one location area to another (i.e., no mass re-registrations caused by satellite motion). Further, the system should be inter-operable with current commercially-available MSC/VLRs, GW-MSCs, and HLRs so that its development and deployment costs permits commercially feasible implementation.
Thus, there is a need for a satellite-based mobile telecommunication system that eliminates mass registration events and re-registrations due to network causes without causing service-impacting interruption of communication service.
Another objective of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method which permits terminals to be registered in multiple VLRs simultaneously in order to alleviate mass registration events and re-registrations due to network causes.
A further objective of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method which enables a satellite system that enables efficient tracking of terminals and location areas, in relation to satellite coverage areas, in order to prevent having terminals lost to the system.
A still further objective of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method for a terminal which enables registration in multiple VLRS, permitting an efficient alternative to mass registration events and re-registrations due to network causes.

Satellite-based cellular telecommunications system utilizing a multiple registration location register


A print server connected to printers includes a job data receiving unit configured to receive job data subject to printing, a first conversion unit, an instruction receiving unit, a second conversion unit, and a transmission unit. The first conversion unit is configured to convert the job data into intermediate image data having a pixel count of a minimum pixel count or less among pixel counts of print data to be input to each of the printers. The instruction receiving unit is configured to, after the job data is received, receive an instruction specifying a printing execution printer. The second conversion unit is configured to generate the print data corresponding to the printing execution printer by converting the intermediate image data to data of the pixel count to be input to the printing execution printer. The transmission unit is configured to transmit the print data to the printing execution printer.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a print server, a printing system, a print management program, and a print management method.
2. Related Art
From the past, technology is known by which after a user transmits job data subject to printing to a print server, by the user operating the printer or a mobile terminal to send execution instructions specifying a printer to the print server, only a specified user is able to receive the printed matter output from the printer. This technology is called lead-in printing. For example, noted in Japanese Patent No. 3685201, the print server that receives the job data converts the job data to print data of a general purpose format such as PDF or the like and stores it, and when it receives execution instructions after that, print data is transmitted to the indicated printer. Noted in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-141021 is an item for which the print server that receives the job data converts the job data to intermediate image data and stores it, and when it receives execution instructions after that, it converts the intermediate image data to print data adapted to the indicated printer and transmits that. As noted in Japanese Patent No. 3685201 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-141021, before receiving execution instructions, by converting the job data to print data that can be processed by the printer, or to intermediate image data with a small processing volume when converting to print data that can be processed by the printer, it is possible to shorten the time required from execution instruction to printing start.
However, with the technology noted in Japanese Patent No. 3685201, there is the problem that it is only possible to apply this to a printer compatible with general purpose formats such as PDF or the like. Also, with the technology noted in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-141021, there is the problem that degradation of the image quality occurs during conversion from the intermediate image data to print data. In specific terms, for example, when the image is reduced by resolution conversion from the intermediate image data to print data, there are cases when fine lines are lost or damaged.

Print server, printing system, print management program, and print management method


Embodiments predict future demand for a first product by receiving historical sales data for an aggregate products/locations level, the historical sales data including a plurality of sales data points, including sales data points for the first product at each of a plurality of locations. Embodiments extract a plurality of different types of features related to sales of each of the products and generate a plurality of clusters of sales data points based on the plurality of different types of features. Embodiments train each of the clusters to generate a plurality of trained cluster models including promotion effects per cluster. For a particular time period, a particular location and the first product, embodiment identify the features for the time period and map to one of the trained cluster models to fetch the promotion effects for the time period. Embodiments then use the promotion effects to forecast demand for the first product.

Machine learning algorithms build a mathematical model based on sample data, known as "training data", in order to make predictions or decisions without being explicitly programmed to perform the task. Meanwhile, data mining focuses on the discovery of previously unknown properties in the data. Both machine learning and data mining can be used to analyze a large amount of data, and use the analysis to make future predictions.
Predictions using machine learning and data mining are needed in the retail industry, where retailers need to predict their demand in the future to better manage their inventory or promotion/markdown planning. Retailers may engage in many types of promotions to boost their sales. To generate an accurate forecast, a retailer has to consider all factors/features which could impact the demand, such as promotions, price, seasonality, weather, etc.
In general, sales forecast systems encounter problems in producing a week-by-week forecast of sales units for retail items. The sales of retail items in a given week is affected by many factors, such as seasonal factors, whether a discount has been applied to a retail item during the week, and at what point in the lifecycle of a merchandise the week falls. One common approach to forecasting weekly sales units involves building a "causal demand model" for retail items. This demand model is a mathematical model that describes weekly sales units in terms of factors such as the ones listed above. The factors are known as the "demand variables" or "demand features" that form a demand model.
The demand model specifies mathematically how the demand variables affect sales units. For example, if the amount of discount is a demand variable, historical data may show that a 50% price cut resulted in a 4-fold increase in sales units (i.e., related to price elasticity). In this example, the demand variable is a 50% price cut and the historical sales data is the 4-fold increase in sales. In order for the causal demand model to be of use in forecasting sales units, it is necessary to determine the relationship of the demand variable (50% price cut) to the sales units (4-fold increase). This relationship is referred to as the "demand parameter" associated with the demand variable.
In this example, the demand parameter may be determined to specify that for every 25% price reduction, sales of a particular retail item will increase by 2-fold. With the demand parameter determined, it is then possible to forecast sales units by specifying the future values of the demand variables. To continue the price cut example, the retailer might know that next season it will be running a 40% price cut during some weeks. The demand model will then forecast sales units for those weeks accounting for the 40% price cut.
The demand parameter is determined by examining historical retail sales data (known as "retail panel data") containing price cuts for the retail item itself, or for similar retail items. However, as noted above, several demand variables affect the sales of retail items. These several demand variables apply simultaneously. For example, a retailer may have performed the 50% price cut during the summer for a summer item, in which case the 4-fold increase in sales may be partially due to an increase in seasonal demand for summer retail items during summer. To separate the effects of the several demand variables on sales, a regression is performed on the demand model to determine values for demand parameters that cause the demand model to best fit retail panel data.
Further, the quality of a sales forecast is very dependent on the quality of the input data (i.e., garbage in, garbage out). In many situations, the historical data necessary and available for sales forecasting is less than adequate, and the resulting forecasts can do more harm than good. Some known sophisticated forecasting solutions offer an exception driven workflow, where such bad forecasts are detected and a forecast analyst is prompted to review and adjust the forecast manually. Less sophisticated solutions do not catch the bad numbers, which can result in over/understock, wrong allocations, bad plans, etc.