A system for loading data to a search system configured to process requests and present data meeting criteria specified in the request. A first server is configured to monitor a second server for the availability of a new data set, to request a transfer of the new data set when the second server indicates that the new data set is available, and to store the new data set. A third server is in communication with the first server and is configured to transfer the new data set from the first server and simultaneously store an old data set and the new data set. A fourth server is in communication with the third server and is configured to simultaneously operate a first search process and a second search process. The first search process processes requests searching the old data set and the second search process processes requests searching the new data set.

The present invention relates to an improved system and method for receiving and loading updated data sets to a system configured to search such data sets with the purpose of identifying data elements within the data set that meet certain user defined search criteria. The invention has particular relevance for on-line search systems geared toward providing airline flight schedule and fare data to users. The system and method of the present invention may also be readily adapted to provide an improved system and method for receiving and loading updated data sets for searchable systems geared toward other products, services or any other searchable data.
In the commercial airline industry tickets are often distributed through Global Distribution Systems (GDS), sometimes also referred to as Computer Reservations Systems (CRS). These are large computerized reservation booking and ticketing systems such as Worldspan, Sabre, Galileo, and others. Until recently airline tickets could be only be booked either with the air carrier directly, or through an independent travel or ticketing agent. The most common method being through an agent.
In the typical travel agency office arrangement one or more computer terminals are installed in the agency offices. These dedicated terminals are connected directly with one of the major GDS systems. A customer of the travel agency generally visits or calls a travel agent associated with the firm and tells the agent his or her travel requirements. The specific details provided by the customer may include the destination, the travel dates, the desired departure times, and so forth. The agent then enters the customers request into one of the computer terminals connected to the GDS. The customer's request parameters are entered via a number of complex codes which require a great deal of training for the agent to learn. Once the customer's request is submitted to the GDS, the GDS processes the request and returns a list of flights that meet the customer's requirements including the fares associated with each flight. However, due to the large amount of computer overhead required to process each customer request, the GDS does not return every possible flight that might meet the customer's requirements. Rather, the GDS provides a limited list with the flights ranked in a specific order based on various rules established by the GDS. Due to the limited scope of the data returned for each request, travel agents often are able to quote the best possible fares that might be available.
Commerce over the Internet has the potential to greatly affect the way in which airline reservations, booking and ticketing take place. Already there are many online travel agencies through which individuals can search for fares, book flights and purchase tickets from their own personal computer (PC), without ever speaking to or visiting a travel agent. However, while these "online travel agents" provide reservations booking and ticketing services in a somewhat more convenient manner, they also suffer many of the same drawbacks as the traditional travel agent/GDS arrangement. For example, with most on-line travel agencies available flights and fares are still searched by the GDS. The on-line agent merely receives the user's request in a new manner, namely, over the Internet, but the back end processing remains the same. The on-line agent processes the request, generates the appropriate codes, and submits the request to the GDS. The GDS in turn supplies a limited list of flights and fares that meet the customer's requirements. The on-line merchant receives the results from the GDS and packages the results for display by the customer's web browser. The raw data itself, the list of available flights generated by the GDS suffers from the same limitations and is subject to the same display rules governing the display list provided to the travel agent's hard wired terminal in the traditional travel agent/GDS arrangement.
Recently an improved mechanism for searching for flight schedules and fares has been developed. This improved mechanism involves removing the flight schedule and fare searching functions from the GDS and performing them separately from the actual reservation booking and ticketing process. In this system the flight schedule and fare data which the airlines provide to the GDS are also sent to an offline cache memory from which the data may be transferred to various search engines for processing customer travel requests. This system may be distributed over numerous dedicated processors such that processing individual customer requests does not tie up large amounts of expensive computing resources at the expense of other functions that must be carried out simultaneously. Thus, comprehensive searches may be performed that identify every available flight that meets the criteria established in a customer travel request. Furthermore, the results can be ranked in any order independent of the ranking rules of the GDS, and improved display interfaces may also be devised.
However, while the improved remote caching and searching of flight schedule and fare data is an improvement over a purely GDS based system, there have been problems in implementing such a system on a large scale. One of the significant problems in implementing an off-line caching system is that it must be able to receive new data sets containing revised flight schedules and fare data, and seamlessly transition from searching an old data set to searching a new data set. Furthermore, the transition from searching the old data set to searching the new data set must be synchronized with the GDS. Synchronization with the GDS is necessary so that search results from searching the remote cached data will match the flights and fares that can actually be booked through the GDS. Thus, it is critical that the remote cache process transitions from the old data set to the new data set at the same time the GDS begins accepting bookings with the new data set. New data sets are made available by the airlines on a regular basis, typically three times per day. Thus, a remote cache based searching system must be capable of receiving new data several times a day with no apparent impact on the fare searching and ticketing process. Until now an efficient system and method for implementing such data set updates have not been available.

System and method for receiving and loading fare and schedule data


A mechanism for performing single-path floating-point rounding in a floating point unit is disclosed. A system of the disclosure includes a memory and a processing device communicably coupled to the memory. In one embodiment, the processing device comprises a floating point unit (FPU) to generate a plurality of status flags for a rounded value of a finite nonzero number. The plurality of status flags are generated based on the finite nonzero number without calculating the rounded value of the finite nonzero number. The plurality of status flags comprises an overflow flag and an underflow flag. The FPU determines whether a rounded value should be calculated for the finite nonzero number based on the plurality of status flags and whether the overflow flag is asserted. Upon determining that the rounded value should be calculated for the finite nonzero number based on the plurality of status flags and that the overflow flag is asserted, the FPU calculates the rounded value of the finite nonzero number based on an overflow rounding. Upon determining that the rounded value should be calculated for the finite nonzero number based on the plurality of status flags and that the overflow flag is not asserted, the FPU calculates the rounded value of the finite nonzero number based on a blended reduced precision rounding.

Computing systems can perform extensive amount of calculations. Floating point hardware, such as a floating point unit (FPU), is a part of a computer system that is specifically designed to carry out operations on floating point numbers. Floating point refers to a representation of a number where a radix point (decimal point, or, more commonly in computers, binary point) can "float"; that is, can be placed anywhere relative to the significant bits of the number. This position is indicated separately in the internal representation, and floating-point representation can thus be thought of as a computer realization of scientific notation. Typical operations performed by floating point hardware on floating point numbers are addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and square root. In most general purpose computer architectures, one or more FPUs are integrated with the processor.
When an operation is performed on floating point numbers, the result of the operation can result in zero, infinity, Not-A-Number (NaN), or a finite nonzero number. The destination of the operation, such as a register or memory to store the result of the operation, can have a limited number of bits. However, in the case the result is a finite nonzero number, the result can have a number of bits that is greater than the number of bits available in the destination of the results (e.g., a finite number that takes an infinite number of bits to describe it, such as ⅓). To address the case where the finite nonzero number has a number of bits that is greater than the number of bits available in the destination for the finite nonzero number, the floating point unit can perform a rounding operation on the finite nonzero number such that the rounded value of the finite nonzero number can fit in the destination.
The rounding process can calculate a rounded value of the finite nonzero number and status flags based on the rounded value. The format of the rounded value can be represented by a floating point value composed of a mantissa, an exponent value (which can be positive or negative), and a sign (positive or negative) of the floating point value. A mantissa (also known as a significand) is part of the rounded value that includes its significant bits, which includes at least one integer bit and a fraction part. The status can include three flags: a precision flag, an underflow flag, and an overflow flag. The precision flag can represent whether the rounded value is an inexact version (smaller or bigger than) of the finite nonzero number. The overflow flag can represent whether the exponent of the rounded value is too big to be represented by the number of available bits for the exponent. The underflow flag can represent whether the exponent of the rounded value is too small to be represented by the number of available bits for the exponent.
Multiple solutions have been utilized to perform the rounding process to generate a rounded value of the finite nonzero number and status flags associated with the rounded value. One approach calculates a rounded value by performing a first rounding of the finite nonzero number, generates the status flags based on the rounded value, and escapes to a microcode program or a user-level program when any of the status flags are asserted (such as set to the value 1). In this approach, input from the microcode program or user-level program is required to complete the rounding process and the rounding process can therefore slow down the computing system.
Another approach requires a two-pass rounder that performs a first rounding by calculating a first rounded value of the finite nonzero number and generating the status flags based on the first rounded value. If the status flags indicate that the first rounding was subject to overflow (rounded value too big) or underflow (rounded value too small), a second rounding can be performed by calculating a second rounded value of the finite nonzero number. The two-pass rounder can be inefficient because two rounding operations may be necessary. Moreover, the two-pass rounder can cause delay in the system because of the multiple rounding operations required.

Method, apparatus, system for single-path floating-point rounding flow that supports generation of normals/denormals and associated status flags


Icephobic coatings that reduce ice adhesion strength must often achieve extreme durability requirements, such as in aviation or wind turbine applications, to survive the impact of high-speed rain (i.e., rain erosion testing). A multi-layer coating having a thin metallic or metallic alloy film adhered to an underlying layer that is softer and thicker than the metallic layer achieves very low ice adhesion with adhered ice onto the icephobic coating.

Ice accretion is an industrial problem in a wide variety of different sectors. Seafaring vessels in northern climbs must regularly shed accumulated ice. Wind turbine blades must be halted in winter months either to routinely remove ice, or until a higher temperature eliminates ice accretion. Aircraft wings must be de-iced in the cold, a costly and environmentally hazardous process. Thus, there is an urgent need for a coating that can resist the adhesion of ice while surviving the harsh conditions experienced during aircraft flight, turbine blade rotation, or a naval voyage. It will become apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed coatings afford exceptional mechanical durability, by means of a durable metallic or alloy surface, and exceptionally low ice adhesion strength, by means of a soft, flexible inner layer.

Durable metal or metallic alloy based ice release coatings


Short circuit protection is provided for an isolation component that has a parasitic diode as an inherent part of its construction. The isolation component may or may not be contained in an integrated circuit. In response to detecting a short circuit condition based on voltages at one or more input terminals of the integrated circuit, or based on current between the terminals, the isolation component is activated to facilitate current flow through the isolation component, such as to reduce total power dissipation in the isolation component during at least part of the short circuit condition.

Electronic devices employ electrical circuits implemented as one or more integrated circuits (ICs) for numerous applications. For example, ICs are configured to achieve desired functions, for example, control of associated devices, digital-to-analog (D/A) or analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion, mixed signal analysis, etc.
An IC receives electrical energy from an external power supply at one or more input terminals to provide operating power for performing desired functionality. In some IC configurations, a power device may be used to isolate the external supply from another internal or external node. This isolated node becomes a temporary power source for the IC when the external supply becomes low or is disconnected. This node is usually coupled to internal circuitry in an IC.
For example, in some ICs that drive motors, the isolated node is normally supplied with power from an external supply. The power flows through the isolation device to the isolation node under these normal conditions. When the external supply is too low or unavailable, the isolation device can be turned off and the isolated node is supplied with power from the spinning motor. Many types of power devices, such as Field Effect Transistors (FETs), have a parasitic diode that is an inherent part of their construction. The polarity of this diode is arranged so that it is reverse biased when the external supply voltage is lower than the isolation node voltage. An unexpected short condition at the terminal of such an isolated node can cause undesirable conditions within the isolation device. For example, if the terminal is shorted to ground potential, electrical current can flow from the external power supply to the isolated node because the parasitic diode is forward biased. This current can become quite large which, in turn, can adversely affect the isolation device. If the isolation device is part of an IC, the current can adversely affect other circuitry within the IC and, in turn, associated external circuitry and equipment.
Various approaches have been proposed to help protect the power isolation device and associated circuitry during a short circuit condition, such as may occur at a terminal of an IC. For example, a Schottky diode can be connected between the power supply terminal and the isolation terminal. The Schottky diode is thus in parallel with, and has the same polarity as, the parasitic diode. In such an arrangement, most of the current during a short circuit condition would flow through the Schottky diode because it has a relatively low forward bias voltage compared to the forward bias voltage of the parasitic diode of a typical isolation device. However, if the Schottky diode is added to the IC as an off-chip component, it adds significantly to the overall cost of the resulting system. An on-chip Schottky diode requires a large amount of die area and, therefore, would increase die cost for the IC.
An alternative approach is to employ a fuse to operate during a short circuit condition. In this approach, it may be difficult to select a fuse that is capable of providing adequate protection during a short circuit, while permitting desired normal operation of the IC. This approach also has the drawback that normal operation cannot resume if the short is removed.
Another alternate approach is to employ back-to-back power isolation devices. In such an arrangement, two power devices are placed in series such that the associated parasitic diodes have opposite polarities. This approach also adds significantly to the overall cost of the resulting system because of the need for the additional power device.

Short circuit protection for a power isolation device and associated diode


A rotary compressor includes an oiling mechanism that contains a vertical fitting hole formed on a countershaft portion in the lower part of the rotating shaft, and an oil pipe having an inlet port at the lower end and an opening at the upper end. The upper part of the oil pipe is press-fitted into the vertical fitting hole. The oiling mechanism further contains a pump vane having a vane portion and a base portion. The vane portion is twisting processed and inserted into the vertical oil hole to provide a space. The base portion is fixed into the lower part of the oil pipe that has an inner diameter smaller than the width thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary compressor used in an air-conditioning unit and a refrigerating machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is disclosed a rotary compressor including a hollow compressor housing having a refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet, a compressing unit that is placed in the lower part of the compressor housing and compresses a refrigerant sucked through the refrigerant inlet, a motor that is placed in the upper part of the compressor housing and drives the compressing unit via a rotating shaft, and an oiling mechanism that supplies lubricating oil retained in the lower part of the compressor housing to a sliding portion of the compressing unit through an oil hole of the rotating shaft. The oiling mechanism includes an housing hole that is formed on a countershaft portion of the rotating shaft, has an opening to the lower end of the countershaft portion, and is communicated with the oil hole; an oil pipe that has a lubricating oil hole on the lower end thereof and the upper end thereof is open, and is attached to the housing hole; and a plate-like pump vane that is housed in the housing hole and the oil pipe, where a wide portion formed in the longitudinal middle part thereof is firmly fixed onto the upper inner surface of the oil pipe (for example, see Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-032933).
The wide portion of the pump vane is press-fitted into the upper inner surface of the oil pipe, and there is a space between the other portion of the pump vane other than the wide portion and the inner surface of the oil pipe. The upper part of the oil pipe is press-fitted into the housing hole.
However, according to the above-described conventional technology, the wide portion of the pump vane is press-fitted into the upper inner surface of the oil pipe, and the upper part of the oil pipe is press-fitted into the housing hole formed on the countershaft portion. Consequently, the above-described conventional technology had the following problem. That is, since the oil pipe, whose diameter was expanded due to the press-fit of the pump vane, was press-fitted into the housing hole, when the countershaft portion was thin, the countershaft portion became deformed and its diameter got expanded, which brought about an increase in sliding resistance of the rotating shaft.
Accordingly, there is a need to solve the problem above and provide a rotary compressor including an oiling mechanism that is capable of preventing deformation or diameter expansion of a countershaft portion of a rotating shaft.


The specification discloses a cable (e.g., fiber optic) housing assembly that facilitates securing cables and splices within its interior while providing a convenient work tray to assist a technician when splicing cables above ground level. The housing assembly can be equipped with a grommet and bobbin assembly that secures cables within the interior of the housing. Additionally, modular splice blocks can be configured within the interior of the housing in order to secure cable splices. In aspects, these modular splice blocks can be added as needed in a variety of configurations, including but not limited to, vertical stacking, horizontal back-to-back, or the like. The modular characteristics of the splice blocks enhance the as-needed extensibility of the housing assembly.

A fiber optic cable is a glass or plastic fiber designed to guide light down its length by total internal reflection. Fiber optic cables are used in fiber-optic communication which permits digital data transmission over longer distances and at higher data rates than electronic communication.
The total internal reflection phenomenon, which occurs when light travels down a fiber optic core of a fiber optic cable, requires that the light rays reflecting off the boundary of the fiber optic core not exceed a critical angle of reflection at the boundary. This critical angle of reflection is determined by a ratio of indices of refraction of the fiber optic core and the cladding which surrounds the core and is made from a substance with an index of refraction greater than that of the core. To avoid letting the reflection angle exceed the critical angle, fiber optic cables should not curve at an angle sharper than a specified bend radius for the given fiber optic cable.
Fiber optic cables may be connected to each other by splicing, or joining two fibers together to form a continuous optical waveguide. In the field, technicians typically perform a mechanical splice whereby the fiber ends are aligned and held together with a sleeve often using a gel that enhances the transmission of light across the joint. A splice block is a device used for mechanically splicing two or more fiber optic cables together. A splice block is typically housed in an enclosure to protect the spliced fiber optic cable.


A valve assembly is provided for a submarine balanced ejection system incing upper and lower launch tubes and upper and lower launch tube ejection systems, the assembly including a hull insert fixed in the pressure hull of the submarine and having first and second openings therein, a valve spool rotatably mounted and having ports therein selectively alignable with the first and second openings and with the upper and lower launch tubes and upper and lower launch tube ejection systems.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to submarine ejection systems, and is directed more particularly to a valve assembly for use therein.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Prior art submarine ejection systems for launching devices, such as countermeasures or signal buoys, utilize a component which senses depth of the submarine. In response to the determined depth, pneumatic pressure in the ejection system is increased to a selected increment higher than the sea pressure at the determined depth. To accomplish ejection, high pressure air is ported to an ejection cylinder in which is disposed a piston which receives the high pressure air on one side thereof and moves in the cylinder to expel sea water on the other side thereof from the cylinder. The expelled water is ported to the breech of a launch tube. Inasmuch as the expelled water is at a higher pressure than outside sea pressure, a pressure differential occurs between the breech and muzzle ends of the device within the launch tube, launching the device from the tube.
Systems as described above suffer two disadvantages. Firstly, depth sensing and pressure compensation systems are not always reliable; and, secondly, bringing the high pressure air up to an appropriate pressure and rapidly releasing it results in a significant noise signature. As a submarine goes to deeper depths, higher air pressures are required to compensate for the deeper depth. The energy expended to obtain the air pressure required for deeper depths produces undesirable noise.
Recently proposed systems overcome the above-noted two disadvantages. The depth compensation system may be eliminated by utilizing a launch system, the operation of which is relatively independent from the depth of the submarine. This is accomplished by connecting a water cylinder/piston with an air cylinder/piston, via a common shaft. As ejection air is ported into one side of the air piston, water is forced from one side of the water piston into the launch tube. As the water piston moves in a direction which forces water into the launch tube, water is drawn from sea to backfill the void which is created by the moving piston. As both sides of the water piston are subjected to sea pressure prior to, during, and following launch, the energy required to launch a device is proportional to the overpressure needed for device ejection and independent from sea pressure. As a fixed amount of energy is required to launch a device, regardless of the submarine depth, the launch system may have a minimal launch signature. The only disadvantage to this system is that a separate sea water feed must be provided to the water piston as it moves in a direction to effect a launch. This requires a separate hull penetration for each launch system utilized. One solution is to provide only one ejection system for two launch tubes. While this minimizes the number of hull penetrations required, it slows the rate at which one ejector can be fired after another, as the launch piston assembly must be returned to its at-battery position before it can be fired a second time.
A number of alternative launch systems have been proposed which may, in due course, replace the ram-pump system above described. These systems include an elastomeric bladder ejection system, an electromagnetic ejection system and a rotary pump ejection system. All these systems have the common characteristic of being pressure balanced and all require a separate hull penetration to back feed sea water which is displaced to effect a launch.
There is, therefore, a need for a submarine balanced ejection system valve assembly which will facilitate the use of one ejection system for two launch tubes, without the penalty of slow sequential launches from the two tubes and without requiring an additional hull penetration.

Valve assembly for submarine balanced ejection system

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a class versioning and mapping system allows a user to request a desired class without knowing which class version is the most recent or correct version for the desired class. The class versioning and mapping system uses a version mapping mechanism to cross reference the requested class, select the most recent or best version of the requested class, and then return an object to the user that belongs to the selected class. This feature allows the system to have multiple versions of the same class on-line at the same time and use objects from different versions of the same class in a way that is transparent to the user. Therefore, by using a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a client object can specify or request that an object be created without having any knowledge of the actual class version or version(s) that are available.

1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to object-oriented programming and more specifically relates to an improved system for managing version changes for classes in object-oriented environments.
2. Background Art
The development of the EDVAC computer system of 1948 is often cited as the beginning of the computer era. Since that time, computer systems have evolved into extremely sophisticated devices, and computer systems may be found in many different settings. Computer systems typically include a combination of hardware (e.g., semiconductors, circuit boards, etc.) and software (e.g., computer programs). As advances in semiconductor processing and computer architecture push the performance of the computer hardware higher, more sophisticated computer software has evolved to take advantage of the higher performance of the hardware, resulting in computer systems today that are much more powerful than just a few years ago.
Computer systems typically include operating system software that controls the basic function of the computer, and one or more software application programs that run under the control of the operating system to perform desired tasks. For example, a typical IBM Personal Computer may run the OS/2 operating system, and under the control of the OS/2 operating system, a user may execute an application program, such as a word processor. As the capabilities of computer systems have increased, the application software programs designed for high performance computer systems have become extremely powerful. Additionally, software development costs have continued to rise because more powerful and complex programs take more time, and hence more money, to produce.
One way in which the performance of application software programs has been improved while the associated development costs have been reduced is by using object-oriented programming concepts. The goal of using object-oriented programming is to create small, reusable sections of program code known as "objects" that can be quickly and easily combined and re-used to create new programs. This is similar to the idea of using the same set of building blocks again and again to create many different structures. The modular and re-usable aspects of objects will typically speed development of new programs, thereby reducing the costs associated with the development cycle. In addition, by creating and re-using a comprehensive set of well-tested objects, a more stable, uniform, and consistent approach to developing new computer programs can be achieved.
Another central concept in object-oriented programming is the "class." A class is a template or prototype that defines a type of object. A class outlines or describes the characteristics or makeup of objects that belong to that class. By defining a class, objects can be created that belong to the class without having to rewrite the entire definition for each new object as it is created. This feature of object-oriented programming promotes the reusability of existing object definitions and promotes more efficient use of code.
JAVA is the name of one very well-known and popular object-oriented computer programming language which is used to develop software applications. JAVA's popularity stems in part from its relative simplicity and the fact that JAVA is written in a manner that allows different computers (i.e., platforms) to execute the same JAVA code. In other words, JAVA is platform-independent. This feature has caused the use of JAVA to greatly increase with the growing popularity of the Internet, which allows many different type of computer platforms to communicate with each other.
Computer programs naturally evolve over time. The evolution of object-oriented computer programs entails defining new classes that have implementations different than previous versions. As time passes, the type and quantity of information stored by these objects may need to be changed or enhanced to accommodate additional or different data types. In this case, the definition of the class will, of necessity, be changed to support the new object data storage requirements. This scenario typically occurs when a program is upgraded from a first software version to a newer, more powerful version of the program. A new release of an existing program may use a combination of new classes and classes that were defined in a previous version. The processes and activities associated with modifying, updating, and tracking changes in a class over a period of time are known as "versioning."
It is important to note that, even though a program has been upgraded, it is frequently necessary to maintain both the existing objects that were created by the first version (belonging to one version of a class) and the new objects that are created by the newer version of the software application (belonging to a different version of the same class). In order to accomplish this, some mechanism should be provided to track the various names of the object classes as the versions of the software application are changed. Theoretically, it is possible to give each new class version the same name. However, in practice, JAVA requires that each new version of the class have a new name. This means that as time passes and multiple versions of the various classes are changed, it can become very difficult to keep track of the many different names for each class and the related objects that are created.
For example, a large company that has been in business for many years may have changed the nature of the object used to store employee-related data as the information needs of the business developed. Beginning in 1970, the employee object tracked the name, address, phone number, date of hire, supervisor, and salary for each employee. In 1980 the definition of the objects in the employee class was changed to include information regarding 401K plans for the employee and in 1990 the definition for the employee class was changed again to include information regarding each employee's performance and evaluation reviews.
There are several solutions that have been previously implemented to address the versioning problems associated with multiple names for different versions of the same class. Typically, when a new version of a software application is to be implemented, the software application is recompiled and the system must be shut down. When the new version of the software application is loaded, the system will recognize that a new version has been created, load all the existing objects, and rebuild the objects one by one so that they are compatible with the new version of the software application. This process may also include a re-naming of all existing objects. While this solution is acceptable for systems with a limited number of objects, once the number of objects in the system exceeds a certain minimal level, the operational overhead associated with rebuilding each object in the system every time the version changes can quickly become unacceptable.
Another possible solution is to create a sub-class for the new version of the objects as they are needed. This solution, while useful, has its own inherent limitations. Specifically, as each new version of the class is created, another level in the class hierarchy is established. After a period of time, tracking class versions through the nested hierarchy of classes and sub-classes becomes extremely inefficient and can measurably reduce system performance.
Without a mechanism for more easily and flexibly creating, managing, and tracking the various versions of object classes that must be utilized in a large-scale, frequently evolving object-oriented environment, the computer industry will continue to suffer from the effects of the inefficient versioning methods presently used to manage new class versions. In addition, the creation of objects according to the desired class version will continue to be more difficult and uncertain than necessary.

Method and apparatus for class version naming and mapping

International Business Machines Corporation


A coding method by a computer is disclosed. The computer divides a block of a coding unit into a plurality of sub-blocks. The computer determines band positions of at least two first sub-blocks among the plurality of sub-blocks. The computer calculates among the plurality of sub-blocks, band positions of second sub-blocks other than the at least two first sub-blocks based on a positional relationship of the second sub-blocks with respect to the at least two first sub-blocks and the determined band positions for the at least two first sub-blocks in the block of the coding unit. A band offset is conducted for each of the sub-blocks by using the band positions determined or calculated for the at least two first sub-blocks and the second sub-blocks.

As an international standard for compression encoding of moving picture signals, H.265/HEVC is known. In H.265/HEVC, a Sample Adaptive Offset (SAO) is introduced as a loop filter technique for suppressing the deterioration of image quality at the time of compression encoding.
The sample adaptive offset introduced by H.265/HEVC includes an edge offset and a band offset, and either the edge offset or the band offset is able to be applied at the time of compression encoding. The band offset is regarded as a process that divides a gradation of pixel values into 32 bands, selects four bands having a successive gradation from among these bands, and then adds (or deducts) a predetermined offset value to pixel values belonging to the four bands.
By applying such a band offset, it is possible to adjust the pixel value for a specific successive gradation, and thus it is possible to reduce error in a compression encoding of an image.    Patent Document 1: Japanese National Publication of International Patent Application No. 2014-534762

Coding method, decoding method, and coding device


A fuel injection control apparatus for a diesel engine is provided which works to determine the number of a sequence of injection events to inject fuel into the engine in each operating cycle of the engine and increase it based on the temperature of an injector drive circuit. When the temperature of the injector drive circuit is relatively low, the apparatus increases the number of injection events to decrease the degree of combustion in the engine, thereby reducing the combustion noise of the engine.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a fuel injection control apparatus, such as a common rail system for automotive diesel engines, which is designed to inject fuel into a cylinder of an internal combustion engine through a sequence of multiple injection events in each operating cycle of the engine, and more particularly, to such an apparatus deigned to increase the number of injection events to minimize a combustion noise of the engine.
2. Background Art
Typical diesel engines for automotive vehicles to required not only to meet tightened exhaust regulations, but also to reduce noise arising from combustion of the engine which is usually higher than that in gasoline engines. The reduction in noise is proposed to be achieved using a multi-injection strategy in which a sequence of multiple injection events are performed in each operating cycle of the engine (i.e., a four-stroke cycle) including intake or induction, compression, combustion, and exhaust. Specifically, the more the number of injection events, the smaller will be the amount of fuel sprayed in each of the injection events, thus resulting in a decrease in the degree of combustion to reduce the combustion noise. For example, Japanese Patent First Publication No. 5-195848 teaches such a technique. Consequently, it is preferable to increase the number of injection events in each operating cycle of the engine as many as possible.
To achieve the multi-injections, fuel injection systems are usually employed which are designed to store the fuel in an accumulator or common rail under high pressure and spray the fuel, as stored in the common rail, into the engine through injectors. Such a type of fuel injection system is equipped with an injector drive circuit which works to energize or open each of the injectors in accordance with an injection pattern defining a fuel injection mode. Specifically, the injector drive circuit is equipped with a capacitor and an electrical charger. When it is required to initiate the injection of fuel into the engine, the injector driver circuit release electrical energy, as stored in the capacitor by the capacitor charger, to open each of the injectors quickly to achieve the fuel injection mode, as defined by the injection pattern.
The injector drive circuit is, however, usually elevated in temperature due to cyclic execution of the fuel injections. Specifically, when the capacitor is discharged or charged, a large current will flow in the injector drive circuit, so that it generates a large amount of heat and increases the temperature of the injector drive circuit. In order to avoid a reduction in performance of the injector drive circuit arising from a rise in temperature thereof, the number of injections to be executed in each operating cycle of the engine needs to be limited.

Fuel injection control apparatus designed to minimize combustion noise of engine


In a golf ball having a parting line formed at the junction between a pair of mold sections and a plurality of dimples some of which lie across the parting line and being free of a great circle which does not intersect with the dimples, the crossing dimples lying across the parting line have a greater edge angle than those dimples of the same diameter as the crossing dimples disposed near the poles. The ball is improved in symmetry in that the flight distance is substantially equal between seam hitting and pole hitting.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a dimpled golf ball free of a great circle which does not intersect with the dimples and having high symmetry.
2. Prior Art
The flying performance of golf balls is greatly affected by the arrangement and configuration (including diameter, depth and cross-sectional shape) of the dimples. Various dimple arrangements are known in the art for arranging a plurality of dimples on the ball surface in an even or dense fashion. Typical known dimple arrangements are regular polyhedral arrangements. It is also known to equally divide the hemisphere into one to six sections, especially three to six sections from its center.
It is attempted in JP-B 7875/1994 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,564, to tailor the dimple configuration such that the overall effective volume of dimples remains substantially equal between pole hitting (the spin axis is in the equator plane) and seam hitting (the spin axis is a pole-to-pole line).
Golf balls are generally molded in an axisymmetric manner by using a mold comprising a pair of mold halves removably mating the mold halves along a parting line to define a spherical cavity therein, and introducing stock material into the cavity. The golf balls thus molded tend to have a higher degree of roundness or sphericity about a pole-to-pole axis corresponding to a line connecting the apexes of the mold half cavities, but a lower degree of roundness about an axis on a plane circumscribed by a seam line corresponding to the parting plane of the mold. Because of such roundness variation, conventional golf balls exhibit different flight performance depending on the position at which the ball is hit. Such flight performance variation raises a serious problem in the game of golf wherein the Rules of Golf prescribe that "the ball shall be played as it lies, except as otherwise provided in the Rules."
More specifically, when a golf ball is hit by a club, the ball is given back spin although the number of revolutions varies with a particular type of club. The hitting of a ball is generally classified into pole hitting and seam hitting depending on an impact point. Reference is now made to FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B) wherein a golf ball 11 has a great circle or seam line 12 and a center 16. The pole hitting means that the ball 11 is hit at arrow 20 to give back spin about a straight line 18 connecting two diametrically opposed points 14, 14 on the seam line 12 and the center 16 as shown in FIG. 2(A). Seam hitting means that the ball 11 is hit at arrow 26 to give back spin about a straight line 24 extending perpendicular to a circular plane 22 circumscribed by the seam line 12 and passing the center 16. As previously mentioned, in the event of pole hitting shown in FIG. 2(A), the ball is susceptible to extra lift or drag since it does not define a true circle about the spin axis 18. On the other hand, in the event of seam hitting shown in FIG. 2(B), the ball is substantially free of extra lift or drag since it is close to a true circle about the spin axis 24. As a consequence, if the ball is simply designed such that the effect of dimples themselves may be equal between pole hitting and seam hitting, the effect of dimples would be greater on pole hitting because of a deviation from roundness. Then, upon pole hitting, the golf ball receives extra lift or drag, exhibiting different flight performance than upon seam hitting. This means that the flight performance varies with a particular hit position.
To produce a golf ball which is improved in symmetry in that the flight performance remains constant regardless of a particular hit position, the arrangement and configuration of dimples must be designed in consideration of the shape or roundness of the ball to optimize the effect of dimples. This requirement has not been fully satisfied.


A size measurement apparatus comprises a designation section that designates parts in images of two or more medical images acquired through image taking for a subject; a first measurement section that measures a size of an image on a part designated by the designation section, of the medical image, as to a measurement direction associated with a geometry of the image; and a second measurement section that measures a size of a common measurement direction common to two or more medical images, the common measurement direction being determined in accordance with the measurement direction in the first measurement section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a size measurement apparatus for measuring a size of the subject on an image, a computer-readable size measurement program storage medium, an image display unit for displaying an image, and a computer-readable image display program storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, in the field of the medical treatment, a medical image, which is obtained through taking a picture of the inside of the body of the subject with an X-ray image taking apparatus, an ultrasonic apparatus, and an endoscope apparatus, etc. is widely used for the diagnosis of the condition of the subject. The use of the medical image for the diagnosis makes it possible to understand the progress of the condition of the subject without giving the subject external damage, and also makes it possible to obtain easily information necessary for the decision of the treatment policy.
Moreover, in recent years, there are widely used CR (Computed Radiography) device that obtains a digital medical image by using the radiation, CT (Computerized Tomography) device that obtains a tomographic image of a testee or subject by using the radiation, and MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) device that obtain a tomographic image of a testee or subject by using a strong magnetic field. And a digital medical image is generally used instead of a medical image that uses a past X-ray film etc. Digitalizing of the medical image makes it possible to collectively manage clinical records and the like so that the clinical records can be shared via the network in two or more hospitals etc. Thus, even if the diagnosis and treatment section and the hospital change, a medical image and the clinical record where the case history till then is shown can be applied.
Here, at the time of an actual diagnosis, there is performed a comparison interpretation of radiogram wherein two or more medical images, which are taken in picture at different time on the same subject, are arranged and displayed on a monitor (For instance, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Gazette TokuKai 2004-96417). The comparison interpretation of radiogram can easily confirm the change in the size of the focus and the like, and thus it is one of the methods very useful for the diagnosis of the effect of the condition and treatment. However, the method of the comparison interpretation of radiogram involves such a problem that even if two or more medical images are arranged and the area of interest that seems to be changes is expanding displayed, the change is blind when the increase and decrease of the focus is a little.
In this respect, non-patent reference 1 discloses a technology in which an image feature such as the luminance distribution in the tumor area in the image is analyzed, and the outline of the tumor is acquired by extracting the area that has the image feature approximated to an image feature of the tumor area from among a medical image. The change of the condition and the result of the treatment can more certainly be recognized by acquiring the outline of the tumor area in a medical image by using this technology, and measuring a length diameter and a short diameter of the tumor based on the outline.
Non-patent reference 1: K. Okada, D. Comaniciu, A. Krishnan, "Robust Anisotropic Gaussian Fitting for Volumetric Caracterization of Pulumonary Nodules in Multislice CT", IEEE Trans. Medical Imaging, Vo. 24, No. 3, pp. 409-423, 2005
However, it might be very difficult to take a picture of the subject at mutually different time by the same posture as fit, and the position and the angle of the subject that is reflected in a medical image might shift by the change and breath, etc. of the physique. Moreover, there is frequent such a case that the shape such as tumors is near circle and asymmetry, and thus the direction of a length diameter and a short diameter changes greatly as a little change of the shape. Therefore, the shape such as tumors is unsuitable to the comparison. It is requested for the comparison interpretation of radiogram that the change of the condition and the effect of the treatment are understood accurately, and the development of the technology that can measure the size that is appropriate for the comparison is demanded.

Size measurement apparatus, image display unit, computer-readable size measurement program storage medium, and computer-readable image display program storage medium


The present disclosure provides a mobile device. The mobile device includes a casing, configured to accommodate or support the mobile device; a thin touchscreen, including at least one driving electrode and at least one receiving electrode, wherein the driving electrode is configured to receive a driving signal, and the receiving electrode is configured to generate a sensing signal to sense a touch operation; a capacitive sensing system, including a sense circuit, coupled to the at least one receiving electrode and configured to generate the driving signal and receive the sensing signal to determine the touch operation; and a power supply unit, configured to output a supply voltage and a ground voltage; and an isolation module, configured to isolate the supply voltage from the ground voltage.

The present disclosure relates to a capacitive sensing system and a mobile device, and in particular, to a capacitive sensing system applicable in a thin touchscreen and a mobile device having the thin touchscreen.
With the advancement of technology, touch-based mobile devices have become indispensable to our daily lives. Through the touchscreen, one may use his/her finger or a stylus to operate the mobile device conveniently. To reduce the occurrence of misjudgment when the user performs multi-finger touch, most capacitive touch technologies adopt the mutual-capacitance sensing principle. Specifically, mutual-capacitance touch sensing uses a sensing panel disposed at a backside of a touchscreen panel for touch sensing. A distribution of an electromagnetic field of the touchscreen varies according to a position at which a user touches, thus causing a change in the mutual-capacitance between electrodes of the sensing panel. As a result, the sensing panel may determine the user's touch operation by detecting a variation of a current flowing through the electrodes.
However, it should be noted that many mobile devices adopt a thinner touchscreen, such as a touch panel having a thinner cover layer (i.e., a thin cover). When the user performs a touch operation, such thinner touchscreen may have a greater induced capacitance between the electrode of the sensing panel and the human body. In these cases, when the mobile device is in a non-floating state (i.e., a grounding state), a larger portion of an induced current generated between the user and the detection electrode will be directed to the ground via the human body, instead of flowing to the detection electrode, because the mobile device is in the non-floating state. Therefore, when the detection electrode receives the current in the non-floating state, the amount of induced current received by the detection electrode is less than that received by the detection electrode in the floating state, resulting in an increase in the proportion of the noise voltage in the induced current. Briefly, the amount of induced current of the mobile device having a thin touchscreen is different from that of the mobile device in the non-floating state. However, the host or the system determines whether a touch has taken place in accordance with the sensed amount of induced current and a pre-stored reference amount, wherein the reference amount is relatively constant and will not change in response to whether the mobile device is in the floating or non-floating states. Thus, the determination of the touch operation in one of the floating state or the non-floating state will be inaccurate, resulting in misjudgment of the touch operation.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for improvement in the related art.

Capacitive sensing system and mobile device


A sensor arrangement for a sensor arrangement remotely readable by radio frequencies. The sensor arrangement includes an LC resonator that includes a capacitor and a coil, and a sensor element coupled to the LC resonator whose properties change as a function of a measurable quantity. A sensor element according to the invention does not form a direct galvanic contact with the LC resonator, rather the coupling is implemented capacitively or inductively.

The leakproofness, low oxygen content and adequately low storage temperature of a package are the most important requirements for many packaged foodstuffs. When a protective gas package leaks, the protective gas travels out of the package, oxygen, damaging to the preservation of the quality of many products, gets into the package and the additional preservation provided by the original gas mixture of the package is lost. The passage of oxygen into the package is damaging also in the case of vacuum packages. In addition to the wholeness and storage temperature of a package the high quality of a raw material used is an essential factor for maintaining organoleptic and microbiological quality particularly with uncooked products. As a result of the microbe activity occurring during the deterioration of a product, numerous amounts of evaporative compounds and compounds remaining in the product are generated whose quality and amounts are greatly affected by the nature and chemical composition of the foodstuff as well as by the microbe causing deterioration. These generated compounds affect on one hand the organoleptic quality of the foodstuff and on the other hand they function as indicators of microbiological quality of the foodstuff. The composition of the compounds generated by deterioration depends on the foodstuff, and for example in case of the deterioration of poultry the generation of different types of sulphur compounds (for example hydrogen sulphide, dimethyl sulphide, dimethyl disulphide) is typical.
Known applications associated with RF-reading techniques are for instance burglar alarms and remote sensors (RFID).
The burglar alarms used in these applications are either destroyed or deactivated in a controlled manner. Remote sensors for their part are suitable only for recognition of a product or for saving a piece of information into the memory of a remote sensor. Burglar alarms and remote sensors do not have the ability to indicate cumulative events such as deterioration inside a foodstuff package.
The color change of previously described indicators reacting to compounds generated in deterioration or to oxygen content of the package is visible. The primary function of visible indicators is to help the consumer evaluate the quality of the product at the time of purchase or at home. On the other hand on the part of wholesale and retail sales it would be efficient to verify the wholeness of the package and the quality of the product already before a consumer purchases it.
From WO 95/33991 is known a solution in which an indicator contains electronics and typically a screen that is integrated into the indicator. Alternatively, the indicator may have an output for sending a signal galvanically to the exterior measuring device. Such an indicator provided with its own screen is inevitably an expensive solution. Reading by an exterior device implemented by a galvanic connection is on the other hand quite an awkward way to obtain information from individual foodstuff packages.
From e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,987, WO 9821120, EP patent 0666799 and WO 9904256 are known indicators in which a change in color or outward appearance occurs when the product deteriorates.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,072 is known a solution in which by adding suitable chemicals the condition of a meat package can be evaluated by the changes of the absorption or reflective properties of the package itself upon exposure to electromagnetic radiation. The suitability of chemicals for use in foodstuffs may create problems and additionally the manner of measurement is quite inexact.
None of the hydrogen sulphide sensors described above is readable by RF-techniques nor are they suitable for placement in a foodstuff package and being read without breaking or touching the package. On the other hand the publications mentioned above also do not present application of RF-reading technology for measuring the quality of the packaged foodstuff.
From application No. PCT/FI02/00911 is known a solution in which an indicator is placed inside a package, wherein the indicator is an LC (inductor-capacitor) circuit to which a sensor element is connected. The electrical properties of the sensor element change cumulatively as a result of deterioration of the product. The sensor reacts either directly to deterioration of the product or to evaporative compound resulting from deterioration or to oxygen gas that has leaked into the package. In this solution the sensor element is coupled by bonding or electricity-conducting glue to the LC resonator such that electrical current induced to the circuit flows through the sensor element. Deterioration, an evaporative compound resulting from it or oxygen will cause corrosion in the sensor element, which is why the sheet resistance of the sensor increases. The change in the properties of the element affects either the loss resistance of the LC resonator or through it the quality factor of the circuit, the so-called Q-factor, or the sensor element changes the capacitance or the inductance of the circuit. What is essential in this solution is that the entire indicator formed by the LC circuit and the sensor element is placed inside the package and the sensor element is coupled to the resonance circuit essentially galvanically, i.e. by bonding or gluing. The indicator is read from outside the package by a reading device. It generates an alternate magnetic field whose frequency is typically wiped through the resonance frequency of the LC resonator. In this way the reading device measures the resonance frequency and the Q-factor of the LC resonator. The measurement result is proportional to the deterioration of the product or to the amount of oxygen in the package.
In this method the disadvantage is that the manufacture of the indicator formed from an LC resonator is relatively expensive. In particular, the attachment of the sensor element by either bonding or gluing with electricity-conducting glue is not inexpensive. Bonding is an expensive technique. It is not an adequately cost-effective means to be used in cheap mass production. Attachment by electricity-conducting glue for its part would cause a too high contact resistance. It has become apparent that the contact impedance of the sensor element and the LC resonator should be in the range of 0.2 Ohms. In practice, achieving such low total impedance is technically difficult and expensive.
In the publications "Design and application of a wireless, passive, resonant-circuit environmental monitoring sensor", Sensors and Actuators A 93, 2001, 33-43 and "Monitoring of bacteria growth using a wireless, remote query resonant-circuit sensor: application to environmental sensing", Biosensors&Bioelectronics 16, 2001, 305-312 an indicator based on an LC resonator is also described. In these publications the method is applied to monitoring an environment and indicating bacteria growth.

Radiofrequency based sensor arrangement and a method


An inclination sensor having excellent rotational performance, longlasting stability and high sensing precision. The inclination sensor comprises a pendulum (10) rotatably attached to a case (1) of a fixed body secured to an attached member, a magnetic flux-generating means (11) attached to the pendulum (10), reed switches (4a) and (4b) attached to part of the case (1) corresponding to the locus along which the magnetic flux-generating means (11) moves, and a flange portion (12) which is a damping body being nonmagnetic and electrically conductive and disposed in the case (1) along the locus of the movement of the magnetic flux-generating means (11).

The present invention relates to an inclination sensor for detecting inclination of a vehicle, industrial machinery, and the like.
Inclination sensors of the kind, such as those shown in FIG. 45A and FIG. 45B and FIG. 46A and FIG. 46B have been suggested in the past. The inclination sensor shown in FIG. 45A and FIG. 45B confines an amount of mercury 202 within a hermetically sealed container 201. Terminals 203 and 204 are provided with one end of each protruding in the sealed container. When the inclination sensor is in a level position, the mercury 202 is situated as shown in FIG. 45A so that the terminals remain in an open state. If the inclination sensor tilts, the mercury 202 moves as shown in FIG. 45B into contact with the terminals 203 and 204 so that the two terminals turn into a state of conduction.
An inclination sensor shown in FIG. 46A and FIG. 46B, in which a magnet 212 and magnetic fluid 213 are confined in a hermetically sealed container 211, can detect an inclination by means of switching operation of contacts of a reed switch 214 provided beneath the container due to a variation of magnetic force, since the magnet 212 floating within the container 211 moves with an inclination of the container.
FIG. 46A and FIG. 46B depict the hermetically sealed container 211, the magnet 212, the magnetic fluid 213 and the reed switch 214. The magnet 212 and the magnetic fluid 213 confined in the hermetically sealed container 211 are freely movable within the hermetically sealed container 211. When the hermetically sealed container 211 is at a level, the magnet 212 and the magnetic fluid 213 are in the position as shown in FIG. 46A, so that contacts of the reed switch 214 are in their open state. If, however, the hermetically sealed container 211 tilts, the relative position between the magnet 212 in the hermetically sealed container 211 and the reed switch 214 changes, because the magnet 212 and the magnetic fluid 213 tend to maintain their position in a direction of gravity, as shown in FIG. 46B. This causes the magnet 212 to get closer to the contacts of the reed switch 214, so as to turn the contacts into a state of conduction (i.e., closed), and the inclination is perceived.
The inclination sensors that use mercury 202 are not suitable for mass production, because they require careful handling and secure facilities in production.
Also, with inclination sensors that use magnetic fluid 213, it is not only difficult to maintain the property of the magnetic fluid 213 stable for a long time, but also such sensors have a shortcoming in that the liquidity decreases at low temperature, thereby exacerbating movements of the magnet 212. This raises the problem of reduced accuracy of detecting inclination.
Moreover, these sensors have yet another problem of producing erroneous signals, as the mercury and the magnetic fluid are liable to splash due to external disturbances, such as vibration and an impact, which tend to short-circuit the contacts.
The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and it aims at providing an inclination sensor that is superior in rotational performance and long term stability, and is high in detecting accuracy, resistant to external disturbances and reliable.
In order to solve the above problems, the inclination sensor of the present invention comprises divided frames provided within a fixation body to be fixed to a mounting body, a pendulum mounted rotatably to the divided frames, a magnetic flux generation means mounted on the pendulum, a reed switch mounted on a part of the divided frames in a manner to correspond with a rotational path of the magnetic flux generation means, and a damping body having nonmagnetic and electrically good conductive properties positioned on the divided frames along the rotational path of the magnetic flux generation means. The above structure can realize an inclination sensor that is superior in rotational performance and long term stability, and is high in detecting accuracy, resistant to external disturbances and reliable.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A system and method for controlling a vehicle to implement an engine torque management strategy. The engine torque management strategy implements a sophisticated engine knock control method that alleviates/mitigates the cause of the knock while also optimizing vehicle performance and engine efficiency without compromising engine hardware protection. Whenever suitable, the system and method attempt to reduce the amount of air trapped in a knocking cylinder to reduce its effective compression ratio and to eliminate the knock while keeping the same optimal spark timing for combustion efficiency.

Internal combustion engines may be susceptible to undesired detonation under certain conditions. Undesired detonation may cause increased pressure build-up and heating that can degrade engine components as well as decrease engine efficiency. This undesirable situation is often accompanied by a certain engine noise often referred to as a ping or a knock. The ping or knock is often within a specified frequency range. As such, most approaches for identifying and addressing detonation such as engine knock often include placing acoustic sensors designed to detect the specified frequency within the engine block, cylinder head or even the intake manifold. "Knock sensors" contain piezoelectric elements that are tuned to the engine knock frequency. Vibrations from the engine knock will vibrate the piezoelectric element, which generates a voltage that can be sent to the engine control unit (ECU). The ECU will use this voltage input to detect the knock and react accordingly.
Regardless of how the engine knock is determined or reported to the ECU, current knock control countermeasures primarily rely on ignition spark adjustment, also known as "spark retard," to mitigate and eliminate the detonation. Unfortunately, since spark is being retarded from its optimal set-point (e.g., from its "minimum spark for best torque" (MBT) set-point), the engine's operational efficiency decreases. This decrease in efficiency will degrade the vehicle's fuel economy. Moreover, the engine's output torque will reduce, compromising the vehicle's performance and its drivability. Accordingly, there is a need and desire for a knock control technique that can optimize vehicle performance and engine efficiency without compromising engine hardware protection.


A particle size (or particle diameter) variable reactor comprises a granular substrate and a capturing unit fixed onto the surface of the granular substrate. The capturing unit comprises a rod-shaped body having a length of 810 nm or less, a configuration variable element which may be structurally transformed when stimulation is applied, and a capturing structured body which specifically captures an object to be captured. The particle size variable reactor is highly biodegradable and environmentally friendly, and can specifically act on and thus selectively capture its target alone. The reactor may preferably be used in various fields including medical and industrial fields.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a highly biodegradable and less harmful, particle size (or particle diameter) variable reactor that can specifically capture a target and has a particle size, flow rate, capturing reaction rate and ability to pass through a filter membrane which are adjustable. The inventive particle size variable reactor can be used in various fields.
2. Description of the Related Art
Devices which can specifically act on and thus selectively capture a particular target alone have been developed and utilized in various fields including medical and industrial fields.
Today, however, because of recent increasing public interest in environmental pollution, a nature-friendly device is now demanded which can selectively capture a particular target in an aqueous and/or oil phase and produce highly biodegradable and less harmful waste materials including the object captured.


A dental floss for cleaning food particles and other material from between teeth. The dental floss includes a single strand of nylon material having a thickness of about 0.001 inches to about 0.003 inches and a width from about 0.025 inches to about 0.100 inches and has a tensile strength of about 31/2 pounds to about 25 pounds. The strand is extruded at relatively low temperatures which permits it to be readily colored and flavored. Further, it may be extruded into a plurality of shapes which may be chosen to enhance user comfort. The single strand of nylon material may include about 2% to about 20%, by weight, of a colorant; about 0.1% to about 3%, by weight, of a lubricant; about 0.1% to about 1%, by weight, of a plasticizer; or about 5% to about 30%, by weight, of a flavorant, fragrance, or combination of both.

The removal of plaque and entrapped food particle from the crevices between mammalian teeth helps prevent cavities, gingivitis, and other dental and mouth disorders. Conventional brushing is not particularly effective in removing food particles and other material from between teeth. Thus, dental floss, filaments, tapes, and similar items have been used to remove trapped material.
Conventional dental floss includes multiple filaments or strands of a deformable or nondeformable material which is threaded or otherwise inserted between teeth. The dental floss is moved along the surface of the teeth dislodging entrapped food particles and cleaning away other material.
In recent years there has been an increased demand for stronger, more durable, and more comfortable dental floss. There has also been a demand for flavored, scented, and colored dental floss. While conventional dental floss is relatively effective for cleaning teeth, it is not completely satisfactory. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, multifilament dental floss tends to fray and its individual strands tend to separate. Such fraying and separation causes the dental floss to get caught between teeth. Further, if modification to lubricity or flavor are desired, the floss must be coated. Such coatings are generally removed, at least in part, as the floss is moved between teeth. Thus, the effectiveness of the coatings is limited. With respect to coloring, conventional multistrand dental floss is limited to twisted patterns like a barber pole.
As noted above, dental floss is typically made from multiple strands of material. Generally, these strands have a circularly-shaped cross section and are used to create a dental floss which also has a circularly-shaped cross section. It has been theorized that dental floss of other cross-sectional shapes might offer users more comfort and ease of use, but it has heretofore been relatively difficult to manufacture dental floss having a variety of desired shapes.
There have been some attempts to produce a monofilament dental floss. One such monofilament dental floss is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,932, issued to Blass. Blass discloses a dental floss including a monofilament ribbon of uniaxially stretched PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) having a coating of wax. The wax coating stiffens the PTFE ribbon and increases its frictional qualities. The ribbon has a thickness in the range of 0.5 to 4 mm and a thickness in the range of 20 to 60 um.
Flavoring a monofilament dental floss made from PTFE is virtually impossible. PTFE is extruded at relatively high temperatures which would cause any added flavoring to burn away during extrusion. Flavoring such dental floss via a coating such as wax is possible, but such coatings separate easily from the PTFE material. Scenting PTFE dental floss is equally difficult because PTFE, being chemically inert, will not interact with known fragrances to create a useful, aromatic end product.
Accordingly, there is a need for a strong, supple, and comfortable single-strand, dental floss which can be readily colored, scented, or flavored.


A vehicle seat apparatus that includes a bottom assembly that is attached to a floor of the vehicle; a top assembly that is for the support of a seat structure; a turntable that is mounted between the bottom assembly and the top assembly and rotatable to allow rotational motion of the top assembly relative to the bottom assembly; and a lever mechanism secured to the top assembly and pivotal relative to the bottom assembly in order to pivot the top assembly and seat structure from a more forward position to a more sideways position so as to provide enhanced access to the seat structure. The vehicle seat apparatus is comprised of a base cushion and an upright member with only the base cushion being swivelled.

There are various structures shown in the prior art pertaining to swivel arrangements for vehicle seats. For example, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,529 to Tulley or U.S. Pat. No. 9,242,581 to Farooq et al. In both of these seat structures virtually the entire seat mechanism is adapted to swivel.
Another type of a swivel arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,339 to Cherniak. However, this construction is of very simple type and does not provide for any substantial swivelling of the seat structure itself. The Cherniak '339 patent simply shows a pad that is disposed on top of the seat rather than a seat arrangement as in accordance with the present invention where only the seat base pivots.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved vehicle swivel seat construction wherein only the seat base swivels between a forward position and a sidewards position, while the seat back remains stationary and non-swiveling.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle swivel seat construction incorporating a lever arrangement that enables the seat to be held in either a forward position or a sideways position.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle swivel seat that is relatively simple in construction, that is easy to operate and which can be manufactured relatively inexpensively.


A double-deck parking device is provided for parking two cars one above the other in order to more efficiently utilize available parking space. The parking device includes a platform which may be moved to a position adjacent a base plate for locating a vehicle thereon. The platform may be raised above the base plate and another vehicle may be parked on the base plate. The platform may be further raised to a vertical position to allow vehicles of differing heights to be mounted on the base plate thus accommodating differing vehicle heights.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention pertains to parking devices for optimizing the space associated with double-deck parking systems. In particular, this invention pertains to a double-deck parking device for parking two cars in associated parking spaces with one car or vehicle disposed above the other. More in particular, this invention relates to a double-deck parking system which provides for a pair of lifting arm assemblies which are mounted on a base plate and to a pair of support plates which are mounted on opposing longitudinal ends of the base plate. Still further, this invention relates to a double-deck parking system where pivoted arm assemblies are mounted to respective support plates and allow for transverse vertical motion of a platform 6 upon which a vehicle is mounted. Further, this invention system pertains to a double-deck parking device where a vehicle support platform may be moved to a vertical direction to allow varying heights of vehicles mounted on a base plate. Additionally, the subject invention pertains to a double-deck parking system which includes a base plate for parking an initial or first car, a four-bar link mechanism which includes a pair of supports, a pair of lifting arm assemblies and a connecting frame mounted on the base plate on one end thereof. Still further, this invention relates to a double-deck parking system where a driving mechanism is fastened in a pivoting operational mode between two supports to alternatively rotate the four-bar link mechanism reversibly in a forward or rearward direction permitting a platform to be lowered to the ground for parking a vehicle or to be elevated and positioned at a parking positional location above a base plate.
2. Prior Art
Double-deck parking systems are known in the art. The best prior art known to Applicant is German Patent No. 1965142; German Patent No. 2644022; Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-207747; Great Britain Patent No. 1149609; Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-266958; Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-307551; Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-162041; Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-153304; Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-177695; Great Britain Patent No. 2243600; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,772,172; 3,941,257; and, U.S. Pat. No. 2,660,320, all of which were cited in the Parent case of this Patent Application.
In some prior art systems such as that shown in Patent No. DE1965142, there are provided linkage mechanisms which allow for the mounting of an upper vehicle on the platform however, by necessity of the construction, the height of the vehicle is restricted in that the particular combination of elements of such prior art only allows for the mounting of the vehicle between a main platform and an upper bar section.


A sunshade assembly for installation on a window frame includes a curtain, a bar connected to the curtain, a pivot connection member disposed inside the bar, an abutment member disposed inside the pivot connection member, a transmission rod extending into the pivot connection member to engage the abutment member, and a drive unit driving the transmission rod to move. When the drive unit drives the transmission rod to move upward, the transmission rod pushes upward the abutment member to move upward the bar and to thereby stretch the curtain. When the bar abuts against the window frame, the transmission rod is not deformed.

As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional sunshade assembly is generally disposed inside of a vehicle door 9. The vehicle door 9 has a window frame 91 and a vehicle window 900 mounted to and movable relative to the window frame 91. The window frame 91 has a top portion 911 over the vehicle window 900. The conventional sunshade assembly can cover an opening defined by the window frame 91, and includes a sunshade mechanism 81 and a control mechanism 82 connected to the sunshade mechanism 81.
The sunshade mechanism 81 includes a casing 811 with an opening 810, a curtain 812 disposed in the casing 811 in a windable manner, and a rod member 813 mounted on an end portion of the curtain 812 and exposed outside of the opening 810. The control mechanism 82 includes a drive unit 821 disposed in proximity to the casing 811, and a transmission rod 822 driven by the drive unit 821 so to be movable relative to the drive unit 821. The transmission rod 822 is vertically fixed to the rod member 813. The drive unit 821 may be an electrical motor or a resilient mechanical member that is capable of storing a resilient force and driving upward and downward movements of the transmission rod 822.
In actual use, the transmission rod 822 is driven to be moved together with the rod member 813, such that the curtain 812 is moved together with the rod member 813 between an extended state and a retracted state. When driven to reach the top portion 911 of the window frame 91, the rod member 813 will abut against the top portion 911 in an oblique manner since the top portion 911 generally has an oblique configuration. Besides, since the rod member 813 and the transmission rod 822 are fixedly connected to each other, the transmission rod 822 is forced to be deformed so as to make the rod member 813 conformably abut against the top portion 911.
Therefore, in order to cover the opening defined by the window frame 91, the drive unit 821 tends to be loaded excessively so as to compensate for resistance resulting from an oblique movement of the rod member 813. The service life of the drive unit 821 is thus shortened. Additionally, repetitive deformation of the transmission rod 822 also tends to shorten the service life thereof. Hence, the service life of the entire conventional sunshade assembly is reduced.


The invention concerns an antenna for use as transmission/reception beacon (2), in a radio frequency identifying system, having a general upturned U configuration, located in a vertical plane, above the ground transversely to a passage (9), the vertical end portions (8b, 8c). The invention is applicable to a system for detecting, over a large width (L), the passage of people, animals or objects bearing electronic tags (7).

The present invention concerns antennas of the "loop" type, used as transmission/reception beacons, particularly in a radio frequency identification system, by means of electronic rags. This invention more particularly applies to antennas which can be used in a system for detecting the passage of persons, animals, or objects of considerable size, each of which bears electronic tags which enable their identification at the moment of detection of said passage. Accordingly, a specific application of the invention is the automatic identification and detection of participants in sports events, especially in order to establish, in an automatic, instantaneous and certain manner, the timing and ranking of the participants in a sports event taking place on a predetermined course involving passage through intermediate points and/or over a predetermined starting line and/or finish line, especially trials in which many competitors are involved and the individual identification thereof by means of the usual, very empirical processes is consequently difficult.
Loop antennas are most often used as receiver antennas in order to capture an electrical and/or magnetic field, in association with a receiver-amplifier of the signal received.
These antennas are also used as transmitter antennas in order to create a magnetic field in certain highly specific applications. Indeed, at a short distance from a current loop, only the magnetic field remains significant, because the electrical field is very weak.
It should be remembered that such a loop antenna, used in order to create a magnetic field, consists of a simple wire which is an electrical conductor, looped around one or more turns, through which runs a current of constant intensity and phase along the entire length of the wire. This antenna may have the configuration of a circular, square, or rectangular loop.
In the case of a rectangular loop antenna, the magnetic field H on an axis perpendicular to the plane of the loop and passing through the center of the loop is given by the following formula:
                    H        =                  n                                                                          I            ·                          ab                              p                                                                                a                      2                                        +                                          b                      2                                        +                                          h                      2                                                                                ·                          [                                                1                                                            a                      2                                        +                                          h                      2                                                                      +                                  1                                                            b                      2                                        +                                          h                      2                                                                                ]                                                          [        FORMULA        ]            wherein:                n is the number of antenna wire loops,        I is the intensity of the current in that wire,        2a is the width of the rectangle formed by the loop,        2b is the length of that rectangle,        h is the difference from the point in question to the center of said rectangle.
When the distance h becomes large relative to a, or a and b, the previous formula is simplified and becomes:
                              H          =                      n                                                                                I              ·                                                2                                                                                ab                                                  p                                                                                h                    3                                                                                or                            [        EQUATION        ]                                H        =                  n                                                                          I            ·                          S                              2                                p                                                                                h                  3                                                                                [        EQUATION        ]            wherein S designates the surface area of the loop (equal to 4ab).
We now see that the magnetic field is proportional to the total current n I passing through the loop and to the surface area S of the loop, and that this magnetic field H is inversely proportional to h3 and therefore decreases very quickly when the distance h increases—that is, when one moves away from the plane of the loop, while remaining on the central axis thereof.
It should also be noted that the frequency f of the current running through the loop does not directly intervene in the preceding formulas. In fact, this frequency intervenes due to the fact that the length of the loop wire must be small relative to the wavelength λ. In general, this wavelength is selected so as to be less than λ/4, thus ensuring that the current remains constant.
This type of loop antenna is most frequently implemented by associating the looped wire, of a given length, with an inductance L and a resistance R, to which is associated a capacitance C in such a way as to create a resonant circuit of the RLC type, with LCω2=1 (ωbeing equal to 2πf), so that the intensity I of the current within the wire is maximal, because it is only connected to the resistance R of the circuit. This resistance R is itself composed of the resistance of the wire itself, connection resistances, and an additional resistance which enables modulation of the overvoltage coefficient Q=Lω/R, but it then dissipates a non-negligible power R (n I)2.
Another factor which limits the implementation of this type of loop antenna is the actual capacitance of the wire that forms the loop. Indeed, when the length of the wire is increased, its actual capacity becomes considerable, approaching the actual resonance of the wire, which is the acceptable limit for the resonant structure.
In this way, the loop structure of a present-day antenna that transmits a magnetic field is characterized by small dimensions, taking into account the limiting factors set forth above. This structure thus remains rather sensitive to the outside environment because, given that its principal is that of a resonant circuit, numerous types of interference are liable to have an effect on the circuit itself. These include the effect of temperature—for example, as a result of the heating of the additional resistance; the effect of a metallic element placed close to the loop; the effect exerted by components themselves, such as capacitors, which may be the source of high voltages that vary with temperature.
As a result, the applications of present-day loop antennas, in practice, are limited to very local use. In other words, they create a significant magnetic field in a volume whose base does not exceed the surface of the loop and whose height ranges from a few tens of centimeters to a maximum of about 1 m.
The demand for the field of radio frequency identification, mentioned in the introduction to this document—that is, the detection and identification of the bearers of an electronic tag known as a "smart" tag, which responds to a query from a fixed beacon when the bearer passes close to said beacon—is greatest in connection with systems of considerable volume, in which the electronic tags can "dialogue" with the beacon.
In reference to FIG. 1 of the schematic diagram attached hereto, we see how such a radio frequency identification system is configured and operates. The fixed device includes:                a transmission/reception beacon 2 with a loop antenna 3;        a reader 4, which is connected by means of a coaxial cable 5 to the beacon 2 and which generates the traffic frequency modulated for the transmission of the command code (the frequency, in this case, being a standardized value of 13.560 MHz),        a computer 6 which controls the system via software programs for the detection, acquisition and management of the data conveyed to it.
When an electronic tag 7 is located in the reading zone—that is, within a certain volume V indicated by dashed lines—said tag receives electrical power from the electromagnetic energy generated by the transmission/reception beacon 2. The frequency generated by this beacon 2 is modulated in amplitude by the electronic tag 7, according to a code specific to this tag 7. The modulated frequency is received by the reader 4 via the transmission/reception beacon 2.
In the case of a classic loop antenna 3, the beacon 2 is generally located vertically on one end of the volume V, as shown in FIG. 1. As is indicated by the preceding text, the volume V thus controlled by a present-day loop antenna remains quite limited, especially in its width L, but also in its height h and its depth P.
Nonetheless, when the system is applied to the detection of the passage of persons, animals, or objects of considerable size, the dimensions L, h and P may, in practice, have the following values:                the width L of the passage may be several meters, and even as much as 10 m or more (for example, the entire width of a street);        the height h is typically 2.5 m;        the depth P is related to the speed of displacement of the persons, animals, or objects and may reach several meters.
Accordingly, a particularly large volume V is required for the use intended here, and classic loop antennas, such as those used by present-day transmission/reception beacons, cannot meet this need, as was explained above.


The present invention provides a universal, yet adaptable, anti-tag chimeric antigen receptor (AT-CAR) system which provides T cells with the ability and specificity to recognize and kill target cells, such as tumor cells, that have been marked by tagged antibodies. As an example, αFITC-CAR-expressing T cells have been developed that specifically recognize various human cancer cells when those cells are bound by cancer-reactive FITC-labeled antibodies. The activation of αFITC-CAR-expressing T cells is shown to induce efficient target lysis, T cell proliferation, and cytokine/chemokine production. The system can be used to treating subjects having cancer.

The ability to make a universal yet versatile system to generate T cells that are capable of recognizing various types of cancers has important clinical implications for the use of T cell-based therapies. One current strategy incorporates the use of genetic engineering to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) on T cells. The extracellular domain of a typical CAR consists of the VH and VL domains—single-chain fragment variable (scFv)—from the antigen binding sites of a monoclonal antibody. The scFv is linked to a flexible transmembrane domain followed by a tyrosine-based activation motif such as that from CD3ζ (Sadelain et al. Curr. Opin. Immunol. 21, 215-223 (2009); Gross et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86, 10024-10028 (1989); Ertl et al. Cancer Res. 71, 3175-3181 (2011). The so-called second and third generation CARs include additional activation domains from co-stimulatory molecules such as CD28 and CD137 (41BB) which serve to enhance T cell survival and proliferation. CAR T cells offer the opportunity to seek out and destroy cancer cells by recognizing tumor-associated antigens (TAA) expressed on their surface (Sadelain et al. Curr. Opin. Immunol. 21, 215-223 (2009)). As such, the recognition of a tumor cells occurs via an MHC-independent mechanism. Various preclinical and early-phase clinical trials highlight the efficacy of CAR T cells to treat cancer patients with solid tumors and hematopoietic malignancies (Kershaw et al. Clin. Cancer Res. 12, 6106-6115 (2006); Lamers et al. J. Clin. Oncol. 24, e20-e22 (2006); Morgan et al. Mol. Ther. 18, 843-851 (2010); Pule et al. Nat. Med. 14, 1264-1270 (2008); Till et al. Blood 112, 2261-2271 (2008)).
Despite of the promise that CAR T cells might have in treating cancer patients there are several limitations to the generalized clinical application of CAR T cells. First, since no single tumor antigen is universally expressed by all cancer types, scFv in CAR needs to be constructed for each tumor antigen to be targeted. Second, the financial cost and labor-intensive tasks associated with identifying and engineering scFvs against a variety of tumor antigens poses a major challenge. Third, tumor antigens targeted by CAR could be down-regulated or mutated in response to treatment resulting in tumor evasion. Since current CAR T cells recognize only one target antigen, such changes in tumors negate the therapeutic effects. Therefore, the generation of CAR T cells capable of recognizing multiple tumor antigens is highly desired. Finally, CAR T cells react with target antigen weakly expressed on non-tumor cells, potentially causing severe adverse effects (Morgan et al. Mol. Ther. 18, 843-851 (2010)). To avoid such "on-target off-tumor" reaction, use of scFvs with higher specificity to tumor antigen is required. And although ongoing studies are focused on generating methods to shut off CAR T cells in vivo this system has yet to be developed and might pose additional inherent challenges.
Modifications to existing CAR T cell systems that address and overcome the hurdles currently preventing development of the systems into effective means of in vivo treatment are therefore needed.

Universal anti-tag chimeric antigen receptor-expressing T cells and methods of treating cancer