A portable printing cabinet having a housing with a substantially enclosed interior and an opening formed in a side surface thereof, a printing device located within the interior of said housing, and a paper tray positioned outside of the housing and in communication with the opening of the housing is provided.

Sterile "cleanroom" environments demand that any person or item entering the room be free of a certain level of contaminants. Sterilized environments are most commonly designed for use in manufacturing facilities and medical research and treatment facilities in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and healthcare industries, to name a few. Sterile cleanroom environments may be classified under a variety of classification schemes, including the International Organization of Standardization ("ISO") Cleanroom Standards, whereby the highest level of sterilization is an ISO 1 cleanroom, and normal ambient air (no sterilization) is classified as ISO 9. The ISO standards correspond to the allowed number of particles having a minimum particle size per cubic meter. For example, an ISO 5 cleanroom allows the following: a maximum of 100,000 particles with a particle size greater than 0.1 μm; a maximum of 23,700 particles greater than 0.2 μm; a maximum of 10,200 particles greater than 0.3 μm; a maximum of 3,520 particles greater than 0.5 μm; a maximum of 832 particles greater than 1 μm; and a maximum of 29 particles greater than 5 μm.
A variety of products are utilized inside cleanroom environments, including paper and paper products used to document manufacturing and testing records within the controlled areas. Such paper products include, but are not limited to, forms, logbooks, tags and batch records. All of these documents are necessary to detail the manufacturing and testing processes so as to ensure that proper procedures are followed and results are documented. Indeed, these documents are subject to review by regulatory agencies, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and represent the mechanism by which such agencies can review the manufacturing and testing process details after the manufacture, testing, or handling of a drug product, for example, to assure patient safety.
However, paper and paper products are a significant contamination source due to shedding fibers, particulates and microorganisms (e.g., bacillus and mold). About 40% of paper products used in sterile environments are standard documents that can be pre-printed, packaged and sterilized by known means. However, the remainder of the documents introduced into sterile environments cannot be pre-printed, sterilized and packaged in a timely fashion. Their preparation requires information that is not readily available until days, or even hours, before the manufacturing or testing is to begin. In some instances, they must be prepared while manufacturing and/or testing is underway. Because of this, these documents are forced to be brought into sterilized areas without prior treatment for the reduction of shedding fibers, particulates and microorganisms. Thus, they represent a significant contamination source.
To solve this problem, the invention provides for a portable cleanroom printing cabinet which allows documents to be printed in sterile environments without the introduction of any outside contaminants.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Electrodeposition baths, systems and methods are provided. In some embodiments, the baths, systems and methods are used to deposit metal alloy coatings.

Electrodeposition is a common technique for depositing material on a substrate. Electrodeposition generally involves applying a voltage to a substrate placed in an electrodeposition bath to reduce metal ionic species within the bath which deposit on the substrate in the form of a metal, or metal alloy, coating. The voltage may be applied between an anode and a cathode using a power supply. At least one of the anode or cathode may serve as the substrate to be coated. In some electrodeposition processes, the voltage may be applied as a complex waveform such as in pulse plating, alternating current plating, or reverse-pulse plating.
A variety of metal and metal alloy coatings may be deposited using electrodeposition. For example, metal alloy coatings can be based on two or more transition metals. Tungsten-based coatings are one example of an electrodeposited coating. Such coatings may be tungsten alloys including one or more of the elements Ni, Fe, Co, B, S and P. These coatings often exhibit desirable properties, including high hardness, abrasion resistance, good luster, wear properties, coefficient of friction in sliding applications, amongst others.
Generally, the electrodeposition baths include one or more metal sources as well as additives that may improve the deposition process and/or the resulting coating. The metal source(s) may be selected based on the desired composition of the metallic coating on the article. Typical additives include wetting agent(s), brightening agent(s), leveling agent(s), carrier(s), ductility agent(s), and others.
There is ongoing need for developments of new additives and/or new additive combinations to further improve the deposition process and/or the resulting coating. In particular, there is a need for new additives and/or new additive blends that are effective in electrodeposition processes that use complex waveforms such as in pulse plating, alternating current plating, or reverse-pulse plating.


A U-shaped gate dielectric structure is provided that has a horizontal gate dielectric portion having a vertical thickness, and a vertical gate dielectric wall portion extending upwards from the horizontal gate dielectric portion. The vertical gate dielectric wall portion has a lateral thickness that is greater than the vertical thickness of the horizontal gate dielectric portion. The U-shaped gate dielectric structure houses a gate conductor portion. Collectively, the U-shaped gate dielectric structure and the gate conductor portion provide a functional gate structure that has reduced capacitance.

The present application relates to a semiconductor structure and a method of forming the same. More particularly, the present application relates to a U-shape gate dielectric structure for use as a component of a functional gate structure which includes a vertical gate dielectric wall portion that has a wall thickness along a lateral direction that is greater than a vertical thickness, i.e., height, of a bottommost gate dielectric portion of the U-shaped gate dielectric structure.
Field effect transistors (FETs) containing functional gate structures are the basic building block of today's integrated circuits. Such functional gate structures include a gate dielectric material and a gate conductor. With scaling of the functional gate structure pitch, there is not enough room for the gate conductor of such devices. As such, functional gate structures containing a U-shaped gate dielectric have been developed. In such functional gate structures, the U-shaped gate dielectric has a wall thickness along the lateral direction that is the same as the vertical thickness of the horizontal gate dielectric portion of the U-shaped gate dielectric. Generally, the uniform thickness is a thin as possible so as to improve device performance. However, such U-shaped gate dielectrics provide extra capacitance to the device.
As such, there is a need to provide a semiconductor structure that has benefits of a U-shaped gate dielectric, without the unwanted capacitance increase that is associated with prior art U-shaped gate dielectrics.

Non-uniform gate dielectric for U-shape MOSFET

International Business Machines Corporation


In order to improve a machine tool comprising a machine frame, a drum arranged on the machine frame for rotation about a drum axis and having a plurality of machining devices for tools held on it and drives associated with the machining devices and rotatable with the drum, a stationary control and supply unit for the drives and a line system connected, on the one hand, to the drives rotatable with the drum and, on the other hand, to the control and supply unit, this line system being free from interruptions and rotary connections and deformable as a result of rotation of the spindle drum, such that the line system can be guided in as space-saving a manner as possible it is suggested that the line system have a long line system section extending along a system axis and rotatable about the system axis.

The invention relates to a machine tool comprising a machine frame, a drum arranged on the machine frame for rotation about a drum axis and having a plurality of machining devices for workpieces held on it and drives associated with the machining devices and rotatable with the drum, a stationary control and supply unit for the drives and a line system connected, on the one hand, to the drives rotatable with the drum and, on the other hand, to the control and supply unit, this line system being free from interruptions and rotary connections and deformable as a result of rotation of the spindle drum.
In a machine tool of this type, the line system is, for example, during rotation of the drum likewise wound onto or off a drum. This solution has the disadvantage that it requires considerable constructional space in a radial direction in relation to the drum axis and thus, in many cases, acts as an interference in the case of auxiliary devices attached to the machine tool.


A paint spraying system is proposed with a paint spraying device with a paint spray gun with a fan for dispensing paint via a spray head, which paint spraying device is connected via a paint line to a base station with a connector to a paint reservoir. In order to achieve a low and uniform paint pressure which is required in the paint spray gun, the paint spray gun is equipped with a separate pressure reducing device and the base station is equipped with a pressure monitor, which pressure reducing device and pressure monitor perform a pressure regulation of the paint pressure in the system.

A multiplicity of air-powered paint spraying systems exist in the prior art which as a rule comprise an apparatus for air flow generation, for example, a compressor or a fan, and a spray gun. If a relatively small paint supply is used, it is fastened to the spray gun (see, for example, EP 1 602 411 B1). If a relatively large paint supply is provided, it is handled in a separate and stationary manner, for example, in a bucket or container, the operating part with paint spraying lance and spray head representing a transportable part and being connected via a connector hose (see, for example, WO 2011/038712 A1).
In what are known as HVLP (high-volume, low-pressure) systems, the paint is atomized in a known way at a low air and paint pressure by means of a large air volume, for example, by a fan. This differs, for example, from what is known as an airless method, in which the paint is atomized by way of very high paint pressure. Here, the fan and the paint pump are either accommodated in the gun unit or, as an alternative, in a base unit. The air and the paint are combined in the spray head and the paint is atomized in a known way.
In the case of a multiple-piece paint spraying system with a separate base station, the paint transport takes place via a paint pump which is provided in the base station, sucks in the paint from a paint bucket or another storage container and delivers it to the paint spray gun or a paint roller or the like via a paint hose which is possibly several meters long. Depending on the viscosity of the paint and the length of the paint hose and the relatively small cross section of the paint hose, a considerable paint pressure is necessary on the part of the paint pump in the base station, in order to deliver the paint to the paint application tool, for example, a paint roller, brush or a paint spray gun. In the case of highly viscous paints and a paint hose length of, for example, more than from 5 m to 8 m and a paint hose internal diameter of, for example, only from 6 mm to 8 mm, paint pressures of from 2 bar to 8 bar are necessary, for example, in order to overcome the pressure drop which occurs in the paint hose. Here, the actual spraying operation in the paint spray gun is carried out at a relatively low paint pressure of, for example, only from approximately 0.3 bar to 0.4 bar.
The pressure reducing device/pressure regulator which is essential as a constituent part in the present invention is described and claimed in detail in the parallel patent application having the file number DE 10 2014 104 982.9. Reference is made hereby to the disclosure of the patent application and its contents are made the contents of this application by way of reference.
As a result of the long hose and the associated elasticity effects, for example, as a result of a partially elastic hose material or the inherent dynamic inertia of the transported liquid (paint), a considerable hysteresis is produced between the pressure which is provided by the paint pump at the base station and the pressure at the transportable element, for example, the paint roller or the paint spray gun.
In particular, the spraying operation at the spray head itself should be carried out at an appropriately lower pressure, in order to avoid uncontrolled paint discharge, what is known as "spitting" during opening of a needle valve on the spray head. If this is not realized, an inhomogeneous paint application results on account of fluctuating dispensed quantities of atomizable paint at the paint spray head. In the prior art, this effect is avoided by way of switching the paint delivery on and off in accordance with the paint quantity to be dispensed. However, this necessitates complex and brief switching operations which make the corresponding units complicated, susceptible to disruption and expensive. Paint rollers or paint brushes also have to be supplied continuously with paint, without material pulses of paint being dispensed when a valve is opened.
In the context of the invention, a paint inlet line is to be understood to mean a line of the type which is provided for feeding paint to a paint dispensing apparatus, for example, to a spray gun, and is connected upstream of a pressure regulator. In the context of the invention, a paint inlet line can also be understood to mean a paint hose.
In the context of the invention, a paint dispensing line is to be understood to mean a line of the type which is connected downstream of a pressure regulator and is provided for feeding paint to the outlet of a paint dispensing apparatus, for example a spray gun. In the context of the invention, the paint dispensing line is arranged within a paint dispensing apparatus, for example a spray gun.


A method and apparatus for performing a self-test of a plesiochronous link. A pseudorandom serial bit pattern is generated by the transmitter from a linear feedback shift register (LFSR) based on a primitive polynomial of a specific order and transmitted across a plesiochronous link. Bits of this transmitted pattern are received and deserialized into n parallel bits. In the receiver, given the current n bits in the bit pattern, the next n bits that are expected in the bit pattern are computed in advance. The next n compare bits thus generated are delayed and compared when the next n bits from the transmitted pattern arrive at the receiver and an error is signaled in the case of a mismatch. The method further repeats the receiving, deserializing and computing the next expected bits for each n bits of the received pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the testing of interconnects in an electronic system, and more particularly, to the testing of high-speed links.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plesiochronous signaling is a form of high-speed signaling capable of transfer rates of up to 10 Gbits/s over a single interconnection. As such, plesiochronous links are capable of significantly higher data transfer speeds than traditional synchronous links (synchronized to a global clock) or source synchronous links (synchronized by a clock transmitted concurrently with the data). Instead of relying on a separate clock signal, plesiochronous links utilize an embedded clock signal, which is recovered from transmitted data by a clock-and-data recovery (CDR) circuit.
Due to the high data transfer rates and the embedded clock, plesiochronous links may be more susceptible to certain failures than synchronous or source synchronous links. The modes of failure include sensitivity to cross-talk, inter-symbol interference, jitter, and power supply glitching. Accordingly, testing of plesiochronous links must exercise the links in order to exercise these failure modes.
The nature of plesiochronous data transfer poses challenges in the testing process that are not present with synchronous and source synchronous links. In an assembled system utilizing plesiochronous signaling, the links may be tested by transmitting data from a transmitter over the links to a receiver. However, since there is no reference clock or forwarded clock associated with a plesiochronous link, synchronization between the transmitter and the receiver poses a problem in correctly interpreting the transmitted data in order to compare it with expected data. These challenges must be overcome in order to ensure sufficient testing of systems utilizing plesiochronous signaling.

Self test of plesiochronous interconnect


A clock spring comprises a cylindrical casing having a first connector, a cylindrical rotator disposed concentrically inside the casing, capable of rotating relative to the casing, and having a second connector, a carrier disposed rotatablly between the casing and the rotator, on which a rotatable cylindrical first roller is provided, a flexible cable in which one end thereof is connected to the second connector, is wound around an outer face of the rotator in a first direction, is reversed the winding direction into a second direction opposite to the first direction for being wound on an inner face of the outer casing in the second direction, and the other end thereof is connected to the first connector, a rotatable cylindrical second roller provided on the carrier next to the first roller, and a pillar-shaped first blocking member provided on that portion where between an outer face of the second roller and the inner face of the outer casing for preventing the flexible cable from invading the portion, the first blocking member positioned further than the nearest point on the outer face of the second roller with respect to the first roller.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clock spring (which is called also "a cable reel" or "rotary connector") utilized for connecting members rotating relatively with each other by means of a cable, and more particularly to the structure of a clock spring in which a flexible flat cable (hereinafter referred to merely as "an FFC", when applicable) is prevented from being folded.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 3 shows a conventional clock spring of reverse type. The clock spring 1 comprises a cylindrical outer casing 2, and a cylindrical inside rotator 3. Between the outer casing 2 and the inside rotor 3, a carrier 5 is movably provided, and an FFC 4 is accommodated. The FFC 4 is wound on the rotator 3. One end of the FFC 4 is led out through an outlet 3a, and then reversed by the reverse portion 5a of the carrier 5, while the other end is connected to the connector (not shown) of the outer casing 2.
When the rotator 3 is turned clockwise, the FFC 4 is rewound, so that it is wound on the inner cylindrical surface of the outer casing 2 while leaving from the reverse section 5a.
FIG. 4 shows another conventional structure in which idler rollers 7 are provided on a carrier 5. In the structure, a FFC 4 is reversed by a reverse roller 7a of the idler rollers 7.
In the clock spring shown in FIG. 3, when the FFC 4 is rewound and a reversed portion 4a thereof is left from the reverse portion 5a of the carrier 5 as indicated by a chain line, the reversed portion 4a is brought into slide contact with the surface 5b of the carrier 5 which is opposite to the reverse portion 5a, thus providing a slide friction. This slide friction makes it rather difficult for the FFC 4 to be fed out. If the rotor 3 is further turned under this condition, since the FFC 4 is not smoothly fed out, the FFC 4 is folded near the outlet 3a, which makes the circuit of the FFC 4 open.
In the clock spring having the reverse roller 7a as shown in FIG. 4, the aforementioned slide friction can be reduced at the time of operation of ordinary rewinding the FEC 4. However, in the case of the FFC 4 which has been wound tight (the counterclockwise turn of the rotator 3) is abruptly rewound (the clockwise turn of the rotator 3), the reversed portion 4a of the FFC 4 enters while being deformed outside of the reverse roller 7a as indicated by a chain line, so that it is rather difficult for the FFC 4 to be fed out, and accordingly the FFC 4 is liable to be folded near the outlet 3a.
As is apparent from the above description, the conventional clock spring suffers from problems that it may be damaged by the folding of the FFC 4, and is low in reliability and in durability.


A circuit arrangement for converting a DC voltage into another DC voltage, with simultaneous regulation of the emittable voltage (U.sub.A) at a predetermined value. The circuit arrangement includes a combination of an upward and a downward transformer having at least one switching transistor (3) connected in series with a common memory coil (1) to a circuit output terminal, and a smoothing capacitor (5) connected in parallel to the output load (6), i.e., across the output terminals. The coil (1) is connected for a specific time to the supply voltage source (U.sub.Bat) by a time function circuit (9, 10). The coil (1) is connected directly to the positive pole (+) of the supply-voltage source (U.sub.Bat), and a current limiter circuit is provided in the long or forward branch of the circuit arrangement in front of the output of the circuit arrangement, with the current limiter circuit comprising a resistor (4) and a transistor (15) and influencing the switching transistor (3) disposed in the long branch. In addition to a first voltage limiting circuit formed of a series connection of a resistor and a Zener diode (16, 17), a further voltage limiter circuit (18, 19) is provided in parallel with the first voltage limiting circuit as short-circuit protection, with the further limiter likewise comprising the series connection of a resistor (18) and a Zener diode (19) which, however, has a different breakdown voltage than the first Zener diode (17).

The invention is based on a circuit arrangement for converting a DC voltage into another DC output voltage with simultaneous regulation of the emittable output voltage at a predetermined value.
In a circuit arrangement of this type, which is known from German laid open patent application DE-OS 43 40 991, corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/652,510, filed Aug. 23, 1996, the voltage converter includes a reactor or coil and a power switch that is switched on and off as dictated by the current flowing in the coil. A comparator compares the current flowing in the coil to a predetermined threshold value. If the threshold value is exceeded, the power switch is switched. Following a voltage jump at the coil, a provided timer maintains the power switch in the present switching state for the time that has been set by the timer.
In this known circuit arrangement, the power switch is disposed between the connection of the supply DC voltage and the memory coil, which can be disadvantageous with regard to efficiency. Moreover, it has been seen that optimum ratios cannot be assured with simple means in all possible operating situations.

Circuit arrangement for converting a DC voltage into another DC voltage with simultaneous regulation of the emittable voltage at a predetermined value


Apparatuses, systems, and methods for providing security in an intelligent electronic device (IED) are provided. In one aspect of the present disclosure, an IED is provided including at least one processor that receives a communication via a communication interface, the communication including an unencrypted file and a digital signature. The at least one processor decrypts the digital signature to obtain a first value, executes a hash function on the unencrypted file to obtain a second value, determines if the first value and second value match, and updates at least one firmware package stored in at least one memory of the IED with the unencrypted file if it is determined that the first value and the second value match.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally intelligent electronic devices (IED), such as metering devices, and more particularly to providing security in an intelligent electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Security is becoming a major issue with meters, also known as intelligent electronic devices (IEDs), especially as the interfaces to communicate with them transitions from being primarily serial to over networks. Since meters have been traditionally kept internal to networks, the security applied to them is often minimal, especially when compared to the security found in most modern servers. However, as attacks become more sophisticated and meters become more globally accessible, these old paradigms are no longer sufficient.
Additionally, an unfortunate side effect of the commercialization of a meter is reverse engineering and copying of both hardware and the software that runs on it. While methods such as locking the software inside of the chip, so that it cannot be easily read back out, can help prevent this, it only easily works with small code bases, which limit the features and power of the software.

Providing security in an intelligent electronic device


A tablet computer holding device having a rigid and substantially rectangular base is provided. A pair of upstanding walls extends vertically upward from the perimeter of the base and partially bound the base. The upstanding walls provide a widened area for a user to grip. The upstanding walls extend along a pair of opposing sides of the holding device and wrap around the corners thereof, such that the upstanding walls resemble a pair of opposing U-shapes. Since the upstanding walls do not extend around the entire base, inputs and buttons disposed on the sides of the tablet computer can be easily accessed. A plurality of elongated ridges is disposed about the perimeter of the holding device to facilitate grasping the holding device. One or more fasteners, such as clips, are disposed on the periphery of the base and are used to securely hold a tablet computer in place thereon.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tablet computer holding devices. More specifically, the present invention describes a tablet computer holding device comprising a rigid, substantially rectangular base having fasteners thereon for securing a tablet computer on the base. A pair of upstanding walls are disposed on a portion of the perimeter of the base and extend vertically upward therefrom. Further, a plurality of elongated ridges are disposed on the perimeter of the holding device for facilitating grasping of the device.
Tablet computers and similar electronic computing devices are popular due to their portability and ease of use. Tablet computers are convenient for travel, because most tablet computers are lightweight devices having slim rectangular profiles. Tablet computers have a touch screen disposed on the upper surface of the device which requires users to hold the tablet by the edges of the device so as to avoid unintentionally contacting the touch screen. However, holding a tablet by its edges may result in a user dropping the tablet computer as result of not having a firm grip thereon. Further, users may tire of holding a tablet computer in this fashion for an extended period of time.
Protective cases for tablet computers are well known in the art, however most of these cases are concerned only with providing impact protection or scratch protection of the device. Thus, typical protective cases comprise a thin rubber or plastic frame that fits closely to the tablet computer. Such protective cases do not facilitate holding of the device, or offer an improved surface for gripping the tablet computer. Thus, traditional protective cases may protect tablet computers from ordinary wear and tear associated with frequent use, but do not provide a user with improved grasping of the device to prevent the device from being dropped.
The present invention provides a tablet computer holding device comprising a rigid, rectangular base having a pair of upstanding walls disposed about the perimeter of the base. The upstanding walls partially bound the base and provide users with a convenient gripping area for holding the device. The device further includes a plurality of elongated ridges disposed about the perimeter of the upper surface, and on the top surface of the upstanding walls. Elongated ridges are also positioned on the bottom surface of the base to provide additional gripping areas. One or more fasteners are disposed on the periphery of the upper surface of the base and are used to securely hold a tablet computer in place thereon. One or more apertures may be disposed on the base to facilitate removal of a tablet computer secured on the upper surface of the base.
Description of the Prior Art
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to tablet computer holding devices. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. These devices generally relate to tablet computer holding devices that provide handles or grips for a user to hold. The following is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
One such device is U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0224318 to Carleton which discloses a flat, rigid, and base-like tablet computer holder having a pair of concave short sides, a pair of concave long sides, and lobes positioned at the corners of the device. The short sides have slots that serve as handles that a user may grip with his or her fingers and thumbs. The base has a large rectangular opening through which the tablet's screen may be viewed. The tablet computer may be held within a separate enclosure or clamshell and the top surface of the clam shell is secured to the bottom surface of the holder. Thus, Carleton does not disclose a device having a base with an upper surface on which a tablet can be secured by means of fasteners such as clips.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0075801 to Yang et al. discloses a handle for use with a tablet computer that is composed of a material that can be comfortably gripped by an infant. The handle comprises a base that is partially or fully disposed around the perimeter of the tablet and that is connected to the tablet by bridging pieces. The use of bridging pieces creates a space between the handle and the tablet computer, allowing a user to grasp the handle. Thus, Yang et al. does not disclose a device having a base with a pair of upstanding walls about its perimeter with elongated ridges thereon. Further, Yang et al. does not provide a device that helps to protect the tablet computer from breaking or being damaged when dropped.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,424,830 to Yang et al. discloses a holding device that can be configured in a folded or unfolded configuration. In the folded configuration, the holder is able to secure a portable electronic device, and in the unfolded configuration the holder is substantially flat. The device provides a base and supporting members such that the device allows a tablet to be held in an upright position. Thus, Yang et al. does not disclose a tablet computer holder having a rectangular base on which a tablet computer may be secured by means of one or more fasteners.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0327593 to Finnegan et al. discloses a device having a pair of grip portions connected by a bridge portion. The grip portions are ergonomically shaped and have grooves thereon to provide handles for holding the device. Various sized tablets can be placed on the bridge portion, and opposing edges of the tablet are secured in the notches of the grips. Thus, Finnegan et al. does not disclose a device having a plurality of elongated ridges positioned on the perimeter of the upper surface of a rectangular base for ease of gripping the holding device. Further, Finnegan et al. does not disclose a device that uses clips to secure a tablet computer thereon.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,550,317 to Hyseni discloses a gripping device for use with a portable electronic device case. The case has an opening therethrough and the gripper of the invention is placed in the opening and comprises a retainer having two opposing slots. A retractable strap passes through the slots and functions as a loop through which a user may place his or her hand or fingers. Thus, the strap allows a user to more securely hold an electronic device placed within the case. Hyseni does not disclose a device comprising a rectangular base having elongated ridges to facilitate holding the device, and instead discloses the use of a strap to assist as user in holding an electronic device.
Finally, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0113034 to McDermid entitled "Tablet Computer Input Device" discloses a device having movable grips that are adapted to be attached to the left and right sides of a tablet computer. The grips comprise touch-sensitive regions that allow for user input to the tablet computer. The grips may have keys on the back and front side thereof and may also allow for back and forth rocking motion such that the grips can be oriented in multiple positions. Thus, McDermid discloses an input device for use with a tablet computer comprising grips on opposing sides of a tablet and a plurality of keys thereon. McDermid does not disclose a rigid base having upstanding walls that partially bound a tablet computer placed on the base.
These prior art devices have several known drawbacks. Some devices in the prior art disclose holding devices having a pair of grips on opposing sides of the tablet computer. However, such devices do not provide gripping surfaces around the perimeter of the tablet so that the tablet can be conveniently held in any orientation. Other devices in the prior art disclose tablet computer holding devices that do not include a base on which a tablet computer can be disposed. Such devices instead disclose grips attached to the sides of a tablet computer. These devices do not securely hold a tablet thereon in order to protect the tablet from breaking or being damaged when dropped, and are only intended to provide the tablet computer with an expanded gripping area.
In light of the devices disclosed in the prior art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing tablet computer holding devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.


A protective sports hat insert device is disclosed. The device is a moulded compound insert utilizing reinforced fibres as the preferred embodiment as the outer shell or unreinforced fibres as secondary choice (18) (41a) (41b) (48a) (48b) (55a) (55b) with either a flexible inner shell or a rigid inner shell (19) (42a) (42b) (49a) 49b) 56a) (56b) utilizing high-density foam or an air management system with slits or holes (4a) (4b) punctured along the top. The shells are hemispherical and have a removable cloth liner (20) (43a) (43b) (50a) (50b) (57a) (57b) to add comfort. Resilient spacers (7b) provide comfort and a better fit. A retention strap (25a) (32) (33) secures the device to the head. An identification decal (25e) denotes the hat is a safety-approved device and visibly identifies the wearer for safety from oncoming traffic. When the outer insert shells (18) (41a) (41b) (48a) (48b) (55a) (55b) and the inner shells (19) (42a) (42b) (49a) (49b) (56a) (56b) along with the cloth liner (20) (43a) (43b) (50a) (50b) (57a) (57b) are placed inside an existing hat (15a & 15aa) (15b & 15bb) (15c & 15cc) (38a) (38b) (45a) (45b) (52a) (52b) some extra protection and comfort will be provided to the head while maintaining the outward appearance of an existing sports hat (15a & 15aa) (15b & 15bb) (15c & 15cc) (38a) (38b) (45a) (45b) (52a) (52b).

In the first aspect, the possibility of being hit on the head while golfing, playing baseball, or while spectating is a concern. At present, baseball/golf caps offer little protection for the head from flying balls. Although previous inventions and designs have proposed rigid plastic and foam inserts for hats such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,439,871, 5,226,180, 5,289,591, 5,269,026 the protection offered is not varied and thorough protection and it is unclear whether they meet safety guidelines and these devices have not been a commercial success. The amount of actual protection afforded against a flying golf ball is also questionable.
In the second aspect where a person may fall or collide with another person or object while snowboarding, skate boarding, cycling, horse riding or the like is also a major concern. Head injuries often result from such falls or collisions. At present there are protective helmets that some people wear whilst carrying out such activities, while many prefer to wear a less cumbersome sports hat, especially on the ski slopes. Existing helmets can be hot and uncomfortable and they can put undue stress on the delicate neck muscles because they are heavy and cumbersome which may contribute to broken necks in some accidents where the wearer is involved in a collision. With many existing helmets the wearer's sense of hearing is impaired and this can cause anxiety and a lack of communication, which could lead to danger. Aesthetically, many people also prefer to wear their favorite hats instead of a cumbersome helmet.
This is particularly the case with "the youth market" i.e. teenagers and younger adults. In some states and counties, such as New South Wales, Australia, despite the legal requirement to wear a helmet, many bike riders particularly teenagers, do not wear helmets partly because they can be hot and sweaty to wear but also because they are perceived to be "uncool", particularly, in comparison with "cool" headgear such as beanies, toques, baseball caps and the like. Teenage cyclists may often be seen riding their bicycles, carrying their protective helmet on the handle bar of the bike, and wearing a baseball cap. The latter, of course, provides no collision protection for the wearer. Children and teenagers riding popular mini scooters also tend to wear only a baseball cap rather than a protective helmet.
There have been many protective headgear suggestions in the past. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,871 (referred to above) to Plastino, discloses a protective insert comprising a single shell consisting of a rigid unreinforced plastic, which is relatively heavy and has poor shock absorption properties. Plastino discloses an inner circular foam piece for the top of the head, however, the sides, front and back of the head lack the second layer allowing less protection to the head. An adjustable sweatband is disclosed which adjusts to various head sizes and absorbs sweat along the lower edges. The design suggested by Plastino is manifestly "uncool" to the "youth market" and the protection afforded the wearer's head dubious in both aspects of protecting against impacts against objects and protecting the wearer's head when struck with, e.g. a golf ball. When testing prototypes with ballistic golf ball testing equipment at the Institute of Preventative Sports Medicine in Ann Arbor, Mich., the sides and the top of the head required extra shock absorbing protection which Plastino's model lacks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,180 to Leach also listed above, discloses protective headgear in the form of a hemispherical-shaped shell composed of a rigid Styrofoam material attached, either permanently or temporarily to an outer cover by a suitable adhesive. The Styrofoam would have to be very thick to absorb shocks and function effectively and it would be difficult to maintain the outer appearance of a regular sports cap with this proposal. This Styrofoam material would allow penetration by a flying object thus it would be for single use only.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,759 to Rinaldi discloses a rigid shell with a skirting material to tighten and fasten the shell on the outside of the shell and a rigid bill/visor removable from the shell.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,591 to Anderson discloses a rigid plastic shell with many ventilation holes and a cutout section to fit inside an adjustable exterior baseball cap. The shell is unlikely to provide any real protection in either scenario 1 or scenario2, and also looks uncomfortable to wear.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,026 to McManus discloses a safety liner, which is adjustable and only partially encircles the head.
In the inventor's prior Australian Patent Application No. 52761/98, a protective insert discloses a single layer plastic shell which lacks the necessary inner shock absorbing layer required to protect the entire head from impact in standardized tests. The present invention discloses both an inner and outer shell that has passed Australian/New Zealand Standardized Impact Tests for cycling at Imtest Laboratory in Christchurch, New Zealand. When a single layer shell was tested, it could not pass the impact testing.
None of the foregoing designs are believed to have passed or be capable of passing the standardized tests for protective headgear. The above referenced patents, advocate the use of either a rigid unreinforced plastic as an insert, which is heavy and provides little inert shock absorption protection to the entire head or a single shell of rigid foam such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,180 which is bulky and for single use only as it becomes dented and cracked upon a substantial impact.
In other prior art relating to military and other helmets such as GB 2,202,729 to Shephard and Tobin, the use of aramids in many layers (about twenty-five layers) is disclosed to protect against bullets. GB 1,578,351 and 1,578,352 to Lovell discloses the use of aramid in many layers (about twenty-five layers) for use in heavier ballistic bulletproof helmets. Such bulletproof helmets are thick, heavy, and clearly far too cumbersome for wearing inside a hat for sports such as golf or cycling.
It is an object of the present invention to address the problems of the existing protection devices as are described above, and provide a protective insert which provides suitable protection to the wearer but which also can fit inside a wearer's sports cap or the like to maintain a pleasing aesthetic appearance.
Regarding the cloth liner for a hat or hat insert, there have been many cloth liner suggestions in the past. For example, W.O. Pat. No. 90/06698 to Weyerhaeuser Company discloses a disposable liner of liquid permeable material that has an elongated body and covers the lower portion of the hat to add comfort to the forehead.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,668 to Bogan discloses a liner for a hat consisting of a moisture absorbent material that is backed by a layer of moisture impervious material. The device is essentially a headband strip section and does not cover the entire head.
AU Pat. Application No. 45826/96 to Schlink discloses a single layer absorbent liner for a hat or cap.
DE 29915233 U1 to Kassing discloses a single layer liner that includes a lower sweatband portion as well as a crown portion.
In the inventor's prior Australian Patent Application No. 52761/98, is a removable cloth sleeve, similar to a pillowcase that covers both the exterior and interior sides of the shell. The cloth liner of the present invention only lines the inside of the shell where it is useful to absorb the sweat and provide comfort without adding any bulky unnecessary covering of the outside of the shell.
The cloth liner of the present invention discloses a moisture absorbent layer backed by a moisture resistant layer that covers the entire head area inside a hat, rather than a restricted sweatband area or single layer liner. The present invention can be easily removed for laundering and used more economically than the disposable liners disclosed in previous inventions. The previous inventions are for either single layer liners or liners that only partially cover the head area inside a hat or hat insert.
The double layer liner can be folded into a compact moisture resistant bag to be attached to sporting equipment or clothing to be used as an exchangeable liner as required as when the existing liner becomes sweaty and uncomfortable. The Velcro® dots or strips on the exterior of the bag can be mated to Velcro® dots or strips placed on the handlebars of the cycle or scooter. As another temporary attachment method for snowboarders, skiers, or golfers the folded cloth liner bag could use a releasable clasp mechanism to attach the bag to a zipper or ring on the ski jacket or golf bag.


An ultrasonic touch-position sensing device comprises a nonpiezoelectric plate, two ultrasonic transducing units mounted on an upper- or a lower end surface of the nonpiezoelectric plate, and a signal controller connected with the ultrasonic transducing units. Each ultrasonic transducing unit consists of a first- and a second piezoelectric substrates, at least an input interdigital transducer and at least an output interdigital transducer. The output interdigital transducer has at least a finger-overlap zone R.sub.i (i=1). The finger-overlap zone R.sub.i comprises zones R.sub.ia, R.sub.ib and R.sub.im. The finger direction of the zones R.sub.ia and R.sub.ib runs parallel with that of the input interdigital transducer. The finger direction of the zone R.sub.im is slanting to that of the input interdigital transducer. When an electric signal is applied to the input interdigital transducer, an ultrasound is excited in the bilayer zone B.sub.T composed of the first piezoelectric substrate and the nonpiezoelectric plate, and transmitted to the bilayer zone B.sub.R, composed of the second piezoelectric substrate and the nonpiezoelectric plate, through the monolayer zone between the bilayer zones B.sub.T and B.sub.R. The ultrasound is transduced to electric signals E.sub.ia and E.sub.ib (i=1, 2, . . . , N) at the zones R.sub.ia and R.sub.ib, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic device for sensing a touch-position on an upper- or a lower end surface of a nonpiezoelectric plate having two ultrasonic transducing units.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An ultrasonic form of conventional touch panels has a nonpiezoelectric plate under acoustic vibration, which is decreased or disappeared when touching on the nonpiezoelectric plate. Conventional methods for exciting an acoustic vibration on a nonpiezoelectric plate generally include a wedge-shaped transducer with a bulk wave vibrator for vibrating a nonpiezoelectric plate indirectly, or a piezoelectric thin film transducer for vibrating a nonpiezoelectric plate directly. The wedge-shaped transducer is mainly used for a non-destructive evaluation by ultrasound under a comparative low frequency operation alone because of the difficulty on manufacturing accuracy of the wedge angle and so on. The piezoelectric thin film transducer consists of a nonpiezoelectric plate, a piezoelectric thin film mounted on the nonpiezoelectric plate and made from ZnO and others, and interdigital transducers exciting the acoustic vibration on the nonpiezoelectric plate. Because of various transmission characteristics of the interdigital transducers with various structures, the piezoelectric thin film transducer is used as a high frequency device, however has operation frequencies limited to the UHF and VHF bands, and has some problems on manufacturing and mass production. In addition, conventional-type transducers make use of decreasing or disappearance of output electric signal in accordance with decreasing or disappearance of an acoustic wave on the nonpiezoelectric plate by touching thereon, causing a high voltage operation with a high power consumption, and a large-scale circuit with a complicated structure.
Thus, it is difficult for conventional touch panels to realize a quick response-time, a low voltage operation and a low power consumption, and a small-sized circuit with a simple structure. Moreover, there are some problems on manufacturing, mass production and operation frequencies.

Ultrasonic touch-position sensing device


A scroll compressor features a pair of a fixed scroll and an orbiting scroll for forming a compression chamber; an orbiting bearing provided on the counter-compression chamber side of the orbiting scroll; a slider fitted to a slider fitting shaft at one end of a main shaft in such a way that the slider is slidable within a surface perpendicular to the axis of the main shaft, the slider being fitted in the orbiting bearing, a sliding direction of the slider is inclined toward the eccentric direction of the orbiting scroll by a predetermined amount in the rotational direction of the main shaft, in which a recess is provided on the groove end side in the eccentric direction of the slider. Further an elastic member is inserted in the recess between the groove end side in the eccentric direction and the slider fitting shaft while both ends of the plate are supported with respect to the recess. The slider fitting shaft is formed in an arcuate configuration as long as the contact surface between the flat plate and the slide fitting shaft is concerned, and the spiral bodies of the fixed scroll and the orbiting scroll both are made to radially contact each other in the eccentric and counter-eccentric directions of the orbiting scroll after the elastic member is deformed by a predetermined amount. During normal gas compression, the radial gap between both scrolls is reduced to zero in order to effect the compressive action without leakage, whereas during liquid compression, such a radial gap is generated so that the pressure may be relieved.

The present invention relates to a scroll compressor having a slider mechanism in the diametrical direction of an orbiting scroll.
FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional scroll compressor referred to in Japanese Patent Application No. 29127/1990 of the present inventors and FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the principal part thereof, illustrating the involvement of force acting on that part in operation. In FIG. 11, numeral 1 denotes a fixed scroll; 2, an orbiting scroll; 2a, a base plate; 2b, an orbiting bearing provided in the center of the counter-compression chamber side of the base plate 2a; 3, a frame secured by the fixed scroll 1 with bolts and the like; 4, an Oldham's ring for coupling the orbiting scroll 2 to the frame 3 in such a way as to make it revolve radially while preventing its rotation; and 5, a main shaft with an eccentric slider fitting shaft 6 formed in its upper end portion, the slider fitting shaft 6 having a flat surface 6a and a flat surface 6b in parallel to the axis of the main shaft 5. A slider 7 is fitted to the slider fitting shaft 6 so that it is slidable on the surface perpendicular to the axis of the main shaft 5 but prevented from rotating and that it is fitted in the orbiting bearing 2b in an eccentric state with respect to the axis of the main shaft 5. Numeral 8 denotes a hermetic container.
In FIG. 12, moreover, r represents the distance between the axis of the main shaft 5 (the center of the fixed scroll 1) and that of orbiting bearing 2b (the center of the orbiting scroll 2), that is, an amount of eccentricity; F.sub.C, the centrifugal force generated between the orbiting scroll 2 and the slider 7 while the orbiting scroll 2 is revolving; F.sub.g.theta., a compression load acting on the orbiting scroll 2 in the direction perpendicular to the centrifugal force F.sub.C ; F.sub.gr, a compression load acting on the orbiting scroll 2 in the direction opposite to the centrifugal force F.sub.C ; F.sub.n and .mu..sub.n respectively the contact force between the slider 7 and the flat surface 6a of the slider fitting shaft 6 and a friction coefficient therebetween, and F.sub.R, .mu..sub.R the contact force (pressing force) between the fixed scroll 1 and the orbiting scroll 2 in the eccentric and the counter-eccentric directions and a friction coefficient therebetween. Further, C represents the radial gap between the fixed scroll 1 and the orbiting scroll 2, and .theta. an angle in the slide direction of the slider 7 with the eccentric direction thereof, the slider 7 being inclined in the counter-rotational direction of the main shaft 5 with respect to the eccentric direction. Although the centrifugal force F.sub.C acts by nature on the center of gravity, and F.sub.g.theta. and F.sub.gr on the middle point between the axes of the main shaft 5 and orbiting bearing 2b, the moment resulting from the positional shifting of these forces is restrained by the Oldham's ring 4 and by preventing the repulsive force from being introduced from the Oldham's ring 4 into the system, it is assumed that these forces are totally acting on the axis of the orbiting bearing 2b, that is, the center of the slider 7. In FIG. 12, moreover, numeral 7a denotes a groove of the slider 7, 7b a contact flat surface of the slider 7, 7c a noncontact flat surface thereof, and 7d one end of the groove in the eccentric direction of the slider.
The operation will subsequently be described. When the main shaft 5 rotates, the orbiting scroll 2 revolves around the axis of the main shaft 5 while being guided by the Oldham's ring 4, whereby the compressive action is performed on the well known compression principle. During the steady operation, the slider 7 varies by the eccentric amount r determined by both scrolls in its slide direction, that is, up to the position where the orbiting scroll 2 contacts the fixed scroll 1 due to a component of the force in the slide direction of the resultant force of the centrifugal force F.sub.C and the compression loads F.sub.g.theta., F.sub.gr. Then the slider 7 presses the orbiting scroll 2 against the fixed scroll 1 and sets a radial gap C to 0 so that the compression action is initiated, the radial gap being provided between the eccentric and counter-eccentric directions of both scrolls. Moreover, the slider 7 is capable of sliding fore and back in the slide direction after it has slid by the eccentric amount r. Since both scrolls slide until they contact each other even when the shape of the spiral body between the fixed scroll 1 and the orbiting scroll 2 has shifted in a dimension, the radial gap C can always be set to zero during one revolution.
The force acting on the slider 7 and the orbiting scroll 2 includes, as shown in FIG. 12, the centrifugal force F.sub.C, the gas loads F.sub.g.theta., F.sub.gr, the contact force F.sub.R between the fixed scroll 1 and the orbiting scroll 2, and the frictional force .mu..sub.R F.sub.R resulting from the contact force F.sub.R, and the frictional force .mu..sub.n F.sub.n resulting from (the repulsive force of) the contact force F.sub.n between the slider 7 and the flat surface 6a. In FIG. 12, .mu..sub.n F.sub.n indicates the slide direction of the slider 7 in which the eccentric amount r increases because of the shifting (unevenness) of the shape of the spiral body. When the balance between the sliding direction of the slider 7 and the force perpendicular thereto is taken into consideration, the following expression may be introduced: EQU (F.sub.C -F.sub.gr -F.sub.R)cos.theta.+(F.sub.g.theta. +.mu..sub.R F.sub.R)sin.theta.=.mu..sub.R .mu..sub.n ( 1) EQU (F.sub.C -F.sub.gr -F.sub.R)sin.theta.-(F.sub.g.theta. +.mu..sub.R F.sub.R)cos.theta.=-F.sub.n ( 2)
When F.sub.n is eliminated from Eqs. (1) (2) and when the rest is subsequently solved for F.sub.R, the contact force F.sub.R between the fixed scroll 1 and the orbiting scroll 2 is expressed by EQU F.sub.R ={(F.sub.C -F.sub.gr)(cos.theta.+.mu..sub.n sin.theta.)+F.sub.g.theta. (sin.theta.-.mu..sub.n cos.theta.)}/{(.mu..sub.R .mu..sub.n +1)cos.theta.+(.mu..sub.n -.mu..sub.R)sin.theta.} (3)
With respect to Eq. (3), if the force acting on the slider 7 and the orbiting scroll 2 is simplified with .mu..sub.R =.mu..sub.n =0, the following model is assumed: EQU F.sub.R =(F.sub.C -F.sub.gr)+F.sub.g.theta. tan.theta. (4)
Since the mechanical properties of the scroll compressor are represented by F.sub.g.theta. >>F.sub.gr, the greater F.sub.g.theta., the greater F.sub.R becomes in the case of the slider mechanism as shown in Eq. (3) or (4).
Refrigeration or air-conditioning compressors often cause liquid compression in which a liquid refrigeration medium is directly compressed while the liquid refrigeration medium is still asleep in the compression chamber, that is, during so-called still-sleep starting, or while a large amount of liquid refrigeration medium is flowing into the suction pipe, that is, during liquid back operation. In this case, the pressure tends to leak from an outlet in the innermost compression chamber among a plurality of compression chambers constituting the scroll compressor and therefore the pressure is not increased conspicuously. However, the pressure is caused to increase noticeably in an intermediate or the outermost compression chamber unless there is provided a pressure escape therein. F.sub.g.theta. greatly increases in this state. Notwithstanding, F.sub.gr will not increase since it is the load determined by the difference between the exhaust and suction pressures and since the exhaust pressure is determined by the condensation temperature in view of the construction of such a scroll compressor. In the aforementioned conventional slider mechanism, while F.sub.R is growing at the time of liquid compression as shown by Eqs. (3), (4), that is, while the radial gap between both scrolls remains at zero at that time, the pressure in the intermediate or the outermost compression chamber (particularly in the intermediate pressure chamber) sharply increases because there is no escape therein. As a result, the increased pressure or F.sub.R that has sharply grown at the contact point between both scrolls may cause the spiral bodies of both scrolls to snap and break.
In another slider mechanism, it may be contrived to make the slide direction of the slider 7 conform to its eccentric direction. However, the contact force F.sub.R between the fixed scroll 1 and the rock scroll 2 is given by EQU F.sub.R =F.sub.C -F.sub.gr .+-..mu..sub.n F.sub.g.theta. ( 5)
since F.sub.n =F.sub.g.theta.. In this case, the sign denotes the occasion where the slider 7 slides in the direction in which the eccentric mount r increases because of the unevenness of the spiral sides of both scrolls in the lower case and conversely it slides in the direction in which the eccentric amount r decreases in the upper case. From Eq. (5), F.sub.R <0 while the slider 7 is sliding in the direction in which the eccentric amount increases when F.sub.g.theta. sharply increases because of the liquid compression. Although the slider 7 tries moving back then, this means the slider 7 is to slide in the direction in which the eccentric amount decreases and therefore F.sub.R >0 from Eq. (5). Ultimately, the slider 7 becomes stabilized in that state in view of the frictional force .mu..sub.n F.sub.g.theta. and there develops only an extremely small radial gap equivalent to the difference in the unevenness of the order of microns between the spiral body sides of both scrolls. The pressures in the intermediate and outermost compression chambers markedly increase because of the liquid compression and the gap of the order of microns is incapable of relieving the pressure. As a result, the pressure may cause the spiral bodies of both scrolls to snap and break.
In still another slider mechanism, unlike the aforementioned conventional one, it may be contrived to incline the slide direction of the slider 7 by .theta. toward its eccentric direction in the rotational direction of the main shaft 5. In this case, the contact force F.sub.R between the fixed scroll 1 and the orbiting scroll 2 is simplified by making reference to Eq. (4) and the following model is assumed: EQU F.sub.R =(F.sub.C -F.sub.gr)+F.sub.g.theta. tan.theta. (6)
In this method, however, F.sub.R <0 as F.sub.g.theta. increases at the time of liquid compression, that is, the slider 7 moves back and produces a radial gap between both scrolls, thus allowing the pressures in the intermediate and outermost compression chambers to be relieved as pressure escapes are provided therein. During normal gas compression, however, the following condition must be met from Eq. (6): EQU F.sub.C >F.sub.gr +F.sub.g.theta. tan.theta. (7)
to effect compression with the radial gap as zero, that is, to establish F.sub.R >0. Notwithstanding, it is difficult to satisfy the condition of Eq. (7) with reference to every operating condition on the unit. There exists the operating condition under which the radial gap is produced between both scrolls as the slider 7 moves back when F.sub.R <0 is established even at the time of gas compression.
When the slide direction of the slider is inclined toward its eccentric direction or toward the eccentric direction by .theta. in the counter-rotational direction of the main shaft in the slider mechanism of the conventional scroll compressor, the radial gap between both scrolls becomes as extremely small as what is in the order of microns or almost nearly zero at the time of liquid compression. As the pressure is not allowed to be relieved, the spiral bodies may be caused to snap because of the high pressure produced by the liquid compression. When the slide direction of the slider is inclined toward its eccentric direction by .theta. in the rotational direction of the main shaft, moreover, the radial gap is produced between both scrolls under such an operating condition that the condition of F.sub.C >F.sub.gr +F.sub.g.theta. tan.theta. cannot be met during the normal gas compression and this poses a problem in that no compressive action is performed.

Scroll compressor with slider contacting an elastic member


A media storage container has at least one media storage tray connected to a flexible cover with a mechanical connection. One embodiment of the media storage container includes two media storage trays connected together with a mechanical connection that traps an inner cover member between the media storage trays to connect the cover to the trays. Embodiments are provided wherein the inner cover member is connected to one outer cover member and two outer cover members.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to media storage containers and, more particularly, to media storage containers that include elements fabricated from paperboard and plastic. Specifically, the present invention relates to a media storage container having plastic media holding trays connected to paperboard cover members without adhesives.
2. Background Information
Various types of paperboard media storage containers are known in the art. Some of these containers utilize plastic media-holding trays connected to the paperboard cover members. Although some of the devices use connecting arrangements that secure the paperboard to the plastic media holding tray without adhesive, most of the containers known in the art use an adhesive to connect the two elements together. The known media storage containers that form the connection without adhesive leave room for improvement. The art desires that these connections securely hold the rigid media storage trays to the paperboard cover members while being simple to manufacture and assemble. The art also desires this type of media storage container to hold multiple items of recorded media in a single container.


A centralized queue for a network printing system is provided for allowing clients of a network printer to make job requests and enter a spot in a job queue without transmitting the actual print job data to the network. More particularly, an imaging device protocol (IDP) is provided which operates independently of the network layers below and only requires that a transport protocol/port be bidirectional. A wide variety of heterogenous network protocols may be supported by IDP for placing all of the incoming print job information in a print queue regardless of the protocol. Print job information from both IDP and non-IDP protocol/ports may be placed in the print queue by emulating IDP on the non-IDP protocol/ports. As a result, job information for all of the print jobs attempting to access a busy printer may be stored in the print queue so that the print jobs can be printed by the printer with a fair arbitration once the network printer becomes available.

The present invention is directed to a centralized queue for a network printing system that allows clients of the printer to make job requests and enter a spot in a job queue without transmitting the job print data to the network. More particularly, the present invention stores job information for all of the print jobs attempting to access a busy printer in the print queue so that the print jobs can be printed by the printer with a fair arbitration once the printer becomes available.
As the size of networked systems increases from a few connected computers located near each other to several thousand machines of various types and sizes scattered at great distances from each other, the demands on the network printers also increase. One of the most challenging demands in the implementation of network printers is connectivity. Typically, the network printer is a stand-alone peripheral device which is desired to perform in an increasing number of network and non-network communication environments. In network environments, the printer is desired to provide xe2x80x9cseamless plug and playxe2x80x9d connectivity for the continuous expansion of network service protocol/ports. For example, known network service protocol/ports that are desired to communicate with network printers are: printer access protocol (PAP)/LocalTalk (LT); PAP/EtherTalk (ET); transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP); TCP/IP port 9100; xe2x80x9c1prxe2x80x9d/TCP/IP; Novell remote printer or print server modes; bidirectional or unidirectional Centronics; AppleTalk Data Stream Protocol (ADSP)/EtherTalk; ADSP/LocalTalk; and Novell sequence packet exchange (SPX). These are just a few examples of the constantly increasing number of network protocol/ports that desire xe2x80x9cplug and playxe2x80x9d connectivity to the network printer.
A printer is a peripheral device that can be shared on a network connected to a print server. Also, a printer can directly connect to the network by including a network interface card or the network interface into the printer which allows the printer to run its own print server software and function as a regular node. In a typical Windows environment, the network printer is a one-way printer. In a one-way printer, the only communication path is from the host computer to the printer. As a result, the data is sent from the host computer to the printer without any ability for the printer to notify the host computer of the job status such as whether the print job has been successfully completed.
The use of a two-way printer has been developed for Macintosh systems (Apple Computer, Cupertino, Calif.). In the AppleTalk protocol used by the Macintosh systems, PAP is the protocol used for communication between the Macintosh host computers and printers. PAP sets up, maintains and terminates the connection between the host computer nodes and the network printer and also transfers the data from the host computers to the printers. PAP allows two-way communication from the network printer to the Macintosh host computer to the extent that the status of the network printer is sent to the Macintosh host computer through PostScript. However, most page description language (PDL) interpreters only allow one job to be processed at one time which prevents asynchronous interaction between multiple clients and the network printer.
Typically, networks utilize shared resource printers. FIG. 1 illustrates the use of a conventional shared resource printer in a network. A plurality of host computers 10, 11, . . . 1n and a printer 5 are connected in a network. The printer 5 includes a disk 6 connected internally or externally to the printer 5 for storing the print jobs sent from the host computers 10 . . . n before being printed by the printer 5. In conventional shared resource printers, the host computer that first sends a print job to the network printer will have its job printed. Other host computers attempting to have a print job printed by the network printer while another job is being printed will not be able to access the network printer. Therefore, these host computers will repeatedly try to access the network printer during a timing scheme until the network printer becomes available. As a result, the speed of the network will be reduced by the network traffic due to the continuous polling of the host computers to the network printer during the time that the network printer is unavailable. This polling process is undesirable since a host computer will gain access to the printer, with only limited and possibly inexact arbitration after the print job is completed if a number of host computers are attempting to gain access while the printer is busy.
Traditionally, print servers provided access to the network printers and ran the programs necessary to create and operate a print queue for jobs sent to the printers from the host computers. The print queue is a directory that stores into the disk 6 the print jobs waiting to be printed. The print jobs are then printed from the print queue in a FIFO sequence. The print servers require storing the job request and entire job data by spooling this data to the disk 6. Depending on the job size, millions of bytes of data may be spooled to the disk and therefore a large sized disk is necessary.
Even if a large sized disk is used, the disk capacity for storing print jobs may be exceeded when a number of host computers send print jobs to the printer at approximately the same time. When the capacity of the disk is reached, a back up procedure will be implemented where the printer will be polled every two seconds until space in the disk becomes available in a similar manner as in the shared resource printer.
Print servers and a printer may be combined in the same machine on many networks for economical reasons. The main advantage for combining the printer and print servers is that files do not need to be sent from the host computer to the print server machine and then from there to the printer in such a configuration. However, the disadvantage of combining the printer and print servers is that the required control for the print queue and the printing activity takes away CPU time from other network activity. In either case, a disk is required to store the data for the entire print job and since the print job is sent from the host computer, spooled to a disk and then transmitted to the network printer when the printer becomes available, unnecessary network activity results.
Accordingly, it is desired to provide a network printing system having a centralized queue that allows clients of the printer to queue job information into a print queue when a printer is busy so that the print jobs may be fairly arbitrated once the printer becomes available. Furthermore, it is desired to reduce the amount of traffic on the network that occurs when transmitting the actual print job data to a disk for storage before being printed.
These and other objectives are achieved in accordance with the present invention by a printing system which provides a print queue for storing job information of a print job when a printer is busy without transmitting the actual job data. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the print queue stores the job information of a print attempting to access a busy printer and then the print queue is used to fairly arbitrate the printing of the jobs corresponding to the job information stored in the print queue.
As a further feature of the invention, only the job information is transmitted and stored in the print queue while the actual job data remains at the host computer. When the printer becomes available, the job information in the print queue allows the requesting host computer with the actual print job data to be accessed for transmitting the actual print data to the printer. Accordingly, the amount of network traffic is reduced.

Centralized queue in network printing systems


The present invention relates to functionalized hydrogel networks grafted with at least one moiety for use in numerous fields, from cosmetics to surgery and medicine.

The increasing incidence of age-related diseases and the limited availability of human donor material to replace dysfunctional cells and damaged tissues in patients have prompted the search for alternative transplantation therapies. Hydrogels, presenting a three dimensional (3D) structure, can serve as scaffolds for tissue engineering and as carrier for cells and drug delivery. The allo-/xeno-transplantation of encapsulated cells/tissues prevents adverse immunological response while allowing the crossing of oxygen, nutrients and secreted factors. In addition, cell microencapsulation offers protection against mechanical stress or deteriorating environmental effects. The water-soluble biopolymer sodium alginate (Na-alg) spontaneously forms hydrogels in the presence of some divalent cations, under mild conditions of pH and temperature [1, 2]. In particular, the hydrogel calcium alginate (Ca-alg) presents favorable properties for several biological and medical applications, including cell immobilization [3]. Despite the highly promising studies that have been directed toward the development of hydrogel microcapsules for the treatment of human diseases, routine clinical application of cell containing microcapsules still remains a challenge. Many requirements are imposed on the microcapsule materials: biocompatibility with both the host tissue and the enclosed cells, long-term stability of the mechanical strength and elasticity, maintenance of a favorable environment for cell survival and metabolic functionality, reproducible manufacturing protocols.
Alginate-based microspheres (MS) prepared by ionic cross-linking with divalent cations present, for some applications, insufficient mechanical properties and stability as well as defects in permselectivity [4-7]. To overcome these issues, many efforts were devoted to the improvement of Ca-alg MS or the replacement of Ca-alg by other materials. Representative developments in this field include the coating of Ca-alg MS with polycations such as poly (L-lysine) [8], poly(L-ornithine) [9] or poly(methylene guanidine) [10] and their derivatives, and the use of other polymers such as chitosan [11], poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) [12], dextran [13] and hyaluronic acid [14].
However, these modifications often led to reduced biocompatibility and implied complex multistep MS formation procedures [15]. For example, hydrogels were prepared from PEG diacrylate and dextran by photopolymerisation in presence of long-wave ultraviolet light activated photoinitiators (WO 2010/078036). Such procedure requires optimization of the type of photoinitiators, their concentration, and the UV light intensity to achieve maximal mechanical properties of the hydrogel. Cytocompatibility may be compromised by prolonged exposure to cytotoxic free radicals leading to reactions of cytotoxicity to encapsulated cells [25]. In addition, dextran based hydrogels cannot be envisaged for long-term treatment as they deteriorate rapidly allowing the release by diffusion of the encapsulated compound. Furthermore, inflammatory reactions were observed in presence of dextran-based hydrogels.
Other modifications of polymeric hydrogels involve the incorporation of bioactive molecules to improve the viability and functionality of encapsulated cells, and release therapeutic payloads at the site of transplantation. Small peptide sequences have been coupled to alginate molecules to improve cell spreading and growth in the microcapsules but resulted in high degree of degradation and fibrosis in vivo [16].
Another approach consists in the co-encapsulation of selected drugs and cells of interest within hydrogel microcapsules to reduce adverse fibrotic overgrowth at the site of implantation. In particular, the co-encapsulation of rat islets and curcumin in alginate hydrogels resulted in improved glycemic control and reduced pericapsular overgrowth in vivo [17]. An alternative promising approach proposes the design of hydrogel MS combining the fast ionotropic gelation of alginate with covalent cross-linking resulting from PEG derivatives, either covalently linked to the alginate backbone or in the form of an interpenetrating network. Following this concept, two types of two-component MS were recently developed, composed of Ca-alg and interpenetrating covalently cross-linked networks formed from vinyl sulfone-terminated multiarm PEG [18-20] or Na-alg functionalized with cysteamine [21], which showed favorable properties for cell microencapsulation. In addition, one-component MS resulting from ionotropic gelation and simultaneous covalent cross-linking interactions of PEG-grafted alginates were produced and demonstrated improved mechanical properties and permeability compared to pure Ca-alg MS [21].
Nevertheless, lack of in vivo stability of the MS in immunocompetent mice models asked for the design of new grafting methodologies for the conjugation of thiol-terminated PEG derivatives to the hydroxyl functionalities of the alginate backbone in order to produce stable biocompatible MS with no adverse effects following transplantation and no cytotoxicity to encapsulated cells, with potential for the local controlled delivery of anti-inflammatory agents.

Hydrogels based on functionalized polysaccharides

ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE (EPFL)


A method of classifying, with a computer processor, at least one feature of cells from a low contrast, digital image. The method includes generating a contrast-enhanced image by applying a high-pass filter to the low contrast, digital image. The contrast-enhanced image is smoothed with a first low pass filter. A background image, generated from the low contrast, digital image, is subtracted from the smoothed, contrast-enhanced image to form an analysis image. The at least one feature is identified in analysis image.

Cell-based screening is a technology used for exploring normal cellular processes and modulation thereto caused by chemical, infection, and/or genetic changes. Screening has conventionally been a challenge as multiple aspects of experimental biology are performed, including, for example, the preparation of cells, automated microscopy, high throughput screening of large compound libraries, and the development of image analysis and pattern recognition linked to high level bioinformatics databases. These considerations have motivated the development of high content screening methods, which are based on the microscopy of modified host cells to show the activity or organization of molecular targets inside the living cells. Primarily, these techniques have been used for identifying drug candidates for a particular disease or exploring a functional aspect of a given subcellular molecule, including genes, effects of toxins, and material and environmental conditions using statistical analysis.
For example, FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate monocyte-derived macrophages 10, 12 in a healthy condition (FIG. 1A) and an infected condition (FIG. 1B). Macrophages, along with monocytes, from which macrophages are produced, function in non-specific defense. Accordingly, macrophages are mobile, such as by amoeboid movements, by extending pseudopodia 14, 16 so as to engulf likely pathogens, for example, bacterium, by phagocytosis. The macrophage includes a cell membrane 18, 20, a nucleus 22, 24, and a plurality of organelles and cytoskeletal features (not shown) within the cytoplasm 26, 28. Phenotypic changes to the macrophage due to bacterial infection may include: cell size (the infected macrophage 12 is shown to be larger than the normal macrophage 10), cell shape (the infected macrophage 12 is shown to have more pronounced pseudopods 16 than the normal macrophage 10), multi-scale features, invariant moment features, statistical texture features at different scales, Laws texture features, differential features of the intensity surface (features of local gradient magnitude, local gradient orientation, Laplacian, isophote, flowline, brightness, shape index, etc.), frequency domain features, histogram features distribution features (radial, angular, etc., of intensity distribution, gradient magnitude distribution), local binary pattern image features, local contrast pattern image features, cell boundary features, edge features and other heuristic features, such as spottiness, Chi-square distance between histograms of pixel patches, between concentric circular areas within the cell, gray-class distance, and heuristic and problem specific features, to name a few.
Cellular features may be examined by way of microscope or microscopic imaging. For example, bright field microscopy images provide a quick and efficient method of detecting the cells and cellular features. Cellular detection, counting, and classification on bright field images may automated; however, images of cell populations tend to be low contrast images with uneven illumination, may contain objects with uneven textures, and may include debris and other artifacts, which makes automation difficult.
As a result, there remains a need for techniques that may, at least partially, automate bright field microscopy imaging, pre- and post processing of images, and screening of cell populations for investigating phenotypic changes due to chemicals, toxins, infection, genetic alteration, or environmental conditions.

Systems and methods for processing low contrast images

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force


A digitally controlled hairdryer has removable attachments that are used to style hair. The hairdryer is powered with AC and DC power, with the DC power supply being separate from the main body. The removable attachments are powered and controlled by the hairdryer. The oscillating attachment has a motor that moves an oscillating portion to direct airflow from the outlet of the hairdryer. The diffuser attachment has a motor that is connected to a slider that moves along a central axis. The slider moves wire fingers between a grasped and relaxed position. The ends of the fingers are connected to a blocking membrane that directs airflow through an outlet aperture that is small in the grasped position and large in the relaxed position.

This present disclosure relates to electric hairdryers. Hairdryers have been around for many years, necessitated by long hair and the user's desire to style and/or dry it. Commonly available hair dryers are electric and plug into standard household current. Hair dryers have a heater of some sort and a device to move air through the heater, such as a fan. Most hairdryers have simple controls, such as switches, to turn the heater and fan on or off. Some hair dryers have speed controls, such as sliding switches or levers that allow the user to coarsely control the heater and fan. These dryers use brushed electric motors due to their size, weight, and cost. Recently, brushless motors have made an entry into hairstyling appliances, such as hairdryers. Hairdryers that utilize brushless motors can be very heavy, as the power supply required to run a brushless motor and other ancillary devices adds weight. A hairdresser needs a device that is easy to handle and lightweight. An improved hairdryer is needed.


An apparatus and a method for generating voice signals for a wireless communication station. The wireless communications stations includes a receiver, a signal strength measuring device, a filter and a noise generator. The receiver receives a digitally modulated radio voice signal and the signal strength measuring device measures a signal strength of the received radio voice signal. The filter removes noise signals present with the received radio voice signal when the signal strength is below a predetermined threshold, and the a noise generator generates a noise signal for combination with the received voice signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of telecommunications. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for enhancing telecommunications service provided by a digital wireless communications system.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a rapid voice signal quality deterioration experienced with digital wireless communications systems when a received signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) is below a minimum SIR, or when a bit error rate is exceeded at a wireless station. The rapid deterioration experienced in voice quality results in the received signal being interspersed with audible clicks and pops, causing difficulty for a digital wireless user in understanding received voice signals.
FIG. 1 shows a graph of voice signal quality versus average RF signal-to-interference ratio comparison of IS-54 digital and analog FM performance at a wireless station. In FIG. 1, curve 10 represents the voice signal quality for an IS-54 wireless station as a function of average RF SIR. The voice signal quality shown by curve 10 is fairly constant for signal-to-interference ratios greater than about 17 dB (point 10a). For SIRs below about 17 dB, the voice signal quality rapidly deteriorates with decreasing SIR. At an SIR of about 14 dB, the voice signal quality of an digital wireless station falls below an acceptable level. Curve 11 in FIG. 1 represents the voice signal quality of an analog FM wireless station as a function of average RF SIR. The voice signal quality shown by curve 11 is fairly constant for signal-to-interference ratios greater than about 26 dB (point 11a). For SIRs below about 26 dB, the voice signal quality deteriorates with decreasing SIR. At an SIR of about 17 dB, the voice signal quality of an analog FM wireless station falls below an acceptable level.
As shown in FIG. 1, when the SIR of a received digital signal drops, the quality of the voice signal deteriorates an accelerated rate. When a digital wireless station has a call-waiting feature capability, an incoming call tone received during poor voice signal quality and coinciding voice communications may be misinterpreted by a user as part of an on-going noise disruption. Consequently, the incoming call tone may be improperly ignored by the user.
What is needed is a way to simulate the fading characteristic of an analog FM wireless station for a wireless digital communications station, and to indicate that a call waiting signal has been received when a received SIR of a voice signal is below a predetermined threshold.

Apparatus and method for generating voice signals at a wireless communications station


A method that can be used in a distributed workflow system that uses loosely coupled computation of stateless nodes to bring computation tasks to the compute nodes is disclosed. The method can be employed in a computing system, such as cloud computing system, that can generate a computing task separable into work units and performed by a set of distributed and decentralized workers. In one example, the method arranges the work units into a directed acyclic graph representing execution priorities between the work units. The plurality of distributed and decentralized workers query the directed acyclic graph for work units ready for execution based upon the directed acyclic graph. In one example, the method is included in a computer readable storage medium as a software program.

A distributed computer system includes multiple autonomous computers that communicate with each other through a computer network. The computers interact with each other in order to achieve a common goal, and a problem is divided into many tasks, which are distributed across the nodes of the computer system. Often, the distributed computer system is able to concurrently process several computations and to run parallel computer applications on its nodes. Cloud computing is a form of a distributed computer system.
Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. Details of the cloud are abstracted from the users, or clients, who can have little if any expertise in, or control over, the technology infrastructure in the cloud that supports them. Cloud computing describes a supplement, consumption, and delivery model for IT services based on the Internet, and it typically involves over-the-Internet provision of dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources.
Cloud computing includes the potential to provide capabilities that can be rapidly and elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. Work in the cloud is performed with typical workflow engines. Typical workflow engines, however, can have a limited scaling capability, a limited capacity for complexity, and a reliance on a small set of hardware thus providing susceptibility to failure.

Distributed workflow in loosely coupled computing


Method to feed and form organized groups of smoking articles, providing to feed a plurality of pockets of a transfer conveyor with pockets moved step-wise, thrusting said organized groups of smoking articles, by means of thrusters actuated independently from each other, in a direction of transfer and through respective forming drawers, into said pockets on the basis of a predefined production rhythm. The method provides, in the event of obstruction, stoppage or blockage of a forming drawer, to vary the operating speed of the thrusters associated with the other forming drawers in coordination and in synchrony with the step-wise feed speed of said transfer conveyor with pockets, in order to obtain an effective production rhythm equal or near to said predefined production rhythm.

Packaging machines are known, provided with apparatuses for feeding cigarettes, which supply organized groups of cigarettes to transfer conveyors with pockets, for example linear or wheel-type conveyors, to transfer packets, driven step-wise, from which they are transferred to other packaging devices or packet-making machines.
These known feed apparatuses comprise a feed unit, generally provided with a loading hopper into which the cigarettes to be disposed in organized groups are conveyed, defining a so-called cigarette store. The hopper generally has a plurality of vertical exits, or conduits, along which the cigarettes move downward due to the force of gravity, to form a column on a lower stop plate. A bottom portion of the column of cigarettes that has formed is defined by an organized group of cigarettes that will define the content of a packet and that are associated with a respective lateral exit aperture of a conduit. A thrust unit is also provided to transfer the organized groups of cigarettes from the cigarette store to suitable pockets associated with the transfer conveyors with pockets, from which they are transferred to the subsequent packet-making machines configured to make the packets.
By means of the thrust unit, each group of cigarettes is transferred, through the lateral exit aperture and a connected transfer device, to a respective pocket of the transfer conveyors with pockets driven step-wise, so as to position, with every step, an empty pocket with its entrance facing a respective transfer device, receiving its content on each occasion. The transfer device is therefore provided to connect the cigarette store, in a direction of feed of the cigarettes, where the cigarettes are fed in a column as described above, to the pockets of the transfer conveyor. The organized groups of cigarettes are made to pass, with an alternate thrust, through the transfer device so as to reach, as we said, the respective pockets of the transfer conveyor or wheel, driven step-wise.
During the transfer of the cigarettes, a blockage may occur, due for example to an incorrect positioning of the cigarettes, which normally requires an intervention to clean and free the blocked areas. The blockage can occur for example inside the transfer device.
One of the main disadvantages of blockage of cigarettes during transfer to a respective pocket of the transfer conveyors with pockets is that the productivity of the packaging machine can be decreased.
Moreover, in order for the blockage of cigarettes to be freed and the transfer device to be cleaned, generally a manual intervention of an operator is required, with possible safety risks deriving from the presence of moving parts, and also the possible waste of time that these manual operations entail, to the detriment of productivity.
The state of the art, therefore, suffers of the shortcoming of loss of productivity in case of blockage of the cigarettes during transfer to a respective pocket of the transfer conveyors.
Moreover, the known state of the art does not meet the requirement of cleaning the blockage of cigarettes, quickly, efficiently and safely, without requiring the manual intervention of an operator, for example in the transfer device that connects the cigarette store to the pockets.
There is therefore a need to perfect a method and an apparatus to feed and form organized groups of smoking articles, which can overcome at least one of the disadvantages of the state of the art.
The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

Method and apparatus to feed and form organized groups of smoking articles

I.M.A. INDUSTRIA MACCHINE AUTOMATICHE S.P.A.


A method of controlling a remote imaging platform for image acquisition of an imaging target, the method comprises: controlling said platform to aim a camera at said target, and controlling said platform to take at least a first, a second and a third images of said target during the course of a single pass of said platform over said target, whilst keeping said camera locked onto said target for a duration required to take said images. Applications include forming a stereo pair from said first and said third image to obtain topographical data of said target, and applying said topographical data from said stereo pair to the second image, the second image being a high resolution image taken from above the target, the result being a nadir image with topographical data. Another application is to form several stereo images and combine them into an overall image containing enhanced topographical information. Another application is to combine pixels from multiple images of the target onto a single grid to provide enhanced resolution.

The present invention relates to a remote platform multiple capture image formation method and apparatus and, more particularly, but not exclusively to such a system wherein the remote platforms are orbital satellites.
Imaging of the earth's surface from high flying aircraft or from orbital satellites is routinely carried out and is useful for obtaining information for numerous monitoring applications, both civil and military. As the satellite imaging data gets more and more detailed it contains more information and thus allows more and more uses. It is therefore a widely recognized aim to obtain higher resolutions and find processing methods in order to obtain more data from the resolutions available.
One way of increasing the amount of data is to take two images of the same target from different angles. The two images can then be combined into a single stereo image containing height information. In order to obtain the two images from which to form the stereo combination it is usual to have two different cameras spaced apart by a certain difference, and angled to view the same scene. The use of stereo imaging is quite common in satellite photography for application in which surface topography is of importance.
Another way of increasing the amount of data from the imaging process involves mounting on the satellite imaging platform two cameras, one camera being a high-resolution black and white camera and the second camera being a lower resolution color camera. The black and white camera obtains a high-resolution pixel scan, to which color is added from the color camera. A disadvantage of the method is that the two cameras are different cameras producing different images at different resolutions and thus there is not a one-to-one correspondence to allow colors to be applied to the high-resolution pixels.
The use of two cameras is in any case a disadvantage because of increased cost and complexity, and an orbital satellite is not an environment where it is easy to organize repairs. It is therefore desirable to find a method of increasing the data available but using only a single camera.
Satellites are further able to take multiple images of the same target in successive passes. Again the images can be combined. However the time interval between the two passes makes it highly likely that there are significant changes between the two images, in lighting, in cloud cover, in the exact positions from which the two images are taken etc. so that combining the images is not a trivial task.
There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, a vehicle inspection system devoid of the above limitations.

Remote platform multiple capture image formation method and apparatus