A VCO modulator controller including a ROM memory storing a number of waveform maps, a counter coupled to the ROM memory and capable of developing a sequence of ROM addresses, a temporal bit generator responsive to a data stream to develop a next bit Nb, a current bit Cb, and a past bit Pb, control circuitry developing a digital waveform signal from selected waveform maps in the ROM memory using the Nb, Cb, and Pb bits and the sequence of ROM memory outputs, and a DAC that converts the digital waveform signal to an analog VCO control signal that encodes said data stream. A method for providing a modulated control voltage includes: (a) storing a number of waveform maps in a memory; (b) generating a number of temporal bits including a next bit Nb, a current bit Cb, and a past bit Pb from a data stream; (c) developing a series of addresses for the memory to create a sequence of digital outputs; (d) developing a digital waveform utilizing said Nb, Cb, and Pb bits and the sequence of digital outputs of the memory; and (e) converting the digital waveform signal to an analog VCO control signal that encodes the data stream.

This application is related to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/612,689 filed on Mar. 8, 1996, entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and Apparatus for Vector Modulation in a Communication Systemxe2x80x9d, by inventor John C. Thomas, assigned to the assignee of the present application, and which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to communications systems, and more particularly to voltage controlled oscillators used in communications systems.
2. Background Art
Communication systems, including land-line and wireless communication systems, are increasingly based on digital transmission technologies. This is because digital transmission technologies are capable of providing higher bandwidth, lower distortion, and lower error rates than corresponding analog technologies. A number of digital standards have been adopted, including the Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) standard for cellular telephones, the Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) standard for land-line telephones, etc.
In a digital communication system, such as in a digital modem, it is necessary to modulate a baseband signal to carry the desired digital information on a high-frequency radio wave carrier. This is accomplished by, for example, modulating a baseband signal which serves as an input to CDPD radio circuitry. The base band channel frequency for CDPD transmission is approximately xc2x115kHz, i.e. CDPD transmission has a channel bandwidth of about 30 kHz.
Several prior art modulating methods utilize an algorithm known as Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying (GMSK) waveform synthesis. The use of GMSK waveform synthesis for vector modulation using a finite state machine and a waveform stored in read-only memory (ROM) is known. With such a system, a ROM is used to store sine and cosine values for the phase angles of a rotating phasor. The closest phase angle is determined, and the sine and cosine is read from the ROM to create a pair of control signals for a vector modulated radio transmitter.
A problem with the prior art GMSK waveform synthesis methods is that very large ROMs are required, increasing the size and cost of the circuitry. This is because many sine and cosine values are often required to obtain the desired resolution. In addition, the determination of the phase angle tends to be computationally intensive, and therefore slow and expensive. More particularly, prior GMSK baseband vector modulation systems have been burdened with relatively complex mathematical operations and large amounts of ROM necessary, for example, to map a digitized rotating phasor, rotating with variable angular velocity, into a Cartesian coordinate system. In addition, an accumulator is required in the prior art to store the current phase angle. The known literature is silent as to the use of GMSK techniques for certain other modulation technologies, such as a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) modulation.
A problem inherent in prior art vector modulation systems is obtaining a faithful reproduction of the waveforms stored in ROM. This is because only a finite number of increments of sine and cosine values can be stored in the ROMs.
Therefore, there is an inherent trade-off between ROM size and resolution in prior art vector modulation systems.
The present invention utilizes the symmetries present in the baseband control signal to a VCO to reduce the mathematical complexity and the amount of ROM to generate a VCO modulated waveform. The present invention therefore allows for less complex (and therefore less expensive and more reliable) finite state machines and for less ROM to be used than was possible in the prior art. Using less ROM has the desirable effect of reducing part size and increasing memory access speed. Furthermore, a faithful reproduction of the waveforms stored in ROM is accomplished by allowing only those digital values in the ROM which are closest (in a digital sense) to the actual modulated waveforms, effectively providing a finer resolution for the waveform. Also, by utilizing GMSK techniques with VCO modulation, a less expensive and less complex alternative for vector modulation is provided.
A radio modem in accordance with the present invention includes a VCO controller receptive to a data stream, where the VCO controller develops a VCO control signal by GMSK waveform synthesis. The radio modem also includes a transmitter having a VCO portion having an input responsive to said GMSK waveform synthesized VCO control signal, such that the transmitter can develop a modulated RF signal carrying the data stream.
A VCO modulator controller of the present invention includes ROM memory storing a number of waveform maps, and a counter coupled to the ROM memory and capable of developing a sequence of ROM addresses. The controller also includes a temporal bit generator responsive to a data stream to develop a next bit Nb, a current bit Cb, and a past bit Pb. Control circuitry of the controller develops a digital waveform signal from selected waveform maps in the ROM memory using the Nb, Cb, and Pb bits and the sequence of ROM memory outputs. Finally, a DAC converts the digital waveform signal to an analog VCO control signal that encodes said data stream.
A method for providing a modulated control voltage in accordance with the present invention comprises the steps of: (a) storing a number of waveform maps in a memory; (b) generating a number of temporal bits including a next bit Nb, a current bit Cb, and a past bit Pb from a data stream; (c) developing a series of addresses for the memory to create a sequence of digital outputs; (d) developing a digital waveform utilizing said Nb, Cb, and Pb bits and the sequence of digital outputs of said memory; and (e) converting the digital waveform signal to an analog VCO control signal that encodes said data stream.
The present invention provides a modulated baseband signal for a digital communication system in a fashion that is less computationally intensive and one which requires less memory than similar circuits of the prior art. This is because the large ROMs and the accumulators of the prior art are not required. ROM size is reduced by utilizing the inherent symmetry in the stored waveforms. In addition, the present invention obtains a faithful reproduction of the waveforms stored in the ROM by storing data with a finer resolution (made possible by eliminating symmetrically redundant data), resulting in less distortion to the transmitted signals.
The present invention is also advantageous in that GMSK techniques are being used for voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) modulation of a carrier signal. This VCO modulation is less expensive than vector modulation techniques, and therefore is a viable substitute for low-end applications.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed descriptions and studying the various figures of the drawings.

Method and apparatus for VCO modulation in a communication system


The present invention involves the use of multiple I/O processors (204) and (206), configured in parallel in an I/O system (104), to increase system performance as well as enhance system resiliency. Performance is increased by programming one of the multiple I/O processors with the added ability to allocate received I/O job requests among the active I/O processors including itself, thus allowing for parallel processing. The I/O system resiliency is enhanced by ensuring that any one of the I/O processors can assume the tasks of any other I/O processor which may fail. The I/O system described above employs a load balancing algorithm to evenly distribute the I/O job functions among the active I/O processors.

2. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of multi-processor computer systems. In particular, an I/O system is disclosed in which multiple I/O processors, configured in parallel, perform I/O system functions.
2. Description of Prior Art
A very large multi-processing system or a very large single processing system adapted for multi-programming requires large amounts of data for its various computations and thus is provided with a hierarchy of storage units ranging from main memory to bulk storage devices such as disk drives to peripheral devices such as tape drives, and the like. The system is provided with I/O controllers which control the data transfer from the peripheral devices to the disk storages or from the peripheral devices and the disk storages to main memory. However, in such prior art systems the central processors decode the I/O instructions and send the respective control signals to the I/O controllers. These operations can take up an unduly large amount of the execution time of the processor. Examples of such prior art controllers are disclosed in the Annunziata et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,432,813 and the Calta et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,447,138.
Attempts have been made to free the central processor from this I/O execution so that the central processor can spend more time on user jobs by supplying a separate general purpose processor to operate independently in the control of input/output data transfers. However, there must be some communication between the two processors in order to assure that the data required by the main central processor is received in its main memory before the central processor uses that data.
Input/output operations include more than just data transfers between the peripheral devices and main memory. For example, the I/O system must control such non-data transfer operations as rewinding tape reels and the like. Furthermore, in very large data processing systems, there are a number of different buses and peripheral controllers that may be chosen to optimize through-put from the peripheral devices to main memory and vice versa. In addition, particularly in regard to disk drives, a cache memory may be provided to store the most recently accessed data segments in the cache, which data segments are more likely to be accessed again shortly. However, these disk functions are handled by an operating system running on a central processor, requiring the processor to spend additional time that could be employed in running user jobs or tasks.
Statistical studies indicate that a major portion of each processor's time is employed in executing operating system functions. From these studies, it is estimated that the overhead of such management functions has been anywhere between 10 percent and 50 percent, and occasionally even higher. Furthermore, a goodly portion of the time that the corresponding central processor is executing operating system functions is employed in establishing process priority, performing functions on events (to be defined below) and initiating input/output operations. If these functions could be removed from the operating systems, then the through-put of the data processing system should be substantially enhanced.


An image processor includes a Lee filter for processing image data to improve noise therefrom. The Lee filter includes a smoothing control signal. During filtering of the image data, the smoothing control signal is converted to a monochrome video signal that is provided to a display instead of, or in addition to, the filtered image data. The image projected by the display of the smoothing control signal highlights edge activity in the filtered image. This display of edge activity makes it easier to locate noisy areas in the image data and fine-tune the amount of filtering to further reduce noise present in the image data and yet leave the desired image details alone.

The present invention generally relates to compression, and, more particularly, to preprocessing image data before compression to reduce the presence of noise in an image, whether a still image or a sequence of images such as in a video.
Image data is typically large in size. This is especially so if the image data represents video. As such, and as known in the art, it is preferable to compress the image data before transmission, or even storage, of the image data. In this regard, there are numerous techniques for compressing image data that to one degree or another provide some level of fidelity to the original image data.
However, when compressing image data, the image data may include noise that can adversely affect the compression efficiency since compression algorithms generally cannot distinguish noise from desired detail in the image. In other words, the size of the compressed image data may be larger than is necessary due to the presence of noise in the image data. For example, if an image is first recorded on a video cassette recorder (VCR), the recorded image data—upon playback—may now include noise. As a result, use of the VCR as a source of the image data for streaming across the Internet may, even with compression, require the use of more bandwidth than would be necessary if the noise were not present in the image data to begin with.
As such, if the image data includes noise it is known to filter the image data to first attempt to remove, or reduce, any noise before compression of the image data. Typically, one of a number of known filter techniques is applied to the image data and the filtered image data is previewed to examine the affect on the fidelity of the image. Filter settings are made by viewing the filtered image and adjusting the filter controls in an attempt to find a compromise between reduced noise and blurring of image details. Too much filtering may blur the image, too little filtering will not remove enough of the noise in the image data to improve the compression efficiency. Unfortunately, it is especially difficult to remove low-level noise that is difficult, or impossible, to see in the image but which still reduces compression efficiency. This difficulty is compounded with video, in which the image data is constantly changing.

Apparatus and method for reducing noise in an image


A method for making a mobile unit accompany an objective person moves the mobile unit in correspondence with movement of the objective person and executes control so that the mobile unit moves along the walking direction of the objective person by detecting the foot landing of the objective person, detecting the walking speed and the walking direction of the objective person, and predicting the predictive walking range of the objective person on the basis of the detected information of the walking direction and the foot landing.

The present invention relates to a method for making a mobile unit accompany an objective person by means of an accompaniment mobile unit for tracking the objective person and relates more concretely to a method for tracking walk.
As a conventional tracking method and apparatus, there is one that tracks the movement of a person by means of an image input device (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H11-73582).
The tracking apparatus (ambulatory elder following robot) described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H11-73582 is described with reference to FIG. 30.
In FIG. 30, an ambulatory elder tracking robot 1 has a GPS receiver 2, a map database 3, a position detection means 4, a notification means 5, a TV camera 6, an image compression means 7, a discrimination means 8, a behavior disorder detection means 9, an obstacle detection sensor 10, an avoidance motion control means 11, a motor 12, and an antitheft part 13.
The operation of the robot 1 is described in outline as follows. The robot 1 preparatorily stores the image information of an ambulatory elder who is the objective person to be tracked by the tracking robot 1 in an image memory of the discrimination means 8. By receiving and image-processing a pickup image of the objective person from the TV camera 6, the objective person is discriminated on the basis of the height of the head, the waist curve condition, the walking manner, the clothes, and so on of the objective person, and the direction of the imaging of the TV camera 6 is controlled on the basis of a discrimination signal for specifying the objective person from the discrimination means 8 to continue the image-pickup by automatic tracking. Otherwise, the robot 1 tracks the objective person by attaching a small transmitter to the objective person and receiving its sent waves.
However, according to the above conventional technology, the objective person is assumed to be the ambulatory elder whose movement speed is slow, and the discrimination or tracking ability is also limited. Moreover, since the movement of the objective person cannot be predicted, it is sometimes impossible to make discrimination. Particularly, when the objective person suddenly changes his or her movement direction, it is impossible to discriminate the objective person, and it is necessary to attach a compact transmitter to the objective person in order to cope with this. Therefore, there is an issue that track of the objective person is lost when the electric wave situation is degraded.
There is a further issue that the image processing and algorithm become complicated because the tracking is performed by image-processing the whole image of a person.
Accordingly, the present invention has the object of solving the issues of the prior art and providing a method for making a mobile unit accompany an objective person, capable of easily predicting and then tracking the walk of the objective person without any special tool or the like regardless of the age and the movement of the objective person.

Method for making mobile unit accompany objective person


The present fishing jig is potted, battery powered, water activated, and light emitting. A jig is a kind of lure that is essentially a bare hook. A jig is a hook having two ends, with a barb located at one end and with a relatively small body, such as a small plastic ball, located at the other end near the eyelet. Components of the present jig are potted in plastic such that the jig is sealed against entry of water, such that seam breakage need not be a concern, and such that the jig can be dropped without internal components being jarred from their positions. The battery of the jig is a relatively small calculator, watch, coin cell, or button battery. Water activation occurs via exposed electrical leads such that the light emitting diode is activated only when the lure is immersed in water. The fish attracting light emitting diode, like a worm, confronts the barb of the hook such that fish striking the light source also likely strike the barb of the hook. A stick-on potted strip having a water-activated light source is further disclosed.

A fishing jig is essentially a single hook. What a fishing jig has, and what a bare undressed hook does not have, is a ball opposite the barbed end. The ball is engaged on the hook close to the eyelet of the hook. The eyelet is used to tie the fishing jig to a fishing line.
The ball of the fishing jig may be painted to have what appears to be an eye or pair of eyes. Or the-ball of the fishing jig may be of a solid bright color. Or the ball of the fishing jig may have some other exterior graphic.
In use, a worm or leech or other bait may be placed on the hook of the fishing jig. The fishing jig may then be lowered into the water, and then further lowered to the bottom of the stream or lake or other body of water, whereupon the fishing jig may be raised and lowered and then raised and lowered again and again in an attempt to attract fish. The fishing jig, not much more than a single naked hook, is slightly heavier than a single naked hook by virtue of the ball on the hook, and hence the fishing jig more readily falls by gravity to seek the bottom of the body of water where the ball more likely hits the bottom of the body of water and where the bait on the hook more likely may wiggle slightly above the bottom of the body of water.


An illuminated bottle display rack comprises a structure having a hollow area defined by front, back, top, bottom, right and left walls. The dimensions of the hollow include a depth sufficient to accommodate all or part of the length of a bottle on display, and a light source mounted on the inside surface of the back wall. Fans are mounted through the top wall for exhausting warm air from, and/or for drawing cool in into, the hollow. UV filters are placed within said hollow between said light source and said plurality of bottles. Translucent casings are preferably mounted within said hollow and corresponding to a plurality of openings within the front wall of the display rack, each for receiving a bottle to be displayed.

The illumination of bottles of liquid on display can add a desirable aesthetic quality to the display. For some liquids, however, the illumination can also have a secondary negative impact on the quality of the liquid. For example, when subjected to light over an extended period of time, wine can degrade as a result of the consequential ultraviolet ("UV") radiation and heat. Such degradation includes the settling of the fruit aspects of the wine and a undesirable odor emanating from the wine.


A sensing element for electromagnetic wave detection, electrical radiography imaging system applying the element and method thereof is provided. The sensing element may include a substrate, an active component on the substrate, a plurality of first electrodes on the substrate, a plurality of second electrodes on the substrate, a first blocking layer, a photo-conversion layer on the first blocking layer, and a third electrode on the photo-conversion layer. The plurality of first electrodes is coupled together. The plurality of first electrodes is interlaced with the plurality of second electrodes and is coupled together. The first blocking layer is on the active component, the plurality of first electrodes, and the plurality of second electrodes. The photo-conversion layer is for absorbing electromagnetic wave transmitted through an object being imaged by a radiography imaging system and generates electric charges collected by the plurality of first and second electrodes, and the third electrodes.

Medical diagnosis utilizes silver halide films as radiograms for absorbing x-ray radiation transmitted through a body being imaged by the radiography imaging system. According to the recent development in the field of radiography imaging technology, the silver halide films are replaced by electrical radiograms in some applications.
The electrical radiograms uses layers of radiation sensitive materials to directly capture radiographic images as imagewise modulated patterns of electric charges. The radiation sensitive materials are divided into a two-dimension matrix (pixelized area). The radiation sensitive materials in each pixelized area generate electric charges in response to the x-ray radiation. The higher the intensity of the x-ray is, the more electric charges are generated. By collecting the electric charges from each of the pixelized area, electrical radiography imaging system could produce an electrical radiograph on a display.

Electrical radiography imaging system and method thereof

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE


Semiconductor devices are provided. The semiconductor device includes a charge controller, a delay unit and a discharger. The charge controller controls an amount of electric charges on a first node to output a drive signal through the first node. The delay unit includes a capacitor coupled to the first node and retards the drive signal to generate an output signal. A delay time of the drive signal is controlled according to an amount of electric charges of the first node. The discharger discharges the electric charges of the first node when the amount of electric charges of the first node is equal to a predetermined value.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to semiconductor devices.
2. Related Art
In general, a semiconductor device may be designed to include an active mode and a standby mode. In the active mode, the semiconductor device may receive a command signal to execute a read operation for outputting data stored therein or a write operation for inputting external data. In the standby mode, the semiconductor device may maintain an idle state without execution of the read operation and the write operation.
In the active mode, the semiconductor device may receive a read command signal or a write command signal to activate a word line selected by an address signal for outputting internal data or for inputting external data. In the standby mode, the semiconductor device may maintain an idle state with minimum power consumption.
Meanwhile, the semiconductor device may operate in the standby mode after the active mode. In such a case, the standby mode may start after a certain time elapses from a moment that the active mode terminates. That is, the semiconductor device may be designed such that an internal signal generated in response to the command signal is delayed by a predetermined time and the standby mode starts at a moment that the delayed internal signal is generated. Thus, the semiconductor device may be designed to include a delay circuit that retards the command signal to generate the internal signal.

Semiconductor device including a charge controller, a delay unit and a discharger


The purpose of the invention is to provide a very safe opener cap that can easily open a film serving as a section to be opened without scattering the contents. A can body (10) and a screw cap (20) are screwed together, and the screw cap (20) and an opener (30) are ratcheted together so as to rotate as a unit in the direction of the screw cap (20) tightening. Blade angles of an annular blade (34) are configured so that the blade angle in the direction of the screw cap (20) loosing is gentler than the blade angle in the direction of tightening.

Containers (cans) for storing, for example, coffee beans and ground coffee are recapped many times with over-caps for repeated use. Among such cans, there is known a can in which a section to be opened of a can upper lid is partitioned by an annular curled section and the inner side of the annular curled section is tightly sealed from a can lid rear surface by a gas barrier multilayer synthetic resin film including an aluminum foil layer. As a method of cutting and opening the film of the upper lid of such a can, there is known a method of cutting based on a screw configured such that a female screw is formed on the inner circumferential surface of a lower part of an over-cap and a male screw is formed on the outer circumferential surface of an upper part of a can main body, a cutter in a folded state is mounted on a top plate rear surface of the over-cap, and the over-cap is screwed into the can main body after the cutter is raised up, whereby the over-cap is displaced downward while rotating and the cutter pierces into and cuts the film in a circular shape (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such an over-cap opener of the screw type, the cutter is mounted on the over-cap in the folded state and needs to be raised up by a fingertip when the can is opened. After being raised up once, the cutter is always in a projected state from the top plate rear surface of the over-cap. Therefore, there is a risk that a user's finger is cut when the user opens and closes and uses the over-cap.
There is also proposed open cap openers in which an opener configured by an annular cutter having an annular blade is formed separately from an over-cap and the annular cutter for cutting, in opening a film, the film in a circular shape by gripping the opener by fingers, directly piercing the annular blade into a film, and directly rotating the opener in that state and a crowned over-cap are combined (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3). Among such open cap openers by the annular cutter, the open cap opener described in Patent Document 2 is an open cap opener of a type in which, after the film opening, the opener is housed on the inner side of the over-cap in a posture in which the annular blade faces the top plate rear surface of the over-cap. The open cap opener described in Patent Document 3 is an open cap opener of a type in which the opener is not housed on the inner side of the over-cap after the film cutting and, after the film is cut, the film is left in a state in which the opener is fit in the annular curled section of the can upper lid (i.e., a state in which the annular blade faces the inside of the can main body). In the open cap openers, since the annular blade is not exposed to the outside after the opening, it is possible to eliminate the risk that the finger is cut by the annular blade when the over-cap is removed from the can main body.


This invention relates to detection of specific extracellular nucleic acid in human or animal blood plasma or serum associated with disease. Specifically, the invention relates to detection of nucleic acid derived from mutant oncogenes or other tumor-associated DNA, and to methods of detecting and monitoring extracellular mutant oncogenes or tumor-associated DNA found in blood plasma or serum. In particular, the invention relates to the detection, identification, or monitoring of the existence, progression or clinical status of neoplasia in humans or other animals that contain a mutation that is associated with the neoplasm through detection of the mutated nucleic acid of the neoplasm in plasma or serum fractions.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods for detecting specific extracellular nucleic acid in plasma or serum fractions of human or animal blood associated with neoplastic, pre-malignant or proliferative disease. The invention permits the detection of extracellular, tumor-associated nucleic acid in the serum or plasma of humans or other animals recognized as having a neoplastic, pre-malignant or proliferative disease or in individuals without any prior history or diagnosis of neoplastic, pre-malignant or proliferative disease. Specifically, the invention relates to detection of nucleic acid derived from mutant oncogenes or other tumor-associated DNA, and to methods of detecting and monitoring extracellular mutant oncogenes or tumor-associated DNA found in the plasma or serum fraction of blood using DNA enrichment methods, wherein enrichment-based extraction methods are used prior to amplification and/or detection, or wherein enrichment for the nucleic acid of interest occurs during amplification, in particular through use of a restriction endonuclease. In particular, the invention relates to the detection, identification, or interference of the existence of premalignant neoplasms or tissue in humans or other animals without cancer, wherein the neoplasm contains a mutation that is associated with the neoplasm, through detection of the mutated nucleic acid associated with the neoplasm in plasma or serum fractions. The invention provides the ability to detect extracellular nucleic acid derived from genetic sequences known to be associated with neoplasia, such as oncogenes, as well as genetic sequences previously unrecognized as being associated with neoplastic, pre-malignant or proliferative disease. The invention thereby provides methods for early identification of colorectal, pancreatic, lung, breast, bladder, ovarian, lymphoma and other malignancies carrying tumor-related mutations of DNA and methods for monitoring cancer and other neoplastic disorders in humans and other animals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Neoplastic disease, including most particularly that collection of diseases known as cancer, is a significant part of morbidity and mortality in adults in the developed world, being surpassed only by cardiovascular disease as the primary cause of adult death. Although improvements in cancer treatment have increased survival times from diagnosis to death, success rates of cancer treatment are more closely related to early detection of neoplastic disease that enable aggressive treatment regimes to be instituted before either primary tumor expansion or metastatic growth can ensue. A particularly favorable prognosis is achieved if premalignant tissue can be eradicated prior to progression to cancer.
Oncogenes are normal components of every human and animal cell, responsible for the production of a great number and variety of proteins that control cell proliferation, growth regulation, and cell death. Although well over one hundred oncogenes have been described to date with nearly all identified at the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence level. It is likely that a large number of oncogenes remain to be discovered.
Mutations in DNA occur as the result of inborn (inherited) genetic errors or acquired (somatic) mutations, often as a result of environmental insults, and have long been recognized as playing a causative role in the development of neoplastic disease. Within the last twenty years the sites of such mutations have been recognized to be within oncogenes, including tumor suppressor genes, and similar tumor-related gene regions including those with DNA microsatellite alterations and hypermethylated genes. Mutation of these genes have been found to be an intrinsic and crucial component of premalignant and malignant growth in both animals and humans. Many malignant tumors or cell lines derived from them have been shown to contain one or more mutated oncogenes, and it is possible that every tumor contains at least one mutant oncogene.
Mutated oncogenes are therefore markers of malignant or premalignant conditions. It is also known that other, non-oncogenic portions of the genome may be altered in the neoplastic state. Nucleic acid based assays can detect both oncogenic and non-oncogenic DNA, whether mutated or non-mutated.
In particular, nucleic acid amplification methods (for example, the polymerase chain reaction) allow the detection of small numbers of mutant molecules among a background of normal ones. While alternate means of detecting small numbers of tumor cells (such as flow cytometry) have generally been limited to hematological malignancies (Dressler and Bartow, 1989, Semin. Diag. Pathol. 6: 55-82), nucleic acid amplification assays have proven both sensitive and specific in identifying malignant cells and for predicting prognosis following chemotherapy (Fey et al., 1991, Eur. J. Cancer 27: 89-94).
Various nucleic acid amplification strategies for detecting small numbers of mutant molecules in solid tumor tissue have been developed, particularly for the ras oncogene (Chen and Viola, 1991, Anal. Biochem. 195: 51-56; Kahn et al., 1991, Oncogene 6: 1079-1083; Pellegata et al., 1992, Anticancer Res. 12: 1731-1736; Stork et al., 1991, Oncogene 6: 857-862). For example, one sensitive and specific method identifies mutant ras oncogene DNA on the basis of failure to cleave a restriction site at the crucial 12th codon (Kahn et al., 1991, ibid.). Similar protocols can be applied to detect any mutated region of DNA in a neoplasm, allowing detection of other oncogene DNA or tumor-associated DNA. Since mutated DNA can be detected not only in the primary cancer but in both precursor lesions and metastatic sites (Dix et al., 1995, Diagn. Molec. Pathol. 4: 261-265; Oudejans et al., 1991, Int. J. Cancer 49: 875-879), nucleic acid amplification assays provide a means of detecting and monitoring cancer both early and late in the course of disease.
While direct analysis of neoplastic tissue is frequently difficult or impossible (such as in instances of occult, unrecognized disease), peripheral blood is easily accessible and amenable to nucleic acid-based assays such as those mentioned above. Many studies have used nucleic acid amplification assays to analyze the peripheral blood of patients with cancer in order to detect intracellular DNA extracted from circulating cancer cells in patients, including one study which detected the intracellular ras oncogene from circulating pancreatic cancer cells (Tada et al., 1993, Cancer Res. 53: 2472-4). However, it must be emphasized that these studies attempt to use nucleic acid-based amplification assays to detect extracted intracellular DNA within circulating cancer cells. The assay is performed on the cellular fraction of the blood from patients having cancer using the cell pellet or cells within whole blood, and the serum or plasma fraction is conventionally ignored or discarded prior to analysis. Since such an approach requires the presence of metastatic circulating cancer cells (for non-hematologic tumors), it is of limited clinical use in patients with early cancers, and it is not useful in the detection of non-hematologic non-invasive neoplasms or pre-malignant states.
It was known in the prior art that small but significant amounts of normal DNA circulate in the blood of healthy people (Fedorov et al., 1986, Bull. Exp. Biol. Med. 102: 1190-2; Leon et al., 1977, Cancer Res. 37: 646-50), and this amount has been found to increase in cancer states (Shapiro et al., 1983, Cancer 51: 2116-20; Stroun et al., 1989, Oncology 46: 318-322). The prior art contains disclosure that mutant oncogene DNA could be detected in peripheral blood plasma or serum of cancer patients (see, for example, Sorenson et al., 1994, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention 3: 67-71; Vasioukhin et al., 1994, Br. J. Haematol. 86: 774-9; Vasyukhin et al., in Verna & Shamoo (eds), Biotechnology Today, Ares-Serono Symposia Publications, pp. 141-150). Mutant ras oncogenes have been demonstrated in plasma or serum using polymerase chain reaction. However, these reports have also been generally limited to patients with advanced cancer or known neoplastic or proliferative disease.
We have recognized that nucleic acid amplification assays can detect tumor-associated extracellular mutated DNA, including oncogene DNA, in the plasma or serum fraction of blood of humans without clinically-diagnosed cancer or known disease (see U.S. Ser. No. 08/818,058, incorporated by reference), and that this can be accomplished in a clinically useful manner.

Detection of extracellular tumor-associated nucleic acid in blood plasma or serum using nucleic acid amplification assays


A ski retrieval apparatus for mounting on a snow ski boot and attaching to the ski or ski binding for locating the ski when the skier falls and the ski is dislodged from the binding. The ski retrieval apparatus includes a housing fitted with a drum which receives a length of line, the free end of which extends from the housing and is attached to the binding or ski when the housing is secured to a ski boot. In one embodiment a winding knob projects from the spool and when the ski is dislodged from the boot, the line extends from the housing by rotation of the spool to link the skier with the lost ski. Retrieval of the ski is effected by manually winding the line back on the spool and pulling the ski to the skier. In another embodiment an automatic winding apparatus includes a spring-loaded ratchet which operates such that line is paid out from the housing against spring tension and may be rewound on the rotating drum or spool by releasing the ratchet mechanism and applying spring bias to the spool.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the sport of snow skiing and more particularly, to a ski retrieval apparatus for locating and retrieving skis when the skier falls and one or both skis are released from the ski bindings. On frequent occasions when a skier falls while skiing, each boot is released from the ski bindings upon impact and the skis sometimes slide some distance from the skier, making retrieval difficult. Retrieval of the lost skis is particularly difficult under circumstances where the slope is steep and the skier must laboriously maneuver to the skis, which may be located some distance apart and from the skier, and spend valuable skiing time maneuvering into position again to lock the boots into the ski bindings.
In a preferred embodiment the ski retrieval apparatus of this invention is characterized by a housing designed to fit on each ski boot, with a line wound on a drum located in the housing and the free end of the line attached to the binding or a ski. A ratchet system allows the line to pay out from the housing when one or more skis are dislodged from the boot or boots when the skier falls. The line can then be wound back on the drum, either manually or automatically, to retrieve the ski or skis, which are typically located some distance from the skier. The ski retrieval apparatus thus serves both as a ski locator and as a retrieval device to retrieve one or both skis after the impact of a fall without the necessity of moving to the ski location, a sometimes difficult task, especially on a steep slope.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various devices for preventing snow skis from travelling downhill after impact when a skier falls and otherwise securing the skis to the skier, are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,835,523, dated May 30, 1989, to Nicholas Pruett, details a "Ski Beeper". The ski beeper is mounted to the ski in a position where the ski boot depresses an activator button on the device. In the event the ski boot releases from the binding and ski, the spring-loaded activator button raises and in turn, causes the beeper to become activated, thus alerting the skier of the position of the ski. U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,452, dated Apr. 24, 1990, to John J. Cimino, details a "Ski Locator Device Utilizing a Foam Ball". The ski locator device includes a tether having one end attached to the ski and the other connected to a brightly colored foam ball. The foam ball is compacted and inserted in a zippered pouch which is attached either to the skier's leg or to his boot. Upon detachment of the ski from the skier's boot, the foam ball is pulled through an aperture in the pouch and can be readily seen, thereby assisting in locating the ski. German Patent No. 2,930,502, details an "Alarm System" mounted on the ski, which alarm system is activated to locate the ski upon release of the ski from the ski boot and binding. German Patent No. 3,406,170 A1, details a drum having double windings of cord exiting the drum housing from opposite directions, one end of which is provided with a clip and the other with a ring. British Patent No. 1,336,553, details "Tape Measures and Like Articles" which are spring-loaded, wherein the tape extends from a housing under spring bias. PCT Patent No. WO 89/04194, details a "Ski Retriever" which includes a housing having a drum rotatably mounted therein. A cord is secured to and wound around the drum and passes through an aperture in the housing. A clip is disposed at the free end of the cord and the housing is connected to a skier's leg by a coupling, while the clip connects the cord to the ski. In a fall, the cord is drawn out of the housing against the spring bias and the coupling separates. A plate extending around the housing resists embedding of the housing in the snow and aids subsequent location and retrieval of a buried ski or skis.
It is an object of this invention to provide a ski retrieval apparatus for mounting on the boots of a skier and connecting the boots to the respective skis by means of a spring-biased line, wherein the line can be wound into the apparatus housing attached to the boot if the ski or skis are released from the bindings in a fall and are located some distance from the skier.
Another object of the invention is to provide a ski retrieval apparatus having a housing designed for mounting on the boots of the skier, a drum provided in the housing and a line mounted on the drum, with the free end of the line extending from the housing and attached to the ski or binding and a ratchet provided in the housing and engaging the drum to facilitate extension of the line by rotation of the drum in the event that the ski or skis are removed from the boot or boots during a fall and engagement of the drum for manual or automatic rewinding of the line on the drum and retrieval of the ski or skis.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a ski retrieval apparatus, which in a first preferred embodiment is characterized by a housing mounted on the boots of the skier, a line mounted on a spool or drum rotatably fitted in the housing, with the free end of the line attached to the ski binding or ski, a winding knob communicating with the drum, along with a ratchet system provided in the drum and selectively engaging the drum such that the line may be freely extended by rotation of the drum when the ski or skis are removed from the boots during a fall. The line may be then rewound on the drum by manually rotating the knob and drum to retrieve the ski or skis.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a ski retrieval apparatus which in a preferred embodiment includes a separate housing attached to each boot of the skier, with a rotating spool or drum provided in the housing, a line wound on the drum and a spring-loaded ratchet system fitted within the housing and positioned in selective engagement with the drum, wherein the line is extended through the housing for attachment to the ski or binding. Free extension of the line by rotation of the drum against the spring tension is effected if the ski or skis are removed from the boots during a fall and retrieval of the ski or skis is accomplished by pressing a ratchet disengaging button or trigger to apply spring bias on the drum and rewind the line on the drum.


A liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal panel in a display area and a non-display area; a plurality of optical sheets under the liquid crystal panel; a light guide plate under the optical sheets; a light source configured to apply light to the light guide plate; and a support main connected to the liquid crystal panel, the optical sheets and the light guide plate and including a first support guide in back of the liquid crystal panel; a second support guide in back of the optical sheets and extending from a side surface of the first support guide; and a third support guide extending from a side surface of the second support guide. An inside portion of the third support guide is narrower than an outside portion of the third support guide.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present application relates to a liquid crystal display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a variety of flat panel display devices with reduced weight and volume have been developed as an alternative to cathode ray tubes (CRT) which are heavy and large. The flat panel display devices include liquid crystal display (LCD) devices, field emission display (FED) devices, plasma display panels (PDPs), electroluminescence devices and so on.
Advantages of the PDPs include a simple manufacture process, lightness and thinness, and easy adaptability for providing a large-sized screen. In view of these points, the PDPs attract public attention. However, the PDPs have serious problems such as low light emission efficiency, low brightness and high power consumption. Thin film transistor LCD devices are widely used as the flat display devices, but have disadvantages such as a narrow viewing angle and a low response time. The electroluminescence display devices are classified into an inorganic light emitting display device and an organic light emitting display device on the basis of the formation material of a light emission layer. The organic light emitting display device corresponding to a self-illuminating display device has features such as high response time, high light emission efficiency, high brightness and wide viewing angle. Such flat display devices are being developed into a large-sized model with high definition. Moreover, in order to enlarge a viewer's sense of immersion in a displayed imaged, it is necessary to realize a narrow bezel.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an LCD device according to related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, the LCD device according to related art includes a liquid crystal panel 20, a backlight unit 31, a support main 80, a cover bottom 90 and a top case 10.
The liquid crystal panel 20 is used to play an important part of an image display. To this end, the liquid crystal panel 20 includes first and second substrates combined to face each other with a liquid crystal layer therebetween. A printed circuit board (PCB) 30 is connected to one edge of the liquid crystal panel 20 via at least one connection member. The backlight unit 31 is disposed in a rear of the liquid crystal panel 20. Also, the backlight unit 31 includes: a lamp 70 disposed along at least one edge of the support main 80; a reflective sheet of a white or silver color disposed on the cover bottom 90; a light guide plate 50 disposed on the reflective sheet 60; and a plurality of optical sheets 40 stacked on the light guide plate 50. The lamp 70 is positioned at one side surface of the light guide plate 50. In a state that the edges of the liquid crystal panel 20 and the backlight unit 31 are surrounded with the support main having a quadrilateral rim shape, the top case 10 surrounding the edges of the liquid crystal panel 20 and the cover bottom 90 covering the rear surface of the backlight unit 31 are combined with each other and united to form a single body, using the support main 80 as a medium. As such, light emitted from the lamp 70 is converted into high quality light with uniform brightness by entering an incidence surface, e.g., a front surface, of the light guide plate 50, being refracted toward the liquid crystal panel 20, and passing through the optical sheets 40, before being irradiated onto the liquid crystal panel 20. In accordance therewith, the liquid crystal panel externally displays images.
Nowadays, LCD devices are gradually being widened to be used as monitors of portable and desk-top computers and televisions of a wall-tapestry type. As such, an LCD device with a wide display area and largely reduced weight and volume has been actively researched. To provide an edge corresponding to a non-illuminating area except an effective illuminating area, it is necessary to design a narrow bezel. Although efforts for realizing the narrow bezel and light-weighted LCD device are being tried, there are many difficulties in realizing the narrow bezel in a lightweight LCD device.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an LCD device according to related art.
As shown in FIG. 2, the width of a support main 80 can be reduced to realize a narrow bezel. In this case, the ability of the support main to provide sufficient support for the light guide plate 50 deteriorates. In detail, the reduced width of the support main 80 enables a contact area of the support main 80 and the light guide plate 50 in a circle region marked by a dotted line to be reduced. As such, the supporting force applied from the support main 80 to the light guide plate 50 becomes weaker. The weakening of the light guide plate 50 can cause it to be moved from a desired position, and furthermore picture quality can deteriorate. Moreover, because the edge region of the liquid crystal panel is also reduced, light leaks through the circle region marked by the dotted line. In accordance therewith, picture quality can largely deteriorate, and components within the non-display area can be viewed from the exterior.


A ligature for use on a mouthpiece of a woodwind musical instrument. The ligature has a flexible or semi-flexible body and can be fastened to encircle the mouthpiece and reed assembly. A cradle is connected to the inside of the body and an insert is removably received in the cradle. A plurality of inserts are provided for selection of a needed insert. Flaps are positioned over or under the cradle as needed to produce desired tonal effects.

The present application relates to a ligature for a woodwind musical instrument and, more particularly, to a ligature which permits the obtaining of multiple tones from the instrument.
Ligatures are used to mount a vibrating reed element to the surface of a mouthpiece for an instrument such as a clarinet or saxophone. The design and construction of the ligature, affects the tone quality and response of the instrument. A goal of the ligature design is to permit maximum freedom of vibration to the reed.
Prior ligatures that attempt to provide a means of adjusting the quality of tone or response have done so by utilizing screw adjustments, as in the designs of Van Doren U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,229 and Cusack U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,152, or sliding bars as in Pascucci U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,253, or a plurality of pressure pins as in Winslow U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,271. Those using pressure adjustments may not achieve satisfactory performance throughout the range of adjustment. Those requiring extensive assembly and disassembly are not convenient to use. In the design of the present invention, alteration in tone and response are achieved by changing the virtual mass of the cradle, in combination with having the reed in contact with either metal or rubber, thus achieving a diversity of tone with no sacrifice in performance, and having uniqueness in comparison with the prior art. Also, this has been achieved in a less complex manner and with greater ease of use than in many prior ligatures.


In the present method for manufacturing a magnetic write head a focused ion beam (FIB) tool is utilized to mill the side edges of a P2pole, in order to provide a narrowed track width. Prior to milling, a thin film layer of material is deposited upon the P2pole tip. The milling boxes of the FIB tool are properly aligned upon the layer with reference to the location of the P2 pole tip. Milling of the lateral edges of the P2pole tip is then conducted to the appropriate depth, and the layer of material is removed. The resulting P2pole tip has sharp lateral edges, rather than the rounded edges that are produced in prior art FIB processing methods that do not utilize the thin film layer. In a preferred implementation, the FIB tool is utilized first to deposit the thin film layer and thereafter to perform the milling operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to thin film magnetic heads used to read and write data onto magnetic media, and more particularly to the use of ion milling, such as with the use of a focused ion beam (FIB) tool, to trim the pole tip lateral edges to achieve a narrow track width.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Thin film magnetic recording heads are generally utilized in the data storage industry to record data onto magnetic media, such as magnetic hard disks. It is an industry-wide goal to store ever increasing quantities of data upon the magnetic media by increasing the areal density of the data stored on the media. The areal data storage density is typically increased by increasing the linear density of the data bits (bits per inch, BPI), and/or by writing the data in narrower tracks (tracks per inch, TPI). With regard to hard disks, where the data is written in narrower circular tracks on the disk, more data tracks per inch can be written and therefore more data can be stored on the disk when the TPI is increased.
The width of the data track that is written by a recording head is generally determined by the width of the second magnetic pole, termed the P2 pole, of the write head, and efforts have been undertaken in the prior art to devise methods for reducing the width of the base of the P2 pole, commonly referred to as the P2B dimension. These prior art methods have included the use of ion beams to irradiate selected areas of the P2 pole to remove material and thereby reduce the P2B dimension.
With particular regard to the present invention, the use of a focused ion beam (FIB) to mill portions of the P2 pole to reduce the P2B dimension is known. Such prior art efforts have indeed reduced the P2B dimension, however the use of the FIB tool, particularly where the P2B dimension is quite small can be problematic. Specifically, owing to the current density distribution within the FIB tool ion beam, the edges of a milled P2 pole tip are rounded, rather than being sharp edges. The rounded edges of the P2 pole result in a P2B dimension that is unpredictable and a P2 pole that is non-optimum. There is therefore a need for an improved method for conducting the FIB milling of the write head which results in a P2 pole having sharp milled lateral edges and a clearly defined P2B dimension. Where the milled lateral edges of the P2 pole are sharp, a clearly defined track width is created and unwanted side writing from the pole tip is significantly reduced, such that narrower data tracks are produced and the data tracks can be written closer together, thus resulting in increased TPI and increased areal density of the data upon the magnetic media.

Pole tip trimmed magnetic recording head with minimal edge rounding

International Business Machines Corporation


A database stores as administration information of a program, source code identification information for identifying a source code representing the program, function unit identification information for identifying function units of the program which are defined by the source code, and an address of an administrator of the source code. An evaluation computer performs an evaluation process on a program to be evaluated to determine whether the program includes any error command or module, and when determining that the program includes an error command or module, obtains administration information of the program to be evaluated from the database and externally sends source code identification information and function unit identification information included in the obtained administration information to an address included in the obtained administration information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a software evaluation system and a software evaluation apparatus. Particularly, the present invention relates to a software evaluation system and a software evaluation apparatus for evaluating or debugging program components such as basic modulus and commands, in development of application software or firmware for devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
In development of software or firmware, if software or firmware is evaluated only by the programmer who has actually coded the software or firmware, objective evaluation of the software or firmware cannot be achieved.
Thus, software evaluation by a third party is required. In this case, the evaluator and the programmer evaluate the software from their respective viewpoints. The programmer tends to consume time in chucking the source codes of modules and commands created by him/herself. On the other hand, the evaluator is likely to use time in conducting application tests using the once created commands and modules based on predetermined evaluation points, to totally check the software,
A typical flow of software evaluation process is as follows.
First, the evaluator performs analysis/evaluation of the target program, using a predetermined evaluation tool. If an error occurs in a region of the target program or an error is detected when performing evaluation, the evaluator reports the existence of the error to the programmer who has programmed the error region. Based on this report, the programmer searches out the source code file which forms the cause of the error, and checks and debugs the source code file.
As a conventional software evaluation tool, for example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2001-117794 discloses a program automatic evaluation system. This system automatizes the evaluation process. An evaluation tool of this system generates evaluation point data and expected value data based on an evaluation target source code. Then, the evaluation tool sends the evaluation point data together with commands to a target computer. The target computer generates an evaluation program based on the evaluation target source code in advance. Then, the target computer analyzes the commands sent from the evaluation tool, inputs the evaluation point data into the evaluation program, and obtains output of evaluation results. Then, the target computer returns the obtained evaluation results to the evaluation tool. The evaluation tool performs evaluation by comparing the evaluation results with the expected value data.
Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. 2001-154889 discloses an apparatus and method of displaying a program performance graph. This program performance graph display apparatus performs its unique performance analysis process on a program, and automatically displays the result of analysis. This reduces the workload of evaluation. Further, this program performance graph display apparatus displays relationship between characteristic values helpful for evaluating program modules and segments to be evaluated by a graph of three-dimensional coordinates. As a result, contents of evaluation can be rapidly comprehended.
Various efforts have been made for automation of software evaluation processes, as described above.
However, conventional software evaluation processes have the following problems. First, a lot of time and labor are required since the conventional processes include a program evaluation process, report of the evaluation results including errors and defects to the programmer, and feed-back process by the programmer.
Second, when it comes to development of large-scaled software or firmware, there are included thousands of source code files to be processed. Therefore, man cannot easily keep track of so many files.
Third, when error information is reported from the evaluator to the programmer, the programmer has to unreliably find out the source code file which is related by the error among the many files with complexity.

Software evaluation system having source code and function unit identification information in stored administration information


A data processing system, method, and product are disclosed for pre-encrypting static information transmitted by secure Web sites. The data processing system includes a server computer system coupled to a client computer system utilizing a network. The server computer system receives a request for a secure Web page that is maintained by the server. The secure Web page includes dynamically-changing information and static information. The server encrypts and transmits the encrypted dynamically-changing information. The server determines whether the static information has been pre-encrypted. If the static information has been pre-encrypted, the server bypasses the encryption step and transmits the pre-encrypted static information.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to the field of computer systems and, more specifically to a data processing system, method, and product for pre-encrypting static information transmitted by secure Web sites.
2. Description of Related Art
The Internet, also referred to as an "internetwork", is a set of computer networks, possibly dissimilar, joined together by means of gateways that handle data transfer and the conversion of messages from the sending network to the protocols used by the receiving network (with packets if necessary). When capitalized, the term "Internet" refers to the collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols.
The Internet has become a cultural fixture as a source of both information and entertainment. Many businesses are creating Internet sites as an integral part of their marketing efforts, informing consumers of the products or services offered by the business or providing other information seeking to engender brand loyalty. Many federal, state, and local government agencies are also employing Internet sites for informational purposes, particularly agencies, such as the Internal Revenue Service and secretaries of state, which must interact with virtually all segments of society. Providing informational guides and/or searchable databases of online public records may reduce operating costs. Further, the Internet is becoming increasingly popular as a medium for commercial transactions.
The Internet includes the World Wide Web. Web-based applications, executed by server computer systems, may be accessed by client computer systems. In order to access a Web-based application, a user first must establish an Internet connection. The user may then specify a URL (uniform resource locator) of a particular Web page. A Web page includes an HTML file and associated files for displaying images, such as graphics images.
Each Web page may contain text, graphics, images, sound, multimedia files, links to other Web pages, and any other type of electronic information. The server computer system does not typically store all of the components of a Web page in one single file. Instead, the server stores code in the HTML file which can be used by a client's Web browser in order to build the page. The server, thus, stores references to enable the browser to find the files that are needed to display the various text and images which then make up the Web page.
Many Internet Web sites encrypt the data transmitted between the site's server computer system and the user's client computer system, and, therefore, are considered to be "secure" sites. The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a commonly-used protocol that describes the security used to transmit data from a secure site via the Internet. The SSL protocol includes a record layer which is responsible for encrypting and transmitting data.
Secure sites encrypt all data transferred to the client computer systems. Therefore, when a client's browser requests a particular page, all of the information needed to create the page is encrypted and then transmitted to the client's browser. All of the information is encrypted each time it is requested.
Encrypting all of the data each time a Web page is requested is often unnecessary. The percentage of the Web page including information that should be encrypted may be small. Many Web pages include various marketing information and logos that are not unique to any particular page, are not security sensitive, and do not change frequently. For example, company logo images do not often change.
The known systems described above encrypt the non-sensitive and static data along with the security sensitive data each time the information is transmitted to a client. This is unnecessary and can be very time-consuming.
Therefore, a need exists for a method, system, and product whereby a secure Web site stored pre-encrypted static information. The Web site then encrypts dynamically-changing information in response to each request, and bypasses the encryption step for the static information that has been pre-encrypted.

Method, system, and product for pre-encrypting static information transmitted by secure web sites


In the present invention, a nested wheel trim system is provided. The system provides two wheel trim attachments each having a trim member, a hub cover, and a jam nut. The two trim members are sized so as to nest into each other, and the hub covers are also sized to nest within one another so that the nested hub covers can be placed on top of the trim members if the trim members are for deep well wheels or under the trim members for regular well wheels.

The present invention relates generally to an attachment for decorative wheel trim members to motor vehicle wheels and more particularly to a wheel trim attachment system which can be nested for easy packing.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many owners of trucks and recreational vehicles use wheel trim members to improve the cosmetic appearance of their wheels by adding decorative trim rings and the like. The same wheel trim attachment systems are used for heavy trucks. Unfortunately, the Department of Transportation requires that these trim members be removable to allow easy inspection of the axle. Also, many manufacturers require that OEM wheel trim members be attachable to a wheel without removal of the existing lug nuts. It will be further appreciated by those skilled in the art that given the requirements by the Department of Transportation and many motor vehicle manufacturers, that the state of the art wheel trim attachment systems are very bulky and take up much room during shipping thereby greatly increasing the cost of shipping the product.
What is needed, then, is a wheel trim attachment system which can be attached to a wheel without removal of the existing lug nuts. This needed system must be inspectable by the Department of Transportation without removing the existing lug nuts. This needed wheel trim attachment system must be shaped in a size so as to be easily nested so that it takes up the least amount of room during packaging.


Method and system for document update are provided. Information related to document update in the database is obtained. A stochastic model is generated based on the obtained information. An update sequence is determined based on the stochastic model. The update sequence indicates at least one document that needs to be updated in a time slot. One or more documents are retrieved from the database based on the update sequence. The retrieved one or more documents are updated in the time slot.

1. Technical Field
The present teaching relates generally to document management. More specifically, the present teaching relates to document update in a database.
2. Discussion of Technical Background
With the advancement of information technology, more and more documents need to be stored and organized in databases. Each document in a database may have an index for improving the speed of data retrieval operations. An index of a document should be updated when there is a content update for the document. On the other hand, even in absence of a content update, the index needs to be updated to prevent a hysteresis of a data retrieval operation in the database over a period of time.
Effort has been made to update a document index at an expiry of a fixed time period, i.e., an expiry period. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system 100 for updating documents based on fixed expiry periods, in accordance with a prior art. The system 100 may include one or more document databases 112, 114, 116, a document access platform 130, a document update unit 140, and a plurality of timers 150. Document databases 110 may include a plurality of documents each having an index, so that one or more documents can be accessed, via the indices 120, by the document access platform 130. The document update unit 140 may retrieve documents from 110 by the document access platform 130, and update the documents based on a document update request 160 and the timers 150. The document update request 160 may indicate that one or more documents need to be updated, e.g., due to some content changes. Each of the timers 150 may set up a fixed expiry period for a document or a group of documents to be updated when the expiry period ends.
Since documents are usually categorized into large datasets in a database, each dataset may have a large quantity of documents that have same or close expiry periods and need to be updated at a same time period. Thus, such conventional approaches, e.g., the approach implemented by the system 100 in FIG. 1, may cause a low responding speed or a breakdown of the databases 110, by updating a very large set of documents at a time. Therefore, there is a need to develop a solution for updating documents to avoid the above drawbacks.


A boost device boosts an input voltage to an output voltage across an output capacitor, and includes first and second output diodes coupled to the output capacitor, and a transformer coupled to first and second switches, first and second switching circuits, and to the first and second output diodes, and receiving the input voltage. The first and second switches are operated alternately in an ON-state, and have overlapping duty cycles. The first and second switching circuits are operable to suppress conduction losses for the first and second switches. The transformer has a bi-directional magnetic circuit. Electric energy is transformed through induced currents of the transformer, and a small amount of energy attributed to an exciting current of the transformer is used for voltage boosting, thereby attaining a relatively high output power.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a boost device, more particularly to a DC-to-DC boost device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional boost device is shown to include an inductor 11, a switch 12, a diode 13, and a capacitor 14. The inductor 11 has a first end coupled to an external power source, and a second end. The switch 12, such as a semiconductor power switch, has a first terminal coupled to a common node between the second end of the inductor 11 and an anode of the diode 13, a second terminal coupled to ground, and a control terminal for receiving an external control signal such that the switch 12 is operable between an ON-state and an OFF-state in response to the external control signal. The capacitor 14 is coupled between a cathode of the diode 13 and ground.
When the switch 12 is operated in the ON-state, a current from the external power source flows through the inductor 11 to store electric power. When the switch 12 is operated in the OFF-state, the capacitor 14 is charged with a current from the inductor 12 through the diode 13 such that the conventional boost device outputs an output voltage, i.e., a voltage across the capacitor 14, to a load.
The following are some of the drawbacks of the conventional boost device:
1. When the switch 12 is in the OFF-state, a voltage across the switch 12 is substantially equal to the output voltage. Therefore, if the switch 12 is implemented as a MOSFET device, a relatively large conducting impedance is exhibited by the MOSFET device, thereby resulting in a relatively large conduction loss.
2. When the switch 12 is switched from the OFF-state to the ON-state, a reverse bias surge current is generated to flow through the switch 12 that causes serious switching loss, thereby reducing power transformation efficiency.
3. The conventional boost device has a relatively small boost ratio due to the presence of the inductor 11. Therefore, an input voltage converted from solar energy or supplied by a rechargeable battery set of a motor-driven vehicle is not suitably boosted by the conventional boost device.
Referring to FIG. 2, another conventional boost device is shown to include a coupling inductor 15, a switch 16, a diode 17, and an output capacitor 18. The coupling inductor 15 has first and second windings 151, 152, each of which has a polarity end and a non-polarity end. The polarity end of the first winding 151 is coupled to an external power source. The switch 16 has a first terminal coupled to a common node between the non-polarity end of the first winding 151 and the polarity end of the second winding 152, a second terminal coupled to ground, and a control terminal for receiving an external control signal such that the switch 16 is operable between an ON-state and an OFF-state in response to the external control signal. The diode 17 has an anode coupled to the non-polarity of the second winding 152, and a cathode. The capacitor 18 is coupled between the cathode of the diode 17 and ground.
When the switch 16 is operated in the ON-state, a current from the external power source flows through the first winding 151 such that the first winding 151 is excited to store electric power. When the switch 16 is operated in the OFF-state, energy stored in the coupling inductor 15 charges the output capacitor 18 through the second winding 152 and the diode 17 such that the conventional boost device outputs an output voltage, i.e., a voltage across the output capacitor 18, to a load.
The following are some of the drawbacks of the conventional boost device of FIG. 2:
1. When the switch 16 is switched from the ON-state to the OFF-state, a voltage is generated as a result of a leakage inductance of the coupling inductor 15 and can cause damage to the switch 16. As such, an additional snubber circuit is required to absorb energy attributed to the leakage inductance.
2. When the switch 16 is switched from the OFF-state to the ON-state, a relatively large current flows through the switch 16, thereby resulting in a relatively large conduction loss. As a result, the power transformation efficiency of the conventional boost device is reduced.
3. A boost ratio of the conventional boost device is limited to a winding ratio of the second and first windings 152, 151. Therefore, an input voltage converted from solar energy is not suitably boosted by for the conventional boost device.


An extracorporeal lung assistance device having an oxygen-containing gas chamber positioned in such relationship to a gas exchange chamber that transfer of oxygen to blood and the withdrawal of carbon dioxide from blood disposed may be made. The gas exchange chamber has a blood flow channel extending through the gas exchanger defined by a microporous membrane forming a wall separating the blood flow channel from an oxygen, carbon dioxide exchange media. A second membrane supported in spaced-apart relationship from said first membrane. The space between the membranes is filled with the oxygen carbon dioxide exchange media.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an extracorporeal lung assistance device and process for using same. More particularly, this invention relates to a device whereby the carbon dioxide is removed and oxygen repleted in carbon-dioxide laden, oxygen-depleted blood.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Respiratory failure requiring artificial support affects in excess of 300,000 people in the United States per year. Approximately one-half of these patients suffer from adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Adult respiratory distress syndrome is an acute inflammatory lung disease with a mortality rate of 50%. This disease is characterized by increased capillary permeability resulting from the development of interstitial edema and alveolar flooding.
For the vast majority of patients with ARDS, there is no specific treatment, only supportive therapy. Supportive therapy for ARDS focuses on mechanical ventilation. Mechanical ventilation, by creating a positive pressure gradient, results in the inflation of the lungs. This is a reversal of the normal lung which functions by utilizing negative pressure to ventilate the lung. Air movement into the lung results primarily in removal of carbon dioxide from the blood and secondarily in oxygenation of the blood. Current ventilatory support may be damaging to the lung. Pulmonary "Volutrauma" secondary to high ventilator tidal volumes and airway pressures may cause a capillary leak syndrome pathologically indistinguishable from ARDS. Thus, alternative life support modalities such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may be a therapeutic option for acute respiratory failure in both infants and adults.
Despite a 90% survival following the use of ECMO for infants and neonates, adult survival following ECMO remains approximately 50%. A recently developed technique involves a low frequency, positive pressure ventilation with extracorporeal CO2 removal (ECCO2R), employing veno venous extracorporeal circulation at relatively low blood flow rates. This method allows the lung to "rest" by applying only 3 to 4 breaths/minute at a limited peak airway pressure. Although physiologically attractive as a supportive technique, current ECCO2R techniques still have many of the same limitations as earlier ECMO techniques, including the need for systemic anticoagulants, i.e. the use of heparin, resulting in bleeding complication, high cost, and the requirement for additional specialized personnel, thereby limiting ECCO2R's clinical application.
Current membrane technology involves impervious membrane material but with micropores for gas transport. Micropores result in a direct blood to gas interface, which may cause serum protein denaturation, serum leakage and membrane failure. Alternative nonporous, gas pervious membranes alleviate the serum leakage problem but result in inefficient gas exchange. Inefficient membranes mandate large membrane surface areas and greater extracorporeal volumes, with greater likelihood of hemodynamic instability, blood trauma, bleeding complications.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,475 to Marx discloses a device for transferring oxygen into blood. Oxygen is dissolved into a fluorocarbon transfer medium. Oxygen-depleted blood passes through a multiplicity of small diameter, blood gas pervious silicon membrane transporting tubes. The oxygen is transferred through the walls of the tube to the blood using direct gas infusion to the gas exchange medium, resulting in inhomogeneous gas transfer medium secondary to bubble formation. Blood is propelled through the apparatus by compressing the gas exchange tubes.
In EPO-published Application No. 283,850, there is disclosed a method and device for pumping and oxygenating blood circulated extracorporeally in cardiovascular assistance. The European patent application No. 283,850 discloses recirculating gas exchange medium and functions as a heart/lung combination. The blood is propelled by alternating the pressure of gas exchange fluid. U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,954 is directed to a device for treating blood comprising a set of fluid channels for blood and a second set of channels for treatment fluid, each set being defined by a pair of panels of semipermeable membranes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,889 discloses a hollow fiber membrane type artificial lung. Soviet Union Patent No. 1,281,273 discloses a method of extracorporeal oxygenation of blood involving pulse-type pumping by regular variation of pressure exercised by oxygenating blood fluid interface. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,092 discloses a peritoneal artificial lung which uses a perfluorocarbon oxygenating reservoir.

Extracorporeal lung assistance apparatus and process


A replaceable nozzle for use in high temperature environments. The nozzle includes a high-temperature-resistant, metal nozzle body that at least partially penetrates into the high temperature environment and a pipe that is connected to the nozzle body for supplying fluid. The nozzle also includes an expansion collar made of a high-temperature-resistant material, a nozzle block and a separating surface or a separating layer of high-temperature-resistant, elastic material. The expansion collar is designed to be disposed between the metal nozzle body and the nozzle block.

In the related art, fan-angle nozzles (FWD) or fan nozzles are used parallel or perpendicular to the wall that is plastered or surfaced with mortar on the inside of heat exchangers for cement cylindrical rotary kilns. The cakes of cement raw meal that regularly build up are removed by air blasts so that an optimum heat exchange process/material flow is achieved. In addition, the alternative of labor-intensive, high-risk manual removal involving the insertion of air lances or pokers through openings in the heat exchanger wall is avoided. If the mouthpiece of the fan nozzle becomes worn or eroded by chemical reactions, the large-surface cleaning effect decreases. Then, or during regular kiln maintenance, at the latest, the person setting up the heat exchanger must remove the block material and the old nozzle, weld in a new nozzle and fill the hollow chamber with fireproof cement.

Replaceable nozzle for high temperature reactors having a fire-resistant lining


A roof tie-down arrangement for preventing damage to a roof during high wind conditions of the type in which force is applied to hold down the roof via at least one cable and at least one support member. The support member has a pair of support legs for resting upon a roof surface which are connected by a channel-forming portion having a channel which runs lengthwise along the support member. This channel has a diameter that is appreciably greater than the diameter of the cable, has at least a portion which is open from above and is constructed for preventing the cable from lifting out of said the channel.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a roof support that protects and preserves the roof of a dwelling, business, garage, etc., during high wind conditions. Specifically, the invention relates to metal cable support member which receives a tie-down member that is strapped across the length and/or breath of a roof of a building structure, applying a downward force to the roof being protected. The cable support member prevents extensive damage to a roof by reducing the likelihood that the roof will be separated from the rest of the building during high wind conditions.
2. Description of Related Art
During high wind conditions (i.e. hurricanes, tornados, etc.,) it is possible for all or part of the roof of a building structure to be separated from the rest of the main building due to the lifting effect created as the wind passes over the roof at very high speeds. It has been determined that the most serious damage to a building occurs when the entire roof separates from the building. In geographic areas such as coastal regions where such high winds are a common occurrence, the modern trend has been to use some type of additional roof support besides the typical nail-down method.
An example of such a technique is demonstrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,786 to Lozier et al. which discloses the use of tie-down straps, and a plurality of anchors to secure the roof of the dwelling. The straps are connected to anchors placed on opposite sides of the building and secured to the foundation. The strap and anchor configuration includes a ratchet as a tension adjusting device that permits the straps to be tightened against the roof. This invention is designed to guide the straps but does not prevent the straps from being separated from the guide. Therefore, there is always the risk that the straps could be separated from the guide during use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,184 to Oviedo-Reyes discloses an apparatus for strengthening a building against hurricanes and wind storms using a net member placed over the roof and held in place by cables and several support beams. Anchorage assemblies keep the support beam members in place and tension adjusting devices are used to tighten the cables against the structure being protected. However, because this arrangement requires the use of a net member, and elaborate cable and anchor assemblies to support the building, it is difficult to install and use.
U.S. Pat. No. 777,441 to Small discloses a device for guiding and supporting anchoring-cables employed to hold the roof of a building to prevent its destruction by wind storms. This device consists of a base plate that is secured to the roof with a pivoting block attached to each plate. The block has a longitudinal groove in its outer face for receiving a anchoring-cable that is anchored on both ends and passed over the block. Because this device requires that the base plates be nailed to the roof, it results in minor roof damage that leads to roof leaks if not properly repaired.
Although these inventions may have been useful as roof supports on various types of dwellings and businesses, they do not represent the most efficient and economical way of achieving the desired results.


The present invention is an abrasive or abrading tool assembly comprising an abrasive or abrading tool having a housing, an air inlet port, and an exhaust outlet with a support for a wrist and forearm attached to the tool. In one embodiment including a pneumatically powered tool, the support extends toward and over the air inlet port and dust bag outlet. The abrading tool may be a rotary tool. The present invention also includes a wrist/forearm support for an abrading tool including a substantially flat body, two forks projecting from the body wherein each fork defines an orifice, and in which the orifices are positioned substantially opposite from each other, and possessing a support member that extends from the bottom of the body in the direction of the tool.

Hand-held orbital sanders and other handheld abrading or abrasive tools are common in the prior art having been available to the general public for several decades. One problem common to handheld (portable) powered sanders, including orbital sanders, is the tool grip is configured in such a way that the user is required to arch his wrist, which over a period of time will tend to cause wrist strain and eventually chronic injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Typically, the user must grip the sander on top of the housing with the abrasive material, such as a sandpaper sheet, attached to the rotating bottom of the sander. In order to provide sufficient pressure to the abrasive tool, the user must press down on the top of the housing while at the same time arching the wrist out of the way of the attached air hose, for pneumatic sanders, power cord, and/or dust and air exhaust. This problem may be exacerbated by the addition of a dust collection bag attached to the exhaust. In several embodiments, the hand must simultaneously hold down a "dead-man" type power switch. These strained gripping positions can lead to long-term, if not permanent damage to the hand, wrist, and/or distal portion of the forearm. Although there exist innumerable embodiments of handheld sanders, they fail to disclose a sander with an ergonomically comfortable gripping surface for handheld sanders, including rotary sanders.
U.S. Pat. No. D494,434 to Sun, et al. is typical in that it discloses a handheld pneumatic burnishing device having a relatively large switch that is held by the gripping hand as the burnishing device is operated. An air inlet and exhaust extends out from the housing under the switch. Because the '434 device lacks a hand or wrist support or rest, the user is required to arch his/her wrist and cup the hand in order to hold the switch and simultaneously maneuver the tool on the surface to be treated.
U.S. Pat. No. D458,102 to Tseng and U.S. Pat. No. D438,078 to Leu are similar in structure to the tool in the '434 patent in that they include a switch held by the gripping hand and they also lack any type of wrist or forearm resting device or a guard to prevent the wrist or forearm from contacting either the inlet or inlet hose and the exhaust duct or bag. U.S. Pat. No. D436,817, also to Leu, features a dust bag outlet that extends from underneath the switch, but provides no stable component on which to rest the gripping hand's wrist or forearm. U.S. Pat. No. D353,984 to Izumisawa discloses an orbital sander similar to that of the '817 patent in that the exhaust duct extends some distance from the housing of the sander. However, the exhaust duct, aside from possessing a curved shape unsuitable for supporting a wrist, is also positioned below the level of the switch, making it unavailable for a wrist or forearm rest even if the shape of the duct was more suitable.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0228833 to Boyer is typical of handheld sanders and other similar abrasive tools designed to be held with two hands in that the switch is located under one of the handles and it can only be effectively operated using two hands. In addition, it lacks any component that can be used as a guard or rest for supporting the wrist or forearm.
Therefore, there is a need in the field for an orbital abrasive tool ergonomically designed to be held with one hand and that provides a guard or rest for the user's wrist or forearm to prevent carpel tunnel syndrome and other injuries to the gripping hand.

Comfort grip for an orbital abrasive hand tool


An automatic focal point sensing device includes an image sensor on which an optical image is projected and which photoelectrically converts the image pixel by pixel to generate image data, a first calculation circuit which generates more than one pixel block, each pixel block being the sum of consecutive pixel data items, calculates one of the sum of the differences between signal levels of two adjacent pixel blocks and the sum of the square of each of the differences of two adjacent pixel blocks as a contrast value, and which determines more than one contrast value by changing a combination of pixel data items contained in each pixel block, and a second calculation circuit for calculating the sum of the contrast values determined by the first calculation circuit as an evaluation value and determining the degree of focusing on the basis of the evaluation value.

The invention relates to an automatic focal point sensing device that calculates the degree of focusing by use of an image evaluation function.
It is well-known that the optical image formed by a lens has the maximum amplitude of brightness of the image, or the maximum contrast, when it is in focus. This phenomenon takes place because the intensity of light (power spectrum) at each spatial frequency of the optical image becomes the largest when the image is in focus. A method of sensing the position of the focal point making use of the phenomenon has been considered. Known devices based on such a method are as follows.
In the focal point sensing device disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 56-1022, a self-scanning photoelectric device composed of very small photoelectric elements is used. The signal obtained by dividing the difference in photoelectronic output between two very small photoelectric elements by the sum of photoelectric outputs is extracted. The peak value of the signal in a definite scanning period is used as a contrast signal.
In the focus sensing device disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 57-207210, nonlinear operation is performed on the outputs of two sets of light-receiving elements provided in front of and behind an estimated focal point plane of the optical system by calculating the difference in output between two preset combinations of light-receiving elements. The nonlinear operation enables the position of the optical system to be sensed. Furthermore, of these sense signals, the difference between two sense signals is computed. From the result, the position of the optical system is determined. In the unfocused region, an analog signal corresponding to the position of the optical system is outputted, whereas in the focused region with a latitude, an in-focus signal of a specific level is outputted.
In the image taking-in device disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 6-78112, charges read with a charge transfer clock from the individual pixels of a CCD image sensor are stored sequentially. On the CCD image sensor, the subject image formed by an image forming optical system is projected. At the same time, resetting is done in a period equal to an integral multiple of the half period of the charge transfer clock and a specific number of adjacent pixels are added. The added charges are sampled. The pixel input range at the time when the subject is taken in from the CCD image sensor is set to the pixel range equal to an integral multiple of the maximum number of pixels that can be added during the reset period. This makes the subject taking-in range constant, improving the image evaluation accuracy.