A method of measuring a concentration of a component in a subject includes setting an intensity relationship equation between a positive-order beam and a negative-order beam with respect to a reference matter at a particular wavelength, applying a light having a first wavelength band absorbed by the component and detecting an intensity of a positive-order beam output from the subject and an intensity of a negative-order beam output from the reference matter, the positive-order beam and the negative-order beam having a second wavelength band, calculating an intensity of a positive-order beam input to the subject by applying the intensity of the negative-order beam output from the reference matter to the intensity relationship equation, and calculating absorbance using the intensity of the positive-order beam output from the subject and the intensity of the positive-order beam input to the subject and measuring a concentration of the component using the absorbance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a measurement of a concentration of a component in a subject. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for accurately measuring a concentration of a component in a subject, such as a bodily fluid in a human body, by removing a time difference between a measurement of a reference light and a measurement of a signal light.
2. Description of the Related Art
With overall improvements in quality of life and living conditions, interest in personal health has increased. As a result, a wide array of home medical equipment that allows people to easily monitor their personal health has been researched and developed. In a normal human body, bodily fluid is organically circulated and adjusted so that an amount of bodily fluid is maintained within a predetermined range. Bodily fluids include blood, urine, interstitial fluid, sweat, and saliva. In particular, concentrations of blood and urine (glucose and protein) are essential parameters in determining a person's state of health. In addition, concentrations of blood components, such as glucose, hemoglobin, bilirubin, cholesterol, albumin, creatinine, protein, and urea, play an important role in assessing a person's state of health.
When a human body is infected with a disease, a composition or a volume of a component in a bodily fluid changes, which may result in death. For example, a normal person's blood glucose concentration is about 80 mg/dl before a meal and about 120 mg/dl after a meal. In order to maintain such a normal glucose concentration, a human pancreas secretes an appropriate amount of insulin before or after the meal so that glucose can be absorbed into the liver and skeletal muscle cells. However, when the pancreas does not secrete an appropriate amount of insulin to maintain a normal blood glucose concentration due to a disease or other causes, an excessive amount of glucose exists in the blood, which causes diseases of the heart or liver, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, cataract, retinal bleeding, nerve damage, hearing loss, or visual impairment, all of which may cause serious problems including death. Accordingly, a technique of measuring a change in a bodily fluid in a human body is considered very important.
Methods of measuring the concentration of a component of bodily fluid include invasive methods of directly collecting a sample from a subject and gathering measurements on the collected part of the subject and noninvasive methods of gathering measurements without directly collecting a sample from a subject. Since invasive methods have many problems, techniques of easily analyzing components of bodily fluid using a noninvasive method have been continuously researched and developed. Conventionally, when measuring a component of bodily fluid, for example, blood glucose, blood is extracted, reacted with a reagent, and then analyzed by using a clinical analysis system or quantifying a change in the color of a test strip. When such a blood glucose test is performed daily, a patient suffers from pain resulting from the direct blood collection and is susceptible to infection. Moreover, since it is difficult to continuously monitor the blood glucose level, it is difficult to properly treat a patient in an emergency situation. In addition, use of disposable strips and reagents may be a financial burden on the patient. Furthermore, these disposable strips and reagents cause environmental contamination, and as such, require special treatment. Accordingly, development of a technique of measuring a blood glucose concentration without extracting blood is desired for monitoring and adjusting the blood glucose level of a diabetic or diagnosing a person's state of health. Many methods of noninvasively measuring blood glucose have been researched, but instruments using these methods have not been commercialized.
In most conventional, spectroscopic methods of measuring the concentration of a blood component in a human body, light within a visible ray and near infrared ray (NIR) wavelength range is radiated onto a part of the human body, and then, light reflected from or transmitted through the human body is detected. In such spectroscopic methods, a spectrum is usually measured to measure the concentration of a blood component. Here, a reference light source having a wavelength that responds best to a blood component to be measured and a bandwidth that effectively counterbalances an influence of an interference substance is required. Conventionally, a continuous wave (CW) lamp is used as a light source, and the intensity of the light is measured using an expensive array detector, or a spectrum is measured using a spectroscopic system, in order to calculate the concentration of a component. Alternatively, a light emitting diode (LED) or a laser diode (LD) may be used as the light source.
However, since the concentration of a component to be measured may be very low in blood and a light diffusion effect is greater than a light absorption effect in living tissue and blood, detected signals are very weak. Thus, a method of amplifying the signal is required. Moreover, since organic substances in a human body continuously flow, a component concentration can be accurately measured only when the measurement is quickly performed. In addition, it must be noted that an average energy radiated onto a human body should not go beyond a limit that may damage the human body. In particular, in an NIR wavelength range of 700 through 2500 nm, a glucose absorption band is widely distributed, but a maximum absorption of glucose is small as compared to a large aqueous background spectrum. Resultantly, a signal to noise ratio (SNR) is small, which makes accurate measurements very difficult.
In various conventional, non-invasive methods of measuring a concentration of a component in a subject, absorbance is measured, and a multivariate statistical analysis is performed on the absorbance to analyze a component concentration. The absorbance can be expressed as a negative log ratio between signal light intensity measured from a sample and reference light intensity. Since the reference light intensity measured without a human body and the signal light intensity measured from the human body are measured at predetermined time intervals, a time difference exists between the measurement of the signal light intensity and the measurement of the reference light intensity. Such a time difference can be removed by simultaneously measuring the reference light intensity and the signal light intensity. In a conventional approach for removing the time difference, a beam is split into two beams by a beam splitter before being radiated onto a human body. One of the two beams is sent to a reference light intensity channel, and the other is sent to a signal light intensity channel. Intensities of these two beams are separately measured and used to predict the concentration of a particular component. In this situation, however, an additional optical system for splitting an input beam and related parts are required. Therefore, it is difficult to construct a compact system. Meanwhile, when a beam splitter is not used, the reference light intensity is measured first, then the signal light intensity is measured in order to calculate absorbance. However, due to influences of various changes occurring during an interval of time between the measurement of the reference light intensity and the measurement of the signal light intensity, it is difficult to accurately predict the concentration of a component.

Method and apparatus for measuring a concentration of a component in a subject


A rotatably adjustable patient support apparatus including a lower base assembly for mounting to a pedestal and an upper base assembly for mounting to a patient couch. The upper and lower base assemblies are connected by three spaced apart connectors, each of which includes two parts joined by a ball joint swivel bearing to enable pivoting of the connector parts about each of two horizontally disposed axes where the axes are perpendicular to one another. One of the connectors is stationary and the other two are mounted to move longitudinally along the base assemblies on guide rails. The guide rails of the upper base assembly are mounted to ramps such that predetermined movement of the two movable connectors cause the upper base assembly to pitch or roll, or to pitch and roll simultaneously. Movement of the two movable connectors is by acme screw and nut sets. A bearing and another acme screw and nut set are mounted to the upper base assembly and together with a pin and slot connector enable a patient couch mounted to the upper base assembly to rotate about a vertical axis independently or simultaneously with the upper base assembly pitching and rolling.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a patient support apparatus, and more particularly, to an improved rotatably adjustable patient support apparatus and method therefor for use, especially, in the field of radiation oncology, the apparatus being capable of rotating about first and second mutually perpendicular horizontal axes and also rotating about a vertical axis.
2. Description of the Related Art
Patient support systems are known, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,941,599 and 6,895,617. The support systems disclosed are capable of moving a patient in three dimensions, often referred to as the x, y and z directions. This terminology will be defined and explained below. As explained in the cited patents, such adjustable patient support systems are useful in radiotherapy. Another support system is disclosed in an Internet site having the address of "Medical-Intelligence.com," and branded as HEXAPOD ROBOTIC TREATMENT COUCH. The HEXAPOD system illustrates a patient support system having six degrees of freedom, defined as linear movements in the x, y and z directions and also rotational movements called pitch, roll and yaw. These rotational movements are about the x, y and z-axes.
The HEXAPOD system includes lower and upper panels or bases which are connected by several links that are pivotally mounted to both the lower and upper panels. By selectively rotating the links, the upper panel may be pivoted and tilted. A drawback to this system, however, is that it is bulky, necessitating too much vertical space between the panels. The extended profile results in difficulty for a patient in mounting the equipment of the system.

Patient support apparatus and method therefor


An autofocusing system in the nacro zone of a photographic lens is arranged so that the photographic lens having a zooming zone and a macro zone is provided with a first lens group driven by a first drive means and a second lens group driven by a second drive means, wherein the first lens group is driven for focusing in the zooming and macro zones, whereas the second lens group is driven for zooming in the zooming zone, the second lens group being driven for focusing in the macro zone before the first lens group is thus driven.

The present invention relates to an autofocusing system in the macro zone of a zoom lens.
Power zoom lenses driven by drive means such as a motor have recently been employed in so-called compact cameras fitted with an uninterchangeable photographic lens.
In an autofocusing system for such a compact camera equipped with the power lens, a zoom lens group is adjusted, in the zooming zone of a photographic zoom lens, in such a manner that an image of an object is formed on a film plane. Consequently, only a focusing lens group is driven to be in focus after the drive means is used to move and set the zooming lens group to have the certain focal length.
Incidentally, some photographic zoom lenses are designed to have the macro zone for use in close-up photographing by locating the zooming lens group outside the zooming zone.
In the macro zone, however, the focal length of the zooming lens group is constant and, because of photography is performed at a close distance, the distance between the photographic lens and the film needs adjusting so that the distance between the lens and the film corresponds to the distance between the lens and the object by delivering each lens group by a large amount to form an image of the object on the film.
Notwithstanding, a known arrangement is to control the zooming lens group in the macro zone independently of the autofocusing system, as in the zooming zone, such that the photographic lens can be brought into an in-focus condition by driving only the focusing lens group.
For the reasons set forth above, the photographic lens may not be brought into in-focus condition only by driving the focusing lens group, depending on the location of the zooming lens group on the optical axis.


A four-wheel drive transfer case including a force sensor and associated electronics for sensing the reaction forces on driven members within the transfer case, such as in association with an output shaft and its bearings. The force sensor and associated control system establish an output signal which varies depending upon the magnitude of the reaction force and yields an indication of the torque distribution between the output shafts of the transfer case. The output voltage signal is used by a torque monitoring and control system to vary and/or limit the magnitude of torque transmitted to the output shaft.

Transfer cases are generally well known devices for providing a truck, automobile, or other vehicle with four-wheel drive capability. These four-wheel drive transfer cases include a housing which rotatably supports an input shaft for receiving torque from the primary transmission of the vehicle, as well as front and rear output shafts for transferring torque from the input shaft to the front and rear wheels of the vehicle, respectively. The transfer case may be provided with shifting means controllable by the driver for shifting the transfer case between the two-wheel and four-wheel drive modes as driving conditions warrant. More sophisticated transfer cases, such as "on-demand" four-wheel drive transfer cases, include automatic shifting means for automatically shifting the transfer case between two-wheel and four-wheel drive modes in response to variations in driving conditions. These transfer cases and shifting systems include complex electronic sensing systems for monitoring vehicle and road wheel speeds and other parameters such that the transfer case can be automatically shifted between two-wheel and four-wheel drive modes in response to the monitored vehicle conditions. Also, full-time four-wheel drive transfer cases may include an interaxle differential between the front wheels and the rear wheels of the motor vehicle.
Unlike part time four-wheel drive systems, a full-time four-wheel drive transfer case with an interaxle differential allows the front wheels and the rear wheels to rotate at different speeds with constant torque split, which occurs during normal operating conditions when, for example, turning the motor vehicle or in the event that the front wheels and the rear wheels have tires with different diameters. However, to prevent excessive slipping or differentiation between the front and the rear wheels, as might occur when one set of wheels encounters a low-traction condition such as ice, these transfer cases typically include a selectively engageable clutch which is operative to lock the interaxle differential upon sensing a predetermined amount of slippage. Locking of the interaxle differential prevents any relative slip or differentiation between the front output shaft and the rear output shaft of the transfer case. The "full-time" four wheel drive transfer cases may include systems for controlling the clutch assembly in a more sophisticated fashion to quickly "modulate" or regulate the speed of the vehicle wheels by varying the torque being transferred to the front and rear wheels of the vehicle to vary the handling characteristics of the vehicle during turns and other maneuvers. Known "full-time" four-wheel drive systems require electronic speed sensors positioned at the wheel ends or elsewhere to sense the angular velocity of each road wheel or output shaft such that the variation in angular velocity between the front and rear wheels may be monitored, with an excessive amount of variation in rotational speed being indicative of a low traction condition at the faster rotating wheel.
Generally, in a basic four-wheel drive transfer case, the input shaft receives torque directly from the primary transmission of the vehicle. The input shaft is connected to a rear output shaft of the transfer case such that the rear output shaft receives torque directly from the input shaft. Alternatively, the input shaft may be provided as one long shaft that travels through the transfer case, thus acting as the input and rear output shafts. The rear output shaft extends outward from the rear of the transfer case housing such that it may provide the input torque to the differential assembly of the rear wheels.
The front drive shaft of a four-wheel drive transfer case is offset from and parallel to the rear output shaft. The front drive shaft extends outward through the front of the transfer case housing and is connected to a differential that provides torque to the front road wheels of the vehicle. A drive sprocket is rotatably mounted about the rear output shaft of the transfer case and a clutch mechanism is provided for selectively coupling the drive sprocket to the rear drive shaft such that the sprocket rotates therewith. The front output shaft includes a sprocket that is connected to rotate therewith at all times, and a drive chain, belt, or the like is connected between these two sprockets such that torque is transferred to the front output shaft of the transfer case any time the four-wheel drive clutch assembly is actuated. Thus, two-wheel drive mode (torque being transferred to the rear wheels of the vehicle only) is provided when the clutch assembly is disengaged, and four-wheel drive mode (torque being transferred to all four vehicle wheels) is provided when the clutch is engaged. As an alternative to a drive chain or belt, one or more gears may be used to transfer torque to the front output shaft.
Recently, there has been an ever increasing demand for cars and trucks including four-wheel drive systems such as those described above. Furthermore, the purchasing public is demanding increasingly complex transfer cases that provide superior performance and durability without being unduly expensive. As described above, known transfer cases rely on speed sensors to provide data to the transfer case control system to control the split of torque between the front and rear output shafts. Such transfer cases do not include torque sensors which are connected to a torque monitoring and control system for monitoring the radial bearing load force on the bearings of the front and/or rear output shafts of the transfer case and converting the magnitude of the sensed bearing load into a related torque value that may be utilized by the control system to control the amount of torque transmitted to the shaft being monitored. Furthermore, the torque monitoring and control system may be utilized to limit the torque being transferred to the relevant shaft when the sensed bearing load approaches a predetermined threshold to thus prevent an overload of the shaft and its related components.

Four-wheel drive transfer case with torque sensing


Certain embodiments of the present invention provide methods and systems for hanging protocol generation using gesture recognition. Certain embodiments provide a method for creating a hanging protocol based on gesture input in a clinical environment. The method includes specifying a hanging protocol specification using gesture-based input. The method also includes translating the gesture-based input into a hanging protocol. The method further includes facilitating display of clinical information based on the hanging protocol. Certain embodiments provide a gesture detection system. The system includes a sensor surface configured to detect gesture-based input made on the sensor surface. The gesture-based input specifies a hanging protocol layout. The system also includes a processor configured to identify the gesture-based input and translate the gesture to a corresponding hanging protocol definition for display of image and clinical data.

The present invention generally relates to improving healthcare application workflow. In particular, the present invention relates to use of gesture recognition to improve healthcare application workflow.
A clinical or healthcare environment is a crowded, demanding environment that would benefit from organization and improved ease of use of imaging systems, data storage systems, and other equipment used in the healthcare environment. A healthcare environment, such as a hospital or clinic, encompasses a large array of professionals, patients, and equipment. Personnel in a healthcare facility must manage a plurality of patients, systems, and tasks to provide quality service to patients. Healthcare personnel may encounter many difficulties or obstacles in their workflow.
In a healthcare or clinical environment, such as a hospital, a large number of employees and patients may result in confusion or delay when trying to reach other medical personnel for examination, treatment, consultation, or referral, for example. A delay in contacting other medical personnel may result in further injury or death to a patient. Additionally, a variety of distraction in a clinical environment may frequently interrupt medical personnel or interfere with their job performance. Furthermore, workspaces, such as a radiology workspace, may become cluttered with a variety of monitors, data input devices, data storage devices, and communication device, for example. Cluttered workspaces may result in efficient workflow and service to clients, which may impact a patient's health and safety or result in liability for a healthcare facility.
Data entry and access is also complicated in a typical healthcare facility. Speech transcription or dictation is typically accomplished by typing on a keyboard, dialing a transcription service, using a microphone, using a Dictaphone, or using digital speech recognition software at a personal computer. Such dictation methods involve a healthcare practitioner sitting in front of a computer or using a telephone, which may be impractical during operational situations. Similarly, for access to electronic mail or voice messages, a practitioner must typically use a computer or telephone in the facility. Access outside of the facility or away from a computer or telephone is limited.
Thus, management of multiple and disparate devices, positioned within an already crowded environment, that are used to perform daily tasks is difficult for medical or healthcare personnel. Additionally, a lack of interoperability between the devices increases delay and inconvenience associated with the use of multiple devices in a healthcare workflow. The use of multiple devices may also involve managing multiple logons within the same environment. A system and method for improving ease of use and interoperability between multiple devices in a healthcare environment would be highly desirable.
In a healthcare environment involving extensive interaction with a plurality of devices, such as keyboards, computer mousing devices, imaging probes, and surgical equipment, repetitive motion disorders often occur. A system and method that eliminates some of the repetitive motion in order to minimize repetitive motion injuries would be highly desirable.
Healthcare environments, such as hospitals or clinics, include clinical information systems, such as hospital information systems (HIS) and radiology information systems (RIS), and storage systems, such as picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). Information stored may include patient medical histories, imaging data, test results, diagnosis information, management information, and/or scheduling information, for example. The information may be centrally stored or divided at a plurality of locations. Healthcare practitioners may desire to access patient information or other information at various points in a healthcare workflow. For example, during surgery, medical personnel may access patient information, such as images of a patient's anatomy, that are stored in a medical information system. Alternatively, medical personnel may enter new information, such as history, diagnostic, or treatment information, into a medical information system during an ongoing medical procedure.
In current information systems, such as PACS, information is entered or retrieved using a local computer terminal with a keyboard and/or mouse. During a medical procedure or at other times in a medical workflow, physical use of a keyboard, mouse or similar device may be impractical (e.g., in a different room) and/or unsanitary (i.e., a violation of the integrity of an individual's sterile field). Re-sterilizing after using a local computer terminal is often impractical for medical personnel in an operating room, for example, and may discourage medical personnel from accessing medical information systems. Thus, a system and method providing access to a medical information system without physical contact would be highly desirable to improve workflow and maintain a sterile field.
Imaging systems are complicated to configure and to operate. Often, healthcare personnel may be trying to obtain an image of a patient, reference or update patient records or diagnosis, and ordering additional tests or consultation. Thus, there is a need for a system and method that facilitate operation and interoperability of an imaging system and related devices by an operator.
In many situations, an operator of an imaging system may experience difficulty when scanning a patient or other object using an imaging system console. For example, using an imaging system, such as an ultrasound imaging system, for upper and lower extremity exams, compression exams, carotid exams, neo-natal head exams, and portable exams may be difficult with a typical system control console. An operator may not be able to physically reach both the console and a location to be scanned. Additionally, an operator may not be able to adjust a patient being scanned and operate the system at the console simultaneously. An operator may be unable to reach a telephone or a computer terminal to access information or order tests or consultation. Providing an additional operator or assistant to assist with examination may increase cost of the examination and may produce errors or unusable data due to miscommunication between the operator and the assistant. Thus, a method and system that facilitates operation of an imaging system and related services by an individual operator would be highly desirable.
Additionally, image volume for acquisition and radiologist review continues to increase. PACS imaging tools have increased in complexity as well. Thus, interactions with standard input devices (e.g., mouse, trackball, etc.) have become increasingly more difficult. Radiologists have complained about a lack of ergonomics with respect to standard input devices, such as a mouse, trackball, etc. Scrolling through large datasets by manually cine-ing or scrolling, repeated mouse movements, and other current techniques have resulted in carpel tunnel syndrome and other repetitive stress syndromes. Radiologists have not been able to leverage other, more ergonomic input devices (e.g., joysticks, video editors, game pads, etc.), because the devices are not custom configurable for PACS and other healthcare application interactions.
Tablets, such as Wacom tablets, have been used in graphic arts but have no current applicability or interactivity with other applications, such as healthcare applications. Handheld devices, such as personal digital assistants or pocket PCs, have been used for general scheduling and note-taking but have not been adapted to healthcare use or interaction with healthcare application workflow.
Devices facilitating gesture-based interaction typically afford motion-based interactions whereby a user writes or motions a character or series of characters that corresponds to a specific software function. Gesture recognition algorithms typically attempt to recognize a pattern or character gestured by the user. Typical gesture recognition systems focus on recognition of the gestured character alone. In the case of an image magnify, a user must gesture, for example, the letter "z." The gesture-enabled image processing or display system responds by generically zooming the image. Unfortunately, the system is unaware of a specific level of zoom that the user is requesting from this gesture based interaction. If a user would like to further zoom in, he/she must repeatedly gesture the letter "z" to zoom to the appropriate level. Such repetition may not only be time consuming, but may also be a physical drain on the user.
As discussed above, clinicians, especially surgeons, are challenged with maintaining a sterile environment when using conventional computer devices such as a mouse and keyboard. Several approaches have been proposed to address the desire to maintain a sterile clinical environment, such as use of a sterile mouse/keyboard, gesture recognition, gaze detection, a thin-air display, voice command, etc. However, problems remain with these approaches. Voice command and control appears to be a viable solution but, due to proximity issues and presence of multiple people in an operating room providing confusion and interference, use of voice command and control may not be very practical or effective. Use of a thin-air display still suffers from very complex interaction with computer(s) in the clinical environment.
Radiologists traditionally want less and more intuitive interaction with computers for using PACS applications. In most cases, interaction problems are compounded by poor graphical user interfaces for functions such as zooming, cine, window scroll (which may involve a more continuous interaction), etc. In most cases, radiologists use a regular mouse or a scroll mouse and experimentally attempt to vary the speed/velocity of scroll/cine, etc.
A graffiti character set may be used with a user interface to allow a radiologist to directly interact with PACS by drawing/writing graffiti characters/gestures on an image and thereby provide a user interface without a separate graphical user interface. However, for zooming, scrolling or cine, users will have to write the corresponding characters multiple times, adding complexity to the process.
A hanging protocol is a set of display rules for presenting, formatting and otherwise organizing images on a display device of a PACS workstation, for example. A display rule is a convention for presenting one or more images in a particular temporal and/or spatial layout or sequence. For example, a hanging protocol may include a set of computer-readable instructions (or display rules, for example) that direct a computer to display a plurality of images in certain locations on a display device and/or display the plurality of images in a certain sequence or order. In another example, a hanging protocol may include a set of computer-readable instructions that direct a computer to place a plurality of images in multiple screens and/or viewports on a display device. In general, a hanging protocol may be employed to present a plurality of images for a diagnostic examination of a patient anatomy featured in the images.
A hanging protocol may direct, for example, a PACS workstation to display an anterior-posterior ("AP") image adjacent to a lateral image of the same anatomy. In another example, a hanging protocol may direct PACS workstation to display the AP image before displaying the lateral image. In general, a hanging protocol dictates the spatial and/or temporal presentation of a plurality of images at PACS workstation.
A hanging protocol differs from a default display protocol ("DDP"). In general, a DDP is a default workflow that applies a series of image processing functions to image data. The image processing functions are applied to the image data in order to present an image (based on the image data) to a user. The image processing functions alter the appearance of image data. For example, an image processing function may alter the contrast level of an image.
DDPs typically include processing steps or functions that are applied before any diagnostic examination of the images. For example, processing functions may be applied to image data in order to enhance features within an image (based on the image data). Such processing functions can include any software-based application that may alter a visual appearance or representation of image data. For example, a processing function can include any one or more of flipping an image, zooming in an image, panning across an image, altering a window and/or level setting in a representation of the image data, and altering a contrast and/or brightness setting in a representation of the image data.
DDPs are usually based on a type of imaging modality used to obtain the image data. For example, image data obtained with a C-arm imaging device in general or a particular C-arm imaging device may have a same or similar DDP applied to the image data. In general, a DDP attempts to present image data in a manner most useful to many users. Conversely, applying a hanging protocol to image data does not alter the appearance of an image (based on the image data), but instead dictates how the image(s) is(are) presented, as described above.
Hanging protocols are currently created using one or more of a mouse, keyboard and graphical user interface ("GUI") components. Such components are used to specify an image box type (for example, stack, sheet, volume, etc.). The components are used to specify parameters for image sets to be loaded in the image box. The components are also used to set image view presets and/or presentation state, for example. Current hanging protocol creation involves multiple input devices, and a user must switch between keyboard and mouse to create a hanging protocol.
Thus, there is a need for systems and methods to improve healthcare workflow using gesture recognition and other interaction. Furthermore, systems and methods for more streamlined gesture-based control would be highly desirable. Systems and methods for improved creation and management of hanging protocols would also be highly desirable.

Methods and systems for creation of hanging protocols using graffiti-enabled devices


A system is disclosed which incorporates low pressure drop contaminant removal from gas phases or streams, which advantageously can be used to enhance efficiency, improve humidity characteristics, and reduce capital cost of air handing systems such as HVAC systems and the like. Placement of the low pressure drop contaminant removal mechanism for enhancing effectiveness of same is also disclosed.

The invention relates to air or other gas phase handling systems and, more particularly, to removal of contaminants from gas phases.
One type of air handling system to which the present invention applies is heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, which are typically used to supply the heating, ventilation and cooling needs of buildings. Typically, HVAC systems are designed for four primary functions which are (1) exhaust and/or introduce outside air into the building and distribute separately or mix with recirculated air from the building, (2) cool and/or dehumidify the mixed outdoor and/or recirculated air for distribution throughout the building, (3) heat the mixed outdoor and/or recirculated air for distribution throughout the building and (4) distribute air throughout the building.
Typical HVAC systems contain various pieces of equipment and components including heating and cooling coils, air moving devices, air-controlled dampers and particle filters, for example. The size of an HVAC system depends upon several factors including the amount of air to be distributed and conditioned as well as the region and climate in which the building is located.
In order to satisfy building ventilation requirements as set by Code and ASHRAE Standard 62-2001: VENTILATION FOR ACCEPTABLE INDOOR AIR QUALITY, HVAC systems may either supply a prescribed amount of outside air to the building or an alternate amount of outside air can be used if an air purifier is used in the system and an equivalent air quality is provided.
Purifying and recirculating air is desirable as air handled in this manner can be substituted for an equivalent amount of outside ventilation air, which in turn provides reduced capacity, capital cost and energy savings. In addition, humidity is reduced by reducing the source of humidity from the outside air stream during certain times of year, particularly when the outside air is a substantial source of humidity.
However, purification is typically accomplished using gas phase filtration methods including adsorption, in which certain chemicals adhere to the surface, and chemisorption, where chemical reactions occur on the surface of an adsorptive filtration media. Unfortunately, increased energy cost results due to the need to overcome the pressure drop caused by the media, and the media must also be replaced, regenerated and/or disposed of, leading to additional cost as well.
It is clear that the need remains for improved air purification as well as capacity reduction, capital cost and energy savings due to use of such improved air purification capability in HVAC systems and the like.

Gas phase contaminant removal with low pressure drop


A container for compacting refuse is provided. The compacting container is mounted transversely to the elongated bed of a refuse collection vehicle. Refuse is deposited into the compacting container through a first refuse inlet located in a first end of the compacting container along one side of the truck and through a second refuse inlet located in the top of the compacting container via a pivotally mounted basket located on the second end of the container and which is operated by a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder. The compacting container is discharged through a pivotally mounted door located on the same end of the container as the basket. An automatic latch keeps the door closed during compaction of the refuse.

Refuse recycling has become an important way to ensure efficient use of world resources and to slow the growth of landfills. One aspect to efficient recycling is refuse segregation, whereby different types of materials, e.g. plastic, metal, and paper, are separated prior to processing of the old material into new. In this regard, many communities have opted for source separation, whereby homeowners and businesses segregate the materials prior to collection. Source separation requires a collection vehicle suited to maintaining separation of refuse. A particular problem exists with collection of plastic refuse, because of the large volume plastics take up compared to glass, paper and metal.
Collection vehicles have been proposed for the collection of recyclable refuse in communities where source segregation is employed. In general, a vehicle has separate containers for each type of refuse collected. In addition, these vehicles generally provide inlets into the containers through which workers deposit the refuse, and a door for discharge of the collected refuse.
With regard to collecting plastic material for recycling, a compacting ram for compacting the plastic collected may be provided. Compaction increases the mass of plastic that can be collected before emptying the container becomes necessary.
Competing design requirements for these compacting containers include the capability to deposit refuse into the container from either side of the thoroughfare on which the vehicle is being driven, large interior volume particularly for plastic refuse, large discharge area to allow complete emptying of the container, and a locking mechanism for the discharge door.
While prior art devices have provided some solutions to the above-mentioned requirements, there still exists a need in the art to fulfill all of these requirements in a single compacting container.


Resistive switching memory elements are provided that may contain electroless metal electrodes and metal oxides formed from electroless metal. The resistive switching memory elements may exhibit bistability and may be used in high-density multi-layer memory integrated circuits. Electroless conductive materials such as nickel-based materials may be selectively deposited on a conductor on a silicon wafer or other suitable substrate. The electroless conductive materials can be oxidized to form a metal oxide for a resistive switching memory element. Multiple layers of conductive materials can be deposited each of which has a different oxidation rate. The differential oxidization rates of the conductive layers can be exploited to ensure that metal oxide layers of desired thicknesses are formed during fabrication.

This invention relates to nonvolatile memory elements, and more particularly, to methods for forming nonvolatile resistive switching memory elements.
Nonvolatile memory elements are used in systems in which persistent storage is required. For example, digital cameras use nonvolatile memory cards to store images and digital music players use nonvolatile memory to store audio data. Nonvolatile memory is also used to persistently store data in computer environments.
Nonvolatile memory is often formed using electrically-erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) technology. This type of nonvolatile memory contains floating gate transistors that can be selectively programmed or erased by application of suitable voltages to their terminals.
As fabrication techniques improve, it is becoming possible to fabricate nonvolatile memory elements with increasingly small dimensions. However, as device dimensions shrink, scaling issues are posing challenges for traditional nonvolatile memory technology. This has lead to the investigation of alternative nonvolatile memory technologies, including resistive switching nonvolatile memory.
Resistive switching nonvolatile memory is formed using memory elements that have two or more stable states with different resistivities (i.e., resistances). Bistable memory has two stable states. A bistable memory element can be placed in a high resistance state or a low resistance state by application of suitable voltages or currents. Typically, voltage pulses are used to switch the memory element from one resistance state to the other. Nondestructive read operations can be performed to ascertain the value of a data bit that is stored in a memory cell.
Nonvolatile memory elements can be formed using metal oxides. Resistive switching based on nickel oxide switching elements and noble metal electrodes such as Pt has been demonstrated.
In a typical scenario, a stack of resistive switching oxide and electrode layers is deposited using physical vapor deposition (PVD) (sputtering). Dry etching is then used to pattern the deposited layers. However, materials such as transition metal oxides (especially, for example, nickel oxide) and platinum are difficult to etch (e.g. with dry chemical etching traditionally used to pattern thin films). Sputter etching (i.e., a non-reactive physical dry etch) can be used, but can i) damage the substrate and the films thereon, ii) create particles, iii) contaminate the etch tool itself, and iv) does not provide desirable patterned profiles. It would therefore be desirable to provide a process integration scheme that avoids or reduces the need for dry etching of the resistive switching memory element.
The working mechanism and the reliability of resistive switching memory based on transition metal oxides such as NiO have been shown to be dictated by the oxide composition (e.g., Ni to O ratio) and the oxide film micro-structure. However, it is difficult to precisely control the chemical composition (e.g., nickel oxidization state control, chemical doping, and alloying) and the microstructure of resistive switching elements such as elements formed from nickel-based oxide using PVD.
It would therefore be desirable to provide improved techniques for forming metal oxide resistive switching memory elements.

Methods for forming resistive switching memory elements


Various methods, apparatuses and/or articles of manufacture are provided which may be implemented as part of a mobile device to selectively transition operation of the mobile device from one communication mode to another communication mode. For example, a mobile device may selectively transition operation from one communication mode to another communication mode based, at least in part, on a determination that certain signaling environment attributes which were previously experienced and identified may once again have been experienced and identified.

1. Field
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to electronic devices, and more particularly to methods, apparatuses and articles of manufacture for use by a mobile device to selectively transition operation from one communication mode to another communication mode.
2. Information
A variety of signal-based positioning techniques have been developed to allow for a location and/or a movement of a mobile device (e.g., such as a cell phone, a tracking device, etc.) to be estimated based on wireless signals that are transmitted by the mobile device and acquired by one or more external receivers, and/or wireless signals that are transmitted by one or more external transmitters and acquired by the mobile device.
For example, by measuring certain characteristics of one or more wireless signals that have been transmitted and acquired, it may be possible to determine a pseudorange or range between the transmitting and receiving antennas. For example, in certain implementations a propagation time may be determined which corresponds to an estimated range or pseudorange between a transmitter and receiver. Once a plurality of such ranges or pseudoranges to transmitting devices having known locations has been determined, then trilateration or other like known techniques may be implemented to determine an estimated location of the mobile device (e.g., location coordinates, etc.).
One example type of signal-based positioning technique that has been widely implemented to estimate a location of a mobile device is the global-based positioning system (GPS) which may be considered as supporting a satellite positioning system (SPS) capability. Here, for example, a SPS receiver may be provisioned within a mobile device to acquire SPS signals from a plurality of SPS transmitters having locations (e.g., positions in space) that may be known or determinable. Accordingly, mobile device with an SPS receiver may be capable of determining its estimated location (e.g., with regard to an earth centered, and/or other like coordinate system, etc.) based, at least in part, on a range or pseudorange between the SPS receiver and the applicable SPS transmitters.
Similar techniques may be implemented for various terrestrial transmitting devices, such as dedicated beacon transmitting devices, access devices that may be part of a cellular communications system or a wireless communication system (e.g., a wireless local area network, etc.), and/or the like or some combination thereof.
Indeed, in certain implementations, knowledge about an estimated location and/or movement of a mobile device may be beneficial to provide certain services to the mobile device. For example, such location/movement information may allow for a seamless handoff of a mobile device from one access device to another access device within a network/system, and/or possibly between different networks/systems. In another example, a mobile device may identify particular access devices that may be located near by and attempt to connect to one or more of the access devices. However, obtaining such location/movement information may consume limited time/computing resources, limited electrical power resources, etc.
Similarly, in certain situations, if a mobile device is unable to identify near by candidate access devices then the mobile device may consume limited time/computing resources, limited electrical power resources, etc., simply attempting to search for wireless signals transmitted by local candidate access devices to which the mobile device may attempt to establish a communication link. For example, a mobile device may consume such limited resources switching between different communication modes (e.g., which may be associated with different access devices, different communication technologies, etc.) in a search for wireless signals from one or more differently operated candidate access devices.

Selective communication mode transitioning techniques for mobile devices


A method for processing network traffic content includes receiving a content stream having an operation code and an operand, and building a new stream by either adding data to the operation code or removing the operand from the content stream. A method for processing network traffic content includes receiving a content stream, the content stream having an operation code and an operand, building a new stream by either adding data to the operation code or removing the operand from the content stream, creating a first model using at least a portion of the new stream, and searching a first cyclic redundancy check table to determine if the first model matches with a cyclic redundancy check element stored in the first cyclic redundancy check table.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to computer systems and computer networks, and more particularly, to systems and methods for detecting content of computer and network traffic.
2. Background of the Invention
The generation and spreading of computer viruses are major problems in computer systems and computer networks. A computer virus is a program that is capable of attaching to other programs or sets of computer instructions, replicating itself, and/or performing unsolicited or malicious actions on a computer system. Viruses may be embedded in email attachments, files downloaded from Internet, and macros in MS Office files. The damage that can be done by a computer virus may range from mild interference with a program, such as a display of unsolicited messages or graphics, to complete destruction of data on a user's hard drive or server.
To provide protection from viruses, most organizations have installed virus scanning software on computers in their network. However, these organizations may still be vulnerable to a virus attack until every host in their network has received updated anti-virus software. With new attacks reported almost weekly, organizations are constantly exposed to virus attacks, and spend significant resources ensuring that all hosts are constantly updated with new anti-virus information. In addition, anti-virus programs that operate at the application-level require enormous computing resources, making such anti-virus programs expensive to deploy and manage. For example, some existing anti-virus programs detect virus by extracting a signature using a fixed length of instruction stream, and then using the signature to detect virus. However, such method may require tremendous processing time, thereby preventing network content from being efficiently passed to an end user.
Accordingly, improved systems and methods for detecting content of computer and network traffic would be useful.

Static code image modeling and recognition


Examples disclosed herein relate to responsive printing. An example device includes a processor, a memory device, and a printer for physical printing of a content section of an output object following a user setting and an instruction for the output object to be printed. In an example, the device may also include a microphone to detect an audio input and a camera to detect an image input. Further, in the example, the audio input detected by the microphone and the image input detected by the camera are both used by the processor executing instructions from the memory device in providing a content section of the output object, providing the user setting, and providing instructions to the printer for the content section of the output object to be printed.

A printer may be used in a variety of form factors including a printer that rests on a desk, a handheld printer, a larger office printer that is rests on the floor. Printers can be used to print labels, nametags, price tags, photographs, business cards, and any number of documents on paper and a number of other materials.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


In a SONET cross connect, the same physical link is used between the interfaces and the matrix to carry the overhead and the payload. The cross connection function within the matrix may be used to group, concentrate and route the overhead signals between a server and the matrix. The matrix may also be used to transport signals between servers. Overhead may be grouped and transported as payload.

In a Network Element (NE) with a large number of external Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) signal inputs there will be a large number of different overhead signals to be cross-connected, terminated and/or processed. Some of the types of overhead are naturally and easily taken care of, in that they are either carried with the transmission payload across an NE or they are terminated at an external interface. Such an external interface would be a unit of equipment having external inputs and outputs to the NE and having the ability to perform functions on these input/output signals prior to passing information elsewhere in the NE. Although these types are important, the classes of particular interest here are the remainder.

Inter-network transport element of sonet overhead


A foldable galley cart including a plurality of frame members that are hinged together to form an expandable frame, a flexible material attached to and carried by the frame that forms a generally rectangular-shaped, open-topped bin when the frame is in an expanded configuration, at least one set of wheels rotatably attached to the frame, and a handle attached to the frame. A collapsible galley cart for serving food containers during a flight that is collapsible so that it may be readily stored within a compartment of an aircraft galley unit between uses.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to the interior fittings of vehicles, and more particularly, to a galley cart that includes wheels for facilitating galley container transport and is foldable so that the cart may be stowed within a galley unit.
2. Background of the Invention
Manufacturers of vehicle interior fittings are constantly trying to maximize the limited space available for stowing items in passenger services areas, such as lavatories and galleys. These areas typically include a number of storage compartments for storing items in a safe and easily accessible manner, and often include compartments arranged from floor to ceiling. Heavy containers, such as food and beverage service carts are typically stored at floor level and include attached wheels to facilitate transport throughout the cabin. Other containers may be stored at a level above the floor, often times overhead, and typically do not include attached wheels. Thus, it can not only be difficult to stow and retrieve these items from elevated compartments, it can also be difficult to transport these items because of their lack of attached wheels. Further, although not always heavy, it can also be difficult to transport multiple items at one time. Items that may benefit from an improved way of transporting them include, but are not limited to, food and beverage containers, galley appliances, trash as well as any item stored throughout other areas within the vehicle cabin.
In this regard, what is desired is an apparatus for facilitating the transport of heavy, bulky or multiple items that do not include attached wheels. Further, what is desired is an apparatus for transporting items that is sturdy, lightweight and collapsible so that it may be safely and efficiently stowed within a compartment of a vehicle interior between uses, such as within a compartment of a galley unit.


The application describes an electric motor with a pressure compensation device. This device consists of a BTFE membrane that is arranged in a connecting channel between the interior of the electric motor and the external air.. The membrane is arranged in the shield of the electric motor. Since the shield consists of plastic, the membrane can be sprayed on during the manufacture of the shield such that the membrane is inseparably connected to the shield. However, other fastening methods can be considered. One particularly suitable location for arranging the membrane is a circumferential collar that serves for centering the housing relative to the motor shaft. The connecting channel is realized in the form of a slot on the outer side of the collar. The application also describes additional methods for attaching the membrane.

One example of such an electric motor is described in DE 4,235,962 A1. The invention aims to provide pressure compensation between the interior of the motor housing and the external air in a motor of this type. In this case, it must be taken into account that the motor is used in a vehicle and the motor is subjected to extreme external vibration.
It is known to realize the aforementioned pressure compensation by means of BTFE membranes that are arranged in a connecting channel between the interior of the motor housing and the external air. One example of such an arrangement is described in EP 600,271 A1. The arrangement proposed in this document, however, is not suited to the designated field of application. It should be possible to mount the membranes relatively easily and prevent the membrane from being removed during the operation of the motor due to external influences.


A pneumatic tire includes, on a tread surface (1) of the tire, at least two longitudinal grooves (2, 3) extending along a tire equator (C), a plurality of transverse grooves (4a to 4d) connecting the longitudinal grooves, and a block row (L5) formed by a plurality of blocks (5a to 5d) extending along the tire equator and defined by the longitudinal grooves and the transverse grooves. Each of the blocks (5a to 5d) includes a reduced thickness portion (6) in an overlapping region (R) where the blocks overlap in projection when the block row (L5) is projected in the circumferential direction, the reduced thickness portion (6) including at least two portions where the thickness of the block gradually decreases.

Conventionally, among pneumatic tires focusing on rough-road use, in particular pneumatic tires to be driven in muddy areas, the groove width and groove depth are increased in order to ensure mud drainage, for example as in PTL 1 (JP2003-072318A). Thus increasing the groove volume prevents relatively sticky mud from accumulating within the grooves and allows for improved mud drainage.


A nonlinear harmonic generation system is provided. The nonlinear harmonic generation system includes a waveguide channel receives and propagates electromagnetic signals. A resonant cavity is coupled to the waveguide channel. The resonant cavity structure includes a plurality of resonant modes into which electromagnetic energy is coupled during the operation of the system. One of the resonant modes includes a resonant frequency that changes during operation of the system to reach either an input-signal frequency or a harmonic frequency for a majority of the time in which harmonic generation is occurring. Both reflected and harmonic fields are emitted back into the waveguide channel so as to allow efficient harmonic generation at a specified critical input power.

The invention is related to the field of doubly-resonant Kerr cavities, and in particular to nonlinear harmonic generation and devices in doubly-resonant Kerr cavities.
Nonlinear frequency conversion has been commonly realized in the context of waveguides, or even for free propagation in the nonlinear materials, in which light at one frequency co-propagates with the generated light at the harmonic frequency. A phase-matching condition between the two frequencies must be satisfied in this case in order to obtain efficient conversion. Moreover, as the input power is increased, the frequency conversion eventually saturates due to competition between up and down conversion. Frequency conversion in a doubly resonant cavity has three fundamental differences from this familiar case of propagating modes.
First, light in a cavity can be much more intense for the same input power, because of the spatial (modal volume V) and temporal (lifetime Q) confinement. We show that this enhances second-harmonic (χ(2)) conversion by a factor of Q3/V and enhances third-harmonic (χ(3)) conversion by a factor of Q2/V. Second, there is no phase-matching condition per se for 100% conversion; the only absolute requirement is that the cavity support two modes of the requisite frequencies. However, there is a constant factor in the power that is determined by an overlap integral between the mode field patterns; in the limit of a very large cavity, this overlap integral recovers the phase-matching condition for (χ(2)) processes. Third, the frequency conversion no longer saturates instead, it peaks (at 100%, with proper design) for a certain critical input power satisfying a resonant condition, and goes to zero if the power is either too small or too large.
Second-harmonic generation in cavities with a single resonant mode at the pump frequency or the harmonic frequency requires much higher power than a doubly resonant cavity, approaching one Watt and/or requiring amplification within the cavity. A closely related case is that of sum-frequency generation in a cavity resonant at the two frequencies being summed. Second-harmonic generation in a doubly resonant cavity, with a resonance at both the pump and harmonic frequencies, has most commonly been analyzed in the low-efficiency limit where nonlinear down-conversion can be neglected, but down-conversion has also been included by some authors.
Here, one can show that not only is down-conversion impossible to neglect at high conversion efficiencies (and is, in fact, necessary to conserve energy), but also that it leads to a critical power where harmonic conversion is maximized. This critical power was demonstrated numerically in a sub-optimal geometry where 100% efficiency is impossible, but does not seem to have been clearly explained theoretically.

Nonlinear harmonic generation and devices in doubly-resonant Kerr cavities


An improved ink suitable for ink jet printing comprising, a mixture of a colorant, an arylketoalkene stabilizing compound or a photoreactor, and a liquid vehicle, wherein the colorant is light-stable. When the photoreactor is combined with a wavelength-selective sensitizer to form a radiation transorber, the colorant is mutable upon exposure of the radiation transorber to specific, narrow bandwidth radiation. The colored composition may also contain a molecular includant having a chemical structure which defines at least one cavity wherein each of the colorant and photoreactor or radiation transorber is associated with the molecular includant. The invention also includes ink jet print cartridges containing the improved ink, ink jet printers containing the improved ink and methods of printing using the improved ink.

Ink jet printing technology is used from industrial labeling applications to office printing. Ink jet printers are low cost, low maintenance, quiet printers that provide near laser printing quality with high print speeds. Another advantage of the use of ink jet printers is the development of consistent, high-quality color printing capabilities for the full range of colors. These attributes have made the ink jet printer one of the most popular office printers on the market today. Ink jet printing technology has also expanded into the reprographic market with the advent of large format ink jet plotters, such as the Hewlett Packard Designjet series and Encad's Novajet series. Such plotters can produce a range of sizes of drawings and designs from the standard A size (8.5".times.11") up to an E size (36".times.48") plot. For example, ink jet plotters are used in the production of designs, floor plans, and structures with computer aided design (CAD) software.
Ink jet printing technology is a form of printing that encompasses the projection of ink through a nozzle orifice, forming tiny droplets of a specific diameter, directly onto a substrate, such as paper or film, to form written symbols and drawn images. Several different technologies are used for such projection of ink droplets onto a substrate. For example, in a continuous stream system a continuous stream of ink droplets is discharged from an ink reservoir through a nozzle. The droplets may then be deflected by means of an electrically charged field to the substrate to form an image on an ink-receiving substrate. Those droplets not deflected to the substrate by the electrically charged field are allowed to flow in a straight stream and are collected and recirculated for reuse.
Another example of ink jet printing technology is drop-on-demand systems, a droplet is expelled from an orifice directly to a position on a recording medium in accordance with digital data signals. A droplet is not formed or expelled unless it is to be placed on the recording medium. Since drop-on-demand systems require no ink recovery, charging, or deflection, the system is much simpler than the continuous stream type. There are two types of drop-on-demand ink jet systems.
One type of drop-on-demand system has as its major components an ink filled channel or passageway having a nozzle on one end and a piezoelectric transducer near the other end to produce pressure pulses. The relatively large size of the transducer prevents the close spacing of the nozzles to one another which is necessary for high resolution printing. Additionally, physical limitations of the transducer result in low ink drop velocity. Low drop velocity seriously diminishes tolerances for drop velocity variation and directionality, thus impacting the system's ability to produce high quality copies, and also decreases printing speed. Drop-on-demand systems which use piezoelectric devices to expel the droplets also suffer the disadvantage of a slow printing speed.
The other type of drop-on-demand system is known as thermal ink jet, or bubble jet, and produces high velocity droplets and allows very close spacing of nozzles. The major components of this type of drop-ondemand system are an ink filled channel having a nozzle on one end and a heat generating resistor near the nozzle. Printing signals representing digital information originate an electric current pulse in a resistive layer within each ink passageway near the orifice or nozzle, causing the liquid vehicle of the ink in the immediate vicinity to undergo a liquid-gas phase transition, which creates a bubble. The ink at the orifice is forced out as a propelled droplet as the bubble expands. The drop-on-demand ink jet printers provide simpler, lower cost devices than their continuous stream counterparts, and yet have substantially the same high speed printing capability.
A major problem with inks used in ink jet printers is that the dye colorants contained in the ink tend to fade when exposed to sunlight or artificial light. It is believed that most of the fading of colorants when exposed to light is due to photodegradation mechanisms. These degradation mechanisms include oxidation or reduction of the colorants depending upon the environmental conditions in which the colorant is placed. Fading of a colorant also depends upon the substrate upon which they reside.
Various factors such as temperature, humidity, gaseous reactants, including O.sub.2, O.sub.3, SO.sub.2, and NO.sub.2, and water soluble, nonvolatile photodegradation products have been shown to influence fading of colorants. The factors that effect colorant fading appear to exhibit a certain amount of interdependence. It is due to this complex behavior that observations for the fading of a particular colorant on a particular substrate cannot be applied to colorants and substrates in general.
Under conditions of constant temperature it has been observed that an increase in the relative humidity of the atmosphere increases the fading of a colorant for a variety of colorant-substrate systems (e.g., McLaren, K., J. Soc. Dyers Colour, 1956, 72, 527). For example, as the relative humidity of the atmosphere increases, a fiber may swell because the moisture content of the fiber increases. This aids diffusion of gaseous reactants through the substrate structure.
The ability of a light source to cause photochemical change in a colorant is also dependent upon the spectral distribution of the light source, in particular the proportion of radiation of wavelengths most effective in causing a change in the colorant and the quantum yield of colorant degradation as a function of wavelength. On the basis of photochemical principles, it would be expected that light of higher energy (short wavelengths) would be more effective at causing fading than light of lower energy (long wavelengths). Studies have revealed that this is not always the case. Over 100 colorants of different classes were studied, and it was found that generally the most unstable were faded more efficiently by visible light while those of higher lightfastness were degraded mainly by ultraviolet light (McLaren, K., J. Soc. Dyers Colour, 1956, 72, 86).
The influence of a substrate on colorant stability can be extremely important. Colorant fading may be retarded or promoted by some chemical group within the substrate. Such a group can be a ground-state species or an excited-state species. The porosity of the substrate is also an important factor in colorant stability. A high porosity can promote fading of a colorant by facilitating penetration of moisture and gaseous reactants into the substrate. A substrate may also act as a protective agent by screening the colorant from light of wavelengths capable of causing degradation.
The purity of the substrate is also an important consideration whenever the photochemistry of dyed technical polymers is considered. For example, technical-grade cotton, viscose rayon, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyisoprene are known to contain carbonyl group impurities. These impurities absorb light of wavelengths greater than 300 nm, which are present in sunlight, and so, excitation of these impurities may lead to reactive species capable of causing colorant fading (van Beek, H. C. A., Col. Res. Appl., 1983, 8(3), 176).
Therefore, for all of these reasons, there exists a great need for methods and compositions which are capable of stabilizing a wide variety of colorants from the effects of both sunlight and artificial light. There is a particular need for an improved ink for ink jet printers that are light-stable.


Acoustic ranging may involve determining a distance between a first device and at least one other device using one or more acoustic signals. In an example embodiment, a first device emits a first acoustic signal and then receives the first acoustic signal at a first time. The first device also receives a second acoustic signal at a second time, with the second acoustic signal having been emitted by a second device. The first device ascertains a first value that reflects a difference between the first time and the second time. Responsive to at least the ascertained first value, the first device determines a distance between the first device and the second device.

Acoustic ranging may entail detecting proximity and/or distance between a first device and a one or more other devices using at least one acoustic signal. Existing approaches usually involve using specialized hardware, especially hardware that includes an extensive fixed infrastructure. Existing techniques usually involve a reliance on local clock times at individual devices. Thus, existing approaches do not enable spontaneous acoustic ranging in ad hoc environments or with general commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices. Furthermore, the use of local clock times in existing techniques introduces temporal uncertainties that lead to large ranging errors.


Platinum(IV) complexes with mixed carboxylato ligands having the formula: ##STR1## where X.sup.1 and X.sup.2 are carboxylato, or are jointly dicarboxylato, where .sup.1 Y and Y.sup.2 are carboxylato, and where Z is either diaminocyclohexane or ethylenediamine, have been found to have desirable antitumor activity, as well as relatively low levels of toxicity.

Some platinum based drugs are known to have useful antitumor activity. However, such drugs are also known to have various problems. For example, cis-diamminedicloroplatinum(II), also referred to as cisplatin or CDDP, is one such drug with a significant level of activity, but which also exhibits significant nephrotoxicity and other harmful side effects. Other platinum drugs have been synthesized which have less potential to cause renal injury, but many of these drugs are much less soluble in water than is desirable.
A long standing need exists for platinum drugs which have improved aqueous solubility and antitumor activity, a broad spectrum of activity against various neoplastic disease states, reduced toxicity, and a lack of cross resistance to other antitumor drugs such as cisplatin.

Diamine platinum(IV) complexes having mixed carboxylate ligands as antitumor agents

Board of Regents, The University Texas System


A disposable, thin-wall mixing bowl for dentists used for mixing batches of a combination of liquid and powdered materials used for taking dental impressions of the patient's teeth is described consisting of a bowl, a hollow base, a plurality of longitudinally-arranged, external ribs extending from the base up to just below the rim and a rim having a rounded and beveled portion thereabout.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to mixing bowls wherein a combination of liquid and powdered materials are mixed, and, more specifically, to disposable, handheld dental mixing bowls.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the practice of dentistry, dentists must oftentimes mix various materials, such as is required in the formation of artificial stone, plaster, alignate and water, and also in the mixing of certain dental repair material of the two-part type in which a plastic ingredient and a catalyst are employed.
The weights and forces and quantities of such materials involved in a single mixing necessary to achieve a uniformity of mixing of all of the materials and liquids involved, all previously required the use of permanent, relatively staunch and durable reuseable containers. The use of such containers involves considerable initial expense, and requires repeated, time-consuming maintenance, such as cleaning, and sterilizing.
The prior art consists largely of the use of mixing bowls, spoons and spatulas to mix liquid and powdered materials into a paste used for creating impressions of a patient's teeth commonly referred to as dental impressions.
Dentists use alignate which is a salt of alginic acid, such as sodium alginate or magnesium alginate, to prepare castings of their patients' teeth. Alginates possess properties which make them suitable for surgical dressings, dental impression material, and the like. Initially, the alginate is in a dry powder form. To prepare the alginate for such dental applications, the dentist will place a certain amount of the alginate into a bowl and add water. The amount of alginate powder and water required will vary depending upon the brand of alginate used. This precise amount to be mixed with a certain amount of water is information which is generally provided by the manufacturer.
"Alginate" is the term used herein to refer to an irreversible alginate-based hydrocolloid. Several sources of alginate are found commercially which are useful for this purpose. Such sources of alginate are comprised of approximately 12 to 15% sodium alginate which is used as a reactant, approximately 8 to 12% calcium sulfate dihydrate, which is used as a reactant, approximately 2% sodium phosphate or sodium carbonate which is used as a retarder, and approximately 70% reinforcing filler such as diatomaceous earth. Alginate is available commercially under various brand names such as Algiden.RTM., Co-Alginate.RTM., Hydro-Jel.RTM., Jeltrate.RTM., and Supergel.RTM., among others.
The alginate and water mixture must have a pasty gel-like flowable consistency. It cannot be too soupy, nor too dry, and powdery `pockets` in the mix are unsatisfactory. Thus, the water must be added in exact proportions and then mixed thoroughly to ensure that the water is evenly distributed. This generally entails mixing the alginate in a bowl either with a spatula or by machine. The spatula method is messy and the machine method requires the purchase of a machine. Both methods require clean-up after the mixing is finished. In addition, the spatula method also requires a certain level of skill. The alginate and water must be mixed vigorously to ensure thorough distribution of the water to all the powder in the mixing bowl. However. the mixing must be gentle until the mixture becomes substantially pasty in order to avoid loss of the powder.
After the mixture is formed, the dentist will place in it a mouth-sized preformed impression tray that will then be placed in the patient's mouth to form an imprint of his or her teeth. When the alginate hardens, it can be used to form a casting of the patients' teeth by pouring an alpha modified gypsum or plaster-of-Paris or another similar substance into the imprint.
The traditional dental mixing bowl is formed of rubber and has relatively thick sidewalls and is made to be used over and over again. After mixing the combination of liquid and finely powdered material in the dental mixing bowl, the rubber mixing bowl must be cleaned. Cleaning this rubber bowl is a time consuming job and usually the unused mixed material is flushed down the sink. Oftentimes, the plumbing drain system gets clogged with the mixed dental material requiring a plumber to unclog the drain.
Additionally, the reuse of the rubber bowl creates the continuing risk of the transmittal of infectious diseases due to the lack of being able to fully and completely sanitize the inside surface of the rubber bowl where the mixing of the liquid and the powdered materials takes place.
It is not unusual for a dentist to use the very same rubber dental mixing bowl throughout the dentist's entire working lifetime.
In the past, such may have been an acceptable practice and use of a rubber dental mixing bowl during an era of smaller populations coupled with, regional isolation between various populations over long periods of time, fewer diseases, fewer exotic diseases, such as Hepatitis A, B, and C, Mad-Cow Disease, various strains of virally-caused flus, blood and body fluids transmitted diseases, such as AIDS, tuberculosis, along with fewer encounters with large groups of people. There is no known and acceptable, non-destructive method for sanitizing the traditional rubber dental mixing bowl.
Further, the traditional rubber dental mixing bowl is made to be re-usable and is not considered disposable.
Additionally, the traditional rubber dental mixing bowl has a wall which is formed to be relatively and uniformly thick, with the thickness of the wall defining the degree of manual flexibility of the wall of the bowl during the manual mixing process between the liquid and the powdered materials. The wall of the mixing bowl must be relatively stiff over about a two (2) inch span of wall, and, yet allow for manual manipulation of the wall of the mixing bowl to promote the mixing process as the bowl is rotated by one hand while the other hand is using a spoon-like mixing device.
Examples of the prior art include the following prior art patents:
U.S. Pat. No. D-59,956 relates to a design patent for an individual ice cream container. While this container has the vertically-disposed ribs on the wall about the outside of the body of the bowl, all of the ribs are contiguous rather than spaced-apart as in the inventive product described herein. The ribs are spaced apart to allow the fingers of the user to manipulate the bowl and to rotate it to enhance the mixing process. Additionally, the base or bottom of the bowl is shaped in the form of several hemispherically-shaped knobs instead of the hollow base with a continuous rim thereabout formed as an integral part of the bottom of the bowl and taught by the instant invention disclosed herein.
U.S. Pat. No. D-112,949 relates to the design of a cup. This particular cup design has external, vertically-arranged ribs which are spaced apart, the ribs extend from the bottom of the bowl to the rim of the cup. The ribs in the within described product do not extend from the bottom to the top of the rim as does the cup shown in this patent. Another distinctive difference between the presently disclosed product and the within invention is that the base of the presently disclosed product is within the diameter of the bottom of the bowl.
U.S. Pat. No. D-151,431 relates to the design of a cup having elongated ribbed portions thereon.
U.S. Pat. No. D-190, 878 discloses the design of a shallow pitcher with a laterally extending lipped portion about the rim of the pitcher.
U.S. Pat. No. D-199,319 relates to the design of a drinking tumbler having a plurality of elongated ribbed portions thereabout.
U.S. Pat. No. D-203,340 relates to a design for a "mixing apparatus for dental materials".
U.S. Pat. No. D-237,770 relates to a design for a pitcher which looks very similar to a flower pot.
U.S. Pat. No. D-258,085 discloses a design for an electric dental material mixer. It appears that the traditional rubber mixing cup or bowl is positioned on top of the housing for the electric mixing apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. D-259,011 teaches a design for a mixing bowl or the like. In addition to the base, this design shows a outwardly extending rimmed portion with a section to be utilized for pouring liquid from the mixing bowl.
U.S. Pat. No. D-287,917 is a design patent for a microwave oven covered dish.
U.S. Pat. No. D-313,148 relates to a design patent covering a bowl with a tabbed portion extending from the rim of bowl for manually gripping the rim of the bowl to hold the bowl during mixing activities.
U.S. Pat. No. D-373, 932 covers a mixing bowl design.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,407,924 relates to a method and package for producing dental molds or molding material. A package unit of a container containing compressed gypsum powder material compressed and sealed is disclosed in this patent along with the method of producing a liquid-gypsum mixture used in dental application. The package serves as the mixing container for the dental model material. The container is disposable.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,610,586 teaches a mixing device for dental products that uses a disposable cup made of plastic.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,825 relates to a dish for mixing denture repair materials. An internally-ribbed, relatively thin walled container 12 is used as part of a two part container system as shown and illustrated in FIG. 1. The dish for mixing dental repair material is made from plastic and is intended to be disposed of when the mixing is finished.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,467 teaches a device for mixing alginate and may be discarded after use.
The problems associated with the prior art have been solved by creating a disposable dental mixing bowl with a thin wall made of plastic material, along with external ribs to enhance and add structural support and a measured degree of stiffness to the sidewall of the bowl. The plurality of vertically-arranged, externally disposed ribs additionally provide a series of longitudinally arranged, raised portions extending from the base of the bowl to a point adjacent to the rim of the bowl to allow the bowl to be manually rotated while the materials are being mixed. This greatly improves the speed at which such combination of liquid and powdered material can be mixed, combined and rendered uniform. Since the dental mixing bowl is disposable, it is used only once and the bowl, along with the remaining material in the bowl, is simply disposed of by tossing the entire combination, bowl and all, into the trash can. This eliminates the need to wash the materials out of the dental mixing bowl and into the plumbing drain which frequently produces stoppage of the plumbing drain. In summary, not only does the new and unique disposable thin wall plastic mixing bowl eliminate the risk of the transmittal of infectious diseases such as in the case when the prior art rubber mixing bowl is used, but the use of the new bowl also eliminates the usual plumbing blockage problem as well because the bowl is simply tossed into the trash and the remaining mixed materials are not flushed down the plumbing drain as is the procedure when using the prior art rubber, non-disposable dental mixing bowl.


A thermal shield material comprises a laminate of a homogeneously blended fiber mat of fiberglass, polyester and bi-component polyester, a plurality of tufts disposed on only one side of the laminate mat, the tufts formed by needling the laminate mat from a single side, first and second pressure sensitive adhesive layers disposed on first and second sides of the blended fiber mat, a foil layer on at least one of the first and second pressure sensitive adhesive layers.

Various types of thermal and acoustical insulation or insulating shields are known in the art and used in a wide variety of applications including, but not limited to, automobiles, home appliances or other structures and devices necessitating heat or acoustical insulation.
Thermal insulating shields function by being a radiation thermal shield while other types are conduction thermal shields and may be at least in part fibrous in nature, for example formed of fibrous batts of organic and/or inorganic fibers. These types of insulation are useful where static and dynamic forces are limited on the fibrous insulation. This is important for fibrous insulation shields since these types have limited strength in X, Y or Z directions.
Fibrous batts usually include inorganic fibers such as glass, mineral and clay wool, alumina-silicate, silica fibers and the like to provide sufficient thermal and acoustic insulation in various applications. However, when such sheets are suspended, the fibrous batt may not have sufficient strength in the Z direction, that is the vertical thickness direction, since there may be insufficient interlocking of the fibers. For example, even under extended static loading of the batts own weight, the insulation may sag. It may be therefore desirable to provide a structure which improves the tensile strength of such fibrous batt in any of the X, Y and including the Z directions.


An adjustable-period dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) generator, which includes a plurality of programmable counters or up/down counters, a control unit, a memory unit for storing data, a digital adder, and a digital-to-analog converter. The programmable counter and the control unit are combined together to form into at least two programmable counting address generators, in which the circuit is a digit-process circuit for overcoming the problem of signal distortion that usually exists in an analog circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an adjustable-period dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) generator, and, particularly, to a generator for generating a DTMF signal using a digital circuit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional DTMF generator is typically an analog circuit device as shown in FIG. 1, in which block 1 is the pick-up switch assembly of DTMF voltage signal; blocks 2 and 3 form into an assembly of tracer and buffer circuits; block 4 is an analog signal adder; and block 5 is a reference voltage generator. The aforesaid analog circuit is subject to interference or signal distortions because of the manufacturing process, temperature or other environmental factors. Consequently, the output value thereof is often not conformed to the actual value. Furthermore, after an analog circuit has been used for a long time, the elements thereof are subject to aging, and the output values thereof will be affected. Therefore, the accuracy of a conventional analog circuit for generating DTMF signals is difficult to control, especially when operating at lower voltages.
Regarding the manufacturing process, the analog circuit has no flexibility in terms of circuit board area because of its characteristics, i.e., the circuit board can only be reduced to a limited extent, and cannot be reduced much further. Moreover, when the telephone line is designed, the column value signal (voltage value) and the row value signal have a ratio gain of 2 dB, but a conventional analog adder can only control gains in the range from 1-3 dB, i.e., it is unable to control the gain at exactly 2 dB, and therefore the accuracy thereof is not good.

Adjustable-period dual-tone multifrequency generator


A nozzle assembly for conveying a flow of particles of insulation material suspended in air to a substrate to form an insulation product on the substrate is provided, including: a nozzle body defining a flow path for accommodating the flow of particles of insulation material suspended in air, wherein the nozzle body comprises an inlet for receiving the flow of particles of insulation material suspended in air; an outlet for propelling the flow from the nozzle assembly; and at least one expansion section in which the cross-sectional area of the nozzle body expands in the direction of flow, the at least one expansion section being effective to reduce the velocity of the particles flowing therethrough; and at least one binder outlet for providing a binder to the flow of particles of insulation material propelled from the outlet.

Loose fill fibrous insulation can be blown or pumped into attics, walls and other surfaces of houses and other buildings. The loose fill fibrous insulation can include inorganic material such as fiberglass and/or organic material such as cellulose fibers. A binder can be added to the fibrous insulation as it is emitted from a nozzle to bind the insulation particles together.
In conventional methods and systems, the fibrous insulation is blown into a cavity defined between two adjacent elongated supporting members such as studs or purlins by directing a flow of the fibrous insulation into the cavity. In such conventional methods and systems, it is necessary to adjust the insulation flow both in a direction perpendicular to the elongated supporting members as well as in a direction parallel to the elongated supporting members in order to adequately fill the cavity with the insulation material.
This conventional technique and system of filling the cavity presents several drawbacks. For example, when the insulation flow is directed back and forth in a direction perpendicular to the elongated supporting members, the flow typically impacts the supporting members, causing build-up of the insulation material on the supporting members and/or fly off of the insulation material from the supporting members. Such build-up can adversely affect the user's ability to determine the endpoint of the filling of the cavity, and as such, overfilling of the cavity can occur. In addition, the fly off of the insulation material can result in wasted materials, and in particular the use of excess binder. Further, the conventional techniques and systems that require both parallel and perpendicular directional adjustments of the insulation flow can be prone to a relatively high degree of user error and/or fatigue during the installation process, since it is necessary for the user to make frequent nozzle position adjustments.
In addition, conventional techniques and systems generally do not provide adequate means for controlling the density of the blown-in insulation. The installation of blown-in insulation having a density that is higher than what is required for a specific application can result in the use of excess insulation and binder material, which can in turn contribute to increased installation costs.
Furthermore, because specific parameters of the blowing process such as temperature, humidity, the particle size and consistency of the loose fill fibrous insulation, the blowing machine settings, etc. can vary from site to site, it can be difficult in conventional techniques and systems to attain a desirable flow pattern emitted from the blowing nozzle, and to obtain a desired density of the blown-in insulation product.

Nozzle assembly, delivery system and method for conveying insulation material


Method and system for optimally equalizing distortion of an optical data channel carrying coherent optical signals with a given analog bandwidth B. A receiving end with IQ paths receives signals and a balanced detector detects signals in each path. The bandwidth of the detected signals is reduced by a factor of N by filtering the output of each path using an AAF with a cutoff frequency optimized to the analog bandwidth 2B/N of each path, where the AAF has deterministic attributes and introducing Known ISI. The signal is sampled at the AAF output by an ADC, at a sampling rate of 2B/N. The samples of each path are post-processed by a digital processor operating at a data rate of 2B/N, where post-processing represents the compensation of the distortion and the input data stream is reconstructed by optimally decoding the output of the processor using a decoder, which compensates the ISI.

Digital compensation of Chromatic Dispersion (CD—the dependency of the phase velocity of an optical signal on its wavelength) and Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD—modal dispersion where two different polarizations of light in a waveguide, propagate at different speeds, causing random spreading of the optical pulses) in 40 Gbp/s and 100 Gbp/s coherent optical fiber communication systems is of great interest nowadays. Today, the possibility to accurately detect not only the amplitude but also the phase of data carrying optical signals allows transmitting data by using the phase of these signals. Therefore, coherent detection and equalization allows compensating distortions that are introduced by very long fibers.
Today, sampling of optical signals in rates of 100 Gb/s is problematic, since even though the information is carried by 28 Gb/s using different polarization and splitting the data into I and Q (In-phase and Quadrature) channels, the sampling rate must be 56 Gs/s. This requires special equipment with resolution of about 5 bits, which is expensive. In addition, there is a demand for transmitting and receiving in rages of 400 Gb/s, which pushes the limits of feasible equipment even much further.
The common practice of CD and PMD compensation is to use fractional space equalizers, with two samples per symbol, or even more. It is well known that in undistorted media, sampling at the symbol rate forms sufficient information to recover the digital data. However, when the channel introduces linear distortions such as CD and PMD, a full reconstruction of the received analog signal is required in order to apply digital compensation. Sampling this signal at the symbol rate without preceding filtering violates the Nyquist sampling theorem, causing aliasing effect that results in performance degradation. On the other hand, using Anti Aliasing Filtering (AAF) prior to symbol rate sampling introduces substantial low-pass filtering which, in turn, causes substantial Inter Symbol Interference (ISI). The optimal equalizer, in the sense of minimum probability of error for a channel with ISI is the Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimator (MLSE).
Several attempts of dealing with symbol space equalizers were made using AAF, in order to reduce cost and complexity of VLSI implementation. However, these attempts deal only with low CD values suffer from significant power penalty due to the combined effects of Aliasing and ISI.
All the methods described above have not yet provided satisfactory solutions to the problem of optimally equalizing the distortion of an optical data channel, while using reduced sampling and processing rates.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and system for optimally equalizing the distortion of an optical data channel, while using reduced sampling and processing rates.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for equalizing the distortion of an optical data channel, without the need for expensive sampling and processing equipment.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and system for equalizing the distortion of an optical data channel, while introducing low power penalties.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Method and system for coherent equalization of chromatic dispersion of optical signals in a fiber