An integrated circuit is provided including a narrow gate stack having a width less than or equal to 65 nm, including a silicide region comprising Pt segregated in a region of the silicide away from the top surface of the silicide and towards an lower portion defined by a pulldown height of spacers on the sidewalls of the gate conductor. In a preferred embodiment, the spacers are pulled down prior to formation of the silicide. The silicide is first formed by a formation anneal, at a temperature in the range 250° C. to 450° C. Subsequently, a segregation anneal at a temperature in the range 450° C. to 550° C. The distribution of the Pt along the vertical length of the silicide layer has a peak Pt concentration within the segregated region, and the segregated Pt region has a width at half the peak Pt concentration that is less than 50% of the distance between the top surface of the silicide layer and the pulldown spacer height.

The use of silicide as a contact material is well-known in the manufacture of CMOS (Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) devices such as FETs (field-effect transistors). The silicide provides a material with relatively low sheet resistance, which also leads to relatively low contact resistance, to the FET source/drain regions and to the gate conductor. A low sheet resistance allows good current flow within the silicide, while a low contact resistance allows a good electrical connection to the contact, e.g. a tungsten plug, that is used to connect to the wiring layers. A typical silicide material is NiSi. It is also known that alloying elements, such as Pt, may be used to enhance the thermal stability of the silicide during subsequent processing. However, alloy materials such as Pt increase the sheet resistance, and therefore also the contact resistance, of the silicide.
For example, consider a conventional method of forming a CMOS device. FIG. 1 illustrates a typical CMOS FET at an intermediate stage of processing. The wafer 100 includes a semiconductor substrate 110, such as Si, SiGe, silicon on insulator (SOI), and the like. Shallow trench isolation (STI) regions 145 are formed. A gate stack 125 is formed over the substrate 110, comprising a gate conductor 120, such as a polysilicon gate conductor, formed atop a gate dielectric 115. The sidewalls of the gate stack are covered by dielectric spacers 140. Source/drain regions 130 are formed in the substrate adjacent the gate stack 125.
Referring to FIG. 2, a thin metal layer 150 is deposited over the surface of the wafer 100. For example, the thin metal layer may be a metal suitable for forming a silicide with the underlying semiconductor material in the substrate 110 and the gate conductor 120. In this example, Ni1-xPtx (x being the alloy percentage) may be used, where Pt is included to provide thermal stability.
Next, the wafer is annealed, for example, at a temperature in the range 250-450° C. The Ni1-x Ptx will selectively react with the semiconductor, e.g. Si, in the gate conductor 120 and the substrate source/drain regions 130, to form silicide layers 155. The Ni1-x Ptx will not react with the dielectric spacers 140 or the STI regions 145, thus the silicide layers 155 are self-aligned. This selective, self-aligned silicide process is often referred to as a salicide process. The resulting structure is illustrated in FIG. 3.
Next, the unreacted Ni1-x Ptx metal is removed, for example, by a selective wet etch, leaving the Ni1-x Ptx silicide 155 atop the gate conductor 120 and the source/drain regions 130, as illustrated in FIG. 4. However, particularly in devices having narrow (i.e. less than about 65 nm) gate dimensions, segregation of Pt will tend to occur in an upper portion 155′ of the Ni1-x Ptx silicide 155. This has the disadvantage of increasing the sheet resistance of the silicide. For example, 10% Pt will increase the sheet resistance of the silicide by about 50%.
As devices continue to scale to smaller dimensions, it would be desirable to provide a silicide that has good thermal stability while also providing low contact resistance and low sheet resistance.

Structure and method to form a thermally stable silicide in narrow dimension gate stacks

International Business Machines Corporation


For keystone correction of the perspective distortion of an image (18) projected onto a projection surface (12), an image existing in electronic form is processed by a processing device to reverse the perspective distortion. For this purpose, the processing device, respectively rotates and shifts exactly one image line (36) at a time, respectively, while the orientation of the other image lines (40,42,46) is maintained fixed. In addition or alternately, the image lines (36,40,42,46) of the original electronic image comprise a plurality of partial sections of equal lengths which are differently stretched and/or compressed by the processing device. Subsequently, the image is newly computed under consideration of all of the image lines (36,40,42,46) and is projected onto a projection surface (12) by a projector.

The present invention relates to an image processing method for processing an electronic image which can be projected onto a projection surface, particularly a screen. Further, the invention relates to an image processing device for performing said image processing method.
Normally, projected images are projected, by means of an image processing device such as, e.g., a projector or video beamer, onto a projection surface such as, e.g., a screen or a smooth white wall. For this purpose, the projection device is arranged frontally towards the projection surface so that the image plane of the projected image on the projection surface and the image plane of the virtual image are arranged parallel to each other. However, it may happen that the projection device has been erroneously or out of necessity placed in a non-frontal orientation in front of the projection surface. In such a case, the image plane of the virtual image is not arranged parallel to the plane of the projection surface so that, since the projection is not performed at a right angle anymore, the projected image will undergo a perspective distortion.
To be able to reverse this perspective distortion of the projected image, it is known, in the field of images existing in electronic form, to electronically distort the electronic image in such a manner that the optical distortion caused by the above outlined conditions will be compensated for. To achieve this effect, it is known from WO 02/101443 to compute an inverse transformation matrix for distorting the electronic image. For this purpose, however, one has to know the exact angle at which the projected beam of a projecting means is incident on a screen or the like surface. On the other hand, this angle is often not known and has to be detected in a complex manner. According to JP 2003 009 038, for instance, the angle is determined by projecting various test images and detecting that test image which results in a distortion-free projected image. To the thus selected test image, one can then assign a concrete angle at which the beam projected from the projection device will be incident on the screen. However, especially if the screen has been rotated e.g. both about a horizontal axis and a vertical axis relative to the projection direction of the projection device, the detecting of the required angle is extremely difficult because this process would necessitate an excessively large number of test images.
According to a known approach for correcting the perspective distortion of the projected image ("keystone correction"), a trapezoidal distortion can be performed. In doing so, the image existing in electronic form, usually being an image of a rectangular shape, is distorted to cause it to assume a trapezoidal shape. The extent of this trapezoidal distortion is set to the effect that the trapezoidal distortion of the electronic image will be reversed by the perspective distortion of the projected image, resulting in a rectangular projected image appearing to the viewer.
For keystone correction by trapezoidal distortion, the rectangular electronic image comprises four image edges which define the shape of the electronic image. Further, the electronic image comprises an image content including a plurality of image elements; these image elements are e.g. partial surfaces of a rendered image. For instance, when effecting a trapezoidal distortion, the right-hand and the left-hand edges of the image are rotated in different rotational senses so that the upper image edge will be compressed and the lower image edge will be stretched, or vice versa. Because of the altered shape of the electronic image, the image content will be newly computed under consideration of all image edges, while the individual image elements of the image content will be stretched or compressed to different degrees, depending on their position within the image.
When performing the above keystone correction corresponding to the trapezoidal distortion, cases where the projection device is arranged obliquely to the projection surface both in the horizontal and the vertical directions will disadvantageously entail the need for two different trapezoidal distortions which overlap each other. Due to this overlap, the operator of the projection device, e.g. a lighting engineer, will already in the first trapezoidal distortion also have to consider the change of the shape of the image caused by the second trapezoidal distortion. This is extremely difficult and prone to failure so that, normally, several trapezoidal distortion steps are required until the perspective distortion of the projected image has been compensated for.
Further, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,171 B1, a keystone correction is known wherein the corner points of a rectangular electronic images can be shifted as desired. However, when shifting each individual corner point, it is required to move the corner point into two different coordinate directions. Since the controlling of projection devices is normally carried out via a control panel with several turning switches or slide switches, the user will first have to operate a first switch to move the corner point of the electronic image into a first coordinate direction and then have to change the function of the turning switch so as to move the corner point into a second coordinate direction. Because the movement by which the corner point of the projected image on a projection face arranged obliquely in space is displaced into both coordinate directions will not be performed at right angles, it will be correspondingly difficult to reach the desired end point; thus, several correction steps are required until an individual corner point has reached the desired end point. The same difficulties arise when the operator, using two control switches, moves the corner point both into the first and into the second coordinate direction, entailing the additional disadvantage that the user has to employ both hands so that possible further setting measures cannot be carried out.
It is an object of the invention to provide an image processing method and an image processing device with improved keystone correction.
According to the present invention, the above object is achieved by an image processing method and an image processing device as described in the claims.

Image processing method and image processing device


A showerhead for a low flow rate may employ one or more of a showerhead housing, a showerhead engine, a flow restrictor and a flow regulation device. The showerhead engine may be moveably connected to the showerhead housing. The showerhead engine may include a back member, an intermediate member, and a front member defining various fluid chambers and apertures that allow for one or more spray modes. The showerhead may include a flow control device to selectively reduce flow to the showerhead engine. The flow control device may also be selectively pause fluid flow for more than one spray mode. The showerhead may include a flow restrictor. The flow restrictor may limit a maximum fluid flow rate of a fluid delivered from the showerhead engine to approximately 1.5 gallons per minute.

Showerheads by regulatory mandate are not permitted to flow greater than 2.5 gallons per minute ("GPM") at a specified line pressure. As a result of these regulations, showerheads often include a flow regulator to limit the flow from the showerhead to a maximum of 2.5 GPM of water. In connection therewith, showerheads and their water passageways are designed and optimized for a flow rate of 2.5 GPM. Unfortunately, a flow rate of 2.5 GPM still results in a large volume of water usage. Showerheads may include a user selectable adjustment mechanism, for the adjustment of water pressure and/or spray pattern flowing from the showerhead, but such systems are dependent upon a user's selection and often positioned in a location of the hydraulic path leading to an unwanted pressure drop. In addition, many such devices fail to maintain sufficient pressure throughout the showerhead, and in particular, often include flow patterns within the showerhead causing a large pressure drop in the showerhead before the water reaches the exit nozzles. As a result, the showerhead does not work correctly, and discharges water at a low pressure, or with a weak spray, leading to an unsatisfactory shower experience. This weak spray, on occasion, further causes users to remove the flow regulator to increase water flow and pressure, thereby eliminating any conservation advantages gained by the use of the flow regulator.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is an improved low flow rate showerhead and assembly that reduces the flow of water through the showerhead, yet maintains a desirable feeling shower.

Low flow showerhead and method of making same


An image pickup apparatus which is capable of performing stable and high-speed focusing on an object intended by a photographer. In a video camera as the image pickup apparatus, an image pickup element picks up an object image formed by a photographic optical system including a focus lens and thereby outputs a video signal. A face-detecting section detects a face detection area based on the video signal. An AF signal processing circuit generates an AF evaluation value signal. An external ranging unit generates object distance information. A microcomputer performs a TV-AF process using an AF evaluation value of the AF evaluation value signal and an external ranging AF process using the object distance information. The microcomputer controls execution of the two focus control processes according to a result of the detection by the face-detecting section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus, a method of controlling the same, and a storage medium, and more particularly to an image pickup apparatus configured to detect an object area in an image pickup screen and perform focus control based on a result of the detection.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the autofocus (AF) control of an image pickup apparatus, such as a video camera, a TV-AF method is predominant in which an AF evaluation value signal is generated that is indicative of the sharpness (contrast state) of a video signal generated using an image pickup element, and a focus lens position that is searched for that represents where the AF evaluation value signal assumes a maximum value.
Further, there has been known an image pickup apparatus having a human face detecting function so as to stably focus on a human object in the case of photographing a human being. For example, an image pickup apparatus has been proposed in which a focus detection area including a recognized face detection area is set and then focus detection is performed (see e.g. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-227080). Furthermore, there has been proposed an image pickup apparatus in which human eyes are detected, and focus detection is performed based on the detected human eyes (see e.g. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-215403).
The AF method includes an external ranging method (external phase difference detection method) in which a ranging sensor is provided separately from a photographic lens, and an in-focus position of a focus lens is calculated based on information indicative of an object distance detected by the ranging sensor. The focus lens is then moved to the calculated in-focus position.
In this external phase difference detection method, an optical flux received from an object is divided into two, and the divided optical flux components are received by a pair of light receiving element arrays (line sensors), respectively. Then, the amount of shift between images formed on the respective line sensors, i.e. a phase difference between the two images is detected, and an object distance is determined based on the phase difference using a triangulation technique. Then, the focus lens is moved to a position (in-focus position) where the object is focused at the object distance.
The AF method includes an internal (TTL) phase difference detection method.
In this internal phase difference detection method, an optical flux having passed through the emission pupil of a photographic lens is divided into two, and the divided optical flux components are received by a pair of focus detecting sensors, respectively. Then, the amount of deviation of focus of the photographic lens and the direction of the focus deviation are directly obtained by detecting the amount of shift between output images, i.e. the amount of relative positional shift in an optical flux-dividing direction, based on the respective amounts of received light, and the focus lens is moved based on the amount of deviation of the focus of the photographic lens and the direction of the focus deviation.
Further, a hybrid AF method as a combination of the internal phase difference detection method and the TV-AF method has also been proposed. In the hybrid AF method, a focus lens is moved close to an in-focus position using the internal phase difference detection method, and then the focus lens is more accurately moved to the in-focus position using the TV-AF method (see e.g. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H05-064056 (paragraphs [0008] to [0009], FIG. 1, etc.)). There has been proposed another hybrid AF method in which the external phase difference detection method and the TV-AF method are combined (see e.g. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-234325 (paragraphs [0037] to [0062], FIG. 3, etc.)).
In the hybrid AF method proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-234325, one of the TV-AF method and the external phase difference detection method is selected for focus control, depending on the amount of change in each signal in the TV-AF method and the external phase difference detection method.
By performing focus detection by combining the hybrid AF method and the face detecting function, an image pickup apparatus is capable of not only performing stable focusing on a main human object, but also performing high-speed focusing from a state in which an image blur is occurring.
However, when an object is moving or when a camera shake by a photographer has occurred, it is not always possible to obtain an in-focus position of a focus lens for the face detection area by the phase difference detection method. Even in a case where stable focusing is being performed after detection of a human face, it sometimes occurs that when the in-focus position of the focus lens for the face detection area temporarily cannot be obtained but an in-focus position of the focus lens for a background is obtained, the focus lens is moved to the in-focus position of the focus lens for the background based on judgment that the current position of the focus lens is not close to the in-focus position of the focus lens for the face detection area. This makes a photographer feel uncomfortable.
Further, when the external phase difference detection method is employed, an optical system different from the main optical system of the photographic lens is used, which causes a parallax. For this reason, a face detection area on the screen, where a human face is detected, can differ from a ranging area determined by the external phase difference detection method. In this case, even when the face of a main human object is detected and stable focusing is being performed, the in-focus position of the focus lens obtained by the external phase difference detection method sometimes corresponds to a background object. In this case, it is judged that image blur has occurred, and the background object is focused, which discomforts a photographer. Further, when the face detection area for the main human object and the ranging area determined by the external phase difference detection method overlap each other, high-speed focusing is performed on the main human object, which can cause unstable focusing.
Further, in the case where high-speed focusing is performed from a state in which the entire screen is blurred, the face detection area for the main human object and the ranging area determined by the external phase difference detection method does not always coincide with each other. Therefore, if the two areas do not coincide with each other, it sometimes occurs that the background is focused first, and then the main human object is focused, which makes it impossible to perform stable focusing at high speed.

Image pickup apparatus, method of controlling the same, and storage medium


A sample cylinder for holding natural gas or other fluid samples for analysis which can completely clear itself of one sample before being filled with a subsequent sample. The piston is adapted to receive an elastomeric head which is preferably concave to the end cap. The end cap is also preferably sloped downward toward the outlet. When the piston head contacts the end cap, contact begins near the cylinder body wall and progresses inward to the outlet. The end cap is adapted to receive an elastomeric gasket seal instead of an o-ring. No spaces are left between the end cap and the cylinder body which could retain sample fluid.

It is often desirable to accumulate a sample of a fluid, such as natural gas, in cylinders for later analysis. Several sample cylinders have been invented over time, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,922,764 and 4,459,865 both having common inventorship herewith. A problem exists with these and other previous designs when it is necessary to purge the entire contents from the cylinder to avoid even minute contamination of subsequent samples.
Furthermore, sample cylinders typically have end caps that fit into the cylinder bodies. To prevent leakage of the sample, o-rings are placed between the sample cylinder and the end cap. O-rings leave behind gaps between the o-ring groove of the end cap and the o-ring itself. These gaps can hold trace amounts of a sample, which can slightly contaminate subsequent samples.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a sample cylinder with the ability to purge the entire contents thereof when desired by the user.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a sample cylinder without gaps between the cylinder body and the end cap.
Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the specification described herein below.


In a described example, an apparatus includes: at least one electrode having a base on a first surface of a substrate and extending away from the base to an end; a counter-electrode spaced from the end of the at least one electrode, having a first conductive surface facing the end; and a package having a cavity containing the at least one electrode, the substrate, and the counter-electrode, the package having at least one opening configured to allow an atmosphere to enter the cavity.

The level of humidity that is comfortable to humans is temperature dependent, and with the amount of water vapor the air can hold increasing with temperature, most humidity measurements made are of relative humidity, or RH. Relative humidity is a measure of the amount of water vapor in air at a given temperature. In many applications, relative humidity measurements are used to properly condition air for human comfort, or for another use, such as for drying, cooking, cooling, or to control an industrial process such as painting, printing, and drying of paints, inks, and curing liquid coatings. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning ("HVAC") systems need to measure the relative humidity to improve or maintain human comfort in the controlled environment. Relative humidity is generally described as a percentage value, with 100% RH being the dew point or saturation level, and is measured at a given temperature, so that humidity sensors and relative humidity instruments need to measure temperature or to receive the temperature when the RH measurement is made.
Analog humidity gauges often rely on a "wet bulb" principle in which a wick is placed in a vessel with water in it, and the wick carries moisture to an absorbent material surrounding a thermometer gauge bulb. Air is flowed over the bulb and a "wet bulb" temperature is recorded. A dry thermometer bulb placed adjacent or proximal to the wet bulb is used and a contemporaneous dry bulb temperature is recorded. By determining the difference in temperature for the wet and dry bulb thermometer readings, a relative humidity can be determined indirectly, by using experimental observation charts for the instrument made in prior readings with known conditions. Note that this method measures temperature, and then indirectly infers the relative humidity based on the characteristics of absorbent material. The rate of absorption by the wick and the change in temperature of the wet bulb as compared to the dry bulb correspond to humidity, but the measurement is made by inferring the RH from prior results, and depends on a property of the wick material, absorption, that may vary over time, may vary with condition of the material, and which is only indirectly related to RH.
Packaged indirect sensing humidity sensors are available from Texas Instruments Incorporated. Example devices include the HDC2021, 2022, 2080, 2019, and the HDC1010 and 1080 integrated circuits. In these sensors, a polyimide material that has electrical characteristics that change as the material absorbs moisture is exposed to the atmosphere through an opening in a device package. The device package also contains a semiconductor device with a temperature sensor. An integrated circuit that includes an analog to digital converter ("ADC") can be connected to or integrated with the humidity and temperature sensors. The electrical characteristics of the polyimide material vary with the moisture absorbed, so a measurement can be made of conductivity or resistance of the sensor material after it is exposed to the atmosphere. The temperature is also sensed using the temperature sensor on the device, and using the two measurements, the relative humidity can be determined by using prior known experimental data for the device. Again, the measurement is made of a material characteristic that varies with humidity, and an inferred value for the relative humidity is then determined. The sensor relies on the electrical characteristics of a particular absorbent polyimide material, however, the characteristics of this material can change as it ages, and can vary with conditions or between devices. The material can also become oversaturated and prior exposure to moist atmospheres can affect the accuracy of the measurements, or even the availability of measurements. The operation of the device may need to be paused after exposure to a very high humidity environment while a heater dries the polyimide material, so that the material can again begin to absorb moisture. Hysteresis effects in the electrical characteristics can occur, that is, the conductivity measurements can be affected by prior cycles of absorption, saturation, desorption, and by age or other conditions of the material. The measurements may be less reliable than desired in certain conditions, and may become less reliable as the material ages. Delay between available measurements may occur. Recalibration or retraining of the device may be required.


A procedure is used to provide data structures that handle large numbers of active data entries and a high rate of additions and deletions of active entries. The procedure utilizes one or more of the following modifications. Timers are removed from individual session table entries and are linked via pointers. Bilateral links are established between the session table and the timer structure. Aging/timer checks are applied to the timer control block (TCB). A chain of TCBs, optionally including an excess of blocks, may be used along with packing of multiple TCBs into a single memory location. This excess of blocks permits a terminated session to continue to occupy a TCB until the timer process progresses to that block location in the chain of blocks.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the specific area of computer technology associated with the data structures useful in networking tasks. More specifically, it relates to dynamic data structures having the capability of adding large numbers of active file entries to data tables or deleting such file entries from these tables.
2. Discussion of Related Art
To assist in the understanding of the present invention and related art, the following abbreviations and acronyms are defined as follows:
Active Session—data entry being sought in a data structure containing data associated with a session that is currently sending and receiving packets.
Chained pointers—pointers within data objects that create a linked list of such objects.
Data structure—grouping of related table entries
DT—direct table
FIN—finish
FM—full match
FQ—free queue
Hashing—reducing the network portion of an address to a manageable index
MAC—media access control
Patricia tree—A table structure associated with binary searching techniques wherein all address strings and accompanying information are stored in a binary tree
PSCB—pattern search control block
TCB—timer control block
Many commonly used networking tasks are organized by structuring various data bases (i.e. routing tables, active session state, etc.). Hash tables are often used with various mechanisms for resolving the case of multiple entries hashing to the same location (i.e. Patricia tree via chained pointers or "pattern search control blocks" (PSCBs) to the desired entry). Organization and maintenance of these data structures vary significantly according to the associated applications. In a first class, many of these data structures are static (at least when viewed over a short period of time), and are updated by a network administrator only in response to occasional network configuration changes, if at all. In a second class, routing tables may be updated based on communications with other routers in the network. There is a third class of data structures. These data structures may be characterized as dynamic, responding to normal data traffic by adding entries useful in processing subsequent traffic sharing some specific characteristics. Examples of such data structures include layer 2 MAC address tables used in bridging functions, and various session-based data structures. Since a session entry is kept only as long as a session is active, session-based structures are likely the most dynamic and, therefore, create the biggest challenge.
One specific challenge with dynamic tables is that these data structures will eventually get full. Even if there are basic procedures (i.e. detection of the end of a session) to remove obsolete entries, an occasional missing packet can cause these data bases to grow without bound, eventually overflowing available memory. A standard technique for controlling the total number of entries is to apply various aging or timer functions to active entries. These mechanisms test each active entry periodically to determine how long it has been since it was last used.
FIG. 1 illustrates a basic data structure capable of providing an aging or timer function. This data structure is based on a full match (FM) hash table algorithm described separately in said related patent application U.S. Ser. No. 09/543,531. This structure consists of a direct table (DT) 100 to which a hashed search key 102 is applied, with a tree structure 104 of pointers to resolve collisions in each DT entry. For a given search key, a chain of pointers called pattern search control blocks or PSCBs 106 in the tree structure will lead from the DT to the desired data, shown in the Figure as "active sessions" 108. Note that all active sessions are linked together in a loop, enabling a timer or aging function to step through all active sessions sequentially, looking for entries that have outlived their usefulness. This aging function not only points to the next active session 140 to test, but also controls the insertion point for new sessions and the deletion point for obsolete sessions. As required, a new session is established by moving an entry from the head 110 of the free queue 116 to the rope pointer insertion/deletion point 112 in the main tree structure 104. Likewise, an obsolete session is moved from the insertion/deletion point in the main structure 104 to the tail 114 of the free queue 116.
The data structure of FIG. 1 has usefulness in applications requiring random session deletes based on packet traffic being processed. For example, if a finish (FIN) message is detected for a specific session, the corresponding session may be marked for deletion, but the memory resource for that session is not be returned to the free queue until the aging pointer is advanced to this entry. This protocol results in numerous obsolete entries in the data structure that are waiting for the aging process to catch up, and thus limits the memory resources available for active entries. As a result, significant limitations are created in applications requiring both very large and very dynamic data structures.
FIG. 2 illustrates a related art alternative to the structure described in FIG. 1, and uses a double linked list in the timing or aging loop. This data structure consists of a direct table (DT) 200 to which a hashed search key 202 is applied, with a tree structure 204 of pointers to resolve collisions in each DT entry. For a given search key, a chain of pointers, PSCBs 206 in the tree structure, lead from the DT to the active sessions 208. The double linked list enables a random delete to be processed immediately, since a given session entry contains pointers to both the session in front of it and the session behind it. As with FIG. 1, new sessions 240 are established by moving an entry from the head 210 of the free queue 216 to the rope pointer insertion/deletion point 212 in the main structure 204. In order to handle the possibility of missing an explicit request to delete a session, obsolete sessions may be aged out by moving them from the insertion/deletion point 212 in the main structure 204 to the tail 214 of the free queue 216. Thus, an obsolete session can immediately be removed from the timing/aging loop and returned to the free queue 216 for use by a subsequent new session.
This procedure solves the memory resource problem, but may create a performance problem for highly dynamic data structures due to the significant increase in memory accesses. In order to remove an entry from the double linked chain, three entries must be read, modified and written back. An additional entry must be read and written back to place the deleted entry on the free queue. A similar process is required for insertions of new sessions. For high rates of insertions and deletions, this can create a significant contention for access to memory resources. This contention not only increases latency for insertions and deletions, but affects normal packet processing as well, since normal packet processing contends for the same memory resources and encounters increased queuing delays due to the shared access.
One additional deficiency with the structures of both FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 relates to the accuracy of any implemented timer function. Typically, when a timer is started (or restarted), a timeout value is added to a time stamp in real-time and is written to the session entry. Then a timer support process examines each entry in the sequence determined by the loop of chained pointers, comparing the timer entry with the current time-stamp value. When a new packet is processed for a given session, its timer is restarted, resulting in a random distribution of time-out values in the loop. Then, in the worst case scenario, the timer support process may have to test every entry in the loop between the time the timer of a specific session actually expires and the time the session is actually tested. For a large data structure (e.g. 1 million entries), this could take hundreds of milliseconds. Conversely, the timer or aging process may have to read and test a given session entry for time-out multiple times before the timer actually expires, adding to the bandwidth utilization of the memory bus, and resulting in a corresponding increase in contention for access to that memory resource.
Some of these problems are overcome with the related art embodiment shown in FIG. 3. This figure illustrates an embodiment of the related invention described in Invention Disclosure RAL9-1999-0139. In mapping from a hashed search key (not shown) to a corresponding active session entry, this data structure uses the same direct table 300 and pattern search control block structure 304 illustrated in FIG. 1. The most significant difference is that the free queue 316 is merged with active sessions 308 into a larger timing loop 320. This simplifies insertions and deletions significantly, since there is no longer a requirement to rechain the session entry. A deletion simply detaches the PSCB and allows the obsolete entry to flow into the free queue section 316 of the loop. An insertion simply requires an advancement of the free queue head pointer 310 and modification of the tree structure to connect a PSCB 306 to the new session entry 340. Also different is the use of a spare buffer pool 322 to add and remove buffers from the loop at 324 to maintain delays.

Data structure supporting random delete and timer function


A wheeled concrete screeding device includes a wheeled unit having wheels for movably supporting a frame portion, and a screed head supported at the frame portion and following behind the wheeled unit when the wheeled unit is moved in a screeding direction. The screed head includes a grade establishing element and a vibratable member. The grade establishing element is generally vertically adjustable responsive to a signal from a laser receiver disposed at the screed head to establish a struck-off surface of the uncured concrete at a desired grade. The vibratable member is adjustably attached at the grade establishing element and the vibratable member at least partially floats behind the grade establishing element on the struck-off surface of the uncured concrete and is at least partially supported at the struck-off surface of the uncured concrete as the wheeled unit is moved in the screeding direction.

One common practice for the placement of concrete during the construction of slab-on-grade concrete surfaces and floors is to discharge concrete directly from concrete delivery trucks via a chute onto a subgrade upon which the slab will be formed. In some cases, such as where the truck has a front discharge chute, only the truck driver is required to perform the task of controlling the concrete chute from the driver's seat. However, considerable manual labor is required to spread the concrete to a reasonably uniform depth for subsequent strike-off or screeding. Automated laser system responsive screeding machines; such as a Laser Screed machine manufactured by Somero Enterprises of Houghton, Mich., USA (and/or such as the types described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,655,633; 4,930,935; 6,129,481; 6,152,647; 6,183,160; 6,588,976; and/or 6,623,208, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference), reduce the manual labor of screeding concrete substantially over large areas. However, in many instances where such a screeding machine cannot be used, the concrete still must be spread out or struck-off in a somewhat uniform fashion by manual effort which is very labor intensive and costly.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved striking-off or raking apparatus and/or method that requires less manual labor and thus overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art.


An image partitioner is configured to find a partition point that divides a received image into four sub-images each having a pre-selected activated pixel count. A recursion processor is configured to (i) apply the image partitioner to an input image to generate a first partition point and four sub-images and to (ii) recursively apply the image partitioner to at least one of the four sub-images for at least one recursion iteration to generate at least one additional partition point. A formatter is configured to generate a features representation of the input image in a selected format. The features representation is based at least in part on the partition points. The features representation can be used in various ways, such as by a classifier configured to classify the input image based on the features representation.

The following relates to the image processing, analysis, classification, comparison, detection, and related arts. The following is described with illustrative reference to spotting applications such as word spotting, logo spotting, signature spotting, and so forth, but will be useful in numerous other applications.
Optical character recognition (OCR) is a known technique for converting an optically scanned handwritten or typed document to an ASCII, XML, or other text-based format. Existing commercial OCR products include, for example, FineReader™ (available from ABBYY USA Software House, Fremont, Calif.). The OCR converted document is readily searched for words of interest. OCR has numerous advantages, but is computationally intensive and sensitive to image quality.
Word spotting (or, more generally, spotting, which can apply to words, objects such as logos, signatures, and so forth, sometimes also referred to as word detection, logo detection or so forth or as word matching, logo matching, or so forth) relates to identification of a certain word of interest in a document image or collection of document images without resort to OCR. Documents processed with word spotting may then be totally or partially processed by OCR, indexed, or flagged for other review or processing. In some applications, the information extracted by word spotting techniques is used for annotating, routing, filtering and redirecting documents. Word spotting operates in image space without conversion to text, and therefore can be computationally efficient as compared with OCR, and can provide a good alternative to manual review of incoming documents.
A typical word spotting algorithm starts by segmenting the document in image space into image blocks corresponding to individual words. The document is typically generated by an optical scanner or digital camera, although the document may be generated or acquired in other ways. The segmenting is suitably done by identifying whitespace that typically surrounds each word and using the whitespace to delineate boundaries of extracted word images. Prior or inferred structural inferred can also be used at this stage, for instance the knowledge that the word can only be present on the document header. Word segmentation can also include global document pre-processing such as orientation correction, de-noising, illumination normalization, document region segmentation, etc. Features are derived from each extracted image, and the features are processed by a classifier to determine whether any extracted image corresponds to a word of interest.
A suitable type of classifiers for word spotting and other detection algorithms are cascaded classifiers that include at least two classifier stages. Some cascade arrangements include one or more fast rejection stages that are computationally efficient, and one or more additional stages that are more computationally intensive but only process the relatively few segmentation blocks that pass through the fast rejection stages. In such an arrangement, any fast rejection stage should produce a low rate of false rejections since any false rejection is not passed onto the downstream stage and hence is irrevocably lost. On the other hand, the fast rejection stage can have a relatively high rate of false positives since any false positive is likely to be corrected (i.e., rejected) by the slower but more accurate downstream stage or stages. It is desirable for the fast rejection stage to be readily configurable to process various different types of words. For example, an environmental agency may want to be able to spot documents containing the word "carcinogenic" and also documents containing the very different word "sulfur". In some applications in which it is only desired to screen out documents that clearly do not include the word, object, or so forth that is of interest, the classifier may include only a fast rejection stage to provide such screening.
Existing fast rejection stages used in word spotting have typically been based on global features such as the aspect ratio or width of the extracted image. These global features are fast to compute, and can produce low false rejection rates. However, these features are not strongly discriminatory and tend to produce high false positive rates in the initial classifier. The effectiveness of such features for classification can also be highly dependent on the word to be spotted. For example, the aspect ratio feature is highly discriminatory for words of interest that have an unusual aspect ratio, but is less effective for "typical" words that have typical aspect ratios similar to numerous other words. In general, features for detecting a particular object type should exhibit large variation between objects of different types, and small variation amongst objects of the particular object type to be detected. The effectiveness of the features is also related to how well they deal with the variations present in the object they describe. In the case of word spotting one such variation is writing style. For example, the aspect ratio can strongly vary for the same word between different writers. A robust feature exhibits small variation for the same word written by different writers, but large variation for different words even if written by the same writer.
On the other hand, localized features computed using a sliding window or the like can be strongly discriminatory, but are computationally intensive, and therefore typically not well suited for use in an initial fast rejection stage of a cascaded classifier.
While word spotting is presented herein as an illustrative application, it will be appreciated that other applications would benefit from a features generator for generating features corresponding to an image that is readily configurable for different applications and provides features of substantial discriminatory value without concomitant computational complexity. Such a features generator would have value in numerous systems, including classification systems operating in conjunction with suitable classifiers, indexing and search systems, and so forth.

Features generation and spotting methods and systems using same


The present invention discloses a technique for avoiding a signal collision in a wireless medium to improve communication throughput. According to this technique, in a radio communication system composed of a plurality of radio communication devices in such a manner that other radio communication devices exist within the communication area of a radio communication device, a given radio communication device is assigned a time slot periodically so that it can access the wireless medium in the time slot at higher priority than the other radio communication devices. This is achieved as follows: The radio communication device monitors the wireless medium, detects other radio communication devices operating within the communication area of the radio communication device, and divide communication time on the wireless medium into time slots of equal width according to the number of other radio communication devices. Then, each radio communication device selects one of these time slots so as not to share the selected time slot with any other radio communication device, and uses a waiting time shorter than those of the other radio communication devices to access the wireless medium in the selected time slot.

The standardization of IEEE802.11e is currently developing as an extension of the IEEE802.11 standard (see the following non-patent document 1). The IEEE802.11e standard adds HCF (Hybrid Coordination Function) and defines HC (Hybrid Coordinator). The HCF is extended by combining DCF (Distributed Coordination Function) and PCF (Point Coordination Function) to have QoS (Quality of Service) specific mechanisms and frame subtypes which enable frame exchange sequences for QoS transmission between CP (Contention Period) and CFP (Contention Free Period).
The HC operates based on different rules from those for PC (Point Coordinator) in PCF. The HC coexists with a QoS enhanced access point (QAP: Quality enhanced Access Point) in QBSS (QoS Basic Service Set). The HC uses high access priority to a wireless medium of a PC to start a frame exchange sequence in order to give a controlled access phase (CAP) of a predetermined period for transfer of QoS data. Thus, the HC assigns transmit opportunities (TXOP) to QoS enhanced stations (QSTA) that are not access points. Access is prioritized by each period of waiting time during which an idle physical channel is being detected. A normal terminal needs to wait for a period equivalent to DIFS (DCF Interframe Space). On the other hand, the HC uses as the waiting time a period equivalent to PIFS (PCF Interframe Space) usually shorter than the DIFS.
Non-patent document 1: IEEE Std 802.11e/D4.2, February 2003 (Draft Supplement to IEEE Std 802.11, 1999 Edition).
However, there exists no process for controlling the operation of an HC under circumstances where QBSSs overlap. For example, if two HCs share the same time on a wireless medium, both HCs may try to access the wireless medium at the same time. After a signal collision occurs due to simultaneous access, both of the HCs wait for the same time period (PIFS). After that, they will try to access at the same time again, causing a recollision. Such a process may persist endlessly.
Thus, the conventional art has a problem in that an HC is not aware of or cannot make an effective response to the existence of any other HC, for example, when QBSSs are overlapping. There is also another problem in that if two or more HCs try to access a wireless medium, transmission from the HCs may collide repeatedly and intermittently.

Radio communication method and radio communication device


A technique is disclosed for generating control messages to be transmitted from a first network device to a second network device in a data network. A first control message to be generated at the first network device is determined. Reason information relating to at least one reason for generating the first control message is identified. The first control message is then generated at the first network device, and included the identified reason information. The first control message may be transmitted to at least one other network device in the network, including the second network device. When the first control message is received at the second network device, the reason information included in the first control message is identified. An appropriate response, based, at least in part, upon the reason information provided in the first control message, may then be determined and implemented at the second network device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to data networks, and more specifically to a technique for generating control messages with reason information between nodes in a data network.
2. Description of Related Arts
Network communication protocols have become increasingly sophisticated over the past few years. One particular area concerning communication protocols which has received much attention relates to the field of network security. This is particularly evident in global communication networks such as the Internet. For example, a number of standardized security-related protocols and/or definitions have been established for achieving acceptable levels of security over the Internet. Such standardized protocols include, for example, Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol, IP Security (IPSec) protocol, Internet Security Association Key Management Protocol (ISAKMP), etc. The Internet Key Exchange protocol is defined in RFC 2409, the IP Security protocol is defined in RFC 2401, and the Internet Security Association Key Management Protocol is defined in RFC 2408. Each of these documents is incorporation herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
As commonly known to one having ordinary skill in the art, implementation of Internet Security Protocols (such as those described above) between nodes in an IP network involves the establishment of different types of Security Associations (SAs) for providing secure communication of traffic between network nodes. Conventionally, every Security Association (SA) has a unique ID which serves as a mechanism for generating keying materials for purposes of allowing encrypted communication between network nodes. According to the conventional IKE protocol, different types of SAs may be used for communicating different types of information between two network nodes.
Typically, in order to pass encrypted traffic between two network nodes, an IKE SA (commonly referred to as a "Phase 1" SA) is first established between the network nodes. The Phase 1 SA is typically used to pass control signal information between the network nodes. Such a control information may include, for example, keep alive or heartbeat messages.
After the Phase 1 SA has been established, one or more IPSec SAs (commonly referred to as "Phase 2" SAs) may be established for allowing encrypted data to be passed between the network nodes. According to conventional practice, a Phase 1 SA may be used to initiate one or more Phase 2 SAs. Typically, Phase 1 SAs are initiated between network nodes for allowing control messages to be exchanged between the nodes, whereas Phase 2 SAs are used for allowing packets and/or encrypted IP data to be exchanged between the nodes.
According to conventional IP security techniques, a Phase 2 SA can only be initiated after its associated Phase 1 SA has been established. However, the expiration of Phase 1 and Phase 2 SAs may occur independently from one another. Thus, it is possible for one or more Phase 2 SAs to continue after the expiration of their associated Phase 1 SAs.
In many conventional IP networks, IKE keep-alive messages are typically used for dead-peer detection and consequent fail-over implementation. According to conventional practice, once the Phase 1 SA expires, the negotiated keep-alive control messages will also expire. Consequently, it is typically the case that two IPSec peers will exchange no further keep-alive messages until the Phase 1 SA renegotiates, either by renegotiating the Phase 2 SA, or by user intervention. Thus it will be appreciated that there exists a period of time between the expiration of the Phase 1 SA and the expiration/renegotiation of the Phase 2 SA where no keep-alive or heartbeat messages are transmitted between the two peers. As a result, any fail-over mechanisms between the two peers will be disabled during this time.
Typically, when a Phase 1 SA expires, the router which originally initiated the Phase 1 SA will check to see whether the expiring Phase 1 SA is related to any active Phase 2 SAs. If any active Phase 2 SAs are identified, the router will initiate a Phase 1 renegotiation. This process may continue until all the associated Phase 2 SAs have expired. If no associated Phase 2 SAs are identified, then it may be assumed that no traffic is flowing between the router and its peer. Accordingly, the router will allow the Phase 1 SA to time out, and as a consequence, the keep-alive messages will also time out.
It will be appreciated that situations may arise in which it is desired to delete a selected Phase 1 SA without deleting related Phase 2 SAs. For example, a system administrator may wish to manually clear the Phase 1 SA. Alternatively, an error relating to the Phase 1 SA may be detected and, in response, automatic or manual deletion of the Phase 1 SA may be initiated. However, according to the conventional IKE and IPSec protocols, the deletion of any given Phase 1 SA having active, associated Phase 2 SAs will result in the Phase 1 renegotiation. Thus, according to conventional techniques, even if it is desired to delete a selected Phase 1 SA, the existence of any related, active Phase 2 SA will result in the Phase 1 SA continuously renegotiating itself. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that there exists a general desire to improve upon security communication protocols implemented in IP networks.

Technique for generating control messages with reason information between nodes in a data network


A snowplow blade assembly is provided wherein the plow blade is provided at its opposite ends with snow deflectors. Preferably the snowplow blade assembly is also provided at its opposite ends with pivotable end extensions to which the snow deflectors are attached. Preferably each end extension is pivotable through an angle greater than about 175.degree. from a fully extended and retained blade end extending configuration to a fully folded and retained blade length reducing and extension storage configuration. Each snow deflector comprises a base, a deflector plate that is pivotable relative to the base, a biasing member, an anchor for fastening the springs to the base, and arm members for connecting the springs with the deflector plate so that the deflector plate is biased into an open but deflectable configuration relative to the base. The snow deflector components are arranged and configured to move snow without becoming snow bound.

The width of the blade of a snowplow can raise problems particularly in the handling, transport and storage of the snowplow. For example, variations in roadway width can be troublesome since a blade that extends beyond the edge of a roadway can damage or even shear off shrubbery and other objects. Moreover, a wide blade may not be within legal width limits for road travel.
Snowplow blade end extensions have been proposed; see, for example, Maura U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,514 which discloses telescoping snowplow blade extensions, and Hine et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,645 disclosing hydraulically controlled pivotably and incrementally positionable snowplow blade extensions.
However, such prior art extendable blade assemblies have a number of disadvantages. Thus, the Maura blade and extension assembly not only appears to be structurally weak, but also appears to be sensitive to certain use conditions (such as the possibility of ice formation between telescopically retracted and adjacent surface portions or in channels).
The Hine et al. blade assembly not only appears to be incapable of blade end extension pivoting beyond a limited acute angle, but also appears to require the use of only small moldboard blade curvature angles (since with relatively large moldboard blade curvature angles significant gaps develop between adjacent end portions as the pivot angle increases between the blade end and the adjacent extension end).
So far as now known, a simple, reliable and economical assembly of snowplow blade, equipped with blade end snow deflectors with the snow deflectors optionally but preferably being associated with blade end extensions, has not previously existed so far as shown. Preferably, each of the blade end extensions, as equipped with snow deflectors, can be either in an extended and locked blade extended position, or in a fully retracted and locked extension storage position. The present invention provides such assemblies.


A tailored diaper or diaper cover is constructed of a waterproof diaper shell enclosing an elongated sling of waterproof or non-waterproof material having its upper and lower ends attached to, and its opposite sides free and floating on, the shell. A fluid absorbent pad on the inner surface of the sling is circumscribed by the waterproof material of the sling so as to establish a channel to entrap and isolate fluid from the shell. The lines of attachment between the waterproof and fluid absorbent materials at the upper and lower ends of the sling are arcuate, and the periphery of the sling is covered by elastic trim, causing the sling and pad to cup the pubis of a user when the diaper is worn. Entrapment of fluid within the sling may be enhanced by different pad inserts. A washable pad of novel "butterfly" construction within the diaper or diaper cover enhances fluid absorption and drying. Another aspect of this invention provides embodiments of a tailored urinal for men, having a novel fluid containment bag and adapted to reside within underwear. Another aspect of this invention involves a new tab construction and manufacturing procedure whereby the periphery of the finished fastening tab in emcompassed by soft threads produced by an overlooking machine. Another aspect of the invention is a diaper cover containing a simple leakproof inner sling which holds a pad by folded frontal edges of the sling.

Disposable diapers are in widespread use throughout the country as a result of the convenience in using them. However, the fluid absorbing characteristics of disposable diapers, particularly at the legholes, is insufficient. Disposable diapers are not tailored, and the appearance of disposable diapers is not appealing to most adult users. Hence, one aspect of this invention is in applying significant enhancements to the field of disposable diapers and methods of producing them.
However, disposable diapers burden our ecology, contributing substantially to waste that must be processed by municipalities. Despite the convenience of disposability, there is a need to return to less waste producing undergarment systems both for infant and adult use domestically and institutionally. I am not aware of any existing technology combining elements of disposable and reusable undergarment systems in a practical and appealing manner to produce tailored undergarments that are comfortable, effective and cost efficient as well as environmentally appropriate.
Recent prior art has produced many significant advances in the field of reusable adult and infant diapers. In my U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,912, issued on Oct. 4, 1984, a cloth diaper is configured to "grow" with an infant from birth to toddler, through unique placement of filamentary-type fasteners and folding of fabric upon which the fasteners are sewn. Recognizing the tendency of the hook-type material within filamentary fasteners to accumulate with lint, and become unusable following washings, my U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,591 is directed to an improvement on hook and loop fasteners for cloth diapers, incorporating a protective cover to selfclose filamentary fasteners during washing. My U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,581, issued on Jul. 25, 1987, discloses various embodiments for fastening diapers, reducing the cost of manufacturing. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,030, issued on Jul. 14, 1987, various configurations of hook and loop filamentary fasteners, arranged on fabric flaps of material, enable the diapers to withstand institutional washing conditions, high temperatures and chemicals. My U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,526, issued on Aug. 11, 1992, is directed to methods of diaper construction such that fluids issuing from the wearer's pubis area are contained and encased within the diaper. This patent also describes improved methods of construction presenting the diaper with a more finished appearance while reducing costs. My co-pending application Ser. No. 08/104,700, filed on Aug. 11, 1993, teaches a novel construction of "sling" portions of reusable diapers for retaining fluid absorbent pads to the pubis.
The present invention represents improvement upon my previously developed technology to more effectively fit the wearer and isolate the wearer's legs, encasing fluid to just the wearer's pubis area and away from the legs, pelvis area, clothing and surrounding bedding. An aspect of this invention also represents evolution of this new technology to encompass tailored slings and urinals, that is, vessels for containing the passage of fluid from a bedridden or mobile individual. Such vessels have previously been served by relatively cumbersome garment devices, disposable bedpads, and bedpans made of rubber, metal or plastic materials.
Hard rubber, metal or plastic urinals are unable to conform to the shape of the body, and spilling is inevitable. Hence, these bedpans allow the spread of moisture to the rest of the body. Spreading of moisture occurs quickly, making the patient feel uncomfortable and creating considerable extra work for his or her caretaker.
Garment-type urinals, like typical cloth diapers, are somewhat ineffective as a result of leakage through the legholes where most of the fluid escapes to the bed and clothing. Perhaps the only efficient urinals of which I am aware are the fitted condom-type rubber or bag-type devices designed for men. But even these are difficult to attach to the male so that fluid is drained off, a process usually involving clumsy tubes running from the receptacle into a larger receptacle for emptying. If the urinal is hand-held, a skillful caretaker is required or spilling is inevitable. This process can be embarrassing and uncomfortable for the male wearer.
Goulter, U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,649, Hurst, U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,298, Wallace, U.S. Pat. No. 5,112,324, Bryant, U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,853, Lee, U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,953 and Pouch, U.S. Pat. No. 824,634 disclose urinals fitted to the male anatomy. However, these urinals are not tailored to a garment or effective to prevent leaking. The urinals additionally are not easily handled by the user caring for himself.
Recently, there have been substantial changes in disposable diaper technology by implementing the use of chemical gels placed in the central portion of those diapers. When technology of this nature is used, the remainder of the disposable diaper does not become wet, for the gelling action is so efficient it consolidates the fluid to a small localized area between the legs. Disposable pad inserts carrying the gel material are also available, examples being marketed under the brand name "Fitti" or "Diaper Doubler." When chemical gels are placed in an insert for absorption, the remainder of the disposable diaper in effect becomes useless and uncomfortable. Furthermore, the portion of the garment carrying the gel tends to slip about. I am not aware of any technology incorporating these disposable pad inserts within tailored vessels for securing of the pads against the pubis for an absolutely stationary and secure fit without slipping.
Sanitary napkins have been provided within panties, but these napkins, or disposable pads, are generally backed with plastic and adhesive. It is commonly known that an imperfect fit results, and pads do not stay in place, with or without an adhesive. Pads that slip in panties, whether used for absorbing urine or blood, cause devastating accidents and embarrassment for the wearer. This slipping of the pad usually is due to an excessive amount of movement in that area of the body where the legs attach to the pubis area. Hence the pull or motion of the legs dislodges the pad.
In the prior art, reusable pads are retained in and attached to garments, but without tailoring to fit human anatomy. To stabilize pad movement, conventional pockets such as disclosed in Wippler, U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,692 have been taught. The pocket placed in the rear or any portion of the garment represents high risk for entrapping feces, creating difficulty in cleaning.
Furthermore, because reusable pads do not contain gel, they must be relatively thick to absorb sufficient fluid for heavy use. These pads, however, are not easily cleaned, and drying requires a considerable amount of time and consumption of energy. The thicker the pad, the more difficult and costly the cleaning and drying process.
For the accommodation of both the male and female anatomies, and aesthetic preferences as well, I have discovered that tailored garments hold great promise due to the increase of material choices and tailoring methods. Because the male and female are anatomically different, tailoring of diapers, briefs and the like accordingly should reflect their individually.
The umbilicus of newborn babies is a very tender area for about ten days following birth. Efforts have been extended to protect this area while the umbilicus is healing. However, no diaper of which I am aware adapts to the anatomy of this unhealed navel cord while snugly fitting the rest of the infant's abdomen, avoiding leakage, while preventing avoidable rubbing and irritation.
Finally, fasteners of diapers seen in the prior art tend to wear and crinkle and their edges are sometimes sharp enough to injure a person. I am not aware of a fastening tab whereby, the tabs themselves have been constructed to have softened edges while increasing adjustability and function of tab.


A cheesecake pan system features a separate cheesecake pan bottom plate and a cylindrical cheesecake pan side wall having a spring-biased gap. A pan groove is located around a cheesecake pan side wall inner periphery and a cheesecake pan ridge is located around a bottom plate side wall outer periphery. The cheesecake pan bottom plate is adapted to snuggly fit in the cheesecake pan side wall. The system features a water base pan with a vapor hole centrally located in a raised bottom plate floor section. A water base pan ledge is located around a side wall inner periphery. The system features an elastomeric annular sealing ring designed to fit over a cheesecake pan lip. The cheesecake pan is placed on the water base pan.

Often, when baking a cheesecake, water is placed in a pan underneath a separate cheesecake pan to promote even baking of the cheesecake. The present invention features a cheesecake pan system for aiding even cooking of a cheesecake when placed into an oven.
Any feature or combination of features described herein are included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in any such combination are not mutually inconsistent as will be apparent from the context, this specification, and the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art. Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description and claims.


Methods for mass producing bacterial alginate, bacterial cultures for producing alginate, and pharmaceutical compositions containing bacterial alginate are contemplated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods for alginate production using mucoid bacterial cultures. The present invention also provides for pharmaceutical compositions that contain bacterial alginate. The bacterial alginate may be produced using genetically engineered bacteria.
2. Background Art
Alginate
Alginates are salts of alginic acid, which is a linear hetero-polysaccharide. Alginates are comprised of two subunits, β-D-mannuronic acid (denoted M units) and α-L-guluronic acid (denoted G units). Alginates may be found in and isolated from various species, in particular from algae belonging to the order Phaeophyceae and soil bacteria such as Azotobacter vinelandii and Azotobacter crococcum. Common algal sources of alginates include Laminaria digitata, Ecklonia maxima, Macrocystis pyrifera, Lessonia nigrescens, Ascophyllum nodosum, Laminaria japonica, Durvillea antartica, Durvillea potatorum and Laminaria hyperborea.
Alginates produced from various sources differ considerably in their structure. For example, alginates produced by seaweed are generally not acetylated, whereas bacteria produce alginates with a higher degree of acetylation. In addition, the molecular weight and the ratio of β-D-mannuronic acid and α-L-guluronic acid units in alginates can vary based on the alginate source and the conditions in which the alginate is produced. These structural differences can result in changes in alginate properties.
Alginates are commonly purified from brown seaweeds. However, brown seaweed is a limited resource and extraction of alginate results in destruction of this precious resource. In addition, there are several problems associated with seaweed alginate. First, their harvest is seasonal and alginate production is dependent on cold ocean temperature, which is rising, most likely due to global warming. Second, extraction of seaweed alginate involves as many as 15-20 different processing steps. Third, the composition of the alginate produced by the seaweed is fixed and cannot be altered to produce a better or different product to expand commercial applications.
Alginate can be used in a wide variety of products. For example, seaweed alginates are used in food, dental and cosmetic products. The alginates are particularly useful as gelling, thickening, stabilizing, swelling and viscosity imparting agents. Seaweed alginate is used in the textile and paper industries and also serves as a thickening agent in common food items, such as ice cream, salad dressing, pet food chunks, low fat spreads, sauces and pie filings. Seaweed alginate is also incorporated into wound dressings to provide a moist surface for healing. Alginate fibers trapped in a wound are readily biodegraded. Dressings with seaweed alginate are used to treat ulcers in diabetic patients. Propylene glycol alginate has been used as an acid-stable stabilizer for uses such as preserving the white fluffy head of foam on beers. Seaweed alginate absorbs radioactive elements, heavy metals and free radicals. Because alginate cannot be broken down by bile or saliva and cannot be absorbed by the body, it is secreted from the body together with the heavy metals and radioactive substances. The ever-increasing applications of this biopolymer have led to continued interest in better understanding the biosynthesis pathway and regulatory mechanisms as well as optimization of microbial production process.
Regulation of Alginate Production Pathway in Pseudomonas
Synthesis of alginate and its regulation has been the object of numerous studies (Govan, J. R., and V. Deretic, Microbiol. Rev. 60:539-74 (1996); Ramsey, D. M., and D. J. Wozniak, Mol. Microbiol. 56:309-22 (2005)). Alginate production is positively and negatively regulated in wild-type cells of Pseudomonas.
Three tightly linked genes algU, mucA, and mucB have been identified with a chromosomal region shown by genetic means to represent the site where mutations cause conversion to mucoidy (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,426,187, 6,083,691, 5,591,838, and 5,573,910, incorporated herein by reference in their entireties).
Positive regulation centers on the activation of the alginate biosynthetic operon (Govan, J. R., and V. Deretic, Microbiol. Rev. 60:539-74 (1996)). Positive regulators include the alternative stress-related sigma factor AlgU (Martin, D. W., et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 90:8377-81 (1993)), also called AlgT (DeVries, C. A., and D. E. Ohman, J. Bacteriol. 176:6677-87 (1994)), and transcriptional activators AlgR and AlgB, which belong to a bacterial two component signaling system. The cognate kinase of AlgB is KinB (Ma, S., et al., J. Biol. Chem. 272:17952-60 (1997)) while AlgZ (Yu, H., et al., J. Bacteriol. 179:187-93 (1997)) may be the kinase that phosphorylates AlgR. However, unlike a typical two-component system, alginate overproduction is independent of phosphorylation of AlgR or AlgB (Ma, S., et al., J. Bacteriol. 180:956-68 (1998)).
Negative regulation of alginate has focused on the post-translational control of AlgU activity. In alginate regulation, the master regulator is AlgU and the signal transducer is MucA, a trans-inner membrane protein whose amino terminus interacts with AlgU to antagonize the activity of AlgU, and the carboxyl terminus with MucB, another negative regulator of alginate biosynthesis. The algUmucABC cluster is conserved among many Gram-negative bacteria. AlgU belongs to the family of extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factors that regulate cellular functions in response to extreme stress stimuli. The action of ECF sigma factors is negatively controlled by MucA, MucB and MucC. This set of proteins forms a signal transduction system that senses and responds to envelope stress.
MucA is the anti-sigma factor that binds AlgU and antagonizes its transcriptional activator activity (Schurr, M. J., et al., J. Bacteriol. 178:4997-5004 (1996)). Consequently, inactivation of mucA in P. aeruginosa strain PAO1 results in the mucoid phenotype (Alg+) (Martin, D. W., et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90:8377-81 (1993); Mathee, K., et al., Microbiology 145:1349-57 (1999)). Clinical mucoid isolates of P. aeruginosa carry recessive mutations in mucA (Anthony, M., et al., J. Clin. Microbiol. 40:2772-8 (2002); Boucher, J. C., et al., Infect. Immun. 65:3838-46 (1997)). The transition from a non-mucoid to mucoid variant occurs in concurrence with the mucA22 allele after exposure to hydrogen peroxide, an oxidant in neutrophils (Mathee, K., et al., Microbiology 145:1349-57 (1999)).
MucB is located in the periplasm in association with the periplasmic portion of MucA (Mathee, K., et al., J. Bacteriol. 179:3711-20 (1997); Rowen, D. W., and V. Deretic, Mol. Microbiol. 36:314-27 (2000)). MucC is a mild negative regulator whose action is not completely understood, but thought to be in synergy with MucA and/or MucB (Boucher, J. C., et al., Microbiology 143:3473-80 (1997)). MucD is a negative regulator whose dual functions include periplasmic serine protease and chaperone activities that are thought to help remove misfolded proteins of the cell envelope for quality control (Boucher, J. C., et al., J. Bacteriol. 178:511-23 (1996); Yorgey, P., et al., Mol. Microbiol. 41:1063-76 (2001)).
Alginate Production in Pseudomonas
Alginate production in mucoid strains of P. aeruginosa has been limited because these strains quickly convert to non-mucoid strains and do not produce sufficient amounts of alginate for commercial application. Other species of Pseudomonas generally produce small amounts of alginates, or alginates of low molecular weight. In spontaneous alginate-producers, non-mucoid revertants tend to arise frequently (Flynn and Ohman, J. Bacteriol. 170:1452-1460 (1988)).
Non-pathogenic species of Pseudomonas such as P. putida, P. mendocina and P. fluorescens produce exopolysaccharides similar to acetylated alginates. (Govan J. R. W. et al., J. of General Microbiology 125:217-220 (1981)). Conti et al. also describe production of alginates from P. fluorescens and P. putida. (Conti, E. et al., Microbiology 140:1125-1132 (1994)). However, these strains produce small quantities of alginate.
There is therefore a need for suitable bacterial sources and methods for inexpensive mass production of alginate. In particular, there is a need for bacterial sources producing large amounts of high quality alginate with defined structure and desired molecular weight.

Stable bacterial cultures for producing alginates

Marshall University Research Corporation


A submergible wave energy converter and method for using the same are described. Such a wave energy converter may be used for deep water operations. In one embodiment, the wave energy converter apparatus comprises an absorber having a body with an upper surface and a bottom surface and at least one power take-off (PTO) unit coupled to the absorber and configured to displace movement of the absorber body relative to a reference, where the power take-off unit is operable to perform motion energy conversion based on displacement of the absorber body relative to the reference in response to wave excitation, and where the power take-off unit is operable to return the absorber body from a displaced position to a predefined equilibrium position and to provide a force acting on the absorber body for energy extraction.

The oceans of the world have long been recognized as a potential continuous and abundant source of natural mechanical energy. Increasing global demand for electricity and the need for alternatives to fossil fuel production make harnessing wave energy to produce electricity an attractive endeavor. Energy from the ocean could help to relieve the electricity generation load in many heavily populated regions of the world as well as to reduce the volume of environmentally harmful emissions.
However, successful harvesting of energy from waves for conversion into electrical energy has been generally limited to small scale applications, and few existing systems are capable of providing electricity to established power grids. There are a number of reasons for the lack of utilization of wave energy in spite of over 200 years of innovations. One significant reason for the slow utilization of the available energy from the oceans is the damage and destruction that can occur to generating devices from exposure to wave energy from storms, rogue waves and exposure to a high salt marine environment. Many conventional wave energy converters extract power from the surface of the ocean and must be engineered to survive the power of the harshest ocean storms, which increases the design complexity as well as capital costs.
In addition to being unable to withstand rough weather, the performance of many generating devices will drop significantly during rough weather. Surface wave energy converters rely on regular and consistent wave formation using vertical motion (heave) to convert the wave energy and rely on the shape of the incident wave. Irregular wave behavior during storms or areas without a consistent flow of powerful waves results in power generation that is unpredictable and erratic and therefore unsuitable as a source for existing power grids. Other surface wave energy converters produce highly distorted power due to the reciprocal motion induced by the ocean waves.
Wave energy converters may also be location limited. Surface devices may interfere with the activity of commercial and private vessels and therefore cannot be placed in shipping lanes. Generating systems must also be in close proximity to the shore because it is difficult to transfer generated energy a great distance from the shore. Therefore, wave energy is not a viable power source in all settings because of the location of generation.
Capital costs, maintenance costs and repair costs have been another barrier to widespread installation of fields of wave energy converters. The useful lifetime, reliability and maintenance requirements of wave energy devices are important economic factors considered in such electrical generation investments. Devices that frequently break down produce unacceptable electricity production losses, income losses and increased operational costs. Furthermore, as the demand for renewable energy technologies increases, the cost of investment and construction of wave energy extraction generating systems and devices is expected to decrease.
Successful harvesting of energy from waves for conversion into electrical energy has also been problematic because the power quality that is produced by these devices is poor due to the irregular velocity of the power generating structures as a result of the irregular spectral nature of the incoming ocean wave. Consequently, the generator is not able to operate at a constant speed for optimum efficiency. Rather, the output power is continuously, fluctuating from zero to a peak and back in every wave where the device absorber linkage is directly connected to its generator.
Although devices for extracting wave energy to perform work in some form have been developed since the 1700's, only a few full scale wave energy projects have been constructed. Wave energy technologies that have been developed tend to be variations of three general schemes: wave capture devices, oscillating water column devices and wave profile devices.
Accordingly, there is a need for a reliable way to harness wave power to produce electrical energy in remote marine environments that is efficient, easy to maintain and low in cost.

Submerged wave energy converter for deep water operations

The Regents of the University of California


A playpen includes at least one pivot bracket including a first sidewall having two ends each defining a first through hole. At least one release bracket includes a first sidewall having two ends each defining a second through hole. A pressing member movably received in the release bracket includes two pressing legs. Two retaining legs are each formed on the second sidewall of the release bracket, and each is formed with a retaining hook. At least two armrails each has one end pivotally mounted in the pivot bracket and defining a third through hole. At least two V-shaped biasing members are each mounted in a respective armrail and each has its distal end abutting the pressing leg, and a stub extending through the third through hole, the first through hole and the second through hole.

An armrail structure is important to a collapsible playpen for protecting the infant from falling out of the playpen and for convenience in use. A conventional armrail release device for folding and expanding the armrails of a collapsible playpen is complex in structure and does not permit easy operations of folding and expanding the playpen. In addition, the conventional armrail release device is usually hidden in a fabric enclosure such that a user cannot recognize the actual position of the armrail release device easily, thereby greatly causing an inconvenience in use.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the disadvantage of the conventional armrail release device for a playpen.

Armrail release device for a collapsible playpen


A read-and-write assembly is described. The read-and-write assembly includes one or more coils and magnetizable pillars. The magnetizable pillar has a flask shape and a neck wrapped in the coil.

As electronic technologies are fast developed, hardware and software are both quickly and continuously improved. Nowadays, digital data access devices fall into three main categories: the magnetic disk, the compact disk (CD) and the flash memory. The magnetic disk utilizes magnetic properties of magnetic media for data storage. The magnetic disk further falls into two categories: the fixed hard disk drive (HD) and the portable floppy disk drive. Common magnetic media includes magnetic disks, magnetic tapes . . . etc. They are most commonly used in modern computer systems for data storage.
The compact disk, usually referred to as a small disk, utilizes optical burning for digital data storage. The compact disk has a data storage structure separated into two levels: the session level and the track level. The compact disk is advantageous with its large data capacity and portability today. However, compared to data capacity, reading speed and reusability of the hard disk drive, the compact disk cannot replace the hard disk drive.
The hard disk drive is also not replaced by the floppy disk drive. The floppy disk drive, used for common personal computers, is advantageous with its portability. However, as the demand amount for data exchange grows larger and larger, the small-data-capacity and slow-reading-speed floppy disk drives are gradually eliminated through competition.
With large data capacity and fast reading speed, the hard disk drive is the most popular data access apparatus in current computer systems. The hard disk drive comprises a plurality of magnetic disks on which data are stored magnetically. Each magnetic disk has two surfaces for data storage; each surface of the magnetic disk has a plurality of concentric circular areas called tracks. Each track is separated into a plurality of sectors. A sector is the smallest unit for data access in a disk drive.
The cylinder, head and sector are the three major parts of a hard disk drive. The cylinder is formed by a plurality of tracks at corresponding positions on different disks. The head is corresponded to the number of disk surfaces. The sector is a common unit used for both the hard and floppy disk drives, and is the smallest unit for data access in a disk drive. A sector has a size of 512 bytes.
The above cylinder and head, where the target sector locates, determine the addressing or mapping work for a hard disk drive. This addressing or mapping method is called the CHS (Cylinder Head Sector) mapping or CHS addressing method. However, during the method was developed, the IDE interface, which is used for integrating the hard disk into the personal computer system, could support a single hard disk drive only 512 MB as the maximum capacity.
Later, Large mode, a new working mode for the addressing method, came out and solved the problem. The Large mode enables the hard disk to have a capacity up to 2 GB. Another more popular addressing method for the hard disk drive is the Logical Block Addressing(LBA). LBA is able to support hard disks with capacity more than 8.4 GB.
The logical block addressing method utilizes logical reflection for addressing specific sectors and is broadly used in some of the common interfaces devices in current personal computer systems like enhanced IDE interface devices and small computer system interface(SCSI) devices. Conventional addressing/mapping works for the hard disk drive are physical addressing/mapping. For example, we can track a sector to a detail of on which disk and track the sector is. This kind of description for the sector location also represents the physical location of the sector in a hard disk drive in reality.
Accordingly, the compact disk is easy to carry but it still is not a choice for replacing the conventional hard disk drive for the unsolved limitations such as the data capacity and reading speed. The conventional hard disk drive though has its own disadvantages, especially that the conventional hard disk drive must be driven by an electrically-powered motor, which sets great limitations in sizing-down design work. Furthermore, the electrically-powered motor is even more disadvantageous for devices with power efficiency needs such as notebooks. Another example of size and power consumption related limitations on the application of the conventional hard disk drive set by the electrically-powered motor is the personal digital assistant (PDA).
On the other hand, the speed of the conventional hard disk drive is mostly determined by the running speed of the electrically-powered motor, thus to increase the speed of the hard disk drive, the running speed of the powered motor must be increased, too. However, the motor generates heat while running, thus the faster the motor runs, the more difficult the overall design for the whole system is, considering heat ventilation; which is unfavorable for developing high-speed hard disk drives. In addition, as the electrically-powered motor comprises several components, different modules are needed for manufacturing a single motor, which increases the manufacturing cost and makes the hard disk drive easily broken through shocks or collisions. There is still another disadvantage of the implement of the electrically-powered motor in a hard disk drive, which is the noise coming out when the motor is in action. Moreover, the faster the motor runs, the louder the noise is; which is again unfavorable for developing high speed hard drives. Accordingly, there are still lots of limitations on the conventional hard disk drive techniques that need to be overcome.

Read-and-write assembly for fixed-address digital data access system