At the time of moving a content from an e-book content receiving terminal 102 to a copyright protection medium 103, from among a plurality of usage rules set to the content, those defined by the copyright protection medium 103 is moved to the copyright protection medium 103 by a content moving section 106, and those not defined by the copyright protection medium 103 are transmitted to a usage rule management server 104 via a communications section 105. On the other hand, at the time of moving the content from the copyright protection medium 103 to the e-book content receiving terminal 102, the usage rules from the copyright protection medium 103 and the usage rules from the usage rule management server 104 are combined together. In this manner, even when a content is moved through a copyright protection medium in a which usage rules of the content are not fully defined therein, none of the usage rules is lost.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to content management systems and, more specifically, to a content management system in which content and its usage rules under management of a certain content management terminal are temporarily moved to an intermediate system, and then moved back to the same content management terminal or moved to any other content management terminal.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years, after the progress of the technology for digital information compression and the appearance of the high-speed network infrastructure, various content distribution services have become available over the network such as the Internet. As exemplary services, there are a music distribution service for distributing music contents from Web pages, and a market information distribution service utilizing e-mails.
Generally, digital contents are easy to duplicate so that content management plays a key role especially in content distribution services which involve a billing process. Unauthorized duplication and tampering cause a huge loss to service providers and copyright holders. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 7-131452 (1995-131452) discloses an exemplary copyright management system considering unauthorized duplication and tampering. In the content management method disclosed therein, a terminal receives encrypted content, its usage rules, and its decryption key, and after tampering detection, starts verifying the appropriateness of the usage rules. Only when the verification turns out to be completely satisfactory, the content is decrypted and outputted.
Here, the usage rules are information to limit the use of the content, and specify the number of uses, expiration date, and others. Specifying the expiration date enables the content distribution service providers to offer rental services, and setting up the usage rules enables the providers to change the price setting depending thereon, realizing the wide range of services. In view of these advantages, the content distribution services are often provided under such usage rules.
Further, recording media (hereinafter, referred to as copyright protection media), exemplified by DVDs and SD cards, incorporating a copyright protection mechanism have been recently developed, and contents recorded on such media become free from unauthorized duplication. Therefore, some service providers who offer content distribution services have started allowing distribution contents to be moved to the copyright protection media. Here, "moving the content" means an "operation of moving content together with its usage rules from A to B, and after the completion of movement, the content is not left available for A." That is, the service providers have started allowing contents to be moved to the copyright protection media because no content is duplicated thereby.
The contents moved to the copyright protection media are available through output (reproduction) units which are specifically for the copyright protection media. This makes contents obtained from the service providers and then recorded on stay-at-home units also available through portable units, whereby content usability for users is increased.
Here, the contents temporarily moved to the copyright protection media are not always used by the output (reproduction) units specifically designed for the copyright protection media. For example, after moved to the copyright protection media, the contents may be used again by the stay-at-home units, from which those are originally moved. For use in the portable units during commuting hours and then in personal computers during office hours, the contents may be moved from the stay-at-home units to the copyright protection media, and then to the personal computers. In some other cases, the copyright protection media may be used as a mere vehicle for moving content data between stay-at-home units. The content data may be transferred to other users via the copyright protection media.
The issue here is that, during such cases, the usage rules which have been originally set to the contents may be lost. This is because the copyright protection media do not share the same usage rules. In the below, described in detail is how the usage rules are lost.
Exemplified here is a case where an e-book content purchased through an e-book distribution service A is the one to be moved. Assuming that the e-book distribution service A attaches every selling e-book content with three usage rules (expiration date, Yes or No for printing, Yes or No for content moving). The users use e-book contents purchased through receiving terminals under the usage rules coming therewith. Assuming that a user purchased an e-book content C whose usage rules are (expiration date="Apr. 21, 2001", Yes or No for printing="Yes", Yes or No for content moving="YES"), he/she is entitled to read the purchased e-book content C at any time before Apr. 21, 2001, and is at liberty to make printouts thereof. The user is also authorized for content moving, whereby the e-book content C recorded on his/her stay-at-home unit can be moved to his/her own copyright protection medium M to read the e-book content C through an e-book reader unit.
Here, presumably, the usage rule defined by an e-book storage format F on the copyright protection medium M is only (expiration date). This tells that the format F on the copyright protection medium M is not designed with printing by the e-book reader units in mind. Thus, the user cannot make printouts of the e-book content C in the medium M by the e-book reader unit, but is at liberty to read it at any time until Apr. 21, 2001.
There occurs a problem if the user tries to move the e-book content C in the medium M to some other units (e.g., unit from which the content originally came, or other units). This is because the medium M includes no usage rule concerning Yes or No for printing. Therefore, moving the content via the medium M will resultantly lose the usage rule concerning Yes or No for printing. That is, even if a destination terminal is designed for printing of the e-book content C, no such usage rule concerning printing comes from the medium M. Therefore, the destination terminal cannot make printouts of the e-book content C.
Such a problem surely makes the users cautious and wary of moving e-book contents to the copyright protection media, and if seeing any possibility of making printouts of the contents, the users may give up reading those through portable e-book reader units. This resultantly impairs the portability and usability of the contents. This problem also arises when the copyright protection media are used as a mere vehicle for moving the content data. As a result, the portability and usability of the copyright protection media are not fully utilized, and the users will find those not worth using.
Such a problem is not particular only to the case of moving contents via the copyright protection media, and more generally, becomes apparent when the contents are moved through a system in which their usage rules are not fully defined.

Content management system, content management terminal, usage rule management server, content management method, and content management program


An apparatus comprising a thick waveguide comprising a first adiabatic tapering from a first location to a second location, wherein the first adiabatic tapering is wider at the first location than at the second location, and a thin slab waveguide comprising a second adiabatic tapering from the first location to the second location, wherein the second adiabatic tapering is wider at the second location than at the first location, and a third adiabatic tapering from the second location to a third location, wherein the third adiabatic tapering is wider at the second location than at the third location, wherein at least a portion of the first adiabatic tapering is adjacent to the second adiabatic tapering, and wherein the first adiabatic tapering and the second adiabatic tapering are separated from each other by a constant gap.

In optical transceivers, it is desirable to integrate as many photonic components in one chip as possible. As integration density increases and the sizes of photonic components shrink, however, it is increasingly difficult to integrate a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) with other optical components such as fibers because the mode size in the waveguide of the PIC shrinks correspondingly. For example, the mode size of a typical 450 nanometer (nm)×220 nm waveguide in a silicon-based PIC is roughly the size of the waveguide itself, but the mode size of a standard single-mode fiber is as large as 9.2 micrometers (μm). It may be necessary to transfer the optical modes from a high-index-contrast well-confined waveguide (e.g., a PIC) to a low-index-contrast large waveguide (e.g., an optical fiber). However, such transfer may cause undesirable optical losses, which should be minimized.
Existing methods fabricate an edge coupling device by tapering down a width of a high-index-contrast waveguide in order to transfer a mode from the high-index-contrast waveguide to a large, low-index-contrast waveguide. However, optical loss due to the transition may depend on a minimum width of the high-index-contrast waveguide, and a small minimum width of the taper (e.g., less than 80 nm) must be fabricated in order to achieve acceptable optical loss. Other methods fabricate an edge coupling device by transferring the optical mode from a thick, high-index-contrast waveguide to a thin slab, high-index-contrast waveguide made of silicon. The thin slab itself is used as the edge coupler. However, the mode size using the thin slab, high-index-contrast waveguide is still limited. Other existing methods are also insufficient for transferring optical modes from a high-index waveguide to a low-index waveguide. For example, a simple inverse taper may have a limited mode size and a trident edge coupling device may not achieve a low coupling loss.

Edge coupling using adiabatically tapered waveguides


A method and apparatus for dispensing compressed natural gas and for maximizing the mass of compressed gas dispensed into a gas storage cylinder is disclosed. Pressure and temperature transducers are provided as a part of the apparatus to emit data signals to a control processor of the pressure and temperature of a supply of compressed gas delivered to a gas dispenser, as well as the ambient temperature at the dispenser and the pressure of the compressed gas within the cylinder, respectively. A mass flow meter is also provided for emitting a data signal to the control processor of the mass of compressed gas injected into the storage cylinder. The control processor includes a dispenser control program which processes the emitted data signals to automatically maximize the mass of compressed gas injected into the cylinder by performing at least a two-stage fill process for computing at least two dynamic estimates of the storage cylinder volume during the gas dispensing process, and for determining the maximum mass of compressed gas that can be safely injected into the gas storage cylinder in response thereto. Additional fill stages may be performed in order to calculate additional estimates of the storage cylinder volume in the control processor, if so desired, for even more accurately determining the mass of compressed gas that may be injected into the cylinder for maximizing the gas injection into the gas storage cylinder.

As efforts are made to reduce motor vehicle exhaust emissions and to reduce air pollution, automobile manufacturers have turned toward the development of alternate fuel sources for motor vehicles. One of these fuel sources is compressed natural gas ("CNG"), an abundant, relatively inexpensive, and clean burning fuel. However, and unlike conventional hydrocarbon motor fuels, for example gasoline, compressed natural gas cannot be poured or dispensed as simply as hydrocarbon fuels may be, rather compressed natural gas is typically injected under pressure into a compressed natural gas vehicle cylinder.
As with gasoline powered vehicles, the on board storage capacity of the compressed natural gas vehicle cylinder, also referred to as the "cylinder", defines the maximum driving range of the motor vehicle before refueling is required. The underfilling of compressed natural gas vehicle cylinders, especially during fast fill charging operations, i.e., those taking less than five minutes, can occur at fueling stations having dispensers which are incorrectly or inaccurately compensated for initial cylinder and station supply gas pressures, as well as the supply gas temperature(s), the ambient temperature, and the dynamic fill conditions at the dispenser. At higher ambient temperature conditions, for example, those which exceed the "standard temperature" of 70 degrees fahrenheit, and under direct station compressor outlet charging of the cylinder, the underfilling of the cylinder can reach 20% or more of its rated gas mass storage capacity. This underfilling is a serious obstacle the natural gas industry must overcome in order to make compressed natural gas powered motor vehicles more acceptable by maximizing the driving range between cylinder fills. Moreover, this underfilling must be resolved without resorting to unnecessarily high fueling station gas storage pressures, or by extensively overpressurizing the cylinder during the fueling operation which may result in dangerous cylinder load conditions, and/or result in the venting of overpressurized compressed natural gas into the ambient air surrounding a motor vehicle, with the accompanying hazards of explosion or fire.
A primary cause of undercharging cylinders during fast fill operations is a result of fueling station dispensers which either ignore, or inaccurately estimate, the elevated compressed natural gas cylinder gas temperatures which occur in the charging process due to the compression, mixing, and other complex, transient, and dynamic thermodynamic processes, i.e., the conversion of gas enthalpy to temperature changes, resulting from the injection of compressed natural gas into a cylinder of generally unknown volume. This is shown graphically in FIG. 1, where the vehicle cylinder temperature is shown as a function of the change in injected gas mass for two cylinder volumes of 500 s.c.f. and 2,000 s.c.f., respectively, and at two initial cylinder gas pressures, 100 psi and 1500 psi, for each cylinder. As shown, if a cylinder is relatively full of gas when gas mass injection is started, shown by the 1,500 psi pressure lines, cylinder temperature rises in a generally linear manner which can be predicted to some degree. However, if initial cylinder pressure, and thus volume, is low cylinder temperatures change in a more unpredictable fashion making full cylinder fills difficult to determine. Another aspect of cylinder underfill problems is shown in FIG. 2, wherein three pairs of representative test data are shown, each pair starting at the same pressure and temperature in the cylinder. In FIG. 2 the temperatures shown in parentheses represents the average supply gas temperature over the fill process. Thus the importance of being able to accurately account for the supply conditions prior to and during the charging of the cylinder is shown by the differing endpoint gas temperatures and gas storage cylinder pressures resulting for each test pair due to only a difference in supply gas temperatures. This again demonstrates the dynamic nature of the compressed natural gas fill process. Yet another reason for the undercharging of cylinders is that the industry has not adopted a standard size cylinder for use in motor vehicles, and in some instances standard size cylinders cannot be used based due to the size of the motor vehicle as well as its intended load carrying capacity. This results in inaccuracies in the charging/fill process from the inability to accurately determine the volume of the cylinder, and thus the mass of compressed gas which can be injected into the cylinder to maximize the gas mass during the charging process.
As is known, during the charging or injection of compressed natural gas into a cylinder, the expansion of the gas in flowing from a station ground storage reservoir, or directly from a station compressor outlet, for example, tends generally to reduce the temperature of the compressed natural gas entering the cylinder due to the Joule-Thomson effect which occurs during this essentially constant enthalpy process, see FIG. 1. However, as the compressed natural gas enters the cylinder, the enthalpy of the gas is converted into internal energy, which equates to increases in internal cylinder gas temperature. The temperature range which results from this conversion of the compressed gas enthalpy into internal energy is a function not only of the size of the cylinder, however, but also of the pressure and temperature of the compressed gas being injected into the cylinder, as well as the pressure of the gas already in the cylinder prior to the injection of additional compressed natural gas, and the ambient temperature conditions at the dispenser. Thus, as the enthalpy of the compressed natural gas entering the cylinder is converted into internal energy within the cylinder, the gas undergoes complex and dynamic compression and mixing processes which typically overcome the cooling effect of the compressed natural gas being injected into the cylinder, resulting in increased cylinder temperatures which do not generally allow for to an accurate and complete injection of a "full" gas mass into the cylinder.
Most charging processes in the art are typically terminated when the fueling station dispenser measures, or estimates, the point of which the natural gas storage vehicle cylinder reaches a certain pressure level. Depending on the dispenser control system used, this level of cylinder cut-off pressure may have some dependence on ambient or station gas conditions, but typically fails to take into account the impact of the enthalpy to internal energy conversion which occurs during the fill process as it impacts cylinder pressures and temperatures. This will oftentimes result in an inaccurate or incomplete cylinder fill, which is especially problematic during fast fill charging operations. Although this problem may be lessened to some degree during a more protracted fill process, the expectations of consumers are that they will be able to fuel their motor vehicles quickly, efficiently, and safely in a fill process which will typically takes less than five minutes.
An example of a dispenser control system which employs a pre-calculated cutoff pressure scheme is the method and apparatus for dispensing compressed natural gas disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,424 to Miller et al., issued Nov. 9, 1993. The control system of Miller et al calculates a vehicle tank cut-off pressure based on the ambient air temperature at the dispenser and the pre-programmed pressure rating of the vehicle cylinder stored in the control system. Miller et al. then calculate the volume of the vehicle tank and an additional mass of compressed natural gas required to increase the tank pressure to the cut-off pressure, whereupon the dispenser automatically turns off the compressed natural gas flow into the vehicle cylinder once the additional mass necessary to obtain the pre-calculated cut-off pressure has been injected into the cylinder. Although Miller at al. teach a method and apparatus which predetermines an amount of compressed natural gas, i.e., a gas mass, for injection into the gas cylinder, the mass of gas to be injected is based upon an estimated cut-off pressure within the vehicle cylinder, and is thus not a true mass based system which seeks to maximize the amount of gas mass injected into the cylinder, so long as the pressure limit of the cylinder is not exceeded.
Thus, and for the reasons discussed above, the temperatures that compressed natural gas vehicle cylinders reach at the end of dynamic fill or charging processes have been difficult to accurately predict in the known dispenser fill and control methodology. Thus, what is needed, but seemingly not available in the art, is a method and apparatus for dispensing compressed natural gas which compensates for the increase in cylinder gas temperatures during the charging process, and which also takes into account initial cylinder pressure and temperature conditions, as well as supply gas pressure and temperature conditions, in order to maximize the gas mass injected into a compressed natural gas vehicle cylinder for maximizing the driving range of a motor vehicle before the next fill process need be undertaken.

Computer readable medium containing software for controlling an automated compressed gas dispensing system


An illustrative intelligent network and method for providing voice telephony over ATM and closed user groups are provided that can provide significant advantages. A method for providing a closed user group service to authorize VToA calls includes determining the closed user group identifiers for a calling party, determining the closed user group identifiers for a called party, locating a common closed user group identifier that is common to the calling party and the called party, analyzing the privileges of the calling party in the common closed user group to determine if the calling party can make calls to other users of the common closed user group, and analyzing the privileges of the called party in the common closed user group to determine if the called party can receive calls from other users of the common closed user group. An illustrative intelligent network and data structure to provide closed user group services is also provided.

The need for both voice telephony services as well as data services is common. Traditionally, this may only be achieved through the use of separate services. For example, dedicated voice telephony services and dedicated data services are provided over separate and distinct networks. This is a significant disadvantage because of the high expense of maintaining and paying for such separate and distinct services, not to mention the inconvenience and inefficiency introduced because voice and data services are not integrated.
Packet-switched telecommunications networks may be based on any of a variety of technologies and protocols such as, for example, Asynchronous Transfer Mode ("ATM"), MultiProtocol Label Switching ("MPLS"), Internet Protocol ("IP"), Frame Relay ("FR"), and X.25. Packet-switched telecommunications networks have data packets, cells, frames or blocks (hereinafter "packets" or "cells") that are either of fixed length or variable length. Although originally designed to transmit data, as opposed to voice or voice encoded data, packet-switched telecommunications networks may be used for voice communications. Some of the packet-switched technologies that may be used for voice communications include, without limitation, Voice Telephony over ATM ("VToA"), Voice over Frame-Relay ("VoFR"), Voice over Digital Subscriber Line ("VoDSL"), and Voice over IP ("VoIP").
Focusing on VToA when compared to voice communications or voice telephony provided over traditional circuit-dedicated or circuit-switching telecommunications networks, the use of VToA, unfortunately, presents significant problems and disadvantages, especially in view of the fact that the needs of both data communications and voice communications must be met over the same network. For example, VToA does not provide advanced telephony services and features that are commonly found in traditional circuit-dedicated telecommunications networks. Similarly, advanced signaling, also commonly found in traditional circuit-dedicated telecommunications networks, is not available for VToA in the same manner that circuit-dedicated or circuit-switching telecommunications networks.
To setup and establish a Switched Virtual Circuit ("SVC") to support VToA between a calling party and a called party, various signaling or ATM messages are used within the ATM network. This may be achieved using ATM setup and connect messages. Once ATM signaling has established an SVC, a data connection is defined and data, such as voice encoded data, may be communicated. Voice encoded data may continue to be communicated until one end of the SVC issues a release message (or any similar message that causes a disconnection). At such time, the SVC is released and voice communications ceases. Examples of traditional ATM signaling used to setup and release point-to-point and point-to-multipoint SVCs for telephony applications is illustrated in the book entitled Hands-On ATM by David E. McDysan and Darren L. Spohn, which is incorporated herein for all purposes.
The administration and maintenance of VToA systems and processes is extremely burdensome and expensive. For example, numerous private and public phone numbers, which change frequently, have to be updated and maintained in various systems and gateways. As moves, adds, changes, and deletions occur, each VToA gateway must be updated with the relevant changes. This is a critical task that is onerous and expensive to perform and fraught with potential errors.
In a traditional telecommunications or voice network, signaling can be in-band or out-of-band. Signaling may be used to setup and establish voice circuits, to provide Intelligent Network ("IN") or Advanced Intelligent Network ("AIN") services and features, and to disconnect voice circuits. In an ATM network, where an SVC is established to support VToA, signaling is achieved through the use of ATM messages, such as those used to setup and disconnect SVCs. Unfortunately, such ATM signaling does not support IN or AIN to provide the advanced telephony services and features commonly found in traditional voice telecommunications networks. This significantly reduces the attractiveness of VToA as compared to traditional voice telecommunications networks or even some other data or packet networks capable of providing voice or telephony communications services.
More particularly, a serious problem and drawback of existing VToA systems and methods is the difficulty or inability to institute advanced calling features or policies on an ATM network-wide basis. Unfortunately, many customary and advanced voice telephony services, which are often available through traditional telecommunications networks designed to transport and support voice telephony, such as circuit-dedicated telecommunications networks, are not available or easily achieved or implemented with VToA. For example, the capability to easily and efficiently provide closed user groups is not available with VToA.
The closed user group service is a valuable service or feature of modern telecommunications systems, especially those used in business enterprises. Telecommunications specifications exist that provide the closed user group service. Unfortunately, these specifications rely on the availability of an interlock code, which is not defined in ATM.
An interlock code provides a mechanism in which only one of the closed user groups is designated for each call. Thus, under such a mechanism, closed user group policies can be enforced on each call using the one closed user group designated for the call. Although a user may be a member of numerous closed user groups, at any given moment, a user can only operate under one of the numerous closed user groups in which it is a member. Unfortunately, the capability to provide interlock code functionality does not exist in ATM. This greatly hampers any potential implementation of closed user groups in ATM.
Generally, closed user groups allow various users to be grouped so that calling privileges may be applied to groups. For example, various user groups of an enterprise might be defined to include the engineering, finance, and marketing groups of a business enterprise. Various combinations of these user groups may be combined to form a closed user group. Each such user group of a closed user group may have certain privileges established to control such things as the capability to originate a call to another user of the same closed user group, the capability to receive a call from another user of the same closed user group, the capability to originate a call to another outside of the closed user group, and the capability to receive a call from another outside of the closed user group. Unfortunately to implement such a service or feature in a traditional VToA would require that blocking information be provided in various systems and gateways and these would have to be frequently updated. This is impractical, inefficient, cumbersome and expensive to carry out. As is illustrated, this type of a service is problematic to implement in traditional VTOA networks and systems.

Intelligent network and method for providing voice telephony over ATM and closed user groups


A timing generator having no dead time and capable of altering a timing at any time. A rough timing pulse generating means suitably specifies one of a plurality of input clock pulses to generate a rough timing pulse for a desired timing. A timing vernier delays the rough timing pulse for a suitable delay time to generate a minute timing pulse. In a compensating circuit, the minute timing pulse is input to a delay circuit having one input terminal and plural output terminals, and one of the outputs at the output terminals for delay is selected by a multiplexer. When the multiplexer selects an output whose delay time is not zero, a next pulse can be input from the timing vernier to the dead time compensating circuit so that no dead time occurs.

Conventionally, a timing generator having a timing vernier has been utilized for generating a pulse of a desired timing and suitably altering the timing as the occasion demands. In this type of timing generator, a period clock is ordinarily supplied to the generator, and a desired timing pulse is generated at the instant when a predetermined time has elapsed from an edge of the period clock.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional timing generator having such a timing vernier. The timing generator shown in FIG. 1 comprises a counter 1 which receives a period clock PC and a master clock MC, and a timing vernier 2, connected to the counter 1 in series, for delaying an output signal of the counter 1 for a suitable delay time and outputting the delayed signal therefrom. The counter 1 counts the master clock MC whose cycle (frequency) is an integer multiple of a cycle (frequency) of the period clock PC every period (i.e., the time interval between successive or neighboring period clocks). The timing vernier 2, on the other hand, is a timing-variable delay capable of delaying any pulse in a period for a desired time.
In the timing generator as shown in FIG. 1, a non-minute timing (rough timing) is determined by the counter 1 on the basis of the time interval of the master clock MC and a fine timing (a minute timing) is further determined on the basis of a delay time which is set by the timing vernier 2. Thus, a desired timing pulse is obtained on the basis of a combination of the rough timing and the minute timing.
The timing data which are set in the counter 1 and the timing vernier 2 are both rewritten every period clock PC by a timing data latch 3, and a desired timing pulse is generated while the timing is altered every period. That is, a train of period clocks PC and a train of master clocks MC whose cycle is an integer multiple of the cycle of the period clock PC are input to the counter 1. One or more of the input master clocks MC for actuating the timing vernier 2 is specified for every input of clocks PC and MC, and then the specified master clock MC (or the specified number of periods of master clock MC) is outputted to the timing vernier 2. In the timing vernier 2, delay-time data is loaded in accordance with the specified number of periods of the master clock MC needed to output a desired timing pulse with a predetermined time delay. In the conventional timing generator as described above, if the counter 1 and particularly the timing vernier 2 are ideally actuated, a pulse can be generated at a desired timing as described above so that "timing on the fly" can be attained.
However, it is practically impossible to set a delay time (a time elapsed between input and output operations of a pulse) of the timing vernier 2 to zero. In other words, the minimum delay time between the input and output operations of the timing vernier 2 has a positive finite value. Therefore, the conventional timing generator using the timing vernier has a disadvantage that the minimum delay time as described above degrades the performance of the timing generator as a dead time, and, as a result, a pulse is not necessarily generated at a desired timing.
An example of this dead time is illustrated in FIG. 2. As shown, a desired edge A is generated at a time point near to the end of a span (time interval of delay) TVS1 of the timing vernier which is set for a last master clock MC pulse in a period, and another desired edge B is generated within a next span (next time interval of delay) TVS2 of the timing vernier which is set for a first master clock MC in the next period. In addition, the edge A is generated after the first master clock MC in the next period for the edge B is formed. In this case, the timing vernier 2 is entirely devoted or exclusively used for the formation of the edge A until the edge A is formed and outputted. This devotion or exclusive use of the timing vernier 2 causes a dead time as represented by the minimum delay time TVmin in FIG. 2 during which the master clock MC for forming the edge B cannot be input to the timing vernier 2. For reference, TVmax and tA and tB represent the maximum delay time which can be set in the timing vernier 2 and delay times of the timing vernier 2, respectively.
The present invention has been proposed to overcome the above mentioned problems and has an object to provide a timing generator using a timing vernier in which substantially no dead time occurs and the timing can be altered at any time.


A system for generating a graphical user interface for tracking and displaying user activities over a predetermined time period is provided. The system includes a presentation component configured to display a graphical user interface that facilitates receiving user input regarding daily activities of the user, wherein the interface comprises a chart comprising a plurality of input compartments defined by a plurality of concentric circles divided into a plurality of slices, wherein each of the concentric circles are associated with a different input category and each of the slices are associated with a different time frame of a time period.

A variety of computing applications and networked systems are gaining popularity due to the ability to provide personalized services to users. However collecting data from human subjects to determine statistical associations that facilitate provision of personalized services can be particularly difficult. For example, many aspects of human behavior are associated with short time-scale neurological responses. High sampling rates are often needed in order to capture these events accurately. In turn, the high sampling rates often result in the collection of a significant amount of information. Questionnaire methods generally result in a large number of questions which can be time consuming and annoying for subjects to answer. As a consequence, the subjects may not answer the questions or may answer the questions in a hap-hazard or sloppy fashion, thereby degrading the quality of the collected data and potentially adversely impacting any subsequent statistical analysis.
Similarly, many human activities have a wide range of variations on a common theme, which can be difficult to capture in a succinct manner using a common questionnaire. For example, there are often a large number of permutations on the activities users perform throughout the day. Explicitly including all of these permutations can result in a very large number of potential answers that subjects may need to sort through when answering questions about their daily routines. This can be time consuming and annoying for the subjects. Thus, this approach to data collection may also result in questions that are not answered or hap-hazard or sloppy answers, which can also degrade the quality of the collected data and potentially adversely impact any subsequent statistical analysis.

Graphical user interface for tracking and displaying user activities over a predetermined time period


An electrical connector includes an insulating housing and a shield case for enclosing the insulating housing. The insulating housing includes a base section of which two opposite side surfaces respectively define a groove and a recess. The groove penetrates a front edge of the corresponding side surface and slants outward gradually from a front edge to a rear edge. The recess is located in rear of the groove, with a small space from the rear edge of the groove. The shield case includes two opposite side walls attached to the corresponding side surfaces of the base section, a cut portion formed in two substantially corresponding portions of both of the side walls, an elastic locking piece extending frontward and inclining inward from a rear edge of the cut portion. When the electrical connector is assembled, a free end of the elastic locking piece slides along the corresponding groove and is gradually compressed outward and finally secured into the corresponding recess by means of release thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to a mini-USB type electrical connector having a shield case with elastic locking pieces for being locked to an outside of an insulating housing thereof.
2. The Related Art
Referring to FIG. 8, an electrical connector 100′ includes an insulating housing 10′, a conductor assembly 30′ holding in the insulating housing 10′, and a shield case 20′ for enclosing the insulating housing 10′. The insulating housing 10′ has a base section 11′ with a groove 111′ is defined in each of two opposing sides thereof. The shield case 20′ includes a top wall 21′, a bottom wall 22′ and two side walls 23′ connecting with the top wall 21′ and the bottom wall 22′. Two elastic locking pieces 231′ extend downward respectively from both of the side walls 23′ and are positioned into the corresponding grooves 111′ of the insulating housing 10′.
However, the elastic locking piece 231′ needs to bend downward for positioning into the corresponding groove 111′ when the mentioned electrical connector 100′ is assembled. Therefore, the process of this assembly is not only complex, but also easy to make the insulating housing 10′ scratch.

Electrical connector having a shield case with elastic locking pieces


An elongated optical fiber is vertically positioned within seawater in a deep-depth targeted zone by vertical suspension thereof from a floating buoy. Electrode sensor arrays are positioned in vertically spaced relation to each other on the optical fiber for generating warning signals in response to detection of hostile conditions. The warning signals are converted into signal data collected and transferred to a transmitter in the floating buoy from which the sensor arrays are suspended within the targeted zone positioned on the optical fiber. Such collected data signals are transmitted through an antenna within the floating buoy to locations above the seawater surface for surveillance purposes.

Surveillance systems have been employed to detect hostile environments within underwater targeted zones, involving use of magnetic and electric field sensing technologies. The underwater conditions to be detected by such surveillance involved corrosion related to electric current and electrically powered equipment on submarines, surface ships and other underwater vehicles, and ship hull materials. It is therefore an important object of the present invention to maximize detection of such underwater hostile conditions within deepwater targeted surveillance zones.

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


Retractable medical device including a body having an open back end and a front end. A movable member is arranged within the body. The movable member has a back end and a front end. A needle holding member is arranged in an area of the front end of the movable member. A spring is structured and arranged to move the needle holding member to a retracted position within the movable member when the movable member experiences at least one of: the front end of the movable member is caused to expand generally radially; the back end of the movable member is caused to contract generally radially; the front end of the movable member is caused to expand generally radially when the back end of the movable member is caused to contract generally radially; and axial movement caused by a cap closing off the back end of the body which engages a tapered surface of the back end of the movable member. This Abstract is not intended to define the invention disclosed in the specification, nor intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to devices used to collect fluid samples from patients. More specifically, this invention relates to a device which utilizes a holder having a double-ended needle that can be retracted into the holder when a cap of the holder is closed. The invention also relates to a method of collecting a fluid sample with the device as well as a method of making the device. The invention also relates to a blood sample collection device that automatically retracts the double-ended needle into the holder after a cap closes off the open end of the holder
2. Discussion of Background Information
Prevention of needle sticks is of paramount concern in the healthcare industry because of serious and deadly risk factors associated with AIDS and other serious communicable diseases. Typical blood collection devices utilize a needle inserted into a patient's vein so as to draw blood through the needle into an associated separate collection reservoir. Accidental needle sticks from previously used needles can occur during the fluid withdrawing process and subsequent handling and disposal operation. Until such used medical devices are destroyed, they remain a risk to those handling them.
Devices used for blood sampling are well know and include a collection device sold under the trademark Vacutainer® by Becton Dickinson Corporation. This device has a tubular syringe-like body with a needle in the front end, part of which extends back into a tubular syringe-like shell. Part of the needle extends externally for punching the skin. An evacuated collection tube with a rubber stopper is placed into the open back of the syringe-like shell with the rubber stopper against the internal end of the needle. After the skin is punctured, the collection tube is pushed forward to cause the needle to enter the evacuated tube. Vacuum helps draw blood into the collecting tube. When a sufficient sample has been obtained, the collecting tube and the stopper are simply withdrawn from the tubular shell and sent to the laboratory. This particular device has a permanently extended needle and an opening in the back for the collection tube which remains open after the collection tube is removed, leaving small quantities of blood and an internally exposed needle.
Retractable medical devices which are used for collecting fluid samples from patients are also known. An early example of such a device is U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,426 which employs a mechanically translatable insert holding a double-ended needle. This device has a position which compresses a spring portion of the holder. When buttons extending from opposite sides of the outer tube are compressed, the needle carrier can be mechanically moved to the position of us or to a rearward safe position. U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,863 describes a spring loaded double ended needle carrier in a T-shaped housing having an opening behind for the sample tube. The needle holder is locked in a use position with a removable pin which is withdrawn to retract the needle. Alternately, breakable tabs on the needle holder extend laterally under a shelf with pins which may be pushed down when the sample tube is inserted to fracture the breakable tabs thereby releasing the needle holder which is withdrawn into the interior as the sample tube is removed. Subsequently, a cap is provided to close the back. Allard does not explain how one could assemble the device without making the outer body in two or more pieces.
Other devices attach the double ended needle to a partially withdrawable plunger with an opening in back for the sample tube. U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,758 to shaw, the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety, utilizes a tubular outer body with a partially movable plunger. The plunger has a separable needle holding portion for a double ended needle and an opening in the back of the plunger for a sample tube. It utilizes a two position end cap from which the sample tube extends. The plunger is used to position and retract the needle assembly. U.S. Pat. No. Re 39,107 to shaw, the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety, similarly utilizes a tubular outer body with a partially movable plunger. The plunger has a separable needle holding portion for a double ended needle and an opening in the back of the plunger for a sample tube. It utilizes a two position end cap from which the sample tube extends. The plunger is used to position and retract the needle assembly.
The invention aims to improper devices of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,423,758 and Re 39,107 to shaw by providing a releasable locking connection between the plunger and the needle holding portion and/or by causing the connection between these two members to release when the plunger experiences pivoting movement.
A conventional blood collection device of the type described above is shown in FIGS. 1-10 wherein the device 1 has an outer sleeve member 2 which includes a proximal end 2a which is configured to allow an external needle N of a double-ended needle member or holder 3 to pass therethrough and a distal end 2b which can be closed off by a cap 5. The needle holder 3 has an outer circumferential surface OCS which frictionally engages with an inner circumferential surface ICS of a proximal end of an inner sleeve 4. The device 1 also includes a spring 6 which functions to move the needle holder 3 when the outer circumferential surface OCS of the needle holder 3 no longer frictionally engages with the inner circumferential surface ICS of the proximal end of the inner sleeve 4. As is shown from FIG. 4, it is believed that the device 1 functions as follows: once a user moves the cap 5 to the closed position, the sleeve 4 is caused to move axially in the proximal direction, which, in turn, causes the outer circumferential surface OCS of the needle holder 3 to disengage from the inner circumferential surface ICS of the proximal end of the inner sleeve 4. The spring 6 is then free to move the needle holder 3 within the sleeve 4 in a distal direction which ensures that the needle holder 3 is fully and safely arranged within the device 1. The device 1 can then be safely handled and discarded.


The invention applies a probabilistic approach to combining evidence regarding the correct classification of items. Training data and machine learning techniques are used to construct probabilistic dependency models that effectively utilize evidence. The evidence includes the outputs of one or more classifiers and optionally one or more reliability indicators. The reliability indicators are, in a broad sense, attributes of the items being classified. These attributes can include characteristics of an item, source of an item, and meta-level outputs of classifiers applied to the item. The resulting models include meta-classifiers, which combine evidence from two or more classifiers, and tuned classifiers, which use reliability indicators to inform the interpretation of classical classifier outputs. The invention also provides systems and methods for identifying new reliability indicators.

There are many applications for automatic classification of items such as documents, images, and recordings. To address this need, a plethora of classifiers have been developed. Examples include a priori rule-based classifiers, such as expert systems, and classifiers based on probabilistic dependency models learned from training data. Classifiers based on probabilistic dependency models include classifiers based on decision trees models, support vector machines, Bayesian belief networks, and neural networks.
Within each of these model types, varying the model assumption and/or the training technique can produce different classifiers. For example, different neural network models result depending on the number of levels selected and the number of nodes within each level. As a rule for complex classification problems, each classifier produces at least slightly different results and none of the classifiers provides correct classifications for every instance.
To improve classifier performance, it has been proposed to combine multiple classifiers to produce a single meta-classifier. One approach to combining classifiers has been to take a vote among the classifiers and classify items based on majority vote. Optionally, the votes can be weighted by the confidence levels the classifiers express with respect to their decisions. Another approach is to believe the classifier that expresses the highest confidence in its decision, i.e., provides the highest estimated probability that its decision is correct. Where classifiers do not provide probability estimates, probability estimates have been generated based on the classifier's performances on a fixed number of "nearest neighbors" in the training set. A further approach takes N classifiers j whose output is pj(ci|x), the probability that classification ci is correct given input x, and selects the classification ci that maximizes:       1    N                ∑              j        =        1            N                                             p        j                          (                              c            i                    |          x                )
While these meta-classifiers often work better than any of the individual classifiers they combine, these meta-classifiers still commonly make mistakes. Thus, there remains an unsatisfied need for a meta-classifier or other classifier that generally makes fewer or less costly mistakes than currently available classifiers.

Probablistic models and methods for combining multiple content classifiers


The present disclosure is directed to networks having reduced power consumption characteristics and associated methods. In one aspect, a method for reducing power consumption in a multi-hop network can include receiving data at a plurality of primary nodes in a multi-hop network and transmitting the data from the plurality of primary nodes to a plurality of secondary nodes. Individual primary nodes have nearest neighbors at a defined distance and the secondary nodes are spaced at a distance that is greater than the defined distance away from individual primary nodes. Data is transmitted from a given primary node to a secondary node by skipping at least one intervening node and reducing power consumption of the wireless network.

In multi-hop networks, nodes relay each other's data node to node (i.e. a hop) until reaching a destination. Typical multi-hop relaying schemes use the nearest neighbor node as a relay with the goal of minimizing the transmission power and interference caused to other transmissions. In many applications of multi-hop networks, the nodes forming the network operate using limited energy sources, such as batteries, solar cells, etc. Minimizing the power consumption of such networks can be important in order to maximize the lifespan of the nodes and to minimize operation cost.

Multi-hop network having reduced power consumption

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


flexographic printing plate having solid image areas which are covered by a plurality of very small and shallow cells similar to the ink carrying cells found in anilox ink metering rolls. These cells fill with ink during the plate inking step and reproduce solid image areas with better color saturation while at the same time reducing the halo typical of flexographic printing of solids. Associated with this plate is a method for producing the cells, including the use of an intermediate screened film and of a computer program for generating the film intermediate.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to flexographic printing and more particularly to a flexographic printing plate having a plurality of ink carrying cells in the solids areas, and the method for making such plates.
2. Description of Related Art
Flexography is a direct rotary printing method that uses resilient relief image plates of rubber or other resilient materials including photopolymers to print an image on diverse types of materials that are typically difficult to image with traditional offset or gravure processes, such as cardboard, plastic films and virtually any type of substrate whether absorbent or non absorbent. As such it has found great applications and market potential in the packaging industry.
Flexographic printing plates are normally affixed onto a printing cylinder for printing. As shown in FIG. 1 an ink fountain pan 10 supplies ink to a metering roll 14. An optional doctor blade 12 may be used to wipe off excess ink from the metering roll to assist in controlling the amount of ink that is on the metering roll. The flexographic printing plates 16 are mounted on the printing cylinder 18. The material to be printed, usually supplied as a continuous web 19, is placed between the printing roll 18 and a backing roll 20. The flexographic printing plate is brought against the material typically with just sufficient pressure to allow contact between the relief image on the plate and the material printed.
Flexograhic printing plates can be made of either vulcanized rubber or a variety of radiation sensitive polymer resins, typically sensitive to ultraviolet radiation. A well known such flexographic photosensitive polymer resin plate is CYREL(copyright), a product of E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co. Inc. which was introduced in the mid seventies and has since found widespread acceptance by the printing industry.
Flexography printing is a printing process whereby ink is transferred through a metering roll to the relief portions of the printing plate and therefrom in a process akin to stamping from the relief plate areas to the printed surface. In order to produce good images it is essential that the ink applied to the printed surface is applied uniformly and predictably. This in turn requires that the relief areas in the flexographic plate carry ink in a uniform layer and in predictable amounts.
The prior art has attempted to solve this problem by using a special ink metering roll which is know as an anilox roll. Anilox rolls have on their surface a plurality of ink metering cells. These cells are small indentations arrayed in regular patterns of a predetermined frequency and of uniform depth and shape. Typically they are created by engraving the cylinder face by a mechanical process or by laser. The amount of ink delivered by the anilox roll is controlled by the screen size of the cells.
In operation ink is transferred from the ink well onto the anilox metering roll 14 filling the cells. The optional wipe blade 12 wipes off excess ink from the roll surface leaving only the cells filled. The ink from the cells is then transferred onto the flexographic plate relief areas as the anilox roll and the flexographic plate rotate in contact with one another.
Flexographic printing is what may be termed as a binary system. That is it either prints or it does not. Whenever relief areas contact the printed surface, one gets a substantially solid color area. To create a gray scale, a process called half-toning is used. This is a well known process wherein gray tones are reproduced by printing a plurality of minute solid dots per unit area and varying either the frequency of the dots per unit area or the size of the dots per unit area or both.
It has been observed, and is a well known problem in flexographic printing that solid areas, that is areas in the image where there are no half tone dots, appear to print with less saturation and somewhat less uniformity than halftone areas representing dark image areas. Thus an area with a dot coverage of 95% to 98% appears darker than a solid area (100%). Furthermore, solid flexographic image areas tend to show a xe2x80x9chaloxe2x80x9d around the solid area, that is, a darker border around the solid image area.
As mentioned earlier, flexography""s primary application is packaging. Due to product competition, the market requirements on the printing quality of the images on the packaging are becoming very stringent. There is thus a need for flexographic printing plates that alleviate these problems and deliver a better quality image.
This invention attempts to alleviate the above problems through a flexographic printing plate having a plurality of ink carrying cells on its solid relief printing areas. This plurality of ink carrying cells is arrayed in a regular pattern along rows and columns, and typically the rows form a 90xc2x0 angle with said columns.
Because the flexographic plates are used with anilox rolls for inking and because the anilox rolls also have ink carrying cells on their surface, it is also an object of this invention to provide flexographic printing plates in which the rows and columns of the flexographic plate ink carrying cells form an acute angle with the rows and columns of the cells of the anilox roll cell array respectively, preferably an angle of between 15 and 45 degrees. Ideally this angle is 30 degrees.
Still according with this invention, there is provided a method of forming a flexographic printing plate by first identifying relief areas of the plate representing solid image areas and then by creating either by laser exposure or etching or any other convenient means an array of a plurality of shallow ink carrying cells on the surface of the relief areas identified as representing solid image areas.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an imaged screened film intermediate representing an image having solid image areas for use in preparing a flexographic printing plate wherein the solid image areas reproduced on said screened film intermediate comprise a dot pattern formed by an array of a plurality of distinct dots arrayed along preselected directions.
To achieve the above objectives it is a further object of this invention to provide a machine readable program for use in a computer to control an imagesetter to produce a screened film for use in making a flexographic printing plate said program performing the steps of:
(a) storing imaging information representing an image including a solid area;
(b) supplying said imaging information to an imagesetter adapted to expose photosensitive film;
(c) supplying information to said imagesetter for exposing said film to produce an imaged screened film intermediate having areas representing said image solid areas wherein the solid image areas reproduced on said screened film intermediate comprise a dot pattern formed by an array of a plurality of distinct dots arrayed along preselected directions.

Screened film intermediate for use with flexographic printing plate having improved solids rendition


A method of manufacturing an optical transmitter includes assembling a laser device on a module including a temperature sensor and a temperature controller. An optimum operating temperature of the laser to minimize optical distortion is determined at a temperature within a range between which distortions were determined at multiple temperatures. The temperature controller is selectively adjusted so as to operate the laser at the optimum temperature. The distortion may also be monitored during active laser operation. The temperature controller may be selectively adjusted, based on the monitoring of the distortion, so as to operate the laser at a new controlled temperature nearer that which produces the temperature-dependent distortion minimum.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to optical transmitters, and particularly to manufacturing an optical transmitter to minimize a temperature-dependent distortion characteristic of an optical signal transmitted through an optical fiber.
2. Description of the Related Art
A modern alternative to sending analog or binary digital information via electric voltage signals over a conductor is to use optical (light) signals over a fiber optic cable. Electrical signals from analog radio frequency or digital circuits (high/low voltages) may be converted into amplitude or frequency modulated optical signals with LEDs or solid-state lasers such as VCSELs or edge-emitting lasers. Likewise, optical signals can be translated back into electrical form through the use of photodiodes or phototransistors for introduction into the inputs of amplifiers, demodulators or other types of circuits.
Laser resonators have two distinct types of modes: transverse and longitudinal. Transverse modes manifest themselves in the cross-sectional intensity profile of the beam. Longitudinal modes correspond to different resonances along the length of the laser cavity which occur at different wavelengths within the gain bandwidth of the laser. Mode hopping occurs when relative intensities at different lines corresponding to different longitudinal modes shift under certain circumstances. In order to provide a reliable communications link utilizing an optical transmitter, it is desired to prevent mode hopping in lasers used in such optical communications applications.
A factor in whether mode hopping will tend to occur in a laser is the degree of stability of the laser. There are many forms of stability, including wavelength stability, pulse-to-pulse energy stability, repetition rate stability, thermal stability, bandwidth stability, among others, and these may be attempted to be controlled in various ways. For example, energy stability and repetition rate stability often depend on the stability of the electrical or optical energy input to the gain medium. The degree of wavelength or bandwidth stability may depend on quality of resonator materials and other factors. The degree of thermal stability may influence the wavelength or bandwidth stability, and may typically depend on the heat capacity of the gain medium and whether cooling and/or heating elements are provided along with a thermal sensor, i.e., a temperature controller, heat exchanger or other such thermal monitor and heat transport device, and what degree of sensitivity of thermal control these devices exhibit. Various developments have been made for stabilizing various parameters of laser systems including operating temperature, and preventing occurrences of mode hopping.
Transmitting digital information in optical form from the optical end may be done in open air, simply by aiming a laser or an array of lasers of a transmitter or transceiver at a photodetector at a remote distance, but interference with the beam, beam divergence, scattering, dispersion, etc., make it difficult to transmit the beam without very significant distortion. One way to avoid the problems of open-air optical data transmission is to send the light pulses down an optical fiber. Optical fibers will transmit a beam of light much as a copper wire will conduct electrons, with the advantage of completely avoiding all the associated problems of inductance, capacitance, and external interference plaguing electrical signals.
Even for single modes of an optical medium, a light pulse emitted by a LED, VCSEL, edge-emitting laser, etc., taking a shorter path through the medium will arrive at the detector sooner than light pulses taking longer paths. The materials that form optical media will impart some degree of chromatic dispersion, or variation of the group velocities of different frequencies of the detected signal. The result is distortion of the amplitude and phase of an information-carrying signal. This problem becomes worse for broader bandwidths or modulation frequencies and as the overall media length is increased. For very long distances, such as in optical communications equipment, even light pulses having very narrow bandwidths will result in signals exhibiting undesirable degrees of distortion.
Optical signals transmitted from a modulated laser transmitter over an optical medium are known to exhibit some degree of distortion, even with single mode lasers very narrow bandwidth and even when steps are carefully taken to stabilize the optical pulses by conventional methods, as briefly discussed above. Electronic pre-distortion circuitry has been developed in an effort to reduce distortion in optical signals, e.g., see U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,288,814, 5,798,854, 5,252,930, 5,132,639, and 4,992,754, which are hereby incorporated by reference. Distortion appears at the output of an external cavity laser (ECL), and is an effect of the laser design. Although there is also distortion presented when the laser is linked to an optical fiber, it is not as great and does not vary as much as the ECL distortion.
Due to significant thermal influences on distortion, pre-distortion circuitries may be preferably configured to operate in dependence upon the operating temperature of a non-linear laser. Multiple pre-distorter settings may be provided such that particular settings, e.g., voltages for controlling pre-distorter outputs, may be selected depending on monitored temperatures of the laser. Moreover, laser output may be monitored through a fiber tap to detect any variation in amplitude or phase, and in response thereto, the laser temperature may itself be controlled and somewhat stabilized, e.g., using temperature sensors and thermal electric coolers (TECs), such that influences of thermal variation on distortion by adjusting the pre-distortion circuitry. Due to its substantial influence on the quality of optical communications signals, it is desired to further control and reduce distortion, particularly in optical signals generated by external cavity lasers (which include a laser chip together with an external reflector).
It is known from the work of other researchers that the degree of distortion of a transmitted optical signal in an external cavity laser is dependent on the temperature of the laser transmitter. Moreover, it is also known from such work that the distortion typically has a discernible minimum at a certain temperature for a single operating mode of the laser transmitter that varies from laser to laser. It is therefore a goal of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing, and a configuration for a laser transmitter system for optical communications that is thermally-stabilized around that distortion minimum of the utilized laser.

Method and apparatus for distortion control for optical transmitters


A method includes estimating structure models for a voxel(s) of a spectral image based on a noise model, fitting structure models to a 3D neighborhood about the voxel(s), selecting one of the structure models for the voxel(s) based on the fittings and predetermined model selection criteria, and de-noising the voxel(s) based on the selected structure model, producing a set of de-noised spectral images. Another method includes generating a virtual contrast enhanced intermediate image for each energy image of a set of spectral images corresponding to different energy ranges based on de-noised spectral images, decomposed de-noised spectral images, an iodine map, and a contrast enhancement factor; and generating final virtual contrast enhanced images by incorporating a simulated partial volume effect with the intermediate virtual contrast enhanced images. Also described herein are approaches for generating a virtual non-contrasted image, a bone and calcification segmentation map, and an iodine map for multi-energy imaging studies.

A CT scanner generally includes an x-ray tube that emits ionizing radiation that traverses an examination region and a portion of an object or subject therein and illuminates a detector array disposed across the examination region, opposite the x-ray tube. The detector produces projection data indicative of the detected radiation. The data can be reconstructed to generate volumetric image data indicative of the portion of the object or subject. With spectral CT, the projection data includes signals which are acquired concurrently and that correspond to different photon energy ranges. There are several approaches for performing spectral CT. For example, the CT scanner may include two or more sources, at least one source configured to switch between at least two different kVps, and/or a detector array with energy-resolving detectors.
With spectral CT, two acquired signals can be used to determine the photoelectric and Compton contributions of each signal and identify an unknown material by its value of photoelectric and Compton contribution. Generally, because any two linearly independent sums of two basis functions span the entire attenuation coefficient space, any material can be represented by a linear combination of two basis materials. This works especially well in materials, such as iodine, that have a k-edge energy close to the mean value of a diagnostic energy range. Furthermore, the additional spectral information improves the quantitative information that can be determined about the scanned object and its material composition. The basis material also allows for generating a monochromatic image, a material cancellation image, an effective atomic number image, and electron density image.
Again, CT scanners emit ionizing radiation. Unfortunately, ionizing radiation may damage or kill cells and/or increase the risk of cancer. The literature has indicated that dose levels from CT typically exceed those from conventional radiography and fluoroscopy. However, the radiation dose for a particular imaging procedure cannot just be lowered as a lower dose leads to increased image noise and thus blurrier or un-sharp image. Moreover, spectral CT images are already inherently noisier than conventional non-spectral images. For example, in a dual energy study, each image is based on roughly half of the radiation dose of a corresponding non-spectral conventional scan. Furthermore, the estimate of the material decomposition is based on projections between two vectors with a narrow angle there between. The combination of these two factors, i.e., large noise and narrow angle, amplifies significantly the noise in the estimated material decomposition.
Contrast enhanced CT studies capture the transit of an administered radio-contrast material through vascular tissue. Generally, for contrast enhanced CT, a bolus of a radio-contrast material is intravenously administered to a patient, and a region of interest of the patient that includes the vascular tissue of interest is scanned. The radio-contrast material causes the x-ray density in the vascular tissue of interest to temporarily increase as the radio-contrast material flows through the vascular tissue, resulting in enhanced data. However, after administration of a contrast material, some patients experience idiosyncratic effects and certain patients may experience severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reactions. Contrast material may also induce kidney damage, and some patients have developed an acute deterioration of their kidney function. Generally, a larger contrast material volume results in higher contrast to noise (CNR) images, while a lower volume leads to lower CNR image. Unfortunately, as the contrast material volume increases, so does its associated risks.


Techniques are described that enable the dynamic and automatic life cycle management of database schemas. Temporary database schemas are dynamically and automatically allocated in response to database schema requests. Allocated schemas are also automatically reclaimed upon expiration. A dynamic schema allocation system is provided that is configured to receive database schema requests from one or more clients and dynamically and automatically, substantially free of any manual intervention, serve database schemas in response to the requests. The database schemas may be allocated from multiple database instances available to the dynamic schema allocation system. Attributes specified in a database schema request may be used to find a matching database instance and a schema is allocated for the request from the matching database instance.

The proliferation and popularity of data-intensive technologies such as cloud computing, big data analysis, mobile computing, etc., has led to a dramatic increase in demand for databases to support these data-intensive technologies. The increased demand for database structure has led to multiple users or clients requesting the use of database schemas on demand. For example, temporary storage schemas may be used for requested for a wide variety of applications. For example, a temporary storage or database schema may be requested during test runs of a software that uses databases.
Conventional techniques for servicing such client requests and providing the requested schemas are very time consuming and cumbersome. For example, according to one conventional technique, a centralized database is set up and schemas manually provided from this database. Every client using the central database is provided master credentials to the central database that leads to collisions (e.g., duplicate schema names, users, etc. used concurrently by multiple clients). For example, when two users use the single central database and they both want to define a variable with the same name this may lead to a data collision. According to another technique, a separate database instance is created for each client. This however is very resource intensive. Further, for all the conventional techniques, upon receiving a request for a storage schema, the schema has to be manually created and provisioned, for example, by a database administrator. This manual process is very time consuming and human-resource intensive, and can lead to human-based errors in database management system resource allocation.

Dynamic lifecycle management of temporary storage schemas


An access and cannulation device includes a mounting element such as the anastomosis mounting element disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 08/714,615 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,763) and U.S. application Ser. No. 09/200,796. The device is used to provide access therethrough and via an incision to the interior of a hollow anatomical structure such as a vessel, an organ or the like during surgery, especially minimally invasive surgery. It includes a flexible sleeve with a suture therein for closing the sleeve and locating edges of the structure adjacent to the incision in position for proper healing after completion of a surgical procedure. A tool is also disclosed for manipulating the device to configure it for the surgery and to close it after completion of the surgery whereby the edges of the wall of the structure adjacent to an incision are approximated to promote proper healing.

The present invention relates to the general art of surgery, and to the particular field of minimally invasive surgery.
As discussed in the incorporated documents, there is current interest in surgical techniques that are less invasive than previous techniques. This current interest has engendered interest in many areas that were previously abandoned including coronary fastening and valve placement among other areas that will occur to those skilled in the surgical art.
Furthermore, many of these procedures include use of cardiopulmonary bypass for their execution. Cardiopulmonary bypass removes the venous blood from the heart and returns it to the circulation system of the patient through the patient""s aorta or through one of its branches after it has been oxygenated. This bypass procedure makes it possible to remove the heart from the circulation system in order to perform corrections on the heart and also makes it possible to arrest the heart so that there is a non-moving field that is relatively free of obstructions for the surgeon to work.
Numerous surgical procedures such as the just-mentioned cardiopulmonary bypass procedures require cannulation of a hollow anatomical structure such as the heart, the great vessels associated with the heart as well as other internal organs during the course of surgical procedures. Venous cannulation (where unoxygenated blood is removed from the patient""s circulation system) can be performed in the right atrium, SVC, IVC or other major venous branch. Typically, blood is removed from the right atrium by cannulas which have extensions into the SVC or IVC. A single cannula is sufficient for routine bypass procedures. Such a cannula typically has a basket-shaped area which sits in the right atrium and has an extension into the IVC. For valve procedures or in situations where it is necessary to totally exclude blood from the heart, it is necessary to drain blood from both the SVC and the IVC independently so that two cannulation sites and two cannulas are required.
Oxygenated blood is usually returned via the aorta (arterial cannulation site). This is usually accomplished with a single cannula of smaller diameter than the venous cannula since blood is pumped into the patient. The pumped blood distributes itself in the arterial system.
Cannulation sites are also necessary for other purposes. Cardioprotective solutions (cardioplegia) are often infused into the coronary arteries through the aortic root. Such solutions can also be delivered into the coronary sinus and used to perfuse the myocardium in a reverse direction (i.e., vein to myocardium to artery), which is also known as xe2x80x9cretrograde cardioplegia.xe2x80x9d Cannulation is also necessary when pressure or flow monitoring catheters are introduced into the heart or great vessels.
In short, cannulation is an essential component of many surgery procedures associated with a hollow anatomical structure such as the heart or blood vessels. Therefore, there is a need for efficient and effective means and methods for carrying out cannulation during a surgical procedure associated with a hollow anatomical structure and whenever cardiopulmonary bypass is necessary or whenever catheters or tubes must be inserted into the heart. This is especially so during minimally invasive surgery.
Many operations still require a considerable incision or port to conduct the operation, and many of these operations require hand suturing to perform the procedures. Smaller access sites must be used to effect truly minimally invasive procedures on patients. This necessitates technologies which obviate the need for suturing and other fine motor tasks which require direct visualization and hand suturing since the suturing will be difficult with the limited access associated with minimally invasive surgery.
Still further, general access restrictions make manipulations difficult and blood in the surgical field is also a cause for concern. Therefore, there is a need for providing a generally bloodless field when carrying out the steps associated with cannulation and subsequent closure of the cannulation incision. Furthermore, blood leakage may cause a problem. Therefore, there is a need for a cannulation means and method which can be carried out in minimally invasive surgery and which will minimize, if not totally eliminate, blood in the surgical field.
Since cannulation is an area which has heretofore required considerable hand suturing, there is a need for a cannulation device and method which requires only a minimal incision in the patient and eliminates the need for hand suturing. The device and any tools associated therewith could, for example, allow the cannulation of the heart by a tiny incision or port because no hand suturing would be necessary. During such a procedure, the patient could be placed on bypass by cannulas in the heart without the need for large incisions. Other examples of such nonhand sutured cannulation include procedures on any hollow anatomical structure, including blood vessels and other organs as will be known to those skilled in the medical art.
In addition to hand suturing techniques required by the prior art, the prior art discloses devices which incorporate a variety of balloon configurations which act to seal an incision site while cannulas are in place and which can also restrict the flow of blood to and through the structure, such as a major vessel. One problem with such devices is caused when the cannula is removed and the only way to re-establish patency of the vessels is to hand suture them closed. This method is not well suited to the small incisions used in minimally invasive surgery since hand suturing requires more room to manipulate tools and also to enable the surgeon to visualize what he or she is doing. Therefore, in addition to the needs discussed above, there is also a need for a device which can be placed in a patient without requiring hand suturing and which is suitable for use in minimally invasive surgery to meet these requirements as well.
In addition, older patients may have frail tissue which result in trouble pulling purse-string sutures tight. In some cases, the sutures will cut the tissue causing further leaks which must be patched and sutured again. Therefore, there is a need for a means and a method for setting a cannula in a patient who may have fragile and/or friable tissue, especially in minimally invasive surgery.
It is also noted that anchoring a cannula in tissue stresses that tissue by transmitting any forces associated with the cannula or movements of the cannula to the tissue. As is especially the case with frail tissue, such anchoring may tend to tear the tissue. Therefore, there is a need for a means and a method for attaching a cannula to an anatomical structure in a manner that reduces or eliminates cannula-induced stress on the tissue.
Closure of purse-string sutures causes the tissue to be gathered and bunched resulting in a loss of cross-sectional area and/or a decreased function. Therefore, there is a need for a means and a method for gaining access to the interior of an organ or a vessel that can be closed without causing bunching and/or gathering of the patient""s tissue.
Still further, in manually sutured procedures a substantial amount of tissue is required to make a port closure. For example, when the atrium of the heart or the aorta is cannulated with a purse-string suture the tissue inside the purse string is lost when the suture is tied. This causes stretching and deformity of the heart or aorta when the purse-string is tied, sometimes leading to tears in the tissue and/or leaks. Therefore, there is a need for a means and a method for cannulating organs which does not require purse-string sutures.
Specifically, surgeries on many organs also require opening the organ and/or the vessels associated with therewith. The vessels must be closed at the end of the procedure to complete the operation. It is important to minimally invasive procedures to have a tool which will allow closure of such organs and vessels without the need of hand suturing.
For example, the replacement of the aortic valve requires cannulation of the aorta and the right atrium for the commencement of cardiopulmonary bypass. The aorta is then opened above the aortic valve and the defective valve is removed and then replaced. The aorta must then be closed hemostatically and the cardiopulmonary bypass pump discontinued followed by removal of the cannulas from the heart. In order for this procedure to be performed through truly tiny apertures in the patient, there is a need for a means and method for mechanically opening and closing the aorta.
As can be understood from the above discussion, a device which opens an organ or other such structure and allows it to be closed by a simple tightening of a suture without the need for placement of hand-placed stitches is needed. The device should take into account that many patients have weak and friable tissue. Often when a structure such as a great vessel is closed with sutures the tissue wall tears at the sutures. The prior art deals with this problem by applying surgical felt to the leaky areas. However, the felt is secured with sutures and more holes and tearing can occur at the patch site. Therefore, it is desirable to have a closure device and method which will reinforce frail tissue and reduce tears.
High doses of anticoagulants are usually administered to patients undergoing heart surgery, such as cardiopulmonary bypass, to prevent blood clots during the surgery. These drugs prevent the clotting process from starting in the centrifugal extracorporeal pump circuit. However, these same drugs make it difficult to get large incisions in the vessel walls and heart muscle or other internal organs to seal. Therefore, there is a need to provide a hemostatic medium which is held in the proximity of a wound to prevent blood loss until the patient""s natural clotting cycle can seal the wound. In addition, a mechanical means to hold the organ or vessel walls in tight approximation is needed to ensure stability and security of wound closure.
As discussed above some procedures require multiple access sites. In such situations sealing the tissue to the cannulation incision is very difficult. Often, two separate sites are required. In some instances multiple access sites will multiply the above-discussed problems. Therefore, there is a need for a means and a method for providing multiple access sites to internal organs which can be effectively and efficiently sealed.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a leak-free method of cannulating of an internal organ.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a leak-free method of cannulating a vessel.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a unique docking mechanism for a bypass cannula.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for cannulation which can reinforce the tissue to which the cannula is attached.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for quickly closing a cannula incision in great vessels, organs or ventricles.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method to cannulate vessels in minimally invasive surgery with small access restrictions.
It is another object of the present invention to obviate the need to suture within a narrow minimally invasive access site.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cannulation port which closes the port wound with a minimum amount of bunching or gathering of tissue.
It is another object of the present invention to prevent loss of atrium or vessel size on closure of a cannulation site.
It is another object of the present invention to minimize leaks on closure of a cannulation port.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for sealing an incision instrument against a valve used in cannulating the patient as the cannulation port is being defined.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a single access port which can accommodate more than one cannula without leakage.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for purging air from the cannulation port.
It is another object of the present invention to allow closure of a cannulation site after it is needed by simply drawing up one suture.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for gaining access to vessels in minimally invasive surgery within small access restrictions.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for gaining leak-free access to and closure of great vessels of the heart and other anatomical structures without placing sutures in the anatomical structure.
It is another object of the present invention to prevent loss of atrium or vessel size or volume on closure of a cannulation access device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an access and closure port for an internal vessel or structure that provides a minimum amount of bunching or gathering of tissue on closure.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cannulation access device with a malleable frame which holds the incision open when desired.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cannulation access apparatus and method which can reinforce the tissue to which it is attached with a mechanical fastener.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an access and cannulation and closure device that approximates the edges of the tissue to which it is attached to improve healing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an access and closure device which includes a hemostatic medium to promote healing of the incision.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a built-in closure means to allow simple closure of the access site with a minimum of effort.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for providing access to the interior of an anatomical structure that will act as a stress relief element and will isolate an instrument, such as a cannula, from the tissue whereby instrument-induced forces will not be transferred to the tissue.
These, and other, objects are achieved by a device for establishing restricted access to a hollow anatomical structure such as a vessel, a heart or any internal organ of a patient during surgery. One embodiment includes a flexible sleeve and a malleable frame that is mounted on the wall of the structure adjacent to an incision in the wall of the structure and a one-way port on the sleeve through which a cannula is inserted to access the interior of the anatomical structure, and a suture on the sleeve for closing the sleeve and approximating the tissue adjacent to the incision into a healing position after completion of the procedure.
Incorporated applications Ser. Nos. 08/714,615 and 09/200,796 describe a mechanical fastening device used for coronary vessel anastomosis. Another embodiment employs such a fastening device and includes a malleable anchor ring with a multiplicity of tines that attach to the vessel or organ. The ring has a material memory such that once deformed it remains in the deformed configuration until physically moved to another configuration. This ring is easily mounted on a vessel or other organ adjacent to an incision and is easily deformed to open or close the incision as desired. The present invention utilizes this malleable ring as an anchor element for a cannulation port.
The cannulation device of the present invention can be placed and configured on the vessel or organ during minimally invasive surgery, and can be closed after use from outside the patient. By selecting from a plurality of different sleeves, the type of access and cannulation can be easily selected. For example, single or multiple cannulas can be accommodated by the device of the present invention.
Because the device is easily set and closed small sites can be accommodated, and virtually no blood will seep into the surgical field. Furthermore, since no hand suturing is required to close the site all of the above-discussed problems associated with suturing and hand suturing in particular, are eliminated. The mounting tines of the mounting ring anchor the ring in a manner that will not endanger tissue, especially fragile tissue, and thereby will reduce or eliminate the problems associated with damaging tissue due to placing and sealing an access port. The sleeve is flexible and isolates the cannula from the malleable ring and thus relieves stress that otherwise might be transferred from the cannula to the tissue.
Because of the secure nature of the mounting, leaks are virtually non-existent, even in fragile tissue.

Access and cannulation device and method for rapidly placing same and for rapidly closing same in minimally invasive surgery