A liquid crystal display apparatus containing an image sensor, which comprises a liquid crystal display part comprising an active matrix circuit, a peripheral driver circuit for driving the active matrix circuit, and a sensor part, integrated on one substrate, wherein the sensor part is sealed and protected with a sealing part and a counter substrate.

The present invention relates to an integrated liquid crystal display apparatus having a function of an image sensor, and particularly it relates to the constitution of an image sensor part.
A liquid crystal panel, in which a liquid crystal is oriented by applying a voltage to a liquid crystal layer from pixel electrodes, to form an image on a display part, has been known.
A constitution of a conventional liquid crystal panel is briefly described below.
An element substrate comprises an insulating substrate having thereon a display part comprising thin film transistors and a peripheral circuit. The element substrate and a counter substrate are adhered by a sealing material with ensuring a gap between the substrates by a spacer. A liquid crystal is contained between the element substrate and the counter substrate.
The liquid crystal is sandwiched by the pair of substrates and surrounded by the sealing part.
As shown in FIG. 2, the sealing part of the panel is arranged to surround the display part or the display part and the peripheral driver circuit.
In the conventional constitution, the element substrate means a substrate in which an active matrix circuit and the peripheral circuit are provided. The counter substrate arranged as facing the element substrate, in which a counter electrode and a color filter are provided.
In the conventional constitution, a resin for sealing having an ultraviolet setting property or a thermosetting property is used as the sealing material.
An image sensor, on the other hand, has been widely used as an optical sensor converting an image to an electric signal in a copying machine, a digital still camera, a video camera and a facsimile machine.
Recently, a miniature system for incorporating an image and displaying the image is demanded. As a constitution meeting such a demand, a liquid crystal display device with which a sensor module such as a CCD is integrated is considered, but there are problems in consumption power (about 5 W), production cost and size.
The inventors of the invention intend to produce a liquid crystal panel and an image sensor on one substrate by using a MOS thin film transistor.
By using such a constitution, the apparatus can be miniaturized and of a low consumption power (about 50 mW) and low cost.
In the case where a liquid crystal panel and an image sensor are produced on one substrate, the arrangement of the panel and the image sensor and the constitution of the seal become important issue.
An object of the invention is to provide a liquid crystal display panel having a display part and an image sensor on one substrate, which has high reliability and an image sensor of low cost.
The structure of the liquid crystal panel shown in FIG. 1B corresponds to those shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B.
The invention relates to, as a first aspect, a liquid crystal display apparatus comprising a liquid crystal display part comprising an active matrix circuit, a peripheral driver circuit for driving the active matrix circuit, and a sensor part, integrated on one substrate, wherein the sensor part 120 has a sealed space 307 sealed by a sealing part 104 and a counter substrate 302. By employing such a constitution, the sealed space is completely shielded from an external atmosphere by the substrates and the sealing part.
Furthermore, the counter substrate may be adhered in an inert gas atmosphere to fill the sealed space with an inert gas (such as Ar and N2), so as to prevent deterioration of the sensor part due to a reaction with oxygen contained in the air.
By sealing the sensor part with the sealing part and the counter substrate, an effect is obtained in that inclusion of the liquid crystal and dusts into the sensor part and a damage such as a flaw of the sensor part occurring on an injection step of the liquid crystal can be prevented.
The invention relates to, as a second aspect shown in FIG. 1A, a liquid crystal display apparatus comprising a liquid crystal display part comprising an active matrix circuit, a peripheral driver circuit 111 for driving the active matrix circuit, and a sensor part 120, integrated on one substrate,
wherein the sensor part 120 is surrounded by at least one sealing part 104, and
a sealing part 103 provided between the liquid crystal display part and the sensor part seals the liquid crystal and protects the sensor part.
By employing such a constitution, inclusion of the liquid crystal and dusts, generation of static charge, and an external impact can be prevented in the sensor part after the adhering step.
Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 1B, 4A and 4B, the sensor part may be doubly surrounded by plural sealing parts. The outer sealing part functions as a dummy seal. By employing such a constitution, the sensor part 120 can be further prevented from dusts, static charge and external pressures, and the distance between the substrates can be sufficiently maintained. The sensor part may further be surrounded by plural sealing parts in three times, four times or more, or plural sealing parts may be arranged as a dummy seal outside the sealing part of the sensor part.
The invention relates to, as a third aspect, a liquid crystal display apparatus comprising a liquid crystal display part comprising an active matrix circuit, a peripheral driver circuit for driving the active matrix circuit, and a sensor part, integrated on one substrate, wherein a spacer 306 is not present in the sensor part. When the number of the spacers in the sensor part is larger than that in the liquid crystal part, they becomes obstacles upon incorporating an image. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4B, it is preferred that no spacer is present between a receptor of the sensor part and the counter substrate. By employing such a constitution, an image can be incorporated with good quality while uniformly maintaining the distance between the substrates.
Since the sensor part is an element that reacts against external heat, it is preferred that the sensor part is arranged with a sufficient distance to a heat generating circuit such as the peripheral driver circuit, i.e., at a position that is less affected by heat.
By employing such a constitution, the sensor part can be protected from external electrical influence, thermal influence and other physical influence.
In the image sensor of the invention, as shown in FIG. 3A, photo carriers are generated by an amorphous silicon layer 352 having a large light absorption coefficient to visible lights, and the readout of the signals is controlled with a polycrystalline silicon TFT having a large mobility as a switching element.
In the invention, an image sensor formed by the thin film technique and the thin film transistors constituting the display part are formed on one substrate, and an apparatus is obtained at low cost.
The display apparatus of direct vision type containing an image sensor is becoming large scale in future. The substrate is also becoming large scale due to a multi-panels substrate for reducing the production cost.
On the other hand, the sensor part, which is demanded to have a large number of pixels and a miniaturized optical system, is being miniaturized to have a reduced pixel area, and therefore the difference in pixel area between the sensor part and the display part becomes large.
The invention relates to, as a fourth aspect, a liquid crystal display apparatus comprising a liquid crystal display part comprising an active matrix circuit, a peripheral driver circuit for driving the active matrix circuit, and a sensor part, integrated on one substrate, wherein a color filter formed on a counter substrate of the sensor part has a cell size that is smaller than that formed on a counter substrate of the display part, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B.
By employing such a constitution, a liquid crystal display panel can be obtained at low cost, in which the sensor part that has a small pixel area and can incorporate an image with good quality is formed on the same substrate as the liquid crystal display part.
The invention relates to, as a fifth aspect shown in FIG. 6B, a liquid crystal display apparatus comprising a liquid crystal display part comprising an active matrix circuit, a peripheral driver circuit for driving the active matrix circuit, and a sensor part, integrated on one substrate, wherein the thickness d1 of a counter substrate of the sensor part is smaller than the thickness d2 of a counter substrate of the liquid crystal display part.
By employing such a constitution, the influence on the optical system attached to the sensor part can be reduced. The thinner the thickness of the counter substrate of the sensor part is, the less the light is refracted, and thus the intensity of light can be maintained to obtain a liquid crystal display panel at low cost, in which the sensor part that has a small pixel area and can incorporate an image with good quality is formed on the same substrate as the liquid crystal display part. The thin counter substrate of the sensor part in the invention includes colorless transparent substrates or films and is not limited to a glass substrate or a quartz substrate.
The invention relates to, as a sixth aspect shown in FIG. 6C, a liquid crystal display apparatus comprising a liquid crystal display part comprising an active matrix circuit, a peripheral driver circuit for driving the active matrix circuit, and a sensor part, integrated on one substrate, wherein the line width of the sealing part surrounding the sensor part is smaller than the line width of the sealing part surrounding the liquid crystal display part.
By employing such a constitution, when a thin substrate is used in the sensor part, the sealing part can be prevented from inclusion in the, sensor part, and the substrate can be prevented from cracking.
The invention relates to, as a seventh aspect shown in FIG. 6D, a liquid crystal display apparatus comprising a liquid crystal display part comprising an active matrix circuit, a peripheral driver circuit for driving the active matrix circuit, and a sensor part, integrated on one substrate, wherein a counter substrate of the liquid crystal display part is maintained at a constant substrate distance by the sealing part and a spacer, and a counter substrate of the sensor part is in close contact with the substrate by an adhesive 515.
By employing such a constitution, the sensor part can be completely isolated from the external atmosphere, and deterioration due to contact with the external atmosphere can be prevented. Because the space 507 between the counter substrate and the element substrate of the sensor part brings about refraction of light, the counter substrate and the element substrate is preferably in as close contact therewith as possible, as similar to the thickness of the counter substrate.
In order to have the fourth to seventh constitutions, precision is required in mating the sensor part having a small cell size and the counter substrate on the step of adhesion to the counter substrate. Therefore, the counter substrate of the sensor part and the counter substrate of the liquid crystal display part are adhered separately from each other.
The invention relates to a process for producing a liquid crystal display apparatus containing an image sensor and comprising a liquid crystal display part comprising an active matrix circuit, a peripheral driver circuit for driving the active matrix circuit, and a sensor part, integrated on one substrate, the process comprising in this order
a step of adhering a counter substrate of the liquid crystal display part,
a step of cutting the counter substrate of the liquid crystal display part, and
a step of adhering a counter substrate of the sensor part.
As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D, the display part and the sensor part are formed on one substrate, but the counter substrates 502 and 503 are separated from each other in the display part and the sensor part.

Liquid crystal display apparatus containing image sensor and process for producing the same

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A process for optimizing the effectiveness of a web site analyzes various hypertext variables of hypertext documents formed from Hyper Text Mark-up Language (HTML) to identify weak links in order to improve compliances with the business objective for the web site. A plurality of alternate hypertext documents are created and placed in parallel paths relative to the original hypertext document according to a predetermined distribution pattern which may be sequential, equal distribution or random distribution, for example. Accesses to the web site are redirected to the alternative hypertext elements transparently. Access logs for each of the alternative hypertext documents are analyzed to determine the most effective alternative hypertext document, according to a predetermined criteria. The most effective hypertext element is then substituted for the original hypertext element in order to improve the effectiveness of the web site.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for optimizing the effectiveness of a hypertext document or content variable (hereinafter, "hypertext element"), and, more particularly, to a process for analyzing specific hypertext elements of a document in Hyper Text Mark-up Language (HTML), either static or dynamic, which automatically redirects links to the hypertext elements to a plurality of alternate hypertext elements configured in effective parallel paths (i.e. rotated between alternative elements) according to a predetermined distribution function in order to analyze the manner in which visitors to a web site respond to links to each of the alternate hypertext elements so that the most effective alternate can be determined in order to improve the overall effectiveness of the hypertext element.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The worldwide web is becoming an increasingly popular means for communication over the Internet. Home pages, or web sites, are used for various purposes, including advertising and selling products. Such web sites or home pages are formed from hypertext documents created by Hyper Text Mark-up Language (HTML). In their simplest form, hypertext documents can be a page of text with certain words or phrases, known as hyperlinks or links, highlighted, for example, by underlining or the use of different colors, or both. When a visitor to the web site clicks a mouse pointer on a hyperlink, control is transferred to a different hypertext document to which the hyperlink is connected in order to enable the visitor to the web site to browse through a continuing series of documents or document pages of interest. Hypertext documents are not limited to text documents, but can also be complex multimedia documents which contain graphics, pictures, sound or video objects or other hot spots. A hot spot is a general term for the various places or locations on the document page that are linked to another document or which trigger an audio or video clip or some other action. Graphics and pictures are inserted into hypertext documents in the same way that a word or phrase is linked between documents as discussed above. A sound or video object, in the form of a recording of a sound or video, can be electronically inserted into the document, denoted by a label or icon, which appears as a hyperlink. When a mouse pointer is clicked on the icon, rather than being transferred to a new document or document page, a sound or video clip is played in a small window that automatically opens up in the document.
Both static or dynamic web sites are known. Static web sites are simply static files that are used to create a home page on demand. Dynamic web sites are created on the fly generally from information stored in a database or by other methods which generate web pages and content in real time according to the behavior and known characteristics of the user.
The web sites, also known as home pages, may be created from various word processing documents spread sheets, presentation packages and the like using available application programs which convert the word processing documents into hypertext documents compatible with HTML. Microsoft's "FRONT PAGE" software is an example of available software for creating web sites.
Hundreds and even thousands of web sites can be run by a web server. Each of the web sites may consist of any number of web pages and/or can even consist of a single hypertext document and one or more succeeding linked documents. The cost for maintaining a web site on a particular web server is based on various factors including: the particular disk storage space for the web site and/or web page, computer processing requirements, costs associated with designing and constructing pages in the web sites, costs of technical maintenance of the web site and the required hardware and software, costs to purchase the required hardware and software to operate the web site and other costs associated with building and operating the web site.
Each web site may have one or more objectives. In order for the web site to be successful, the objectives of the web site and/or web pages within the web site must be fulfilled. Various objectives are known for such web sites, including: acquiring visitor profiles or registrations and/or other information; downloading or distributing software; displaying text and graphics; selling products and services; distributing information, as well as advertising. A measure of the effectiveness of a web site can be determined by the number of compliances with the objective. As used herein, compliance is defined as the successful achievement of the desired behavior, whether it be purchasing products or services or downloading information or any of the other objectives mentioned above or any other outcome which the website is intended to produce among visitors. Since each access to a web site and succeeding hypertext document is logged by the web server, the success or compliance with the business objective can be measured by analyzing the server log file maintained by the web server or through other measurement methods whereby the visitor's compliance with the intention of the website can be assessed, including externally collected survey information.
An exemplary map of a web site or home page is illustrated in FIG. 1. The home page is illustrated to the left, with links to various other hypertext documents moving from left to right. In order to simplify the discussion, as well as the illustration, the server is shown with a single hypertext home page and assumes only one source of entry for each hypertext document. However, as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, the discussion equally follows to more complex structures.
As shown in FIG. 1, the exemplary home page is linked to four hypertext documents A, B, C and D. Each of the hypertext documents A, B, C and D contain successive links to other hypertext documents as well as a link to another web site, as indicated by the hyperlinks E and X, which represent advertising links from a particular web site to another web site. The hypertext document T represents the page where the product is sold. Thus, with respect to the exemplary map illustrated in FIG. 1, access to the hypertext documents E, T and X may represent compliances with the business objectives. The other hypertext documents or pages may contribute to the web site as a whole, but do not directly fulfill the business objective for the web site.
Compliance generally requires two things: First, a visitor must actually visit a web page, called the target page, where the visitor is provided with the opportunity to perform the compliance. Second, the compliance must be executed (i.e. the desired action must be performed). See the following examples:
Example 1
The objective of the web site is to sell merchandise. The compliance is that the visitor orders merchandise. In order to do this, the visitor must visit the page on the site where orders are submitted, or the target page.
Example 2
The objective of the website is to inform visitors of the health benefits for a particular cereal and distribute coupons for that cereal. The compliance is that the visitor reads or downloads the information and coupons from the target page or pages which contain it.
Example 3
The objective of the website is to acquire consumer profiles through registrations. The compliance is that the visitor registers the appropriate information with the vendor, and the target page is where the registration form is located.
Various factors affect whether the visitors to the home page choose to pass through the various links to the hypertext documents E, T and X, which, as discussed above, represent compliances with the business objective. Examples of such factors include: speed at which the home page downloads; the graphical design and aesthetics of the home page; the creative positioning and strategy of the home page; the material and information content of the home page; the specific nature and location of the hot links on the home page; the speed at which the linked pages download; the graphical design and esthetics of the link pages; the creative positioning and strategy of the linked pages; the material and information content of the linked pages; the specific nature and location of the hot links on the linked pages, as well as the pricing, promotional and advertising information regarding the vendor's products. There are various trade-offs in the factors identified above. For example, more complex graphics may take relatively longer to download, but may be more aesthetically pleasing to the visitor. The download time for each of the hyperlink documents has a definite effect on the attrition rate at each of the links.
FIG. 2 represents an exemplary number of accesses to successive links from the home page, assuming 100 visitors initially visited the home page. As shown, for every 100 visitors to the home page, only 70 move on, for an attrition rate of 30%. Of the 70, only 9 comply with the particular business objectives of the site [i.e., 4 move on to link E, while 5 move on to page T for a total of a nine percent success rate for every 100 visitors to the home page.
As can be seen from the above example, the number of compliances relates directly to the return on investment. Since the proprietor of the home page pays according to the amount of disk space and other costs associated with the creation, operation and maintenance of the web server, the return on investment for this cost can be improved by improving the number and/or percentage of compliances.

Process for optimizing the effectiveness of a hypertext element


A vending machine including a housing with one or more assembly units and one or more stacking shafts positioned in the housing. The assembly unit include a plurality of product dispensing coils for stacking and dispensing product horizontally. The stacking shaft stacking and dispensing products vertically, especially beverage containers. A support structure extends over a horizontal width of the housing and supports the assembly units and the stacking shafts in horizontally adjacent positions.

It has been known that product dispensing coils rotatable around horizontal axes are provided for dispensing product packages, e.g., candies or other snacks. The product packages are located individually between turns of the dispensing coil on a horizontal tray. The product packages are dispensed by the stepped rotation of the coils. Such a means is for example described in the older patent application No. 196 31 931. The dispensing coils are not very suitable for dispensing bottles or cans.
Vertical stacking shafts are usually provided in vending machines for bottles or cans, because this leads to a high storage capacity. Such product shafts are described in, e.g., DE 29 16 694 C2, DE 36 08 942 A1, and the older patent applications 196 06 056 and 196 14 915, especially concerning the dispensing mechanism. Because of the different shapes of the stacking shafts, on the one hand, and of the dispensing coils, on the other hand, separate vending machines are usually set up for bottles or cans, on the one hand, and for "snacks," e.g., candies, on the other hand.
A vending machine from which product packages (snacks) and beverage bottles or cans can be sold is desirable.
A vending machine from which product packages and cans can be sold has been commercially available. The area in which product packages that can be dispensed via dispensing coils and the area in which cans are accommodated are horizontally separated in this vending machine; the areas are consequently located one on top of another. This is unfavorable, because the area accommodating the cans is lower as a result than the product-accommodating height of the vending machine. This leads to a low storage capacity for cans, because the advantage of the prior-art stacking shafts cannot be utilized. It is also unfavorable that a changeover of the vending machine from the dispensing of more product packages to be dispensed via dispensing coils to fewer cans and vice versa is difficult and requires a considerable amount of work for conversion and a large number of new components. Consequently, there is no variability in practice in the splitting of the product storage space of the vending machine between product packages, on the one hand, and cans, on the other hand.


A gas analyzer and a method for performing mass spectrometry analysis includes a membrane configured to receive an input flow of carrier gas. The membrane defines a variable thickness region between first and second positions along an input face of the membrane and separates the analyte sample into an output flow of analyte molecules. A mass spectrometer is disposed downstream of the membrane and includes an input orifice for receiving the output flow. The mass spectrometer is configured to perform a response profile analysis of the analyte molecules in the sample analyte.

MI/MS (Membrane Interface/Mass Spectrometry) was first described by Hoch and Kok in 1963 and has become a well-known sample introduction technique in the field of mass spectrometry and most importantly in the field of portable mass spectrometry. In portable mass spectrometry, low detection levels are made challenging by the performance limitations inherent to geometrically compact mass spectrometers with limited power and vacuum pumping. MI/MS has been often used to counteract these performance effects, as noted in Voss et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,426,300.
For instance, a semi-permeable polymer membrane separates the gaseous sample matrix—which is often the effluent of a gas chromatograph (GC)—from the high vacuum region of the mass spectrometer. Analyte molecules pass through the semi-permeable polymer membrane preferentially to the carrier gas because of higher analyte permeability in the membrane relative to the carrier gas permeability in the membrane. Permeability is the product of a molecule's membrane-molecule diffusion coefficient and the molecule's membrane-carrier gas partition coefficient. Semi-permeable polymer membranes are typically silicone-based, however, other polymeric materials have been examined, yielding different advantages and disadvantages. (See Amy J. Maden and, Mark J. Hayward. Sheet Materials for Use as Membranes in Membrane Introduction Mass Spectrometry. Analytical Chemistry 1996, 68 (10), 1805-1811. DOI: 10.1021/ac9509216.). A number of geometries have been explored ranging from planar sheets to column-shaped tubes where the gas flows through or around the tubular membrane, i.e., Cooks et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,292, to systems having multiple membranes, i.e., Wright et al. U.S. Pat. No. 10,755,909. Few of these semi-permeable membranes or columns were suitable for use in a GC/MI/MS.
A limitation to MI/MS in defense and hazardous material (HAZMAT) applications relates to the fact that many low vapor pressure chemicals of concern are larger in size than the environmental targets where MI/MS has historically been most successful. For example, chemical warfare agents like VX, and drugs of abuse like Fentanyl® (is a registered trademark of Janssen Pharmacuticals), these molecules are typically much larger in size than, for example, benzene or tetrachloroethylene. Molecules of larger size typically exhibit very low membrane-analyte diffusion coefficients and as a result these molecules take longer to move through the membrane than smaller molecules. A low membrane-analyte diffusion coefficient degrades the performance or analysis of a GC/MI/MS system inasmuch as the analyte GC peaks are spread or broadened as the molecules diffuse through the semi-permeable membrane. This reduces the resolving power of the GC/MI/MS system as time-resolved peaks exiting the GC overlap, and are smeared together as they enter the MS. The result is reduced detection performance in applications with complex or multi-chemical compounds. It will also be appreciated that such broadened peaks also lower the signal-to-noise ratios compared to peaks which are sharp, i.e., molecules which pass through the membrane quickly so as to rise and fall sharply in the GC/MI/MS analysis. According to Fick's Second law of Diffusion, the broadening of a peak is proportional to the square of the membrane's thickness, so that a thin membrane better preserves chromatographic performance. On the other hand, it can be challenging to make a membrane extremely thin inasmuch as the membrane must support a pressure differential of at least atmospheric pressure on the GC side while maintaining a low vacuum pressure on the MS side. That is, the pressure differential can rupture a very thin membrane, particularly if the membrane is heated to speed diffusion, or reduce other sticking-time constants of a molecule as it passes through the interface. A solution to this problem is taught in Wolcott, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 8,956,696, wherein a method is described for fabricating an ultrathin MI/MS membrane. Therein, large molecule analysis becomes more accessible in a GC/MI/MS analysis. However, a limitation to the method described in the Wolcott et al. '696 patent relates to the increased amount of carrier gas flowing into the GC/MI/MS system. Small pumps and consumable getter pumps can only tolerate limited gas loads. To counteract the vulnerabilities of thin or ultrathin membranes, the area of the membrane must be correspondingly small. This is due to the relationship between the gas loads and the membrane thickness, i.e., the steady-state gas load is inversely proportional to the membrane thickness and directly proportional to the membrane area as described by Fick's First law of Diffusion
For low vapor pressure chemicals, a small membrane area is generally ideal because high partition coefficient analytes are rapidly depleted from the vapor stream as they exit the GC column. A larger area of membrane provides no advantage for low volatility chemicals because the low vapor pressure analyte is depleted from the column effluent stream within a short distance where the vapor stream first makes contact with the membrane. A larger membrane area allows more carrier gas to flow into the mass spectrometer without the additional benefit of more analyte. Excess carrier gas is also undesirable because it must be pumped away to maintain acceptable vacuum levels, i.e., requiring larger pumps or more rapid consumption of getter pumps. Excess carrier gas can also degrade the performance of the mass spectrometer because of an increased space charge and increased ion-neutral collisions.
A limitation with respect to the current state-of-the-art GC/MI/MS systems relates to the same ultrathin interface which is not well-suited for high vapor pressure analyte applications (e.g., HCN or Sarin). This is due to the fact that: (i) high vapor pressure chemicals have a propensity for lower membrane-air partition coefficients and (ii) these chemicals require more membrane contact before fully depleting the vapor stream. However, since these chemicals are typically smaller, they tend to have higher polymer-analyte diffusion coefficients. This means that a thicker membrane is tolerable inasmuch as the broadening of GC peaks will not be significant i.e., the GC peak-shape will not degrade. Accordingly, in those cases where optimization is required for volatile chemicals, a thicker membrane is advantageous because it reduces the amount of carrier gas flowing into the mass spectrometer over the required membrane area to fully extract the sample analyte from the carrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,648,293 teaches the use of a MI/MS for calibration of an MS system wherein a substantially planar membrane is constructed from silicon (Si), and/or silicon nitride (SiN) with a thick region and a thin region in the center. A system of this type does not benefit from enhancement of analyte transport afforded by differential permeation rates of analyte and carrier through a semipermeable membrane. Additionally, no use can be made of the thicker region to also permit higher vapor pressure gases into the MS because this region is gas-tight.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,755,909 teaches of a MI/MS system using of multiple membranes having different thicknesses to enhance the sensitivity and time response to distinguish between different chemicals. A disadvantage of this system relates to the fact that intervening components/volumes degrade the GC peak shape or otherwise interact unfavorably with chemicals prone to degradation. Another disadvantage is that for optimization of many chemicals having differing permeation behavior, many separate membranes are needed but are not compatible with chromatographic separation. For example, with 2 membranes, only one low vapor pressure and one high vapor pressure chemical can be simultaneously optimized. A method to optimize for a wide range of chemicals are still necessary to deliver sharp GC peaks.
A need, therefore, exists for a semipermeable membrane useful for analyzing chemicals having a wide spectrum of vapor pressure characteristics but which is suitably thin and/or small so as to be compatible with the low carrier gas flow rates used in modern gas chromatography.


A controller apparatus includes a capacitive or resistive touch pad having a touch sensitive surface sized sufficient for operation by two human feet. One or more markers are coupled to the touch pad. The markers are configured for use by a computer system for room mapping.

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) is becoming a more popular medium for home entertainment. VR and AR control currently is limited to room scale movement control or sitting control. In room scale movement control the VR or AR user interfaces with a VR or AR program by moving about a room. Room scale movement control is limited by the size of the user's room and therefore users with small rooms are not able to fully utilize this feature and programs have a hard limitation to the size areas and must use tricks to allow further movement of the user beyond the room size limitations.
Sitting control generally uses a hand-held game controller to control movement within the VR or AR program. A user may control movement in the AR or VR program with one or more joysticks, directional pads or handheld motion controllers. These controllers are limited by being held by the user's hands or manipulated by the user's fingers. The necessity for joystick or directional pad movement control limits the number of inputs available for AR or VR programs. Also, for some users, joystick or directional pad movement control may seem unnatural or imprecise compared to room-scale movement.
Additionally in computer applications, control is generally limited to hand-held game controllers, mice, keyboards and joysticks. While some applications such as racing games and flight simulators may allow the use of foot operated pedals these inputs are application specific and are not usable for general application control.
It is within this context that aspects of the present disclosure arise.

Foot operated position-based touchpad controller


A virtual-immersion computer that provides webpages to facilitate virtual immersion. The system uses a media-streamer computer processor for broadcasting media comprising a simulation-video stream, an audio stream, a radio-transmission-stream. The media is structured within a web frame of webpages by the processor and an audio frame, a picture frame, and/or a video with audio frame.

This invention relates to improved training and certifying of persons responsible for decision making and management operations as part of an emergency response at incidents that contain at least one hazard zone which contains a hazard that can injure or kill responders or other persons. More particularly, this invention relates to at least improving safety, command procedures and hazard response procedure by at least Command personnel when in an emergency response situation involving at least potential risk of death or injury to responders.


An aspect of the present invention facilitates identification of custom rendezvous points between users and vehicles plying on custom routes. In one embodiment, a system on board the vehicle receives notifications from users while the vehicle is plying/in transit on the custom route. The system determines the respective transit states (capturing the static and/or dynamic aspects) of the vehicle corresponding to the notifications. The system then inspects the transit states to identify the rendezvous points between the users and the vehicle plying on the custom route. The users by providing the notifications at different time instances (that is, when the vehicle is at different locations/points on the custom route) can cause different “custom” rendezvous points to be identified based on the preferences of the users using the vehicle.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to transportation systems and more specifically to identifying custom rendezvous points between users and vehicles plying on custom routes.
2. Related Art
Vehicles are conveyances (such buses, cars, trains, aircrafts, etc.) used to transport people or goods from one place to another. A vehicle typically transports people/goods on a designated route containing one or more rendezvous/meeting points (e.g. bus stops, railway stations, airports, etc.) at which people/goods are loaded/unloaded from the vehicle. Typically, the rendezvous points and the designated route are pre-determined (e.g. a public transport vehicle), with the vehicle plying on the pre-determined designated route and rendezvousing with the users of the vehicle only at the pre-determined rendezvous points.
Custom routes are commonly used when the vehicle is shared among a smaller/fixed group of people (in comparison to the general public) for a specific purpose. Examples of vehicles that ply custom routes are a school bus that is shared by a group of students, a car pool that is shared by a group of commuters, and a shuttle service that is shared by employees of an organization. As the vehicle is shared by a fixed group of users, it may be desirable that the rendezvous points of the vehicle be based on the preferences of the individual users (referred to as "custom" rendezvous points), and not be pre-determined/pre-specified similar to that of public transport vehicles.

Identifying custom rendezvous points between users and vehicles plying on custom routes

TechnoMedia Software Solutions Private Limited


A display case includes a shelf, a bracket and a clear cover. The shelf has at least one riser and at least one tread integrally formed together. The shelf is shaped to compliment at least one tread. The clear cover has an upper end and a lower end. The upper end may be coupled to the riser and the lower end may be coupled to the tread.

The present invention generally relates to shelving units and, more particularly, to a light weight display case.
Many children and adults alike enjoy collecting various items and displaying them for others to see. Collectibles such as miniature automobile models and ceramic figurines typically include a high level of intricacy and detail. In addition, the collectibles are often times fragile. Accordingly, since repetitive cleaning of a collectible item would most likely lead to damage, it is desirable to cover or shield the item from dust. However, it is also desirable to view the collectibles while covered. Additionally, easy access to each display item is required to allow rearrangement of the display.
A variety of home furnishings have been designed in an attempt to meet a collector""s storage and display needs. One example of such a home furnishing is a curio cabinet. A curio cabinet is typically constructed from wood and glass having legs to support the cabinet on a floor. While such a design may be useful in some applications, curio cabinets are typically very heavy, costly and cumbersome to transport. Other products, such as shelving units, also include certain drawbacks. Specifically, most shelving units do not provide an environment free from dust. Additionally, shelving units typically do not provide for a clear view of objects placed behind other objects on the same shelf.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a light weight, low cost and easily assembled display case mountable to a wall.
It is also desirable to provide a display case having a removable transparent cover to allow access to the displayed collectibles for rearrangement as desired.
The present invention includes a display case having a shelf, a bracket and a clear cover. The shelf has at least one riser and at least one tread integrally formed together. The top riser has a bifurcated upper edge defining a slot. The bottom tread has a lip extending upwardly therefrom. The bracket has a wall mounting portion and a shelf support portion. The shelf support portion is shaped to compliment at least one tread. The clear cover has an upper end and a lower end. The upper end is disposable within the slot. The lower end selectively engages the lip of the lower tread.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.


The invention provides two kinds of new compressive sensing technologies. In the first technical solution, there is proposed a permutation-based multi-dimensional sensing matrix and an iterative recovery algorithm with maximum likelihood (ML) local detection, which can fully exploit the digital nature of sparse signals. In the second technical solution, there is proposed a sparse measurement matrix which contains a permutation-based multi-dimensional measurement matrix, and an iterative recovery algorithm which fully utilizes the features of measurement symbols to design simple local recovery in each iteration. The second technical solution can achieve the linear decoding complexity and lower bound of sketch length empirically at the same time.

Compressive sensing (CS) is a recently developed technique. Considering the fact that a large part of natural and artificial signals have the sparse or near sparse property, the compressive sensing technique can find applications in many different areas like compressive imaging, compressive sampling, signal processing, data stream computing, and combinatorial group testing, etc. The basic idea of compressive sensing is that a sparse signal x (a signal is referred to as sparse if it contains much more zero elements than non-zero elements) with length-N can be accurately recovered from a linear measurement y=Ax of length-M, wherein A is the M×N measurement matrix, M<<N.
The reconstruction can be performed through minimizing ∥x∥0 that explains the measurement vector. As this minimization problem is NP hard, sub-optimal algorithms have been investigated. Major classes of computationally feasible sparse signal recovery algorithms include convex relaxation, which approximates the l0 minimization problem by an lp minimization problem with p often chosen as 1 and solves this problem using convex optimization; matching pursuit, which iteratively refines a sparse solution by successively identifying one or more components that yield the greatest quality improvement; and Bayesian framework, which assumes a priori distribution that favors sparsity for the signal vector, and uses a maximum a posteriori estimator to incorporate the observation. Despite their relatively good performance in practice, they are most suitable for signals with continuous values. For sparse signals with digital values, e.g., when dealing with monochrome images, these algorithms are less sufficient as they cannot exploit the digital nature of the source, which, if utilized properly, can greatly enhance the recovery accuracy.
Therefore, there is a need of a new compressive sensing technique that can fully exploit the digital nature of signals.
In addition, in almost all applications, it is preferred that the measurement matrix A is sparse, i.e., it contains much more zero entries than non-zero entries in each column. The advantages of sparse measurement matrices include low computational complexity in both encoding and decoding, easy incremental updates to signals, and low storage requirement, etc. Much research has been devoted to CS with sparse measurement matrices, but most of them fail to achieve the linear decoding complexity and performance bound at the same time. Typical examples of existing algorithms include matching pursuit and convex optimization. The matching pursuit type of algorithms can asymptotically achieve the lower bound of the sketch length with a linear recovery complexity. However, numerical results have shown that the empirical sketch lengths needed in this type of algorithms are always much higher than the asymptotic bound. The convex optimization type of algorithms, on the other hand, can achieve the lower bound of the sketch length both asymptotically and empirically, which indicates an advantage in terms of measurement number in practices. For example, with the number of non-zero elements K=50 and signal length N=20000, it was shown that matching pursuit needs about 2000 measurements while convex optimization needs only about 450 measurements. One major disadvantage of the convex optimization type of algorithms is their higher recovery complexity, which grows in a polynomial order with the signal length N as O(N3).
Therefore, there is a need of a new compressive sensing technique that can achieve the linear decoding complexity and lower bound of sketch length empirically at the same time, with sparse measurement matrices.

Method and apparatus for measuring and recovering sparse signals


A computer-implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for resending a message based on server status. The message is sent to a recipient. The message is stored to be resent in response to receiving a notification that the message could not be delivered to the recipient. Status of an email server associated with the recipient of the message is requested. The message is resent in response to the status indicating that messages may be received by the recipient.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a computer-implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for automatically resending messages based on server status.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern computing technology has resulted in immensely complicated and ever-changing environments. The Internet is a global network of computers and networks joined together by means of gateways that handle data transfer and the conversion of messages from a protocol of the sending network to a protocol used by the receiving network. On the Internet, any computer may communicate with any other computer with information traveling over the Internet through a variety of languages, also referred to as protocols. The set of protocols used on the Internet is called transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP).
The Internet has revolutionized communications and commerce, as well as being a source of both information and entertainment. For many users, email is a widely used format to communicate over the Internet. The existence and continued acceptance and use of the Web and the Internet have resulted in many new and useful applications becoming available to users of the Internet. One useful and popular application that most everyone with access to the Internet uses is electronic mail (email). Email is an electronic message sent over connections between data processing systems on a network. Email allows for a method of personal communication without requiring face-to-face contact. An email account allows a user to communicate a message to an intended email recipient. This type of communication is available even if the recipient has a different service provider than the sender. Email is typically based on a standard communication protocol that allows the communication of messages between individuals that may have different service providers. Email allows communication across the different communication protocols using only the recipient's email address.
Many email servers maintain user space quotas. These quotas limit the amount of storage that a user is allowed to take up for storing email. For most businesses with large storage capacities and for individual users who typically receive very small email, this is not usually much of an issue. However, for the growing number of small businesses who are becoming more and more expected to handle email as part of their everyday business, ensuring a constant "online" status while managing expenses can be a challenge. For example, most customers now expect everyone from their lawn service provider to bakery to have a website and/or email contact information.
Additionally, many email senders are frustrated when a message is "bounced back" or otherwise returned. For many people communicating via email, the process of having a message rejected is very frustrating. If the receiving party is unaware of the problem or not well trained regarding the different technologies, it might take some time before the quota or other problem is rectified. As a result, the sending party may have to either try continuously to manually resend the email or use some other method of communication to notify the receiver. In either way, the process of ensuring that the receiving party receives the necessary communication may be both frustrating and time consuming.

Method and system for automatically resending messages based on server status

International Business Machines Corporation


A communication network is provided having source and destination switching routers connected by two different communication paths. A primary label switched path is established on one of the communication paths and a secondary label switched path is established on the other label switched path. The source switching router can be enabled to place one or more data flows within the primary label switched path and can be enabled to place one or more of the same data flows within the secondary label switched path. The destination switching router stores a label identifying each data flow and a forwarding instruction and can be enabled to reference data carried within the primary or secondary LSP with the appropriate data flow label.

A typical communication network comprises a number of nodes interconnected by communication links, forming communication paths between different nodes on the network. Communication signals are routed over the network from a source node to a predefined destination node over a path which may include a number of nodes and links. Information defining the particular path to be taken and the destination may be carried with the data, for example in a packet header which is read at each node and controls a router at each node to direct the data along the next appropriate communication link of the specified path. This method of data transmission may be referred to as tag or label switching, of which asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) is a well-known example and another is multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) which has been proposed more recently.
For each working path of a communication network, the provision of a second alternative path is normally required which is able to carry the data traffic intended for the working path to the predefined destination node in the event that the transmission capability of the first communication path becomes impaired, for example due to excessive traffic density or a fault or failure in the data transmission capability of the working path.
A physical path between two nodes on a network, for example between an ingress label ledge router (LER) and an egress label edge router may carry a large number of label switched paths (LSP's) (e.g. a thousand or more). Each label switched path has a unique labelling system which enables the common destination node at which the LSPs terminate to uniquely identify data associated with each LSP and to forward the data according to the LSP with which the data is associated. In order to simplify the processing required by each label switching router (LSR) in transmitting data of different LSPs along the working path, the multiple LSPs may be aggregated into a single LSP so that all LSPs using the same working path are treated by the intermediate LSRs between the source and destination nodes as one LSP. In one implementation of this system, a single LSP is set up between the source node and the destination node. Data output from the source node includes both a label associated with its particular LSP, which is to be read by the destination node, and a higher level label which is common to all LSPs and which identifies the data in each LSP as belonging to the common, aggregate LSP. The intermediate LSRs are programmed only to read the higher level labels associated with the aggregate LSP and to ignore the lower level labels associated with each individual LSP, which propagate, unchanged along the working path to the destination node. In this way, the LSP forwarding table at each intermediate LSR is simplified and the processing time at each LSR therefore reduced as different LSPs are effectively seen and treated as a single LSP.
To protect traffic flow against a fault or failure in transmission along the primary path between the source and destination nodes, a secondary path between the source and destination nodes is provided, and in the event of a fault, the data flow is switched by the source node from the primary path to the secondary path. Typically, for each LSP carried on the primary path between the source and destination nodes, a secondary LSP is established for the secondary path. In the case of protection, each secondary LSP is set up before a fault occurs on the primary path, and in the case of restoration, each secondary LSP is set up after a fault occurs on the primary path. The labelling system associated with each secondary LSP is unique between different secondary LSPs and all of the primary LSPs to enable the destination node to uniquely identify each secondary LSP as acting as a secondary LSP for a particular primary LSP. Thus, whether the secondary path is used for protection or restoration, the source node must contain both a first forwarding table containing labels for each primary LSP and a second forwarding table containing labels for each secondary LSP.
One particular drawback of this known system is the time required to set up the secondary LSPs, which increases with the number of LSPs carried on the primary path, each of which requires a secondary LSP to be dialled over the secondary path. This problem may become particularly severe when invoking a path restoration scheme which may involve establishing (or dialling) many, for example a thousand or more secondary LSPs when a failure occurs on the primary path. Although such a restoration scheme may be practical for small numbers of LSPs, the time required to complete restoration for large numbers of LSPs may be unacceptable, and therefore such a scheme is not particularly scalable.
A number of path restoration schemes have been proposed and published by the Internet Engineering Task Force and are available on their web site at www.ietf.com. These include "A Path Protection/Restoration Mechanism for MPLS Networks," Ken Owens et al; "Extensions to RSVP-TE for MPLS Path Protection," Vishal Sharma, and "Framework for MPLS-based Recovery," Vishal Sharma et al. However, none of these proposed approaches addresses the scalability concerns mentioned above.

Label switched communication network, a method of conditioning the network and a method of data transmission


A computing system includes a liquid cooled segment and an air cooled segment that are both removably received and secured inside a chassis with a fixed physical arrangement relative to one another. The fluid cooled segment includes an enclosure forming an enclosed space for placement of one or more high heat generating components. The enclosed space being in fluid communication with an inlet tube for receiving a cooling fluid and an outlet tube for expelling the cooling fluid that has been used to cool the high heat generating components. The enclosure includes a leak proof connector configured on the enclosure. The air cooled segment includes one or more reduced heat generating components. The reduced heat generating components are electrically coupled to the high heat generating components through the leak proof connector.

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an Information Handling System (IHS). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, global communications, etc. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware, and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
In recent years, as IHS components such as processors, graphics cards, random access memory (RAM), etc. have increased in clock speed and power consumption, the amount of heat produced by such components during normal operation has also increased. Often, the temperatures of these components need to be kept within a selected range to prevent overheating, instability, malfunction, and damage leading to a shortened component lifespan. Accordingly, cooling systems are often implemented in IHSs to cool certain high heat generating components.
To control the temperature of components of an IHS, one approach has been to implement a "passive" cooling system that serves to reject heat of a component by an airflow driven by one or more system-level air movers (e.g., fans, blowers, etc.). A different approach may include using an "active" cooling system in which a heat-exchanging cold plate is thermally coupled to one or more portions of the IHS, while a chilled liquid is passed through conduits internal to the cold plate to remove heat from those components.

Hybrid oil immersion server and associated computing rack


A display apparatus for providing an image on a curved display surface includes a line image generation apparatus for generating a modulated line image, where the line image generation apparatus includes a laser light source for providing an illumination beam, a linear spatial light modulator for modulating the illumination beam to provide a modulated line image as at least one diffracted order of the illumination beam, a projection lens for directing the modulated line image toward a line image scanner for scanning the modulated light beam to form a two-dimensional image on the curved display surface, wherein the line image scanner is optically disposed near the center of curvature of the curved display surface.

There is considerable interest in displays that provide a wide field-of-view, particularly in flight simulation and entertainment markets. Wide field-of-view displays overcome the inherent limitations of conventional cathode-ray tube (CRT) display technology, where display imaging is dimensionally and geometrically constrained to a generally flat, rectangular surface. Strategies for providing wide field-of-view displays have included tiling of projection surfaces, where multiple projectors each provide a portion of a tiled, panoramic image. Examples of tiled display systems using this type of approach to effect a wide field-of-view include the rear projection faceted dome disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,440 issued Jan. 12, 1993 to Loban et al., and entitled "Rear Projection Facetted Dome" and dodecahedral imaging system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,725 issued Jun. 11, 1991 to McCutchen, and entitled "Method And Apparatus For Dodecahedral Imaging System." Other types of systems provide a wide field-of-view by directing multiple projectors to a single curved screen, as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,238 issued Mar. 28, 2000 to Blackham et al., and titled "Image Projection Display System For Use In Large Field-Of-View Presentation" and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,370 issued Oct. 15, 1996 to Young, and entitled "simulation Display System."
As is well recognized, systems using multiple projectors are disadvantaged due to their high cost and due to the considerable effort needed for synchronization of multiple projected images. Among major disadvantages of tiled displays are differences between tiles, making it difficult to obtain uniform brightness, contrast, and color presentation from tile to tile. Related to this problem is the difficulty of eliminating or minimizing the visible display boundary between tiles. It is very difficult to effect a smooth transition between one tile and the next. In some applications, image uniformity across tile segments is very important, such as for collimated flight simulator displays, for example. In such applications, however, there can be significant ongoing cost and effort in order to maintain this tile-to-tile uniformity. For these reasons, conventional solutions for tiled wide field-of-view simulation systems have proved cumbersome and expensive, with disappointing image quality, low image brightness, and less than ideal image resolution.
As digital imaging technologies evolve, there is heightened interest in displays that provide a wide field-of-view, having sufficient brightness and high resolution. There are recognized advantages to displays that partially "surround" the viewer or operator with a panoramic view, taking advantage of a broader field of vision that could be provided. In addition to the demand in large-scale simulation and entertainment applications, wide field-of-view displays have also been considered for extending the usability of desktop computer workstation environments that currently use conventional windowing technology. For example, wide field-of-view displays are expected to find applications for improving CAD software operation, for improved control systems monitoring uses, and for numerous other types of applications. However, a number of obstacles currently prevent the widespread use of wide field-of-view displays, placing constraints on size, cost, image quality and resolution, and brightness.
Linear arrays, which can be considered as one-dimensional spatial light modulators, offer inherent imaging performance advantages, including the capability for high resolution, high brightness, low cost, and simple illumination optics requirements using laser sources. In many imaging applications, linear arrays are more suitable modulators for laser light than are their two-dimensional spatial light modulator counterparts, such as reflective and transmissive LCD and Digital Micromirror (DMD) devices. Grating Light Valve (GLV) linear arrays, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,311,360 issued May 10, 1994 to Bloom et al., and titled "Method And Apparatus For Modulating A Light Beam" are one earlier type of linear array that offers a workable solution for high-brightness imaging using laser sources, for example. Another experimental type of linear array just recently disclosed and in early development stages is the flexible micromirror linear array, as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2003/0048390 by Welch et al., published Mar. 13, 2003, and entitled "Video Projector And Optical Light Valve Therefor." The prototype flexible micromirror linear array described in the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2003/0048390 disclosure employs a line of reflective "microbridges" which are individually switched to modulate light to form a linear image.
Recently, an electromechanical conformal grating device consisting of ribbon elements suspended above a substrate by a periodic sequence of intermediate supports was disclosed by Kowarz in U.S. Pat. No. 6,307,663, entitled "Spatial Light Modulator With Conformal Grating Device" issued Oct. 23, 2001. The electromechanical conformal grating device is operated by electrostatic actuation, which causes the ribbon elements to conform around the support substructure, thereby producing a grating. The device of '663 has more recently become known as the conformal GEMS device, with GEMS standing for Grating ElectroMechanical System. The conformal GEMS device possesses a number of attractive features. It provides high-speed digital light modulation with high contrast and good efficiency. In addition, in a linear array of conformal GEMS devices, the active region is relatively large and the grating period is oriented perpendicular to the array direction. This orientation of the grating period causes diffracted light beams to separate in close proximity to the linear array and to remain spatially separated throughout most of an optical system. When used with laser sources, GEMS devices provide excellent brightness, speed, and contrast.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,425 issued Jun. 25, 2002 to Kowarz et al., and entitled "Electromechanical Grating Display System With Spatially Separated Light Beams" discloses an imaging system employing GEMS devices in a number of printing and display embodiments. As with its GLV counterpart or with a flexible micromirror linear array, a GEMS device modulates a single color and a single line of an image at a time.
Monocentric projection would clearly have advantages for providing an image on a surface having a generally cylindrical shape. However, for monocentric projection on a substantially cylindrical display screen, the ideal position for projection components is also the preferred viewer position. This problem, then, typically requires some type of off-axis solution. However, off-axis projection systems can be fairly complex and costly, particularly where a wide field-of-view is needed.
In spite of the shortcomings of prior art solutions, it is recognized that there would be significant advantages in providing an image display having a wide field-of-view. Freed from the "boxy" constraints of the conventional CRT model, a wide field-of-view display apparatus employing a curved display surface would be able to provide a more versatile and flexible environment, take advantage of additional display space, and provide a more enveloping visual environment suited to simulation, workstation, control monitoring, and entertainment applications.
Curved display surfaces can include both front and rear projection screens. Both front and rear projection screens can be directly viewed in some applications. In simulation environments, a curved display surface may not be directly viewed but may instead be used for providing an intermediate image to a curved mirror, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,238 (Blackham et al.), for example. The curved mirror then provides a collimated virtual image of the intermediate image.
Thus, it can be seen that there is a need for an economical display apparatus providing a curved viewing surface having a very wide field-of-view, high resolution, good uniformity across the field, and high brightness.

Wide field display using a scanned linear light modulator array


An information processing apparatus stores capacity limit information of a mailbox assigned to a group, and stores information of a list of a plurality of e-mail addresses belonging to the group and set capacities of individual mailboxes corresponding to individual e-mail addresses, receives a value of a set capacity of a mailbox corresponding to an e-mail address stored in a storage unit from an administrator terminal, determines whether the set capacities of all mailboxes corresponding to the plurality of e-mail addresses that belong to the group do not exceed a capacity limit of the mailbox assigned to the group, if a set capacity is changed to the set capacity of the mailbox corresponding to the received e-mail address, and updates the value of the set capacity of the mailbox corresponding to the received e-mail address if it is determined that the set capacities do not exceed the capacity limit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a mailbox management method, and a storage medium. More particularly, the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus in a mail service system for providing a mail service to businesses and institutions, a mailbox management method, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with rapid spread of the Internet, in businesses and institutions that do not have resources enough to build their own infrastructures, demands for providing Internet-access service have been increasing.
If the businesses and institutions want to start an Internet service or a mail service, the businesses and institutions are required to build their own infrastructures or use service of Internet service providers (ISPs).
The ISPs provide not only the Internet-access service but also mail services such as e-mail management, transmission and reception of e-mails, the use of web-based e-mail, and virus-infected e-mail check.
The ISPs (hereinafter, referred to as mail service systems) providing such mail services register and manage e-mail addresses of users and store e-mails using mailboxes. In such mail service systems, contracts for the mail service with the ISPs are made by individuals, businesses, or institutions, and capacities of the mailboxes are determined for each subscriber.
For example, if the subscriber is an individual, the subscriber contracts with an ISP for the individual mailbox capacity of 500 MB. If the subscriber is a business or an institution, the subscriber contracts with an ISP for the mailbox capacity of 100 GB in a domain acquired by the contract.
As described above, while the capacity of the mailbox is set for each subscriber, if the user does not delete e-mails being stored in the mailbox, the used amount of the mailbox increases, and at last, when the used amount reaches the capacity limit of the contracted mailbox, the user is not able to receive a new e-mail anymore.
To solve the problem, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-328059 provides a technique for warning a user about capacity excess when the used amount of an individual mailbox exceeds a predetermined value.
According to the system discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-328059, a subscriber is warned in advance if the used amount of its own mailbox approaches the contracted set capacity. According to the technique, the problem that the subscriber is not able to receive a new e-mail can be avoided.
In other solutions for the problem, contracts of different mailbox capacities can be offered for each subscriber, or the contracts can be changed to increase the mailbox capacities in the middle of the contract.
However, in the currently available mail services, the mailboxes are managed on a subscriber-by-subscriber basis, and the service of changing the capacities of the mailboxes is provided only on a subscriber's basis.
Under the circumstance, if the subscriber is a business or an institution, the business or the institution acquires a domain, equally divides the capacity into the number of e-mail addresses in the domain, and manages capacities of individual mailboxes.
However, many of the businesses that subscribe to the mail services provided by the ISPs are small-to-medium-sized businesses. Depending on business contents, some employees rarely use e-mails, and some employees transmit and receive numerous e-mails. In other words, depending on the types of business of the employees, the frequency of using the mail services and the capacities of the e-mails are different, and consequently, the usage capacities of the mailboxes are different.

Information processing apparatus, mailbox management method, and storage medium for performing capacity setting of a mailbox


Methods of operating a fuel cell system, wherein the fuel cell system is purged at system start-up, are disclosed. The purging automatically stops when the anode plenum is fully purged and replaced with fuel. Also discussed are purge valves that are manually turned ON but are automatically turned OFF as the fuel cell's production of electricity reaches a predetermined level, e.g., steady state or thereabout. The purge valve may be opened at system start-up, or may be opened at system shut-down so that the purge valve is armed and the fuel cell system is purged at the next start-up. Also disclosed is integrated fluidic interface module that contains various fluidic components including one of these purge valves. The integrated fluidic interface module can operate passively or without being actively controlled.

Fuel cells are devices that directly convert chemical energy of reactants, i.e., fuel and oxidant, into direct current (DC) electricity. For an increasing number of applications, fuel cells are more efficient than conventional power generation, such as combustion of fossil fuels, as well as portable power storage, such as lithium-ion batteries. In particular, one use of fuel cells is to be a mobile power source for portable or mobile consumer electronic devices, such as cell phones, smart phone personal digital assistants, personal gaming devices, global positioning devices, rechargeable batteries, etc.
Known fuel cells include alkali fuel cells, polymer electrolyte fuel cells, phosphoric acid fuel cells, molten carbonate fuel cells, solid oxide fuel cells and enzyme fuel cells. Fuel cells generally run on hydrogen (H2) fuel, and they can also consume non pure hydrogen fuel. Non pure hydrogen fuel cells include direct oxidation fuel cells, such as direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC), which use methanol, or solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), which use hydrocarbon at high temperature. Hydrogen fuel can be stored in compressed form or within compounds such as alcohols or hydrocarbons or other hydrogen containing materials that can be reformed or converted into hydrogen fuel and byproducts. Hydrogen can also be stored in chemical hydrides, such as sodium borohydride (NaBH4), that react with water or an alcohol to produce hydrogen and byproducts. Hydrogen can also be adsorbed or absorbed in metal hydrides, such as lanthanum pentanickel (LaNi5) at a first pressure and temperature and released to a fuel cell at a second pressure and temperature. Hydrogen can also be released via thermolysis reaction of a metal hydride such as magnesium hydride (MgH2).
Most low temperature hydrogen fuel cells have a proton exchange membrane or polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM), which allows the hydrogen's protons to pass through but forces the electrons to pass through an external circuit, which advantageously can be a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a computer, a power tool or any device that uses electron flow or electrical current. The fuel cell reaction can be represented as follows:                Half-reaction at the anode of the fuel cell:H2→2H++2e−        Half-reaction at the cathode of the fuel cell:2(2H++2e−)+O2→2H2O
Generally, the PEM is made from a proton exchange polymer which acts as the electrolyte, such as Nafion® available from DuPont, which is a perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymer or other suitable membranes. The anode is typically made from a Teflonized carbon paper support with a thin layer of catalyst, such as platinum-ruthenium, deposited thereon. The cathode is typically a gas diffusion electrode in which platinum particles are bonded to one side of the membrane.
The patent and scientific literatures disclose few complete and commercialize-able fuel cell systems that include the generation of hydrogen fuel, the control of the fluidics, the balance of plant and the electrical power generation. The literatures do not discuss fluidic interface systems for fuel cells systems, particularly mobile fuel cell systems. Hence, there remains a need for such fuel cell systems.

Methods for operating a fuel cell system


A packaging system is disclosed for storing and handling electrical connectors and the like. The system employs a plurality of elongated connector-containing tubes. Each tube has an aperture therethrough near each opposite end thereof. The apertures are spaced longitudinally of the respective tubes so that a pair of assembly rods can be passed through the aligned apertures of a plurality of generally parallel juxtaposed tubes. The assembly rods hold the tubes in a generally stacked array and also act as stop rods to close-off the ends of the tubes. At least one aperture in each tube is enlarged relative to the rod passing therethrough for accommodating any variances in the spacing between the apertures in any particular tubes.

During the manufacture of electrical connectors, integrated circuits and other electrical or electronic devices, the devices are stored in and transferred to and from various types of equipment for carrying out different manufacturing or assembling steps. For instance, the devices may be assembled, tested, inspected, and the like, during which the devices are stored, protected and handled in protective storage tubes between various manufacturing processes or machines. Most such tubes are fabricated of extruded plastic material, but the tubes may be made of metal or other appropriate material. A "rack" of the tubes may be loaded into a "magazine" of an assembly machine, with the devices being dispensed seriatim from each individual tube, whereafter the tube is discarded for dispensing devices from the successive tube in the rack.
As an example, only, such storage tubes may hold as many as twenty-five or more electrical devices for handling during manufacture. When processing is complete, the devices also may be shipped to customers in the tubes. A very large electronic manufacturer may process thousands and thousands of electronic devices in any given lot. For every one-thousand electronic devices, forty storage tubes are used. A plurality of the tubes normally are stored in a bulk container or tote box which is transferred, along with the related paperwork, between separate manufacturing processes or to the customer.
Heretofore, one packaging system has utilized a pair of elongated stop rods for holding the electronic devices in their respective tubes, and to hold a plurality of the tubes for conjoint manual manipulation. More particularly, each tube is provided with an aperture therethrough near each opposite end thereof. When a "rack" of tubes are assembled with a plurality of tubes in a generally parallel juxtaposition, the stop rods are inserted through the aligned apertures of all of the tubes in the rack to close-off the ends of the tubes and to allow for manual handling of an entire rack of tubes interconnected by the rods.
Heretofore, after the electronic devices have been completely processed or finally used by a customer, the storage tubes have been discarded. In other words, the tubes have been considered as disposable items. However, with ever-increasing manufacturing volume, and with ever-increasing environmental considerations, it has become expedient to reuse or recycle such storage tubes. These recycling programs have encountered problems when the packaging system uses stop rods or pins at the ends of a plurality of tubes, as described above.
More particularly, the storage tubes are manufactured (i.e. extruded) in lots. The spacing between the apertures at the ends of the tubes (i.e. through which the stop rods extend) often vary from one manufacturing lot to another manufacturing lot. The tubes are not returned for recycling in any sorted lot system. In addition, some tubes may be subjected to differing extreme temperatures during certain manufacturing processes or storage conditions, causing the tubes to elongate or shrink in length. The end result is that any given "rack" of tubes are randomly gathered and the apertures at the ends of the tubes for receiving the elongated stop rods are not in alignment, thereby preventing at least one of the stop rods from passing through all of the tubes to hold the tubes in the rack or stacked array. This invention is directed to solving this problem and thereby enhancing or promoting programs for the recycling of storage tubes for electronic devices, as described above.

Packaging system incorporating storage tubes for electrical connectors


A retraction device for movable furniture parts has a driver movable along a first guide path, which is movable between a retracted position and a parked position and is directly or indirectly pretensioned into the retracted position by an energy storage device. The driver can be coupled to an activator in order to move the movable furniture part into a closed position. A method uses the driver for opening and closing the movable furniture part and tensioning and releasing a retraction device.

The present invention relates to a retraction device for movable furniture parts, having a driver movable along a first guide path, which is movable between a retracted position and a parked position and is directly or indirectly pretensioned into the retracted position by an energy storage device, wherein the driver can be coupled to an activator in order to move the movable furniture part into a closed position, and a method for opening and closing a movable furniture part and tensioning and releasing a retraction device.
DE 20 2006 014 748 U1 discloses a device for retracting a movable furniture part, in which the movable furniture part can be retracted into a closed position on the furniture body via an energy storage device, and the energy storage device can be loaded by moving the movable furniture part out of the closed position. Transmission means are provided, by means of which, in the assembled state of the device, a force to be applied to move the movable furniture part from the closed position to an open position is less than the force provided by the energy storage device in the retraction direction of the movable furniture part. For the transmission mechanism, pinions and tooth profiles are used to ensure appropriate power transmission.
In addition, self-closing devices are known, as they are disclosed for example in DE 10 2014 106 796. A retracting arrangement comprises a retracting spring and a second pretensioned retracting element which applies an additional retraction force from an intermediate position located between the parked position and the retracting position. This should make the opening and closing process more comfortable. If several springs are used, the retraction force can be increased in the area just before the retracted position, but the problem with the opening process is that the spring force increases when opening and when the movable furniture part is uncoupled from one of the springs, a sudden reduction in force occurs, which is perceived as unpleasant by the user.

Retraction device and method for opening and closing a movable furniture part


An X-Tree test apparatus for testing combinatorial logic circuits in a multiplexed digital system. The apparatus includes a plurality of contacts for electrical connection with pins on a device under test. A first driver drives a logic one signal, and a second driver drives a logic zero signal, both of which are used for testing the device. Multiplexing circuitry selectively connects the first driver and the second driver with each of the plurality of contacts and device pins. A receiver, connected with the device under test, measures a response from the logic circuit under test to the logic one and zero signals to determine if it functions as intended.

IC chip devices having combinatorial logic require testing to ensure that their connections work properly. In other words, the testing can determine whether a chip device has any broken connections, meaning that it will not function as intended. The testing utilizes a one-to-one digital channel to node count ratio. Each channel can apply a digital signal to one particular connection, and the response can be detected to determine if the corresponding chip device functions as intended. Because of the one-to-one ratio dependency, however, the digital resources required in a multiplexed test system can be exceeded even though enough node resources are available. As chip devices continue to be made with higher pin densities, testing of them becomes increasingly difficult with these one-to-one test methods.

X-tree test method and apparatus in a multiplexed digital system


Methods of using polypeptide compounds based on the structures of insect peptides of the adipokinetic hormone family to mobilize lipids in humans are provided. The described compositions and methods are useful for modulating human body weight, such as inducing weight loss. Screening methods for identifying other compounds effective for modulating lipid mobilization in humans are also provided.

Obesity and less severe overweight conditions are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in humans. High body weight is a risk factor for many diseases and disorders, particularly when fat comprises a high percentage of body weight. For example, incidence of each of type II diabetes, cholelithiasis, hypertension, and coronary heart disease is much greater in obese humans than in non-obese humans. Other diseases associated with obesity include arthritis, various cancers (e.g., breast, colorectal, and endometrial cancers), renal failure, liver disease, chronic pain (e.g., lower back pain), sleep apnea, stroke, and urinary incontinence.
In addition to medical risks attributable to large amounts of body fat, fat accumulation is considered by many to be cosmetically undesirable as well. Likely attributable to popular notions regarding desirable body size and shape, many people are afflicted by psychological disruptions that might be alleviated if body fat were reduced or more easily controlled.
Body mass index (BMI) is a common measurement used to diagnose overweight and obesity. BMI is calculated by dividing an individual's weight in kilograms by the square of the individual's height in meters. Weight classifications have been developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and these classifications can be used to divide the population into six groups, based on BMI, as follows:
BMI (body weight in kilograms perClassificationsquare of height in meters)Underweight<18.5Normal18.5 to <25.0Overweight25.0 to <30.0Obesity Class 130.0 to <35.0Obesity Class 235.0 to <40.0Obesity Class 3≧40.0
Using the NHLBI criteria, 17.9% of the U.S. population was obese (obesity class 1, 2, or 3) in 1998, corresponding to more than 45 million individuals. Estimates of medical costs attributable to obesity and related conditions were about $100 billion in the United States in 1999 (American Obesity Association report, 1999, "Costs of Obesity"). Furthermore, significant costs are associated with weight loss programs undertaken by individuals (e.g., about $33 billion per year in the U.S. in the late 1990s; 1998 Federal Trade Commission Report, "Consumer Weight Loss Products and Programs").
Clearly, obesity and overweight are problems of critical importance. Significant economic, medical, and psychological gains could be achieved if compositions and methods could be developed that allow people to lose weight.
Prior art weight loss methods and compositions have not been widely successful. Current treatments for obesity and overweight include diet, pharmaceutical agents, surgery, and herbal therapy. Dietary methods for inhibiting or reversing obesity and overweight have a very low long term benefit rate. Although some pharmaceutical agents (and combinations of agents) have exhibited the ability to reduce body weight, many of these agents have been withdrawn from markets owing to toxicity, lack of efficacy, or both. Surgical methods of treating obesity and overweight are costly, are sometimes accompanied by very serious complications, exhibit significant variation in outcome, and are not amenable for use in all patients. Herbal (and "nutraceutical") compositions for weight loss are popular, but their efficacy is typically not demonstrated. Owing to their often unknown mechanism of action, the variability of their composition, and their lack of credible clinical data, herbal weight loss compositions are not suitable for widespread use in the population.
A critical need remains for compositions and methods that can be used to effect weight loss in humans. The present invention satisfies this need, at least in part, by providing such compositions and methods.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Compositions and methods for promoting lipid mobilization in humans


A wine storage system is formed by a modular frame defined by upright members and cross members arranged to form a three dimensional array of compartments in rows and columns where the upright members and cross members have interconnections therebetween allowing addition of further members to form frames of different sizes in a modular construction. Each compartment is arranged to receive an independent wine cell having an insulated rectangular housing with a door and a semi-conductor or other based cooling element inside the housing for cooling the wine bottles. A modular electrical supply arrangement provides a single connection for the modular frame and a connector on each compartment for the housing as it slides into the compartment. Some of the housings can be replaced by less expensive knock down or collapsible non-cooling racks for temporary storage. Alternatively the modular frame can be clad by panels and doors and insulated with a central chilling system cooling all the bottles in each of the compartments simultaneously.

The most common wine cellars incorporate insulated wood panel walls and doors with built in refrigeration cooling units. This type of design accounts for most all larger wine storage systems and these models can be custom made according to a buyer's discretion and perhaps space limitations. The majority of smaller self-contained wine storage systems are made from metal cabinets similar to refrigerator designs and incorporate glass display doors.
Refrigerated Wine Cellars are made in a variety of standard and custom designs and are available from many sources in the marketplace. There are similarities between most all models being sold and the differences range between design variations, construction features as well as the prices but the basic design and operation principles are the same whereas they use a self contained and centralized refrigeration unit(s) to cool the stored wine at desired temperature. Temperature controlled wine storage optimizes the flavor and maintains the long-term quality of all wines. All wine cellars are equipped with racks whereby the bottles lay flat to maintain moisture to the corks which prevents drying and air entering the bottle which will compromise the quality of the wines. The size, design and expense of wine cellars are factors which may attract or possibly detract a buyers interests. The present size of a wine collection is also an important consideration due to many owners continuously add to their collections and this requires additional storage facilities.
A most recent introduction into the marketplace is the Semi-Conductor or Electro Thermal cooling system(s). This new technology allows cooling function with no vibration from moving parts and no refrigerants as compared with conventional cooling systems.
The semi-conductor systems do however have a lesser cooling capacity than conventional systems and this factor presently allows use only for specific applications where the cooling recovery demand may be lower than a conventional refrigerator for instance. This system does however have a significant advantage in such applications as a wine cellar whereby the doors are not opened as frequently as a refrigerator and the owners simply wish to maintain the environment and temperature of their wines over a long period of time. Wine Cellars which utilize semi-conductor cooling systems are able to maintain the desired temperatures of wine (55 F–63 F) in a highly efficient and economical manner.
A growing variety of semi-conductor wine cellars are already making entry into the marketplace however all present day models are smaller "free standing" units, which are limited in size.
Some examples of prior art designs for wine storage and dispensing systems are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,105 (Phelps) issued Aug. 19, 2003, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,482 (Smith) issued Apr. 16, 1974 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,513 (Smith) issued Jun. 2, 1998.

Modular wine cellar and wine storage system