A character input frame is displayed in a popping-up manner and erased automatically in a position in which an operator desires to effect a handwriting input. A character input frame information generating section generates character input frame information based on coordinate input position information from a coordinate input section, and stores the information in a first storage section. A character recognizing section recognizes a character extracted by a character extracting section, and stores character code data of the result of recognition into a second storage section. A display control section displays in a popping-up manner the character input frame from an initial input position on a display panel based on the character input frame information from the first storage section. The character input frame information generating section erases storage contents of the first storage section based on recognition completion information from the character recognizing section. The character input frame is automatically erased when the character recognition is completed. During operation, the character input frame is composed of a mere frame where its cells are internally transparent, so that a printing type is not hidden behind the frame.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for inputting characters by handwriting for forming a document by extracting a handwritten character and thereafter recognizing the character.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, as a device for inputting characters by handwriting, there have been such devices as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Nos. HEI 4-199485 and HEI 5-197477. In those devices, a special handwriting input frame is always displayed in a specified position on a transparent tablet, or a character input board having a special handwriting input frame is displayed in a popping-up manner in a specified position on a screen when a handwriting input mode is selected.
The "character input device" disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 4-199485 is comprised of a position input unit, a processing control unit, a display unit and an external storage unit. Then by displaying a character input board including a character input frame of specified dimensions on the display unit when a character input mode is selected, a character is allowed to be inputted by handwriting consistently in a specified size regardless of the size of a character input item.
In the "handwriting information device" disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 5-197477, by displaying a character input screen provided with a handwriting guide line in the character input frame and operating a layout changing means, the size of the character input frame and a handwriting guide line are set for layout in an arrangement most appropriate for the operator's sense of use.
In either of the cases, after completion of character recognition, each character inputted by handwriting in the character input frame is displayed in the character input frame, an independently determined position, or an arbitrary position designated by the operator in a printing type form.
There is a further device for inputting characters by handwriting as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. SHO 61-243582.
In the "device for inputting characters by handwriting" disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. SHO 61-243582, a valid input area setting means sets a valid input area by enlarging an input area frame in which the existence of a tip end of an input pen is detected among a specified number of input area frames set on a tablet. If there are traces of a character existing in the set valid input area, the character is detected as an input character to the input area frame even when the character is jutting out of the input area frame.
The prior art devices for inputting characters by handwriting have problems as follows.
(1) Problems of the devices for inputting characters by handwriting disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Nos. HEI 4-199485 and HEI 5-197477.
As described above, the special handwriting input frame is displayed in a specified position on the transparent tablet. Therefore, the position in which a is handwriting input can be effected is limited, and further the position in which a printing type is displayed as a result of recognition or extraction differs from the position in which the character input is effected by handwriting. Consequently, the operator cannot write each character either in a position in which the operator easily writes the character or in the position in which the operator desires to input or display the character on the tablet. Therefore, the operator feels far differently from his or her feeling in handwriting a character on an ordinary notebook or the like, meaning that a natural-touch handwriting input cannot be effected.
Furthermore, it is required to execute an operation of cancelling, for example, the character input mode in erasing the special handwriting input frame displayed on the transparent tablet, and this also results in a very troublesome handwriting character input.
(2) Problems of the device for inputting characters by handwriting disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. SHO 61-243582.
As described above, the specified number of input area frames are set on the tablet. The above naturally results in limitation of the area in which the input area frames can be set on the tablet, so that the area of the tablet cannot be effectively utilized.
Furthermore, in spite of the advantage that correct character recognition can be effected even though the traces of handwriting by the input pen are jutting out of the input area frame, a sufficient effect cannot be achieved unless the valid input area is set according to character handwriting trace conditions such as specification of the position of the input area frame in which the tip end of the input pen is located, start position coordinates of the character handwriting trace and coordinates in the middle of a stroke drawn continuously by the input pen operated without being out of contact with the tablet.
(3) Common problems of the conventional systems
When successively inputting characters by handwriting, it is common to operate an adopting button, an inserting button or the like every time each character is repetitively hand written in a fixed character input frame to thereby insert a printing type that is a result of recognition (or a result of extraction) into a position in which the printing type is desired to be inputted. However, in such a case, the character input position is fixed. Therefore, when the character input position is located apart from the printing type inserting position, it is impossible to effect character input while recognizing the previously inputted character. Furthermore, it is required to execute a character inserting operation every time a character is inserted, and it can be said that this is different from natural notetaking.
FIG. 33 shows an exemplified display screen of a conventional device for inputting characters by handwriting, while FIGS. 34A through 34D show an exemplified operation of the device. A character input frame 1 is set in a character input board 2. The character input board 2 is opaque. Therefore, when the character input board 2 is displayed on printing types which have been already displayed in a manner as shown in FIG. 34A, the printing types are hidden behind the character input board 2 as shown in FIG. 34B. On the character input board 2, there are further set editing buttons 3 for such functions as deletion, adoption and input for use in inserting a character after recognition. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 34B and 34C, a range of setting of the character input frame 1 is limited by the editing buttons 3.
It cannot be said that the above arrangement can assure a natural-touch handwriting input as in handwriting a character on an ordinary notebook.
In conventional devices for inputting characters by handwriting, the size of each cell of the character input frame displayed on the transparent tablet is generally fixed. In view of the above, according to the device for inputting characters by handwriting disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 5-197477, the size of the character input frame and the number of handwriting guide lines can be changed by operating a layout changing means. However, this function is to set them for layout after a character input frame of a specified size and a specified number of handwriting guide lines are displayed, meaning that neither a character input frame of which size has been preparatorily set nor handwriting guide lines set in amount to an arbitrary number can be displayed in a popping-up manner.
In order to achieve a natural-touch handwriting input in view of the device for inputting characters by handwriting in which the character input frame is displayed on the transparent tablet, a character recognizing device with frame-free handwriting input has been already proposed. However, in the case of this character recognizing device, there arises another problem that a character recognition error tends to occur due to erroneous character extraction because no frame is provided for the handwriting input.

Device for inputting characters by handwriting


The method of forming self-attaching female fasteners by rolling a continuous metal strip including a central pilot portion having parallel sides and flange portions on opposed sides, severing at least the pilot portion and cold forming the rectangular pilot portion into a cylindrical end portion. Wing-shaped radial portions are formed in the pilot portion which may be severed or remain for anti-rotation features. The strip may remain continuous, wherein the severed pilot portions are spread and the flange portions are thinned or the strip may be severed into discrete fasteners. The female fasteners thus include generally cylindrical pilot portions and rectangular flange portions which may include rolled grooves.

Self-attaching fasteners, including pierce and clinch nuts as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,707,322 and 3,648,747, assigned to the predecessor in interest of the assignee of this application, have been commercially successful in mass production applications, such as utilized by the automotive and appliance industries. The self-attaching female fastener elements disclosed in these patents are formed by rolling techniques including rolling a continuous strip of metal having the desired cross-section of the female fastener element including a rectangular central pilot portion and flange portions on opposed sides of the pilot portion. The pilot portion is then pierced through the end face, forming a bore of the fastener element, and the strip is then cut or chopped to length and the bore may then be internally threaded, as required. Reference is also made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,775,795 and 3,999,659, which disclose a method of forming a continuous strip of female fastener elements of the type disclosed in the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 2,707,322, wherein the rolled strip is only partially severed by transverse slots punched through the continuous pilot portion and a portion of the flanges, such that the strip may be severed in the installation head during installation of the female fastener elements in a panel.
As will be understood by those skilled in this art, the pilot portion formed by rolling a continuous strip must include a rectangular pilot portion having a rectangular end face. The rectangular end face of the self-attaching fastener is then utilized to pierce a rectangular opening in a panel and the pilot portion is then received through the pierced panel opening and attached to the panel by a die member or die button, as described below. Alternatively, the rectangular pilot portion is received through a preformed rectangular opening in the panel where the self-attaching fastener element is utilized as a clinch nut.
Self-attaching fastener elements of the type disclosed in the above-referenced patents are typically attached in a panel in a die press, wherein the upper die shoe or die platen includes an installation head, which receives the self-attaching fasteners and having a reciprocating plunger, and the lower die shoe or die platen includes a die member or die button which supports the panel during installation and installs the nut in the panel with each stroke of the die press. Because the panel may be simultaneously formed during installation of the self-attaching female fastener element, this method of installation is preferred in mass production applications. However, there are certain applications where a generally round or cylindrical pilot portion is preferred to avoid stress risers at the sharp corners of the rectangular panel opening. However, pierce or clinch nuts having a generally cylindrical or circular pilot portion are presently manufactured only by conventional cold forming or cold heading techniques. It would, however, be desirable to form self-attaching female fastener elements by continuously rolling a metal wire, thereby utilizing the advantages of this technology, but resulting in a self-attaching female fastener having a generally circular or cylindrical pilot portion, thereby achieving one of the advantages of a female fastener element formed by conventional cold heading techniques, including the elimination of stress risers. Further, self-attaching fasteners formed by cold forming are more expensive. The method of forming self-attaching female fastener elements of this invention achieves these advantages and the resultant female fastener element has advantages over the prior art as now described.

Self-attaching female fastener elements and method of forming same


A node (101, FIG. 1), within a networked computer system (100), is capable of supporting communications with other nodes relating to operating multiple application instances in a master-slave configuration. The node initiates (602, FIG. 6) and maintains (FIGS. 7, 8) a state diagram (FIG. 2) for each application instance currently running in the master-slave configuration on the node or the other nodes. In addition, the node listens for new application instances that are discovered on the node or on the other nodes. The nodes can be interconnected using multiple networks (104, FIG. 1), and redundant messages received by the node can be ignored (FIG. 11), if those redundant messages would adversely affect maintenance of the state diagram for an application instance. When a node determines that it should no longer operate as a master for an application instance, the node can initiate a resignation process (FIG. 4), during which another node will attempt to become the master for the application instance.

In a multi-processor computer network, some applications are executed using a master-slave configuration. In such a system, one computer acts as a master computer, collecting information and/or performing important computational tasks. The slave computers may compute and send information to the master computer, or merely remain available to take over the master tasks, if the master is unable to perform them.
For example, the programs timed and TEMPO are local area network clock synchronizers, which are executed using a master-slave configuration. In both of these programs, each slave executes a time daemon (i.e., a task or application program that runs continuously), which periodically sends a message to the master. The time messages include each slave's concept of the network time. Another time daemon, executed by the master, computes the network time as an average of the times provided by non-faulty clocks, and sends to each slave time daemon a correction that the slave time daemon should perform on the clock of its machine.
The "Time Synchronization Protocol" (TSP) is used by the programs timed and TEMPO to support clock synchronization messages, as is described in detail in "The Berkeley UNIX Time Synchronization Protocol," Gusella, et al. (1986). In general, all the communication occurring among the time daemons uses the TSP protocol. The message format in TSP is 8-bit-byte oriented, and is the same for all message types. The structure of each TSP message is as follows:                1) A one byte message type;        2) A one byte version number, specifying the protocol version which the message uses;        3) A two byte sequence number to be used for recognizing duplicate messages that occur when messages are retransmitted;        4) Eight bytes of packet specific data. This field contains two 4 byte time values, a one byte hop count, or may be unused depending on the type of the packet; and        5) A zero-terminated string of up to 256 ASCII characters with the identity of the machine sending the message.
TSP also supports messages for the election that occurs among slave time daemons when, for any reason, the master disappears, as is described in detail in "An Election Algorithm for a Distributed Clock Synchronization Program," Gusella et al. (December 1985). Basically, the election process chooses a new master from among the available slaves when the original master ceases to function properly.
When started up, each slave time daemon randomly selects a value for an "election timer" from a predefined range. When the master time daemon is working, it periodically resets each slave time daemon's election timer by sending out a synchronization message. If a slave does not receive a synchronization message before its election timer expires, improper functioning of the master is assumed. Accordingly, the slave whose election timer expires first will become a candidate to become the new master. If the candidate slave is elected, it will become the new master and will assume responsibility for synchronizing the network's remaining clocks.
The rate that the synchronization messages are sent out using TSP is very slow (e.g., on the order of once every several minutes). Therefore, if the master does fail, it may take several minutes for a slave to respond and conduct an election. This characteristic of TSP can result in an unacceptably slow assumption of master tasks.
The TSP protocol functions well in the context of supporting messages and elections that occur as part of a clock synchronization program. However, its portability to other types of applications is limited, and it is not well adapted to inclusion in modern systems for several reasons.
In modern networked computer systems, each machine may be capable of simultaneously running multiple tasks and applications, each of which is executed using a master-slave configuration. In addition, modern CPUs more efficiently process messages that have 32-bit message formats. The primary limitation of TSP's application to modern systems is that TSP is capable of supporting message transfer for only a single daemon (e.g., a time daemon) per machine. In addition, TSP is not adapted to work in an environment where multiple, redundant networks are available to interconnect nodes. Finally, the TSP message format is byte oriented, and is less efficient with modern CPUs. Therefore, TSP is not an acceptable protocol for providing messaging and election capabilities for modern networked computer systems.
What is needed is a protocol and method that can rapidly respond to a master failure (e.g., within less than a second). Also needed is a protocol and method that can support messaging and elections for multiple tasks and applications running on each node of a networked computer system. In addition, what is needed is a protocol and method that support 32-bit message formats, which better utilizes the advanced capabilities of modern CPUs. Further needed is a protocol and method that can be used in the context of redundant networks.

Method and apparatus for supporting communications between nodes operating in a master-slave configuration


An elastic wave device includes a piezoelectric substrate, a pair of reflectors disposed on the piezoelectric substrate along the propagation direction of an elastic wave, and first to fifth comb electrode pairs disposed in this order between the pair of reflectors. Ground comb electrodes of adjacent comb electrode pairs are connected by an even number of connection electrode fingers or by an odd number of connection electrode fingers.

In recent years, there is a significant technological advance in miniaturization and weight savings of communication devices such as mobile phones and the like. As a filter used in such a communication device, there is used an elastic wave device which can be miniaturized, such as a surface acoustic wave device or an elastic boundary wave device. Moreover, an elastic wave device having an unbalanced-to-balanced function, i.e., a so-called balun function, is used in many cases as an elastic wave device for an RF (radio frequency) circuit of a mobile phone. Such an elastic wave device having an unbalanced-to-balanced function preferably has a good balance.
Herein, the balance is an index indicating the degree of idealness of an electric signal output from a balanced terminal of the elastic wave device having the unbalanced-to-balanced function in terms of opposite phase and same amplitude. The balance is expressed by two amounts, an amplitude balance and a phase balance. The amplitude balance is an amplitude ratio between two balanced signals, and its ideal value is 0 [dB]. The phase balance is a value obtained by subtracting 180° from a phase difference between two balanced signals, and its ideal value is 0°. As another evaluation method for balances, there is a common mode characteristic. If an ideal balance is achieved, signals between balanced terminals are completely cancelled. Therefore, the balance is good when an output signal is as small as possible (greatly attenuated) according to the transmission characteristics of the common mode characteristic. Thus, the common mode characteristic is an index for comprehensively evaluating the balance using the amplitude balance and the phase balance.
As the elastic wave device having the unbalanced-to-balanced function, a three-electrode longitudinally coupled elastic wave filter having three comb electrode pairs is used in many cases. With the three-electrode longitudinally coupled elastic wave filter, a standing wave with asymmetrical displacement distribution of an excited surface wave is formed. Accordingly, a current flowing through a comb electrode pair also becomes asymmetrical, and there is a problem regarding the balance. Efforts are being made to overcome the problem of such a three-electrode longitudinally coupled elastic wave filter. For example, a region where an electrode finger pitch is small is provided at a portion of adjacent comb electrode pairs in the three-electrode longitudinally coupled elastic wave filter. Further, the electrode finger pitch is made different for left and right for the region where the electrode finger pitch is made small. In this manner, a technique regarding asymmetrical design and a technique regarding weighting are being proposed.
Furthermore, it is preferable that an insertion loss of a filter used for an RF unit of a mobile phone is made as small as possible. As a technique of reducing the insertion loss, there is proposed a technique of reducing the loss by comb electrode resistance by connecting the three-electrode longitudinally coupled elastic wave filters in parallel, for example.
As cited references related to the invention of this application, Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 are known, for example.

SKYWORKS PANASONIC FILTER SOLUTIONS JAPAN CO., LTD.


This sensor (1), for a fluid and suitable for use in a pipeline at least temporarily containing the fluid flowing therethrough, has at least one curved measuring tube (4, 5), which vibrates during operation and guides the fluid, and a housing enclosing the measuring tube. The housing is composed of a metal cap (7) of two cap halves (71, 72) and a supporting tube (6), in which the measuring tube is held at its inlet and outlet ends in a manner such that the tube can oscillate, and out of which a measuring tube segment protrudes sideways. Each cap half has an edge (73; 74) with, in each case, four edge portions (731, 732, 733, 734; 741, 742, 743, 744). The edge portions (731; 741) are straight, the edge portions (732, 733; 742, 743) are curved, and the edge portions (734; 744) have the shape of circular arcs. The edge portions (731, 732, 733; 741, 742, 743) are welded continuously to the supporting tube (6) and the edge portions (734; 744) are welded continuously to one another. The cap halves (71, 72) are cut out of a dish-shaped intermediate (70) having a formed, surrounding edge bead (701), provided with the shape of a quarter-torus by metal spinning.

Such sensors usually include at least one curved measuring tube for guiding the fluid and at least one housing surrounding the measuring tube. The measuring tube vibrates during operation.
The main representatives of such sensors are mass-flow/density/viscosity sensors operating on the Coriolis principle. These sensors can not only be used to measure the instantaneous mass flow of the fluid flowing in the pipeline, but also the density of the fluid, on the basis of the instantaneous oscillation frequency of the measuring tubes, and the viscosity of the fluid, on the basis of the power required to maintain their oscillations, as well as the temperature of the fluid. The mass flow is, by definition, the mass of fluid flowing through each measuring tube cross section per unit time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,898 describes a Coriolis mass flow sensor for use at temperatures up to 220° C. This sensor, which is suitable for use in a pipeline at least temporarily containing fluid flowing therethrough, includes:
two parallel, curved measuring tubes that vibrate during operation and guide the fluid,
a metal housing covering the measuring tubes, and
a supporting arrangement of metal,
in which the measuring tubes are held at their inlet and outlet ends in a manner such that the tubes can oscillate, and
out of which the measuring tubes protrude sideways,
which metal housing includes a first cap half and a second cap half for enclosing the measuring tubes,
an edge of which first cap half includes a circular-arc-shaped first edge portion lying in a first plane and having a first radius of curvature and a circular-arc-shaped second edge portion lying in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane and having a second, significantly smaller, radius of curvature, and
an edge of which second cap half includes a circular-arc-shaped third edge portion lying in a third plane and having the first radius of curvature and a circular-arc-shaped fourth edge portion lying in a fourth plane perpendicular to the third plane and having the second radius of curvature,
wherein the first and second edge portions are welded continuously to one another, and
wherein the second and the fourth edge portions are welded continuously to the supporting arrangement.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,557 describes a Coriolis mass flow sensor, which is suitable for use in a pipeline at least temporarily containing fluid flowing therethrough and which includes:
two parallel, curved measuring tubes that vibrate during operation and guide the fluid,
a supporting arrangement of metal,
in which the measuring tubes are held at their inlet and outlet ends in a manner such that the tubes can oscillate, and
out of which the measuring tubes protrude sideways, and
a curved metal tube completely enclosing the measuring tubes,
which follows the route of the measuring tubes, while maintaining a uniform spacing therefrom, and
which, after having been bent to match the route of the measuring tubes and then temporarily divided into two equal tube halves along a longitudinal cutting plane, is then assembled to enclose the measuring tubes and put back together again by welding of the tube halves to one another, and
whose ends are welded continuously with the supporting arrangement.
The mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,557 also describes a Coriolis mass flow sensor, which is suitable for use in a pipeline at least temporarily containing fluid flowing therethrough and which includes:
two parallel, curved measuring tubes that vibrate during operation and guide the fluid,
a supporting arrangement of metal,
in which the measuring tubes are held at their inlet and outlet ends in a manner such that the tubes can oscillate, and
out of which the measuring tubes protrude sideways, and
a metal tube completely enclosing the measuring tubes and composed of sectionally straight tube portions terminally welded to one another,
which are made from deep-drawn half-shells continuously welded to one another following their placement around the measuring tubes.
Finally, a Coriolis mass-flow/density sensor is offered by the Endress+Hauser group of firms under the label Promass F. This sensor, which is suitable for use in a pipeline at least temporarily containing fluid flowing therethrough, includes:
two parallel, curved measuring tubes that vibrate during operation and guide the fluid,
a metal housing enclosing the measuring tubes,
having a supporting tube of metal,
in which the measuring tubes are held on their inlet and outlet ends in a manner such that the tubes can oscillate, and
out of which measuring tube segments protrude sideways through two cutouts, and
having a deep-drawn metal cap for covering the measuring tube segments,
an edge of which is continuously welded with the supporting tube.
The deep drawing of shaped bodies of metal, including also the above-mentioned metal caps, is done in a corresponding metal deep-drawing die, the manufacturing costs of which are very high. Deep drawing is, consequently, worthwhile only in the case of sufficiently high production quantities of the shaped bodies to be produced therewith. Since the mentioned Coriolis mass-flow/density sensor Promass F is manufactured in a number of different standard, nominal sizes up to 100 mm, in each case in large production quantities, deep drawing of the metal caps is economical, even though a separate deep drawing die is required for each nominal size.
However, if, for certain nominal sizes, especially for nominal sizes greater than 100 mm, but even for non-standard nominal sizes less than 100 mm, only smaller production quantities are expected, then the manufacture of the metal caps by means of such deep drawing dies specially sized for the individual nominal sizes cannot be practically realized, because of the high costs.


A constant voltage power supply circuit including: a differential operation type amplifier, of which a first input terminal is supplied with a reference signal, and of which a second input terminal is supplied with a feedback signal. The amplifier outputs a first control signal responsive to a difference between the reference signal and the feedback signal. An output voltage detection circuit detects an output voltage of the output transistor and applies the detected voltage as the feedback signal to the second input terminal of the amplifier. A first capacitor of which one end is connected to the output portion of the output transistor; and a first control circuit, of which a first input terminal is connected to a first output terminal of the amplifier, of which a second input terminal is connected to another end of the first capacitor, and of which an output terminal is connected to a control input terminal of the output transistor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a constant voltage power supply circuit for providing a stable voltage regardless of a load fluctuation, for example.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, there has been progressed a miniaturization and high-performance of a circuit such as mobile-type terminal device, and thus there has been required a miniaturization and high-performance on a power supply circuit there for.
Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) 2000-284843 discloses a power supply circuit: a series regulator type power supply circuit for providing a stable voltage to electronic devices which are miniaturized in size and are operable at a low voltage, such as mobile-type terminal devices.
The series regulation power supply circuit disclosed in JP 2000-284843 has a stability in a low load condition, but deteriorates the PSRR (power supply rejection ratio) characteristics in a high frequency domain when the power supply voltage VDD is varied. Further, such the series regulator power supply circuit suffers from the disadvantages that the operation for providing a constant voltage can not followed at a high speed to the high speed load change.
Recent semiconductor devices for such as mobile-type terminal device are provided with a variety of circuits such as a communication circuit, illumination circuit, image processing circuit and data input/output circuit, and there has been strongly required a constant voltage power supply circuit enabling a provision of a stable voltage regardless of a fluctuation of loads such as those circuits.


Disclosed are floating state determination and floating compensation methods and apparatuses for a touch screen. The floating state determination method includes: performing two times of self-capacitance interlaced driving on the touch screen in each of a driving direction and a sensing direction; calculating self-capacitance differences corresponding to the two times of self-capacitance interlaced driving in each of the driving direction and a sensing direction, and obtaining an interlaced differential value of each channel based on the self-capacitance differences; and calculating a self-capacitance differential value of each channel, and determining a floating level of the channel based on the result of calculation. The floating state determination method can determine a floating state of the touch screen, and then a floating compensation is performed based on the floating state, so that the capacitive screen can be operated normally under floating.

Floating has always been one of the most common and difficult problems to solve for touch screen devices such as mobile phones. The floating problem seriously affects the touch performance of touch screens. When a touch screen device such as a mobile phone is in a floating environment and several fingers operate on a screen, the touch positions and number of fingers cannot be accurately identified, or the phenomena of coordinate jitter and point vanishing occur.
Generally, the above problems are mainly solved from the following two aspects: (1) In hardware design, the thickness of a cover is increased to increase the height of a channel layer on the touch screen and reduce the line width and pitch of each channel of the touch screen. (2) In software algorithms, the characteristics of finger data frames, the arrangement of the frames on the touch screen and the like are identified to combine the frames, reduce a touch threshold and the like, thereby optimizing the phenomena of coordinate point frame separation, jitter, point vanishing and the like.
However, the above methods neither determine the floating state of the touch screen, nor perform a floating compensation based on the floating state, so that the capacitive screen can be operated normally under floating, especially when operated by several fingers at the same time.

Floating state determination and floating compensation methods and apparatuses for touch screen


A toner composition for use in a xerographic or electrostatographic imaging process. The toner composition includes a toner particle and an optional primary external surface additive and a friable external surface additive. The friable external surface additive may also be a material that is capable of functioning as a primary external surface additive. The friable external surface additive is generally larger than the primary surface additive and capable of having portions of the friable particle broken or abraded off during the imaging process. The particles that are abraded off the friable additive can replace the primary external additive particles that become embedded into toner particles during the development process. The friable additives contribute to reducing toner aging and provide a toner with satisfactory flow and triboelectric properties.

The present disclosure is directed to toner compositions for use in electrostatographic or xerographic processes. More specifically, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to toner compositions comprising a friable external surface additive. It finds particular application in conjunction with toners and developers for electrostatographic processes, and will be described with particular reference thereto.
In electrophotography, a photoreceptor containing a photoconductive insulating layer on a conductive layer is imaged by first uniformly electrostatically charging its surface. The photoreceptor is then exposed to a pattern of activating electromagnetic radiation, such as light. The radiation selectively dissipates the charge in the illuminated areas of the photoconductive insulating layer while leaving behind an electrostatic latent image. This electrostatic latent image may then be developed to form a visible image. In the development step, charged toner particles are deposited on the photoreceptor surface. There are several techniques by which this can be accomplished, such as charged-area-development (CAD) and discharged-area-development (DAD), most of which involve the use of a second component called a carrier.
In CAD, toner particles are attracted to the charged areas of the photoreceptor. This requires that the polarity of the toner particles be opposite to the photoreceptor surface potential. In DAD, the toner polarity is the same as the photoreceptor surface. As a result, the toner particles are repelled from the charged areas of the photoreceptor and deposit in the discharged regions. This requires the use of a developer housing bias with the same polarity as the photoreceptor surface potential.
By utilizing either process, the resulting visible image may then be transferred from the photoconductor to a support, such as transparency or paper. This imaging process may be repeated many times.
Various toner compositions for such imaging processes are well known in the art, and have been produced having a wide range of additives and constituent materials. Generally, however, the toner compositions or particles include a binding material such as a resin, a colorant such as a dye and/or a pigment, and any of various additives to provide particular properties to the toner particles.
The use of external additives in toner and developer compositions to improve a variety of characteristics in such compositions is known in the art. One type of additive that is commonly used in toner compositions is a surface additive. For example, surface additives may be incorporated to improve triboelectric charging behavior of the toners or developers, to improve the flow properties of the toner, and to improve development and transfer performance of the toner. An example of an external surface additive known in the art is hydrophobic fumed silica.
The primary particle size of surface additives, such as fumed silica, ranges from a few nanometers to tens of nanometers. However, these primary particles group together to form larger aggregates.
Developer compositions with charge enhancing additives, which impart a positive charge to the toner resin, are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,935 describes the use of quaternary ammonium salts as charge control agents for electrostatic toner compositions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,856 discloses electrophotographic toners containing resin compatible quaternary ammonium compounds in which at least two R radicals are hydrocarbons having from 8 to about 22 carbon atoms, and each other R is a hydrogen or hydrocarbon radical with from 1 to about 8 carbon atoms, and A is an anion, for example sulfate, sulfonate, nitrate, borate, chlorate, and the halogens, such as iodide, chloride and bromide. Similar teachings are presented in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,312,933 and 4,291,111. There is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,986,521 developer compositions comprised of toner resin particles coated with certain finely divided colloidal silica. According to the disclosure of this patent, the development of electrostatic latent images on negatively charged surfaces is accomplished by applying a developer composition having a positively charged triboelectric relationship with respect to the colloidal silica.
Also, there is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,338,390, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, developer compositions containing as charge enhancing additives organic sulfate and sulfonates, which additives can impart a positive charge to the toner composition. Further, there is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,672, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, positively charged toner compositions with resin particles and pigment particles, and as charge enhancing additives alkyl pyridinium compounds.
Additionally, other patents disclosing positively charged toner compositions with charge control additives include, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,944,493; 4,007,293; 4,079,014; 4,394,430 and 4,560,635, which illustrate a toner with a distearyl dimethyl ammonium methyl sulfate charge additive. Surface additives, such as silicas like AEROSILS™, may be incorporated into the toners of these patents.
Moreover, toner compositions with negative charge enhancing additives are known, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,411,974 and 4,206,064, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. The '974 patent discloses negatively charged toner compositions comprised of resin particles, pigment particles, and as a charge enhancing additive ortho-halo phenyl carboxylic acids. Similarly, there are disclosed in the '064 patent toner compositions with chromium, cobalt, and nickel complexes of salicylic acid as negative charge enhancing additives.
U.S. Pat. No.4,404,271 describes a toner that contains a metal complex where the metal can be chromium, cobalt or iron. Additionally, other patents disclosing various metal containing azo dyestuff structures wherein the metal is chromium or cobalt include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,891,939, 2,871,233, 2,891,938, 2,933,489, 4,053,462 and 4,314,937. Also, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,040, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, there are illustrated toner compositions with chromium and cobalt complexes of azo dyes as negative charge enhancing additives. Other charge enhancing additives include those illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,304,449, 4,904,762, and 5,223,368, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
One of the problems associated with the use of external additives is that the improvements associated with the use of such additives may be lost when the additives become embedded into the toner particles surface as a result of mechanical forces encountered in the development hardware of the electrostatographic or xerographic machines. In high speed, high capacity systems, for example, long print runs with relatively low area coverage of color printing can cause the toner in the color developer housings to encounter long residence times and the resulting embedding of the external additives used in the system. As the external surface additives become embedded in the toner particle surface, the triboelectric and flow characteristics of the developer may decrease. This will result in poor development and poor transfer characteristics. Thus, embedding of the external additives into the toner particles decreases the effective life of the toner and/or developer, i.e., contributes to aging the toner and/or developer.
Attempts to solve the problem of toner aging in systems employing external additives have focused on a wide variety of parameters. Problems associated with the embedding of external additives into the toner surface have been addressed by selections of the type, size, and concentration of external additives used in toner and developer compositions. Attempts to reduce the aging of toners and developers have also focused on the blending techniques used to form toner compositions. The way in which an external surface additive is blended on the toner has a great effect on the performance of the system. If the blending is too gentle, the additive will not attach well to the toner surface, and the additive may collect in places that result an undesirable machine performance. Blending too aggressively, however, causes the additive to embed into the surface of the toner, which results in a loss of the beneficial effects of the external additive.
Despite the broad range of additives that have been used in formulating toner compositions, there is a continued need in the art for improved toner compositions that provide improved results and improved image quality. Consequently, it is desirable to provide a toner composition that will not suffer from the detrimental effects associated with conventional external additives that result from external additive particles embedding into toner particles. It is desirable to provide a toner and/or developer composition that has a longer life as compared to toners or developers using conventional external additives. It is also desirable to provide a toner employing an external additive that does not exhibit high relative humidity sensitivity. It is further desirable to provide a toner that is more robust relative to previous toners with respect to aging in developer housings due to being subjected to mechanical forces. It is still further desirable to provide an additive for a toner, and a toner using such an additive, that offers improved flow properties, prevents agglomeration, and extends the life of the toner while providing satisfactory triboelectric characteristics to the toner.


A method of transmitting data information and control information is provided. The method includes encoding the control information and encoding the data information. The method further includes modulating the control information and modulating the data information. The method further includes spreading the modulated control information using a spreading code to generate spread control information. The method further includes superimposing the spread control information with the modulated data information. The method further includes transmitting the modulated data information with the superimposed spread control information.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to the wireless communication of information and more specifically to the communication of control and data information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless communication systems such as cellular networks and wireless LAN systems communicate information between wireless communication devices such as e.g. cellular phones, wireless PDAs, and computer systems with wireless capability. The information communicated includes both data information and control information. Data information includes information that applications of the wireless communication devices desire to exchange with other communication devices. Examples of data information include data information for voice, text messages, emails, images, web pages, and other applications.
In order to exchange data information, control information needs to be exchanged between devices communicating over a wireless link. For example, scheduling information, quality information, and acknowledgement information are transmitted to facilitate the exchange of data information over a wireless link.
What is needed is an improved system for communicating control and data information in a wireless communication system.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates identical items unless otherwise noted. The Figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Control and data information communication in a wireless system


A new type of yellow dyes with general formula Q-CO--CO--X is disclosed. They can be used in photographic materials as antihalation dyes, acutance dyes or filter dyes. Preferably they are incorporated in UV sensitive contact materials for pre-press applications.

Light-absorbing dyes incorporated in silver halide photographic materials can accomplish a variety of goals, including their use as filter dyes, acutance dyes or anti-halation dyes.
When present in a non-photosensitive top layer or intermediate layer they typically serve as filter dyes eliminating an unwanted part of the light spectrum of the exposure source. A well-known example is the yellow filter layer usually present in colour photographic materials in order to prevent blue light from reaching the green sensitive and red sensitive layers. Another example is formed by UV-absorbing compounds, usually present in the top protective layer, which prevent photochemical deterioration of the image dyes formed by colour development. Examples of useful UV-absorbers include the cyanomethyl sulfone-derived merocyanines of U.S. Pat. No. 3,723,154, the thiazolidones, benzotriazoles and thiazolothiazoles of U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,739,888, 3,253,921, 3,250,617 and 2,739,971, the triazoles of U.S. Pat. No. 3,004,896, and the hemioxonols of U.S. Pat. No. 3,125,597.
On the other hand light-absorbing dyes when present in the emulsion layer can serve as so-called "acutance dyes" or "screening dyes" improving the image sharpness by reducing the sidewise scattering of light by the emulsion grains.
In a third application light-absorbing dyes act as "anti-halation dyes" improving the image sharpness by diminishing the upward reflection of light by the support into the emulsion layer. For this purpose the dye can be incorporated in an undercoat, being a non-photosensitive layer between the emulsion layer and the support, or it can be incorporated in the base itself, or preferably, it can be present in one or more backing layers of the photographic material.
Useful dyes absorbing in the visible spectral region include, for instance, the coloured pigments of U.S. Pat. No. 2,697,037, the pyrazolone oxonol dyes of U.S. Pat. No. 2,274,782, the styryl and butadienyl dyes of U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,207, the diaryl azo dyes of U.S. Pat. No. 2,956,879, the merocyanine dyes of U.S. Pat. No. 2,527,583, the merocyanine and oxonol dyes of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,486,897, 3,652,284 and 3,718,472, and the enaminohemioxonol dyes of U.S. Pat. No. 3,976,661. Absorbing dyes can be added as particulate dispersions as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,168, EP 0 274 723 and EP 0 299 435.
The dyes incorporated in one or more particular hydrophilic layers of a photographic material may be water-soluble. In this case they are easy diffusible to adjacent layers during coating and drying. For some particular applications, e.g. when serving as antihalation dyes in a sublayer or subcoat positioned between emulsion layer and support, the dyes are preferably non-diffisuble in order to retain a maximal concentration and density in said subcoat. By this is meant non-diffusible under normal coating conditons the pH of the coating solution being neutral or slightly acid depending on the isoelectric point of the gelatin used and the chemical nature of the dye. Under alkaline processing conditions the dye may become diffusable and/or may discolour. Non-diffusable dyes are described in e.g. GB 1.563.809, EP 0 015 601, and a survey can be found in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publications (Kokai) 03-24539, 03-4223, 02-9350, 02-282240 and 03-1133. New classes are recently disclosed in European Patent Publications No's 0 582 753 and 0 587 229.
Light-absorbing dyes must fulfil a number of strict requirements. They should wash-out or decolourize as completely as possible during photographic processing in order to minimize unwanted residual dye stain. When washed-out they or their reaction products should not deteriorate the physical or sensitometric properties of the photographic material during prolonged continuous processing. Moreover, in order to be effective during exposure, the spectral characteristics of incorporated anti-halation dyes or acutance dyes should match as good as possible the spectral sensitivity distribution of the emulsion layer. In its turn this spectral sensitivity distribution has to be tuned to the spectral characteristic of the exposure source.
In pre-press graphic arts particular contact materials exist for quite some time which can be handled in UV poor roomlight. Such so-called Daylight or Roomlight materials are image-wise exposed by means of exposure sources, rich in near UV and short blue light, such as metal-halogen vapour lamps and quartz-halogen sources. Therfore dyes for use in such materials for filter-, acutance- or antihalation purposes must show an absorption spectrum comprised between about 300 to 450 nm with a wavelenght of maximal absorption situated about 350-380 nm.
Prior art on such dyes, which can be called with equal right UV-absorbers since they absorb partially in the near UV and partially in the blue spectral region, is disclosed in e.g. EP 0 252 550, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,311,787, 4,082,554, 4,053,315, EP 0 519 306, EP 0 524 593, EP 0 524 594, EP 0 529 737, JP-A 03-38636, JP-A 03-13936, JP-A 03-41442, DE 4142935, EP 0 552 010, JP-A 03-48234, U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,015, EP 0 525 445, WO 93/5443, JP-A 03-78741, WO 93/13458, U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,788, EP 0 411 819, JP-A 61-205934, JP-A 01-259358, JP-A 02-73343, JP-A 02-71261 and EP 0 495 406.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new class of yellow dyes for use in photographic materials and more particularly in graphic arts contact materials.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a class of yellow dyes with high extinction in the near UV and short blue region and which show low residual stain after processing.


A packer fluid is provided for use with a wellbore fluid in an annulus or casing bore, having an aqueous portion which contains additives for preventing corrosion, microbiological activity, salt and scale deposition, and an environmentally-acceptable capping fluid which resides at a top of the wellbore to act as freeze protection and as thermal insulation in a the frost penetration layer. The additives in the packer fluid are particularly selected to exist in the aqueous additive fluid and in the wellbore fluid and to be substantially immiscible with the capping fluid and thereby prevent significant migration of the additives into the capping fluid which would compromise its environmental acceptability.

Annular fluids or packer fluids are liquids which are pumped into and reside in an annular space between a casing and a tubing wall, between adjacent concentric strings of pipe extending into a wellbore (casing annulus) or into the bore of a cased wellbore.
In the completion of oil and gas wells, it is currently the practice to place aqueous or non-aqueous hydrocarbon based fluids, known as packer fluids, into a casing annulus above a packer, specifically where the packer has been set to isolate production fluid from the casing annulus. Packer fluids, introduced into the casing annulus, fill the annular column to surface.
Packer fluids are used to provide both pressure stability and thermal protection to the casing annulus of production oil and gas wells as well as in injection wells. Further, packer fluids act to maintain casing and tubular integrity. The main function of a packer fluid related to pressure stabilization is to provide hydrostatic pressure in order to equalize pressure relative to the formation, to lower pressures across sealing elements or packers; or to limit differential pressure acting on the well bore, casing and production tubing to prevent collapse of the wellbore.
Typically, packer fluids are used extensively in areas which are subject to low ambient temperatures or which have significant frost penetration through which the wellbore extends. If fluids within the wellbore freeze as a result of contact with the frost layer, compressive or tension loads may be imposed, which can be sufficient to fracture the well casing and/or associated equipment such as wellhead valving and the like. Further, if sufficient heat is transferred out of the production fluids to the frost penetration layer, hydrate crystals can form within the production fluid, which can freeze together and block the bore of the string of production tubing.
It is well known, and in some cases a regulated requirement, to add a thermal capping fluid, such as diesel which is resistant to freezing and which is lighter than the in situ wellbore fluids and therefore locates adjacent the frost penetration layer at surface. Thus, thermal insulation results in the wellbore or wellbore annulus at the frost penetration layer to minimize transfer of heat from the warm production fluids within the tubing string and the frost penetration layer.
Capping fluid is commonly added on top of aqueous packer fluids which have been treated with chemical additives. In operation, chemical additives are typically added to the water or brine in a rig tank, tank or tank truck prior to being displaced downhole in the casing annulus. Diesel is then added as a layer on top of the packer fluid column to fill the annular space at the level of the frost penetration. Alternatively, additives may be added to aqueous fluids already in the annulus prior to capping with diesel. The effect of the additives can be reduced if the additives do not adequately disperse in the packer fluid and further, dispersion into the diesel layer may be enhanced.
When capping fluids such as diesel or other environmentally unfriendly hydrocarbons are used as freeze protection, they are typically the last fluids placed in the casing annulus and characteristically migrate to the top of the wellbore. Accordingly, any spillage which may occur as a result of overfilling will include capping fluid. Such accidental release may occur for a number of other reasons including: as a result of thermal expansion of fluids within the wellbore and as a result of conduction, especially on wells that have been shut in and thermally heated; during higher temperature service or where the casing may have to be opened to intervene on a well; or during packer/wellbore isolation tests. Significant damage to the surrounding environment may occur as a result of such spills. Further, the already highly toxic capping fluid may be made more toxic due to dispersion of additives from the aqueous layer upwardly into the diesel layer. Handling of these conventional capping fluids present significant risk to personnel who may be exposed either through direct contact causing absorption through the skin or breathing of toxic fumes.
Most often, during normal operation, the wellbore is filled with fluid which is typically an aqueous fluid, such as fresh water or produced brine. Fresh water or produced brine are used as they are readily available at the wellsite, however aqueous fluids are considered corrosive due to their inherent composition. As a result of brine content, dissolved gases or the presence of microbiological agents, aqueous fluids can pose a significant risk to carbon steel equipment, such as conventional tubulars and casing, with which they come into contact.
As previously introduced, it is well known to add chemical additives in various concentrations to reduce, or eliminate any or all of the above mentioned types of activity. Additives of various types and chemistry are currently added to aqueous packer fluids. The purpose of these additives is to address the problems that can occur from the use of aqueous fluids in the annular space between the casing and the production tubing in completed oil and gas wells. Some of these additives include aqueous corrosion inhibitors, scale inhibitors, salt inhibitors, oxygen scavengers, non-emulsifiers and biocides. The additives may be added to either fresh or produced waters as well as to some non-aqueous hydrocarbon-based packer fluids, which may contain residual amounts of water. Use of chemicals prolongs the mechanical integrity of cased wellbores including production tubing strings and the casing annulus.
Typically fluids are selected and used for convenience of use, economics, availability, and industry acceptance. Such fluids, except in the case of untreated fresh H2O, can present significant ecological challenges and possibly affect wellbore integrity depending upon the additives used. Many additives, though able to effectively negate corrosion and bacterial problems, act to render the prior art packer fluids more environmentally unfriendly than they were as merely saturated brine.
Others have attempted to improve environmental acceptability of packer fluids. U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,901 to Toups Jr. et al. teaches a thixotropic insulating fluid comprising an environmentally acceptable non-aqueous, continuous phase fluid which is non-corrosive. The mixture contains a polar organic solvent, a hydrophilic clay and a liquid non-aqueous, non-corrosive liquid which must be combined and mixed at the wellsite for a significant period prior to addition to the wellbore annulus. Toups Jr. et al. are concerned only with providing thermal insulation to the wellbore and do not contemplate additives to combat corrosion and the like. Applicant believes that any additives added to the fluid of Toups et al. would be dispersed throughout the fluid and to the surface and would therefore render the fluid environmentally unacceptable and hazardous to personnel.
Ideally, liquids used as packer fluids should have sufficient specific gravity to enable pressure stabilization of the producing formation, be solids free, resistant to viscosity changes over periods of time, and compatible with both wellbore and completion components and materials. Further, the fluid should be environmentally acceptable so as to minimize damage during use. The fluid should be economical and easily handled to effect cost savings in rig time and associated services, as well as chemical additive costs.

Innovative Chemical Technologies Canada Ltd.


Devices and methods for reducing errors in a MEMS-type gyroscope are disclosed. A MEMS-type gyroscope in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention can include one or more proof masses configured to oscillate in a drive plane above a sense electrode for measuring Coriolis forces exerted on the one or more proof masses resulting from motion of the gyroscope about an input axis. One or more quad steering voltage members can be positioned adjacent each of the one or more proof masses and activated to electrostatically attract the proof masses toward the sense electrodes to reduce any undesired motion of the proof masses due to quadrature and/or temperature effects. The voltage applied to each of the quad steering voltage members can be time-varying, and, in some cases, can be derived from the same voltage signal used to drive the proof masses.

Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) gyroscopic devices are utilized in a variety of applications for sensing inertial motion in one or more dimensions. Such devices are particularly useful in applications demanding a high degree of reliability and accuracy where it may be necessary to measure and/or detect small changes in motion or acceleration, or where size and/or weight are important design considerations. In the design of navigational and communications systems, for example, such devices are useful in measuring and/or detecting slight variations in linear and rotational motion of an object traveling through space. Because such devices can be manufactured using batch semiconductor fabrication techniques (e.g. photolithography), greater tolerances and reliability can be achieved in comparison to more traditional fabrication techniques.
The design of MEMS-type gyroscopes varies greatly depending on their particular purpose. Rate gyroscopes, for example, are often used to determine the rate of rotation of a moving object by generating and measuring Coriolis forces. In a vibratory-type rate gyroscope, for example, a drive system including one or more proof masses can be configured to oscillate back and forth relative to a motor pickoff comb in a drive plane orthogonal to the input axis, or "rate axis," in which motion is to be determined. The proof masses may each include a number of interdigitated comb fingers configured to move relative to each other when electrostatically charged with a time-varying signal from a drive voltage source. A number of suspension springs or other flexural elements are typically used to constrain motion of each proof mass in a particular direction above an underlying support substrate.
A sense electrode or other sensing means disposed on the substrate adjacent to and parallel with each proof mass can be charged with a sense bias voltage. As each proof mass moves back and forth above the substrate, the Coriolis force resulting from conservation of momentum of the moving body as it rotates about the input axis causes the spacing between each proof mass and sense electrode to vary, resulting in a concomitant change in capacitance. By measuring the capacitance between the proof mass and sense electrodes in this manner, a measure of the rotational motion and/or acceleration of the moving body can be ascertained.
A significant source of errors in many MEMS-type gyroscopes is due to quadrature motion (i.e. motion out-of-plane) of the proof mass as it oscillates back and forth above the sense electrode. Such quadrature may result, for example, from imperfections in the profile of the comb fingers and suspension springs used in the drive system, and from other imperfections created during the manufacturing process. When present, such quadrature motion produces a large sense signal, affecting the ability of the gyroscope to accurately discern subtle variations in the rate signal. Such quadrature can also interfere with the drive electronics used to drive the proof masses, in some cases requiring additional error-correction circuitry. As a result of these irregularities in the drive system, the output sense signal may contain both the desired rate signal as well as an undesired quadrature signal, diminishing the ability of the gyroscope to effectively measure the rate motion.
In some cases, the temperature within the environment surrounding the gyroscope may also affect the ability of the gyroscope to sense subtle variations in the rate signal. Generally speaking, as the temperature of the gyroscope increases, it becomes more difficult to drive the proof masses, thus increasing the magnitude of the voltage required to drive the proof masses. In some designs, the presence of heat may cause the proof masses to rise or lift above the substrate surface in the direction of the sense axis, introducing an undesired thermal component into the sense signal.
To compensate for quadrature, vibration, and other irregularities in the drive system, many prior-art designs have focused on methods and techniques for suppressing the undesired quadrature signal using complicated error-correction techniques in the drive system and/or sensing circuitry. In certain prior-art designs, for example, a frequency translation circuit is employed to suppress components of the drive signal to the sensor output signal at a predetermined frequency range so that the drive signal can be disassociated with the sense signal using conventional filtering techniques. In other prior-art designs, quadrature error is reduced via a synchronous demodulation process, wherein the desired rate signal is maintained 90° out-of-phase with the quadrature signal. While such methods have been employed to compensate for the undesired quadrature signal, such techniques do not eliminate the undesired quadrature motion in the drive system. As such, many prior-art gyroscopes are unable to accurately detect and measure subtle changes in motion effectively.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Use of electrodes to cancel lift effects in inertial sensors


An apparatus is provided for selectively recording a digital information signal on a first magnetic tape cassette having a tape with a first characteristic or a second magnetic tape cassette having a tape with a second characteristic. The digital information signal selectively has a recording mode of a first standard or a recording mode of a second standard. The apparatus comprises a first sensor for detecting the kind of the magnetic tape cassette, a second sensor for detecting the kind of the recording mode, and a controller for controlling value of recording current for the digital information signal in response to the outputs of the first sensor and the second sensor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to video tape recorders and, more particularly, is directed to a so-called 8-mm video tape recorder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
According to the standards determined when the so-called 8-mm video tape recorder was originated, upon recording, a luminance signal is converted into an FM (frequency-modulated) luminance signal having a sync. (synchronizing) chip level of 4.2 MHz and a white peak level of 5.4 MHz as shown on the second row of FIG. 1. This FM luminance signal is recorded on a magnetic tape at every field period as a slant video track (this mode will hereinafter be referred to as "standard mode" and the above values are in accordance with the NTSC system).
When an audio signal is converted into a pulse-code modulated (PCM) audio signal and recorded on the magnetic tape, it is recorded according to the standards shown on the second row in FIG. 2. More specifically, the audio signal is quantized into a digital signal having a sampling frequency of 31.5 kHz (this sampling frequency is substantially twice the horizontal frequency) and one sample of 10 bits. After one sample of this digital signal is nonlinearly data-compressed in the form of 10 bits to 8 bits, this data-compressed digital signal is converted into a biphase mark signal. The biphase mark signal is recorded in the video track at its front over-scan interval over an angular extent of 36 degrees (this mode will hereinafter be referred to as "NRML mode").
In the 8-mm video tape recorder, a quality of image is improved in addition to the standards of the standard mode. That is, upon recording, the luminance signal is converted into an FM signal having a sync. chip level of 5.7 MHz and a white peak level of 7.7 MHz as shown on the third row of FIG. 1 and, this FM luminance signal is recorded on the magnetic tape at every field period as a slant video track (this mode will hereinafter be referred to as "High band mode").
It is proposed to improve the quality of sound of a PCM audio signal in accordance with the improvement of the quality of image. When the quality of sound is improved, it is proposed to employ a linear mode and a non-linear mode (they will hereinafter be referred to as "L mode" and "N mode").
That is, in the L mode, the audio signal is quantized into a digital signal in which a sampling frequency is any of 48 kHz, 44.1 kHz and 32 kHz and one sample is formed of 16 bits. This digital signal is converted in an eight-to-ten (8-10) conversion manner and, the converted digital signal is recorded in the video track at its front over-scan interval over an angular extent of 41 degrees.
In the N mode, as shown on the fourth row of FIG. 2, one sample of the quantized digital signal is non-linearly data-compressed in the form of 16 bits to 12 bits and then recorded similarly to the L mode.
Since the recorded signal involves an error correction code, an identification (ID) code or the like in actual practice, the Nyquist frequency (maximum recording frequency) and the minimum wavelength of the recorded signal on the magnetic tape are presented as shown in FIG. 3 (values on FIG. 3 are roughly estimated).
Therefore, according to the new standards of the PCM audio signal, the audio signal can be recorded and reproduced with characteristics equal to or higher than those of a CD (compact disc) and R-DAT (rotary-type digital audio tape recorder).
As described above, in the 8-mm video tape recorder, the standards of the standard mode and the NRML mode are determined and then the standard of the high band mode is added in accordance with the development of technology. Furthermore, the standards of L mode and the N mode are additionally provided.


A composite antenna includes a first antenna structure and a second antenna structure integrally combined with the first antenna structure to operate under different frequency bands respectively that are used in different radio transmission systems such that the first antenna structure has a first conductive layer to operate under a first frequency band and the second antenna structure has a second conductive layer a thickness of which is thicker than that of the first conductive layer to operate under a second frequency band lower than the first frequency band.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to an antenna used in a radio communication. In particular, the invention relates to a composite antenna which can operable under a plurality of different frequency bands.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese laid-open patent application P2003-152445 discloses a conventional composite antenna which can operate under a plurality of different frequency bands. In this prior art, a circular polarized loop antenna structure for for 1.5 GHz band is formed on a dielectric substrate and a square patch antenna structure for 5.8 GHz band is also formed on the same substrate such that the patch antenna locates on the axis of the circular polarized loop antenna structure.
In recent years, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system has been well known as one of the automatic identification technologies that utilize radio waves. The RFID system includes an interrogator (Reader/Writer) and a transponder (RFID tag) and a radio communication is carried out therebetween. When carrying out the radio communication, several transmission systems are used. One may be an electromagnetic coupling transmission that uses a mutual induction of coils caused by an alternating electromagnetic field. Another may be an electromagnetic induction transmission that uses a frequency below 135 kHz band or 13.56 MHz band. Still another may be a radio-wave transmission that uses a UHF band between 860 MHz and 960 MHz or 2.45 GHz band.
In particular, the electromagnetic induction transmission that utilizes 13.56 MHz band is used in a non-contact IC card system that is one of the applications of RFID system, and is widely adopted in many countries. The radio-wave transmission which utilizes a UHF band between 860 MHz and 960 MHz is approved to be used in European countries and the U.S.A, on the one hand, but is not approved in the RFID system in Japan, on the other hand.
Recently, a practical action has started in Japan to adopt a frequency band between 950 MHz and 956 MHz in RFID system and therefore development of a composite antenna that can be operable under not only 13.56 MHz band but also a frequency band between 950 MHz and 956 MHz is desired. That is, an RFID system that can be adapted to two different frequency bands has not been provided although such frequency bands are usable.


A system is provided for delivering push content to a wireless device. The system includes a central storage device, a push content delivery component, and a transfer protocol delivery component. The central storage device stores push content to be delivered to the wireless device. The push content delivery component generates a manifest identification (ID) of content to be delivered to the wireless device and delivers the manifest ID to the wireless device in a communication. The delivery component includes the central storage device and is connected to the push content delivery component. The delivery component delivers the manifest to the wireless device upon receipt of the manifest ID from the wireless device and delivers to the wireless device the content identified in the manifest upon request from the wireless device.

Conventional methods currently being used to deliver push content to mobile devices generally include: (a) delivering mobile content to a mobile device through a push delivery infrastructure, not requiring user intervention; (b) pulling mobile content to a mobile device while the user is viewing content, which requires the user to select the content he or she wishes to receive; and (c) having the mobile device periodically poll the server for new mobile content to pull to the mobile device, generally not requiring user intervention.
These conventional methods for delivering content to mobile devices have a number of problems, including: (a) the push delivery infrastructure being limited in its ability to transfer large amounts of content reliably over carrier networks; (b) mobile device users without push delivery infrastructures not being able to receive content deliveries, which requires the users to pull mobile content to the mobile device while browsing, which introduces additional work and latency to the delivery mechanism; and (c) polling for new content by the mobile device causing additional network overhead, which is inefficient.
It would be desirable to have a method for delivering push content to mobile devices that does not waste processing resources or bandwidth in this way, or waste the time of the user of the device.
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.

System and method for delivering push content to a mobile device


Systems and methods with the ability to raise the set point temperature immediately after a temperature increase due to radiation exposure, thereby reducing T-dot (rate of change in temperature) errors when trying to cool the inertial system back to its original set point temperature. An example system includes an inertial instrument, a sensor that senses if an increased temperature event has been experienced by the inertial instrument, and a controller device that will increase the set point temperature of the inertial instrument based on the determined increase in temperature. The controller device will also maintain the inertial instrument at a temperature associated with at least one of the sensed increased temperature event or the increased set point temperature.

Gamma radiation exposures from nuclear weapons raises the temperature of inertial instruments. Certain kinds of inertial instruments, most notably Vibrating Beam Accelerometers (VBAs), exhibit measurement errors due to not just this change in temperature, but also the rate of change of temperature (T-dot).
High accuracy inertial instruments are temperature controlled to eliminate errors due to temperature drift. In many kinds of instruments T-dot induces greater errors than does the absolute temperature change. Since it is impossible to prevent an initial sudden rate of temperature change due to pulsed gamma ray exposure, the usual approach is to try, when possible, to rapidly return the instrument to its set point temperature. However, the rate of change of temperature while returning the unit to the set point may induce errors greater than those resulting from the absolute change of temperature.
As shown in FIG. 2-1, consider a typical VBA 24 with a proof mass 30 attached to a mechanically stable member 32 by some kind of elastic hinge 34. Heating due to radiation is quite different. Radiation causes consistent heating throughout the proof mass 30 and stable member 32. Since the proof mass and stable member are usually made from the same material, the temperature increase throughout the two masses will be very nearly equal with the major difference being due to unequal exposures of the two masses. The small gradients would produce small strains with a consequently small error. When the unit is thermally stabilized (post thermal increase event) there are no temperature gradients across the hinge 34 (FIG. 2-2). When the temperature controller attempts to lower the temperature of the instrument, initially, heat will begin to flow out of the stable member 32 and a temperature gradient will form across the length of the device (x axis). Then, after some delay, heat will begin to flow through the hinge 34 creating a significant gradient. This gradient will continue to exist while the heat is removed from the proof mass 30 (see FIG. 2-3). Since the hinge 34 has a relatively small cross-sectional area, the process can take quite a while. During this time, the thermal gradients across the hinge 34 will result in a change in the strains within the hinge 34 and thereby inducing errors into the movement of the proof mass 30.

Systems and methods for nuclear event circumvention in an inertial device


Various methods and apparatuses are described that provide instrumentation and analysis of an electronic design having one or more bus interconnects. A relational database may have defined tables designed for interconnect analysis of transactions occurring between initiator intellectual property (IP) cores and target IP cores of the electronic design. A query tool may be configured to format input data to be stored in the defined tables, and have application programming interfaces to retrieve data from the defined tables based on performing a query. The query tool executes an algorithm based on the query to provide the interconnect analysis.

Many electronic designs are written at a register-transfer level (RTL) description of a circuit or system in a hardware description language. Generally, a RTL description describes what intermediate information (i.e. information stored between clock cycles in an electronic circuit) is stored in registers, where it is stored within the design, and how that information moves through the design as it operates. The RTL description of an electronic design is a functional description at least one level of abstraction higher than the individual gate layout of the electronic design system (e.g., gate-level implementation/Netlist). The RTL description fully and explicitly describes virtually all of the logic and sequential operations of the circuit. RTL descriptions are commonly written in standard languages such as Verilog or VHDL and are intended for logic synthesis and mapping with a commercial logic synthesizer.
One prior approach for performance analysis of an electronic design may include using a hardware performance monitor located at a fixed location in a processor which is located within the electronic design. The hardware performance monitor can be monitoring on chip in silicon or with a RTL description as described above. The hardware performance monitor has a limited number of fixed non-configurable parameters to be monitored. These prior approaches are not able to quickly and efficiently monitor and analyze various parameters associated with electronic design performance early in the design cycle resulting in a longer design cycle and slower time to market for the design.

Method and system for a database to monitor and analyze performance of an electronic design


The present invention relates to a flashing light assembly for a microphone, which consists of a collar located on the grid ring frame of the shell of the microphone. More than two light emitting diodes and an electric circuit are also included. There are several socket-rings attached to the circumference of the collar for holding the variably colored light emitting diodes respectively therein. The light emitting diodes are connected to the electric circuit, which is connected to a switch for switching over the light emitting diodes to either light or flash in accordance with the sound picked by the microphone.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flasher for a microphone, and more particularly to a flasher attached to a microphone and includes variably colored light emitting diodes, wherein using the microphone causes the flasher to emit light or flash.
2. Prior Art
In accordance with modern life, television helps people, in their spare time, extricate themselves from their intense work and life. A microphone is used for picking up sound, but most of the microphones commonly used by singers appear cold and dull, and cannot increase the amusing atmosphere.

Flashing light assembly for a microphone


A pair of stilts are provided. Each of the stilts has a resilient flexible foot which can be hinged or integral with the lower stilt leg portion. The resilient flexible foot has first and second projections defining a channel that receives a third projection from the lower stilt portion. The third projection has a horizontal slot to register with vertical slots in the first and second projections. In another embodiment the stilt further includes a shin protector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to stilts.
2. Description of the Related Art
Stilts are well known and are structures designed to increase the height of an individual and to permit the individual to walk from one position to another at an elevated height. Stilts are generally worn by circus clowns and the like, but specialist stilts can be worn by tradesmen who have to work in areas of higher than average height and where it is otherwise difficult to instal platforms, ladders and the like.
The most common type of stilts consists of a pair of long poles each having an offset foot-support platform and, to use the stilts, the wearer grips the top of the poles with his hands and places his feet on the platforms, which extend inwardly from the poles when in use. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that the weight of the user does not act through the pole but, instead, acts in a path parallel to the direction of the pole with the result that there is an inward moment created at the top of the poles. This commonly results in a knock-kneed appearance of the stilt user and it is difficult for the user to walk with the stilts in such a position.
An improved type of stilt consists of a structure which has a foot support with an offset leg support although the weight of the foot acts directly through the bottom of the stilt. This overcomes the problems associated with the offset foot support but a problem with this type of stilt is the inability of the user to ambulate properly. The user can generally only walk quite slowly and it is difficult if not impossible, for the wearer to run. Another problem with existing stilts is that because they have no resilience ground contact shocks pass directly to the wearer's ankles, knees and hips.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,835,493 to Skaggs et al describes hydraulically adjustable stilts which include a ground engaging base plate which is pivotally mounted to a lower leg portion, with springs disposed at each side of the pivot between the leg and the base plate to provide a restraining action in the ankles of persons using the stilt, while the pivotal connection provides for proper contact of the base plates with the ground.
German Patent No. 447,958 discloses a shoe for strapping to a person's foot comprising two spaced plates, the upper plate having stub axles for location in vertical slots formed in upstanding projections from the lower plate. A pair of coil springs are located between the plates and hold the upper plate in a raised position.
The arrangement disclosed by Skaggs would not provide any cushioning for the wearer whilst walking or running. Although the shoe disclosed by the German patent would provide cushioning, this would not be controlled and would likely result in considerable vertical movement of the upper plate; such movement would not be acceptable in a stilt.


A bacteria referred to here as Bacillus subtilis 6A-1 is provided, compositions thereof and processes for use of the bacteria, spores, cells, extracts and enzymes. The compositions which comprise the bacteria, spores, cells, extracts and/or enzymes are capable of degrading polysaccharides. Such compositions are capable of degrading cellulose, including plant-produced cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose and carboxymethyl cellulose. The bacteria produces at least two cellulose-degrading protein fractions. Cellulose degrading activity continues across pH2 to pH13.

Microorganisms which are capable of degrading cellulose are useful in multiple applications but attempts to provide such microbials have met with limited success. Commercial production of cellulase enzymes which can degrade native vegetative cellulose is most successful using specific types of fungi. However, fungi do not lend themselves to use in products which supply viable enzyme producing-microbes. It is very problematic to harvest spores or propagules of fungi. This makes it more difficult to utilize viable cellulase producing fungi as a seed. The viability of such fungal "seeds" for viable conveyance of fungi is relatively sensitive to environmental conditions like heat, moisture, and desiccation. Bacteria have promise in such uses, but applications can be limited due to requirements of specific narrow pH conditions and the like. Accordingly, there is a need for new enzyme sources.

Bacteria and enzymes produced therefrom and methods of using same


A curable composition includes a functionalized poly(arylene ether), an olefinically unsaturated monomer, and a nanofiller. Suitable nanofillers include, for example, carbon nanofibers and nanotubes, main group metal oxides, transition metal oxides, metal carbides, cermet materials, ceramics, glass, perovskites, layered inorganic materials, fibrillar inorganic materials, and combinations thereof. The nanofiller may, optionally, be rendered more organophilic by intercalation with neutral or ionic molecules. Methods of preparing and curing the composition, as well as uses for the cured composition, are described.

Thermoset molding compositions known in the art are generally thermosetting resins containing inorganic fillers and/or fibers. Upon heating, thermoset monomers initially exhibit viscosities low enough to allow for melt processing and molding of an article from the filled monomer composition. Upon further heating, the thermosetting monomers react and cure to form hard resins with high stiffness.
One potential industrial use of thermoset compositions is electrical applications and under hood components such as engine valve covers. Electrical applications typically require specific dielectric properties that are dependent upon the application. Under hood components preferably exhibit high strength, high ductility and high modulus at elevated temperatures. It is also preferred that the dimensions of the molded parts conform closely to those of the molds used to prepare them.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,352,782 to Yeager et al. describes thermoset compositions comprising poly(arylene ether) resins that have been capped with ethylenically unsaturated groups. These compositions exhibit desirable properties including high glass transition temperatures and low coefficients of thermal expansion. However, these materials are not suitable for all applications.
There remains a need for thermoset compositions that can provide excellent mechanical properties and application specific properties such as dielectric strength and high modulus.

Thermoset composite composition, method, and article


A burst-mode phase shift keying (PSK) communications system according to an embodiment of the present invention enables practical, power-efficient, multi-rate communications between an optical transmitter and receiver. Embodiments may operate on differential PSK (DPSK) signals. An embodiment of the system utilizes a single interferometer in the receiver with a relative path delay that is matched to the DPSK symbol rate of the link. DPSK symbols are transmitted in bursts, and the data rate may be varied by changing the ratio of the burst-on time to the burst-off time. This approach offers a number of advantages over conventional DPSK implementations, including near-optimum photon efficiency over a wide range of data rates, simplified multi-rate transceiver implementation, and relaxed transmit laser line-width requirements at low data rates.

Optical Phase-shift keyed (PSK) modulation formats have great utility for optical communications because of their suitability for high-speed long-haul transmission, with good spectral and photon efficiency. Good photon efficiency is important for free space communications applications which may often be limited by channel loss rather than, for example, dispersive properties of a guided channel. PSK modulation formats are also suitable for use with coherent receivers that may achieve even higher efficiency and mitigate dispersive channel effects. Commercial systems incorporating PSK modulation are being deployed to support data rates at 10 Gbps and beyond.
For communications systems that operate over dynamically changing channel conditions, it is useful to support operations over a range of data rates in order to provide features such as fall-back modes of operation and bandwidth on-demand, which may help increase overall channel throughput.
Differentially encoded PSK (DPSK) receivers commonly use interferometric demodulators, such as optical delay-line interferometers (DIs), to perform a phase comparison between differentially encoded symbols. Typically, the DI delay τd is equal to one symbol period τs or an integer multiple of the symbol period nτs, in which the phase comparison is performed on non-adjacent symbols separated by multiple symbols. The use of non-adjacent (NA) demodulation techniques enables transmitter and receiver implementations that may operate a multiple rates that are integer submultiples of the DI delay, or, equivalently, rates that are integer multiples of the DI free spectral range (FSR), where FSR=1/τd, Rate(n)=nFSR=n/τd, and n is an integer rate multiplier. The FSRs of commercially available DIs range from ˜2 GHz to many tens of GHz (and beyond). Since larger FSRs correspond to smaller DI delays, DI packaging is often simplified and size-reduced with increasing FSR. In addition, smaller size DIs are typically easier to stabilize, which is beneficial in communication applications where the DI alignment and stability have a big impact on receiver sensitivity. Using commercially available DIs, multi-rate NA-DPSK demodulation techniques may operate at rates above the few Gbps regime, e.g, 2 Gbps, 4 Gbps, . . . , 10 Gbps, and beyond. Alternative multi-rate DPSK reception techniques include the use of multiple interferometers, each for a different data rate, though this approach is unattractive from a standpoint of size, cost, and complexity.

Method and apparatus for phase shift keyed optical communications


A focus adjustment device has an image sensor for forming a subject image using light flux that has been received through a photographing lens, and generating image signals, and executes focus adjustment based on the image signals. This focus adjustment device comprises a focus detection region setting section for setting a plurality of focus detection regions of differing sizes, within a region in which an image is formed by the image sensor, a determination section, for detecting contrast of image signals within focus detection regions respectively relating to the plurality of focus detection regions, and determining change of a subject based on amount of change of the contrast and temporal change in amount of change of the contrast, and a control section for, in a case where the determination section has determined that there is subject change when a focus adjustment operation is stopped, starting the focus adjustment operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a focus adjustment device, having an image sensor for generating image signals by forming an image from light flux received through a photographing lens, for carrying out focus adjustment based on the generated image signals, and a control method for a focus adjustment device.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known to generate an image signal by photoelectrically converting a subject image based on light flux that has passed through a photographing lens, and carrying out focus adjustment for the photographing lens based on a contrast state of the generated image signal. Detection of a contrast state is generally carried out based on image signals of an AF area that has been set within a shooting screen. In this case, the background of a subject is included within the set AF area, and in a state where the subject and the background image are mixed, AF precision is lowered.
There has therefore been proposed a focus detection device that prevents a background mixing within an AF area and improves AF precision, by carrying out a focus adjustment operation using a smaller AF area included within a normal AF area (refer to Japanese patent laid-open No. 2007-178480).

Focus adjustment device and control method for focus adjustment device