The inventive dispenser comprises a cap and dispenser tube assembly for delivering a foamed product below the surface of a liquid through the dispenser tube. The dispenser tube pivots between a dispensing position and a non-dispensing stowed position, which allows for convenient cleaning of the dispensing tube. The cap further comprises a removable portion between a first and second section of the cap that restricts movement to prevent operation of the dispensing valve until the removable portion is detached by the consumer. The cap also includes a tamper resistant removable pull tab for securing the dispenser tube in the stowed position until the pull tab is detached by the consumer.

This invention relates to a dispenser for aerosol products, and in particular to a dispenser capable of delivering a substance onto a surface and or into a liquid, for example for frothing beverages.
Aerosol containers which dispense food products such as whipped cream have found wide application in the food industry. Food products are often packaged in aerosol cans with a pressurizing agent such as nitrous oxide, which acts as a propellant for dispensing a liquid food product. These aerosol cans include a dispensing valve that may be employed in dispensing a foam-forming liquid as a foam. Such valves may be intermittently operated to dispense small amounts of the product as needed. A problem with these valves is that the product dispensing nozzle or tube does not conveniently provide for delivery into or onto liquids, as would be desirable in making popular "frothed" beverages, such as lattes. For example it would be desirable to dispense a foamed substance, such as whipped cream, onto, and more preferably into a beverage to make a latte. Another problem with many current dispensers is that they can be difficult to clean, particularly after immersion into a beverage.

Dispense for delivering substances onto and into liquids


Compiler functionality is componentized to enable use across different contexts. Conventionally tightly coupled functionality is decoupled and an interface afforded to facilitate interaction with compiler components/subcomponents in various scenarios. In one instance, compiler components can be employed across compile time and runtime. Compile time functionality can be employed at runtime and runtime functionality utilized at compile time thereby blurring the line between time dimensions.

Computer programs are groups of instructions that describe actions to be performed by a computer or other processor-based device. When a computer program is loaded and executed on computer hardware, the computer will behave in a predetermined manner by following the instructions of the computer program. Accordingly, the computer becomes a specialized machine that performs the tasks prescribed by the instructions.
A programmer utilizing a programming language creates the instructions comprising a computer program. Typically, source code is specified or edited by a programmer manually and/or with help of an integrated development environment (IDE). By way of example, a programmer may choose to implement source code utilizing an object-oriented programming language (e.g., C#, VB, Java . . . ) where programmatic logic is specified as interactions between instances of classes or objects, among other things. Subsequently, the source code can be compiled or otherwise transformed to facilitate execution by a computer or like device.
A compiler produces code for a specific target from source code. For example, some compilers transform source code into native code for execution by a specific machine. Other compilers generate intermediate code from source code, where this intermediate code is subsequently interpreted dynamically at run time or compiled just-in-time (JIT) to facilitate cross-platform execution, for instance.
Compilers perform lexical, syntactic, and semantic analysis as well as code generation. A scanner or lexer performs lexical analysis to convert a sequence of characters into tokens based on a program language specification. A parser performs syntactic analysis of tokens provided by the lexer in an attempt to determine structure and often captures such structure in a parse tree in accordance with a formal language grammar. Subsequently, semantic analysis can be performed with respect to the parse tree to determine meaning associated with the code as well as perform type checking and binding, among other things. Finally, a code generator produces code in a target language as a function of the analysis performed.
Type checking is a process of verifying and enforcing type constraints. Programming languages employ type systems to classify data into types that define constraints on data or sets of values as well as allowable operations. This helps ensure program correctness, among other things. Accordingly, types are checked during the semantic analysis phase to ensure values and expressions are being utilized appropriately. In some instances, types are not explicit but rather need to be inferred from contextual information. Thus, type checking sometime necessitates type inference and binding of types to objects.
Knowledge of types is significant in a binding process. Binding refers to associating a value with an identifier or resolving a variable to its definition, among other things. Some programming languages allow overloading of constructs such as functions or methods. More specifically, objects of different types can include the same function or method names. It is only after an object type is determined that the correct definition is known.
However, program languages differ as to when binding occurs. Static or early-bound languages require binding to be performed at compile time. Dynamic or late-bound languages perform binding dynamically at runtime. Other languages employ a hybrid or dual approach in which they bind statically at compile time where possible and defer other binding to runtime. Here, two compilers are conventionally employed—one that operates at compile time to enable early binding and another that operates a runtime to perform late binding.

Componentization of compiler functionality


A method of determining a synchronous phase includes receiving a correlation sequence, and selecting one or more correlated signals from the correlation sequence. Then, when the number of selected correlated signals is odd, the synchronous phase corresponding to a central correlated signal is selected.

The present invention relates generally to phase selection, and more specifically, to a method of determining a synchronous phase from a correlation sequence.
Communication in electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptop computers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), cameras, and so forth, can be asynchronous or synchronous. In asynchronous communication, a transmitter clock and a receiver clock are independent and are not synchronized. There are various standards, such as the Third Generation Digital Baseband/Radio Frequency (3GDigRF) standard, for asynchronous communication. The 3GDigRF standard defines an efficient physical interconnection between a transmitter and a receiver, such as a Baseband Integrated Circuit (BBIC) and a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC) for electronic devices. The 3GDigRF standard ensures that integrated circuits (IC) complying with the standard, when correctly configured, can communicate with each other. Such communication requires acquisition of phase by selecting a phase corresponding to a correlator signal. This phase acquisition ensures synchronization before the data can be recovered from a received signal. The phase acquisition is carried out using a known sequence such as a Post Office Code Standardization Advisory Group (POCSAG) sequence, which is a basic signaling pattern with a sequence of coded binary data such as '1010100001001011', which facilitates transmission in a single-batch.
The phase acquisition technique can suffer from a bias if the phases for synchronization are not resolved correctly. This can limit the duration of the packet transfer with a required Bit Error Rate (BRR). This can also limit the rate of transfer of the packet.
An existing technique carries out the synchronization by observing edge transitions and then performing the centering using the set-up and hold-time information. The technique does not address bias removal or the conflicted centering of phase selection. Thus, it would be desirable to have an accurate phase acquisition technique.

Method of determining a synchronous phase


A duplex/simplex automatic sheet feeder includes a sheet input tray, a sheet output tray, a first sheet-feeding path, a temporary storage region, a first sheet-feeding mechanism, a second sheet-feeding path and a second sheet-feeding mechanism. The temporary storage region and the first sheet-feeding mechanism are configured such that in a simplex feeding mode a sheet from the first sheet-feeding path is transferred to the sheet output tray through the temporary storage region, and in duplex and simplex feeding modes the sheets in the sheet output tray are arranged in the same order as in the sheet input tray.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an automatic sheet feeder, and more particularly to a duplex/simplex automatic sheet feeder.
2. Description of the Related Art
The duplex scanners may be classified into two kinds: a first kind of duplex scanner having two scanning modules for scanning a document, and a second kind of duplex scanner having a single scanning module for scanning the document. In the first kind of duplex scanner, there is only one sheet-feeding path, and the two scanning modules respectively scan the two sides of the document on the feeding path. However, because the cost of the scanning module is high, the price of the first kind of duplex scanner is high.
In a second kind of duplex scanner, there are two sheet-feeding paths. The arrangement order of a stack of sheets or documents after being scanned has to be the same as that before being scanned in order to omit the step of rearranging the documents manually. Therefore, the documents have to be turned over three times so that the order of the stack of documents is kept unchanged.
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration showing a conventional duplex scanning apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, the duplex scanning apparatus includes a duplex sheet feeder 101 and a scanner 190. The scanner 190 includes a housing 191, a glass platen 192, a guiding rod 193 and a scanning module 194. The scanning module 194 may be moved back and forth along the guiding rod 193 such that the duplex scanning apparatus may perform the flatbed scan operation and the duplex sheet-fed scan operation. The duplex sheet feeder 101 includes a sheet input tray 110, a sheet output tray 120, a first sheet-feeding path 130, a temporary tray 141, a first sheet-feeding mechanism 150, and a second sheet-feeding path 160.
A plurality of sheets to be scanned is placed and stored in the sheet input tray 110, and the sheets are placed and stored in the sheet output tray 120 after being scanned. The first sheet-feeding path 130 includes a scanning region 131, a first guiding rod 132 and a second guiding rod 133. When the sheet P is being moved across the scanning region 131, the scanning module 194 under the scanning region 131 may scan the sheet.
The first guiding rod 132 guides the sheet from the first sheet-feeding path 130 to the sheet output tray 120 or the temporary tray 141. The second guiding rod 133 guides the sheet from the temporary tray 141 to the second sheet-feeding path 160, and also guides the sheet from the first sheet-feeding path 130 to the temporary tray 141. The first sheet-feeding mechanism 150 includes a pickup roller 151 and a plurality of auxiliary rollers 152, 153 and 154.
When the duplex scan process is performed, the pickup roller 151 feeds the sheet P into the first sheet-feeding path 130, the auxiliary roller 152 assists in feeding the sheet P across the scanning region 131, and the scanning module 194 scans a front side image of the sheet. Next, the auxiliary rollers 153 and 154, the first guiding rod 132, and the second guiding rod 133 cooperate to transfer the sheet P to the temporary tray 141. Then, two auxiliary rollers 154 are rotated reversely, and the second guiding rod 133 rotates in the clockwise direction so as to feed the sheet into the second sheet-feeding path 160. Next, the sheet enters the first sheet-feeding path 130 from the second sheet-feeding path 160, and is being moved across the scanning region 131, in which the scanning module 194 scans the backside image of the sheet. Thereafter, the sheet P enters the temporary tray 141 again, and is then fed into the second sheet-feeding path 160 and the first sheet-feeding path 130. Finally, the first guiding rod 132 rotates in the clockwise direction so as to transfer the sheet P to the sheet output tray 120. Consequently, the sheet P has to be turned over three time. That is, the sheet P has to be moved across the scanning region 131 thee times.
Hence, when the duplex scan operation is performed, the sheet P has to be turned over three times, and the scan time is thus lengthened. When the simplex scan operation is performed, the sheet P still has to be turned over three times such that the arranged order of the stack of sheets remains intact.
Taiwan Patent Publication No. 526865 discloses a duplex ADF (Automatic Document Feeder), which, however, has the drawback in that the arranged order of the sheets after the duplex scan processes has to be rearranged. This is problematic in a duplex ADF because the user does not wish to spend time to rearrange the sheets or documents manually.
Taiwan Patent Publication No. 529620 discloses another duplex ADF, which, however, has the drawback in that the sheet-feeding mode for the duplex scan process still has to be used when the simplex scan process is performed. Thus, the time still cannot be saved when the simplex scan process is performed.
Consequently, it is advantageous to the users if a simplex/duplex scanning apparatus, which is capable of performing the simplex/duplex scan process and keeping the arranged order of the sheets after the simplex and duplex scan processes are performed, is provided.


Hundreds board device comprising a first member having thereon a series of consecutive natural numbers arranged in a ten by ten number array consecutively numbered from one through one hundred; a second member superimposed on the first member and including an array of windows registering with the numbers such that each of the windows has one of the numbers displayed therethrough; a first array of first colored transparent window slider covers horizontally slideably engaged relative to the first and second members for individually opening and closing each of the windows and a second array of second colored transparent window slider covers vertically slideably engaged relative to the first and second members for individually opening and closing each of the windows such that only one of the two colored transparent window slider covers is used at any one time to close any one window for teaching basic mathematical calculations and concepts.

Over the years, teachers have employed a variety of mathematical calculation devices and methods for teaching lessons to their students in an attempt to increase the students' level of participation and for better facilitating the teaching process. For example, a systematic arrangement of numbered squares have been printed on paper or some other more durable surface in which teachers have students use crayons to color in the numbered squares to solve a math problem or to find a pattern. Coloring in the numbered squares typically limits this teaching device to a one time use and is both time consuming and laborious.
Alternatively, teachers have employed plastic chips to cover the numbered squares to solve a math problem or to find a pattern. This solution is problematic in that the chips are cumbersome to use by a young user, they get easily lost and played with by the young user, and sometimes the chips themselves become more engaging to the young user than the math concept being taught.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a device and method for teaching basic mathematical calculations and/or concepts which overcomes the significant shortcomings of the known prior-art as delineated hereinabove.


An inverse telescopic wide angle lens comprising:. a diaphragm; PA0 a front lens group of an integral positive or negative refractive power, positioned in the object side in front of the diaphragm and having a first lens group of a negative refractive power including a negative lens of which an image-side air-contacting surface is formed as an aspherical surface concave to the image side, and a second lens group of a positive refractive power positioned between the first lens group and the diaphragm; and PA0 a rear lens group of an integral positive refractive power, positioned behind the diaphragm and having plural lenses;. wherein the rear lens group includes a movable lens group consisting of plural lenses which are integrally moved for focusing, wherein the front lens group is fixed, and the focusing is conducted by the movement of the movable lens group alone in such a manner as to vary the rear focal length between the movable lens group and the image plane.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inverse telescopic wide angle lens, and more particularly to an inverse telescopic wide angle lens capable of providing an ultra wide image angle adapted for use as a photographic lens and having a rear focal length larger than the focal length of the lens system.
2. Related Background Art
In the field of inverse telescopic wide angle lens having a front lens group of a negative power in front of a rear lens group of a positive power, there have been made various proposals and various types are already known, as exemplified by a configuration disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,663,095. In such inverse telescopic wide angle lens, the negative refractive power of the front lens group is required for obtaining a rear focal length larger than the focal length, but has the effect of increasing the image angle to the rear positive lens group, thus bringing the curvature of image plane and the Petzval's sum to the negative side. However such negative refractive power can improve the lens performance in a lens system in which the ratio of the rear focal distance to the focal length is not so large.
Nevertheless, in an ultra wide angle lens with an image angle of 80.degree., 100.degree. or even larger in which the distortion aberration, astigmatism or coma aberration is difficult to correct because of the asymmetric structure of the lens system itself and a relatively long rear focal length is required for this reason, the undesirable effect of the negative refractive power of the front lens group appears evidently in the excessively negative distortion and Petzval's sum and in the distortion in the coma aberration. Also in general, in order to minimize the negative distortion generated by a negative meniscus lens generally contained in the front lens group of negative retractive power, also to maintain a satisfactory image plane and to reduce the spherical aberration of the pupil, the lens bendings have to be so designed that the principal ray passes through the negative meniscus lens at about the minimum deviation angle.
However, a negative coma aberration is also generated by the concave face of the negative lens. In particular a large negative coma aberration is generated for the lights outside the principal ray, and the correction therefor becomes a significant burden for the lens designing. On the other hand, a modification in the lens bending for reducing said negative coma aberration will result in other drawbacks such as an increased distortion.
On the other hand, the aberrations other than the distortion can be reduced by increasing the dimension of the lens system, particularly the front lens group. Such proportional enlargement of the lens allows to use the light relatively close to the principal ray, thereby reducing the coma aberration. However such method is basically incapable of correcting the distortion aberration, because the distortion is represented by the ratio of the height of the ideal image point to that of the actual image point and does not change by the proportional enlargement of the lens is the image angle remains same, unless the path of the principal ray is varied. Thus the proportional enlargement of the lens is basically ineffective for the correction of distortion, though it is effective for the correction of coma or image plane curvature. This fact will be readily understood by a wide angle conversion system, which, when magnified in dimension, can improve the spherical aberration and the coma aberration though it does not vary the magnification or the distortion.
However such proportional enlargement of the lens tends to render the lens bulky, though the ease of correction of coma and image plane curvature is advantageous for the correction of distortion in the lens designing. Also a positive lens is often placed close to the negative lens for the purpose of correcting the distortion, and thus configuration tends to further increase the dimension of the lens system.
Also the use of an aspherical face for forrecting the distortion is already known, and there is already known a system employing an aspherical convex face in the negative meniscus lens of the front lens group of negative refractive power, for the purpose of said correction. Although such configuration is effective to a certain extent, such aspherical face only plays an auxiliary role in the optical system consisting of spherical faces only, and is insufficient when the image angle becomes wider. For example a lens system with an image angle of 100.degree. or larger is difficult to design, and the configuration of the lens system becomes inevitably complex by the above-mentioned conventional methods. Also the dimension of the lens tends to become larger in the axial and radial directions.
On the other hand, the focusing of a phototaking lens has generally been conducted by the movement of the entire lens system, but there are also known other methods, such as a method of moving a front lens group, positioned closest to the object, as employed in zoom lenses, and a method of fixing the front lens group relative to the image plane and moving a rear lens group together with a diaphragm, as employed in telephoto lenses.
However, the method of moving the entire lens system or the front lens group is associated with draqbacks of requiring a large and complex moving mechanism and of a slow response speed in focusing. Also the method of moving the rear lens group is not free from the drawbacks of complex lens moving mechanism and slow response in focusing, because an automatic diaphragm control mechanism is recently attached to the diaphragm, for achieving automatic exposure.
In this connection, in the conventional inverse telescopic wide angle lens, there is known a focusing method of moving the entire lens system and simultaneously varying appropriate one of the air gaps separating the component lenses. However such focusing method is equivalent to the conventional general focusing method in that the entire lens system has to be moved. Also the variation in the air gap separating the component lenses is to correct the movement of the image plane to the positive direction when the lens is focused to an object of a short distance, and is not intended for focusing.


A system may be provided and may include a first transmitter; a first antenna, coupled to the first transmitter; wherein the first transmitter is arranged to transmit via the first antenna first radio frequency (RF) signals; a first receiver; a second antenna, coupled to the first receiver; the second antenna differs from the first antenna; an RF acquisition module that is arranged to acquire second RF signals that are representative of the first RF signals; and an RF suppression module, arranged to receive the second RF signals and to generate RF suppression signals for suppressing an effect of a transmission of the first RF signals on the first receiver, and to provide the RF suppression signals to the first receiver.

In various countries Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) frequencies used by DETC receivers and DECT transmitters may be very close to the frequencies utilized by second generation (2G), third generation (3G) and even fourth generation (4G) cellular networks.
Some products (such as Home Automation controller/concentrator) may have both DECT transceivers (for Home Automation control purposes) and cellular transceivers (for emergency calls to service center) integrated in the same box. This may cause severe interference problems.
There is a growing need to provide an efficient device for mitigating these interference problems.

System for allowing co-existence of transceivers


A method and system are provided to synchronize an audio program output at a location remote to a site of a visual display such as a fireworks show, a water and light show, or other event or show with a large visual display visible from distances over which the originally sourced audio is delayed, degraded in quality, or lost. The method includes providing a live show including a visual display with components triggered by one or more control signals. The method further includes concurrently providing an audio output that may include playback of a soundtrack associated with the visual display with a sound system of a mobile device. The audio output is provided at a location that is remote from the site of the visual display, and the audio output is synchronized in time with the components of the visual display using the control signals or a preset start time.

1. Field of the Description
The present description relates, in general, to methods and systems for providing visual displays and live events in outdoor settings or venues, and, more particularly, to methods and systems for enhancing a viewer's appreciation or experience of a live event with visual components, such as a firework display or a water show, when the viewer is at a location remote to the visual components (e.g., a "remote viewing location").
2. Relevant Background
There are many settings where entertainment is provided in an outdoor setting or venue, and the entertainment combines a large visual display made up of numerous components (or "visual components") with an audio soundtrack (or "audio components"). For example, a fireworks display or show is a display of the effects created by numerous firework devices, and the triggering of the firework devices may be synchronized with an appropriate soundtrack of themed music or sound effects. In the United States, firework displays are often provided to celebrate Independence Day, and a soundtrack of patriotically themed music is played during the fireworks display with certain effects timed to or synchronized with the playing of certain songs or portions of the soundtrack (e.g., "rockets' red glare" timed with fireworks that create large red streaks or plumes and so on).
As another example, large fountain-based shows often combine spraying water, which may be selectively illuminated to provide water and light-based visual components, with the playing of a soundtrack. The music or sound effects provided may be synchronized to the triggering of operation of the fountains, e.g., softer or slower music when the fountains are providing fewer and/or smaller streams and louder and/or faster tempo music when the fountains are providing many and/or larger streams of water. Light and/or laser shows are also used to entertain audiences in outdoor settings, and these shows typically combine visual effects with a soundtrack suited to and timed with the visual effects to create an exciting and/or appealing experience for the audience members. Outdoor entertainment may also include providing a movie on a large outdoor screen and using nearby speakers to provide the corresponding and time-synchronized audio components (e.g., actors' dialog, music, and sound effects).
There are many settings where it is desirable to provide entertainment that combines large visual effects or components with audio effects or components. These settings include theme parks, sports stadiums, street fairs, and holiday celebrations in parks, on city streets, and other outdoor environments. While popular, outdoor entertainment that combines visual and audio components can typically only be fully enjoyed by members of an audience located a finite and relatively small distance from the source of the audio components. When the entertainment or show is experienced from too great a distance, the soundtrack or audio components are no longer properly synchronized or timed (as desired by the show's director or as intended) with the visual components.
Because sound travels much more slowly than light, the visual components reach a viewer of the show located at a remote location very quickly (or nearly instantaneously) while there is delay or lag before the corresponding audio components are perceived. The "remote" viewers or audience members may be only a few city blocks away before the visual-to-audio synchronization is lost and/or before the sound simply loses its quality (e.g., becomes distorted or is too soft to be properly enjoyed).
Hence, there remains a need for methods and systems that allow a person at a remote location to enjoy a live show (e.g., an outdoor show or entertainment event) that includes visual components and audio components.

System for synchronizing remotely delivered audio with live visual components


A frame for a gas turbine engine includes an outer casing, an inner hub, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart struts extending radially therebetween. Each strut includes first and second sidewalls defining a radial passage therein, and an elongate damper is disposed in respective ones of the strut passages. Each damper is disposed in an interference fit laterally between the first and second sidewalls for maintaining contact therewith for effecting sliding friction to dampen vibration of the struts.

A gas turbine engine includes one or more rotor shafts which are suitably supported by annular frames. In one exemplary engine, a fan is joined to a fan shaft which is supported at its forward end in a fan frame. The fan frame includes an outer casing, an inner hub, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart struts extending therebetween. The hub supports a bearing for the rotating fan shaft, with the loads therefrom being channeled through the hub and struts into the outer casing. The struts are airfoil shaped since inlet air to the engine first passes between the adjacent struts prior to reaching the fan.
The struts are typically hollow members for reducing weight of the engine while also providing passages through which conduits may be disposed for carrying air or oil, for example, through the struts. Since the struts are hollow and support the rotating fan shaft and allow airflow between adjacent struts, they are subject to excitation forces from the rotating fan shaft and from the air which may cause vibration thereof. Where the natural frequencies of the frame approach the excitation frequencies from the rotating fan, conventionally known as (per)/rev frequencies, and from the inlet airflow, fundamental flexural and torsional modes of vibration, as well as panel modes of vibration may be excited in the individual struts.
It is conventional to either design the frame to provide a suitable margin between the excitation frequencies and the natural resonance frequencies of the frame, or to provide suitable damping material for damping any vibrations which may result. For example, the hollow passages through the struts may be conventionally filled with a damping compound such as rubber for damping vibration of the struts themselves as well as damping vibration of the conduits therein. However, improved frame damping is desired especially where the frames are being made lighter in weight which decreases the margin between the excitation forces and the natural resonance frequencies thereof.


An image reading lens that is constructed of, in succession from the object side, a stop, a meniscus-shaped positive first lens having its convex surface at the image plane side, and a negative second lens having its concave surface at the image plane side. Both the lens surfaces of the first lens and at least one lens surface of the second lens are constructed of an aspherical surface. The shape of the object side aspherical surface of the first lens is formed so as to be inside a reference spherical surface.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image reading lens, and particularly to an image reading lens suitable for an apparatus such as a facsimile apparatus or an image scanner for causing image information on the surface of an original, which is illuminated by a light beam from illuminating means such as an LED array, to be formed on the surface of reading means such as an image sensor (CCD), and reading the image information.
2. Related Background Art
There have heretofore been proposed various apparatuses designed to cause image information on the surface of an original to be imaged on the surface of a solid state image pickup element array (line sensor) at a predetermined magnification by an image reading lens and then to read the image information. For example, as an apparatus designed to read image information by the use of an image reading lens having a resolving power corresponding to a scanning line density of 8 pel (pels/mm) or 200 dpi (dot/inch), there is an apparatus such as a facsimile apparatus or an image scanner.
An image reading lens having, for example, F number 5.6 and a half angle of view of the order of 22.degree. has heretofore been used in such an apparatus.
Such an image reading lens is proposed, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 1-128028. In this publication, the image reading lens is comprised of a so-called triplet type lens comprising three lenses of predetermined shapes, i.e., in succession from the object side, a positive lens, a negative lens and a positive lens, and an aspherical surface is adopted as the image plane side lens surface of the negative lens to thereby achieve an improved optical performance.
Such an image reading lens as a whole is comprised of three lenses of predetermined shapes, and uses glass of high refractive index as the material of the lenses. An aspherical surface is adopted in one of the three lenses. This has led to the problem that the lens construction becomes complicated and relatively high assembly accuracy is required.
Now, in recent years, the tendency of a CCD (line sensor), which is a light receiving element, has advanced toward having a higher sensitivity and along therewith, the tendency of illuminating means (a light source) for illuminating an original (image) has advanced toward having a lower luminance.
As an example of this, there have been proposed various image reading apparatuses using as illuminating means an LED array comprising a plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes) of simple construction and low cost arranged side by side, and utilizing this LED array to illuminate an image.
The spectral energy distribution of this LED array used as the illuminating means concentrates in a very narrow wavelength area. Therefore, it is important for an image reading lens, for reading image information on the surface of an original illuminated by a light beam from the illuminating means comprising such LED array, to correct various aberrations. In particular, the chromatic aberration of magnification must be corrected in a particularly narrow wavelength area, even better than in a conventional image reading lens that is directed to wide band spectral energy.


Wrappers for smoking articles are disclosed having reduced ignition proclivity characteristics. The wrappers include discrete areas treated with a reduced ignition composition. In accordance with the present disclosure, the amount of burn promoting agents is controlled over the surface of the wrapper in order to, in one embodiment, increase the permeability of the treated areas.

There is an ongoing concern in the tobacco industry to produce cigarettes having wrappers which reduce the ignition proclivity of the smoking article, or the tendency of the smoking article to ignite surfaces which come into contact with the lit smoking article. Reports have been made of fires attributed to burning cigarettes coming into contact with combustible materials. A justifiable interest exists in the industry to reduce the tendency of cigarettes, or other smoking articles to ignite surfaces and materials used in furniture, bedding, and the like upon contact.
Thus, a desirable feature of smoking articles, particularly cigarettes, is that they tend to self-extinguish upon being dropped or left in a free burning state on combustible materials.
It has long been recognized in the tobacco industry that the cigarette wrapper can have a significant influence on the smolder characteristics of the cigarette. In this regard, various attempts have been made in the art to alter or modify the cigarette wrappers in order to achieve the desired tendency of the cigarette to self-extinguish, or in other words to reduce the ignition proclivity characteristics of cigarettes.
The prior art describes the application of film-forming compositions or alternatively cellulosic fibrous compositions to cigarette paper to reduce the paper permeability and control the burn rate. It has been shown that when these materials have been applied in discrete areas along the length of the cigarette, the cigarette shows a reduced propensity to ignite a substrate and tends to self-extinguish.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,753 to Peterson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,530 to Kraker, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,867 to Peterson et al., which are incorporated herein by reference, for example, describe a smoking article wrapper being treated with a film-forming composition to reduce ignition proclivity. U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,754 to Peterson et al. which is also incorporated herein by reference describes a smoking article wrapper being treated with a non-aqueous solution of a solvent soluble polymer dissolved in a non-aqueous solution to reduce ignition proclivity.
Although the above patents have provided great advancements in the art, further improvements are still needed. For instance, the discrete areas formed on the wrapper that are intended to reduce ignition proclivity can have various adverse effects on the smoking article. The treated discrete areas, for instance, generally have a lower permeability than the base wrapper. The lower permeability in the treated areas can have an adverse impact upon the enjoyment of the smoking article, creating mainstream smoke with a harsh taste in comparison to the remainder of the smoking article.
In the past, in order to counteract some of the above effects, treated discrete areas were produced having a permeability that gradually changed from a minimum to a maximum over the width of the treated discrete areas in the direction of the burning coal. This arrangement has provided various improvements.
In the past, particular film-forming compositions have been proposed that contain a film-forming material having a relatively low molecular weight. These film-forming compositions were applied to the wrapper at relatively high solids concentrations. This arrangement also allowed for some improvement in controlling permeability of the treated discrete areas.
Further improvements, however, are still needed. For instance, a need exists for a wrapper for a smoking article having treated discrete areas in which the treated discrete areas have a relatively high permeability. Specifically, a need exists for a method of increasing the permeability in the treated areas without having to be limited to particular film-forming materials.
A need also exists for producing treated discrete areas on a wrapper that reduce the ignition proclivity of a smoking article to desired levels while having a minimal impact upon permeability and while also using a minimal amount of material added to the wrapper.

Wrapper having reduced ignition proclivity characteristics


The invention relates to a method for generating a 3D reconstruction of an especially large body that cannot be captured by a single projection by capturing at least two projections, which together capture the body, at each of the positions taken up by a C-arm X-ray unit. Data from the two projections is projected onto a virtual detector and the data from the virtual detector is then used for the filtered back projection procedure. It is assumed here that the real source remains motionless and that only the detector moves. A virtual detector D1′/D2′ is only used in order to carry out large scale filtering in the event that real sources Q1 and Q2 for the two projections do not coincide. A return is then made to two independent projections. These two independent projections are used separately in the filtered back projection procedure to generate the 3D reconstruction.

A 3D reconstruction is a data set in which individual volume elements (voxels) of a body are assigned numerical values (gray scale values). The compound view provides information about the structure of the body. 3D reconstructions are usually generated by capturing a sequence of two-dimensional images (projections) from different angles. The different angles are created by rotating—that is to say progressively changing the position of—a C-arm X-ray unit on which are mounted an X-ray source and an X-ray detector. Each projection (i.e. each image captured) is then back-projected in three dimensions. It is usually assumed in this method that the X-ray beam attenuates at an even rate along a projection beam from the X-ray source to the X-ray detector. Structures are apparent in the 3D reconstruction due to the large number of projections involved in the method.
One problem with the 3D reconstruction when working with larger bodies is that due to its limited size, the X-ray detector only captures a fan beam that does not fully cover the body under investigation. There are, in other words, some regions of the body that do not appear in the image at the X-ray detector.
DE 10 2006 041 033.5, which was published subsequent to the filing date of the present application, describes a solution to the problem of wide bodies in which two (or even more than two) projections are captured at each of the positions taken up by the C-arm X-ray unit and in which the focus detector system is rotated between projections. It is assumed here that the X-ray source remains in the same position.
The two projections are mapped onto a virtual detector by means of what is known as homography so as to produce a larger combined image that captures the entire object. This combined image is then reconstructed using a conventional reconstruction method (for example making use of what is known as the Feldkamp algorithm). A filter that extends across horizontal rows in the detector is usually employed. This filter may be a ramp filter or a Hilbert filter.
A necessary condition implicit in the generation of the virtual detector in the method filed previously is that the X-ray source does not move in a translational manner between the two projections. However effects associated with the control technology, the structure of the C-arm X-ray unit and the mobility of the latter can lead to a situation in which the source position for the two projections is no longer the same and in which the two projections actually have different source positions. This means that the projections can no longer be superimposed without the appearance of artifacts. The artifacts appear in the 3D reconstruction of the body when it is generated.

Method for generating a 3D reconstruction of a body


A sensor includes a carrier carrying a light sensor array. The light sensor array has pixels that are each configured to generate an electrical output in response to receiving a light photon. The light sensor array can be included in or on a wafer or can be built in or on a wafer. The sensor also includes electrical conductors through which the pixels electrically communicate with electronics on the carrier. Each of the electrical conductors is at least partially positioned in a recess that extends into the wafer.

A variety of devices, such as position emission tomography (PET) scanners, make use of sensors that have a scintillator positioned over a light sensor array. During use of these devices, photons are received by the scintillator and are converted to a light photon that is then received at the light sensor array. Electronics in communication with the light sensor array determine which light sensors in the array receive the light photon and use this information to generate the results.
The results generated by the electronics are generally based on the approximation that the light sensor that receives the light photon is positioned where the light photon originated in the scintillator. However, this approximation is often not accurate and accordingly is a source of error in the results. As a result, there is a need for an improvement in the results produced by these devices.

System having reduced distance between scintillator and light sensor array


A method, system and computer-readable medium where an integrator application identifies an excess energy condition based on a supply load of electricity exceeding a consumptive load. The integrator application directs an air scrubber to utilize the excess electricity to remove carbon dioxide from the ambient air and routes the carbon dioxide to an enhanced coal bed methane well where methane is displaced by the carbon dioxide. In response to identifying an energy deficient condition based on the consumptive load exceeding the supply load, the integrator application routes the methane to a gas power plant and directs the gas power plant to convent the methane to electricity.

The modern world faces a number of dilemmas in the clean generation of electricity. For example, a pressing technological problem with major renewable sources of solar and wind power is that such renewable energy sources are intermittent nature. For example, such energy sources may only produce energy when the sun shines or the wind blows. Thus, such renewable energy sources may be incapable of meeting demand, e.g., at night or on still days.
Moreover, batteries are not capable of storing huge amounts of electricity generated while renewable energy sources are working and releasing the stored electricity when the renewable energy sources are not working. Technological requirements for batteries with required capacities to store a requisite amount of electricity are simply beyond our capabilities at the present time. For this reason, society often continues to rely on fossil-fuel power plants to take up any slack when renewable energy sources cannot keep up with demand.
Meanwhile, the most pressing ecological problem with renewable energy sources is that they do not lower the concentration of carbon-dioxide greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Even at their respective peak efficacies, renewable energy sources simply reduce the emission of further carbon dioxide from the generation of electricity.
Accordingly, there is a need to develop a method or system that will store power from renewable energy sources when they exceed demand, release stored power when the renewable energy sources fall short of demand, and lower the levels of greenhouse gases in our environment.

Hybrid power generation system combines renewable energy with direct-air-capture (DAC)


A vehicle includes a moveable closure panel and a system for activating movement of the closure panel. The system is configured to receive a voice command to move the closure panel, identify the location of an object in an area surrounding the vehicle, and if the object is within a predetermined zone of the area for permitting movement of the closure panel in accordance with the voice command, generate an instruction to move the closure panel in accordance with the voice command. The vehicle further includes at least one actuator responsive to the instruction to move the closure panel in accordance with the voice command.

A passenger vehicle may include a backdoor and/or other closure panels, such as side doors. Many if not all vehicles include systems that allow for manual movement of a given closure panel by a user of the vehicle. The interface between the vehicle and the user in these vehicles may include a lock and a handle, for example.
In some vehicles, the closure panel may additionally be powered for automatic movement. In order to activate automatic movement of the closure panel in these vehicles, the interface between the vehicle and the user may require the user to manually actuate a user input device, such as a remote controller or a request switch on the vehicle, or to make a gesture, such as a kick, toward the vehicle.

System for speech activated movement of a vehicle backdoor


An example embodiment of an active cascode circuit has a control circuit for control of the gate to source voltage (VGS) of at least one transistor in the active cascode circuit. The embodiment may be configured so that control of the VGS also controls the voltage Vin on the input. Vin may be adjusted without altering the device geometry or changing the drain current. This allows for better control and optimization of available headroom for the input voltage in low voltage designs and also results in higher active cascode circuit bandwidth and/or higher output impedance (Rout) for a given power level.

Active cascode circuits are widely used in electronic circuits to improve the output impedance of current sources. Active cascode circuits are also used to improve the output impedance of differential pairs, and are widely used as a method of gain enhancement in amplifiers. Because active cascode circuits are widely used in the aforementioned and, also, in many other applications, it would provide an advantage to have an improved active cascode circuit.

Active cascode circuit using backgate control


Inhomogeneous concentrated polymer network with approximately 90° twisted nematic liquid crystal (TN-LC) is used for fabricating lens and prisms. For forming a positive lens, the approximately 90° TN-LC polymer network concentration can gradually decrease from the center to the side edges. For forming a negative lens, the approximately 90° TN-LC polymer network concentration can gradually increase from the center to the side edges. The lens can be created by ultra violet (UV) light exposure to patterned photo masks. The lens can be tuned by applying voltage above the threshold voltage to the polymer network. The inhomogeneous 90° TN-LC polymer network can also be used in Fresnel lens and prisms. Applications of the invention can be used for micro lens, array, optical communication, micro-optics, adaptive optics and beam steering.

Micro lenses have attracted extensive attention because it is one of the most important components in the microoptics field for optical fiber coupling, optical parallel processing, optical interconnection, adaptive optics, beam steering and optical biomedicine. Many kinds of methods and materials have been proposed to fabricate micro lens.
Liquid crystal (LC) devices have been widely used in a variety of applications including display, shutter, mirror, and grating. For example, Tsubota et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,127 describes a LC device with a display area and U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,133 to Furuta describes the use of twisted nematic liquid crystal (TNLC) as a shutter. Another use of liquid crystals as cells is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,919,606 to Kazlas et al. A polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) device with a polymer concentration of more than 65% is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Publication No. US2002/0097355 A1 to Kralik et al. In addition, liquid crystal (LC) devices have also been proposed for application as electrically tunable micro lens due to the ability of controlling the phase of light passing through them; see for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,616 to Kowel, U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,229 to Oaki et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,234 to Takahashi et al. and U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2002/0181125 A1 to Nishioka. Cylindrical and circular LC lenses with variable focal length have been produced using slit-patterned and circular-hole-patterned electrode structures, respectively. Two papers have been published: 1. "Cylindrical liquid crystal lens and its applications in optical pattern correlation systems", published by He et al in the Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 34, No. 5A, May 1995, pp. 2392-2395, and 2. "Transient properties of a liquid crystal micro lens", published by Ye and Sato in the Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 40, No. 11, November 2001, pp. 6514-6521. However, there are some problems with the liquid crystal devices. The major disadvantage is that these devices are sensitive to the polarization of the incident light. Therefore, a linearly polarized light is usually required to avoid the polarization dispersion. In addition to the loss of at least half of the incident light, the requirement of linearly polarized light is also an obstruction to applying liquid crystal lens in the micro-optics field, especially for fiber-optic communication, because the polarization of the light passing through a fiber is unpreserved.
To overcome the polarization problem, J. S. Patel published a paper "Polarization insensitive tunable liquid crystal etalon filter" in Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 59, No. 11, September 1991, pp. 1314-1316 reporting on a double crossed-layer liquid crystal device. However, the fabrication process is complicated and the light must be split into two beams passing through the cell simultaneously. In 2002, H. W. Ren and S. T. Wu published a paper on the gradient refractive index nanoscale polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (GRIN PDLC; Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 81, 3537-9 (2002)). Due to the nanoscale LC droplets involved, the GRIN PDLC lens is independent of light polarization. However, the nanoscale PDLC droplets are difficult to be reoriented by the electric field so that the required voltage is quite high (˜100V). In 1991, J. S. Patel et al published a paper "Electrically tunable and polarization insensitive Fabry-Perot etalon with a liquid-crystal film" in Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 58, pp. 2491-2493 (1991). The authors observed the polarization-independent phenomenon in a Fabry-Perot cavity with a 90° twisted nematic (TN) LC. However, this paper did not teach how to make a tunable electronic lens. To make such a lens, a gradient refractive index has to be formed.
In this invention, we develop methods for achieving a gradient refractive index profile in a polymer-network approximately 90° TN-LC cell for tunable electronic lens. Such an electronic lens is independent of light polarization and has a relatively low (<20V) operating voltage.

Electronically tunable polarization-independent micro lens using polymer network twisted nematic liquid crystal

Research Foundation of the University of Central Florida, Inc.


A composition containing magnetic metal oxide ultrafine particles, which comprises an aqueous sol of a complex of the magnetic metal oxide ultrafine particles with a polysaccharide, a polysaccharide derivative and/or a protein; and an organic monocarboxylic acid. The composition is free of side effects such as platelet aggregation, is safe for use with living bodies, and, in the case of intravascular administration, has no harmful effects on living bodies, and is useful in fields such as medicine and diagnostic drugs.

A composition comprising magnetic metal oxide ultrafine particles, for example, so-called magnetic fluid, has various uses, and there can be mentioned, as one field thereof, a use as a base for diagnostic drugs.
However, in order to safely and efficaciously administer to living organisms metal oxide fine particles of macromolecular size, various factors must be considered. Known preparations have various drawbacks, particularly problems are recognized in the point of biocompatibility, and various proposals are made for improvement. For example, Japanese Tokuhyosho 500196/1989 (PCT/WO88/00060) discloses dextran-coated superparamagnetic fluid dispersed in a polycarboxylic acid buffer. For use of these magnetic fluid preparations in the medical field, some points including toxicity should still be improved.
In the application of magnetic fluid to medicine and diagnostic drugs, particularly as a result of research on the aspect of its toxicity, the present inventors found that magnetic fluid as a foreign substance within living bodies has a bad influence on living bodies, for example, it aggregates platelets which are an important constituent of blood, and this is a cause of toxicity of magnetic fluid.
Thus, the present inventors intensely studied aiming to develop a magnetic fluid which is free of side effects such as platelet aggregation, is excellent in safety to living bodies, and, when intravascularly administered, does not have a bad influence on living bodies. As a result, we have found that when an organic monocarboxylic acid, e.g. lactic acid is compounded into an aqueous sol of a complex of magnetic metal oxide ultrafine particles with a polysaccharide, a polysaccharide derivative and/or a protein, the property of the aqueous sol to aggregate platelets can remarkably be reduced without substantial change in the intrinsic properties of the aqueous sol such as magnetic properties, metabolic properties and tissue specificity, and completed this invention.

Composition comprising magnetic metal oxide ultrafine particles and derivatized polysaccharides


A new and distinct Echeveria hybrid plant named ‘AMIECH1913’ which is characterized by strongly concave obovate to short spatulate foliage in a basal rosette, green foliage that is lightly covered with light greyed-green epicuticular wax, and the stability of these characteristics from generation to generation.

Parentage: 'AMIECH1913' is an interspecific hybrid seedling selection resulting from the controlled pollination of Echeveria gilva 'Green Gilva' (not patented), the seed parent, with an unnamed Echeveria desmetiana (not patented), the pollen parent. The crossing was made by the inventor in the spring of 2017 at a commercial greenhouse in Heerhugowaard, the Netherlands. In the winter of 2017, one seedling was observed which exhibited unique growth and foliage characteristics. The seedling was isolated for further evaluation in order to confirm the distinctness and stability of the characteristics first observed. Upon confirmation of distinctness and stability, 'AMIECH1913' was selected for commercialization.
Asexual Reproduction: Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar 'AMIECH1913', by way of rooting leaf cuttings, was first initiated in the summer of 2018 at the inventor's commercial greenhouse in Heerhugowaard, the Netherlands. Through three subsequent generations, the unique features of this cultivar have proven to be stable and true to type.


An optical scanning device includes a housing, a polygon mirror, and a motor. The polygon mirror is disposed in the housing and reflects light incident thereon while being rotated. The motor is disposed in the housing and rotates the polygon mirror. The housing has a cooling passage that cools the interior of the housing. The cooling passage is asymmetrically located relative to a rotation shaft of the motor in a cross section perpendicular to the main scanning direction.

The present disclosure relates to optical scanning devices and image forming apparatuses.
A typical image forming apparatus includes four photosensitive drums for four different colors to form a color image on a sheet. For simplifying the optical design and reducing the cost, such an image forming apparatus includes two laser scanning units (LSUs) for four photosensitive drums. That is, one LSU is shared between two photosensitive drums. Each LSU includes one polygon mirror and one motor. Each LSU rotates the polygon mirror by the motor and scans the two photosensitive drums with a laser beam, forming an electrostatic latent image on the respective photosensitive drums.
While being driven, the motors generate heat to raise the internal temperature of the housing of the LSUs, which may cause thermal deformation of the optical components or peripheral components. As a consequence, toner images of four colors, which are formed based on the four electrostatic latent images on the four photosensitive drums, may deviate from one another when the toner images are overlaid on a sheet. That is, misregistration of colors may occur.
In particular, when one polygon mirror is used to scan two photosensitive drums with light, the scanning direction on one of the photosensitive drums is opposite to the scanning direction on the other. Thus, images of the colors corresponding to the respective photosensitive drums deviate in opposite directions. Such deviation is more noticeable as compared with the case where color images are deviated in the same direction.
In view of the above, each LSU is provided with cooling passages, one below and another above the motor, for restricting the rise in the internal temperature of the housing. This is effective to restrict deviation of images of the respective colors. The cooling passage is located symmetrically relative to the rotation shaft of the motor.

Optical scanning device and image forming apparatus


Nanocatalysts and methods of using the same to obtain aromatic hydrocarbon compounds from a source of carbon atoms and a source of hydrogen atoms in a single reaction step is provided. The catalyst comprises an Fe/Fe3O4 nanocatalyst that may be supported on a non-reactive support material such as a zeolite or alumina CO2 and H2 are preferred sources of carbon and hydrogen atoms for the reaction. The aromatic hydrocarbon compounds produced are suitable for direct usage as fuel without need for further refining.

Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed toward nanocatalysts and methods of using such catalysts to synthesize aromatic hydrocarbon compounds from carbon dioxide and hydrogen mixtures under relatively mild reaction conditions. Particularly, the catalyst comprises an Fe/Fe3O4 nanocatalyst that may be supported on a non-reactive support material such as a zeolite or alumina. The aromatic hydrocarbon compounds produced are suitable for direct usage as fuel without need for further refining.
Description of the Prior Art
The diminishing fossil fuel reserves and ever-increasing CO2 emissions have created great concern amongst the scientific community. Since the industrial revolution, a significant increase of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere has been witnessed due to the combustion of carbon-rich fossil fuels, consequently, leading to global warming and drastic climate changes. As a result, the quest for renewable and cleaner energy sources to meet the fast population and economic growth is more urgent than ever before. Being the most abundant carbon source in earth's atmosphere, CO2 can be used as a cheap and non-toxic C1 building block in many chemical processes. Hydrogenation of CO2 to produce methanol and dimethylether (DME), as well as hydrocarbons is attractive, not only because these products are excellent fuels for internal combustion engines, but also because the whole process is considered to be cleaner, sustainable, and carbon-neutral (for example, using CO2 from atmosphere, H2 from water splitting and sunlight for energy). However, their chemical and physical properties, are inferior to conventional gasoline. Our distribution systems were developed for liquid fuel. It is easier and less costly to use the existing distribution infrastructure instead of building a new distribution system for methane or hydrogen. Liquid fuels are also safer than gaseous fuels: 1000 atmospheres (14,696 psi) of CH4 or H2 have the same density than 1 L of liquid fuels at room temperature. However, liquid fuels are much less in danger of explosion during accidents.
Although methane has a high octane number (120), it is not useful for classic combustion engines. Mesitylene, octane number: 110, xylenes: 115-120, toluene: 111 make excellent components of high-octane fuel (86 to 92 in the US). Finally, whereas the long-term storage of hydrogen is very difficult, a mixture of aromatic hydrocarbons can be easily stored for fuel or synthesis application.
Iron-based heterogeneous catalysts have been intensively studied for the CO2 hydrogenation reaction. Earlier research showed that bulk iron or iron oxides catalyze CO2 hydrogenation, which mainly produce methane as product. These catalysts were rapidly deactivated due to carbon deposition. Doping of promoters such as potassium, manganese, and copper had significant effect on both the reactivity and selectivity of the iron-based catalysts. Higher olefins and aliphatic hydrocarbons, as well as improved CO2 conversion, were achieved. Al2O3 was found to be an excellent structure promoter to sustain the catalyst activity of iron-based catalysts by preventing sintering of active particles during the reaction. When using zeolites as solid supports, the product's distribution was highly dependent on the structure and acidity of the zeolites. The iron-zeolite composites were also reported as dual functional catalysts that promoted multi-step transformation for CO2 hydrogenation.
In spite of all the efforts during the last decades, the direct formation of aromatic hydrocarbons in a one-step reaction from carbon dioxide, without forming aliphatic hydrocarbons first, remains elusive.

Nanoparticle catalyst capable of forming aromatic hydrocarbons from CO

Kansas State University Research Foundation


The present invention, according to one embodiment, relates to a method for matching the dynamic range of an information signal to the dynamic range of a receptor. The method comprises the steps of: monitoring the information signal; varying the gain of the information signal in response to the monitoring step so as to provide a gain adjusted information signal; generating a variable control signal having a frequency outside frequency range of the information signal, in response to the monitoring step; combining the control signal with the gain adjusted information signal so as to provide a combined information signal; and providing a variable amplitude dependent gain to the combined information signal so as to provide an output signal that substantially matches the dynamic range of the receptor.

This invention relates to a signal processing system and more specifically to an amplitude range matching system.
An amplitude range matching system, which can be implemented in analog or digital form, processes the amplitude range of an information signal which contains amplitude information within an amplitude range and frequency information within a frequency range. The lowest possible information signal amplitude may be defined as the lower limit of the information signal amplitude range, which the highest possible information signal amplitude may be defined as the upper limit of the information signal amplitude range. The information signal amplitude range is, therefore, the range over which the information signal amplitude can vary between its lower and upper limits, and is typically measured in Volts. Similarly the lowest possible information signal frequency may be defined as the lower limit of the information signal frequency range and the highest possible information signal frequency being defined as the upper limit of the information signal frequency range. The information signal frequency range is, therefore, the range over which the Information Signal frequency can vary between its lower and upper limits, and is typically measured in Hertz. Amplitude range matching systems are employed to improve the clarity of reception of the information signal by matching the processed information signal amplitude range to the optimum amplitude range of the information signal receptor, which may be human or electronic. Over this optimum amplitude range reception sensitivity is at a maximum and information signal amplitudes may be clearly received without causing distortion or damage to the receptor. This process does not affect the frequency content of the information signal within the information signal frequency range so that the processed information signal contains the same frequency content as the information signal.
A receptor which has a limited optimum amplitude range cannot receive all of the information contained within an information signal which has a larger amplitude range. Similarly, if a receptor has an optimum amplitude range which is larger than the information signal amplitude range then lack of reception sensitivity could result in the loss of the detailed information contained within the information signal during reception. Both these situations require a system which can match the information signal amplitude range to the optimum amplitude range of the receptor.
Many techniques have been developed to receive information within a defined frequency range. There are at least three main problems associated with receiving the information held within a defined amplitude range: (1) lack of reception clarity due to a poor signal to noise ratio; (2) loss of information; and (3) potential damage to the receptor. These problems are caused when the amplitude range of the information signal does not match with the optimum amplitude range of the receptor. For example, if a receptor has a fixed amplitude range it will not be able to receive all the information within a signal which has a larger amplitude range and may be damaged by the information signal. If a receptor has a fixed amplitude range which is much larger than the amplitude range of the information signal then detailed information may be lost due to the lack of sensitivity of the receptor as encountered in the United Kingdom Patent No. GB 2,224,413A. Human, electronic, electrical and mechanical receptors generally have a fixed optimum amplitude range over which they operate comfortably and at maximum sensitivity.
Prior art techniques employ linear gain variation arrangements to increase the low amplitude portion of an information signal. In such arrangements, however, the high amplitude portion of the information signal is amplified outside the upper limit of the optimum amplitude range of the receptor causing loss of information and possibly causing damage to the receptor. If the same linear gain variation is used to decrease the high amplitude portion of the information signal then the low amplitude portion of the information signal will be attenuated outside the lower limit of the optimum amplitude range of the receptor causing loss of information. Linear gain variation has the same effect on both the signal and the noise and cannot be used, therefore, to improve the signal to noise ratio in the processed information signal which results in a reduction in the reception clarity.
Automatic gain control and fast fourier analysis normalization techniques can be used for amplitude range matching but often introduce switching noise into the processed information signal, where switching noise, in the present context, is a sudden large change in the amplitude of the processed information signal due to a gain change which is not sufficiently controlled.
Averaging techniques which set the gain applied to the information signal based on the average of the information signal amplitude over a certain time period introduce a delay into the application of gain changes on the information signal. This may result in low amplitude signals being lost due to insufficient gain, high amplitude signals causing distortion or damage to the receptor due to excessive gain and the introduction of switching noise into the processed information signal due to a gain change being carried out too slowly.
Some prior art systems have employed compression techniques. However, such compression techniques can introduce distortion into the processed information signal due to excessive gain on low level information signals and excessive attenuation of high level information signals so that the detail in the processed information signal may be lost.
Thus there is a need for a system that matches the information signal amplitude range to the optimum amplitude range of the receptor, without introducing switching noise into the processed information signal, reducing reception clarity, causing loss of information or potential damage to the receptor. There is also a need for an amplitude range matching system that can be used to process information signals of any frequency range.
The present invention, according to one embodiment, relates to a method for matching the dynamic range of an information signal to the dynamic range of a receptor. The method comprises the steps of: monitoring the information signal; varying the gain of the information signal in response to the monitoring step so as to provide a gain adjusted information signal; generating a variable control signal having a frequency outside the frequency range of the information signal, in response to the monitoring step; combining the control signal with the gain adjusted information signal so as to provide a combined information signal; and providing a variable amplitude dependent gain to the combined information signal so as to provide an output signal that substantially matches the dynamic range of the receptor.
According to one embodiment, wherein prior to the step of generating a variable control signal, the method further comprises a first filtering step for filtering out frequencies outside the frequency range of the information signal. The method may also comprise the step of providing a linear amplification to the information signal.
According to still another embodiment of the invention, the combining step of the method further comprises the step of varying the ratio of the control signal and the gain adjusted information signal. This ratio may be varied so as to equal a ratio of 1:1. Furthermore, the step of providing a variable amplitude dependent gain may further comprise the step of subjecting the combined signal to a power of 1/n, wherein n is a positive number including a fraction, so as to provide a combination of variable compression and expansion factors. The method may also comprise a second filtering step for filtering out all frequencies outside the frequency range of said information signal, after which may be performed the step of providing a linear amplification.


This disclosure describes, in part, techniques for utilizing proxy contact information in order to allow merchants to communicate with customers. For instance, a payment service may receive, from a first merchant device, payment information and first contact information for a customer during a first transaction. The payment service may then associate the payment information with the first contact information. Next, the payment service may receive the payment information from a second merchant device during a second transaction. Based on receiving the payment information, the payment service may identify the first contact information using the association between the payment information and the first contact information, generate second contact information for the customer, associated the second contact information with the first contact information, and send the second contact information to the second merchant device. The second merchant can use the second contact information to communicate with the customer.

Merchants may conduct transactions for items and services with customers. To conduct a transaction with a customer, a merchant can use a point-of-sale (POS) device to receive payment from the customer, such as in the form of a payment instrument, and process payment instrument for a cost of the transaction using a payment service. The merchant can then use the POS device to generate a receipt for the customer. The receipt can include a digital receipt that the POS device sends the customer using contact information of the customer, such as an email address of the customer. The customer can provide the merchant with the contact information at a time of the transaction.
In some cases, a merchant may provide other merchants with the contact information. The other merchants can then use the contact information to send messages to the customer, such as advertisements or coupons for items or services provided by the other merchants. As such, the customer may not provide a merchant with the contact information during the transaction, as the customer may not want receive messages from other merchants. This can create problems for merchants that want to stay in contact with the customer after a respective transaction, such as through electronic messaging.

Utilizing proxy contact information for merchant communications


There is disclosed an improved photographic apparatus of the self-developing type and method of operation which includes a film assemblage. The camera includes a housing assembly; strip of photographic film; a strip of self-developing photosensitive film; a foldable strip of carrier sheet material; a mechanism for taking up the photosensitive film strip past an exposure station for exposure thereof and for storage of the exposed photosensitive film strip. An advancing mechanism is provided for advancing the exposed photosensitive film strip from the taking up mechanism and the carrier strip through an exit. Provision is made for a mechanism which is operable for dispensing processing fluid between the exposed film strip and the sheet; and, a pressure applying mechanism is operable for superimposing the photosensitive film relative to the carrier sheet following dispensing of the fluid between the film and sheet for distributing the fluid over preselected portions of the exposed photosensitive film to form an integral photographic film strip in response to the advancing mechanism withdrawing the strip and the sheet through the pressure applying mechanism and the exit.

The present invention relates generally to photographic apparatus and methods and, in particular, to single use photographic apparatus and methods employing self-developing film.
For reasons of economy and convenience, so-called single use or disposable photographic cameras have gained widespread popularity in recent years. Typically, such cameras when sold contain conventional photographic film ready for exposure.
Following film exposure, the camera and film are forwarded to a developer for processing instead of merely the film; as is customarily the case. At the processor, the exposed film is removed from the cameras for processing; while the cameras are not returned to the user but can be discarded. In any event, the photographer must wait until the film is returned from the processor.
Self-developing type cameras employing self-developing film have enjoyed wide spread commercial success because they allow the user to obtain the instant results of their photographic efforts. In general, however, self-developing cameras are dedicated for repeated use. However, because of the appeal of disposable single use cameras, there are continuing efforts to provide the numerous benefits of self-developing film in a single use camera. In this regard, reference is made to commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,804 issued Sep. 26, 1995 that discloses a single use camera for processing self-developing film. While the approach described in this patent is successful, there is nevertheless a continuing desire to devise other approaches for processing self-developing film in the context of single use cameras.

Single use camera employing self-developing film and method thereof


A radio frequency IC tag and a manufacturing method for the same includes an IC chip on which information is stored, and an antenna for transmitting the information that is stored on the IC chip. In the antenna, a power-feeding part on which the IC chip is mounted extends along a direction in which an electric current flows. Radiation parts are formed so that the width of the radiation parts becomes wider than that of the power-feeding part with respect to the longitudinal axis of the power-feeding part. The radiation parts extend from the power-feeding part, at both sides thereof, along the direction in which the electric current flows.

In recent years, radio frequency IC tags have become widely used for information management and distribution management of commodities, articles, and the like. Moreover, these radio frequency IC tags are also coming into common use for the identification and management of animals. Such radio frequency IC tags usually include a small IC chip on which information is stored, and a small antenna for transmitting information stored in the IC chip by, such as by radio frequency transmission, other electromagnetic energy transmission, or the like, as is known in the art. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,617,172 to Usami, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/513,995, to Oozeki, filed Sep. 3, 2003, both of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.) To be more specific, such a radio frequency IC tag may be equipped with a small IC chip having a width of about 0.4 mm, a length of about 0.4 mm, and the height of about 0.1 mm, for example, in proximity to the central portion of a rectangular antenna.
The radio frequency IC tag is attached to a commodity, animal, or the like, in actual use. Therefore, if a reader is put over the radio frequency IC tag, it is possible to read out, in a non-contact manner, information that is to the IC chip (that is, information about, for example, attributes of an individual commodity or those of an individual animal) To attach such a radio frequency IC tag to a commodity or an animal, it is desirable that the radio frequency IC tag be configured as small as possible. For this purpose, it is necessary to reduce the size of an antenna of the radio frequency IC tag.
FIGS. 12A, 12B are diagrams each illustrating a configuration of a dipole antenna in the conventional radio frequency IC tag. As shown in FIG. 12A, an IC chip 17 is mounted on the central part of a dipole antenna 21. The length L′ of the dipole antenna 21 is λ/2 so that the dipole antenna 21 can achieve the maximum antenna efficiency. Here, λ denotes the wavelength in the frequency to be used. Therefore, under the prior art, in order to reduce the size of the radio frequency IC tag, for example, part of the dipole antenna 21 might be cut off for use, as shown in FIG. 12B.
However, because the maximum antenna efficiency is obtained when the antenna length L′ of the dipole antenna is λ/2. Therefore, if as shown in FIG. 12B the antenna is cut off in the longitudinal direction to miniaturize the radio frequency IC tag, the antenna efficiency decreases, which causes the communication distance to be shortened, resulting in difficult communications. Consequently, it may become impossible to read out information stored in the IC chip. FIG. 13 is a diagram representing characteristics of a dipole antenna having a shape as shown in FIGS. 12A-12B, and illustrates the relationship between the antenna length L′ (in mm) and the communication distance S (in mm). As shown in FIG. 13, if the antenna length L′ is shortened, the communication distance S (mm) rapidly decreases. For example, if the antenna width D′ is fixed at a value of 1.5 mm, the graph of FIG. 13 illustrates that it becomes impossible to carry out communications when the antenna length L′ becomes 25 mm or less.
In addition, a technique used in microstrip antennas is also known. In this technique, the central part of an antenna is narrowed, and both end parts extending along the direction in which an electric current flows are widened. In other words, the antenna is configured as an H-shaped antenna to reduce the size of the antenna. This technique is intended for reducing the size of antennas by concentrating the magnetic field in a thin constriction of the H type antenna to increase the inductance so that a resonance frequency is decreased. (See, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-53535, paragraph numbers 0015 through 0023, and FIGS. 1 and 2, which is hereinafter referred to as "Patent document 1".) Further, a technique used in non-contact IC tags using an H-shaped antenna is also known. This technique achieves a reduction in the size of non-contact IC tags by applying ohmic contact to a connected part of an H type antenna. (See, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-243918, paragraph numbers 0012 through 0027, and FIGS. 1 through 4, which is hereinafter referred to as "Patent document 2".)
However, the H type antenna disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document 1 is a so-called microstrip antenna comprising an H-shaped patch electrode formed on a surface of a dielectric and a ground electrode formed on the back surface thereof. The microstrip antenna is utilized as a small-size antenna for cellular phones. The microstrip antenna cannot be applied to a strip antenna having no ground electrode as it is. Further, what is realized in the antenna disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document 2 is a non-contact IC tag that is intended for the miniaturization by use of an H-shaped antenna. However, when the H-shaped antenna is configured by use of two wide antenna patterns that are symmetrically formed on a substrate, and an IC tag label that bridges these antenna patterns, the antenna patterns and the IC tag label are connected in ohmic contact.
To be more specific, in a manufacturing process of the non-contact IC tag, the IC tag label is directly mounted on the antenna patterns to make an ohmic contact in a state in which film coating is not performed on the substrate on which the antenna patterns are formed. The technique in the patent document 2, therefore, cannot coat with a film between the two wide antenna patterns and the antenna patterns equipped with the IC chip to bridge in the manufacturing process of the H type antenna. In other words, a non-contact IC tag that configures an H type antenna by means of electrostatic capacitive coupling cannot be manufactured by utilizing the known conventional manufacturing processes.

Radio frequency IC tag and method for manufacturing the same


A demand regulator for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus has a housing and a cover forming a breathing chamber with a mouthpiece. A diaphragm on the chamber is movable with changes in pressure due to user inhalation demand. An inlet valve coupleable to a supply of pressurized air is responsive to the position of the diaphragm. At least one manually adjustable fin can be retracted or positioned across the air flow path through the chamber, for setting the extent of venturi effects tending to displace the diaphragm and open the valve to free flow in the absence of inhalation demand. The venturi adjustment mechanism has a sealed rotatable arm with a radially extending end in sliding engagement with the fin, and preferably the fin has two resilient strips that are spaced apart by a dimple.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the regulation of pressurized air in self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, and more particularly to improving the operation of a second stage demand-type regulator by including an adjustable venturi mechanism.
2. Prior Art
Breathing apparatus of the type used in underwater diving systems commonly employ a two-stage regulator arrangement for controlling the flow of air from a pressurized air supply tank. A first stage regulator is mounted directly to the air supply tank and is connected to a second stage regulator by a length of flexible hose. The second stage regulator usually includes a lightweight housing with a mouthpiece capable of being comfortably retained in the user's mouth.
The housing defines a breathing chamber through which the user inhales and exhales air with the aid of a flexible diaphragm in the housing. On a breathing chamber side, the diaphragm communicates with an air inlet valve as well as with the air in the breathing chamber. On the opposite side the diaphragm is exposed to ambient pressure. When the user inhales, the pressure in the breathing chamber falls below ambient pressure. The diaphragm collapses inwardly toward the breathing chamber, opening the air inlet valve and admitting pressurized air into the breathing chamber. When the user exhales, increased pressure in the breathing chamber deflects the diaphragm outwardly relative to the breathing chamber and closes the valve. A check valve arrangement or the like in a wall of the breathing chamber permits air to be exhausted from the housing as the user continues to exhale. The mechanism advantageously is set up so that the user is not required to make an effort to inhale or to exhale that is substantially greater than when breathing in the open air, which effort normally is only minimal.
The opposite may be the case due to the tendency of known regulators to "free flow." Free flow conditions are different than the conditions of normal breathing. Free flowing is caused by the venturi effect, wherein the stream of inhaled air passing through the mouthpiece from the breathing chamber produces a sustained, relatively low pressure in the breathing chamber apart from (or in addition to) the pressure drop caused by any effort exerted by the user to inhale. This low pressure in the breathing chamber affects operation of the diaphragm, i.e., the low pressure keeps the diaphragm collapsed. The inlet valve remains open and continues to admit air into the breathing chamber. Once the flow has begun, the venturi effect can continue the delivery of air after the user's demand to inhale through the demand regulator ceases.
A slight assist from the venturi effect can be desirable because it enhances the inhalation characteristics of the regulator. On the other hand, extended breathing with a regulator that has a considerable tendency to free flow can be annoying. It is also disconcerting for a beginner due to the departure from normal breathing conditions.
Methods and apparatus have been suggested by the prior art for adjusting a demand regulator's tendency to free flow. U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,977--Matsuno; 4,147,176--Christianson; 4,616,645--Pedersen et al.; and 4,796,618--Garraffa, disclose apparatus adapted for regulating the flow of air through a demand regulator. Although providing generally satisfactory operation, many of the prior art demand regulators suffer from inherent problems. In particular, many of the prior art demand regulators do not provide for an easily adjustable air flow so that both the experienced and inexperienced diver may easily and comfortably control venturi related air flow effects according to their preferences and in varying situations.

Demand regulator having adjustable air flow