An operating area determination method and system are provided. In the operating area determination method, a plurality of depth maps of a target scene is generated at several time points. At least two specific depth maps among the depth maps are selected and compared to identify a moving object in the target scene, and a position of the moving object in the target scene is defined as a reference point. A standard point in the target scene is obtained according to the reference point and a specific depth corresponding to the reference point. An effective operating area in the target scene is determined according to the reference point and the standard point for controlling an electronic apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method and a system of identifying an operator and more particularly, to a method and a system of identifying an operator in a target scene and determining an effective operating area.
2. Description of Related Art
With the progress of the display technique, a display is no longer limited to presenting 2-dimensional (2D) images only. More and more display products supporting 3-dimensional (3D) images have been launched to the market and provide users with diversified video and audio experiences. In addition, a remote controller is no longer the only apparatus used to control the display product. As long as a motion-sensing system is equipped with the display product, a user's gesture or body movement can be used to control the display product to react. Among products in support of the aforementioned technique, a Smart TV is one of the most popular products and gradually plays an important role in the market.
Taking the Smart TV equipped with a motion-sensing system for example, during operation, the motion-sensing system is required to search out a person as the operator from the whole background according to face feature information stored in a database first, and then, sense the motion of the operator so as to control the Smart TV. However, when there are more than two people in the background, a general type motion-sensing system cannot effectively determine which one the actual operator is.
Accordingly, in many types of Smart TVs launched to the market, the operator is selected according to a distance of the person. For example, the person has the closer distance to the Smart TV is defined as the operator. However, the method of defining the operator by distance easily results in inaccuracy. For example, when a passer passes from the front of the actual operator, the system operation is interfered and an undesired operation result occurs since the passer is closer to the Smart TV than the operator. As for the method of defining every person as the operator, it will result in overly high system requirements since the operation of follow-up tracking the user's motion is significantly complicated. Accordingly, how to effectively determine the operator is the technique that the persons in this industry devote to develop.

Operating area determination method and system


According to one embodiment, a memory controller includes an encoding unit that generates a first code word, a duplication unit that duplicates the first code word, a memory interface that writes a code word group including the first code word and code words being duplicates of the first code word into a non-volatile memory, and reads the code words forming the code word group from the non-volatile memory, a determination unit that obtains a result of majority decision using the first code word and the plurality of code words, which are included in the code word group read from the non-volatile memory, and a decoding unit that decodes a code word being the result of the majority decision and corrects an error.

Methods for protecting data stored in a memory such as a NAND flash memory (hereinafter referred to as a NAND memory) include a method for storing, in a memory, a code word generated by encoding data with an error-correcting code. Moreover, in some cases, one code word is duplicated to store the duplicated code words in a plurality of places in the memory, and accordingly the improvement of error correction capability is promoted.

Memory controller, storage device and memory control method


A camera system and method are suitable for use in applications in which three dimensional images are generated without using complicated procedures. A camera system includes: a first camera and a second camera; a camera adaptor box; and a camera control unit. The camera adaptor box controls the operations of the first and second cameras and transmits the images from the first and second cameras to the camera control unit. The camera control unit outputs a control signal, received from a control panel to control the cameras, to the camera adaptor box. The camera control unit outputs a video signal received from the camera adaptor box to a display apparatus and a recording apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera system and a camera control method that are suitable for use in applications in which 3D (three dimensional) images are generated from the images taken by two units of cameras, for example.
2. Description of the Related Art
3D camera systems have been in use in which 3D images are obtained by combining the images separately taken by two different cameras.
Referring to FIG. 15, there is shown an exemplary configuration of a related-art 3D camera system 101.
The 3D camera system 101 has two cameras 110a and 110b, control panels 111a and 111b for controlling the operation of each of the cameras 110a and 110b, and a monitor 112 on which images outputted from the cameras 110a and 110b are displayed.
A reference signal is directly entered in each of cameras 110a and 110b and each of the cameras 110a and 110b directly outputs a taken image to an external apparatus.
Referring to FIG. 16, there is shown an exemplary configuration of a related-art 3D camera system 102.
The 3D camera system 102 has camera control units 113a and 113b that are connected to cameras 110a and 110b, respectively, thereby outputting control signals to the camera 110a and 110b and outputting images received from the cameras 110a and 110b. The cameras 110a and 110b are connected to the camera control units 113a and 113b with single link digital optical transmission paths capable of transmitting video signals at a transfer rate of 1.5 Gbps, for example. The camera control units 113a and 113b are also connected to a simultaneous control apparatus 114 configured to simultaneously control the operations of the camera 110a and camera 110b. From this simultaneous control apparatus 114, the restricted functions of the cameras 110a and 110b can be simultaneously controlled. This function is originally intended to simultaneously control two or more system cameras; in this example, this function is applied to the control of the two cameras 110a and 110b.
Referring to FIG. 17, there is shown an exemplary configuration of a related-art 3D camera system 103.
The 3D camera system 103 has a configuration in which two or more of the 3D camera systems 102 shown in FIG. 16 are operated in parallel. Simultaneous control apparatuses 114a through 114c are arranged for the different 3D camera systems 102, thereby controlling the cameras 110a and cameras 110b of each of these 3D camera systems 102.
However, the above-mentioned related-art technologies have no apparatus that is configured to simultaneously totally control the 3D cameras in one 3D camera system.
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2002-77947 discloses a technology in which 3D images are obtained by adjusting an inter-image positional shift or an inter-image rotational shift caused between two or more images having a parallax.


This machine includes a flap and a cover having a plurality of opposite-facing pairs of matching shapes comprising grooves and ribs capable of interlocking with each other after the cover has been closed. A strip of material is unwound between the flap and the internal wall of the cover without lateral deformation and projects from the matching shapes. The shapes are directly designed or have an additional element for reducing the space between certain portions of ribs and grooves in order to allow and encourage the separation of a piece of strip of material when it is pulled by the user.

The invention relates to the technical field of dispensing machines for wipe materials of the hand wipe, toilet paper, general-purpose wipe and similar type.
The Applicant has developed a machine for dispensing pre-cut wipe materials which is the subject of French Patent 2931350. As illustrated in FIG. 1, this machine (A) is of the type comprising a housing (1) forming a receptacle with a back plate, a lower horizontal wall and side walls with a front cover (2) articulated on a shaft (4). The front cover has a horseshoe shaped raised part (2b) on its inner face and a cut-out (2a) at its base. This machine also comprises a flap (3) which is articulated relative to the walls of the housing in the lower part of the housing, as disclosed in that patent. This flap is clip fastened relative to said walls so that it can be positioned in a vertical plane adjacent the inner face of the front cover. The upper part of the flap has an advantageously curved shape (6) and an outer face of the flap has a raised part (3b) with a curved configuration which is substantially semicircular that nests within the horseshoe shaped part (2b) when the front cover is closed leaving a passage (P) between parts (2b) and (3b) in order to allow delivery of the pre-cut wipe material.
The wipe material (M) in this embodiment is in the form of a pre-cut strip wound on a reel or it can be in pre-folded accordion pleated form.
According to the above-mentioned French Patent, in the lower part of the machine where the strip of material emerges, there are opposite-facing limit stops (5) either side of the strip of material which ensure separation of a piece of strip relative to the opposite-facing perforation line of the strip. The pulling force ensures, when the strip has completely passed between the front wall of the flap and the opposite facing face of the cover, separation of a piece of strip from the rest of the reel or the stack of accordion pleated material thanks to said limit stops. This patent states that the position of said limit stops is adjustable either side of the outlet opening for the strip of material and can be adjusted by appropriate sliding means.
The problem encountered is the fact that, when the strip of material emerges, the strip of material is crumpled because it is constricted as it passes between the limit stops. In principle, this is not objectionable at all because most users do not attach any importance to how the pre-cut strip of material is presented given the nature of its subsequent use as a hand wipe, general-purpose wipe, etc. which necessarily involves folding it.
Although the machine described in French patent 2931350 works very satisfactorily, the Applicant decided to optimise this machine still further in order to make it possible to dispense wipe material which, after cutting, is practically wrinkle free.
Dispensing machines which do not solve the above-mentioned problem are also known from Patents WO 2010/007259, GB 1516097 and WO 96/06556.
The solution devised by the Applicant achieves this objective perfectly and provides a machine for dispensing pre-cut wipe material which meets the various needs of different users.

Device for dispensing pre-cut wiping materials


An orthodontic appliance includes a body (16) and at least one clip (36) connected to the body for retaining an archwire in an archwire slot (18). The body and each clip have matching, generally oval-shaped external profiles that present a compact, low-profile configuration. Each clip includes at least one prong (46) that engages a tab for helping to retain the clip in connected relationship to the body. Each tab is connected to the body by a protrusion that has a top surface coplanar with a bottom wall of the archwire slot.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention broadly relates to intra-oral appliances that are used during the course of orthodontic treatment. More particularly, the present invention relates to self-ligating orthodontic appliances having one or more clips for releasably retaining an archwire in an archwire slot of the appliance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Orthodontic therapy is a specialized type of treatment within the field of dentistry, and involves of repositioning of malpositioned teeth to orthodontically correct locations. Orthodontic therapy often enhances the aesthetic appearance of the teeth, especially in instances when the patient's front teeth are malpositioned or crooked. Orthodontic treatment can also improve the patient's occlusion so that opposed teeth function better with each other during the times that the patient is chewing.
Many types of orthodontic treatment programs involve the use of a set of tiny appliances and archwires that are commonly known collectively as "braces". During such treatment programs, small appliances known as brackets are fixed to the patient's anterior, cuspid and bicuspid teeth, and an archwire is inserted into a slot of each bracket. The archwire forms a track to guide movement of the teeth to desired positions. End sections of the archwires are often captured in tiny appliances known as buccal tubes that are fixed to the patient's molar teeth.
Many orthodontic brackets have small wings known as "tiewings" that are connected to a body of the bracket. Once the bracket has been attached to a tooth and an archwire has been placed in the archwire slot of the bracket, a ligature is coupled to the bracket in order to retain the archwire in the archwire slot. One example of a commercially available orthodontic ligature is a small, elastomeric O-ring that is installed by stretching the O-ring along a path behind the tiewings and over the facial side of the archwire.
Other types of orthodontic appliances are known as self-ligating brackets, and are provided with a latch for coupling the archwire to the bracket. Use of the latch avoids the need to use a ligature to secure the archwire to the bracket. The latch may comprise a movable clip, spring member, sliding cover, shutter, bail or other structure that is connected to the bracket body for retaining the archwire in the archwire slot.
Examples of improved, self-ligating orthodontic appliances with clips are described in applicant's U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,582,226, 7,140,876, and 7,217,125 and 7,377,777. The appliances described in those documents have one or more clips for retaining an archwire in the archwire slot, and the clips release the archwire from the archwire slot whenever the archwire exerts a force on the appliance that exceeds a certain minimum value. The minimum value is significantly less than the force required in the same direction to debond the appliance from the tooth, and consequently helps to ensure that the appliance will not spontaneously debond from the tooth during the course of treatment.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,776,614 describes a system of customized orthodontic brackets and archwires. This patent further describes designing the brackets on a computer as a combination of three-dimensional virtual objects including a virtual bracket bonding pad and a virtual bracket body retrieved from a library of virtual bracket bodies. The virtual brackets can be represented as a file containing digital shape data that can be exported to a rapid prototype fabrication device. The rapid prototype fabrication device can be used to make models of the brackets which, in turn, are then used to form molds for subsequent casting of the brackets.
Orthodontic appliances including brackets having an overall, generally small or low profile are often desired by practitioners for use in treatment. Such low profile appliances are less likely to contact other teeth or appliances in the patient's oral cavity, an important advantage in certain instances when the teeth are not initially positioned in substantial alignment relative to each other. Low profile appliances are also less likely to impinge on the patient's oral tissue and cause irritation of the same.

Low profile self-ligating orthodontic appliance with clip


A dust for use with a ruggedized fiber optic connector including a fiber optic adapter. The dust plug provides enhanced sealing for the ruggedized connector when an optical fiber cable is not attached. The dust plug engages the ruggedized connector in a manner similar to a mating fiber connector which may be mounted to a fiber optic cable. The dust plug may include a threaded cap and a keyed insert rotatably mounted to the insert.

Hardened or ruggedized fiber optic connector assemblies are known in the telecommunications industry. Such connectors are typically used in locations where an optical fiber connection is desired but which cannot be adequately protected or sealed from environmental exposure. It may be desirable to provide a fairly stable and environmentally sealed surrounding for optical fiber connections to reduce the chance of signal degradation or loss. Sometimes, such hardened connectors may be installed in the field in advance of their being connected to a customer drop or service cable. For these installations, a dust plug may be used to protect the unconnected end of the hardened connector until a customer drop cable is attached. It is desirable that such a dust plug also provide a stable and environmentally sealed surrounding for the unconnected end of the hardened connector.
Corning Cable Systems LLC sells a hardened fiber optic connector known as the OptiTap connector. While the OptiTap connector does provide a stable and environmentally sealed enclosure for optical fiber connections, the known prior art dust plug used with the OptiTap connector may be unable to securely seal an unconnected end of the connector. An improved dust plug which may provide a better level of protection to the unconnected end of a hardened connector is desirable.

Dust plug for hardened fiber optic connector


According to one embodiment, a semiconductor light emitting device includes not less than three chips. Each of the chips includes a semiconductor layer having a first face, a second face formed on a side opposite to the first face, and a light emitting layer, a p-side electrode, and an n-side electrode. The chips include a central chip centrally positioned in a plan view, and at least two peripheral chips arranged symmetrically to each other sandwiching the central chip in the plan view. A thickness of the fluorescent body layer on the first face is same among the peripheral chips, and the fluorescent body layer on the first face of the central chip and the fluorescent body layers on the first faces of the peripheral chips have thicknesses different from each other.

The reduction of chromaticity variation in the development of a white light emitting diode (LED) is one of major problems. In particular, in a wafer-level packaging technique which carries out formation of a interconnect layer, protection resin, and a luminescent layer collectively for a plurality of chips within a wafer without performing a chip selection process, emission wavelength variation among the chips within the wafer affects the chromaticity variation considerably.

Semiconductor light emitting device and method for manufacturing same


A method of selling custom business software and a software exchange marketplace enables a software seller to offer a custom software application for sale. The method includes receiving the custom software application from the software seller. The marketplace includes a qualified application inventory and a custom software application submission log. A prospective software buyer may search the qualified software application inventory. The method includes associating the custom application with the custom software application submission log. The method identifies deficiencies with a software source code by comparing the software source code to a source code qualification standard. The method identifies deficiencies with a plurality of software documents by comparing them to a document qualification standard. The method compares the submission log with a final review standard. The method qualifies the software source code and software documents before listing them in the qualified software application inventory.

To improve their operating efficiencies many companies and other business entities are implementing business software. Some types of business software are designed to integrate a plurality of legacy, stand-alone systems, such as a payroll department system, a human resource system, a warehouse system, and an accounting department system, into a single, unified software system. By integrating separate computer systems into the single system, the various departments share information through a single database. Thus, barriers to a free exchange of information between departments are removed. For example, in the legacy systems, personnel may shuffle a customer order from one department to another with each department entering the information that it needs from the order into its own system. Thus, no one in the company knows the status of the order at any particular time without contacting other departments. By contrast, in the single, unified system, all departments have access to each other's information, that way each department has access to all information that is necessary to determine the status of the order. Hopefully, as a result, the customer receives their order more quickly. Large companies pose the greatest implementation challenges.
In general, large companies have more bureaucracy and may have multiple stand-alone systems possibly located at different geographic locations. In addition, many businesses believe that their method of operation gives them a business advantage. Thus a custom business software application is often required to address multiple, and sometime duplicative, stand-alone systems in a large corporation, as well as the business' individual method of operation. An IT professional's skills may be required to install and integrate business software, but they are necessary for customizing business software. Consequently, the costs of purchasing and implementing custom business software can be prohibitive due to the complexity of large company systems and the high-level skills required for integration and customization.
As is known in the art, integration of stand-alone computer systems may be accomplished by implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. ERP systems are a type of business software that integrates multiple, stand-alone systems into a single system. In other words, ERP systems target the elimination of the barriers to communication between the legacy stand-alone systems. The benefits of an integrated system may include reduced operating costs and standardization in reporting financial data, such as for Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. Another benefit may include lower system maintenance costs. Commercially available ERP systems include systems such as those available from Oracle, SAP, and Microsoft.
As previously mentioned, implementation of an ERP system may entail installation, integration, and customization by IT professionals. Ideally, the IT professional will simply install a "vanilla" or standard off-the-shelf version of the ERP software. Off-the-shelf versions of ERP software usually incorporate "best practices" as interpreted by the ERP software producer. The ERP software does not, therefore, incorporate each individual's best practices. Of course, the reality of implementing ERP software is not so simple. One reason is because off-the-shelf ERP software does not implement what a company considers as its best business practices. In these situations, ERP implementation will require the IT professionals to customize the ERP system. The IT professionals customize ERP systems to accomplish various tasks, for example, by writing new user interfaces and modifying the underlying application code to perform a customized function. Another reason to customize is to interface the ERP system to other third party applications. Customizing an ERP system is both expensive and time consuming.
In an effort to make their products more user friendly and affordable, business software companies have introduced add-on modules that are more easily integrated into a core ERP system, for example, SAP America Inc., Newtown Square, Pa., (hereinafter, "SAP") offers a variety of modules, such as a customer relationship management (CRM) module, a product lifecycle management (PLM) module, a supply chain management (SCM) module, and a supplier relationship management (SRM) module. While the availability of modules simplifies, to some extent, the implementation of the module, customization is still the mainstay for conforming the ERP system to what a company considers as its best practices. Therefore, the costs of implementing ERP software, which usually requires some customization, remains high, and may easily exceed the cost of the software license. Thus, many companies, which would benefit from implementation of an ERP system, cannot afford to buy and implement the ERP system. Other companies do not purchase ERP systems because an analysis of return on investment indicates that ERP has a poor return.
Therefore, what is needed in the art is a method for selling customized business software. If a company which customizes its ERP system can sell its customized software, it will recapture some of its costs, thereby improving its return on investment. In addition, those companies who cannot justify buying and implementing a vanilla version of ERP software because of its cost, may, however, have sufficient money to purchase a customized software application that meets their needs. For example, companies with similar business models, i.e., alcoholic beverage and soda beverage manufacturers, who are not direct competitors, may have similar customization needs for their ERP software. Therefore, if the alcoholic beverage manufacturer customizes its ERP software, it may sell it to the soda beverage manufacturer to recoup some of its ERP implementation costs. The soda beverage manufacturer has an opportunity to purchase otherwise unavailable, customized ERP software. While the customized ERP software may be a 90% fit to the soda beverage manufacturer's systems, the overall cost of purchasing and implementing the customized ERP software may be substantially less than purchasing off-the-shelf software and then customizing it. Thus, by buying an already customized software system, the buyer saves substantial development costs and lowers the overall cost of its investment. In other words, both the software seller and software buyer save money.

Method for selling custom business software and software exchange marketplace


An optical fiber connection monitor has a detector adjacent the connection which detects light scattered from the connection. The detector signal is converted to a voltage and applied to a comparator circuit which gives an indication that the connection is not dangerously emitting radiation or an indication that it is dangerously emitting radiation. In another embodiment of the invention, a finite amount of light is fed from the end or ends of the ferrule or ferrules of the connection components to the detector to insure that the monitor circuitry is functioning properly in the presence of optical signals. A further embodiment includes passing light past the ferrule end to the detector, further checking the operation of the monitor system.

This invention relates to an apparatus for monitoring optical fiber connections, and, more particularly, for ascertaining stray optical radiation from the connector and surrounding neighborhood.
In optical fiber connection systems, essential components of virtually all such systems are fiber connectors which transmit optical energy from one fiber end to another, or to other active or passive devices. Such connections bear directly upon the amount of optical energy transmitted, and, as a consequence, there are numerous prior art arrangements for monitoring the amount of energy transmitted by and through a connection. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,909 of Leone et al. there is shown an optical monitoring and test access module for use in an optical fiber distribution frame or cross-connect frame having a multiplicity of fiber connects. The module monitors the optical signal level in a fiber line by tapping off a part of the signal and converting it to an electrical signal which, through subsequent processing, generates control signals when the power level of the received signal reaches certain specified levels. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,693 of Pimpinella there is shown an arrangement which launches test signals through a jumper cable from one connector module to another module connected to the first module by the jumper cable and which includes means for receiving and monitoring the test signal. In some arrangements, the receiving optical fiber, for example, is disconnected from its remote destination and connected to a power monitor which then monitors the signals, most often a test signal being transmitted. Such an arrangement requires an interruption in service, which is highly undesirable. On the other hand, the systems of the aformentioned patent to Leone et al. does not require service interruption, but does require extracting at least some of the transmitted power. Thus, most of the prior art arrangements are invasive in that they require presence of a signal through the connections being tested and operate by extracting some of the signal. In addition, such systems generally rely on bulk optics, complex circuitry, and, in many cases, require signal splitters, which, when used, impart unidirectionality to the monitor circuit.
Most prior art circuits are concerned with power monitoring or fault finding, or both. There is, however, in addition to these desiderata, another parameter which needs to be monitored, not only for efficiency of power transmission, but for safety for personnel in the vicinity of the connection or connections being monitored.
The connectors used in, for example, joining fiber ends have, as their primary function, the maintenance of the fiber ends in a butting relationship such that the core of one of the fibers is axially aligned with the core of the other fiber so as to maximize light transmission from one fiber to the other. Such alignment is extremely difficult to achieve, which is understandable when it is recognized that the mode field diameter of, for example, a single mode fiber is approximately nine microns (9, xcexcm or 0.009 mm.) Good alignment of the fiber ends (low insertion loss) is a function of the alignment, the width of the gap (if any) between the fiber ends, and the surface condition of the fiber ends, all of which, in turn are inherent in the particular connector design. In the present day state of the art there are numerous, different connector designs in use for achieving low insertion loss and stability. In most of these designs, a pair of ferrules (one in each connector), each containing an optical fiber end, are butted together end to end and light travels across the junction. Zero insertion loss requires that the fibers in the ferrules be exactly aligned, a condition that, given the necessity of manufacturing tolerances, and cost considerations, is virtually impossible to achieve except by fortuitous accident. In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/363,906 of Andrews et al., filed Jul. 28, 1999, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,018 on Sep. 11, 2001, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, there is shown a connector which is tunable for achieving maximum possible signal transmissivity or minimum insertion loss. The ferrule-barrel assembly of that connector is incrementally rotatable to any of a plurality of positions which, when rotated by means of a special tool, places the connector configuration in the best possible position for transmission.
Even though insertion loss is reduced for the particular connector being tuned, especially when mated with a similarly tuned connector, there almost invariably remains a certain amount of ferrule (or fiber within the ferrule) central axis offset and, consequently, light scattering at the junction of the two ferrules which can produce a dangerous condition for personnel in the vicinity. This scattering can be especially great where the connectors are not tuned, or where the mismatch is particularly bad. As is most often the case, there will be a plurality of connectors mounted in jack housings, or receptacles which are panel mounted, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,729 of King et al. and, where several connectors are mismatched sufficiently to produce light scattering, the light radiation, which is cumulative, can be quite dangerous.
The present invention comprises an apparatus and circuitry for non-invasively monitoring the amounts of scattered radiation from one or more connectors, and for indicating when a potentially dangerous condition exists.
In greater detail, the connector jack housing has a photo-diode mounted thereon for detecting the presence of scattered light and producing an electrical signal indicative thereof, the signal being proportional to the amount of light scattering. In a first embodiment of the invention, circuitry, which may be mounted on a small printed wiring board, converts the electrical current from the photodiode to a voltage which can then be applied to a suitable signaling device, such as an LED. The circuitry includes a comparator which has a reference voltage level to which the voltage from the photo-diode is compared. A first LED, which may emit a green light, for example, is lit as long as the comparator level is not exceeded. If the comparator level is exceeded, the green LED is deactivated and a red LED lights up, indicating either a line in use or a dangerous level of scattered light. Instead of the red LED, or in addition thereto, in extreme cases, the comparator output can be used to deactivate the faulty connection. The arrangement is bi-directional in that if either cable, for example, is disconnected, if there is light transmission in the remaining cable (or fiber) the apparatus will indicate the presence of that light. The invention does not, therefore, rely on unidirectional devices such as signal splitters.
In another embodiment of the invention, an attenuator for introducing a known amount of loss can be positioned, for example, between the two fiber ends in the connection, and used to guide the light to the photo-diode. Such an arrangement insures that there will always be an LED activated, the absence of which can then be used as an indication of a malfunctioning connection.
In both embodiments, the circuitry can be used to measure the optical power passing through the connection, where desired, without dependence upon signal direction. In addition, the photo-diode can be sensitive enough, and preferably is, to respond to even small amounts of light transmission through the connection to indicate that the connection should not be broken.
The various features and the principles of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following description, read in conjunction with the drawings.

Optical fiber connector monitor apparatus


A heat roller of a fixing apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention has a slidable metal belt on an outer side of an elastic roller. The width of the metal belt is made larger than that of the elastic roller. Flanges, each of which regulates a sliding movement of the metal belt by being in contact with an edge of the metal belt, are provided on both sides of a press roller opposite the metal belt.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixing apparatus provided in an image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile, and a roller used in the fixing apparatus, and in particular, a fixing apparatus of an image forming apparatus using an induction heating method and a control method of the fixing apparatus.
2. Description of the Background
There is a fixing apparatus that is used in an image forming apparatus, such as an electro photographic copying machine or printer, and adopts an induction heating method. As such an induction heating and fixing apparatus, for example, a heat roller having a metal belt around an elastic layer is disclosed in JP-A-2002-295452.
However, in such a known apparatus described above, a case in which the metal belt may slide on the elastic layer and be replaced is not mentioned.
Therefore, in a case in which a metal belt having a metal layer can be made to slide on an elastic roller, it is preferable to develop a fixing apparatus of an image forming apparatus capable of increasing the life of the metal belt and the elastic roller by preventing the metal belt or the elastic layer from being broken at an early stage due to the sliding movement.

Fixing apparatus using induction heating system for image forming apparatus


A compact portable refrigerator includes caster wheels on its bottom and a removable storage tray on its top. The storage tray is well suited for containing ice and beverage containers. A lid may be provided to selectively enclose and cover the storage tray. Removable display panels may be provided on a door of the refrigerator. Back lighting may be provided to enhance the appearance of the display panels.

Refrigerators that include an insulated cabinet with a door providing access to a refrigerated storage space are well known. Compact refrigerators such as are commonly used in dorm rooms and the like, are also well known. These refrigerators may include a variety of sizes and styles. They may include only a single door opening to a single refrigerated compartment, or may include both a fresh food compartment and a freezer portion. Generally the top of the refrigerator is a flat planar surface that is integrated with and permanently affixed to the cabinet.
When people entertain there is often a need or desire to provide iced containers of beverages or other items in a serving container, such as an ice bucket or serving tray. Compact refrigerators are often used in areas where space is limited, and storage is needed for things such as digital video disks (DVDs), compact disks (CDs), and unrefrigerated snacks. Therefore, it would be beneficial if a refrigerator included compact storage space for DVDs, CDs and the like as well as a serving container that could be used to served iced beverage containers. Most preferably such a refrigerator could incorporate an attractive or desired appearance.


A system for and a method of metering product includes an equalizing meter apparatus that more readily equalizes the distribution of product with uneven distribution systems. The metering system includes a meter roller assembly operable to meter granular product delivery between a meter box and a series of product distributors. The meter roller assembly includes a shaft in support of a series of roller sections rotatably mounted on the shaft. The roller sections include at least one fluted metering section having a series of fluted segments configured to meter granular product. The equalizing meter apparatus includes a split ring having a series of protrusions configured to engage the fluted segments of the metering section and enhance equalizing the distribution of granular product from the meter roller assembly. The split ring is operable to detach from and reconnect to the fluted metering section without disassembling the meter roller assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an implement for metering product in an agricultural environment and, more particularly, relates to a metering roller assembly employing an equalizing device configured to enhance the metering of seed or other particulate material for application in an agricultural environment.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Air seeders are commonly towed by tractors to apply seed, fertilizer, or micro-nutrients or any granular product to a field. It is generally advantageous to tow an air seeder in combination with a tilling implement, one behind the other, to place the seed and fertilizer under the surface of the soil. An air seeder has as its central component a wheeled seed cart which comprises one or more frame-mounted seed tanks for holding product, generally seed or fertilizer or both. Air seeders also generally include a volumetric metering system operable to measure a fixed volume of seed per unit of linear distance and a pneumatic distribution system for delivering the product from the tank to the soil.
The volumetric metering system is configured for distribution of product from the tank to the distribution headers of the seed tubes. The metering system typically includes a meter roller assembly employing augers or fluted cylinders (meter rollers) situated in a meter box assembly secured to below the tank.
Typically the meter box will have a series of outlets known as runs that each leads through the distribution lines of the pneumatic distribution system. The pneumatic distribution system generally includes an air stream operable to carry product metered by the meter roller assembly through the distribution lines to a series of secondary distribution manifolds ("headers"), which in turn distribute product to a group of ground openers mounted on the seeding implement operable to place seed in the ground. The ground openers are configured to evenly deliver the product to the span of ground (the "seedbed") acted upon by the seeding implement.
The distribution headers ideally have product requirements proportional to the number of ground openers that they service. Since the number of ground openers is often not evenly divisible by the number of distribution headers, one distribution header may service a different number of ground openers than another header. Because a distribution header has one outlet port for each ground opener that it services, headers often have varying numbers of outlet ports. Therefore, in order to evenly distribute product across the width of the seeding implement, product seen by a secondary distribution header servicing ten ground openers, for example, should be less than (⅚) the amount of product seen by a secondary distribution header servicing twelve ground openers. It follows that a metering system associated with the secondary distribution header servicing fewer ground openers should therefore supply a lesser volume of product.
However, conventional air seeders are typically unable to properly ration product to secondary distribution headers, and therefore have problems maintaining an acceptable distribution of seed or fertilizer across the width of the seeding implement. Therefore, it is desirable to devise a metering system which can accommodate varying product requirements seen by individual meter roller assemblies which are driven by a common shaft. It is also desirable to devise a metering system which, in conjunction with a pneumatic distribution system and a seeding implement, provides substantially uniform product distribution across the seedbed.
Various approaches have been used in the past to meter product. One known attempt includes providing a metering system employing a meter roller assembly having metering sections that are divided between fluted (or active) segments and blank (or inactive) segments. Depending on the number of distribution headers, the meter roller assembly will consist of fluted metering sections corresponding to runs which are operational and blank roller spacers extending across the width of the runs which are not operational. Product is then delivered to the distribution headers which are connected to the runs containing the fluted metering sections, and no product is delivered from those runs which are, in effect, blanked off.
Known segmented meter roller systems for the metering of product have several drawbacks. U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,370 discloses a meter roller assembly that employs an equalizing disc to vary the amount of product by each fluted metering roller assembly. However, the equalizing disc is friction fit to the respective metering section. Therefore, the meter roller assembly must be taken apart to reconfigure placement of the equalizing disc on the desired metering section. U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,630 discloses a known segmented meter roller system that employs a meter roller assembly having an equalizing meter device operable to reduce the product flow in each distribution line. However, the configuration of the meter roller assembly needs to be known before assembling the meter roller sections and the respective equalizing meter device. Therefore, the known equalizing meter devices are not easily placed on a roller assembly after the meter roller assembly is factory assembled. Furthermore, the known equalizing meter devices are not detachable and re-attachable to the meter section after factory assembly.
Therefore, a need has arisen to provide an equalizing meter device and a method thereof that enables an operator to readily equalize a distribution of product by a meter roller assembly after factory assembly.


The present invention provides a speculum having two half-beaks each linked to an elongated lever member. The speculum includes one or more pivot devices which cause the distal end of the two half-beaks to rotate away from each other when the proximal ends of the lever members are rotated towards each other. The present invention also provides a method for inserting an elongated instrument into an animal's body comprising the steps of: making an incision in an animal's skin; inserting a speculum having two half-beaks through the incision into the animal's body; opening the two half-beaks to permit an elongated instrument to be inserted therethrough; and inserting an elongated instrument through the two-half beaks and into the animal's body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a speculum for dilating the opening in an animal's body either for medical examination or to insert a medical instrument or tubing into the animal's body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Existing methods for inserting a tube into an animal's body either involve using a blunt dissection method in which a clamp and the physician's fingers are used to insert the tube or involve using a trocar method in which a tube is guided over a sharp trocar. In the case of blunt dissection, multiple steps are required, including: incision, dissection, penetration into the lung cavity, probing with a finger, and then insertion of a tube using a clamp. In the case of using a trocar, this technique can be performed with one smooth step, but often damages tissue such as nerves, vessels or lung and is currently rarely used because of its high complication rate.
Therefore, there exists a need for a method for inserting a chest tube or other instrument into an animal's body which combines the lower risk of blunt dissection with the simplicity of a one step procedure.

Speculum and method for inserting an elongated instrument into an animal's body


Techniques to utilize excess resources in a cloud system, such as by enabling an auxiliary resource utilizer to use resources while they are not needed to support primary resource utilizers, are described herein. Some embodiments are directed to identifying and allocating excess capacity of resources in a cloud system to auxiliary resource utilizers based on one or more policies. In various embodiments, excess resources in one or more of the set of resources in the cloud system, or cloud resources, may be determined based on monitoring utilization of the cloud resources by the primary resource utilizers. In many embodiments, an auxiliary resource utilizer that is in compliance with a set of utilization policies may be identified and the excess resources may be allocated to the auxiliary resource utilizer.

Generally, a computer network is a digital telecommunications network which allows nodes, or components, to share resources. In computer networks, computing devices exchange data with each other using connections between nodes via various transmission media, such as via wired or wireless mediums. Computer networks can support a large number of applications and services such as access to the World Wide Web, digital video, digital audio, and shared use of application and storage servers. The applications and services are implemented via various network resources communicatively coupled to the network, such as computing and/or storage resources. The amount of data moving across a computer network may be referred to as traffic. Typically, network data in computer networks is encapsulated in network packets, which are utilized by network resources to send and receive information.

Techniques for excess resource utilization


A starter includes a motor, an output shaft, a pinion gear, a lever, a lever actuator, a supporting frame, and a fulcrum supporter. The motor includes a rotation shaft to which the output shaft is linked. The pinion gear is provided on the output shaft and configured to mesh with a ring gear of an engine to start the engine. The lever has a first end, a second end that is linked the pinion gear, and a fulcrum portion. The lever actuator works to move the first end of the lever to pivot the second end on the fulcrum portion. The supporting frame rotatably supports the output shaft. The fulcrum supporter, which is integrally formed with the supporting frame, works to support the fulcrum portion of the lever to achieve pivotal movement of the second end to bring the pinion gear into mesh with the ring gear of the engine.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to starters in which a pinion gear is brought into mesh with a ring gear of an engine via a shift lever to start the engine.
More particularly, the invention relates to a starter that has a fulcrum supporter to support a fulcrum portion of a shift lever during pivotal movement of the shift lever to bring a pinion gear into mesh with a ring gear of an engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent First Publication No. H05-263738, an English equivalent of which is U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,009, discloses a starter in which a shift lever is driven by a solenoid switch to bring a pinion gear into mesh with a ring gear of an engine.
According to the disclosure, the shift lever has a fulcrum portion as the center of pivotal movement of the shift lever to bring the pinion gear into mesh with the ring gear. The fulcrum portion is disposed inside a recess formed in a housing of the starter and supported by a rubber caulk, which is fitted to an opening of the recess, during the pivotal movement of the shift lever.
However, in the above starter, the rubber caulk is provided in the form of an independent component of the starter and used only for the purpose of supporting the fulcrum portion of the shift level. Consequently, both the parts count of the starter and the man-hour requirement for assembly of the starter are increased.
Further, since the rubber caulk is in the form of an independent component, it is necessary to firmly support or secure the rubber caulk so as to prevent it from dropping out during operation of the starter. This will further increase the man-hour requirement for assembly of the starter, thus lowering the productivity of the starter.
Furthermore, in the above starter, the shift lever has a first end linked to a plunger of the solenoid switch and a second end linked to the pinion gear, so that a movement of the plunger causes, via the first end, the second end to pivot on the fulcrum portion, thereby bringing the pinion gear into mesh with the ring gear of the engine. During the pivotal movement of the second end on the fulcrum portion, the rubber caulk, which functions as a fulcrum supporter, is compressed and deformed, resulting in a deviation in the position of the fulcrum portion. This deviation will cause a deviation in closing time of main contacts of the solenoid switch, thereby degrading the meshing performance of the pinion gear with the ring gear of the engine.

Starter with reliable fulcrum supporter supporting fulcrum portion of shift lever


An electrode joint having first and second complementary elements capable of being joined together to form the joint, wherein one of the threaded elements has at least one slot at least partially along its length; and wherein one of the threaded elements includes a source of a flowable adhesive in fluid communication with the slot.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a locking system for electrode joints. More particularly, the invention concerns a unique system for facilitating the mechanical locking of electrode joints using an adhesive material.
2. Background Art
Graphite electrodes are used in the steel industry to melt the metals and other ingredients used to form steel in electrothermal furnaces. The heat needed to melt metals is generated by passing current through one or a plurality of electrodes, usually three, and forming an arc between the electrodes and the metal. Electrical currents in excess of 100,000 amperes are often used. The resulting high temperature melts the metals and other ingredients. Generally, the electrodes used in steel furnaces are used in electrode columns, that is, a series of individual electrodes joined to form a single column. In this way, as electrodes are depleted during the thermal process, replacement electrodes can be joined to the column to maintain the length of the column extending into the furnace.
Conventionally, electrodes are joined into columns via a pin (sometimes referred to as a nipple) that functions to join the ends of adjoining electrodes. Typically, the pin takes the form of opposed male threaded sections, with at least one end of each of the electrodes comprising female threaded sections capable of mating with a male threaded section of the pin. Thus, when each of the opposing male threaded sections of a pin are threaded into female threaded sections in the ends of two electrodes, those electrodes become joined into an electrode column. Commonly, the joined ends of the adjoining electrodes, and the pin therebetween, are referred to in the art as a joint.
Alternatively, the electrodes can be formed with a male threaded protrusion or tang machined into one end and a female threaded socket machined into the other end, such that the electrodes can be joined by threading the male tang of one electrode into the female socket of a second electrode, and thus form an electrode column. The joined ends of two adjoining electrodes in such an embodiment is referred to in the art as a male-female joint.
Given the extreme thermal and mechanical stress that the electrode and the joint (and indeed the electrode column as a whole) undergo, detachment of the joint and subsequent loss of the electrode column below the detached joint is a recurring problem. In so-called non-jammed joints, where the threads of the pin and electrodes, or the two electrodes in a male-female joint, meet on only one of the thread faces, solutions have been proposed, where pitch or another material is allowed to melt and then infiltrate between the threads, where it carbonizes in the heat of the furnace and forms a bond between the joint elements.
For instance, in International application PCT/US02/10125, inventors Pavlisin and Weber disclose a "plug" formed of pitch and expandable graphite. When the plug is placed at the base of an electrode socket, the heat of the furnace causes the pitch to melt and the graphite to expand, forcing the melted pitch between the threads where it carbonizes and locks the joint together. Another joint locking system employed in the past has been to provide one or more holes in an electrode pin at or near each of its ends, and positioning pitch in the holes. Again, the heat of the furnace causes the pitch to melt and flow across the threads where it carbonizes and locks the joint in position.
Although effective, these prior art methods for joint locking are only maximally effective in non-jammed threads, such as are illustrated in FIG. 1a. In fully jammed threads, illustrated in FIG. 1, where both faces of the threads of one element contact the threads of the other element, there is insufficient space between the threads to permit the pitch or other adherent composition to flow between the threads. There exists a need, therefore, for an improved locking mechanism for fully jammed graphite electrode joints.


In a frequency characteristic adjustment apparatus incorporated in an audio system, a frequency characteristic of an audio signal is made to agree with a target frequency characteristic, thus providing an equalizing function. In the apparatus, by a frequency characteristic controller, a measurement signal is detected as a sound-collected signal that received by way of speakers/microphone, and the sound-collected signal is divided into a signal component falling into a one fixed-level band and one or more signal components falling into one or more variable-level bands. A relative level of the signal component in each variable-level band is estimated on the basis of a level of the signal component in the fixed-level band in the target frequency characteristic. Based on the estimated relative levels, the levels at equalizers are set, so that the levels of signal components of the signal are adjusted by the equalizers channel by channel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for adjusting a frequency characteristic of a signal, and in particular to the method and system that can be reduced into practice, for example, as an equalizer to adjust the frequency characteristic of an audio signal.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, an audio system with which a user can enjoy music and movies recorded on compact discs (CDs) and DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs) is provided with a graphic equalizer. The graphic equalizer includes circuitry to divide an audio signal into signal components falling into a plurality of frequency bands and to enhance (boost) or attenuate (cut) the level of each signal component in each frequency band. Such adjustment for each frequency band enables the frequency characteristic of an audio signal to be adjusted, so that the frequency characteristic agrees with the acoustic characteristic of speakers and other audio devices, and is matched with environments in which music or movies are appreciated.
A multi-channel surround-sound audio system, which has been in widespread use recently, is composed of five to eight channels, for example and provided with an amplifying unit to control audio outputs from those channels and speakers in charge of audio output from each channel.
The multi-channel surround-sound audio system realizes a surround-sound reproduction by adequately positioning the speakers. In this system, it is required that a sound pressure level and a frequency characteristic of each audio signal are appropriately set to match the characteristic of each speaker.
In order to meet such requirement, there are provided an equalizer and an amplifier, channel by channel, in most of the amplifying units of the multi-channel surround-sound audio systems.
On the other hand, the multi-channel surround-sound audio systems include an audio system provided with an automatic sound-field correction system to automatically correct a sound pressure level and a frequency characteristic of each audio signal.
The automatic sound-field correction system is able to detect and analyze the positions and characteristics of speakers and environments of a room in which the speakers are placed and to use the analyzed results so that a frequency characteristic (i.e., a target frequency characteristic) to be given to an audio signal in each channel is calculated. And the correction system is capable of enhancing or attenuating a level of a signal component in each band of each audio signal, thus atomically controlling the frequency characteristic of each audio signal.
However, the conventional equalizer has suffered the situation where the larger the number of bands (i.e., the number of divided frequency bands), the higher resolution in frequency, thus more accurate adjustment of the frequency characteristics, while the higher manufacturing cost for audio systems.
In contrast, in the conventional equalizer, if the number of bands is lessened, the manufacturing cost will be reduced, but the frequency resolution will become deteriorated, thus lowering accuracy in the frequency characteristic adjustment. That is, there is a confliction between sustaining or improving accuracy in the frequency characteristic adjustment and reducing the manufacturing cost of audio systems.
Further, the conventional audio system with the equalizer is also provided with amplifiers and attenuators placed after the equalizer in order to increase or lower, as a whole, the levels of audio signals outputted from the equalizer for adjustment of changes in the audio signals occurring due to control in the equalizer. In this case, however, when the levels of the audio signals from the equalizer are raised by the amplifiers, there occurs a problem that noise mixed with the audio signals is also amplified together. This lowers a signal to noise ratio in an audio system, thus deteriorating sound reproduction with higher quality.

Method and apparatus for adjusting frequency characteristic of signal


The semiconductor masking device of the invention includes a first semiconductor mask for forming an interconnection on a semiconductor substrate and a second semiconductor mask for forming a resist pattern on an insulating film. The first semiconductor mask has three masking areas and the second semiconductor mask has two masking areas. Masking area intervals, that is, the distances between the three masking areas of the first semiconductor mask and the two masking areas of the second semiconductor mask, are all equal to one another.

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. More particularly, the invention relates to a semiconductor masking device which can completely flatten a level difference portion of an insulating film formed due to irregularity on a semiconductor substrate, a method of manufacturing the semiconductor masking device and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using the semiconductor masking device.
As a semiconductor device has achieved a higher density and has become more refined, a technique to flatten the surface of an insulating film has become more and more significant.
A conventional method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a multilayer interconnection structure will now be described referring to FIGS. 13(a) through 13(e).
As is shown in FIG. 13(a), interconnections 91 are first formed on a semiconductor substrate 90 bearing semiconductor elements, and then, as is shown in FIG. 13(b), an interlayer insulating film 92 of, for example, a silicon oxide film is deposited on the semiconductor substrate 90 so as to cover the interconnections 91.
Next, as is shown in FIG. 13(c), in order to flatten the surface of the interlayer insulating film 92, a resist film 93 is formed by coating the interlayer insulating film 92 with a flattening material such as a resist.
Then, as is shown in FIG. 13(d), the resist film 93 is etched as a first etch back process. In this etch back process, an end point detector is generally used so as to stop the etching when the surface of the interlayer insulating film 92 is exposed. After this, as is shown in FIG. 13(e), a second etch back process is conducted under conditions which make the etching rate for the interlayer insulating film 92 equal to that for the resist film 93, so as to flatten the surface of the interlayer insulating film 92.
In the case where the surface of the interlayer insulating film is flattened in the aforementioned manner, however, when a distance between the adjacent interconnections 91 causing level differences underneath is several .mu.m or more, the surface of the interlayer insulating film 92 has recesses after completing the etching because of the coating characteristic of the resist film 93. Since the etch back is a technique to transfer the flatness of the top surface of the resist film 93 to the surface of the interlayer insulating film 92 as the ultimate surface form, the surface of the interlayer insulating film 92 ultimately obtained has the recesses.
In this manner, in the conventional method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, it is impossible to decrease an absolute level difference formed on the surface of the interlayer insulating film 92.
Furthermore, as a semiconductor element has been more refined, it is also significant to secure a depth of focus in lithography. In the aforementioned conventional method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, however, since the absolute level difference formed on the surface of the interlayer insulating film cannot be decreased, the depth of focus cannot be improved. This automatically leads to a limit in the refinement of a semiconductor element.
In order to solve the aforementioned problems, it is indispensable to introduce a technique to completely flatten an interlayer insulating film, and chemical mechanical polishing has recently attracted attention as the completely flattening technique for an interlayer insulating film. However, the flattening of an interlayer insulating film by the chemical mechanical polishing has various problems as follows: (1) It is necessary to introduce new equipment; and (2) the polishing process has obvious pattern dependency and is very difficult to control.

Method of planarizing an insulator film using multiple etching steps

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Various technologies described herein pertain to conservatively adapting a deep neural network (DNN) in a recognition system for a particular user or context. A DNN is employed to output a probability distribution over models of context-dependent units responsive to receipt of captured user input. The DNN is adapted for a particular user based upon the captured user input, wherein the adaption is undertaken conservatively such that a deviation between outputs of the adapted DNN and the unadapted DNN is constrained.

Many different types of computer-implemented recognition systems exist, wherein such recognition systems are configured to perform some form of classification with respect to input data set forth by a user. For example, computer-implemented speech recognition systems are configured to receive spoken utterances of a user and recognize words in the spoken utterances. In another example, handwriting recognition systems have been developed to receive a handwriting sample and identify, for instance, an author of the handwriting sample, individual letters in the handwriting sample, words in the handwriting sample, etc. In still yet another example, computer-implemented recognition systems have been developed to perform facial recognition, fingerprint recognition, and the like.
With more particularity with respect to speech recognition, such type of recognition has been the subject of a significant amount of research and commercial development. For example, automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems have been incorporated into mobile telephones, desktop computers, automobiles, gaming consoles, customer service centers, etc., in order to recognize commands/questions and provide an appropriate response to such commands/questions. For instance, in a mobile telephone equipped with an ASR system, a user can utter a name of a contact retained in a contacts list on the mobile telephone, and the mobile telephone can initiate a call to the contact.
Even after decades of research, however, the performance of ASR in real-world usage scenarios remains far from satisfactory. Conventionally, hidden Markov models (HMMs) have been the dominant technique for larger vocabulary continuous speech recognition (LVCSR). In conventional HMMs used for ASR, observation probabilities for output states are modeled using Gaussian mixture models (GMMs). These GMM-HMM systems are typically trained to maximize the likelihood of generating observed features in training data. Recently, various discriminate strategies and large margin techniques have been explored. The potential of such techniques, however, is restricted by limitations of the GMM emission distribution model.
More recent research in ASR has explored layered architectures to perform speech recognition, motivated partly by the desire to capitalize on some analogous properties in the human speech generation and perception systems. In these studies, learning of model parameters (weights and weight biases corresponding to synapses in such layered architectures) has been one of the most prominent and difficult problems. In parallel with the development in ASR research, recent progresses made in learning methods from neural network research have ignited interest in exploration of deep neural networks (DNNs). A DNN is a densely connected directed belief network with many hidden layers. In general, DNNs can be considered as a highly complex, nonlinear feature extractor with a plurality of layers of hidden units and at least one layer of visible units, where each layer of hidden units is learned to represent features that capture higher-order correlations in original input data.
Conventionally, ASR systems that utilize DNNs are trained to be speaker/channel independent. In other words, parameters (e.g., weights and weight biases) of the DNN are not learned with respect to a particular speaker and/or channel. This is for at least two reasons: first, it is often difficult to obtain a sufficient amount of training data to robustly learn the parameters for a speaker and/or channel, as most users do not desire to spend a significant amount of time providing labeled utterances to train an ASR system. Furthermore, DNNs typically have many more parameters due to wider and deeper hidden layers, and also have a much larger output layer that is designed to model senones directly. This makes adapting a DNN utilized in connection with speech recognition a relatively difficult task.

Conservatively adapting a deep neural network in a recognition system


A plaything for executing a reciprocating activity has a curved platform reciprocatably mounted on a base. The platform has a traveling surface with a longitudinally spaced, opposing pair of end ramps. A coaster can travel back and forth freely on the platform. The end ramps are inclined to cause reversion of the coaster.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to playthings for executing a reciprocating activity, and in particular, to playthings with a traveling coaster.
2. Description of Related Art
Skateboarders accomplish remarkable athletic feats by traversing the opposing banks or ramps of a half pipe, using the banks to reverse their direction of traversal. Using a similar structure snowboarders and BMX bikers perform comparable athletic feats by riding from one bank to an opposite bank, again reversing direction at the peak of travel.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,174 a miniature roll-up half-pipe is used with a miniature fingerboard 60. The user places a finger on the upper surface of the fingerboard 60 and rolls it back and forth along flexible sheet 35, manipulating it to perform typical skateboard stunts.
In U.S. Design Pat. 487,486 a toy road racing skateboard has a miniature rider mounted on top.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,577 a fingerboard contains magnetic material, and can be manipulated to perform typical skateboard tricks using a finger ring 30 or fully poseable action figure 50.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,780 a skateboard maze has a board with grooves on its topside forming the maze. The grooves are deep enough to hold a ball. The user stands on top of the board and rocks it back and forth, causing the ball to move through the maze.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,433,995 an electromagnet 6 is controlled by switches 13 and 14. The user opens and closes the circuit to cause a metal ball to roll towards target 9 mounted in a spherical bowl.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,341 a maze is provided in platforms 22 and 24. The user stands on a textured traction surface 46 and rocks the platforms to move a ball toward a goal at the end of the maze.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,320 a top spins on a hinged game board. The user can move the game board to steer the top on spiral path 18 from a start to a finish point.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,961 jumping-off ramp 1 and jumping-on ramp 2 are arranged opposite one another on two track sections. A toy vehicle 4 leaves ramp 1 at an angle that can be adjusted using handle 1c.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,726,523 a remote controlled toy skateboard device includes a toy figure mounted on a skateboard. The speed and direction of travel for the device is controlled by a portable remote control unit.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,776,685 a collapsible toy vehicle ramp has a flexible panel, used as a jumping surface. The ramp is designed to collapse under weight exceeding the normal weight for a toy vehicle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,623,367 a fingerboard ramp includes at the intersection of sections 36 and 38 an edge coping 44 made of metal tubing. See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,251,949; and 5,409,223.
Accordingly, there is in need for a plaything that allows a player to execute a reciprocating activity, especially an activity where a coaster travels up an inclined ramp before reversing direction and traveling towards an opposite ramp.

Reciprocating plaything and method for playing


A safety lawn dart game including safety lawn darts, a caddy and targets. The lawn dart includes an elongated shaft, a plurality of flights extending outwardly from the shaft and a head assembly having a weighted, spring biased head portion. The target may include a target hoop or electronic target. The caddy carries and stores the safety darts and targets in a convenient manner to keep all of the game components together.

In the original lawn dart game, the dart consisted of a pointed metal head or tip attached to an elongated shaft with outwardly extending flights or fins. The object of the game was to lob the dart in an underhand manner to try to stick the dart in the ground within a target consisting of a plastic hoop. Despite its popularity, the game was banned and removed from the market due to safety concerns.
The pointed metal tipped darts were replaced with various types of blunt headed "safety" darts which have met with limited success primarily because these blunt headed safety darts tend to bounce or skip on the ground whereas the darts of the original lawn dart game would stick in the ground when thrown, making the original game much more a skill game rather than luck-of-the-bounce with current blunt headed safety darts.
Accordingly there is a need for a lawn dart that has a blunt safety head but performs similar to the original pointed tip lawn dart so it does not bounce or skip when it lands.
There is also a for a target that can be used with safety darts and which can be used indoors or outdoors.
There is also a need for a caddy that may be used for carrying and storing the blunt headed safety darts and targets in a convenient manner and will keep all of the game components together.


A linkage device for a steam turbine stop valve includes a support member having a pair of transverse sections separated by a substantially vertical portion; a reciprocal stop valve stem fixed to one of the transverse sections, the stop valve stem extending substantially parallel to but laterally offset from the vertical portion; an actuator rod arranged in substantial axial alignment with the stop valve stem along a force line, one end of the actuator rod extending through a hole in the other of the transverse sections; and a multi link assembly extending between the stop valve stem and the actuator rod, including a first link pivotally secured at a first end to the one transverse section, and a second link pivotally secured at a first end to the actuator rod. Second ends of the first and second links are pivotally secured to each other by a pivot pin. A trip cylinder is utilized to move the pivot pin through the force line, causing the multi link assembly to collapse, thus permitting closure of the valve.

Steam turbine stop valves are employed as the last line of defense against overspeed and thus, must be completely reliable. Any excessive friction or reduced velocity imposed by the valve opening/closing actuator is unacceptable since required closing times are on the order of 0.2 seconds.
Previous approaches to this problem have focused on the reliability of the valve actuating system per se. High pressure hydraulic cylinders combined with quick-opening dump valves have been employed on the majority of existing turbine stop valves. While such arrangements have been very reliable, they require remote hydraulic power units as well as fluid treatment systems and field installed hydraulic tubing. Other systems employ non-hydraulic actuators in order to eliminate the complication and expense of the hydraulic systems, but actuators of this type to date generally have experienced friction and inertia problems sufficient to slow valve closure beyond acceptable limits.

Linkage arrangement for steam turbine valves


The amino groups of an organopolysiloxane are reacted with an acrylic acid or ester compound to provide a fiber-treating composition which is almost completely free of yellowing, while at the same time being characterized by an excellent softness and smoothness.

The present invention relates to an organopolysiloxanebased fiber treatment agent which is almost completely devoid of yellowing of the treated fiber.
Fiber treatment agents based on diorganopolysiloxane containing the --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 NHCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 NH.sub.2 group have been used in order to impart lubricity to fibers and fibrous materials. for example, natural fiber such as cotton, flax, silk, wool, Angora, and mohair; regenerated fiber such as rayon and bemberg; semisynthetic fiber such as acetate; and synthetic fiber such as polyester, polyamide, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl chloride, vinylon, polyethylene, polypropylene, and spandex. Refer to Japanese Patent Publication Number 57-43673 (43,673/82). However, due to spontaneous oxidation, fiber treated with diorganopolysiloxane containing the--CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 NHCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 NH.sub.2 group yellows with the passage of time.


A real-time speech analytics system (“RSTA system”) detects a speech condition during a call involving a contact center agent and a remote party. Upon detecting the speech condition, an alert message is provided to an alert reporting module (“ARM”), which is configured to access various data to form a RTSA alert. In one embodiment, the RTSA alert is a transient alert indication overlaid on an agent icon on a grid where the agent icon represents the agent and is displayed to a contact center supervisor. Information on the type and severity of the alert may be conveyed by text and non-text images, such as icons, colors, or symbols. A number representing a cumulative number of alert messages received for each agent may be indicated in an alert bubble overlaid on the agent icon. A viewer is able to request detailed alert data upon selecting the alert bubble.

Contact centers must comply with various regulations governing how a call may be conducted between an agent in the contact center and an individual. The applicable regulations depend on the purpose of the call, and these may involve various federal and state regulations that govern calls for debt collection, soliciting charitable donations, telemarketing, informational calls, etc.
For example, debt collection calls are governed by regulations that govern aspects of how a debt may be collected. At various points in a debt collection call, certain information is required to be conveyed to the debtor by the agent. For example, the agent may be required to inform the individual that the purpose of the call is to collect a debt. On the other hand, in other contexts, the agent is prohibited from making certain statements to the debtor. For example, the agent is precluded from making intimidating statements or attempting to collect on the debt after being informed by the debtor that they are represented by an attorney. Thus, in various contexts, agents are required to state certain information and refrain from making other statements.
Training agents on the various regulations has been the basic approach for ensuring the agents are complying with all the applicable regulations. This ensures that agents know the applicable regulations. While knowing the regulations at a high level is a pre-requisite for agents to comply with them, knowing the regulations does not necessarily mean the agents are complying with them on a call. Thus, agent training is usually supplemented by reviewing call recordings to verify that agents are complying with various regulations. For instance a supervisor may review a call with an agent in order to instruct the agent in any performance deficiencies. Reviewing recorded calls may be further supplemented by real-time monitoring of the agent to provide immediate feedback to ensure the agent is compliance with applicable regulations. This involves the supervisor listening in using a conference bridge, so that the supervisor can hear the agent's performance for a given call in real time. Some technologies allow the supervisor to listen only, or also provide voice prompts that are only heard by the agent.
However, whether a supervisor is engaged in reviewing recorded calls and/or monitoring active calls, these activities are usually limited in nature. Typically, there are a number of agents for every supervisor, and it is simply not feasible for the supervisor to review a significant percentage of each agent's calls. Typically, the supervisor has additional duties than just reviewing recorded calls. Thus, a deficiency with an agent's performance may proceed for some time without being detected.
Contact centers may now employ speech analytics systems ("SAS") to assist in this task. While prior SAS reviewed call recordings in non-real time, current SAS can monitor calls in real-time and may be referred to as real-time speech analytics systems ("RTSA systems"). Further, such RTSA systems are more sophisticated than prior systems that just performed speech recognition. The technology found in a RTSA system can analyze numerous calls for a number of speech conditions that are context dependent. This may provide an enormous amount of real-time data, which then raises an issue of how to easily and practically inform a supervisor of the relevant information. Thus, improved approaches are needed for synthesizing and delivering RTSA information in an effective manner to a supervisor. It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure herein is presented.

Dynamic display of real time speech analytics agent alert indications in a contact center


A method and system for determining path maximum transfer unit (PMTU) in an Internet Protocol (IP) multicast is described. If a packet of a size greater than the MTU of any link of a path, with its Don't Fragment (DF) bit set, is sent by the source, the packet is dropped and an ICMP message, stating “Destination unreachable, DF bit set”, is sent to the source. The rate of messages to the source is controlled to avoid implosion of traffic. In response to the messages, the source sends multicast probe packets of multiple sizes to multicast distribution tree to determine its PMTU.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates in general to the field of Internet Protocol (IP) multicast. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and systems for determining Path Maximum Transfer Units (PMTU) in an IP multicast.
2. Description of the Background Art
An Internet Protocol (IP) multicast is a network comprising a source and a plurality of destinations. Source is a network node from which data is transferred to one or more destinations. In a network, the source and destinations are connected to each other via a series of paths. The path includes one or more router. For example, a source A may be connected via a path to a router B. The router B may be connected to another router C. The router C is then connected to three destinations—D, E and F.
A packet is transmitted by a path in the network only if the size of the packet is less than or equal to the Maximum Transfer Unit (MTU) of the path If the size of the packet is larger than the MTU of the path, the router fragments the packet. However, fragmentation of packets at routers is not preferred since it affects the performance of the network In an IP multicast, fragmentation affects the performance of the node carrying out the fragmentation and the destinations receiving the fragmented packets. To prevent fragmentation, a Don't Fragment (DF) bit is set on the packets.
When a router is unable to transmit a packet because its size exceeds the MTU of the path and its DF bit is set, the router sends back a message to the source, stating 'Destination Unreachable, DF bit set'. The message is sent using Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) and the message is called 'Packet too BIG' ICMP message. The router sending the message also includes the MTU of the path on which the fragmentation failed. In response to the 'Packet too BIG' ICMP message, the source starts transmitting the packet of a smaller size. Usually the size of the packet is taken to be equal to the MTU received in the 'Packet too BIG' ICMP message.
However, if a packet transmitted by the source is destined for a plurality of destinations, such as in an IP multicast, the message is not sent back to the source. This is to avoid an implosion of traffic at the source. The packets are simply dropped, i.e., they are not sent to the destination devices. This prevents the source from modifying the size of the packet, to ensure that subsequent packets are of a size that is smaller than the MTU of the path.

Method and system for determining path maximum transfer unit for IP multicast


Novel Gi/o-biased muscarinic agonists selectively activate only one specific signaling pathway and are novel pharmacophores for development of new painkillers (analgesics). Methods of making and using these agonists are also described. The muscarinic agonists are of the formula:

Opioid overdose is a national crisis that affects thousands of Americans every year. Not only it is a public health crisis but an economic burden to the healthcare system and to many families. Opioids, prescribed as pain relievers, are highly addictive with multiple adverse side effects. Therefore, it is of great importance for the science community to develop alternative drug therapies, to reduce or eliminate the use of opioids as painkillers, with lower or no side effects.

Muscarinic agonists as non-steroidal and non-opioid analgesics and methods of use thereof

Abstract: or an analog, derivative or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein:

Abstract: R1=H or Me; R2=H, Me, Et, OMe, OEt, F, Cl, Br, I, or NO2; and R3=H, Me, Et, OMe, or CO2Me (R3 may be bonded to any carbon of the rings).


Methods and apparatus are disclosed for a technician to access an intranet through a systems interface to back-end legacy systems. Generally, a technician logs a computer into a systems interface that permits access to back-end legacy systems. Preferably, the systems interface is located on at least a first network address. Preferably, the systems interface includes a first server with middleware for managing the protocol interface. Preferably, the systems interface includes a second server for receiving requests and generating legacy transactions. After the computer is logged in, a request for access to an intranet is made. Preferably, the request results from the technician selecting an icon or engaging a software button. After the request is processed, a message is sent from the systems interface to the computer. The message causes the computer to launch a software application that seeks out a separate network address corresponding to the intranet. Preferably, the software application is a browser that seeks out a technician home page on the intranet. The systems interface routes communications from the computer to the separate network address. Preferably, the message cause the first server to route the computer from the first network address to the separate network address.

Telecommunications technicians, such as so-called "Installation and Maintenance" (I&M) technicians, may visit customer sites to install new equipment, set up new services, or to service existing equipment or services. Frequently an I&M technician needs to gather local or district-specific information to complete a "job order" or task. For example, an I&M technician may need to know cross-box locations, pricing information, service information, cable records, plat information, or other information needed to carry out his or her assignment.
For many telephone companies, including Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs), such local information is generally not stored on centralized legacy systems. Accordingly, although I&M technicians can presently access information stored on these central legacy systems using portable laptops and custom software, they are unable to remotely access the local information using their portable laptops.
According to the conventional approach to this problem, an I&M technician seeking local information must make one or more telephone calls to local offices of his or her employer. Several calls may be required. The I&M technician may be put on hold as the call attendant collects the information or tends to other business. The time the I&M technician must spend in collecting local information reduces his or her job efficiency and may increase costs to customers. Furthermore, miscommunications between individuals may cause incorrect information to be transferred. For example, the data retrieved by the call attendant may not be accurately interpreted by the call attendant who has a lower level of technical expertise than the I&M technician. These are significant drawbacks to the current approach.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Technician intranet access via systems interface to legacy systems

AT&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc.


This invention is a tension and freely adjustable protective case for remote control units of electric or electronic products. It's a set of stretchable and contractable protective case that can be extended or reduced in height, width and length to cover the case of any remote control unit, regardless of its sizes and brands, so that the remote control unit would not be damaged by accidental collision (such as the drop to the floor) which may lead to abnormal operation due to mul-functioning of its internal circuitry.

In this scientific and technological society exploded with information, almost every one faces the choice of achieving his or her goal by fastest and most effective means. Let us take electric or electronic products as an example. These products are improved generation by generation, mainly to provide simpler, easier and more complete operation modes for users. As a result, remote control units of various shapes and functions for electric or electronic products are developed one by one. To coordinate with the current trend of designing light, thin and small items, the controlling consoles of many new electric or electronic products are housed in external remote control units.
As remote control units are mostly compact and light, they are easily damaged by a careless drop to the floor. As a damaged remote control unit may affect the functions of the eletric or electronic product under its control, it is obvious that remote control unit requires a protective device to avoid damage against accidental collision or shock, and to maintain its normal function.

Tension and freely adjustable protective case for remote control unit