The present invention provides an installation system that facilitates the operation on computer terminals in the network system and allows for automatic installation of an operating system software program on computer terminals. A PC to be shipped is connected to a network. After the PC is switched on, an installation floppy disk is inserted in the drive and started up. The installation start-up program stored in the floppy disk is copied to the internal memory of the PC. After the PC is connected to an installation server, the hard disk drive is initialized. The bar coded ID of the PC is read with a bar code reader. The installation information relevant to that ID is retrieved from the installation server by using the ID as a key. Based on the installation information retrieved, the software information stored in the storage device of installation server is read to obtain the operating system software program and the pertinent information for setting up the environment, and then the operating system software is installed. In the next step, application software programs are also installed.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates generally to a network system of personal computers (referred to as PCs hereafter) equipped with hard disk drives and, more particularly, to an installation system of software for each computer terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
When operating a newly purchased personal computer for the first time or when running a newly bought software package for the first time, one must start up the PC or the software program with a floppy disk of an operating system (OS) or with an application software program by inserting it in the drive. One must also install the program stored in the floppy disk into the hard disk drive and set up the environment. It is customary for end users themselves to install a software program and to set up the environment by using a keyboard and referring to a manual that comes with the new software package. These tasks are time consuming for a beginner as well as an expert.
Oftentimes in PC classes at schools and at PC training centers, software installation and/or hardware initialization must be done for many computers. Teachers and instructors expend a lot of time and efforts to do so.
It has been a trend of recent years that, when a user purchases a new PC, the user specifies the configuration of the PC to be purchased such as a CPU and a capacity of a hard disk drive. The user is also asked to purchase an OS and at least a few application software packages to prevent any copyright infringement. The fact that a basic set of software packages to run the new PC come with it indicates that selling a PC means "providing functions" rather than "providing just hardware." When manufacturers of PCs sell their products, they do not just bundle the PC and the application software packages a buyer specifies, but they must provide PCs that have application software programs already installed. It requires much time and labor to install different software programs on individual PCs according to the selections made by individual buyers. Further, it takes a long time to make copies of software programs. Therefore, shipping delays may occur.
The installation system presented in the Japanese patent laid-open publication HEI 6-44055 discloses a technique to eliminate the complexity of the software installation described above. As shown in FIG. 6, the installation system comprises a master server (computer) 11 that provides information regarding the installation through a network 13 in response to a request, and a target computer 12 that receives information regarding the installation from master server 11 through network 13 and performs the installation. Master server 11 comprises a machine installation information storage unit 111 that stores the machine information corresponding to computer IDs and the installation information, an ID receiving unit 112 that receives IDs from an ID transmitting unit 121 of target computer 11, an information retrieving unit 113 that retrieves information from machine installation information storage unit 111 using the received ID as a key, and a machine installation information transmitting unit 114 that transmits the retrieved information to target computer 12. Target computer 12 comprises ID transmitting unit 121 that transmits its own ID to master server 11 to obtain the installation information, a receiver 123 that receives the machine and installation information sent from master server 11, and an installation unit 122 that performs the installation based on the received information. Inquiry about the installation information is performed by target computer 12 that sends its ID to master server 11 through ID transmitting unit 121.
ID receiving unit 112 of master server 11 receives a computer ID and passes it to information retrieving unit 113, which in turn searches the ID in the machine installation information table of machine installation information storage unit 111. When that particular computer ID is found, the relevant machine installation information is sent to target computer 12 through machine installation information transmitting unit 114. Installation unit 122 of target computer 12 receives the machine and installation information via receiving unit 123 and performs the installation according to the received information to build a complete system.
The installation system disclosed in the Japanese patent laid-open publication HEI 6-44055 mentioned above has a network of a plurality of computer terminals such as target computer 12, in which the machine and installation 10 information stored in master server 11 (e.g., computer names, computer addresses, network information, purpose of external storage devices, information about the software to be installed) is distributed to the individual terminals. Installation unit 122 obtains the information needed for the installation from master computer 11 and installs the software according to specific installation information. Therefore, users can build a system efficiently without any special knowledge of installation and without any complicated operations.
The computer terminals used in the above network are assumed to have an OS (operating system) already installed. Therefore, a newly purchased computer without an OS installed in it cannot perform an installation operation even when the power is switched on because it is unable to send its computer ID. In other words, the installation system cannot be used to install an OS because a terminal computer does not have an OS installed. Therefore, this installation system still requires manual installation of an OS. Accordingly, it is not suitable for such applications as installation for a computer class at schools and installation at a manufacturer's site to produce installed computers.


A mobile phone housing with a tool frame has a main casing, a tool frame slidably mounted in the main casing, and a slider connected to the tool frame. By pushing the slider, the tool frame can be driven to protrude out of the mobile phone housing or to be stored in the mobile phone housing. The tool frame may be an eyeglasses frame for mounting glasses. The glasses mounted in the tool frame can be replaced with other glasses of different lens prescriptions or different functions according to user's need, such that the mobile phone housing with the eyeglasses frame is convenient for people with eye defects to use. Or the tool frame may be a mirror frame for mounting the mirror to allow user to look at himself in the mirror.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile phone housing, especially to a mobile phone housing with a tool frame.
2. Description of the Prior Art(s)
With progress of communication technology, mobile phones have become necessities to contemporary people. Besides young people who always carry the mobile phones with them, the middle-aged and elderly people are also deeply attached to convenience of the mobile phones and use the mobile phones all the time.
For instance, since more and more young people are nearsighted and a large proportion of the middle-aged and elderly people have presbyopia, eyeglasses have long been necessities to both nearsighted and presbyopic people. However, people with mild nearsightedness or mild presbyopia do not need to wear eyeglasses all the time. Thus, whenever the people need the eyeglasses, they might not find one immediately available at hand.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a mobile phone housing with a tool frame to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.


The composition containing a pamoate salt of donepezil, the method of preparation and the use thereof are disclosed.

Polymeric extended release systems for the treatment of dementia of the Alzheimer's type have been described. However, such extended release devices tend to be costly to manufacture and difficult to produce. In addition, they typically provide for once-daily oral administration. Thus, there still exists a need for improved methods of delivering such agents which maximize the medical benefits of the active agent, can be administered more conveniently at a dosing interval longer than 24 hours, and can be produced in a more cost effective manner The chemical structure of donepezil is:
The molecular weight of donepezil is 379.49, the melting point is 207° C., and the pKa is 9.1.
Donepezil has been successfully used in the treatment of dementia (a brain disorder that affects the ability to remember, think clearly, communicate, and perform daily activities and may cause changes in mood and personality) associated with Alzheimer's disease and is currently being marketed for that purpose. Such dementia patients are often non-compliant, making it difficult to assess whether or not a patient has received the proper dosage of medication. Applicants have discovered that it can be especially desired to formulate donepezil in a depot formulation or as an intramuscular formulation to assure consistent and proper dosage of the drug substance and to maximize the clinical benefits through improved patient compliance.
Donepezil is an organic weak base. In solution, it exists as the free base form at high pH (alkaline conditions). Aqueous solubility of donepezil increases with decreasing pH of the solution due to an increasing fraction of the drug being ionized. At high concentrations of the ionized drug (protonated amine), the solubility product of the salt (Ksp) will be exceeded and the salt form will precipitate out. The nature of the drug and counterion determine the Ksp and the associated solid state properties of the salt.
There are a wide range of counterions that have been used to prepare salts of bases using inorganic and organic acids. The most frequently used anion to form a salt of a basic drug is the hydrochloride form. For example, Aricept®, a commercial product of donepezil for oral administration, uses hydrochloride salt. Multiple organic salts of donepezil are also described in U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2008/0194628 by Mezei et al. These salts were prepared to improve stability, solubility or increased dissolution rate for oral administration. They possess desirable properties for immediate release dosage form. However, when extended release delivery of these salts are desired for a prolonged action, extended release technology using rate-controlling polymers are usually required as described in U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2011/0218216 by Vivek et al. and by P. Zhang et al, in Biomaterials (2007, 28(10):1882-8). In addition, such extended release devices tend to be costly to manufacture and difficult to produce at commercial scale. Thus, there still exists a need for improved methods of delivering such agents which maximize the medical benefits of the active agent, can be administered significantly less frequently than the current 24-hour dosing interval and can be produced in a more cost effective manner.
The chemical structure of pamoic acid is:
The molecular weight of pamoic acid is 388 g/mol, the pKa1 is 2.51, and pKa2 is 3.1.
It is known that the pH of muscle tissue can vary with exercise, stress, and injury which can affect drug solubility, and thus the rate of absorption of injectable drugs. Therefore, it is desirable to find an injectable extended release formulation in which the release rate of the active ingredient is minimally dependent on pH.

Donezil pamoate, method of preparation and use thereof


A touch control module, a display panel, a display device, and a touch control method. The touch control module includes a first substrate and an array of touch electrodes disposed on a first surface of the first substrate. In a touch control period of a touch electrode row, the touch electrode row and at least one touch electrode row directly adjacent to the touch electrode row are configured to receive a same touch scan signal simultaneously. Therefore, under synchronous modulation, the influence of the coupling between directly adjacent touch electrode rows is reduced and overall uniformity of the capacitance is achieved, so that accuracy of the touch positioning and the pressure touch control can be improved.

With the fast development of display technology, touch screen panels have gradually become popular in people's lives. Currently touch screen panels can be divided, on basis of their construction, into Add-On type touch screen panels, On-Cell type touch screen panels, and In-Cell type touch screen panels. In Add-On type touch screen panels, a touch screen panel and a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel are fabricated separately and then glued together to form a LCD panel with touch functionality. The Add-On type touch screen panel has drawbacks of high fabrication cost, low light transmittance, and a large module thickness. Touch electrodes of the In-Cell type touch screen panel are embedded inside the LCD panel, and reduce the overall module thickness and greatly decrease the fabricating cost, making it the favorite choice of the panel manufacturers.

Touch control module, display panel, display device and touch control method

HEFEI BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A device for urinary catheterization including an oblong member for opening the human bladder and a guide member for manipulating the oblong member. The guide member may be provided in a bent configuration, e.g. being curled or folded, such that the size of the device is small in comparison with the size of known catheters, especially in comparison with existing catheters for male users.

Persons suffering from urinary incontinence or disabled individuals who may not be able to control urination, normally use catheters to void their bladder. Existing catheters are typically made from a single piece of a continuous catheter tube, and typically, the thickness of the catheter tube is constant throughout its length. The length of the catheter is chosen to allow the catheter to be inserted into the urethra until the urine starts to flow. In addition, a certain over-length of the catheter is available for the manipulation and removal of the catheter. The over-length, inter alia, supports the user to firmly hold the catheter, to guide the urine to a place of disposal and to withdraw the catheter safely, without risking that the catheter disappears into the urethra. The catheter is thus longer than the urinary canal and, especially for men, the total length of the known catheters prevents carrying and disposal of the catheter in a discrete manner.
It is important that the tubular member does not collapse or kink, since this may cause problems during insertion and withdrawal of the catheter from a urinary canal and further may cause blocking of the passage for the urine to drain through the catheter. Existing catheters are therefore typically made from, e.g., PVC or polyurethane to form a form stabile and relatively hard, but still bendable, tube. Since the hardness of the catheter tube is selected to be relatively high with the view to avoid kinking or collapse of the internal flow channel, the catheters may collapse if they are bent with a too small radius of curvature. Accordingly, existing catheters not only have considerable lengths but they are also typically packed in an elongate condition, and in order to maintain the functioning of the catheter, the user is prevented from bending such packages into smaller or less notable dimensions.
Therefore, the existing catheters may be troublesome to handle and to bring along, not least for the large group of catheter users, who make use of catheters on a daily basis.


A target holder assembly for interchangeably supporting a two-dimensional target and a three-dimensional target includes an enclosure and a target holder frame connected to the enclosure, the target holder frame including a cross arm member connected between two target arms. The cross arm has a base length with clamping members extending from both ends of the base length to engage three dimensional targets. The cross arm also has receiving grooves proximate the junction of the clamping members and the base length positioned to engage the two-dimensional targets. A front protrusion is positioned along the base length to engage either the two-dimensional target or the three-dimensional target. The holder assembly further includes a clamping apparatus connected to the base length to engage either the two-dimensional target or the three-dimensional target.

A variety of target clamps are used to support targets for live action training. One clamp utilizes a simple pinching action accomplished by utilizing the mechanical advantage of an inclined plane in the form of a screw. It allows the user to place any target that fits between the jaws of the target holder and then clamp it in. The shape of the target near the target head is then defined by the target head. Another concept also utilizes mounting holes corresponding to the Department of Defense target system. It holds the target in place with two hooks and a screw through the front cutout of the target. The target has to be put on to the head with a tool in order for it to snap onto the hooks. The method used to hold the FIG. 11 style target is generally four large thumb screws that clamp the target at each of the slots at the lower portion of the target.
While these target clamps are able to secure a specific stationary infantry target designed for the clamp, they fail to hold more than one type of target, which limits the user to a single stationary infantry target to be used.


A zoom lens has a first lens unit having a positive refractive power, a second lens unit having a negative refractive power, which is moved during zooming, a third lens unit having a positive refractive power, and a fourth lens unit having a positive refractive power, which is moved during zooming, arranged in the mentioned order from the object side to the image side. The zoom lens satisfies the following conditions:0.15<|f2 |/√{square root over ((fw×ft))}<0.27 and5.4021 f3/fw<10.00, where f2 and f3 are the focal lengths of the second and third lens units respectively, and fw and ft are the focal lengths of the zoom lens at the wide angle end and the telephoto end respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a zoom lens that is suitably used as a taking lens in an image pickup apparatus such as a video camera, a digital still camera, a broadcasting camera, a film camera and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a need for a zoom lens that is compact in size and has a high zoom ratio for use as a taking optical system in an image pickup apparatus using a solid state image pickup element, such as a video camera, a digital still camera and a film camera using a silver halide film.
As a zoom lens that meet such needs, a four-unit zoom lens having a first lens unit having a positive refractive power, a second lens unit having a negative refractive power, a third lens unit having a positive refractive power and a fourth lens unit having a positive refractive power arranged in the mentioned order from the object side to the image side has been known.
Some known four-unit zoom lenses having the above described configuration are what is called rear-focus zoom lenses in which the second lens unit is moved to change magnification and the fourth lens unit is moved to perform focusing and correction of image plane variations (see Japanese Patent Publication 2002-182109, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-287027, U.S. Pat. No. 6, 118,593 and Japanese patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-227548).
In recent years, it is highly desired that zoom lenses used in image pickup apparatuses have a high zoom ratio and be small in the size of the entire lens system.
In a zoom lens, in general, increasing the refractive power of the lens units that constitute the zoom lens leads to a decrease in the movement amount of the magnification changing lens unit(s) in achieving a predetermined zoom ratio. Thus, it is possible to reduce the entire length of the lens system and increase the zoom ratio by increasing the refractive power of the lens units.
However, if the refractive power of each lens unit is simply increased, variations of aberrations during zooming become so large that it becomes difficult to achieve excellent optical performance throughout the entire zoom range, while making the zoom ratio higher.
On the other hand, use of the rear focus system leads to a reduction in the size of the entire lens system, enables high speed focusing and makes close-up shooting easy.
On the other hand, however, use of the rear focus system leads to an increase in aberration variations during focusing, and makes it very difficult to achieve excellent optical performance throughout the entire object distance range from a infinite object distance to a short object distance.
When the zoom ratio is to be made higher, it is difficult achieve excellent optical performance throughout the entire zoom range
In view of the above, to achieve an increase in the zoom ratio and a reduction in the size of the entire lens system, it is important to appropriately design the zoom type, the refractive powers of the lens units, and the lens configurations of the lens units.

Zoom lens and image pickup apparatus having same


An automatic, therapeutic device is provided for treating spinal problems, including problems with intervertebral disks and spinal curvatures. The device is patient interactive, providing circumductive motion including oscillatory lateral flexion, rotation and longitudinal extension and compression of the spine. Patient supports and an adjustable, motor-driven articulated interconnection between the supports are provided, whereby rotation of the interconnection imparts circumducting motion to the patient's spine. The interconnection is a shaft formed by coaxial axles, including a hollow axle and a core axle received therein, which can be adjusted longitudinally relative to each other to adjust the degree of circumduction motion; the speed of rotation is also adjustable. Adjustments may be accomplished while the device is in use.

Interest in physical wellbeing, research and interest in holistic concepts of treating disease and injury, and patient's increasing reluctance to undergo invasive surgical procedures have led to appreciation of the value of chiropractic and other holistic disciplines for the treatment of the human body. For treatment of spinal injury and for those wishing to maintain general health, particularly good condition of the spine and tone of the contiguous soft tissue structures, it may be advantageous to manipulate the spine to achieve better alignment of its component parts. Typically, this manipulation has been done, or is done, manually by a physical therapist or a doctor of chiropractic.
New diagnostic and treatment concepts have come into being as interest in and knowledge about chiropractic has increased. Treatments, such as flexion/distraction techniques, that normalize the biomechanics of the intervertebral disks and vertebral segments of the spine are one such area in which advances have occurred. The therapist or doctor traditionally has done all of the therapeutic manipulations, resulting in an inefficient use of treatment resources because some of the routine treatments could be done by machines. Some machines and devices are in use and improve the reproducability of manipulative treatment. An unmet need is to provide for the convenient, even controlled change in degree of machine manipulation, allowing for gentle or aggressive treatment as well as a progression therebetween while treatment is underway.
With particular regard to the desirability of easily controllable, variable machine manipulation of the spine, a device that would provide reproducable circumduction that can be increased or decreased safely, gradually and automatically while the device is in use would permit a treatment to start at one level of intensity and be increased or decreased to another level easily and automatically by a therapist or a therapist's assistant thereby enhancing a patient's comfort and the benefits of the treatment.
Therefore, it would be very advantageous for doctors of chiropractic and other therapists to have at their disposal a device which can provide automatic therapeutic manipulation, including circumductive motion of the spine, that could be readily adjusted or reset for the degree of manipulation, the speed of manipulation, and patient size, even while the device or machine is being used.

Therapeutic device for chiropractic diagnosis and treatment


An orthotic device for correcting an abnormality in a newborn baby's neck includes a three element rigid or semi-rigid support member. The support member includes three elements, each in the shape of a frustum of a cone with one element stacked on top of another. The first or bottom element has a larger open base and a smaller upper portion and flares outwardly from top to bottom from vertical by about 20°. The middle element flares outwardly from bottom to top by about 20° and is superimposed on the first element. However, the second element is rotatably fixed to the first element and is rotatable in about one mm increments. The upper element flares outwardly from vertical by about 45°. A method for correcting an abnormality in a newborn's neck in one mm increments per day using the aforementioned device is also disclosed.

Some babies are born with skeletal abnormalities as for example in the hands, feet, shoulders, arms, legs, fingers, thumb, neck and knees. My co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/752,959 and Ser. No. 14/178,676, respectively are entitled "Orthotic Method and Device for Newborn Babies" and relates more specifically to orthopedic devices and methods for correcting abnormalities in the feet and toes of newborn human babies. The second of my previously filed U.S. patent applications is entitled "Orthopedic Device and Method for Correcting Skeletal Abnormalities in a New-Born Baby" relating more specifically to method and devices for correcting abnormalities in the wrist, hands, fingers and thumbs of a newborn baby.
A U.S. Patent of Pomatto et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,312 discloses a cranial remodeling orthosis. As disclosed therein a cranial remodeling orthosis is shaped to extend across the top of the head with the pending regions closely confining the temporal bone regions and the mastoid process regions of the cranium. The orthosis is self-suspending and preferably includes an elastic band for imparting ear-to-ear rigidity to the device.
A more recent U.S. Patent Publication No. 2012/0330204 discloses therapeutic cushioning and devices for assisting respiration of and administering fluid to a patient. As disclosed therein, the invention is directed to both therapeutic cushioning designed to support the head of a patient in bed to improve respiration and a series of devices designed to assist a patient's respiration and administer fluid to the patient, by ensuring such devices cannot be inadvertently removed from the patient in the absence of medical personnel and cause unwanted injury to the patient. At the same time, a device is provided to assist a patient's breathing in the absence of such assistive device, e.g. during sleep.
Finally, a U.S. Patent of Bonutti U.S. Pat. No. 8,251,934 discloses an orthosis and method for cervical mobilization. The patent discloses a method of using a neck brace to move a neck of a person or stabilize the neck includes connecting a vest of the neck brace to a torso of a person. A support member of the neck brace is connected to the vest. A chin support of the neck brace is connected to a chin of the person. Force is applied between the support member and the chin support to move the chin support relatively to the support member. A cam member of the neck brace guides movement of the chin support relative to the support member.
Notwithstanding the above, it is presently believed that there is a need and a potential commercial market for an improved device for correcting skeletal abnormalities in a newborn human baby. There should be a potential commercial market because there are babies that need to overcome abnormalities in a newborn baby's neck. Further, such methods and devices can be used to correct such abnormalities within hours of the patient's birth and that will make considerably improvements within days at a relatively modest cost.

Method and orthotic device for infant's neck


A door assembly for an automotive vehicle that reduces or eliminates thoracic or rib deflection in a side impact event is disclosed. The door assembly of the disclosed invention includes an inner door structure, an interior trim panel attached to the door structure and a shut face. The inner surface of the shut face includes a collapsible surface having a plurality of alternating raised areas and recessed areas formed thereon. The raised areas and recessed areas extend between one side of the door assembly and the other side of the door assembly. The shut face may be composed of beads, a foamed polymer or a solid polymer. In addition, the engineered surface may also be formed on the inner side of the face of one of the pillars. This configuration may be used in conjunction with a door shut face having an engineered surface or may be used independently.

Side impact events involving automotive vehicles typically include the imposition of dynamic loading to the vehicle and to the vehicle occupants. The side impact event imposes severe loading on the structural members of the body. The side impact event also may result in displacement of the thoracic region of an occupant, including the thoracic vertebrae and the associated ribs. During a side impact event there is a need to be at or below a stipulated thorax displacement for a given a load.
Vehicle doors are typically constructed with two or more panels attached to the door frame, an exterior or outer panel for shielding the passenger compartment from the elements, and an inner door panel that provides structural support. A trim panel is usually fastened to the inner door panel facing the passenger compartment and shields the vehicle occupants from internal door components, such as the window, the window regulator and the door locks. The trim panel can also provide aesthetic qualities to the interior passenger compartment as well as ergonomic features, for example, easily accessible door handles, mirror and window controls, and the like. Adjacent the trim panel is the vehicle door shut face. When the vehicle door is in its closed position, the shut face is not visible.
Because it is known that vehicles may collide with obstacles during operation efforts have been made with varying degrees of success to reduce the displacement of the thoracic region of the occupant. Automotive vehicles have been provided with various structural upgrades and restraint systems to lessen the effects of a collision type impact on an occupant compartment of the vehicle. Particularly, to lessen the effects of a side collision type impact of the vehicle occupant seating area, some vehicle door constructions may include a door intrusion guard beam, side bolsters of foam or honeycomb construction, or other body side structural upgrades. While such structural upgrades provide certain advantages, they are often relatively expensive and weighty. In addition, many of the known designs are effective in the instance of lateral intrusion but are not as effective in the instance of longitudinal intrusion.
Accordingly, as in so many areas of vehicle technology, there is room in the art of vehicle door design for an alternative configuration to known door structures which provides effective protection and minimal displacement of an occupant's thoracic region while maintaining relatively low manufacturing and assembly costs.

Vehicle door trim panel shut face feature to reduce deflection


There are disclosed a semiconductor device having electrical elements buried a SOI substrate and a manufacturing method thereof, the manufacturing method of the invention comprising the steps of: (a) forming a first isolating insulator layer at a seed wafer by using an isolation mask, depositing a second isolating insulator layer overlying the first isolating insulator layer and the seed wafer, and defining contact holes by using a contact mask to form contacts on the seed wafer; (b) depositing a first polysilicon layer on the second isolating insulator layer and the contacts and doping an impurity into the first polysilicon layer; (c) patterning the first polysilicon layer to define an electrical element, depositing an insulating layer around the electrical element, and forming a second polysilicon layer overlying the second isolating insulator layer and the insulating layer; (d) doping an impurity into the second polysilicon layer for connecting with a handling wafer, and polishing the second polysilicon layer thus doped to form a mirror surface; (e) depositing an insulating layer for connection on the handling wafer, and performing a thermal process to bond the handling wafer and the mirror surface through the insulating layer for connection; and (f) polishing the seed wafer until the first isolating insulator layer as a polishing stopper is exposed, to form the SOI substrate having an active region where a device is formed, by the invention the efficiency of chip area can be promoted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device having buried elements with element with electrical and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly to a SOI (Silicon On Insulator) substrate in which electrical elements such as capacitor, resistor, connecting line or the like are previously buried on any wafer and are bonded with other wafer, a manufacturing method the SOI substrate having buried elements.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As shown in FIG. 1A to 1C, a prior art SDB (Silicon Director Bonding) process is disclosed in which a seed wafer and a handling wafer are bonded from each other to form a SOI substrate.
FIG. 1A are cross-sectional views showing the two wafers around which oxide films are deposited respectively.
In FIG. 1A, the oxide films 2 and 4 having about 5000 .ANG. are deposited around the seed wafer 1 and the handling wafer 3, respectively, subsequently, the seed wafer 1 and handling wafer 3 thus deposited is subjected to a well-known bonding process to bond the two wafers. The bonding process is carried out in a typical manner; for example, maintaining the seed wafer 1 in contact with the handling wafer 3 at about 800.degree. C. under supply of voltage pulse (about 100-500 V).
In addition, a substrate 5 in which the two wafers are contacted is subjected to a thermal process in order to raise the adhesive strength of the two wafers. The thermal process is carried out in a typical manner; for example, maintaining the substrate 5 thus contacted at 900.degree.-1100.degree. C. in a nitrogen atmosphere or an oxygen atmosphere for about 30 min (as shown in FIG. 1B). With respect to FIG. 1B, reference number 6 is a contact portion of the oxide films between the two wafers. Through the thermal process, the substrate thus formed is more than 100 Kg/cm.sup.2 in the adhesive strength.
FIG. 1C shows a SOI substrate polished by a well-known polishing process. In FIG. 1C, the seed wafer 1 is polished into planarization by means of a mechanical or chemical polishing process in order to form a SOI substrate 7 in which the seed wafer thus polished is isolated from the handling wafer 3 by the contact portion 6 formed as thick as about 1 .mu.m.
Such a prior art as described above is disclosed in European Patent 274801 to Alexander, et al.
As shown in FIG. 2A to 2D, another prior art P-SDB (poly-crystalline to Silicon Direct Bonding) process is disclosed. In FIG. 2A, firstly, on the seed wafer 17 is formed a mesa pattern 10 having about 1000 .ANG. in thickness, and then after forming an oxide layer 11 of 1 m in thickness on the seed wafer 17 provided with the mesa pattern 10 a polysilicon layer 12 having 5 .mu.m in thickness is deposited on the oxide layer 11. The mesa pattern 10 means a rugged shape in which concave portions are spaced in matrix on the surface of the seed wafer.
FIG. 2B shows a wafer polished by a polishing process. With respect to FIG. 2B, the polysilicon layer 12 on the seed wafer 17 is polished into planarization to remove rugged portions in the surface of the polysilicon layer 12 and to form a mirror surface 13 on the polysilicon layer.
In turn, an oxide layer for connection is formed on the surface of a handling wafer 16, respectively, and then the mirror surface 13 of the polysilicon layer is bonded with the handling wafer 16 through the oxide layer 15 by means of a P-SDB process similar to the above-mentioned SDB process, as shown in FIG. 2C.
FIG. 2D shows a SOI substrate formed by the well-known polishing process for planarization of the seed wafer. FIG. 2D, the polishing process of the seed wafer 16 is carried out in succession until the upper surface of the oxide layer 11 is exposed. Then, the oxide layer 11 serves as a polishing stopper so that thickness of a SOI 14 thus formed may be controlled by depth of the concave portion in the mesa pattern 10 of the seed wafer 17.
As described above, since the polysilicon layer 12 in the prior art P-SDB process is used for preventing occurrence of the rugged portions caused by the mesa pattern 10 of the seed wafer 17, and is polished into planarization of a bonding interface on the seed wafer, and therefore it is easy to bond the seed wafer and the handling wafer.
However, in the prior arts for manufacturing a SOI substrate in which a seed wafer is bonded with a handling wafer before formation of electrical element on a seed wafer, since after bonding the two wafers electrical elements is formed in the seed wafer of the SOI substrate, the SOI substrate thus manufactured is lowered in efficiency of chip area.

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having buried elements with electrical characteristic

Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A powertrain can provide propulsive power to a vehicle and includes an electric motor/generator including a motor housing, and a final drive unit partially disposed in the motor housing. The final drive unit includes a gear case coupled to the motor housing. The final drive unit further includes a differential disposed in the gear case. The differential includes a differential housing. The final drive unit further includes a first final drive bearing disposed around the differential housing. The first final drive bearing is supported by the bearing support structure connected to the motor housing. The final drive unit further includes a second final drive bearing disposed around the differential housing. The second final drive bearing is supported by the gear case.

Vehicles include a powertrain capable of generating propulsive power. The powertrain may include an internal combustion engine, an electric motor/generator, or both. For example, hybrid vehicles include more than one source of power in the powertrain. Specifically, a hybrid vehicle may include an internal combustion engine and an electric motor/generator. An electric vehicle, on the other hand, may include one or more electric motor/generators.
Regardless of the kind of power source, vehicles include a final drive unit for transmitting torque to the vehicle wheels. For example, the final drive unit may transmit torque from an electric motor/generator to the vehicle wheels. The final drive unit includes a differential, which allows the vehicle wheels to rotate at different speeds.

Powertrain including an electric motor/generator and a final drive unit connected to the electric motor/generator


A pair of stretchable therapeutic sleeve embodiments for slipping over a human limb such as a leg, an arm, or a foot. They each have a primary tubular member made of stretchable material and they are used in combination with a cool or hot pack for either cooling or heating a particular body member. One embodiment has a pocket wall secured to the inner surface of the primary tubular member for removably receiving the hot or cool pack. The other embodiment requires a hot or cool foot pack having a specific configuration that is positioned over a liner sleeve and inside the primary tubular member.

The present invention relates to therapeutic limb apparatus and more specifically to a stretchable therapeutic sleeve into which one or more hot or cool packs can be inserted for the treatment of or the prevention of injury of a limb.
Presently there exist many types of devices to be used with a cool or hot pack and then applied to an affected area of the human body.
Cold therapy is an established practice used in the medical profession to treat certain limb injuries. A few examples are sprained or strained arm or leg muscles or injuries to joints. Generally these types of injuries should be chilled to slow blood flow, which reduces swelling, pain and further damage.
Heat therapy is used, in other circumstances, to warm up or limber muscles by increasing blood flow.
The Hubbard U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,572 is directed to a medical/sports thermal pack. It has a first pocket and a second pocket connected together by a stretchable material. Therapeutic material holding bladders are insertable into the respective pockets.
The Tampa U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,932 is directed to a knee ice pack. It has a center compartment having a through opening intended to be aligned with the patella to preclude the patella from being subjected to the cooling effect of the ice.
The Natali U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,387 is directed to a cold pack for wrapping injured limbs and a method of making the same. It is made from two thermoplastic sheets of polyethylene material to provide a rectangular shape that has a small ice compartment defined at one of the rectangle's shorter sides. The opposite short side has a strip of adhesive covered with release paper.
The Turner U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,487 is directed to a flexible wrap for maintaining a thermal pack in heat transfer relation to the human anatomy. The thermal pack contains a quantity of liquid and filler particles which, when the liquid is frozen solid, produces a pliable thermal pack which conforms to contoured surfaces of the human body.
The Brunson et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,251 is directed to a therapeutic sleeve which can be secured to a patient's limb. It can be utilized with either a hot or cold pack.


A liquid discharging head includes a head chip including a plurality of energy generating elements configured to discharge liquid and liquid chambers provided around the corresponding energy generating elements, and a common passage member configured to define a common passage communicating with all the liquid chambers in the head chip. the liquid is discharged from the liquid chambers by driving the energy generating elements so as to apply a discharging force to the liquid. The common passage member includes an inlet through which the liquid is supplied to the common passage, and an outlet through which the liquid is ejected from the common passage. The common passage includes a ceiling surface having a groove extending from the inlet toward the outlet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid discharging head and a liquid discharging apparatus which include a common passage member that defines a common passage communicating with all liquid chambers in a head chip and which discharge liquid from the liquid chambers by driving energy generating elements in the head chip so as to apply a discharging force to the liquid in the liquid chambers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a technique of smoothly removing bubbles from the liquid in the common passage.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an inkjet printer as an example of a liquid discharging apparatus, a recording sheet is conveyed to a liquid discharging head, and ink (liquid) is discharged for printing on the recording sheet by driving a heating resistor (energy generating element) in an ink chamber (liquid chamber) of a head chip that constitutes the liquid discharging head. In this inkjet printer, it is necessary to stably supply ink stored in an ink cartridge to the ink chamber of the head chip.
Water-based ink and oil-based ink can be discharged. Particularly when water-based ink is used, air dissolved in the ink sometimes form bubbles, for example, because of a temperature change, or air taken from the outside sometimes remains as bubbles in the ink. If these bubbles accumulate near the head chip, the flow of ink to the ink chamber is hindered, and sufficient ink supply is difficult during printing. For this reason, the bubbles in the ink disturb the ink discharging direction and change the ink discharging amount.
Ink is discharged by the application of a discharging force from the heating resistor in the head chip to the ink in the ink chamber. If a bubble exists in the ink, it weakens the ink discharging force because of gas compressibility, and disturbs the ink discharging direction. Further, if the bubble in the ink is expanded in accordance with the installation environment of the inkjet printer, the temperature change due to ink discharging (driving of the heating resistor), or the change in atmospheric pressure, the ink in the ink chamber is sometimes unintentionally discharged from the nozzle.
In order to overcome the above problems due to the existence of bubbles in the ink, various technologies for removing bubbles from the ink have been proposed. For example, in the case of a line printer which performs printing corresponding to the width of the recording sheet with nozzles arranged over the length corresponding to the width of the recording sheet, the number of prints is large and good durability is necessary. For this reason, bubbles near the head chip are removed from the ink by being circulated together with the ink by a transfer means such as a pump.
In this bubble removing method, bubbles can be removed with the flow of ink in the common passage communicating with all ink chambers of the head chip. That is, ink is ejected from an outlet of a buffer tank (common passage member) that defines the common passage while supplying ink from an inlet of the buffer tank, so that bubbles are removed from the common passage together with the ink.
However, in order to move bubbles, the flow velocity of ink flowing near the ink chamber of the head chip is required to be somewhat high. Therefore, in order to transfer the ink at the flow velocity, it is necessary to use a high-rate pump. Conversely, when a low-rate pump is used, the capacity of the ink chamber is reduced in order to move the bubbles by increasing the flow velocity of ink near the ink chamber. However, the number of bubbles does not vary in accordance with the capacity of the ink chamber. As the capacity of the ink chamber decreases, the influence of bubbles relatively increases.
Accordingly, in a bubble removing technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-144576, a ceiling surface of a common passage defined by a buffer tank is inclined and the buoyancy of bubbles is divided by the inclination to produce a force component in the moving direction so that the bubbles can easily move even when the flow velocity of ink is relatively low.

Liquid discharging head and liquid discharging apparatus having grooved surface from ink inlet to ink outlet


The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for homogenizing bulk material, wherein the bulk material is supplied from above into a container which is restricted sidewards and downwards and is fed out by means of a feeding out conveyor located in the lower portion of the container. The characteristic features of the invention are that the bulk material is fed in from above in one end of the container (20), wherein the bulk material is caused to slide down towards the opposite end of the container such that a bed of bulk material is formed having a sloping profile in the container, and wherein, due to the sliding, heavier and/or coarser fractions of the bulk material slides more than lighter fractions, and that during each time unit a volume of bulk material is fed out from the bottom portion of the container from each section (.DELTA.l) of the length of the container in the feeding out direction, said volume of bulk material corresponding to the supply of bulk material during the same time unit to the section (A.sub.n) of the upper surface of the bed lying straight above said section of the length of the container, wherein the bulk material is caused to move essentially downwards in the bed along the entire length of the bed towards said outfeeder (30) which feeds out the material from each section at essentially the same rate as new material is supplied to the above lying surface section of the upper surface of the bed.

Bulk material containing solid particles usually has a varying particle size distribution and/or mass distribution.
In the handling of such bulk material, which may consist e.g. of gravel, sand, asphalt or gravel mixtures, asphalt-concrete, moist concrete, or the like, the bulk material usually is separated into fractions containing coarser and finer particles. When a container is being filled with that type of bulk material by supply from above, e.g. from a point, the bulk material will form slope sides in the container along which coarser and/or heavier particles will fall down and collect at the foot of the slope to a greater degree than finer and/or lighter particles will do. This separation process occurs if the bulk material has a dry consistency, such as gravel, but also in the case of moist bulk material, such as wet cement-concrete wherein coarser and/or heavier particles will drop to the bottom of the container to form slopes in a corresponding way. This will cause a separation inside the container into regions containing coarser and/or heavier particles and regions containing finer and/or lighter particles, but the sizes of these regions will depend on variations in composition of the supplied bulk material. During the feeding out of the bulk material from the container by means of continuously working conveyors, such as worm conveyors, endless conveyor belts, continuously working scraper conveyors, tube conveyors and the like, the size and/or mass distribution of the particles will vary in the fed out material. For example, at the feeding out of asphalt mixtures for road surfacing one has observed a separation of the particle shaped material into coarser and finer fraction, in the road surface, which has led to impaired wear resistance due to the fact that a certain size fraction may be missing while an other one may exist in excess although the material which was supplied had a proper particle size distribution.

Method and apparatus for homogenizing of bulk material


An image forming apparatus having a rotatable image carrier, a first exposing device for forming an electrostatic latent image by irradiating an optical beam according to image data to the image carrier, a second exposing device to from another electrostatic latent image by irradiating an optical beam according to image data to the image carrier in a different irradiating position on the image carrier by the first exposing device, a developing device for developing the electrostatic latent images formed by the first exposing device and second exposing device, and a device for transferring the developed electrostatic images all together on the surface of a recording medium, has a device to form a first and a second pattern latent image on the image carrier by concurrently operating the first and the second exposing device while the image carrier is on the rotation at the first speed, a pattern detecting device for detecting the first and the second pattern latent image, a measuring device for measuring a time interval between the detection of the second pattern latent image and the detection of the first pattern latent image, and a controlling device for controlling an operation of exposing responding to image data of the first and the second exposing device on the basis of the time measured by the measuring device while the image carrier is on the rotation at the second speed.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a page printer, a copying machine or the like. More specifically, to an image forming apparatus designed to form a multi-image by irradiating several laser beams or the like onto a photosensitive body.
(2) Description of the Related Art
A conventional image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 7 is designed to form a multi-image in two or more colors by developing an electrostatic latent image by a developing device 3a after the electrostatic lament image is formed on the surface of a photosensitive drum 30 by irradiating an optical beam B1, and subsequently, by developing another electrostatic latent image by a developing device 3b after the electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 30 which has passed the developing device 3a.
In a conventional image forming apparatus, irradiating position of the optical beams B1 and B2, timings of irradiation of the optical beams B1 and B2, and a speed of rotation of the photosensitive drum 30 should maintain a certain correlation, otherwise the image formed by the optical beam B1 and B2 respectively will not be formed in a specified position which results in unexpected color positioning and the deterioration of the image quality.
Japanese utility model Kokai No. 63-35052 teaches an image forming apparatus provided with an optical sensor at the lower irradiating position of the optical beam in the rotating direction of the photosensitive body, wherein a timing of the irradiation of a lower optical beam is controlled by the optical sensor in accordance with the timing when the optical sensor detects a starting position from the image formed by the upper optical beam.
However, in the above apparatus, displacement between the two images continuously occurs until the irradiating position of the lower optical beam strictly fits to the position detected by the optical sensor. Therefore, a great amount of time and labor has been consumed to fit the irradiating position to the position detected by the optical sensor.

Image forming apparatus with automatic multiple image alignment


The present invention provides a human mitochondrial adenylate kinase (HMAK) and polynucleotides which encode HMAK. The invention also provides expression vectors, host cells, agonists, antisense molecules, antibodies, or antagonists. The invention also provides methods for treating disorders associated with expression of HMAK.

Adenylate kinase (ATP/GTP:AMP phosphotransferase) plays a key role in the regulation of cellular levels of ATP. ATP is a key precursor in DNA and RNA synthesis in growing cells and provides the primary source of biochemical energy in cells. Adenylate kinase (AK) is found in almost all cell types and is especially abundant in cells having high rates of ATP synthesis and utilization such as the liver, heart, and skeletal muscles. Recent studies have demonstrated a major function for AdK in transferring high energy phosphoryls from metabolic processes generating ATP to cellular components consuming ATP (Zeleznikar, R J et al (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270(13): 7311-7319). Thus AdK may have a pivitol role in maintaining energy production in cells, particularly those having a high rate of growth or metabolism. Inhibition of various steps in the synthesis of ATP has been the basis of many antiproliferative drugs for treatment of cancer and viral infections. AK deficiency has also been linked to hemolytic anemia and neurological disorders such as neurofibromatosis (Xu, G. et al. (1992) Genomics 13:537-42).
Three isozymes of AK have been identified in vertebrates, AK1, AK2, and AK3 (Yamada, M. et al. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264: 19192-99; Xu et al., supra). AK1 is a cytosolic enzyme present in skeletal muscle, brain, and erythrocytes, and AK2 is associated with the mitochondrial membrane in liver, kidney, spleen, and heart. Both AK1 and AK2 use ATP as the phosphate donor substrate. AK3 is also a mitochondrial enzyme, primarily found in liver and heart, but uses GTP as the phosphate donor. AK2 and AK3 are unusual in that they do not have a cleavable N-terminal sequence directing them to the mitochondrial membrane as do most mitochondrial proteins (Yamada et al., supra). Targeting of these proteins to the mitochondria appears to be governed by a non-cleavable N-terminal sequence that contains a positively charged amphipathic region. This targeting sequence also contains a consensus sequence, GXXGXGK, which is commen to all nucleotide kinases and functions in binding the mononucleotide substrate to the enzyme and in enzyme catalysis. The C-terminal 30-35 amino acids of AK3 also appear to be involved in the enzyme activity.
The discovery of polynucleotides encoding a novel mitochondrial adenylate kinase and the molecules themselves satisfies a need in the art by providing new diagnostic or therapeutic compositions useful in treating or preventing cancer, neurological disorders, and immunological disorders.


An information-detecting apparatus (1) including a receiving unit (3) operable to receive digital data (2) that includes several pieces of element data, in which a change amount is imparted to a value of each of first and second element data among the several pieces of element data, a first selecting unit (4) operable to select, as target data (6), a data set that includes the first and second element data, a second selecting unit (5) operable to select, as neighboring data (7), element data in proximity to each of the first and second element data, a calculating unit (8) operable to calculate, based on both of the target data (6) and the neighboring data (7), the change amount imparted to each of the first and second element data, and a detecting unit (10) operable to detect the additional information in accordance with the change amount.

In recent years, digital content such as digitized audio and video data has been prevalent in great numbers. The digital content is easy to provide a faithful reproduction of original content, and it is an issue to protect the copyright of the digital content.
A "digital watermark" is used as one of countermeasures to protect the copyright of the digital content. The digital watermark is an art operable to embed data into image data in such a manner as to prevent human beings to perceive degradation in image, and operable to detect the embedded data.
Reference No. 1 ("The Basic of Digital Watermarks" by Koushio MATSUI, pages 91-94, published by Morikita Shuppan, 1998-edition) discloses a statistic-based patchwork system as an example of the digital watermark. The patchwork system is now described with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a pattern diagram showing a prior art digital watermark system.
Initially, the following discusses the embedment of additional information. As illustrated in FIG. 11, any two pieces of pixel data (ai, bi) included in image data are selected as a data set. The two pieces of pixel data as included in the data set are changed in data value, thereby embedding additional information into the image data.
The additional information is one-bit information having a value of either "1" or "0". One of the two pieces of pixel data (ai, bi) is increased in data value by any amount of α (α>0) in accordance with the value of the one-bit information, while the other is decreased in data value by the amount of a When the additional information includes multi-bit information, then several data sets are specified from image data, thereby repeating the same processing at each of the data sets for each piece of one-bit information. When the one-bit information embedded in one of the data sets has the value of "1", then the pixel data "ai" is increased by the amount of α, but the pixel data "bi" is decreased thereby. Conversely, for one-bit information having the value of "0", the pixel data "ai" is decreased by the amount of α, but the pixel data "bi" is increased thereby.
In this way, the additional information is embedded into the image data. Alternatively, a piece of bit information, which forms part of the additional information, may be embedded into several data sets.
The following discusses the detection of the additional information.
To detect the additional information, statistic characters of nature images are used. Initially, in image data free of the embedded additional information, a value of a difference between two pieces of pixel data (ai, bi) included in a data set is calculated. At this time, all values of differences between the pixel data (ai, bi) in all of the data sets are calculated to provide a sum "Sn" of all of difference values. (Equation 1) is an expression to calculate the sum "Sn" of the difference values.
                              S          n                =                                            ∑                              i                =                1                            n                                                  (                                                a                  i                                -                                  b                  i                                            )                                ≈          0                                    (                  Equation                                                              1                )
As described by (Equation 1), an increase in number "n" of the data sets allows the sum Sn to approach the value of "0".
Now, assume that one-bit information having the value of "1" is embedded into the pixel data (ai, bi) included in each of the data sets, thereby providing pixel data (ai′, bi′). (Equation 2) illustrates an expression to calculate a sum Sn′ of values of differences between several pieces of the pixel data (ai′, bi′).
                                                                        S                n                ′                            =                                                ∑                                      i                    =                    1                                    n                                                                  (                                                            a                      i                      ′                                        -                                          b                      i                      ′                                                        )                                                                                =                                                ∑                                      i                    =                    1                                    n                                                                  {                                                            (                                                                        a                          i                                                +                        α                                            )                                        -                                          (                                                                        b                          i                                                -                        α                                            )                                                        }                                                                                =                                                            ∑                                              i                        =                        1                                            n                                                                                {                                                                        (                                                                                a                              i                                                        -                                                          b                              i                                                                                )                                                +                                                  2                                                    α                                                                    )                                                                      }                            ≈                              2                                α                                                                                n                                                                        (                  Equation                                                              2                )
As described by (Equation 2), an increase in number "n" of the data sets allows the sum Sn′ to approach the value of 2αn. This means that a change amount α is detected, which has been imparted to the pixel data (ai, bi) to embed the additional information. In this instance, the calculated 2αn is a positive value, and the embedded one-bit information is determined as having the value of "1". Conversely, when the one-bit information having the value of "0" is embedded, then the sum Sn′ approaches a negative value of "−2αn". In this way, the value of the embedded bit information is determined based on either the negative or the positive of the sum Sn′ of values of differences between several pieces of the pixel data (ai′, bi′) included in all of the data sets that have the additional information embedded therein.
Reference No. 2 (published Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-228720) discloses another art for the detection of the additional information.
FIG. 12 is a pattern diagram illustrating the determination of additional information, as disclosed by Reference No. 2.
According to Reference No. 2, when one-bit information of additional information is embedded in a piece of pixel data, which forms part of image data, then the additional information is detected based on both of the pixel data having the additional information embedded therein, and neighboring pixel data in the neighborhood thereof.
As illustrated in FIG. 12, the additional information includes fifty-bit information, in which each bit is embedded at a corresponding spot of positions Nos. 1 to 100. The first to fiftieth bit are embedded at respective spots of positions No. 1 to No. 50, and at those of positions No. 51 to No. 100. More specifically, the first bit of the additional information is embedded at two spots, i.e., positions No. 1 and No. 51.
In short, the additional information is detected based on pixel data at position No. 1 and neighboring pixel data in the neighborhood of the pixel data at position No. 1, and pixel data at position No. 51 and neighboring pixel data in the neighborhood of the pixel data at position No. 51. The detection is repeated until the last position No. 100 is reached, thereby detecting the additional information that includes the fifty-bit information.
However, a problem with the information detection according to Reference No. 1 is that it is difficult to detect the change amount with accuracy because the sum Sn′ does not approach the value of either "2αn" or "−2αn" when there is a small correlation between the two pieces of pixel data (ai, bi) having the additional information embedded therein. The inaccurate detection of the change amount results in inaccurate detection of the additional information as well. Another problem incident to Reference No. 1 is that additional information having only very small capacity can be embedded into a piece of image data because a value of the number of "n" must be increased to detect a change amount "α" precisely.
Meanwhile, according to the information detection as disclosed by Reference No. 2, a gang of change amounts must be embedded into a piece of pixel data. Such a requirement forces the piece of pixel data to be considerably changed in data value, with a concomitant problem that images are susceptible to degradation.
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an information-detecting apparatus and method operable to detect additional information with increased accuracy from digital data having a large amount of additional information embedded therein, while avoiding degradation in images.

Information-detecting apparatus and method


A method of efficiently supplying terrestrial plants with raising substances such as a solution comprises the steps of: producing a solution by an electrolysis of a water using a carbonaceous electrode; reducing the produced solution to minute particles or fine spray; and supplying the solution to the terrestrial plants including leaves entirely. An apparatus includes a container for storing water having at least a water inlet and a water outlet; a pair of electrodes comprising an anode and a cathode provided in the container, at least the anode being made of composition of carbonaceous materials and cured resins and molded into a plate-like form; a power supply to supply an electric current between the pair of electrodes to produce a solution by an electrolysis of the water; and a pump connected with the water outlet in the container for supplying the solution to the terrestrial plants.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for effectively supplying terrestrial plants e.g. farm products such as fruits and vegetables, planted trees and the like with a solution useful for raising of the terrestrial plants, so that a photosynthesis is activated in the terrestrial plants and the growth of the terrestrial plants can be accelerated to provide improved yield and quality of farm products and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A method of and an apparatus for electrolysis of a water contained in an aquarium for ornamental fish use by using carbon electrode as an anode has been proposed in the European Patent Publication No. EPA0589705A1, wherein water plants placed in the aquarium can be supplied with carbon dioxide and the growth of the water plants in the aquarium is accelerated.
However, no equipment configuration for supplying a large amount of solution of carbon dioxide is provided by this prior art since the aquarium for keeping ornamental fish and water plants is small in capacity. In addition to this, any method of effectively supplying terrestrial plants with carbon dioxide is not suggested by this prior art since the water plants in the aquarium can be automatically supplied with carbon dioxide when the carbon dioxide is dissolved in water in the aquarium.
In the prior art for acceleration of carbon dioxide assimilation of terrestrial plants, the method of supplying carbon dioxide gas into a vinyl house or a green house has been practiced in general in order to increase concentration of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere of the vinyl house. In this conventional method, the carbon dioxide gas is produced by combustion of fossil fuel such as liquefied petroleum gas, heavy oil or the like and the produced carbon dioxide gas is introduced into a cultivation room such as a vinyl house or equivalent, accordingly, a concentration of the carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere of the vinyl house is increased and a photosynthesis in the terrestrial plants is activated. Consequently, a yield and a quality of farm products and the like is improved.
However, the conventional method of directly supplying the terrestrial plants with the carbon dioxide gas involves following disadvantages. A large investment in equipment of an airtight cultivation room such as a vinyl house or equivalent is required. Also, the cultivation of plants in the cultivating room inevitably put restrictions on a cultivating area of plants. Further, the combustion of the fossil fuel to obtain the carbon dioxide gas un-desirably generates a large amount of nitrogen oxide and sulphur oxide which exert a harmful influence on the growth of the plants and a worker. In addition, there may be a case where incomplete combustion of the fossil fuel generates black smoke which may adhere to the plants and the vinyl house, so that an amount of light reaching the plants is reduce. Furthermore, attention must be paid to the control of temperature of the cultivation room since the heat resulting from the combustion of the fossil fuel causes increasing temperature of the cultivation room. Besides, ventilation causes the carbon dioxide gas to simultaneously escape from the cultivation room, so that a reduction in the supply efficiency is caused.

Method of and apparatus for supplying a solution for raising of terrestrial plants


Cameras that are related to an alarm and a time period of an image that each camera records are defined in advance, and at a time of alarm occurrence, management data is made with reference to the definition contents. A surveillance object's transfer path is presumed, and on the basis of this presumption, with each of cameras installed along the pathway, the time periods of the images that are to be associated with an event are each delayed and defined. By this, it is possible to record the suspicious behavior that the surveillance object demonstrates at the time of alarm occurrence and the suspicious behavior that the surveillance object demonstrates on its transfer path to a surveillance area as an event image. Furthermore, it is possible to narrow the time periods of images in which the surveillance object may be caught.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to event image recording systems and event image recording methods that continuously record images input from cameras, manage the image recorded at an alarm occurrence time and images that are recorded before and after the occurrence as an event image, and display the event image by means of a surveillance terminal connected to a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years surveillance systems have been in use that record images from cameras installed in a bank, parking area, convenience store, a large shop, or in the street. Among such systems, the apparatus recited in Laid-Open Japanese Patent Publication No.2000-339923 is one that, when triggered by a sensor alarm and such, records and manages images from around an alarm occurrence hour as an event and that furthermore retrieves and plays the event. This apparatus records camera images from around an alarm occurrence hour as an event image, and, when a number of events occur in a certain order, defines these events as a macro event. Moreover, with the above apparatus, it is possible to make management data that associates a number of event images and to monitor and analyze the situation of the recorded area quickly and with ease by, referring to such management data.
However, with the above conventional apparatus, when the surveillant wants to check both the suspicious behaviors that the surveillance object demonstrates while in a surveillance area and the suspicious behavior that the surveillance object demonstrates on his transfer path to the surveillance area, the problem arises that the operation to retrieve each image is complex and such retrieval is time-consuming.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Techniques for managing data distributed over nodes in a network include receiving, at an original node, content data that describes a physical entity that is not a router in a vicinity of the original node. In response to receiving the content, a beacon data object is generated in an object-oriented database distributed over the network nodes. The beacon holds the content data and holds policy data that indicates how to terminate the beacon. A node that has ownership of the beacon performs the step of terminating the beacon based on the policy data. Ownership of the beacon can be transferred so that the beacon stays associated with the physical entity, such as a room in a building, even as a mobile original node moves away from the physical entity. The content data can indicate conditions that invite responsive action, such as hazardous environmental conditions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to using nodes to manage, in a distributed object-oriented database, non-routing information generated dynamically at a mobile network node.
2. Description of the Related Art
Networks of general-purpose computer systems and special purpose devices connected by external communication links are well known and widely used in commerce. The networks often include one or more network devices that facilitate the passage of information between the computer systems and special devices. A network node is a network device or computer system or special device connected by the communication links. An "end node" is a node that is configured to originate or terminate communications over the network. An "intermediate network node" facilitates the passage of data between end nodes.
Communications between nodes are typically effected by exchanging discrete packets of data. Information is exchanged within data packets according to one or more of many well known, new or still developing protocols. In this context, a protocol consists of a set of rules defining how the nodes interact with each other based on information sent over the communication links. Each packet typically comprises 1] header information associated with a particular protocol, and 2] payload information that follows the header information and contains information that may be processed independently of that particular protocol. In some protocols, the packet includes 3] trailer information following the payload and indicating the end of the payload information. The header includes information such as the source of the packet, its destination, the length of the payload, and other properties used by the protocol. Often, the data in the payload for the particular protocol includes a header and payload for a different protocol associated with a different layer of detail for information exchange. The protocol in the payload is said to be encapsulated in the protocol of the header. The headers included in a packet traversing multiple heterogeneous networks, such as the Internet, typically include a physical (layer 1) header, a data-link (layer 2) header, an internetwork (layer 3) header and a transport (layer 4) header, as defined by the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model. The OSI Reference Model is generally described in more detail in Section 1.1 of the reference book entitled Interconnections Second Edition, by Radia Perlman, published September 1999, which is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.
The internetwork header provides information defining the source and destination address within the computer network. Notably, the path may span multiple physical links. The internetwork header may be formatted according to the Internet Protocol (IP), which specifies IP addresses of both a source and destination node at the end points of the logical path. Thus, the packet may "hop" from node to node along its logical path until it reaches the end node assigned to the destination IP address stored in the packet's internetwork header.
Routers and switches are network devices that determine which communication link or links to employ to support the progress of data packets through the network. A network node that determines which links to employ based on information in the internetwork header (layer 3) and knowledge of at least a portion of the network topology is called a router. Some protocols pass protocol-related information among two or more network nodes in special control packets that are communicated separately and which include a payload of information used by the protocol itself rather than a payload of data to be communicated for another application. These control packets and the processes at network nodes that utilize the control packets are said to be in another dimension, a "control plane," distinct from the "data plane" dimension that includes the data packets with payloads for other applications.
A link-state protocol is an example of a "routing protocol," which only exchanges control plane messages used for routing data packets sent in a different "routed protocol" (e.g., IP). A link-state method floods routing information to all nodes on the internetwork in a link-state protocol control plane data packet; however, each router sends only the portion of the routing information that describes the state of its own links. Link-state data indicates direct links between a network node that performs routing functions (a router) and a different router (e.g., links on the same network segment, which does not involve a third router). The link-state data also indicates other characteristics of those links, such as bandwidth and congestion. According to link-state methods, each router builds a topology model of the connections in the entire network in its routing tables based on the link-state data received from other routers. Routing decisions are based on the topology model of connections throughout the network.
User data includes other data routed between end nodes on a network. Digital files and databases of user data at end nodes are well known and widely used. Distributed systems of user data take advantage of the multiplicity of nodes in a network to distribute storage, processing and communication loads among different end nodes. Distributed systems are well known and widely used on various networks. For example, the World Wide Web distributes files of user data, called pages, over multiple end nodes on the public Internet. Many distributed systems, including the World Wide Web, electronic mail (e-mail) and file transfer protocol (FTP), are built on the client-server model for interaction among multiple processes executing on one or more nodes.
Some distributed systems do not rely on a client request and server response, but instead automatically send information to certain nodes without waiting for a request. An example of such a distributed system is a broadcast or subscription service. These systems are similar to radio and television broadcasts or newspaper home delivery. A subscriber signs up for the service and then a publisher/broadcaster sends information at times determined by the publisher/broadcaster, such as when the publisher/broadcaster produces the data. For example, the Really Simple Syndication (RSS) service (also known as the Rich Site Summary) sends new web page content to subscribers when a particular World Wide Web page changes. RSS uses a particular format so the information can be inserted in an existing copy of a World Wide Web page stored on the subscriber's node. Whereas the client-server model is a "pull" of information, the subscription services provide a "push" of information.
In emerging network systems, network nodes, both intermediate network nodes and end nodes, are not fixed assets in a building or campus, but, instead, include mobile network nodes that are deployed as moving assets on mobile users, such as persons, animals, robots, vehicles and earth-orbiting satellites. In such systems, topology models of current communication links are not sufficient to make decisions on how and where to route information managed by the network. Information on the spatial arrangement of nodes and users of those nodes becomes important, and may even affect the routes taken to distribute data. It is often desirable that the data pulled by a client or pushed by a publisher depend on the spatial relationship between the user of the mobile node and other users, nodes or data items in the distributed system.
For example, mobile ad hoc networks (MANets) involve mobile wireless routers that network with other fixed or mobile wireless routers with which they come into transmission range. The mobile routers can be carried by humans, animals or vehicles, including robots and earth-orbiting satellites, to interface multiple electronic devices also carried. MANets have applications in tactical police and military and emergency medical services scenarios, including Search and Rescue and other responses to environment-damaging accidents, terrorist attacks and natural disasters, among others. The mobile routers feed information to various control interfaces for the vehicles or various display elements for a human user or stimuli for animals. The routers also receive and transmit to the network information from various sensors or input devices operated by the user, such as the person, an animal or the vehicle. The MANets allow different units to share more information more quickly so that the multiple units can proceed as a coordinated whole. Many network nodes have position information available, such as a location from the Global Positioning System (GPS) widely known and used in commerce, or location from a local triangulation system using three or more electromagnetic wave beacons or acoustic beacons.
In an example scenario, a rescue worker must proceed into a multi-chambered cave to search for a missing human victim. The worker is transported with multiple robots to the site by a large vehicle. The large vehicle has a wide area network connection to a data center with a geographic information system (GIS) that include a map of the cavern chambers. The robots carry end nodes and wireless routers and the end nodes are programmed to operate the robots in order to maintain MANet connectivity between the vehicle and the worker as the worker winds through the cavern.
At first all the robots and the worker are in an overlapping area of wireless coverage. Full network connectivity and adjacency among all robots and the worker consumes network resources, is temporary and is unneeded. Instead, it is preferable that the robots form a line from the large vehicle to the worker based on spatial positions of the large vehicle and the worker. The topographic adjacency of each wireless router is then only established between the spatially preceding and spatially following robots near the limit of the range. Thus routing information depends on location information.
As the worker moves into the cavern, the robots increase their separation based on the spatial information to maintain wireless MANet communications in series from the worker to the large vehicle. Thus, information communicated to the intermediate node for the user is preferably based on location data. If necessary, one or more routers are reconfigured to use increased power to keep a router on an adjacent robot in range. Thus, intermediate node configuration is preferably based on location data.
The information the worker wants communicated over this robot-assisted network from the GIS depends on where the worker is located. If the location of the worker and the worker's heading (orientation) is communicated by the worker's end node to a GIS client, then it is preferable that the GIS client somewhere on the network request from the GIS what is ahead of the worker. Thus the non-routing information to be communicated over the network is preferably based on worker location and heading data.
Other spatial information, such as size and shape, is also useful in communicating data over a network. For example, if the large vehicle is bigger than the cave mouth, then it is not desirable to position the large vehicle in the cave entrance to support network communications with the worker. A desirable proximity of the location of the center of mass of the large vehicle to the position of the center of the cave mouth depends on the size and shape of the large vehicle and the size and the shape of the cave mouth.
As another example, it is noted that many buildings are currently equipped with multiple access points for wireless network communication links. If a mobile node using the access point requests information about the building, the response is preferably based on the user's location and not the location of the access point. For example, if the user is located on a floor above the access point, a request for a restroom or fire extinguisher location is better answered with directions to a restroom or fire extinguisher on the same floor as the user and not with directions to a restroom or fire extinguisher on the same floor as the access point.
In some approaches, location data available from a network node is used to select and configure a network node by changing, for example the power and frequency used for one or more wireless communication links. See, for example, H. Arnold et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,748,233, Jun. 8, 2004 and R. Kennedy, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,763,013, and 6,763,014, Jul. 13, 2004. Time series of location data is used to predict present and future advantageous nodes and configurations to maintain connectivity.
In another approach, vehicles carrying mobile nodes are moved to establish or preserve node adjacencies that support desirable routing. See Billy Moon et al., "Arrangement For Autonomous Mobile Network Nodes To Organize A Wireless Mobile Network Based On Detected Physical And Logical Changes," U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/679,319, filed on Oct. 7, 2003 and published Apr. 7, 2005 as US Published Patent Application Publication No. 20050076054, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Spatial information available from mobile nodes also can be used to select the non-routing data to be delivered over the wireless communication link. As used here, spatial information includes physical location information or physical shape information or physical size information or physical orientation information, or some combination. For example, a dynamic network system could automatically send the appropriate cave information to the rescue worker or provide the data of the correct building floor to the office worker.
Temporary objects (also called beacon objects) also can be used in an object-oriented database. The beacon objects could include a lifetime attribute and a state attribute. The state attribute could hold data that indicates any information that a user of a mobile node desires to associate with a physical entity represented by a spatial object in a spatial hierarchy of the object-oriented database. For example, the state attribute could hold data that indicates a room in the example cave has been searched and found clear. By default, the objects are owned by a mobile node that creates them; yet they describe the physical entity represented by the spatial object. As the mobile node that owns the beacon moves away from the physical entity represented by the spatial object, the mobile node might lose its association with the spatial object. Thus the mobile node's beacon object might lose its association with the spatial object and be rendered useless to subsequent mobile nodes that come into the vicinity of the physical entity represented by the spatial object. Furthermore, a user of a mobile node may want to generate information about a physical entity that is moving, such as a user of another mobile node or a target of a search, which target does not have a mobile node of the network. Furthermore, a user of mobile node may want to generate persistent information that does not expire for some physical entity.
Based on the foregoing, there is a clear need for techniques to keep a beacon object associated with a spatial object that did not create the beacon object.
Based on the foregoing, there is also a clear need for techniques to associate a beacon object with a physical entity that is moving.
Based on the foregoing, there is also a clear need for techniques to associate a physical entity with a beacon object that persists indefinitely.
The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not to be considered prior art to the claims in this application merely due to the presence of these approaches in this background section.

Techniques for distributing data among mobile nodes based on dynamically generated data objects in a distributed object-oriented database


Methods and systems are provided for operating various robotic systems. The methods and systems involve applications of platforms that enable multiple-input teleoperation and a high degree of immersiveness for the user. The robotic systems may include multiple arms for manipulators and retrieving information from the environment and/or the robotic system. The robotic methods may include control modification modules for detecting that an operation of a robotic device based on the control commands fails to comply with one or more operational parameters; identifying the non-compliant control command; and generating a modifier for the secondary device to adjust the non-compliant control command to comply with the set of operational parameters.

Robotic systems are increasingly used to assist humans in different situations. In particular, robotic systems can be important in situations during which direct human contact can be dangerous, or even life-threatening.
Over the years, robotic technologies have evolved substantially to facilitate robotic systems that can involve multiple master devices (or primary devices) for controlling various different slave devices (or secondary devices). Since the primary devices can receive commands via a user interface, operators can be located at various different locations.
One example application of the robotic systems is for Improvised Explosive Device Disposal (IEDD). IEDD technology has evolved from initial approaches that involve humans directly handling the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) to the more recent remote-controlled robotic systems that involve some direct human interaction with the IEDs. Most existing robotic systems, however, continue to be limited in their applications due to the primitive controls that are provided for operating the robotic system and the limited amount of data that can be retrieved and processed.

Robotic systems and methods of operating robotic systems


A novel barrier layer which protects electronic devices from adverse environmental effects such as exposure to light, oxygen and/or moisture is described. The barrier layer comprises a polymer, an antioxidant, and an inorganic particulate material.

The present disclosure relates, in various embodiments, to a novel protective barrier layer composition for the protection of organic electronic devices from adverse environmental effects such as exposure to light, oxygen, or moisture, or a combination of these factors
Thin film transistors ("TFT"s) are fundamental building blocks of electronic circuits. Structurally, TFT comprises a supporting substrate, three electrically conductive electrodes (gate, source and drain electrodes), a semiconductor layer, and a dielectric layer. For operational stability and extended life, it is often necessary to protect the TFTs from adverse environmental effects with a protective barrier layer. Various TFT configurations are possible to enable proper functioning of TFTs in various electronic applications. Exemplary configurations are depicted in FIGS. 1 through 4. The semiconductor is electrically insulating when the transistor is in its switched-off state, when no bias voltage is applied to the gate electrode. When a bias voltage is applied to the gate electrode, the transistor is switched on, an electric current flows between the source and the drain electrodes through the semiconductor layer. At a given source-drain electric field, the current flowing between the source-drain electrodes can be modulated by the bias voltage applied to the gate electrode
Exposure to various environmental conditions can adversely affect the performance of an electronic device such as organic TFT (OTFT). For example, the organic semiconductor layer can be damaged by light, oxygen and moisture, etc. degrading its electrical properties. Consequently, TFTs need to be protected from these environmental conditions with a protective barrier or encapsulation layer. For inorganic material-based TFTs such as amorphous silicon TFTs, this is traditionally done by passivation with a vacuum deposited inorganic oxide layer (e.g., silicon nitrides). For low-cost OTFTs, a liquid-processable barrier layer would be preferable to lower manufacturing cost.
Prior-art OTFT barrier or encapsulation layers consist of polymers like polyvinylphenol, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene, polyethyleneterephthalate, and mixtures of these polymers. However, these polymers have high oxygen and water permeability and cannot function as satisfactory barrier layers for OTFTs. Other prior-art barrier approaches include multilayer encapsulations containing dessicants or oxygen scavengers and an in-situ polymerized polymer layer. However, these approaches are also not very effective in protecting OTFTs against environmental conditions. For example, dessicants have a finite capacity to absorb moisture and will cease to function once they are saturated with moisture. Multilayer barrier layers are more costly to apply to OTFTs than a single barrier layer and are therefore less preferred.

Barrier layer for an organic electronic device