A universal jig is compatible with bone plates of varying size, in which different plate sizes having different hole configurations. For example, a longer bone plate may have a first hole pattern along a given length thereof, while various shorter bone plates may have differing hole patterns along respective corresponding lengths. The universal jig includes a combination of hole groupings to provide a jig hole for each hole in the differing hole patterns of the longer and shorter plates, so that the universal jig is useable with a variety of bone plates having disparate hole patterns. For any given bone plate length and hole configuration, a masking cover may provided to attach to the jig. The masking cover masks off unused jig holes, so that only those jig holes intended for use with a particular bone plate are left exposed.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to the fixation of orthopedic structures to bones. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to jigs used in conjunction with bone plates in minimally invasive surgery (MIS).
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Bone plates are used in a variety of surgical procedures, such as to treat fractures of bones in the body. For example, an elongate bone plate with a plurality of fixation holes along its extent may be used to affix the bone plate to multiple bone fragments of a fractured bone. The bone plate bridges the gaps created between bone fragments, i.e., the fracture gaps, thereby providing support for the fractured bone and aiding in the healing process.
Insertion and affixation of a bone plate to a fractured bone may be accomplished with minimally invasive surgery ("MIS"). MIS methods of bone plate fixation can include making a small incision at or near an end of a fractured bone, so that only the end of the bone is exposed to the surgeon. A bone plate may then be inserted through the incision such that a bone contacting surface of the bone plate abuts the relevant bone fragments, with the length of the bone plate spanning at least a portion of the length of the fractured bone and bridging the fracture gap. Once the plate is properly positioned, the bone plate is affixed to the bone by passing fasteners through the skin, into fixation holes in the bone plate, and into the bone on both sides of the fracture gap. This MIS technique can include making stab incisions through the outer layer of skin to provide access for cannulas, which are inserted through the outer layer of skin to span the distance between the incisions and the bone plate fixation holes, so that each cannula corresponds to a respective hole position on the bone plate. A fastener may then be passed through each respective cannula to affix the bone plate to the bone.
An existing jig and method of use are shown in two brochures published by Zimmer, Inc, namely the "Zimmer® NCB® Plating System" brochure, copyright 2006, and the "NCB® Distal Femoral Plating System, Surgical Technique" brochure, copyright 2005, 2007 and 2008, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties, and copies of which are filed in an Information Disclosure Statement on even date herewith. Similar surgical techniques are may also be used with the bone plate fixation system of the present disclosure.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are representative of jigs currently utilized. Referring generally to FIGS. 1 and 2, jig 12 may be provided to align cannulas (not shown) with respective fixation holes 16 on bone plate 10. Jig 12 may be attached to an end portion of plate 10 via fixation arm 20 so that, once plate 10 is positioned properly on a bone, cannulas may be passed through a plurality of holes 14 in jig 12 and advanced toward respective holes 16 in plate 10. Holes 14 in jig 12 are positioned and oriented to deliver fasteners to respective plate holes 16 in a desired trajectory. As best shown in FIG. 2, jig holes 14 may be laterally offset with respect to corresponding bone plate holes 16, so that respective axes of fasteners passed through the cannulas are directed toward the axis or center of the bone to which plate 10 is attached.
Jig 12 may be used with shorter bone plates by virtue of jig 12 being useable with plate 10, because the hole patterns of shorter bone plates relative to fixation arm 20 are contained within the hole pattern of plate 10. Referring again to FIG. 1, jig 12 may be used with shorter bone plates by using an appropriate number of jig holes 14 closest to fixation arm 20. Bone plate 10 has a generally straight or linear overall profile with fixation holes 16 that follow a consistent pattern across the body of plate 10, allowing the shorter bone plates to utilize the same jig holes 14 as the corresponding portion of bone plate 10. For example, when jig 12 is coupled with a short plate, only the jig holes 14 disposed between fixation arm 20 and short plate marker 22 are utilized. In bone plate 10, these jig holes 14 used with a short bone plate correspond with first set 30 of holes 16.
Similarly, jig holes 14 disposed between fixation arm 20 and middle marker 24 may be used for a medium length plate. These jig holes 14 correspond with both first set 30 and second set 32 of holes 16 in bone plate 10. For bone plate 10, jig holes 14 disposed between fixation arm 20 and long marker 26 (i.e., all of jig holes 14 on jig 12) may be used because bone plate 10 is a long length plate (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). These jig holes 14 correspond with first set 30, second set 32, and third set 34 of holes 16 in bone plate 10.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A compound selected from the group consisting of 3,5-diphenyl- and substituted 3,5-diphenyl-1-hydroxy-1,2-dihydroimidazole-2-thiones, and combinations thereof. Also disclosed is a process for producing the compound and an antimicrobial composition comprising the compound and at least one component selected from the group consisting of soaps, shampoos, skin care medicaments, cosmetics and paints.

Compounds exhibiting biocidal activity are well known in the art. For example, pyrithione salts, such as zinc pyrithione, are known to Provide excellent biocidal activity, including broad spectrum anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activity. There are many uses for these pyrithiones. By way of illustration, U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,436 discloses the use of pyrithiones in metal working fluids, U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,770 discloses urethane shoe inserts having antimicrobial activity; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,061 discloses their use in paints.
Despite the excellent biocidal (particularly fungicidal) activity attributable to pyrithione salts, these compounds do have drawbacks for certain applications, most notably limited solubility in organic solvents. Accordingly, new compounds exhibiting excellent biocidal activity, but also exhibiting good solubility in organic solvents would be useful to the biocides manufacturing community.

3,5-diphenyl or substituted 3,5-diphenyl-1-hydroxy-1,2-dihydroimidazole-2-thiones


A prism sheet for a LCD backlight module is provided. The prism sheet contains a base layer and a prism layer formed on a side of the base layer. The prism layer contains multiple parallel latitudinal and longitudinal prism lenses intersecting with each other. As such, the prism sheet could provide both latitudinal and longitudinal convergence for the scattered lights from the diffusion film. Additionally, by adjusting the apex angles, shapes, and heights of the prism lenses, optimal horizontal and vertical viewing angles of the LCD display could be achieved.

(a) Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to prism sheets, and more particularly to a prism sheet of a LCD's backlight module providing both latitudinal and longitudinal convergence and optimal horizontal and vertical viewing angles for the LCD display.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
A typical liquid crystal display (LCD) device usually installs a number of diffusion films and prism sheets between the LCD's panel and a light guide plate, so that lights emitted from the light guide plate is scattered by the diffusion film and then converged by the prism sheet toward the LCD panel, thereby, increasing the brightness of LCD panel in a range of viewing angles.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a conventional prism sheet mainly contains a base layer 1 and a prism layer 2 formed on a side of the base layer 1. The prism layer 2 contains a plurality of parallel-arranged prism lenses 3 having a triangular cross section. Emitted lights from the light guide plate (not shown) is first scattered by the diffusion film (not shown) and then, due to the refraction effect provided by the prism lenses, converged toward a direction normal to the LCD panel (not shown).
In real-life applications, the convergence provided by the prism sheet could enhance the brightness of the LCD display. However, the viewing angle of the LCD display would also be limited by such convergence. Due to the structure of the conventional prism sheet, the range of viewing angles achieved usually could only satisfy either the vertical or the horizontal, but not both, viewing angles of the LCD display.
Accordingly, how to provide a prism sheet that could be mass-produced with the current industry expertise, preserve the benefit of enhancing LCD brightness, but achieve satisfactory viewing angles, both horizontal and vertical, required by the LCD display is the major motivation behind the present invention.


The disclosure is related to a method and device for comparing media features, the method comprising: obtaining first media feature sequences of a first media object and second media feature sequences of a second media object, the first media feature sequence comprises a plurality of first media feature units arranged in sequence, and the second media feature sequence comprises a plurality of second media feature units arranged in sequence; determining unit similarities between the first media feature units and the second media feature units; determining a similarity matrix between the first media feature sequences and the second media feature sequences according to the unit similarities; determining a similarity of the first media object and the second media object according to the similarity matrix.

Media features such as video features and audio features (or media fingerprints), media feature comparison and media feature retrieval are widely used in our "multimedia, information society". The comparison of media features may avoid the repeated uploading of videos and audios, thus preventing the embezzlement of media and optimizing the storage of media. In addition, the comparison of media features may also be used for media content monitoring, copyright detection, etc.
The existing media feature comparison methods are poor in accuracy and efficiency, which causes huge consumption of computing resources and storage resources.

Method and device for comparing media features

BEIJING BYTEDANCE NETWORK TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


The invention in at least one embodiment includes a system and method for detecting and evaluating an adaptive physiological strain index (aPSI) of an individual with a processor and in a further embodiment taking into account the fitness, age and clothing of the individual based upon physiology. The invention in at least one embodiment includes a system and method to calculate the aPSI using physiological measures. In at least one embodiment, the method obtains an individual's skin temperature and heart rate in order to calculate the individual's aPSI.

Hot environments pose a risk of heat illness to people in occupations where heavy workloads and/or protective clothing ensembles are necessary. Excessive heat strain can lead to collapse or even death. Heat-related illness (HRI) has a spectrum of disorders due to environmental heat exposure and includes minor conditions such as heat cramps, heat syncope, and heat exhaustion as well as the more severe condition known as heat stroke.
HRI is an ever present threat to athletes, military personnel, and occupational hazard workers, as the combination of physical exertion in hot environments makes individuals susceptible to heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and heat cramps. HRI prevention includes avoiding medications that can increase the risk of heat illness (e.g., antihypertensives, diuretics, and anticholinergics), gradual adjustment to heat, and sufficient fluids and electrolytes. Mild HRI can be treated by drinking fluids. In more significant HRI cases, spraying with mist and using a fan is useful. For those with severe HRI putting them in lukewarm to cold water is recommended if possible with transport to a hospital.
Efforts to identify and control the incidence of heat illness/injury originally focused on identifying high risk environments and modifying work/rest schedules. Although the risk of heat illness can be reduced by acclamation, appropriate work rest schedules, and proper hydration, the risk is never entirely abated when there is heavy exertion in a hot environment.
Assessing risk of heat stress from environmental conditions alone fails to account for individual differences, such as acclamation status, fitness, body composition and morphology, prior heat injury, (which can play a role in an individual's response to working in hot environments) and clothing.
Personal physiological monitoring is one means of overcoming the limitations of assessing heat strain using environment monitoring alone. Modern physiological monitoring systems are becoming more common for monitoring applications; however, while a number of physiological strain indices can be computed from a number of different physiological variables none to date take account of the interplay between an individual's age, fitness, and personal protective equipment being worn.

System and method for determining an adaptive physiological strain index

U.S. Government, as represented by the Secretary Of the Army


A damping valve includes: a valve disc having a port a shaft member provided in the valve disc; an annular leaf valve that is attached to an outer periphery of the shaft member so as to be adjacent to the valve disc; a main valve provided on the outer periphery of the shaft member to be free to move in the axial direction; and an annular plate spring that biases the leaf valve toward the valve disc side. The main valve includes a spring supporting portion that contacts an end surface of the leaf valve and supports a valve disc side end portion of the plate spring, and a tubular collar that extends in the axial direction, and is provided to be free to move in the axial direction relative to the shaft member. The plate spring is attached to an outer periphery of the collar.

A damping valve is used in a shock absorber for a vehicle, for example. The damping valve includes an annular leaf valve that opens and closes an outlet end of a port formed in a piston of the shock absorber. A plurality of leaf valves are provided, and the leaf valves are disposed so as to be laminated in an axial direction.
The leaf valve is configured such that an inner peripheral side thereof is fixed and an outer peripheral side thereof deflects. The port of the piston is opened and closed by the outer peripheral side of the leaf valve. When a flexural rigidity of the leaf valve provided in the damping valve is set to be low, a damping force generated at a low piston speed is excessively small. When the flexural rigidity of the leaf valve is set to be high, on the other hand, the damping force generated at medium and high piston speeds is excessively large. It is therefore difficult with the damping valve to achieve passenger comfort in the vehicle in all speed regions.
JP2011-64285A discloses a damping valve including: a leaf valve that opens and closes a port of a piston and includes a plurality of cutouts; a guide member disposed adjacent to the leaf valve in order to fix an inner peripheral side of the leaf valve; a main valve disposed on an outer periphery of the guide member to be free to slide; and a plate spring attached to the outer periphery of the guide member in order to bias the leaf valve to the piston side via the main valve.
In a shock absorber including the damping valve described above, when the piston speed is low, the leaf valve does not deflect, but working oil discharged from the port in the piston passes through the cutouts in the leaf valve so that a comparatively large damping force can be secured. When the piston speed reaches a medium or high speed, a pressure of the working oil passing through the port in the piston acts on the leaf valve so that the outer peripheral side of the leaf valve deflects against a biasing force of the plate spring. As a result, the port opens widely so that the damping force is prevented from becoming excessively large. Thus, an improvement in the passenger comfort of the vehicle can be achieved in accordance with the piston speed.


A first control hub component, within a computer system, having a first logic to synchronize an internal clock generator of the first control hub with an external clock generator in response to the external clock generator transitioning to a high power state. In response to the internal clock generator being synchronized with the external clock generator, the first logic initiates the first control hub to transmit a request packet to a second control hub via an interface. The first logic monitors the interface for receipt of a completion packet in reply to the request packet, wherein in response to the completion packet the first control hub is operable to continue communication with the second hub via the interface.

The present invention pertains to the field of computer systems, and, in particular, an interface between hub components within a computer system.
Prior computer systems typically rely on busses such as the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus adhering to a Specification Revision 2.2 bus developed by the PCI Special Interest Group of Portland Oregon, to allow computer system chipset components to communicate with one another. For example, a transaction originating at a processor and intended for a disk drive might first be delivered to a first chipset component that serves as an intermediary between the processor bus and a PCI bus. The first chipset component would then deliver the transaction over the PCI bus to a second system chipset component which would then deliver the transaction to the disk drive.
Busses such as the PCI bus also provide for communication with other computer system devices such as graphics controllers and network adapters. Because busses such as the PCI bus must interface with a variety of component types, each with varying requirements, the busses are not necessarily optimized for allowing communication between chipset components. Further, chipset manufacturers who rely on standardized busses such as the PCI bus must adhere to bus standards in order to ensure compatibility with other components, and are not at liberty to make substantial changes in how the chipset components communicate with each other.
Another issue that faces chipset component manufacturers in designing and manufacturing chipset components is the need to conform to standardized supply and signaling voltages when relying on busses such as PCI for communication between chipset components, thereby locking the manufacturers into certain design practices and manufacturing technologies. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a flexible interface that provides optimal communication between chipset components.
In addition, it would be desirable to provide an improved method and apparatus for initializing components coupled to such an interface. More specifically, if components coupled via an interface, are transitioning from a low power state to a higher power state, each component may have to wait for a predetermined period of time to lapse before they may begin transmitting and receiving data across the interface. Such a technique is inefficient because both components may both be awake prior the lapsing of the predetermined period of time. As a result, the components would have to unecessarily wait the additional length of time before they could transmit data. Alternatively, the predetermined period of time may not be long enough for one of the components to awake. Therefore, there is a need for an improved method of initializing an interface between to computer components.
The present invention provides a first control hub component, having a first logic to synchronize an internal clock generator with an external clock generator in response to the external clock generator transitioning to a high power state. In response to the internal clock generator being synchronized with the external clock generator, the first control hub transmits a request packet to a second control hub via an interface. The first logic monitors the interface for receipt of a completion packet in reply to the request packet, wherein in response to the completion packet, the first control hub is operable to continue communication with the second hub via the interface.

Method and apparatus for intializing a hub interface


A container includes a container body, a lid member, a first seal valve and a second non-return valve. The lid member is superimposable on the container body to form a storage chamber in the container, and defines therein a first opening and a second opening. The first seal valve is disposed on the lid member, normally seals the first opening of the lid member, and is operable to unseal the first opening of the lid member. The second, non-return valve is disposed in the second opening of the lid member to permit air to actively flow out of the storage chamber of the container body upon reaching a predetermined degree of pressure, and to prevent environmental air from being drawn into the storage chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a container, and more particularly to an airtight storage container.
2. Description of the Related Art
Coffee beans are usually vacuum packed in tins or canisters for reducing the ability of the coffee beans to interact with oxygen and atmospheric moisture and thereby maintaining the beans fresh during an extended period of time prior to the use thereof. Once a consumer opens the vacuum packed container, the vacuum is lost. To further maintain fresh, the consumer may need to get a coffee canister for storing the coffee beans.
One type of canisters is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,621,132, in which there is shown a fruit jar cover for creating a partial vacuum in the jar by means of a hand pump and sealing an opening through which the air is withdrawn by a rubber cap. However, this type of canister is not suitable for storage of the coffee beans. It should be noted that the coffee beans themselves may ferment with time by nature and produce gas within the jar, causing an increase of pressure in the jar. Once the interior pressure is high enough to be greater than the outer atmospheric pressure, the rubber cap may no longer serve to seal the opening in the cover, and the cover may even further be lifted by the interior pressure, leading the coffee beans to interact with oxygen and atmospheric moisture undesirably.


According to various embodiments, a method and apparatus for providing a virtual appliance are described. The method includes: obtaining metadata of a specific virtual appliance based on a received request for obtaining the specific virtual appliance, the metadata describing information about virtual machines involved in the specific virtual appliance, determining an association relationship between the specific virtual appliance and at least one other virtual appliance according to the metadata, and providing resource information for obtaining the specific virtual appliance according to the association relationship, the resource information including a plurality of resource addresses, at least one of the plurality of resource addresses pointing to a storage location of the at least one other virtual appliance. In this way, more resource options for obtaining a specific virtual appliance are provided, thereby improving the efficiency of obtaining the virtual appliance and reducing network transmission pressure on a cloud data center.

The present invention relates to virtual appliances, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing a virtual appliance.
With the development of virtual technology, a virtual machine is able to provide various applications and services, like a true, stand-alone computer. On this basis, one or more virtual machines may be packaged together to provide a pre-built software environment, thus forming a virtual appliance. For instance, in one example, three virtual machines: VM1, VM2 and VM3, may be used to build a virtual appliance, wherein the three virtual machines are installed with different software programs to perform different functions, respectively. For example, virtual machine VM1 may be used to perform a variety of applications, VM2 may be used to provide a database, and VM3 may be used as a proxy server. These "dedicated" virtual machines are packaged together to provide a complete operating environment collectively, thereby forming a virtual appliance. In this example, the multiple virtual machines forming the virtual appliance are maintained, updated, and managed collectively as a unit.
To form a desired virtual appliance, there are a variety of standards and approaches for packaging virtual machines that appear in the prior art. Open Virtualization Format (OVF) is a standard in common use currently, for packaging and distributing virtual appliances. With the OVF standard, virtual appliances may be installed and deployed across platforms simply and flexibly. According to the OVF standard, multiple virtual machines are packaged into one OVF package. Typically, an OVF package comprises an OVF descriptor with suffix .ovf, and further optionally comprises a manifest with suffix .mf and a certificate with suffix .cert. The OVF descriptor is used to describe configuration information of each virtual machine included in the OVF package. In addition, the OVF package also generally includes disk image files of respective virtual machines forming the virtual appliance. These files store data in virtual disks in the form of images. Accordingly, a disk image file usually has a large size, often about hundreds of Gigabytes (GB) or more.
According to user demands for various virtual appliances, many data centers are configured to provide virtual appliances, such as in an OVF form, to users according to user needs. In particular, in a cloud computing environment, especially in an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) mode, a cloud data center may provide virtual machines and virtual appliances to diverse users. However, as mentioned before, an image file involved in a virtual appliance often reaches hundreds of GB in size, and therefore, it often takes a long time to read such a file and transfer it over the network to a user terminal. For example, today's cloud data centers usually need to take tens of minutes to provide a single virtual machine. On the other hand, many cloud data centers use centralized servers to store and distribute virtual machine related data. Such centralized servers have limited network interfaces, which becomes a bottleneck for processing a large number of network requests. Therefore, in a case where a large population of users request access to or to obtain virtual appliances at the same time, the performance of cloud data centers providing virtual appliances will be further reduced.
Therefore it is desired to improve the existing solutions to improve the performance of the provisioning of virtual appliances.

Method and apparatus for chunk-level sharing-based open virtualization format (OVF) package distribution through dependency analysis

International Business Machines Corporation


A computer-implemented method for focal length validation may include receiving, by a computing system, initial image data for an optical target from a camera. The method may also include determining a distortion parameter associated with the camera, based on the initial image data. The method may also include receiving, by the computing system, a first image of the optical target, wherein the first image is associated with a first position of the camera. The method may also include receiving, by the computing system, a second image of the optical target, wherein the second image is associated with a second position of the camera. The method may also include determining an estimated displacement between the first position of the camera and the second position of the camera based on the first image and the second image. The method may further include determining a focal length based on the estimated displacement and a measured displacement of the camera between the first position and the second position.

An autonomous vehicle is a motorized vehicle that can navigate without a human driver. An exemplary autonomous vehicle includes a plurality of sensor systems, such as, but not limited to, a camera sensor system, a lidar sensor system, a radar sensor system, amongst others, wherein the autonomous vehicle operates based upon sensor signals output by the sensor systems. Specifically, the sensor signals are provided to an internal computing system in communication with the plurality of sensor systems, wherein a processor executes instructions based upon the sensor signals to control a mechanical system of the autonomous vehicle, such as a vehicle propulsion system, a braking system, or a steering system. In some applications, these systems utilize a perception system (or perception stack), that implements various computing vision techniques in order to reason about the surrounding environment. In some applications, three-dimensional (3D) pose estimation techniques may be used. As discussed in further detail below, a (3D) pose estimation is a computer vision technique that predicts the transformation of an object from a pose or an image and tracks the location of a person or object. The pose estimation is done by using a combination of the pose and the orientation of the person or object.

Focal length validation using three-dimensional pose estimates


There is provided a toner composition which comprises a binder made from (A) a copolymer selected from (1) a vinyl aromatic monomer; a second monomer selected from the group consisting of i) conjugated diene monomers and ii) acrylate monomers selected from the group consisting of alkyl acrylate monomers and alkyl methacrylate monomers; and a third monomer which is a crosslinking agent; and (2) polyesters of aromatic dicarboxylic acids with one or more aliphatic diols; and (B) an alkyl sarcosine or a salt thereof having an alkyl group which contains from about 10 to about 20 carbon atoms.

In electrophotography (sometimes more generally referred to as electrostatography), an image comprising a pattern of electrostatic potential (also referred to as an electrostatic latent image), is formed on a surface of an electrophotographic element and is then developed into a toner image by contacting the latent image with an electrographic developer. If desired, the latent image can be transferred to another surface before development. The toner image is eventually transferred to a receiver, to which it is fused, typically by heat and pressure.
Toners typically contain a binder and other additives, such as colorants. Binders are generally polymeric and are selected so as to provide a balance between various conflicting constraints. For example, the melt viscosity and melt elasticity of a toner incorporating the binder must not be so low as to cause problems in transferring and fusing a toner image to a receiver.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,992 there is disclosed a toner binder which is crosslinked. However, when a toner based on such a binder is used in a developer, there is an increase in the developer electrical resistance as the developer is continuously used over time to make many images. The term "developer electrical resistance" is commonly used in electrophotography to measure the electrical resistance of the developer wherein the developer comprises toner and carrier particles. The developer electrical resistance is an indication of the magnitude of the electrical field across the carrier and the photoconductor surface when a certain development voltage is applied across the toning shell. The conductivity of a developer is also helpful in removing the counter charge present on the carrier surface once the toner has been developed to the photoconductor surface. The theoretical discussion of developer electrical resistance in conductive magnetic brush development is described in pages 168 through 173 of Electrophotography and Development Physics by L. B. Schein, Springer-Verlag, NY.(1985).
The increased electrical resistance leads to a decrease in the electric field between the toning station and the photoconductive element which results in the transfer of less toner to the photoconductive element for a given charge, and therefore, decreased toner density, "line thinning", or the tendency of alpha numeric characters to become less legible in the fused toner images. Further, these binders have a limited wettability to several compounds which are useful toner addenda, such as iron oxide.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,628, Kasuya et al. discloses a toner composition made from a binder resin produced by emulsion polymerization of butadiene, styrene, and divinyl benzene as a dispersion in water with emulsifiers and initiators. That binder resin is a mixture of two resins, each having different characteristics--one having a low weight average molecular weight, the other a high weight average molecular weight.
Kasuya does not teach a cross-inked polymer but instead teaches the use of high levels of a chain transfer agent (t-dodecyl mercaptan) in conjunction with divinyl benzene) in the preparation of the binder resin (See Example 1, col. 4), a practice known in the art to lower the molecular weight of the polymer as well as prevent the formation of an insoluble (gel) fraction. Such a binder would have certain disadvantages as discussed below.
Cross-linking is desired to impart increased fusing latitude and reduced off-set to the fuser roller despite the fact that increased melt viscosities generally cause deterioration of the fusing properties. Also, cross-linking is desired to reduce the gloss of the fused image.
The incorporation of an insoluble (gel) fraction in the toner binder increases its toughness. As a consequence, the toner breakage caused by mixing the toner with the carrier particles inside the developer station is minimized. Toner breakage, if generated, causes the small toner particles to adhere to the carrier surface which leads to scumming of the carrier surface and eventual rise in developer electrical resistance.
One recently disclosed binder for toner compositions is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,034 (Mate). This reference discloses a binder which is prepared by an emulsion preparation technique using amino acid salts such as ammonium lauryl sarcosinate and sodium lauryl sarcosinate. While these binders are useful, they are not cross-linked and cannot be used in many toner applications in high speed machines because they have very limited fusing latitude and high gloss.
Thus, there is a continuing need for further improvements in toner binders.

Toner compositions including crosslinked polymer binders


A putter-type club head (20) having a body (22) that is preferably composed of a material having a density ranging from ranging from 2.0 g/cm3 to 3.0 g/cm3. and a plurality of mass members (56, 58 and 60). The body (22) has a plurality of mass ports (50, 52 and 54) for placement of the plurality of mass members (56, 58 and 60) therein. The body (22) preferably has a heel aperture (34) and a toe aperture (36).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a putter-type club head. More specifically, the present invention relates to a putter-type club head having a multiple weighting system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Another example is Schmidt et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,068, for a Golf Putter With Dished Bottom Surfaces which discloses a putter composed of a single cast material and having a hollow interior.
Another example is Uebelhor, U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,484, which was filed on Mar. 20, 1998 for a Golf Putter Head. Uebelhor discloses a putter head with a U-shaped body and a block within the middle. The block has a lower specific gravity than the U-shaped body. Yet another example is Rose et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,412 originally filed in January of 1996 for a Golf Club, Particularly A Putter. The Rose patent discloses a center portion composed of a light metal material and the heel and toe portions composed of heavier metals. The metals are forged or cast to create the putter head.
Another example is Fernandez, U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,616 for a Golf Club, which was originally filed in 1984, discloses a lightweight composite material molded to a hard, high density material for distribution of mass. Fernandez discloses a composite shell with a high density insert composed of tungsten or some other high density material.
Alternative alignment means are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,798, entitled Golf Club And Head Including Alignment Indicators, assigned to the Callaway Golf (the assignee of the Present Application), which pertinent parts are hereby incorporated by reference. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,798, the alignment means assists a golfer in properly aiming a golf ball toward a hole when putting. Alternative alignment means, including a large white strip may be utilized in the present invention.
The external surface 58 of the face preferably has a face recess 52 therein with a face insert 50 disposed therein such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,302, entitled A Golf Club Head With An Insert Having Integral Tabs, assigned to Callaway Golf (the assignee of the Present Application), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,302, the face insert is preferably composed of a thermosetting polyurethane material and is preferably colored white.


The device is a compact Marx-type generator capable of producing a high-vage burst of pulses having risetimes less than 10 nanoseconds at repetition rates up to 10 kHz. High-pressure hydrogen switches are used as the switching elements to achieve high rep-rate. A small coaxial design provides low inductance and a fast risetime. The device may be used as a high-rep-rate high-voltage trigger generator, or as a high-voltage pulse source capable of producing up to 1 MV pulses at high repetition rates.

The present invention relates generally to pulsed power systems, and more specifically, the invention pertains to pulsed power systems requiring a high-voltage, high-repetition rate trigger requiring a pulse having a fast-risetime. The invention finds use in driving circuitry for a recirculating linear accelerator in particular, and generally in wideband electronics countermeasure systems, short pulsed radars, communications systems, and calibration systems.
The task of providing the high-voltage triggers for high-voltage, high-power gas switches operating at greater than kilohertz repetition rates has been problematical. Although gas spark gap switches such as that taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,438 by Levatter et al. issued Sep. 28, 1976, are capable of very high-power operation, they are typically limited in achievable repetition-rate. Improvements in this art have recently exhibited recovery times in the range of 100 microseconds by using undervolting techniques and hydrogen gas insulation as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,369 to Moran et al. issued Mar. 27, 1990. While this represented a double order of magnitude improvement in switch repetition rates and had the advantage of not requiring gas flow, no adequate triggering device was known to exist which exhibits multiple pulse capability.
Switch recovery tests are typically performed in a two-pulse configuration, where the switch is triggered only once and then the voltage is reapplied to determine switch recovery, thus requiring only a single-shot, high voltage trigger. No single compact device capable of providing a high rep-rate trigger was known. Typically, the trigger source for a high-power rep-ratable switch must be able to produce few-nanosecond risetime pulses at greater than a kilohertz rate while maintaining an output voltage level sufficient to initiate a discharge within the switch medium (usually greater than 100 kilovolts). In the past, multiple "single-shot" trigger sources attached to the switch in parallel through isolation diodes were necessary to achieve these requirements simultaneously. Unfortunately, the isolation diodes can add undesirable inductance to the trigger circuitry causing degradation in the achievable trigger risetime. In addition, the use of multiple trigger sources adds to the overall size and complexity of the pulsed-power system. Another common approach is to use a pulse transformer to step-up the output voltage of a relatively low voltage pulser containing fast switches (spark gap, thyratron, or solid-state switches) to the required high voltage. Although high voltages can be achieved with this method, the pulse transformer will limit the achievable risetime to an unsatisfactory level. Additional "peaking" spark gaps can be added to the output of such systems to improve the risetime, but this requires additional triggering circuitry and, as a result, more complexity and size. Any system containing a conventional spark gap as the switching element will be limited in rep-rate.
Various combinations of components forming Marx generators have long been used to produce single-shot, high-voltage triggers. These include patents to Asline, U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,322 issued Oct. 29, 1974, Feser, U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,561 issued Jun. 28, 1974, Bishop, U.S. Pat. No. 3,501,646 filed Oct. 3, 1967 and Rodewald, U.S. Pat. No. 3,504,191 issued Mar. 31, 1970. While these achieve varying degrees of voltage amplification, they lack high rep-rate capability. Other devices, such as that taught by Davis, U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,011 issued Jan. 15, 1985, use triode amplifier tubes to achieve a high power, short risetime pulse, but are limited in voltage. Finally, devices using a pulse forming network and transformer are known in the art as taught by Ranon, U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,494 issued Feb. 26, 1991 to produce high voltage but is also essentially a single shot device. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,845,322, 3,821,561, 3,501,646, 3,504,191 are hereby incorporated by reference.
Coaxial Marx generators are also known in the art. One such generator is P/N 50082 available from Veradyne Corporation located at 330 North Victory Blvd., Burbank, Calif. 91502. These coaxial Marx generators are compact and pressurized with air to increase the hold-off voltage of the Marx elements. They are essentially single-shot devices.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


A liquid crystal display includes a first substrate, a first alignment layer, a liquid crystal layer, a second alignment layer, and a second substrate opposite to the first substrate, a first electrode and a second electrode. The liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate. The first alignment layer is located on the first substrate and face the liquid crystal layer. The second alignment layer is located on the second substrate and face the liquid crystal layer. Furthermore, at least one of the first and second alignment layers comprises a carbon nanotube structure, and the carbon nanotube structure is electrically connected to the first electrode and the second electrode.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to liquid crystal displays and, particularly, to a carbon-nanotube-based liquid crystal display.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A liquid crystal display (LCD) generally includes a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer. The first substrate is located parallel to the second substrate. The liquid crystal layer including a plurality of liquid crystal molecules is located between the first substrate and the second substrate. A first transparent electrode layer and a first alignment layer are formed on a surface of the first substrate facing toward the liquid crystal layer. A first polarizer is formed on an opposite surface of the first substrate that faces away from the liquid crystal layer. A second transparent electrode layer and a second alignment layer are formed on a surface of the second substrate that faces toward the liquid crystal layer. A second polarizer is formed on an opposite surface of the second substrate that faces away from the liquid crystal layer.
When no voltage is supplied to the liquid crystal display, light can pass through the liquid crystal display. When voltage is supplied, light cannot pass through the liquid crystal display. Thus, when a predetermined voltage is selectively applied to different pixels defined in the liquid crystal display, a picture can be shown.
However, for many reasons, the liquid crystal display cannot perform at low temperature environment. Firstly, since the threshold voltage of the liquid crystal display is related to the temperature, the threshold voltage of the liquid crystal display will increase as the external temperature decreases. A change in the threshold voltage will deteriorate the contrast of the liquid crystal display. Secondly, the viscosity of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer will increase as the external temperature decreases. The liquid crystal molecules become hard to transit its phases and then the response of the liquid crystal display becomes slow.
Conventionally, in order to overcome the above problems, a heating layer can be located on the substrate to increase an operating temperature of the liquid crystal display. The heating layer is usually an indium-tin oxide transparent conductive layer. However, the indium-tin oxide transparent conductive layer is not very efficient for heating and consumes space, which requires that the liquid crystal display be thicker.
What is needed, therefore, is to provide a thin liquid crystal display that can perform at low temperatures.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate at least one embodiment of the present liquid crystal display, in at least one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure in any manner.

Liquid crystal display having electrodes connected to carbon nanotube structure


In a time period from the time point where the forward end of a paper sheet fed from a pair of paper separation rollers reaches a registration roller to the time point where the registration roller is driven, when the load torque exerted on a forward roller is not less than second regulated torque, the transmission of power to the forward roller is released by a torque limiter provided for the forward roller. In this case, therefore, the force of paper feeding produced by the pair of paper separation rollers is regulated. Consequently, a suitable force of paper feeding can be applied to the paper sheet, thereby to make it possible to regulate the paper sheet straight in the direction of paper feeding as well as to prevent the paper sheet from continuing to be fed even if the amount of deflection of the paper sheet is saturated between the pair of paper separation rollers and the registration roller to prevent the paper sheet from being wrinkled.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paper feeding device and a paper curling correcting device in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a PPF, a page printer or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a PPF, a page printer or the like, a pair of paper separation rollers for preventing paper sheets from being fed in an overlapped state to feed a single paper sheet to a registration roller provided in a paper conveying path from a paper feeding cassette.
The pair of paper separation rollers comprises one forward roller and one reverse roller, as is well known. The forward roller is rotated and driven in the direction in which paper sheets are fed from the paper feeding cassette to the registration roller (hereinafter referred to as the direction of paper feeding). The reverse roller is rotated and driven in the direction in which paper sheets are returned from the registration roller to the paper feeding cassette (hereinafter referred to as the direction of paper return). The reverse roller is provided with a torque limiter for releasing the transmission of power from a driving source to the reverse roller when the load torque exerted on the reverse roller is not less than a predetermined regulated torque.
When a plurality of paper sheets are fed in an overlapped state to the pair of paper separation rollers, the load torque exerted on the reverse roller is lower than the regulated torque, so that the reverse roller is rotated and driven in the direction of paper return. Accordingly, the paper sheets on the reverse roller side are returned by the reverse roller, while a single paper sheet is fed to the registration roller by the forward roller.
When one paper sheet is fed to the area between the pair of paper separation rollers, the load torque exerted on the reverse roller is higher than the regulated torque, so that the transmission of power from the driving source to the reverse roller is released. Accordingly, the reverse roller is rotated in the direction of paper feeding in synchronism with the forward roller. Consequently, the paper sheet is fed to the registration roller.
In this type of image forming apparatus, the registration roller is driven in a state where a paper sheet is deflected between the registration roller and the pair of paper separation rollers so as to regulate the paper sheet straight in the direction of paper feeding and feed the same to a photosensitive drum. That is, the registration roller is driven after a delay of several milliseconds from the time when the forward end of the paper sheet passing between the pair of paper separation rollers abuts on the registration roller.
In the above described conventional device, the force of paper feeding produced by the pair of paper separation rollers depends on only the friction force between the paper sheet and the forward roller, so that the amount of deflection varies depending on the quality and the thickness of the paper sheet. Accordingly, the paper sheet may, in some cases, continue to be fed even if the amount of deflection of the paper sheet is saturated, so that the paper sheet is wrinkled.
Furthermore, examples of image forming apparatuses include an image forming apparatus in which a paper conveying path from a paper feeding cassette to a registration roller is formed in a U shape for the purpose of, for example, miniaturization. In such an image forming apparatus, however, paper sheets are curled to correspond to the curve of the paper conveying path in a U shape.
Further, examples of image forming apparatuses include an image forming apparatus for feeding parallel paper sheets such as envelopes contained in two rows in a paper feeding cassette by a paper feeding roller and conveying two paper sheets fed in parallel to a registration roller by passing through a pair of paper separation rollers or directly without passing through the pair of paper separation rollers. In such a image forming apparatus, the paper sheets contained in two rows in the paper feeding cassette may, in some cases, start to be fed in a state where the paper sheet contained in one of the rows in the paper feeding cassette is projected forward in the direction of paper feeding from the paper feeding cassette due to the feeding of the paper sheets in the row continuously or one over the other. Consequently, the paper sheet in the row projected forward in the direction of paper feeding from the paper feeding cassette abuts the registration roller prior to the paper sheet in the other row. In such a case, the pair of paper separation rollers or the paper feeding roller for conveying paper sheets to the registration roller continues to feed the paper sheets in a time period elapsed from the time when the paper sheet in the row projected forward in the direction of paper feeding from the paper feeding cassette abuts the registration roller until the paper sheet in the other row abuts the registration roller. Accordingly, the deflection of the paper sheet in the row which first abuts on the registration roller becomes large, so that the paper sheet is wrinkled or folded causing vibration and noise.
A first object of the present invention is to provide a paper feeding device capable of regulating a paper sheet straight in the direction of paper feeding as well as preventing the paper sheet from being wrinkled with respect to a plurality of types of paper sheets.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a paper curling correcting device for preventing a paper sheet from being curled in an image forming apparatus having a paper conveying path in a U shape.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a paper feeding device capable of preventing, when paper sheets are fed in parallel, one of the paper sheets which first abuts on a registration roller from being wrinkled.

Paper feeding device and paper curling correcting device


There is provided a connecting interface for fluidically interconnecting microfluidic channels. The connecting interface comprises one or more substrates which collectively define a first microfluidic channel which includes a connecting region for fluidically connecting the first microfluidic channel to a second microfluidic channel. The connecting interface further comprises at least one slit in an outer surface of one of the one or more substrates, wherein the at least one slit provides a fluid passage from the outer surface to the connecting region of the first microfluidic channel, and the at least one slit has at least one dimension extending beyond the connecting region along a direction parallel to the outer surface.

Microfluidics deals with the behavior, precise control and manipulation of fluids that are geometrically constrained to a small, typically sub-millimeter, scale. Technology based on microfluidics are used for example in ink-jet printer heads, DNA chips and within lab-on-a-chip technology. In microfluidic applications, fluids are typically moved, mixed, separated or otherwise processed. In many applications, passive fluid control is used. This may be realized by utilizing the capillary forces that arise within sub-millimeter tubes. By careful engineering of a so called capillary driven fluidic system, it may be possible to perform control and manipulation of fluids.
Microfluidic substrates may be designed for different purposes, and it is often desirable to interconnect different microfluidic substrates to form part of a microfluidic system. For example, a second microfluidic chip may be arranged on top of a cover of a first microfluidic chip, and the first and the second microfluidic chip may be fluidically connected via a through-hole in the cover. However, such a connection, referred to herein as a through-hole connection, has several drawbacks. Firstly, it is sensitive to misalignments of the microfluidic chips to be interconnected. Secondly, fluid will accumulate in the volume of the through-hole and hence reduce the fluid volume passed from the second chip to the first chip and vice versa. There is thus a need for improvements.

Microfluidic connection and a connecting interface for fluidically interconnecting microfluidic channels


A multi-view video streaming system and a method of providing the same. A streaming module streams at least part of individual-view videos of a multi-view video taken at different views to a user terminal under the control of a control module. Each individual-view video corresponds to at least part of predefined user types. A command receiving module receives a view movement command from the user terminal. An target view determination module determines an target individual-view video to be streamed to the user terminal from among the individual-view videos based on the view movement command. A user type determination module determines a user type of a user corresponding to the user terminal from among the predefined user types. The streaming module streams the target individual-view video to the user terminal when the type of the user corresponds to a user type set to the target individual-view video.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-view video streaming system and a method of providing the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a multi-view video streaming system able to provide a charging method suitable for multi-view videos and a method of providing the same.
Description of Related Art
In response to the emergence of the digital age, a variety of multimedia technologies are rapidly developing, and the digital content market based on such multimedia technologies is growing remarkably. Along with this trend, interest for realistic media in the digital video field is also increasing. Recently, studies are actively underway for multi-view videos, one type of realistic media.
A typical multi-view video system takes a multi-view video of a single scene using multi-view cameras, and encodes the taken multi-view video for the purpose of efficient transmission of the taken images. At a receiving terminal, the multi-view images are decoded from the transmitted compressed bit stream, and a variety of application services are provided using the decoded multi-view images on the request from the audience.
FIG. 1 illustrates a multi-view video streaming system of the related art. As illustrated in FIG. 1, in the multi-view video streaming system of the related art, a multi-view video file 31 is created by encoding/multiplexing individual multi-view images taken by a plurality of cameras 10. A multi-view video streaming server 30 can stream the created multi-view video file 31 to a user terminal 40. A multi-view image decoder 41 included in the user terminal 40 can divide the multi-view video stream into individual-view video streams through demultiplexing/decoding. A view selector selects a single individual-view video stream desired by the user and outputs the selected individual-view video stream to a display device 50.
In response to the active studies on multi-view videos and the increasing multi-view video market as described above, desires to yield profit using multi-view videos are increasing as time goes on. Therefore, a charging method suitable for multi-view videos is earnestly required.

Multi-view video streaming system and providing method thereof


A shock absorbing heel block which includes a heel block shell adhered to an outsole and arranged in flush with an insole on the outsole, the heel block shell having a bottom open chamber, and a hollow top wall formed of a convex upper layer curved outwards and a concave bottom layer curved inwards, the convex upper layer and the concave bottom layer defining an air chamber filled with air; and an elastomer fit into the bottom open chamber inside the heel block shell and adhered to the outsole, the elastomer having an oval recess at the top which receives the concave bottom layer of the top wall of the heel block shell.

The present invention relates to a shock absorbing heel structure, and more specifically to a shock absorbing heel block for mounting on an outsole in flush with an insole to absorb shocks.
In order to comfort the foot, several flexible materials have been developed for making soles for shoes. However, these flexible materials cannot effectively absorb shocks when the user walks, runs or jumps. There are known cushion blocks designed for use in shoes to absorb shocks. These cushion blocks are filled with air or a hydraulic fluid. However, these cushion blocks are designed to be installed inside the insole of a shoe, therefore they are not visible from outside when installed. Further, these cushion blocks are commonly expensive.


A load indicating member is provided with an identifying element which can be accessed and used to determine ultrasonic measurement parameters specific to the load indicating member to provide more precise and more reliable load measurements by compensating for differences resulting from manufacturing variations in individual load indicating members. The parameters specific to the load indicating member can be stored in coding applied to the load indicating member or in a database that can be accessed remotely, for example, using the Internet.

This invention relates to load indicating members and, more particularly, to load indicating members, such as fasteners, having ultrasonic transducers.
In many operations, it is desirable to determine the amount of longitudinal load experienced by a longitudinally stressed member. This information is particularly useful when the longitudinally stressed member is a fastener since the measurement of longitudinal load provides a verification of the existence of a proper joint.
Ultrasonic load measurement is a precise measurement technique for determining load in bolted joints. Pulse-echo techniques with removable ultrasonic transducers have been used in laboratories and for quality control for over thirty years. Historically, however, the practical difficulties in achieving reliable acoustic coupling and in incorporating transducers in tool drives have prevented this technique from becoming a general assembly tightening strategy.
The above coupling difficulties were overcome with permanently attached transducers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,001 (issued to Kibblewhite) teaches the use of a thin piezoelectric polymer film which is permanently, mechanically, and acoustically coupled to an end surface of a member and used to determine the length, tensile load, stress or other tensile load-dependent characteristic of the member by ultrasonic techniques. Although the invention represented a significant advance over the prior state of the art in terms of performance, ease of manufacture, and manufacturing cost, there are disadvantages with a transducer of this construction. These disadvantages relate to environmental performance, in particular the maximum temperature limitations of the polymer material which restricts its application, and the possibility of the transducer, fixed to the fastener with adhesive, coming loose and causing an obstruction in, or damage to, a critical assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,276, issued to Kibblewhite and assigned to Ultrafast, Inc., teaches a load-indicating member having an ultrasonic transducer, including an acousto-electric film, grown directly on the fastener surface (i.e., a piezoelectric thin-film). By growing the acousto-electric film directly on the fastener, the film is mechanically, electrically, and acoustically interconnected to the surface. Permanent ultrasonic transducers not only allow the precise pulse-echo load measurement technique to be used in production assembly but also significantly improve accuracies by eliminating errors that result from axial and radial movement of the removable transducer relative to the bolt and from variations in the coupling media.
All the above-mentioned ultrasonic methods of determining load in a load indicating member require a zero-load measurement in addition to the measurement taken under the desired loaded condition in order to determine the absolute load in the member. Furthermore, all use a direct or indirect measurement of the out-and-return time-of-flight of a longitudinal ultrasonic wave. Holt, U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,511, teaches of a method which uses the times-of-flight of both longitudinal and transverse waves to determine the stress in a member without taking a zero-load measurement. This is desirable in the measurement of tensile load in previously installed fasteners, for example.
The use of transverse ultrasonic waves, however, requires both a transducer capable of generating transverse waves and an acoustic coupling media capable of transmitting transverse waves into the member. Special acoustic couplants are required with temporarily attached transducers, since transverse waves cannot generally be transmitted through liquids. Although adhesives can transmit transverse ultrasonic waves, generation of transverse waves using the polymer film transducers disclosed by Kibblewhite in U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,001 has not been demonstrated. Only the permanent ultrasonic transducer technology disclosed by Kibblewhite in U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,276 has demonstrated a practical method of making load measurements in fasteners without first taking a zero-load measurement using the method based on measurements of both longitudinal and transverse waves. However, accuracies of only ±15% are typically achievable with this method due to production variations in the material and geometry of the fasteners.
The above-mentioned ultrasonic load measurement methods using longitudinal waves alone are capable of precise measurements when a zero-load measurement is made prior to tightening, with typical accuracies of ±3% documented. Because of the variation in initial lengths of fasteners manufactured using production methods, measurement of installed load at a later time is only possible with ultrasonic load measurements using longitudinal waves alone by recording the zero-load length measurement. Ultrasonic load measurement instruments have the ability to store and retrieve zero-load measurements for later inspection of load.
A means of identifying each fastener for storing and retrieving zero-load length measurements with removable transducer ultrasonic load measurement instrumentation is disclosed by Shigemi et al. in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-086074. Shigemi discloses a method of applying an identifying mark, such as a bar code, on the periphery of the head of the fastener. The bar code is read by an optical bar code reader and the zero-load ultrasonic length measurement is stored in memory in a control device corresponding to the identifying mark on the fastener. When reading the fastener load at a later date, the identifying mark is first read to retrieve the zero-load length measurement. Zero-load bolt length is the only ultrasonic parameter associated with a specific bolt disclosed by Shigemi. Also, the bar code disclosed by Shigemi is used for identification purposes only and contains no encoded ultrasonic measurement information. While this invention is suitable for a single instrument at a single location, storing and retrieving a zero-load length alone is inadequate in ensuring reliable precise measurement with all fastener types, with different instruments or with different ultrasonic transducers, such as at multiple service locations, for example.
A difficulty in making reliable fastener load measurements with ultrasonic pulse-echo instrumentation arises from the uncertainty in consistently identifying the same echo cycle to which time-of-flight measurements are made. Considerable distortion of the echo waveform can occur, especially with fasteners with large length-to-diameter ratios, primarily due to fastener geometry and stress distribution variations. Vecchio et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,380, disclose a multi-frequency excitation and detection method to improve the reliability of detecting the correct echo cycle when making ultrasonic time-of-flight measurements for determining fastener load. The method stores characteristics of a typical echo waveform as a reference for a particular fastener type. However, variations in echo waveforms from fasteners of the same type can be sufficiently large to prevent this method, using a single reference for a particular fastener type, from working reliably for all fasteners. Consequently, fasteners which deviate significantly from the reference waveform characteristics are unsuitable for reliable inspection with this method and must be screened out in production.

Load indicating member with identifying element


A method and a system for in-service software upgrade in a Hot Standby Redundant Distributed (HSRD) system are provided. A standby route processor in HSRD system is updated with upgraded software. The standby route processor is synchronized with an active route processor present in the HSRD system. The control of routing process is switched over to the standby route processor (with the upgraded software) from the active route processor. During the switchover, a minimal context forwarder on the line card begins execution and continues forwarding packets across a network, while a line card in the HSRD system is being reloaded and configured.

1. Field of Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate, in general, to upgrading software in a router. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to a method and a system for minimizing disruption in forwarding packets during in-service software upgrade.
2. Description of the Background Art
Routers are often used for forwarding packets across a network based on the Internet Protocol (collectively referred to as IP networks) or on other telecommunication networks.
Routers forward packets by combining hardware-forwarding capabilities with software. For example, a typical router includes a Route Processor (RP) and a number of line cards. The RP performs the routing analysis and determines the next hop for the packets. Each RP controls a plurality of line cards that function as a line terminator for interfacing telecommunication lines from the source to the rest of the network. Since a single line card provides the interface from many sources, it is a general practice to have many line cards under the control of a typical router. While some line cards utilize a dedicated processor that is hard coded to control the forwarding process, it is often preferred to use line cards that may be upgraded from time to time. Therefore, the typical line card includes a processor, often referred to as a Central Processing Unit (CPU). The CPU controls the forwarding process under the control of software code stored in a local memory on the line card.
Once the router is deployed into the network, there are times when it is necessary to upgrade the software to enhance performance or to provide new capabilities. When an upgrade is required, the router must be taken off-line to transfer and install the new software. However, when the router is off-line, it is unable to forward packet traffic, if the router uses software forwarding line cards. This leads to changes in routing tables, which include information about the IP addresses of various devices in the network. This results in the requirement for updating the routing tables throughout the network. During the updating of the routing tables, the packets are still sent in the network but the process of updating the routing tables causes undesirable network congestion, delays, and packet loss.
To overcome this problem and maintain the integrity of the routing tables, a Hot Standby Redundant Distributed (HSRD) system is often implemented. In an HSRD system, multiple route processors share an identical Internet Protocol (IP) address and a Media Access Control (MAC) address, and act together to provide a single virtual route processor in a typical router. One of the route processors in the HSRD system, referred as an active route processor, is responsible for forwarding packets. The other route processor is referred as a standby route processor. The standby route processor will take over and forward packets when the active route processor is to be taken off-line and upgraded. As a result, HSRD system maintains the forwarding of packets with the standby route processor taking control of the line cards until the software upgrade is complete on the active route processor in the router.
However, during the changeover to the standby route processor, the forwarding of the packets with the HSRD system may still get disrupted while the software code that controls the CPU on the line cards is updated to maintain compatibility with the standby route processor. This delay results in some packets being delayed or lost. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize data plane outage. For example in order to support VoIP requirements it is essential that the data plane suffers an outage of no more than 2.5 seconds (as per Bellcore standard GRE-253 for TDM Voice). Further, it is also desirable to minimize control plane outage in order that neighboring routers do not notice that the router is being upgraded. Different applications and protocols have varying timeout values, before a neighbouring router notices a peer outage.

Method and system for minimizing disruption during in-service software upgrade


An improvement for diesel engine emergency shutoff devices and method for intake air-flow shutoff valves. The device includes tubing connecting the engine's exhaust manifold with the intake manifold at a location down stream from the shutoff valve with a check valve which prevents exhaust gas from entering the intake manifold until vacuum within the intake manifold reaches a desired level. When the emergency shutoff device operates, intake manifold vacuum opens the check valve and allows oxygen deficient exhaust gas to enter the intake manifold preventing a sudden damaging vacuum while also allowing the shutoff device to completely shutdown the engine.

It is well known that diesel engines pose particular problems when operating in an atmosphere or environment containing natural gas or other volatile hydrocarbons. This often occurs in oil fields or chemical plants where engines, operating in and around a volatile fuel source, draw feral gas into the engine's intake manifold resulting in uncontrollable engine revving and possible catastrophic engine failure.
Numerous devices have been developed which block air induction into the air intake of an overrevving diesel engine including; RIGSAVER.sub..TM., AMONT.sub..TM., CHALMATIC.sub..TM., and GATOR.sub..TM.. These devices when actuated rapidly shutdown all or most of the engine's intake air with a valve member thereby starving the engine of oxygen required for internal combustion resulting in almost immediate engine cessation. While the devices provide an effective shutdown system the means by which the shutdown devices block engine intake air at a moment when the engine is operating at high RPMs leads to a considerable low and immediate evacuation of the engine's air intake system downstream from the shutdown device. The evacuation though necessary to rapidly shut down the engine leads to sometimes devastating effects upon the engine's turbocharger seals and thrust washers. After an emergency shutdown the turbocharger is sometimes incapacitated until the damaged parts can be replaced. Therefore, a need exist to shutdown a diesel engine by blocking the engine's air intake while not damaging the turbocharger or other related parts. The present invention provides a means for not only shutting down the diesel engine by blocking the air intake but also doing so without damaging these parts.
The invention utilizes a tubing connection between the engine's exhaust manifold and the engine's intake manifold downstream from the shutdown device. The tubing connection includes a check valve to prevent the flow of exhaust gases into the intake manifold until the vacuum level in the intake manifold reaches a desired level. When the shutdown device blocks intake air and a vacuum develops in the intake tubing between the shutdown device and the engine, exhaust gases will enter the evacuated intake manifold preventing a damaging vacuum from forming while also not introducing any oxygen into the engine's intake manifold thereby allowing the engine to be shutdown. After the vacuum is depleted the check valve returns to the closed position blocking the flow of exhaust gases into the intake manifold.

Diesel engine emergency shutoff device and method


A method of navigating the distal end of a medical device through an operating region in a subject's body includes displaying an x-ray image of the operating region, including the distal end of the medical device; determining the location of the distal end of the medical device in a reference frame translatable to the displayed x-ray image; and displaying an enhanced indication of the distal end of the medical device on the x-ray image to facilitate the navigation of the distal end of the device in the operating region.

The navigation of the distal end of a medical device through the body, whether by conventional mechanical means or magnetic means, is usually facilitated by x-ray imaging of the operating region. However, when there is radiopaque material in the operating region, it is often difficult to discern the distal end of the medical device. This occurs, for example when the medical device is delivering a radiopaque material, such as a radiopaque embolic material, or a radiopaque embolization coil. The presence of these materials in the medical device or in the operating region can make it difficult for the physician to "see" the distal end of the medical device on x-ray images, and thus make it difficult to quickly and accurately navigate the distal end of the medical device.

Method of navigating medical devices in the presence of radiopaque material


The present invention relates to use of a fermented soy extract as a prebiotic composition to protect beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract of an animal. Particularly, the fermented soy extract of the invention exhibits the prebiotic activity even under an antibiotic treatment. Also disclosed is combined use of an antibiotic and the fermented soy extract of the invention, which has advantages over administration of the antibiotic alone, such as decreasing the effective dose of the antibiotic and/or reducing side effects resulting from the antibiotic treatment.

Probiotics, also called beneficial bacteria, can provide beneficial effects to the hosts such as maintaining a normal host gastrointestinal microflora and increasing resistance against pathogenic bacteria. Particular ingredients are known to support the growth or maintenance of beneficial bacteria so as to modify gastrointestinal microbial community in a beneficial manner. Such ingredients are called "prebiotics." Typical examples of known prebiotics are oligosaccharides such as fructooligosaccharides and inulin.
Antibiotics have been used to treat infections of pathogenic bacteria for many years. However, antibiotics may also kill beneficial bacteria and therefore adversely affect microbial balance in the gastrointestinal tract, which may in turn lead to an adverse gastrointestinal effect, such as diarrhea (i.e. antibiotic-associated diarrhea, AAD), stomachache, and abdominal cramp.

Use of a fermented soy extract as a prebiotic composition


A riser assembly for offshore drilling has an inner conduit suspended within an outer riser. A seal assembly seals an annular space between the inner conduit and the riser at the lower end of the inner conduit. The seal assembly has a pressure area that is independent of the inner conduit, so that any forces acting on the assembly due to pressure in the annulus below the seal assembly pass through the assembly to the riser and not to the inner conduit.

When drilling a well, the operator attaches a drill bit to the lower end of a string of drill pipe and rotates the drill bit, typically by rotating the drill string. The operator pumps drilling fluid down the drill pipe, which exits nozzles of the drill bit. The drilling fluid, along with cuttings, flows back up the annular space surrounding the string. The operator filters the cuttings from the drilling fluid and pumps the cleansed drilling fluid back down the drill pipe in continuous circulation.
The drilling fluid in most wells is weighted with a density that provides a hydrostatic pressure greater than the expected pressure of the earth formation being drilled. Making the drilling fluid hydrostatic pressure greater than the formation pressure reduces the chance of a blowout. In a blowout, the formation pressure exceeds the hydrostatic pressure of the drilling fluid and pushes the drilling fluid out of the hole, sometimes even with the drill pipe.
In some wells, the use of heavy drilling fluids causes excessive amounts of the drilling fluid to enter into the formation. Not only is the drilling fluid lost, but damage to the formation can occur. In another technique, called "underbalanced drilling", the drilling fluid density is light enough so that the hydrostatic pressure at any point along the open hole portion of the well is less than the formation pressure. A rotating blowout preventer seals the upper end of the drill pipe to prevent a blowout. The rotating blowout preventer provides a seal even when the drill pipe is rotating. Underbalanced drilling avoids damage to the formation due to heavy drilling fluid.
To applicants' knowledge, underbalanced drilling has not been utilized in offshore drilling operations. In a typical offshore drilling operation, the operator will extend a drilling riser assembly from a wellhead housing at the sea floor to the drilling platform. The drilling riser assembly includes a subsea blowout preventer that connects to the wellhead housing. During conventional drilling, the drill string is lowered through the riser into the well. The drilling fluid is pumped from the drill pipe and returns up the drilling riser to a diverter at the drilling platform. The diverter diverts the circulating drilling fluid over to the filter equipment for removing cuttings. The diverter also has a blowout preventer that may be operated when the drill pipe is stationary in the event of an emergency.
The drilling riser is a large diameter string of pipe made up of sections that are secured together, typically by flanged connections. A conventional drilling riser possibly may not have a pressure rating adequate to withstand the higher pressure that would occur if the drilling fluid were significantly underbalanced.


A dual-density insole (or sock liner) for a shoe is disclosed. The insole includes a carrier with two cavities. Two inserts with a density or hardness level that is different from that of the carrier are positioned in the cavities for increased performance. The disclosed insole further exhibits a molded geometry marked with shaped protrusions.

The present disclosure relates generally to a dual-density insole (or sock liner) with a molded geometry for an article of footwear.
Most articles of footwear comprise both an upper piece and a sole. The upper is generally designed to enclose a wearer's foot, and in some circumstances to provide support for the foot during motion. The sole is generally designed to provide traction, protection, and also to support the foot. Typically, an article of footwear also includes an insole placed within the upper between the wearer's foot and the sole to provide additional comfort as well as increased performance for various activities.

Dual-density insole with a molded geometry


A refrigeration appliance includes an evaporator and a defrost heater which periodically subjects the evaporator to a defrost process, A temperature sensor is disposed at least in proximity to the evaporator and is adapted for switching off the defrost heater once the temperature sensor detects a predetermined defrost temperature. The temperature sensor provides a predetermined defrost temperature profile having first, second and third time segments. A first defrost temperature during the first time segment changes to a second defrost temperature during the second time segment, and holds the second defrost temperature during the third time segment.

The present invention relates to the field of refrigeration appliances, in particular the field of household refrigeration appliances.
Modern household refrigeration appliances have defrost heaters, which are provided to thaw unwanted frost and ice. In this process a defrost period is controlled by a temperature sensor positioned for example on the evaporator of the refrigeration appliance, said temperature sensor detecting a predefined final defrost temperature, on the reaching of which the defrost heater is switched off or remains switched on for a further minimum defrost time, it only being possible to switch the defrost heater off within the minimum defrost time, if a safety temperature threshold is exceeded.
However if the preset final defrost temperature is reached too quickly, the heat emitted by the defrost heater cannot be distributed evenly in the evaporator. This means that the unwanted ice is not thawed at a point further away from the temperature sensor, resulting in uneven defrosting.


A swirl chamber used in association with a combustion chamber for diesel engines, includes a pair of sub-nozzle holes on the opposite sides of a main nozzle hole to supply a secondary air into the swirl chamber, the sub-nozzle holes being positioned such that the secondary air ejected therethrough is fully utilized for the combustion in the swirl chamber, thereby securing the complete combustion and the reduction of environmental contaminants such as NOx and fumes.

In general, diesel engines are notorious as a major source of environmental contaminants such as NOx and fumes. However, no effective measures have been accomplished for solving those problems. It is known that these problems are due to the incomplete combustion in the engine occurring because of inadequate mixing of air and fuel. To solve these problems, swirl-aided combustion systems are commonly used. Here is one example for tackling this problem, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No. 07-97924. Referring to FIG. 10, the known combustion chamber fitted with a swirl chamber will be described:
In FIGS. 10A and 10B the right-hand side (toward the central axis 103) is called "rearward", and the left-hand side (toward the cylinder liner 104) is "forward" each as designation for convenience only. The known combustion chamber shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B is provided with a cylinder 101 having a cylinder head 105, a reciprocating piston 102, and a combustion chamber 109. In addition, the cylinder head 105 is provided with a recess 106 in which a mouthpiece 107 is fitted. The mouthpiece 107 is provided with a top-open recess 107a, and t15he recess 106 includes a bottom-open recess 106a. The top-open recess 107a and the bottom-open recess 106a constitute a space 108 functioning as a swirl chamber, hereinafter the space being referred to as "swirl chamber 108". The swirl chamber 108 communicates with the combustion chamber 109 through a main nozzle hole 111 having a center axis 113. The main nozzle hole 111 is forwardly inclined toward the swirl chamber 108. The mouthpiece 107 is additionally provided with a pair of sub-nozzle holes 102  112, through which a secondary air is forced into the swirl chamber 108 on the compression stroke. The sub-nozzle holes 112 are symmetrically positioned on opposite sides of the central axis 113-114 as shown in FIG. 10A.
Under the construction mentioned above, however, a major disadvantage is that the second air ejected through the sub-nozzle holes 112 does not reach the central part of the swirl chamber 108, thereby failing to bring about effective swirls therein. In this way the conventional sub-nozzle holes 112 are not conducive to the full utilization of the secondary air.
The disadvantages mentioned above is due to the following arrangement of the sub-nozzle holes 112: When a hypothetical sphere 115 is supposed about the center 107c of the open end 107b of the top-open recess 107a, and the radius of the open end 107b and that of the sphere 115 are respectively supposed to be 100% and 70%.
The sphere 115 having a radius of 70% passes outward, whereas the sphere 115 having a radius of 50% passes inward in FIGS. 10A and 10B. In this situation, the central axis 112a-112b of each of the sub-nozzle holes 112 passes outside the sphere 115.
In another aspect, when the mouthpiece 107 is seen from just above, the sub-nozzle holes 112 have their upper openings 112c deviated from the center of the swirl chamber 108 so that even if every sub-nozzle hole is oriented vertically, the central axis 112a-112b of each sub-nozzle hole 112 cannot pass inside the 50% sphere 115.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved swirl chamber capable of causing effective swirls to help air and fuel being well mixed, and dispersing the fuel well in the swirl chamber.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved swirl chamber capable of reducing the production of both NOx and fumes, not one or the other under the conventional system.

Swirl chamber used in association with a combustion chamber for diesel engines


A method includes loading a substrate into a sensing chamber; while the substrate is in the sensing chamber, performing a spectral analysis of the substrate; transferring the substrate between the sensing chamber and a processing chamber coupled to the sensing chamber; processing the substrate in the processing chamber to form at least a first layer and/or pattern on the substrate; and based on at least the spectral analysis, determining whether a parameter resulting from the formation of first layer and/or pattern is satisfied.

The present disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using a semiconductor measurement system, and methods of measuring a semiconductor device using the same.
Semiconductor devices are widely used in an electronic industry because of their small size, multi-function, and/or low fabricating costs. Semiconductor devices may be fabricated by various fabricating processes such as photolithography processes, etching processes, deposition processes, ion implantation processes, and cleaning processes.
After one or more of the fabricating processes of semiconductor devices are performed, measuring processes may be performed to determine whether patterns of the semiconductor devices are good or not. By the measuring processes, recipes of the fabricating processes may be optimized and defects of semiconductor devices may be detected early.
As semiconductor devices are scaled down, there are increasing demands for methods and systems capable of reliably measuring parameters of fine patterns in semiconductor devices.

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using semiconductor measurement system


A bone anchor assembly includes a bone anchor having a proximal head and a distal shaft configured to engage bone, a receiver member for receiving a spinal fixation element to be coupled to the bone anchor, an insert positioned in the proximal end of the receiver member having a pair of spaced apart insert arms defining a recess therebetween, and a closure mechanism positionable between and engaging the insert arms to capture a spinal fixation element within the recess of the insert and fix the spinal fixation element with respect to the receiver member.

Bone anchors may be used in orthopedic surgery to fix bone during the healing or fusion process. In spinal surgery, bone anchors may be used with spinal fixation elements, such as spinal rods, to stabilize multiple vertebrae either rigidly, in which no relative motion between the vertebrae is desired, and dynamically, in which limited, controlled motion between the vertebrae is desired.

Bone anchor assemblies and methods of manufacturing and use thereof


An USB composite device using hub link layer and UTMI interface is disclosed, which connects to a host through an USB cable. The device includes an USB physical layer, a hub link layer and plural functional link layers. The USB physical layer can receive and transmit USB signals. The hub link layer connects to the USB physical layer through an UTMI interface, has plural downlink ports to provide linking, and responds an USB transaction performed by the host. The plural functional link layers connect to the downlink ports of the hub link layer through plural UTMI interfaces.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the technical field of Universal Serial Bus (USB) and, more particularly, to an USB composite device.
2. Description of Related Art
Currently, electronic products are developing toward the tide of high-speed transmission due to quickly improved electronic technologies. However, for a personal computer (PC), the widely used universal serial bus (USB) has developed from USB1.1 to USB2.0. USB2.0 standard can have the transmission speed up to 480 Mbits/s about 40 times faster than 12 Mbits/s of USB1.1 standard. Also, it uses a pair of differential signals USBD+ and USBD− for transmission. Since the transmission speed up to 480 Mbits/s and the action of transmitting and receiving the pair of differential signals USBD+ and USBD− use analog techniques, Intel cooperation accordingly defines an USB 2.0 Transceiver Macrocell Interface (UTMI) interface signals for analog-specialized companies to design USB 2.0 Transceiver Macrocell (UTM) while other IC design companies design the remaining functions in USB 2 standard. Thus, specialization is obtained to speed the distribution of USB 2.0 products.
However, when a host 110 with USB 2.0 socket wants to connect plural USB devices, due to the limit of USB socket number, as shown in FIG. 1, the host 110 has to link a hub 120 first and downlink ports 122 and 123 of the hub 120 and then connect to an USB printer 130 and an USB scanner 140. As shown in FIG. 1, such a configuration requires six physical layers. Thus, the conventional skill requires plural physical layers, which increases cost. In addition, in this case, the hub 120 requires three physical layers implemented by analog techniques, and thus its IC yield is affected.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an improved USB composite device to mitigate and/or obviate the aforementioned problems.

USB composite device and method using hub link layer and UTMI interface