Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for payload estimation and fault detection using hitch integrated sensors. An example apparatus includes a pin orientation determiner to determine a first orientation of a first pin and a second orientation of a second pin, the first pin and the second pin disposed within a hitch and calculate a relative orientation of the first pin and the second pin based on the first orientation and the second orientation. The example apparatus further includes a hitch condition detector to determine if a physical change has occurred in the hitch by comparing the relative orientation to an installation orientation of the first pin and the second pin.

In recent years, consumer vehicles have increasingly been used for towing or hauling cargo. Consumer vehicles often have limits associated with the payloads capable of being hauled and towed by the vehicles. Operating outside of these limits can cause unnecessary wear and/or damage to the vehicle. Consumer vehicles capable of pulling trailers have implemented additional data processing capabilities.

Methods and apparatus for payload estimation and hitch condition detection using integrated sensors


A hydraulic pump is mounted to a cylinder block of an internal combustion engine and powered by said engine, and a hydraulic motor for operating an engine accessory, such as alternator, compressor of air conditioner and the like, is mounted to the cylinder block and driven by a highly pressurized oil fed by the hydraulic pump. The cylinder block is formed with an oil flow passage through which the highly pressurized oil is conveyed from the hydraulic pump to the hydraulic motor. An oil return passage is provided for returning the oil from the hydraulic motor to the hydraulic pump. If desired, the oil return passage may be defined in the cylinder block.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to systems for driving engine accessories, such as alternator, compressor of air conditioner and the like, of an automotive internal combustion engine, and more particularly to the engine accessory driving systems of a type which includes a hydraulic pump powered by the engine and a hydraulic motor powered by the hydraulic pump for driving the engine accessories.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is known, automotive engine accessories, such as alternator, compressor of air conditioner, and the like are usually powered by the internal combustion engine mounted on the vehicle. In some of the motor vehicles, the power transmission from the engine to the engine accessories is carried out by using transmission belts each being directly driven by a crankshaft of the engine. However, this type power transmission sometimes brings about a power lack of each engine accessory particularly when the engine is under idling operation.
In order to solve this drawback, a driving system has been proposed by, for example, Japanese Utility Model First Provisional Publication 63-79432 and Japanese Patent First Provisional Publication 2-175336, in which a hydraulic motor driven by a hydraulic pump powered by the engine is used for driving the engine accessory. That is, the hydraulic pump is driven by the crankshaft of the engine through a transmission belt, and a pressurized oil produced by the hydraulic pump is fed through a separate high pressure pipe to the hydraulic motor to operate the same.
However, due to its inherent construction, even this driving system has such a drawback that under operation of the engine, the high pressure pipe tends to vibrate due to inevitable pulsation of the highly pressurized oil discharged from the hydraulic pump, which causes increase in noise level of the engine. Furthermore, the high pressure prevailing in the pipe causes a complicated and thus expensive construction of seal at both ends of the pipe. Furthermore, assembly of the pipe around the engine is troublesome.

System for driving engine accessories of internal combustion engine


A photodetector includes a semiconductor substrate having photo-cells (1a, 1b, 1c). Each photo-cell is provided with a filter layer 20 that transmits light in a wavelength range predetermined for the photo-cell, and a photoelectric converter 17 that generates a signal charge according to an intensity of the light transmitted through the filter layer 20. Thickness (ta, tb, tc) of the filter layers 20 are corresponding to the wavelength ranges predetermined for respective photo-cells. By such a structure, it is possible to provide cost effective photodetectors that can be manufactured without managing materials for pigments and dyestuff for different colors when making color filters.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to photodetectors such as image sensors, and more specifically to color filters provided to photo-cells in a photodetector.
(2) Description of the Related Art
A commonly used photodetector includes a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of photo-cells, and each photo-cell is provided with a color filter and a photodiode. There are red color filters (R), green color filters (G), and blue color filters (B) in one photodetector, and each photo-cell is assigned with a color filter having one of the three colors. The photodiodes generate signal charges responsive to the intensity of the light that has passed through the color filters. Consequently, a signal charge for light of a specific color in the incident light is generated in each photo-cell. Imaging data for one picture is generated by collecting the signal charges for the three colors generated in the photo-cells (See Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. H05-006986, for example).
Conventional color filters are usually manufactured by mixing acrylic resin with pigments or dyestuff of respective colors (See Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. H07-311310, for example).
Manufacturing the conventional color filters, however, requires a troublesome material management for the pigments or dyestuff of different colors in the manufacturing process, and this hinders the cost reduction of the photodetectors.

Photodetector manufacturable by semiconductor processes

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A magnetic temperature sensing device for rotatably moving parts, of the type including at least a magnetic field source element associated to the rotatably moving part and a magnetic field sensing element associated with a fixed part to measure parameters of a magnetic field determined by the magnetic field source element, the parameters of the magnetic field being a function of the temperature of the rotatably moving part. The magnetic field source element permits rotation along at least an axis the direction of the magnetic field as a function of the temperature of the rotatably moving part.

The present invention relates to a magnetic temperature sensing device for rotatably moving parts, of the type comprising at least one electromagnetic field source element associated to said rotatably moving part and a magnetic field sensor element associated to a fixed part to measure parameters of a magnetic field determined by said magnetic field source element, said parameters of the magnetic field being a function of the temperature of said rotatably moving part.
Measuring the temperature of rotating parts, such as rolling elements or shafts, has always been difficult, due to the impossibility of wiring a sensor positioned on the moving part.
Of particular interest, for instance, is monitoring the temperature of motor vehicle tires, even when said motor vehicles are moving, both for general maintenance purposes, and for safety purposes when the motor vehicle travels at high speed. It is therefore important that the driver be aware at all times of the temperature of the tires, which may dramatically influence the behavior of the motor vehicle.
Several methods for monitoring tire pressure and temperature are known. Typically, a complex wiring technique is employed, or else transmitters and receivers of electromagnetic waves which require power supplies and antennas.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,152 discloses a temperature measuring system in tires whereby a plurality of magnetic nails are inserted in the tread of a tire at determined points. A magnetic field sensor is then mounted on a non-rotating part of the vehicle in proximity to the tire and it is used to detect the magnetic pulses generated by the plurality of rotating magnetic nails. If tire temperature grows, the heat thereby generated decreases the magnetic field generated by the magnetic nails.
Such a system, however, requires the insertion of extraneous bodies into the tread and a considerable proximity of the sensor element to the tread, to detect magnetic field intensity variations in a precise manner.

Temperature sensing device for rotatably moving parts and temperature detection method therefor


In a method for operating a motor vehicle, a target region is determined which is disposed forward of the motor vehicle and an operating recommendation (36) is outputted to the driver in dependence upon the detection. An arrival probability (PCOL) of the motor vehicle at the target region can be determined and the operating recommendation (36) is outputted to the driver when the arrival probability (PCOL) reaches at least a limit value (PLIM) (42).

A method of the type referred to initially herein is known in the marketplace. In the known method, the region, which lies forward of the vehicle, is scanned in accordance with the radar principle. A minimum distance to an object, which is disposed forward of the vehicle, is defined in dependence upon the inherent speed of this vehicle. If it is determined by the radar device that there is a drop below this minimum distance, a warning indication is outputted to the driver. In a further development of the known system, even a braking intervention takes place. The known method functions to relieve the driver, for example, during expressway travel in that the vehicle automatically maintains a specified distance to a vehicle driving ahead.
German patent publication 198 02 706 A1 discloses a system wherein the position of the accelerator pedal, which is necessary to reach a pregiven speed, is provided in a touch-sensitive manner by means of an active accelerator pedal. Furthermore, reference is made to German patent publication 197 43 958 A1 wherein an active accelerator pedal is described which recommends a specific strategy in a touch-sensitive manner to the driver of a vehicle in order to react to driving situations to be expected.


There is an apparatus includes a voltage acquiring unit which acquires an inter-terminal voltage of the battery cell; a battery information acquiring circuit which acquires battery information of the battery cell with the acquired voltage being supplied as a power supply voltage and; a transformer configured to have a primary winding and a secondary winding, the primary winding being connected to a common wire; a communication circuit which transmits a signal of the battery information to a management unit, supplied with the acquired voltage as a power supply voltage; a rectification circuit which rectifies a signal of a predetermined frequency from the management unit to generate a DC voltage; and a control circuit which controls the supply of the power supply voltages to the battery information acquiring circuit and the communication circuit, the control circuit being supplied with the DC voltage as a power supply voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery information acquiring apparatus that acquires battery information of a battery cell in a battery pack including a plurality of the battery cells connected in series and transmits the battery information to a management unit that manages the battery pack.
2. Related Art
As supply of battery power for electric cars or industrial vehicles, battery packs in which many battery cells of low voltage and low capacity are connected in series or in parallel are used to obtain a high voltage and high capacity voltage. Safe operation of a battery pack requires a battery information management system that monitors battery information such as a voltage and temperature of each battery cell.
A conventional battery information management system has a plurality of battery information acquiring modules each including a battery cell, battery information acquiring circuit and transmitting/receiving circuit (communication circuit) and carries out communication and control between the management unit and each battery information acquiring module (see JP-A 11-345622 (Kokai)).
Each battery information acquiring module receives a supply of power and GND from the respective battery cells all the time, and therefore there is a problem that power is consumed even during standby during which control signals and battery information are not communicated with the management unit.
Furthermore, the respective battery information acquiring modules transmit battery information acquired from their respective battery cells to the management unit using differential signals, and in this case, differential signals transmitted from the respective battery information acquiring modules have different common mode voltages. For this reason, it is necessary to connect two wires from each battery information acquiring module to the management unit respectively and carry out transmission through the respective wires. This results in a problem of making wiring more complicated.
Furthermore, the management unit side also has a problem that it is necessary to have a function of shifting the levels of signals of common mode voltages that vary from one battery information acquiring module to another and secure their withstand voltages.


A method for delivering a stored message to a satellite radio receiver is disclosed. The method includes receiving a request to retrieve the message, receiving the message, encoding the message for satellite transmission, and transmitting the message for delivery to the satellite radio receiver.

This application is related, generally and in various embodiments, to systems and methods for delivering a stored message to a satellite radio receiver.
For many people, the ability to access stored messages such as text or voice messages has allowed them to become more productive, both at work and at home. Although accessing messages from the home or office has become a very common practice, accessing such messages while driving a vehicle has not become as common. There are many people who do not possess a mobile device capable of receiving stored messages. For those who do possess such a device, accessing messages via the device while driving a vehicle can be relatively unsafe and relatively expensive. For example, accessing stored messages via a wireless telephone or pager usually requires a driver to take their eyes off the road for a period of time. In addition, the airtime used to access the stored message is often billed at a relatively expensive rate.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Systems and methods for delivering a stored message to a subscriber


A vibration damper, for example, a multistage torsion vibration damper, including at least two damper assemblies, connected in series and arranged coaxially, a first damper assembly forming a primary damping stage and a second damper assembly forming a pre-damping stage. The damper assembly that forms the primary damping stage is configured as a series damper including at least two dampers connected in series and is located on a larger diameter in the radial direction than the second damper assembly that forms the pre-damping stage. A multistage vibration damper, including at least two damper assemblies located in series, a first damper assembly forming a preliminary damper and a second damper assembly stage is configured as a series damper including at least two dampers connected in series and is located on a larger diameter in the radial direction than the second damper assembly that forms the preliminary damping stage.

Vibration damping devices, for example provided as multistage torsion vibration dampers, are known in the art in many embodiments. When disposed in a drive train, they function, viewed in the direction of the force flow, as an elastic clutch between an input and an output and are coupled to the connection elements forming the input and the output. The device transfers torque and simultaneously compensates vibrations occurring during power transmission. Also, an embodiment as an absorber is conceivable. In this case, the device does not transfer any torque between the adjacent connection elements, but only torque spikes are reduced through the particular components. Such vibration damping devices are based on different functional principles depending on the type of damping. Besides purely mechanical damping solutions also hydraulic damping solutions and combined mechanical-hydraulic damping solutions are known. Mechanical dampers include a rotating component which can have one or several components and which functions as an input component or output component of the vibration damper depending on the direction of the force flow, particularly a primary component and a secondary component which are disposed coaxial to one other and which are rotatable within limits in circumferential direction relative to one another. The coupling between the input component and the output component is performed through torque transfer devices and vibration damping devices which are typically formed by spring units and which include at least one spring element provided as a compression spring. Vibrations can be compensated and reduced through the size of the relative rotation angle between the input component and the output component and the spring force.
From the printed document DE 30 47 039 A1 an embodiment of a device of this type for damping vibrations and for transmitting torque between an input and an output is known which includes two damper assemblies connected in series. In order to facilitate a larger relative movement between the driving and driven elements of the vibration damper, the device is provided with two stages. Thus, the device includes two concentric circles of damping springs which are configured in a housing and which are driven by drive lugs which are mounted in a drive element, e.g. a piston plate for a lock up clutch. Thus, floating elements separate the springs in the inner and outer spring circles into two or more groups of springs. Thus, the two or more groups of springs function in parallel to one another in each circle, while the springs in each group function in series. Thus, the power transfer in the force flow is performed in series. The output component formed by side disks of the first radially outer damper assembly is connected torque proof to the input component of the second damper assembly. Thus, the configuration of the device is very complex and requires a large amount of installation space.
Another embodiment of a series damper for use in force transmission devices with a hydrodynamic component, like e.g. a hydrodynamic torque converter or a hydrodynamic clutch or a lockup clutch, is known from the printed document DE 199 20 542 A1. The vibration damper can thus be connected in series to the hydrodynamic component and also to the lockup clutch, or it can only be connected in series with the lockup clutch. The vibration damping device is configured at least as a two-stage series damper including a primary damping stage and a pre-damping stage. The damper assembly of the pre-damping stage is disposed radially on the larger diameter than the damper assembly of the primary damping stage, which is particularly offset in radial direction in direction towards the direction of rotation. The particular embodiments with pre-damper assembly and primary damper assembly are characterized by an axial offset viewed in installed position. Furthermore, the relative rotation angle of the damper assembly is mostly limited for the primary damper stage due to the small diameter of the reference circle.
From the printed documents U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0216979 A1 and U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0185940, embodiments of parallel dampers are known. From the printed document U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0216979 A1 an embodiment of a vibration damper is known including at least two damper assemblies which are connected in parallel. Both damper assemblies are effective continuously. The damper assembly for the smaller rotation angles is disposed on a radially inner diameter, while the greater rotation clearance is implemented through the second damper assembly on a radially outer diameter. The radially inner damper assembly is configured as a series damper, including spring elements separated by a single component flange and connected in series.
From the printed document U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0185940 a vibration damping device is known which is configured as a series—parallel damper including a first rotating element and a second rotating element which are rotatable relative to one another within limits. Furthermore, the device includes a pair of first elastic elements oriented in one rotation direction and connected in series, which are coupled through a floating intermediary flange and another second elastic element, which is connected in parallel to the first elastic elements. The second elastic element is configured, so that it is compressed in the rotation direction after the pair of first elastic elements is compressed to a first angle due to a relative rotation of the first rotating element and the second rotating element. For this purpose a free angle is associated with the second elastic element, which free angle in integrated in the rotating flange. The disposition of first and second elastic elements is provided overlapping for reducing the radial installation space to one diameter or in radial direction with respect to the annular portions theoretically created through the extension of the spring elements. The coupling between the first elastic elements is performed through a floating flange.
All cited embodiments have in common that the spring characteristic is adapted with respect to a desired property in a particular operating range.

Vibration damping device, in particular a multistage torsion vibration damper


Lands and Cu wirings are formed on surfaces of a glass epoxy substrate, and a solder mask is formed on the lands and the Cu wirings to form a chip-mounting substrate. A bottom surface of the chip-mounting substrate is made rough, and a semiconductor chip is mounted on a top surface of the chip-mounting substrate. Through holes communicating with the Cu wirings are formed on the solder mask to expose the Cu wirings. Solder balls are formed on the Cu wrings by thermal compression welding. Underfill material is injected into a clearance formed between the chip mounting substrate and a printed circuit board. Since the surface of the chip-mounting substrate is made rough, an area of a contact surface between the chip-mounting substrate and underfill material increases, hence an adhesive strength between the chip-mounting substrate and the printed circuit board is heightened.

In recent years, an electronic device has come to be integrated with high density, and a semiconductor chip with multiple terminals is packaged in accordance with an improvement of the function and thinning of an electronic circuit. Accordingly, a package of the semiconductor chip used in the electronic circuit is miniaturized and provided with multiple pins. In conformity with the aforementioned tendency, the semiconductor chip is assembled into a printed circuit board by means of a package of an area array type, such as a ball grid array package (BGA), a chip scale package (CSP) or a bare chip package (a flip chip package, FC).
FIG.1 shows a typical example of the structure of the aforementioned packages of the semiconductor chips. In the package shown in FIG. 1, a chip-mounting substrate 103 on which a semiconductor chip 100 has been mounted by means of wire-bonding is assembled into a printed circuit board 104 by CSP; where the chip-mounting substrate 103 is composed of an insulating substrate 101 formed of ceramics, polyimide, etc. and conductor wirings 102.
In the package having the aforementioned structure, a clearance formed between the chip-mounting substrate 103 and the printed circuit board 104 is filled with underfill material 105 in order to absorb a stress caused by a difference in the thermal expansion coefficient between the chip-mounting substrate 103 and the printed circuit board 104 and impacts caused by fallings to secure the reliability of soldered jointed portions.
However, if alien substances mix with underfill material 105 or the impacts exert on under fill material 105 for a long period of time, an adhesive strength of underfill material 105 is lowered, and underfill material 105 may exfoliate form the surface of the chip-mounting substrate 103 or of the printed circuit board 104.
If underfill material 105 exfoliates from the chip-mounting substrate 103 or the printed circuit board 104, the stress concentrates on joined portions of the solder balls 106, cracks occur on pads 107, 108, which are respectively formed on surfaces of the chip-mounting substrate 103 and the printed circuit board 104, and the joined portions become disconnected. As mentioned in the above, the reliability of the semiconductor device is lowered because of lowering of the adhesive strength of the underfill material 105.
In Japanese Patent Applications, Laid-Open, No. 63-94646, an electronic device in which unevennesses are respectively provided for a predetermined part of a chip-mounting substrate and sealing resin for sealing a semiconductor chip is disclosed as a means for increasing an adhesive strength between the chip-mounting substrate and the basic substrate. That is to say, in the aforementioned semiconductor device, concave portions and convex portions are alternately formed on the chip-mounting substrate and on sealing resin for covering the semiconductor chip, and the chip-mounting substrate on which the semiconductor chip is mounted is buried in a cavity formed in the basic substrate. Accordingly, the aforementioned technology cannot be applied to a package of an area array type.
Although a semiconductor device in which a bonding wire is prevented from being disconnected by providing unevenness for a pad is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2973988, underfill material is not prevented from being exfoliated according to this technology.
In a semiconductor device in which a semiconductor chip mounted on a lead frame is assembled into a printed circuit board, since there is a difference in a thermal expansion coefficient between the lead frame and a pad of the printed circuit board, the lead frame may exfoliate from the printed circuit board at a contact surface therebetween because of an impact caused by a thermal shock.

Semiconductor device and method for fabricating same


Provided are a memory controller determining degradation in endurance, a memory system including the memory controller, and a method of operating the memory controller. The memory controller includes: an error correction code (ECC) circuit configured to detect an error from data read from a memory device; and an endurance determination circuit configured to check a first counting value indicating a number of writing operations on the memory device and a second counting value indicating, based on the data read from the memory device, at least one of: a number of first memory cells of the memory device, each of the first memory cells having an error and a number of second memory cells of the memory device in a certain logic state, and configured to perform a first determination operation for determining whether endurance of the memory device has degraded based on a checking result.

The inventive concept relates to a memory controller, and more particularly, to a memory controller capable of determining degradation in endurance, a memory system including the memory controller, and a method of operating the memory controller.
As non-volatile memory devices, resistive memories such as phase change random access memory (PRAM), nano-floating gate memory (NFGM), polymer RAM (PoRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), etc. are well known in the art in addition to flash memories. A resistive memory has a non-volatile characteristic of a flash memory, as well as a high-speed property of dynamic RAM (DRAM).
A resistive memory may reach the end of the lifespan thereof when writing and/or reading cycles increase, and then data may not be written any more in the resistive memory or data stored in the resistive memory may be lost, thereby degrading reliability. Because there is a risk that data is suddenly lost when the endurance of a resistive memory degrades as the writing and/or reading cycles increase even though appropriate reliability has been maintained, there is a need to exactly determine whether the endurance degrades or not.

Memory controller determining endurance degradation, memory system including the same, and method of operating the memory controller


A method of controlling an interactive system includes the steps of: referring to a storage portion storing a plurality of response information about a manner of operation responsive to a user, each associated with a priority serving as an index when being selected; selecting one response information in accordance with the priorities of the plurality of response information; executing response processing for the user based on the selected response information; accepting voice input for the response processing from the user; evaluating the user's reaction to the response processing based on a manner of voice of the accepted voice input; and changing the priority of the selected response information stored in the storage portion based on an evaluation result.

Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a method of controlling an interactive system, a method of controlling a server, a server, and an interactive device for providing pseudo communication.
Description of the Background Art
A robot device capable of communicating with a user is proposed as an interactive device (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-205289).
This device has a learning function. The device detects the user's operation such as petting the robot device and learns the action praised by the user to change a response content so as to meet the user's preference.

Method of controlling interactive system, method of controlling server, server, and interactive device


A network server is adapted to connect on the network with Internet appliances, and to fully configure such appliances over a network connection to access and operate on the Internet. In a preferred embodiment the appliances have first control routines adapted to cooperate with second routines at the server, and also a network address for connection. An initiation signal by a user at a network-connected appliance launches the first routines, causing the appliance to invoke the network address and to establish network communication with the server and to initiate configuration interaction. In some cases special telephone numbers are provided with new appliances, and the dial-up server, through Destination Number Information Service (DNIS) uses the dial-up number in conjunction with a data repository to select appropriate software for interfacing with and configuring a connecting appliance. A full range of services may be provided, including value-added services, such a browsers and browser configuration.

In recent years the information and data network known commonly as the Internet, together with advances in computer hardware and software, has led to a new multi-media telephone system known in the art by several names. In this relatively new systemology, telephone calls are simulated by multi-media computer equipment, and data, such as audio and or video data, is transmitted over data networks as data packets. In this application the broad term used to describe such computer-simulated telephony is Data Network Telephony (DNT).
For purposes of nomenclature and definition, the inventors wish to distinguish clearly between what might be called conventional telephony, which is the telephone service enjoyed by nearly all citizens through local telephone companies and several long-distance telephone network providers, and what has been described herein as computer-simulated telephony or data-network telephony (DNT). The conventional system is familiar to nearly all, and is the system most people have installed in their homes, through which they typically communicate with the outside world. In this system calls are made by dedicated connection, and are switched by dedicated connections.
The computer-simulated, or DNT systems, are familiar to those who use and understand computer systems. Perhaps the best example of DNT is telephone service provided over the Internet, which will be referred to herein as Internet Protocol Network Telephony (IPNT), by far the most extensive, but still a subset of DNT. DNT is a term used to describe basically any type of packet switched network whether public or private. Examples of DNT networks include the public Internet, Intranets, private company owned wide area networks (WANs), and so on. These DNT networks may operate using several differing or combined protocol, but generally are supportive of DNT.
Both systems use signals transmitted over network links. In fact, connection to data networks for DNT such as IPNT is typically accomplished over local telephone lines, used to reach such as an Internet Service Provider (ISP). The definitive difference is that COST telephony may be considered to be connection-oriented as previously described. In the COST system, calls are placed and connected by a specific dedicated path, and the connection path is maintained over the time of the call. Bandwidth is thus assured. Other calls and data do not share a connected channel path in a COST system. A DNT system, on the other hand, is not connection oriented or dedicated in terms of bandwidth. That is, data, including audio data, is prepared, sent, and received as data packets. The data packets share network links, and may travel by varied and variable paths.
Recent improvements to available technologies associated with the transmission and reception of data packets during real-time DNT communication have enabled companies to successfully add DNT, principally IPNT capabilities, to existing CTI call centers and home-site locations. Such improvements, as described herein and known to the inventor, include methods for guaranteeing available bandwidth or quality of service (QoS) for a transaction, improved mechanisms for organizing, coding, compressing, and carrying data more efficiently using less bandwidth, and methods and apparatus for intelligently replacing lost data via using voice supplementation methods and enhanced buffering capabilities.
One category of relatively new products which may be considered Internet appliances is the category of Internet-capable telephones, also called WEB phones, which operate on the Internet typically without an intervening computer connection. Such telephones have internal computer elements and software or firmware for accessing the Internet and operating on the Internet in DNT communication.
Another category of Internet communication appliances comprises video-phones, wherein a real-time view of the callers is mutually available. These are also Internet appliances. Beyond these communication devices, there are also many other devices (palmtops, laptops, desktop computers, personal organizers, personal digital assistants, and the like, all of which are Internet-capable, and are therefore Internet appliances. Also known to the inventor are appliances, that depart from such an information appliance model, but are devices that can enhance their functionality by being connected.
These Internet appliances are typically used connecting directly by COST phone line to the Internet through an Internet Service Provider (ISP). However, communication centers employing these devices may also be linked to sub-networks, including private networks that are linked to the Internet. In some situations, private individuals maintain such appliances in either stand-alone form or linked to their PCs or other suitable servers, routers etc. Also, other media of linking to the Internet can be found, such as XDSL (X[=any type of] Digital Subscriber Line), power lines, cable modems, wireless networks, satellite networks, laser networks, fiber optic networks etc. Such Internet appliances typically contain at least some elements or aspects of a WEB browser and e-mail clients as well as data communication capability (telephony). Other Internet appliances are designed for recreational use such as WEB TV™. However, due to an Internet connection, IPNT and e-mail capabilities are still possible with the appropriate software.
An issue that remains problematic for users employing such Internet-capable devices (Internet appliances) involves often lengthy and tedious set-up operations that must be performed before first time use and operation of the device. For example, WEB TV™ and AOL™ offer proprietary set-up regimens, but provide access only to high-cost and proprietary networks. Even so, setup can be lengthy requiring passwords, configuration path verification, server identification, and other information. Often, the appropriate protocol specific to a network must be configured for multi-capable devices. In addition, using the proprietary network adds cost to the user. Moreover, a user who moves, or is traveling, may be required to repeat many set-up operations each time he plugs in at a different location in order to verify his account or configure the device at a different origin number.
In addition to multiple steps required to set-up network appliances, software generic to such appliance such as program applications, ISP software, mail box applications, network drivers, etc. must be properly installed and configured for each appliance. A typical user, who may be reasonably computer literate, often experiences much difficulty installing and configuring such software. Sometimes lengthy calls to service centers are required for a user to gain additional instruction not provided with a purchased application. For a user who is not computer-savvy, the task is impossible, and typically must be farmed out to a high-priced consultant.
What is clearly needed is a system including apparatus that allows a one-touch transparent set-up and configuration process that does not require much more than a user ID and account number or credit card number to successfully configure an Internet appliance. Such a service would extend the market for Internet appliances considerably, bringing the advantages of such devices to more people, and the cost could be kept also to a minimum.

System, apparatus, and method for configuring a packet switched network appliance to have access to a packet switched network


A hand operated can crushing apparatus installed on a vertical wall or on top of a storage container to crush individual cans and allow them to drop into the storage container using an apparatus with a housing that includes an inside channel to crush the cans between a moving piston surface and an end of the housing with the force applied by a handle that is pivotally connected to a rear end of the housing to pivot downwardly above the housing forcing the piston member to slide lengthwise in the channel. Force against the piston member is first applied through a convex cam surface extending frontwardly from a rear end of the handle member against a rotating wheel cam follower and then through a lever connected at one end to a median position on the handle and at the other end to the piston member with the connecting apparatus of the lever delaying the effect of that lever until the piston movement has moved the cam follower wheel out of range of the cam surface.

This invention involves an apparatus to crush empty cans that is operated by hand and more specifically involves an apparatus to crush empty soda or beer cans end to end with a substantially reduced physical effort and to smaller volume.
The single most effective recycling program is that of empty aluminum cans, most of which have been previously filled with soda or beer. In particular, the recycling of aluminum cans is the most environmentally effective program in that the energy costs to reuse the metal from the recovered cans is only a fraction of that necessary to produce aluminum metal from the ore. The recycling of the empty cans is an established element of commerce which not only benefits society but in removing cans from the highways and byways but provides free enterprise funding for recycling including collection and reuse disposal. The major problem in the collection process is that the empty cans take up a major volume with very little weight. The recycling effort encourages the purchaser or the vendor to return the empty containers ultimately to the can manufacturers. Unfortunately, these procedures cause a number of storage and transportation problems. Many facilities collect a large number of cans, such as restaurants, cafeterias, manufacturing facilities that have at least one and typically a large number of can dispensing coin operated machines. In a relatively short period of time, the volume of empty cans collected causes a major problem. Empty cans take up as much space as full cans in the home of the consumer, in the storeroom of the store, and in the cargo compartment of a truck. The requirement of storing and handling these used cans creates inconvenience for all parties and increases overhead expenses that could exceed the savings resoluting from the recycling of the materials. It has thus been desirable to crush the empty cans so that they will take only a fraction of the space during recovery process. Over the last few years, it has been common to have can crushers located close to the source of the empty soda or beer cans for use either by the employees of a food dispensing establishment or the customers themselves. However, the can crushers in the market either require substantial physical effort to crush the can, are too complicated and expensive, or pose a significant risk of injury to the hands during the crushing operation. A common portable can crushing apparatus is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,520 to Goldsmith et al. Commerical can crushers of that general design are supplied without the elongated wedge on the face of the piston. These devices include a housing using a similar lever mechanism to that of Goldsmith et al with an opening in the bottom of the housing sized to allow the crushed can to drop downwardly into a collecting container in a fashion as illustrated in FIG. 1, although that figure illustrates a device and method of the present invention. These devices require about forty to forty-five pounds force being applied to the handle in order to crush the can. Further, they pose a substantial risk of slicing or crushing fingers in the device during the can crushing operation.
While a number of industrial can crushing apparatus suitable for use at a recycling collection site may be powered by electric motors and are safe to handle, such devices are not practical for a basically commerical or consumer use at the site of consumption of the canned drinks.
None of the prior art devices satisfy these problems or attain the objects of the present invention described hereinbelow.

Reduced hand force can crushing apparatus


The invention relates to an extinguishing device designed for local firefighting in buildings on site at the source of a fire, said extinguishing device having a nozzle device having an extinguishing unit comprising a plurality of extinguishing nozzles designed for applying an extinguishing agent at the location of the source of the fire and for decentralized arrangement in the building, further comprising at least one extinguishing agent container connected to the extinguishing nozzles in a fluid-communicating fashion, at least one pressure-generating device for applying the extinguishing agent via the extinguishing nozzles, and at least one fire alarm sensor. According to the invention, the pressure-generating device is designed to generate an application pressure of at least 10 bar on the extinguishing agent.

The invention relates to an extinguishing device designed for local firefighting in buildings, at the location of the source of a fire, according to the precharacterizing clause of claim 1 and to a corresponding method according to the precharacterizing clause of claim 6. In addition, the present invention relates to an extinguishing system with a plurality of extinguishing devices of the aforementioned type according to claim 2.
Where buildings are fitted with extinguishing devices, they are, for example, sprinkler systems which are fitted in the building concerned or parts thereof, in particular on or in ceilings, and from the nozzles of which water is sprayed as an extinguishing agent in a case where the system is set off or there is a fire. Sprinkler systems are automatic fire extinguishing systems which are used for preventive fire protection in special buildings such as high-rise blocks, office buildings, department stores, industrial installations, conference centers and meeting places as well as underground garages. A number of water outlet nozzles, known as sprinkler heads, are provided on the ceiling of the room or in the upper region of the side walls and are connected to a network of water pipes. The water outlet nozzles are in turn sealed by glass ampoules, which are filled with a special dyed fluid. A sprinkler system is under a constant internal water pressure, which is monitored at the sprinkler control center. In the case of a fire, the special fluid in the glass ampoules heats up and expands, causing the ampoules to burst. As a result, the nozzles are opened and the extinguishing water is discharged from the network of sprinkler pipes. The resultant pressure drop is detected by a control device and leads to the opening of further valves and the starting of pumps. From this time, water is pumped into the sprinkler system at high pressure from tanks provided for the purpose or via a water connection dimensioned for the purpose. This water is discharged from all the open water nozzles and extinguishes or minimizes the fire.
One disadvantage of sprinkler systems is that they are often designed as systems that are interconnected over a large area, so that, in the case of just a small fire or in the case of a false alarm, considerable damage is caused by the sprayed extinguishing agent. Moreover, it is only with considerable effort that buildings can be retrofitted with the known, permanently installed sprinkler systems.
Also known from the prior art are extinguishing devices in which an extinguisher column is used for local firefighting in buildings, at the location of the source of a fire. Such room extinguisher columns comprise a transportable housing with extinguishing nozzles for discharging an extinguishing agent stored in the column that are arranged in a distributed fashion over the wall of said housing, a tank for receiving the extinguishing agent that is connected to the extinguishing nozzles, an energy supply module and a control module for activating an extinguishing function of the room extinguisher column that is connected to fire alarm sensors being arranged in the housing. The known room extinguisher columns may be set up in a decentralized arrangement in a building, it being possible for the room extinguisher columns to be operated fully autonomously with respect to the setting-off and extinguishing function. Thus, depending on the size of the room, a single room extinguisher column placed in the room concerned may be adequate. In the case of large rooms, it is also optionally possible for a number of room extinguisher columns to be set up. The known room extinguisher columns make it possible for a building to be retrofitted in a way that involves little effort in terms of structural measures and low costs, it then being possible for false alarms to affect only a single room extinguisher column, which results in less damage than in the case of the false alarm of a sprinkler system. The possibility of just extinguishing a fire locally in the surrounding region of the source of the fire allows damage attributable to the sprayed extinguishing agents to be limited, which is of advantage in particular in the case of comparatively small sources of fire occurring locally.
However, the known extinguisher columns only have comparatively low effectiveness in local firefighting. In particular, pockets of heat can only be extinguished inadequately with the known room extinguisher columns, which may result in the fire breaking out again after completion of the extinguishing operation.

Extinguishing device, extinguishing system, and method for local firefighting


Systems and methods for generating electronic records of locate operations and marking operations are described. Exemplary systems and methods include marking devices that generate, store and/or transmit electronic records of marking information, locate devices that generate, store and/or transmit electronic records of locate information, and locate devices and marking devices that communicate with each other (and optionally with other devices or systems) to share/exchange locate information and/or marking information. An exemplary method for analyzing and processing locate information and marking information includes a computer-implemented method for visually rendering (e.g., in a display field of a display device) various aspects of locate and marking operations.

Field service operations may be any operation in which companies dispatch technicians and/or other staff to perform certain activities, for example, installations, services and/or repairs. Field service operations may exist in various industries, examples of which include, but are not limited to, network installations, utility installations, security systems, construction, medical equipment, heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) and the like.
An example of a field service operation in the construction industry is a so-called "locate and marking operation," also commonly referred to more simply as a "locate operation" (or sometimes merely as "a locate"). In a typical locate operation, a locate technician visits a work site in which there is a plan to disturb the ground (e.g., excavate, dig one or more holes and/or trenches, bore, etc.) so as to determine a presence or an absence of one or more underground facilities (such as various types of utility cables and pipes) in a dig area to be excavated or disturbed at the work site. In some instances, a locate operation may be requested for a "design" project, in which there may be no immediate plan to excavate or otherwise disturb the ground, but nonetheless information about a presence or absence of one or more underground facilities at a work site may be valuable to inform a planning, permitting and/or engineering design phase of a future construction project.
In many states, an excavator who plans to disturb ground at a work site is required by law to notify any potentially affected underground facility owners prior to undertaking an excavation activity. Advanced notice of excavation activities may be provided by an excavator (or another party) by contacting a "one-call center." One-call centers typically are operated by a consortium of underground facility owners for the purposes of receiving excavation notices and in turn notifying facility owners and/or their agents of a plan to excavate. As part of an advanced notification, excavators typically provide to the one-call center various information relating to the planned activity, including a location (e.g., address) of the work site and a description of the dig area to be excavated or otherwise disturbed at the work site.
A locate operation typically is initiated as a result of an excavator providing an excavation notice to a one-call center. An excavation notice also is commonly referred to as a "locate request," and may be provided by the excavator to the one-call center via an electronic mail message, information entry via a website maintained by the one-call center, or a telephone conversation between the excavator and a human operator at the one-call center. The locate request may include an address or some other location-related information describing the geographic location of a work site at which the excavation is to be performed, as well as a description of the dig area (e.g., a text description), such as its location relative to certain landmarks and/or its approximate dimensions, within which there is a plan to disturb the ground at the work site. One-call centers similarly may receive locate requests for design projects (for which, as discussed above, there may be no immediate plan to excavate or otherwise disturb the ground).
Once underground facilities implicated by the locate request are identified by a one-call center, the one-call center generates a "locate request ticket" (also known as a "locate ticket," or simply a "ticket"). The locate request ticket essentially constitutes an instruction to inspect a work site and typically identifies the work site of the proposed excavation or design and a description of the dig area, typically lists on the ticket all of the underground facilities that may be present at the work site (e.g., by providing a member code for the facility owner of an underground facility), and may also include various other information relevant to the proposed excavation or design (e.g., the name of the excavation company, a name of a property owner or party contracting the excavation company to perform the excavation, etc.). The one-call center sends the ticket to one or more underground facility owners and/or one or more locate service providers (who may be acting as contracted agents of the facility owners) so that they can conduct a locate and marking operation to verify a presence or absence of the underground facilities in the dig area. For example, in some instances, a given underground facility owner may operate its own fleet of locate technicians, in which case the one-call center may send the ticket to the underground facility owner. In other instances, a given facility owner may contract with a locate service provider to receive locate request tickets and perform a locate and marking operation in response to received tickets on their behalf.
Upon receiving the locate request, a locate service provider or a facility owner (hereafter referred to as a "ticket recipient") may dispatch a locate technician to the work site of planned excavation to determine a presence or absence of one or more underground facilities in the dig area to be excavated or otherwise disturbed. A typical first step for the locate technician includes utilizing an underground facility "locate device," which is an instrument or set of instruments (also referred to commonly as a "locate set") for detecting facilities that are concealed in some manner, such as cables and pipes that are located underground. The locate device is employed by the technician to verify the presence or absence of underground facilities indicated in the locate request ticket as potentially present in the dig area (e.g., via the facility owner member codes listed in the ticket). This process is often referred to as a "locate operation."
In one example of a locate operation, an underground facility locate device is used to detect electromagnetic fields that are generated by an applied signal provided along a length of a target facility to be identified. In this example, a locate device may include both a signal transmitter to provide the applied signal (e.g., which is coupled by the locate technician to a tracer wire disposed along a length of a facility), and a signal receiver which is generally a hand-held apparatus carried by the locate technician as the technician walks around the dig area to search for underground facilities. FIG. 1A illustrates a conventional locate device 1500 (indicated by the dashed box) that includes a transmitter 1505 and a locate receiver 1510. The transmitter 1505 is connected, via a connection point 1525, to a target object (in this example, underground facility 1515) located in the ground 1520. The transmitter generates the applied signal 1530, which is coupled to the underground facility via the connection point (e.g., to a tracer wire along the facility), resulting in the generation of a magnetic field 1535. The magnetic field in turn is detected by the locate receiver 1510, which itself may include one or more detection antenna (not shown). The locate receiver 1510 indicates a presence of a facility when it detects electromagnetic fields arising from the applied signal 1530. Conversely, the absence of a signal detected by the locate receiver generally indicates the absence of the target facility.
In yet another example, a locate device employed for a locate operation may include a single instrument, similar in some respects to a conventional metal detector. In particular, such an instrument may include an oscillator to generate an alternating current that passes through a coil, which in turn produces a first magnetic field. If a piece of electrically conductive metal is in close proximity to the coil (e.g., if an underground facility having a metal component is below/near the coil of the instrument), eddy currents are induced in the metal and the metal produces its own magnetic field, which in turn affects the first magnetic field. The instrument may include a second coil to measure changes to the first magnetic field, thereby facilitating detection of metallic objects.
In addition to the locate operation, the locate technician also generally performs a "marking operation," in which the technician marks the presence (and in some cases the absence) of a given underground facility in the dig area based on the various signals detected (or not detected) during the locate operation. For this purpose, the locate technician conventionally utilizes a "marking device" to dispense a marking material on, for example, the ground, pavement, or other surface along a detected underground facility. Marking material may be any material, substance, compound, and/or element, used or which may be used separately or in combination to mark, signify, and/or indicate. Examples of marking materials may include, but are not limited to, paint, chalk, dye, and/or iron. Marking devices, such as paint marking wands and/or paint marking wheels, provide a convenient method of dispensing marking materials onto surfaces, such as onto the surface of the ground or pavement.
FIGS. 1B and 1C illustrate a conventional marking device 50 with a mechanical actuation system to dispense paint as a marker. Generally speaking, the marking device 50 includes a handle 38 at a proximal end of an elongated shaft 36 and resembles a sort of "walking stick," such that a technician may operate the marking device while standing/walking in an upright or substantially upright position. A marking dispenser holder 40 is coupled to a distal end of the shaft 36 so as to contain and support a marking dispenser 56, e.g., an aerosol paint can having a spray nozzle 54. Typically, a marking dispenser in the form of an aerosol paint can is placed into the holder 40 upside down, such that the spray nozzle 54 is proximate to the distal end of the shaft (close to the ground, pavement or other surface on which markers are to be dispensed).
In FIGS. 1B and 1C, the mechanical actuation system of the marking device 50 includes an actuator or mechanical trigger 42 proximate to the handle 38 that is actuated/triggered by the technician (e.g., via pulling, depressing or squeezing with fingers/hand). The actuator 42 is connected to a mechanical coupler 52 (e.g., a rod) disposed inside and along a length of the elongated shaft 36. The coupler 52 is in turn connected to an actuation mechanism 58, at the distal end of the shaft 36, which mechanism extends outward from the shaft in the direction of the spray nozzle 54. Thus, the actuator 42, the mechanical coupler 52, and the actuation mechanism 58 constitute the mechanical actuation system of the marking device 50.
FIG. 1B shows the mechanical actuation system of the conventional marking device 50 in the non-actuated state, wherein the actuator 42 is "at rest" (not being pulled) and, as a result, the actuation mechanism 58 is not in contact with the spray nozzle 54. FIG. 1C shows the marking device 50 in the actuated state, wherein the actuator 42 is being actuated (pulled, depressed, squeezed) by the technician. When actuated, the actuator 42 displaces the mechanical coupler 52 and the actuation mechanism 58 such that the actuation mechanism contacts and applies pressure to the spray nozzle 54, thus causing the spray nozzle to deflect slightly and dispense paint. The mechanical actuation system is spring-loaded so that it automatically returns to the non-actuated state (FIG. 1B) when the actuator 42 is released.
In some environments, arrows, flags, darts, or other types of physical marks may be used to mark the presence or absence of an underground facility in a dig area, in addition to or as an alternative to a material applied to the ground (such as paint, chalk, dye, tape) along the path of a detected utility. The marks resulting from any of a wide variety of materials and/or objects used to indicate a presence or absence of underground facilities generally are referred to as "locate marks." Often, different color materials and/or physical objects may be used for locate marks, wherein different colors correspond to different utility types. For example, the American Public Works Association (APWA) has established a standardized color-coding system for utility identification for use by public agencies, utilities, contractors and various groups involved in ground excavation (e.g., red=electric power lines and cables; blue=potable water; orange=telecommunication lines; yellow=gas, oil, steam). In some cases, the technician also may provide one or more marks to indicate that no facility was found in the dig area (sometimes referred to as a "clear").
As mentioned above, the foregoing activity of identifying and marking a presence or absence of one or more underground facilities generally is referred to for completeness as a "locate and marking operation." However, in light of common parlance adopted in the construction industry, and/or for the sake of brevity, one or both of the respective locate and marking functions may be referred to in some instances simply as a "locate operation" or a "locate" (i.e., without making any specific reference to the marking function). Accordingly, it should be appreciated that any reference in the relevant arts to the task of a locate technician simply as a "locate operation" or a "locate" does not necessarily exclude the marking portion of the overall process. At the same time, in some contexts a locate operation is identified separately from a marking operation, wherein the former relates more specifically to detection-related activities and the latter relates more specifically to marking-related activities.
Inaccurate locating and/or marking of underground facilities can result in physical damage to the facilities, property damage, and/or personal injury during the excavation process that, in turn, can expose a facility owner or contractor to significant legal liability. When underground facilities are damaged and/or when property damage or personal injury results from damaging an underground facility during an excavation, the excavator may assert that the facility was not accurately located and/or marked by a locate technician, while the locate contractor who dispatched the technician may in turn assert that the facility was indeed properly located and marked. Proving whether the underground facility was properly located and marked can be difficult after the excavation (or after some damage, e.g., a gas explosion), because in many cases the physical locate marks (e.g., the marking material or other physical marks used to mark the facility on the surface of the dig area) will have been disturbed or destroyed during the excavation process (and/or damage resulting from excavation).
Previous efforts at documenting locate operations have focused primarily on locate devices that employ electromagnetic fields to determine the presence of an underground facility. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,576,973, naming inventor Alan Haddy and entitled "Apparatus and Method for Obtaining Geographical Positional Data for an Object Located Underground" (hereafter "Haddy"), is directed to a locate device (i.e., a "locator") that receives and stores data from a global positioning system ("GPS") to identify the position of the locate device as an underground object (e.g., a cable) is detected by the locate device. Haddy notes that by recording geographical position data relating to the detected underground object, there is no need to physically mark the location of the underground object on the ground surface, and the recorded position data may be used in the future to re-locate the underground object.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 7,319,387, naming inventors Willson et al. and entitled "GPS Interface for Locating Device" (hereafter "Willson"), is directed to a locate device for locating "position markers," i.e., passive antennas that reflect back RF signals and which are installed along buried utilities. In Willson, a GPS device may be communicatively coupled to the locate device, or alternatively provided as an integral part of the locate device, to store GPS coordinate data associated with position markers detected by the locate device. Electronic memory is provided in the locate device for storing a data record of the GPS coordinate data, and the data record may be uploaded to a remote computer and used to update a mapping database for utilities.
U.S. Publication No. 2006/0282280, naming inventors Stotz et al. and entitled "Ticket and Data Management" (hereafter "Stotz"), also is directed to a locate device (i.e., a "locator") including a GPS receiver. Upon detection of the presence of a utility line, Stotz' locate device can update ticket data with GPS coordinates for the detected utility line. Once the locate device has updated the ticket data, the reconfigured ticket data may be transmitted to a network.
U.S. Publication No. 2007/0219722, naming inventors Sawyer, Jr. et al. and entitled "System and Method for Collecting and Updating Geographical Data" (hereafter "Sawyer"), is directed to collecting and recording data representative of the location and characteristics of utilities and infrastructure in the field for creating a grid or map. Sawyer employs a field data collection unit including a "locating pole" that is placed on top of or next to a utility to be identified and added to the grid or map. The locating pole includes an antenna coupled to a location determination system, such as a GPS unit, to provide longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates of the utility under or next to the end of the locating pole. The data gathered by the field data collection unit is sent to a server to provide a permanent record that may be used for damage prevention and asset management operations.

Systems and methods for generating electronic records of locate and marking operations


The purpose of obtaining a high resolution image with fewer number of image sensings in an image input device which allocates a planar object such as a document or the like into a plurality of areas for image sensing, and combines the obtained image data for output to a printer or display device or the like.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image input device for two-dimensionally scanning a planar object (hereinafter referred to as the "document") such as, for example, a document, photograph and the like, and reading the image data thereby, and an image input/output system using the image input device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Drum type scanners and flatbed type scanners are known as conventional image input devices (scanners) capable of reading the image data of documents at high resolution.
In the case of drum scanners, a document is adhered to the inside of a transparent hollow drum formed, for example, of glass or the like, and the drum is rotated about a center axis at constant speed (main scan). Furthermore, a point sensor is moved parallel to the center axis of the drum from the exterior side of the drum (subscan) to obtain the image data of all regions of the document.
In the case of flatbed scanners, a document is placed face down on the surface of a transparent document table formed of, for example, glass, and a line sensor integrated with an illumination device moves in a direction (subscan) perpendicular to the array direction (main scan direction) of photoelectric conversion elements of the line sensor so as to obtain the image data of the entire region of the document.
In the case of a drum scanner, it is possible to increase the number of image sensings and increase the resolution by slowing both the speed in a first main scan direction (drum rotation speed) and the speed in the subscan direction (sensor moving speed), or shortening the cycle of the sensor load accumulation time and the load transfer time. However, the former method lengthens time required for image sensing of a single document, thus slowing the image sensing speed, On the other hand, the latter method shortens the load accumulation time of each image sensing and reduces S/N due to the small load accumulated by each photoelectric conversion element. Although it is possible to increase S/N by increasing the brightness of the illumination device, a disadvantage arises in that energy consumption also increases. Furthermore, since a large drive device is required due to rotate the heavy drum at high speed, another disadvantage arises in that a great deal of energy is consumed.
In the case of a flatbed scanner, the resolution in the main scan direction is determined by the number of pixels of the line sensor, and the resolution cannot be changed. On the other hand, it is possible to increase the number of image sensing to improve the resolution by reducing the speed (sensor moving speed) in the subscan direction, or shortening the cycle of the sensor load accumulation time and load transfer time so as to increase the resolution in the subscan direction. However, in the case of a drum scanner, the time required to sense one image is lengthened, and the image sensing speed is slowed, similar to the case of a drum scanner. In the latter case, on the other hand, the load accumulation time is shortened such that the S/N is reduced due to the light load accumulation on each photoelectric conversion element. Although it is possible to increase the S/N by increasing the brightness of the illumination device, a disadvantage arises in that energy consumption also increases. Furthermore, since a large drive device is required due to rotate the heavy drum at high speed, another disadvantage arises in that a great deal of energy is consumed.
In both drum scanners and flatbed scanners, the main scan direction and the subscan direction are determined by the mechanical construction, and may not necessarily match the main scan direction and the subscan direction of the image data output device, e.g., a display device such as a CRT, or a printer such as a laser printer. Since the main scan direction of the scanner and the main scan direction of the output device may not match, disadvantages arise inasmuch as the transmission efficiency of the obtained image data is lowered, and high speed processing is not possible.

Image reading apparatus and image input/output system

Abstract: An image reading device using an area sensor as an image sensing element 30 which is stationary in an image sensing unit 14 facing the center of a document 1 on a table 11, and a taking lens 31 moves parallel to the document 1 and the image sensing element 30 to read the images of allocated sections A˜I of the document 1.


Concentrate containing cathodically depositable binders, optionally crosslinking agents, optionally organic solvents, pigments and optionally extenders, together with water, having a solids content of 35 to 50 wt. % at a weight ratio of pigment and optionally extender to binder and crosslinking agent of 0.01:1 to 0.4:1, having a viscosity of 100 to 500 mPa.cndot.s, measured by rotational viscosimetry at 20.degree. C. and a shear gradient of 150 s.sup.-1 and a solvent content of 0 to below 20 wt. %, relative to solids content, process for the production thereof and use thereof in processes for producing or replenishing cathodically depositable electrocoating lacquer baths.

Cathodically depositable electrocoating lacquer baths used in industrial applications are operated at bath solids contents of generally between 10 and 25 wt. %. The solvent content thereof should be as low as possible.
It is known for users to prepare or make good the solids content of electrocoating lacquer baths using single-component concentrates. These concentrates are produced by grinding the pigments and extenders in the organic solution of a cathodic electrocoating lacquer binder, neutralisation with acid and, generally, dilution with water. The concentrates contain little or no water and are generally completely neutralised. They are usually supplied to users at a solids content of above 50 wt. % and a solvent content of between 20 and 40 wt. %. The concentrates are stable in storage, i.e. they do not require constant mixing, for example by stirring. The concentrates have elevated viscosities of, for example, above 2000 mPa.cndot.s at 20.degree. C. When a cathodic electrocoating lacquer bath is first prepared, the user must mix them with water or, if the solids content is to be made good, with solids-depleted cathodic electrocoating lacquer bath contents. As a consequence of the great differences in viscosity, this requires specific technical equipment and methods and is highly labour intensive. These single-component concentrates are thus conveyed from the delivery containers using pumps suitable for thick materials and prediluted in continuously or discontinuously operated premixing apparatus to a solids content of generally below 30 wt. %. If immobile, for example if unstirred, these premixes are either not stable in storage or stable for only a short period; they may be further diluted without any particular effort to yield the finished cathodic electrocoating lacquer bath. The finished cathodic electrocoating lacquer baths produced in this manner have undesirably high solvent contents of, for example, above 4 wt. % at a bath solids content of 20 wt. %. This corresponds to an organic solvent content of 20 to 50 wt. %, relative to the solids content of the cathodic electrocoating baths.
Alternatively, two-component cathodic electrocoating lacquer materials have been developed from which users may first prepare cathodic electrocoating lacquer baths by dilution with water or with which solids content may be made good by mixing with solids-depleted cathodic electrocoating lacquer bath contents (c.f. EP-A-0 183 025, EP-A-0 203 024 and H. Kittel, Lehrbuch der Lacke und Beschichtungen, volume 7, Verlag W. A. Colomb, Berlin, 1979, page 166). The two-component cathodic electrocoating lacquer materials are a) a binder component in the form of a solvent-free or low-solvent, aqueous dispersion of the cathodic electrocoating lacquer binder and any optionally present crosslinking agent (cathodic electrocoating lacquer dispersion) and b) a separate pigment paste, which is generally produced by grinding the pigments and extenders in a special paste resin. Both components are stable in storage even without stirring and, by virtue of their low viscosity of generally below 500 mPa.cndot.s measured by rotational viscosimetry at 20.degree. C. and a shear gradient of 150 s.sup.-1, may be handled by users without requiring any particular equipment. Both components are compatible with the cathodic electrocoating lacquer bath contents, while directly mixing the two components together generally gives rise to incompatibilities and/or stability problems, frequently after only brief storage. Dilution with water or with solids-depleted cathodic electrocoating lacquer bath contents is thus performed separately, for example by separate or parallel apportionment into the solids-depleted cathodic electrocoating lacquer bath. In order to maintain constant deposition characteristics and lacquer film parameters, the user must apportion the two components at a fixed ratio one to the other to the cathodic electrocoating lacquer bath, so entailing the possibility of errors. Logistical requirements are greater than working with a single-component material, for example storage is more costly and the user's testing costs are multiplied. Cathodic electrocoating lacquer baths produced on the basis of two-component cathodic electrocoating lacquer materials have a low organic solvent content of, for example, below 4 wt. % at a bath solids content of 20 wt. %, corresponding to a solvent content of 0 to 20 wt. %, relative to the bath solids content.
The object arose of providing a single-component concentrate which is suitable for producing and making good the solids content of opaquely pigmented, cathodically depositable electrocoating lacquer baths containing no or little solvent, which is stable in storage in the immobile state and may be handled simply by users. It should not entail any elaborate logistics.

Storage-stable, single-component concentrate, production and use thereof for the production of cathodically depositable electrocoating lacquer baths


The present invention provides methods of metabolically biotinylating recombinant proteins. Cell lines and specific protein and nucleic acid constructs for use in the methods of the present invention are also provided herein.

Biotin (vitamin H), an essential coenzyme required by all forms of life, is only synthesized by plants, most bacteria and some fungi. In living cells, a few metabolic enzymes are naturally biotinylated through post-translational modification that is carried out by an intracellular enzyme, biotin protein ligase (BPL), also known as holocarboxylase synthetase [EC 220.127.116.11]. BPL catalyzes the formation of an amide linkage between the carboxyl group of biotin and the ε-amino group of a specific lysine residue of the substrate protein in a two-step reaction ([Cronan, 1990] and [Wood and Barden, 1997]). The non-covalent interaction between avidin/streptavidin and biotin represents one of the strongest and most specific interactions amongst biological molecules (KD=10−14 to 10−15 M). This property has been exploited by researchers who have attached biotin 'tags' to proteins for easy detection, labeling, immobilization and purification ([Cull and Schatz, 2000], [Kumar and Snyder, 2002], [de Boer et al., 2003], [Kojima et al., 2006] and [Krepkiy et al., 2006]). Biotin labeling has also been applied to drug targeting ([Ohno et al., 1996] and [Asai et al., 2005]) and viral gene therapy vector-targeting strategies ([Smith et al., 1999], [Parrott et al., 2003], [Campos and Barry, 2004] and [Arnold et al., 2006]).
Biotin labeling of drugs, proteins or virus has traditionally been performed in vitro by chemical methods, where an activated biotin derivative is conjugated to protein surface residues (commonly lysines) or carbohydrate moieties ([Bayer and Wilchek, 1990], [Diamandis and Christopoulos, 1991], [Ohno et al., 1996] and [Smith et al., 1999]). However, these methods result in random and heterogeneous modification, which can lead to the inactivation of biological function and cross-linking or aggregation after mixing with streptavidin or avidin. Antibody biotinylation by chemical methods generally leads to the preparation of heterogeneous conjugates. Furthermore, biotinylation of the residues in the binding site of antibodies can alter their binding properties (Saviranta et al., 1998) and result in loss of affinity.
An alternative approach to chemical methods was first demonstrated by Cronan (1990). Fusion of the biotin attachment sites of proteins from four different species to the carboxyl terminus of β-galactosidase enabled biotinylation in Escherichia coli by endogenous biotin ligase. The functional interaction between biotin ligases and their protein substrates shows a very high degree of conservation throughout evolution, since biotinylation occurs even with enzymes and substrates from widely divergent species (Chapman-Smith and Cronan, 1999). The most studied endogenous biotinylated protein is the 1.3S subunit of the transcarboxylase domain of Propionibacterium shermanii (PSTCD), which is structurally very similar to that of E. coli acetyl-CoA carboxylase (Reddy et al., 1998). By fusing the biotin acceptor peptide domain of PSTCD to the target protein, it was demonstrated that biotinylation could occur in bacterial, yeast, insect and mammalian cells ([Smith et al., 1999], [Parrott and Barry, 2001] and [Verhaegen and Christopoulos, 2002]). A recent in vivo imaging study showed that tumor cells expressing PSTCD tagged surface receptor protein was detected using a variety of imaging agents coupled to streptavidin (Tannous et al., 2006). Biotinylation can occur either by cellular endogenous protein-biotin ligase or by the coexpression of an exogenous biotin ligase, in most cases that of bacterial BirA enzyme (Tsao et al., 1996).
Smaller peptide tags (<23 aa) identified by peptide libraries were also found to be biotinylated in vitro with kinetics comparable to those of natural biotin acceptor sequence (Schatz, 1993). A 15 residue peptide (GLNDIFEAQKIEWHE (SEQ ID NO:1), Biotin AviTag™) (Beckett et al., 1999) with 100% biotinylation efficiency was used for specific biotinylation of fusion protein in E. coli, insect and mammalian cells ([Smith et al., 1998], [Wu et al., 2002], [de Boer et al., 2003], [Viens et al., 2004], [Yang et al., 2004], [Warren et al., 2005] and [Tirat et al., 2006]). Utilizing this small peptide in vivo biotinylation has also been performed on the surface of yeast (Parthasarathy et al., 2005).
Antibodies can be engineered into a variety of formats that retain binding specificity and exhibit optimal properties for in vitro or in vivo applications. Single-chain antibody fragments (scFvs), produced by genetically fusing variable light (VL) and heavy (VH) chain domains of a parental antibody through a peptide linker, represent the smallest functional unit (25-30 kDa) that still retains the capacity to bind antigen. Production of single-chain antibody scFv dimers (also known as diabodies, 55 kDa) can be forced by shortening the peptide linker, which in turn enhances the binding activity (Holliger et al., 1993).
Despite recent advances in the chemical and metabolic methods of producing biotinylated polypeptides, there remains a need in the art for highly specific and highly efficient methods of producing large quantities of biotinylated polypeptides for applications such as medical diagnostics and pharmaceutical administration. The present invention fulfills these and other need by providing novel methods, cell lines, systems, and kits for efficient metabolic biotinylation of secreted polypeptides.

Biotin-ligase system for secretion of biotinylated protein

The Regents of the University of California


A crystalline channel layer of a semiconductor material is formed in a backend process over a crystalline dielectric seed layer. A crystalline magnesium oxide MgO is formed over an amorphous inter-layer dielectric layer. The crystalline MgO provides physical link to the formation of a crystalline semiconductor layer thereover.

Thin film transistor (TFT) devices are semiconductor devices typically formed employing a semiconductor channel layer and a pair of source/drain layers laminated over an insulator substrate rather than formed within a semiconductor substrate. TFT devices are extensively employed as switching devices and peripheral circuit devices within organic LED optoelectronic products. TFT devices are also employed as load transistors within synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) products. While TFT devices are thus common in the microelectronic product fabrication art, thin film transistor devices are nonetheless not entirely without problems. In that regard, insofar as TFT devices are formed employing a semiconductor channel layer and a pair of source/drain layers positioned over an insulator substrate, rather than formed within a semiconductor substrate, TFT devices are thus often difficult to form with both enhanced performance and enhanced alignment.
Semiconductor fabrication processes are generally categorized into front-end-of-line (FEOL), middle-of-line, (MOL), and back-end-of-line (BEOL). The FEOL processes include wafer preparation, isolation, well formation, gate patterning, spacer, extension and source/drain implantation, silicide formation, and dual stress liner formation. The MOL processes includes gate contact and/or source/drain contact formation. The BEOL processes include all wafer fabrication processes subsequent to the MOL or FEOL, for example, forming the wirings in metallization layers to interconnect the individual devices. The metallization layers are separated by dielectric layers, namely, the inter-layer dielectric (ILD) layers. The ILD layers are either silicon oxide or low-k dielectric materials.

Crystalline semiconductor layer formed in BEOL processes

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


There is provided a method for preparing an analytical standard used for microbeam X-ray fluorescence analysis which includes: a mixing step in which an element is added to a base material, and the base material and the element are mixed by stirring to obtain a mixed solution; a deaeration step in which the mixed solution is deaerated; a freeze step in which the mixed solution is slowly frozen; and a cutting step in which a thin section is cut out from the frozen mixed solution. In order to surely remove bubbles from the mixed solution, the deaeration step may contain a stationary step in which the mixed solution is allowed to stand still at room temperature; or the stationary step includes a removal step in which gas contained in the mixed solution which is allowed to stand still is removed with a suction apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for preparing an analytical standard used for an elemental analysis utilizing microbeam, and an analytical standard prepared by the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as a technique for a local elemental analysis, there can be mentioned a microbeam X-ray fluorescence analysis in which: a sample is irradiated with sharp excitation light of from a several hundred-nanometer to several-micrometer radius; a type of element is specified based on energy of the generated X-ray fluorescence; and abundance of the element is determined based on the intensity of the generated X-ray fluorescence. The microbeam X-ray fluorescence analyses are classified into several categories depending on the type of the excitation light. Among these, because of less damage on the sample during measurement, attentions have been paid to a synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence analysis (SR-XRF) and a proton (particle) induced X-ray emission analysis (PIXE), and they have been widely used. The microbeam X-ray fluorescence analysis has been utilized in various fields, including: a homogeneity test of metal evaporated onto electronic parts (material engineering); an analysis of element localization in mineral samples (earth science); detection of pollutant element in environmental samples, such as suspended particles in the atmosphere (environmental science); and examination of nutritional state by hair analysis or distribution of trace element in tissues (medical science) and the like. In recent years, the detection sensitivity has remarkably improved by the introduction of large facilities for microbeam analysis, and accordingly the utilization of microbeam X-ray fluorescence analysis in the biomedical field has been remarkably boosted.
In the microbeam X-ray fluorescence analysis, an analytical standard (which may be also called "analytical standard sample" or "analytical standard preparation") is used. Herein, the analytical standard means a sample to be used as a standard in a series of measurements for the purpose of measurement accuracy control and quantification. The analytical standard contains an element of a known concentration, and the concentration of the sample of interest can be obtained, for example, from the intensity of the X-ray fluorescence of the sample of interest, by comparing with the intensity of the X-ray fluorescence of the analytical standard at different concentrations as reference. Therefore, it is desirable that the physical properties of the analytical standard be similar to those of the sample to be measured.
For the analytical standard, for example, there has been known a sliced glass containing an element of a known concentration, as well as a standard prepared by evaporating metal onto a thin film (hereinafter, referred to as "analytical standard of evaporation type"), and a disclosure has been made that these analytical standards are applied to the microbeam X-ray fluorescence analysis (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). Herein, the expression "evaporating metal" means a treatment in which a metal is vaporized and attached to a surface of a substrate.
Further, for the analytical standard, for example, there has been known an analytical standard obtained by dropping metal solution on a filter paper and drying the filter paper (hereinafter, referred to as "analytical standard by droplet drying method"), and a disclosure has been made that the analytical standard is applied to the microbeam X-ray fluorescence analysis (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 2).
Non-Patent Document 1: M. Watanabe, and D. B. Williams, Atomic-level detection by X-ray microanalysis in the analytical electron microscope, Ultramicroscopy 78 (1999) 89-101
Non-Patent Document 2: K. Watanabe, O. Miyakawa, and M. Kobayashi, New method for quantitative mapping of metallic elements in tissue sections by electron probe microanalyzer with wavelength dispersive spectrometers, Journal of Electron Microscopy 50 (2001) 77-82
The analytical standard of evaporation type disclosed in the Non-Patent Document 1 can be applied to fields, such as material engineering and measurement engineering. However, it is often the case that such an analytical standard cannot be applied to the measurement of biological samples of interest in biomedical field. In other words, the amount of the element present in a biological sample to be measured frequently is as small as several ppm or less, which leads to a large gap in the element content between the biological sample to be measured and the analytical standard of evaporation type. In addition, the biological sample to be measured usually has high transparency to excitation light, which also leads to a notable difference in the transparency to excitation light between the biological sample to be measured and the analytical standard of evaporation type.
Moreover, the analytical standard by droplet drying method disclosed in the above-mentioned Non-Patent Document 2 may not be used as an analytical standard, depending on the types of the element. For example, when mercury is dropped, mercury itself may be vaporized depending on its chemical form. This may result in, in a drying step after dropping, an uneven element distribution at the portion where mercury was dropped. As a result, it becomes difficult to obtain an analytical standard containing mercury of a desired concentration.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide an analytical standard used for an elemental analysis utilizing microbeam and a method for preparing the analytical standard.

Method for preparing analytical standard, and analytical standard prepared by the same

National Institute of Radiological Sciences


This invention pertains to a golf ball which includes a core, optionally one or more intermediate layers; and an outer cover layer. The outer cover layer and/or one or more intermediate layers includes a blend of a) about 2 to about 40 wt % (based on the total weight of the blend composition) of an aramid polymer and b) about 60 to about 98 wt % (based on the total weight of the blend composition) of one or more additional polymer components. The blend composition has a melt flow index (MFI) from about 1 to about 80 g/10 min., a material hardness of about 30 to about 90 Shore D, and a flex modulus of about 10 to about 120 kpsi.

The present invention relates to sports equipment in general and more particularly to golf balls comprising a particular composition suitable for use in golf ball manufacture. In one embodiment, the present invention is used in the manufacture of a golf ball comprising a core, a cover layer and, optionally, one or more inner cover layers. In one preferred embodiment, a golf ball is disclosed in which the cover layer comprises the novel composition of the present invention. In another preferred embodiment, a golf ball is disclosed in which at least one intermediate layer comprises the novel composition of the present invention.


A focal plane array (FPA) imaging sensor includes an array of multiple tuning cells disposed on a monolithic substrate, in which each tuning cell includes: (a) a tunable etalon disposed in the monolithic substrate, and (b) a THz detector assembly comprised of at least two antennae disposed in the monolithic substrate. The THz detector assembly is disposed below the tunable etalon. Each tunable etalon includes a Fabry-Pérot interferometer comprised of upper and lower mirrors, spaced by a gap between the mirrors, the gap forming an etalon of the interferometer. The FPA imaging sensor may also be formed as a hybrid, in which portions of the tuning cells are fabricated separately from the THz detector assembly and aligned to each other. The lower mirrors may also be fabricated monolithically with the substrate and the upper mirrors may be formed separately and then aligned to the lower mirrors.

THz detection has many applications. These applications include concealed weapon detection, surveillance cameras, astronomy, non-destructive material testing, as well as ample biological and medical applications. The most common THz detectors currently available are single, or sparse element scanning systems, which typically use heterodyne detection with high speed Schottky diode mixers.
The development of imaging micro-spectrometers operating in the visible, SWIR and MWIR regions of the optical spectrum have been advanced in the last few years through academic and industrial developments. For example, there has been a recently developed short-wave infrared (SWIR) micro-spectrometer based on integration of a parallel plate MEMS optical filter directly with an IR-detector. Monolithic integration of the MEMS filter with the detector is a preferred approach as this reduces the cost of assembly and test of these devices compared with their hybrid equivalents. Hybrid micro-spectrometers have been developed using HgxCd1-xTe based detectors, as these detectors may operate across the short-wave (1.6-2.5 urn), mid-wave (3-5 um) and long wave (8-12 um) regions of the IR spectrum with extremely high detectivity. A primary technical challenge in achieving the integration of a MEMS Fabry-Pérot filter with the HgxCd1-xTe detector is to keep the processing temperatures low.
A MEMS tunable filter may be monolithically integrated with the silicon focal plane electronics device substrate by addition of MEMS processing steps using industry standard wafer processing. For example, following the fabrication of a silicon focal plane device, an overlay metal interconnect/antenna and passivation layers, a lower mirror of a Fabry-Pérot etalon may be deposited using a thermal evaporation process. This lower mirror layer includes silicon compatible layers with dielectric constants consistent with good mirror reflection, such as germanium/silicon layers. This lower mirror layer may be patterned using standard photolithography processes.
A spacer layer is then deposited and patterned to provide mirror structural supports. A silicon nitride stack is then deposited using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition to form an upper mirror support and a flexible membrane for the etalon tuning structure. An upper mirror is then deposited on the silicon nitride stack in the same manner as fabrication of the lower mirror. The upper mirror is then patterned to a desired shape and the silicon nitride membrane is subsequently formed using a dry etching process. Metal electrodes are then deposited on top of the mirror to allow operation of the etalon via electrostatic force. Finally, the upper silicon nitride and mirror structure is released by etching away the spacer layer to form the air-gap for the Fabry-Pérot cavity.
In the THz regime (0.1-1.0 mm), however, the current state of art for spectral imaging systems are single point detectors (e.g. Shottky diodes) that are spectrally scanned through tuning of active laser sources, or through time delay spectroscopy using ultrafast laser sources. A 2-dimensional image is achieved by mechanically scanning the single point detector spatially to form an X, Y image. There is no prior art on a large format imaging focal plane array (FPA) with THz imaging detectors that also includes digitally tunable optical filters that are integrated onto a monolithic chip.
There are also many shortcomings with current THZ detectors. There is an ever present need for THz detectors with a higher quantum efficiency, a higher level of detector integration in low cost, non-bulky systems, and an improved signal-to-noise ratios (SNR).

Compact THz imaging detector with an integrated micro-spectrometer spectral tuning matrix