A Spread Spectrum system acquires signals with frequency uncertainty. The present invention independently computes the number of frequency bands necessary to cover the carrier frequency uncertainty and the chip rate uncertainty and uses the largest of the two quantities in the acquisition process. A receiver cycles through pseudonoise code phases until a matched filter output exceeds a threshold. The local code is adjusted based on that code phase and the signal is processed for carrier acquisition, where an FFT estimates the carrier frequency. The code phase and nearest neighbors are used to determine the presence of a false alarm. When a false alarm is absent, the detection is examined for an alias or noise spur. If an alias is absent, the signal search is complete. Otherwise, processing continues to search for a pseudonoise code. The process continues by examining all code phases for each band until a signal is detected.

1. Technical Field
The present invention pertains to communication systems. In particular, the present invention pertains to acquisition of pseudonoise codes or carrier signals during conditions of relatively large chip rate uncertainty. The present invention is typically applied to Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum systems, where waveforms are employed in the form of coded spread spectrum signals and the signals are expanded in bandwidth via a pseudonoise or spreading code.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Generally, wireless communication systems employ a carrier signal to transport information between sites. Information is basically modulated onto the carrier signal for transmission. A conventional modulating technique employed by communication systems is Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK). This technique basically shifts the phase of a signal based on the value of a digital bit stream. For example, a logical one value in the bit stream causes the signal to be shifted in phase, while no phase shift is produced in response to a logical zero value in the bit stream (e.g., this is commonly referred to as an NRZ type scheme).
A receiver receives a signal from the environment and attempts to acquire or determine the presence of the carrier signal within the received signal. Once the carrier signal is acquired, the information transported by the carrier signal may be retrieved. A conventional architecture employed for carrier acquisition of a modulated, non-spread signal is illustrated in FIG. 1. In particular, a received bandpass signal, Sbp(t), is combined with white noise, w(t), having a power spectral density of N0 via a summer 10. The bandpass signal is basically a form of the input signal received by the receiver from the environment. This signal is a function of the received carrier signal frequency and may be expressed as follows:Sbp(t)=x(t)[cos(2πfrt)−sin(2πfrt)],where fr is the received carrier frequency and x(t) is a random binary wave (e.g., a random sequence of binary symbols). The binary symbols have amplitude values of "+A" and "−A" (e.g., each amplitude value occurring with equal probability), and a duration of 1/Rs seconds, where Rs is the signaling rate. For uncoded signals, the signaling rate, Rs, typically equals the data rate, Dr. For rate one-half coded signals, the signaling rate is equal to twice the data rate (e.g., Rs=2Dr).
The combined signal from summer 10 is filtered by a bandpass filter 12. The bandpass filter generally produces portions of the combined signal within a desired frequency range, thereby removing spurious signal components. The filtered signal is applied to a mixer 14 that mixes the filtered signal with a local carrier signal, l(t). The local carrier signal may be expressed as follows:l(t)=ej2πflt where fl is the local carrier frequency.
The mixed signal from mixer 14 is applied to a low pass filter 16 to produce a baseband signal, Sbb(t). The lowpass filter basically serves to produce desired baseband signal components from the mixed signal. Since the local carrier signal frequency typically differs from the received carrier signal frequency, the resulting baseband signal is a function of the difference between those frequencies and may be expressed as follows:Sbb(t)=x(t)ej2πΔft+ni(t)+jnq(t),where Δf is the baseband carrier offset or the difference between the received carrier signal frequency, fr, and the local carrier signal frequency, fl (e.g., Δf=fr−fl). The variables ni(t) and nq(t) within the complex expression are independent gaussian random variables that serve as thermal noise components. Carrier acquisition basically attempts to measure the baseband carrier offset in order to determine the received carrier frequency.
The precise optimal sample rate for carrier acquisition depends on the sequence of binary symbols produced by the process x(t). Since this binary sequence is generally not known, the sampling rate, fs, for the NRZ symbol format described above may be set to twice the signaling or modulation rate (e.g., fs=2Rs). In the case of a bi-phase symbol format, the sampling rate, fs, may be set to four times the signaling rate (e.g., fs=4Rs). Increased rates of sampling are not practical due to the prohibitive squaring losses imposed by the data stripping function described below. Lower rates of sampling are similarly not practical due to signal cancellation or loss associated with data transitions in x(t), and the pulse shape with respect to bi-phase symbol formats.
The baseband signal is applied to a data stripping module 18. The data stripping module basically produces a phasor to enable measurement of the baseband carrier offset and performs the following function:Iout=2IinQin  (Equation 1)Qout=IinIin−QinQin  (Equation 2)where "I" and "Q" respectively indicate the In-phase and Quadrature (e.g., complex) signal components and the subscripts "in" and "out" respectively represent the input and output of the data stripping module. The spectrum of the input baseband signal to the data stripping module includes a sinc function in noise centered at the baseband carrier offset, Δf. The spectrum of the output signal from the data stripping module includes a spectral line (e.g., tone) in noise. The spectral location of this line is twice the baseband carrier offset, Δf. This is commonly referred to as the "frequency doubling effect".
The output of the data stripping module is directed to an FFT and peak search module 20. This module basically measures the baseband carrier offset, Δf. In general, the one sided bandwidth of a complex Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) is one-half of the sampling rate (e.g., fs/2), while the resolution of the FFT is the sampling rate divided by the FFT size (e.g., fs/Nfft, where Nfft is the FFT size or quantity of stages (e.g., log base two of the number of points) within the FFT)). However, due to the frequency doubling of the output signal from the data stripping module, the one sided bandwidth of the FFT is effectively reduced to one-quarter of the sampling rate (e.g., fs/4), while the resolution is reduced by half (e.g., fs/(2Nfft)). If the absolute value of the baseband carrier offset is less than the one-sided bandwidth (e.g., |Δf|<fs/4), the Nyquist criteria is satisfied and the position of the maximum or peak value within the FFT output (e.g., the FFT basically produces an array of bins each associated with a magnitude, where the peak value is the largest magnitude within an array element or bin) corresponds to the baseband carrier offset, Δf (e.g., when the signal to noise ratio (SNR) is of a sufficiently high magnitude). When the absolute value of the baseband carrier offset is greater than the one-sided FFT bandwidth (e.g., |Δf|>fs/4), the Nyquist criteria is not satisfied and aliasing occurs. In this case, the peak value position within the FFT output generally does not correspond to the baseband carrier offset, Δf, and the measurement is corrupted.
In cases where the frequency uncertainty is large with respect to data rate (e.g., when the local carrier frequency, fl, may not be sufficiently close to the received carrier frequency, fr, to produce a baseband carrier offset of a sufficient magnitude to satisfy the Nyquist criteria), the carrier acquisition process must partition the frequency uncertainty region into discrete bands. These bands form a series of local carriers, li(t), spaced evenly in frequency throughout the entire frequency uncertainty region. Each local carrier, li(t), represents a frequency band, and an FFT and peak search is performed for each band. The center frequency for each band is the frequency of the band local carrier, fl(i). The bands in the series are processed sequentially, where the number of bands in the series is selected to ensure that at least one of the local carriers, li(t), is sufficiently close in frequency to the received carrier frequency, fr, to satisfy the Nyquist criteria (e.g., |fr−fl(i)|<fs/4).
The minimum number of bands required to guarantee that the Nyquist criteria will be satisfied for at least one local carrier, considering the one sided frequency uncertainty and the sample rate, may be expressed as follows:
                              N          B                =                              floor                                      (                              δ                                                      f                    s                                    /                  4                                            )                                +          1                                    (                  Equation                                                              3                )            where NB is the number of bands, δ is the one sided frequency uncertainty, and fs is the sample rate.
The local carrier frequencies, fl(i), may be determined as follows based on the number of bands, NB, and the one sided frequency uncertainty, δ:
                                          f            l                                          (            i            )                          =                                                                              2                                                                                δ                                                  N                  B                                                                          [                                  i                  -                                      (                                                                                N                          B                                                -                        1                                            2                                        )                                                  ]                                                  0                    ≤          i          ≤                                    N              B                        -            1                                              (                  Equation                                                              4                )
The time interval to perform carrier acquisition in a particular band, Tcar—acq, may be expressed as follows:Tcar—acq=Tc+Tp  (Equation 5)where Tc is the time interval to collect the time domain data (e.g., Tc=Nfft/fs) and Tp is the time interval to process the time domain data (e.g., the time interval to compute the FFT, conduct the peak search, and render a decision). Accordingly, the carrier acquisition time is based on the sample rate, fs (e.g., which is based on the data rate and symbol format as described above), the size of the FFT, Nfft (e.g., which is based on the signal to noise ratio) and the processing time, Tp (e.g., which is based on processor speed and the size of the FFT, Nfft).
Signal to noise ratio (SNR) is inversely proportional to the minimum allowable carrier acquisition time. The size of the FFT, Nfft, is selected to be the minimum value that permits reliable detection of the signal. This is reflected mathematically by the following equation:SNRin−Lsq+Gfft>SNRdet  (Equation 6)where SNRin is the signal to noise ratio of the baseband signal at the input to the data stripping module, Lsq is the squaring loss associated with the data stripping function performed by the data stripping module, Gfft is the gain associated with averaging a signal in uncorrelated noise, and SNRdet is the minimum signal to noise ratio required to reliably detect the signal.
The signal to noise ratio at the data stripping module input, SNRin, is a function of data rate, symbol format, minimum energy per bit to noise density power ratio (Eb/No) and implementation loss. The squaring loss, Lsq, is solely a function of the signal to noise ratio at the data stripping module input, SNRin. The gain, Gfft, is a function of the size of the FFT, Nfft. A large sized FFT facilitates more averaging, thereby yielding greater signal to noise ratio gain. The minimum signal to noise ratio to reliably detect the signal, SNRdet, is a constant and determined based on the detection probability deemed to be "reliable".
The size of the FFT, Nfft, is the only parameter adjustable by a designer for a particular user configuration to satisfy the above Equation 6. Accordingly, the designer determines the minimum size of the FFT (e.g., minimum value of Nfft) that satisfies the condition in above-described Equation 6. This value can then be inserted into above-described Equation 5 to determine the minimum allowable carrier acquisition time.
The signal processing operations and minimum time required to detect a signal reliably for carrier acquisition of a modulated, non-spread signal is described above. However, a manner of enhancing security and reliability within communication systems includes employment of encoded signals, such as spread spectrum signals. In particular, the operation of a Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) system includes spreading of a baseband signal (e.g., bandwidth expansion) by use of pseudonoise (PN) codes. The frequency rate of the codes greatly exceeds that of the baseband signal, where each transition or code symbol is commonly referred to as a "chip". The codes or chips are basically modulated onto the baseband signal containing data and the resulting signal is mixed with an RF carrier signal and transmitted for reception by the appropriate receiving units. A cross correlation of an incoming signal with a suitable code replica by a digital matched filter (DMF) within the receiving unit produces an energy peak at the exact match, thereby rejecting or filtering other pseudonoise codes and background noise and interference.
Pseudonoise orthogonal or quasi-orthogonal codes may be selected to correlate exactly with a peak power output of the digital matched filter when the incoming signal code and replica codes match, and to produce a filter output of zero when these codes do not match (e.g., even if the codes are offset or shifted by one position). For example, an incoming signal including bi-phase modulated chips or codes is correlated with a stored replica code for a given time interval. Each chip within the incoming signal is multiplied by the corresponding chip in the replica code, where the individual products are summed to produce a correlation result. The filter operation may be expressed as:
      ∑          k      =      1        N                          c      k                  r      k      where ck represents the incoming chip sequence, rk is the stored replica code and N represents the quantity of chips in the code. With respect to an exemplary incoming signal with a code of 1, 1, 1, −1, a correlation value of four is produced when this code is matched exactly to the stored replica code (e.g., the sum of the products of the corresponding chips, or (1×1)+(1×1)+(1×1)+(−1×−1)=4) indicating a peak power output of the filter. However, when an incoming signal with a code of 1, 1, −1, 1 does not match with a stored replica code of 1, 1, 1, −1, the filter provides a correlation value of zero (e.g., the sum of the products of the corresponding chips, or (1×1)+(1×1)+(−1×1)+(1×−1)=0) indicating the absence of a match.
The pseudonoise codes provide a manner for a receiving unit to basically identify and differentiate between messages directed to that unit and other units, and further ensures that other transmissions within the surrounding environment are not erroneously considered as messages addressed to the receiving unit. Moreover, the pseudonoise codes enable secure and reliable communications in the presence of background and/or multi-user interference, while the bandwidth expansion of the baseband signal distributes the signal power over a greater bandwidth, thereby reducing the power spectral density of that signal in maximum amplitude and reducing visibility of the signal in the environment.
The security provided by the pseudonoise codes is based on the requirement that the receivers have knowledge of the specific code being transmitted in order to acquire and demodulate the signal. Accordingly, long or lengthy pseudonoise codes are utilized in some commercial systems, where subsections of the code are used to spread symbols with subsequent symbols being spread by different subsections. This is typically employed by military systems having security as a key requirement.
Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) is commonly defined as the ratio of the average signal power to the average noise power and is preferably measured in decibels. The average signal power is determined over the signal bandwidth, where the bandwidth for a spread spectrum signal is greater than that for a narrowband or baseband signal. For example, a baseband signal with 25 KHz of bandwidth and expanded at a ratio of one-hundred produces a spread signal with 25 KHz*100=2.5 MHz. The baseband signal includes, for a transmitted power of one Watt, a signal power of 1/25 KHz=0.040 Watts/Hz or 40 milliWatts/Hz, while the spread signal includes 1/2.5 MHz=400 NanoWatts/Hz. Thus, the spectral density of the narrowband or baseband signal contains more power in a narrow band, while the spread signal contains the same power for a sufficiently greater bandwidth with a lower peak power. This enables the spread signal to reside within or be camouflaged by the environment noise.
With respect to Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum, PN acquisition is the process of estimating the phase of a received pseudonoise code and adjusting the local code to the phase estimate to place the local and received codes substantially in phase (e.g., within one-half of a chip). If the local and received pseudonoise codes are substantially in phase, the despreading process produces a signal similar to a non-spread baseband signal (e.g., Sbb(t) in FIG. 1) with some loss in signal amplitude that is proportional to the phase difference between the local and received codes. This applies only when the received and local pseudonoise codes are substantially in phase. If the received and local pseudonoise codes are out of phase (e.g., a phase difference greater than one chip), this produces minimal or no signal amplitude, thereby preventing carrier acquisition.
When the local and received pseudonoise codes are substantially in phase after PN acquisition and include identical chip rates, carrier acquisition for Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum signals is substantially similar to carrier acquisition for non-spread signals described above (e.g., except for some additional implementation loss due to the fact that PN acquisition does not perfectly match the phases of the two codes). However, the chip rates of the local and received pseudonoise codes are generally not identical prior to PN tracking (e.g., tracking is a process that follows carrier acquisition). Therefore, the initial phase alignment (e.g., within one-half of a chip) from PN acquisition is temporary and the local and received code phases eventually drift apart due to the difference in chip rates. In other words, the difference in chip rates between the received and local pseudonoise codes imposes a "time limit" upon carrier acquisition (e.g., a maximum allowable carrier acquisition time). If this "time limit" is less than the minimum allowable carrier acquisition time (e.g., Tcar—acq of Equation 5), the local and received code phases may drift apart during that acquisition time and a condition of "large chip rate uncertainty" exists. Signal acquisition under this condition with conventional acquisition techniques is either unreliable (e.g., best case scenario) or impossible (e.g., worst case scenario).

Communication system and method for acquiring pseudonoise codes or carrier signals under conditions of relatively large chip rate uncertainty


A scheduler utilizes a data structure in the form of an augmented, pruned, radix tree to implement 2-key scheduling.

A computer network may be viewed as a group of nodes connected by point-to-point communication channels. Each output channel of a node has a scheduler that selects packets to be transmitted through a channel associated with the scheduler.
Packets from different flows are stored in queues and the scheduler processes information associated with the head packet in each queue to determine which packet should be transmitted on the channel. The scheduler guarantees a minimum packet transmission rate to each queue where the sum of the guaranteed transmission rates must not be greater than the packet transmission rate of the channel. Thus, the packet transmission rate of the channel is much greater than the packet transmission rate guaranteed to any queue.
Packets are transmitted serially through the channel. When the channel is idle the scheduler selects a head packet from one of the queues, based on some priority scheme, and forwards it to the channel for transmission. Each queue has its packets transmitted as if it were the only source using a channel having a channel packet transmission rate equal to the guaranteed packet transmission rate of the queue.
Many schedulers utilize timestamps as the basis for scheduling packets to be transmitted. Time stamps may indicate the time at which a packet would finish transmitting if it were transmitted from the queue at the guaranteed packet transmission rate. For example, if a packet of length 5 reached the head of a queue at time 0, with the queue having a guaranteed packet transmission rate of 1, then the time stamp would be 5. In order for the channel to provide the guaranteed packet transmission rate it must complete transmitting the packet before a time value is equal to 5.
Schedulers may be implemented as binary search trees that have their leaf nodes populated by the time stamps of different head packets. A search of the nodes of the tree is required to determine which packet to schedule. Two-key search trees have also been used where the two keys are a start time and a finish time. For packets stored in a queue, the finish time of a preceding packet is the start time of a following packet.
Other data structures such as calendars can also be utilized as schedulers. A calendar has a series of time slots of a set precision for storing time stamps. For example, a calendar may have slots of width one second that would represent the sequence of times 1, 2, 3, . . . N. A time stamp equal to 1.5 would be stored in the "1" slot of the calendar.
Historically, the problem with calendars is lack of accuracy. In order to achieve the same kind of accuracy as a time stamp based scheduler, a calendar must have a large number of slots, each the size equivalent to the unit of time of the time stamp. For example, to match the accuracy of a 14-bit time stamp, the calendar needs 16K slots. This creates two problems. First, the number of time slots grows exponentially with accuracy (in number of equivalent time stamp bits), leading to impractical demand on storage associated with the calendar slots.
The other problem is that when the calendar slot is very granular the calendar can become sparsely populated. This leads to worst case O(N) operations to walk the calendar, where N is the number of slots. To deal with this problem, extra speedup mechanisms, such as a bit vector to represent slot occupancy, are often implemented in order to skip empty slots quickly.
Tree based schedulers generally search for an arbitrary key value, which requires serial access of the nodes and many operations. Calendar data structures generally require the size of memory to grow exponentially with accuracy, which limits their utility.
The challenges in the field of designing schedulers continue to increase with demands for more and better techniques having greater speed while reducing memory requirements. Therefore, a need has arisen for a new system and method for scheduling the transmission of packets.


An item applicator machine having an item support which reciprocates in reference to an applicator arm. The item support is reciprocated within an item supply strip loop. The supply strip is advanced as the item support moves under the applicator arm. The supply strip is locked as the item support moves away from the applicator arm causing an item support dispensing edge to peel an item from the supply strip. A vacuum head on the applicator arm engages the item just prior to the item support's movement away from the applicator arm and picks up the dispensed item and applies it to an object. Curved faces are provided on alternative vacuum heads which are easily interchangeable with the flat faced vacuum head.

Hangers, labels and tags are items that are used to complete many packages and to provide product information. These items are often adhesively applied. If the items are not placed correctly, the finished appearance is not as attractive as it could be.
As an example of the need to apply such items accurately, in order to encourage "impulse buying," a package must hang and look right. If adhesively applied hangers are not repetitively applied to packages with precise location, display of a set of such packages will be uneven and unattractive.
With many applicator systems, the items to be applied are mounted on a flexible supply strip. These items are removed from the supply strip in order to apply them to a desired package or product. Removing and applying the items by hand is one method but is time consuming and inefficient.
The prior art teaches applicating machines which work in a variety of ways. Many use vacuums to grasp and hold an item to be applied to a package or product. Some of these use rotary drums which have a vacuum source connected to the drum. The drum rotates to grasp an item peeled from a supply strip by moving the strip around a dispensing edge. The drum rotates further to apply the item to the package. Others have the item peeled from a supply strip by moving the strip around a dispensing edge and then grasping it by a vacuum head which then applies it to a package. Some of these machines have the item partially floating on a flow of air prior to the vacuum head grasping the item.
The applicating machines of the prior art do not place the items correctly on the packages or products as consistently as they should. With the machines wherein the item actually floats before it is grasped by the vacuum head, the vacuum head often mislocates the item and sometimes even misses the item entirely and thereby a package fails to receive an item altogether.
Many of the prior machines are limited in the shape of packages or products to which they can apply items. The package's shape must be conducive to the shape of a machine's applicating face. For example, the face should preferably be concave in order to apply an item to a round object such as an apple or an orange. Yet a concave face is hardly conducive to applying an item to a flat box.
It would therefore be desirable to have an applicating machine which consistently applies items to packages or products in an accurate and attractive manner and which is capable of applying items to packages or products of a variety shapes.


A vehicle suspension includes an X-linkage with a central body, a first set of legs extending outwardly from the central body in one direction, and a second set of legs extending outwardly from the central body in an opposite direction to form an X-shape. The first set of legs is rigidly attached to an axle and the second set of legs is pivotally connected to a frame with frame hangers.

Suspension systems are utilized on vehicles to provide ride comfort and desired handling characteristics. Various types of suspensions are known that utilize multi-link configurations, spring configurations, or a combination of both air spring and spring configurations.
One known suspension system comprises a multi-link (parallelogram) air suspension that is typically utilized on a front axle. This system includes three or more longitudinally extending linkages that attach the front axle to a chassis. A transverse torque rod attaches the front axle to the chassis via a cross member. The transverse torque rod is required to provide lateral stiffness to the system. The primary suspension components that support the sprung mass are air springs. Secondary roll stiffness is provided by a roll bar. This type of system is typically used as a leading arm suspension due to gear box steering systems positioned in front of the axle.
Disadvantages with this type of system include a high number of components and associated connection points. Further, the high number and types of components (e.g., the multiple longitudinal linkages, the transverse torque rod, a cross-member required to connect the torque rod to the chassis, and the roll bar) make this system very heavy.
Another type of front suspension comprises a spring suspension that includes one or more spring leaves that are attached to the front axle. The spring leaves constrain the axle longitudinally and laterally. Primary roll stiffness is provided by the spring leaves and secondary roll stiffness is provided by other spring components and roll bars. The primary suspension components are the spring leaves themselves, which support the sprung mass.
Disadvantages with this type of system include too high of a vertical rate, a higher brake diving (reaction to braking), and variations in ride height. A natural frequency, or vertical rate, of this type of system tends to be higher than a desired vertical rate. Further, ride height of the vehicle changes as the suspension (spring) is loaded, which is not desirable.
Another type of front suspension comprises a hybrid system that uses both air springs and spring leaves. The spring leaves constrain the axle longitudinally and laterally to the chassis. Primary roll stiffness is provided by a combination of the spring leaves and the air springs, while secondary roll stiffness is provided by roll bars, front spring geometry, spring bushings, other spring components, and/or torsional rigidity of the axle itself. Both the air springs and spring leaves support the sprung mass. Disadvantages with this type of system involve a higher brake diving and too high of a vertical rate as discussed above.
One example of a known rear suspension is a system that uses coil springs and/or air springs to support the sprung mass of a tandem axle. This type of system can be a leading or trailing arm configuration and can include multi-links for a parallelogram configuration. An X-linkage or torque box component provides secondary roll stiffness and lateral stiffness to the suspension and eliminates the need for a transverse torque rod. The X-linkage or torque box component has one or more bushings that pivotally connect to both the axle and a frame hanger.
All of the suspension systems set forth above require a significant amount of packaging space on the vehicle. Spring suspensions use long spring leaves to provide adequate vertical rate (frequency or ride comfort) while multi-link suspensions use cross members that are required to attach the transverse torque rods.


An apparatus for processing a carcass middle portion of an animal includes a working surface onto which the carcass middle is positioned, the working surface supported by a frame above a support surface. A loin knife assembly for separating a loin portion from the carcass middle is disposed at a first selected location on the frame. A skinner assembly is disposed at a second selected location on the frame for skinning skin and fatback from the loin portion. A conveyor conveys the carcass middle past the first selected location to engage the loin knife assembly and past the second selected location to engage the skinner assembly. In preferred embodiments, the skinner assembly includes a contoured blade using a tooth roll assembly having tooth rolls of varying diameters driven by drive rolls having varying diameters based on the tooth roll diameters.

In the field of meat processing, such as pork processing, it is well known that excess fat is removed from the back of the loin of an animal carcass to recover the loin before final cutting and/or packing the meat for market. Typically, the carcass of the animal is cut into two halves, and then cut transversely to remove the hind and fore quarters. The resulting portion is commonly referred to as the "middle" and will be referred to herein as the "carcass middle." Each carcass middle includes a loin to be removed from the fatback. The loin is adjacent to the belly and to the backbone, or chine, and is situated between the ribs and the outer layer of fat.
Various automatic devices have been developed to provide for the separation of the loins from the carcass middle including the devices disclosed in various U.S. Patents owned by the common assignee of the present disclosure including U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,234,371; 5,295,898; 5,407,384; 5,882,252; 6,089,968; 6,547,658; and 7,207,880, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for teachings regarding the general structure and operation of a "loin puller."
One of the features described in these patents, particularly the '658 Patent, is a dual blade loin knife assembly which increases the overall yield by separating the belly portion from the loin portion immediately prior to removing the fatback and skin from the loin while reducing the risk of scoring a loin portion of a carcass middle. As described and shown in the '658 Patent, the dual blade loin knife assembly includes a first loin knife referred to as a z-blade and a second loin knife referred to as a j-blade. The z-blade is configured to separate the loin from the belly portion leaving the skin and fatback intact on the loin portion. In order to obviate the need for hand finishing or a separate finishing machine, the j-blade was designed to engage the carcass middle subsequent to the z-blade to remove the skin and a portion of the fatback from the separated loin portion. However, over the years, the animals that these automatic devices process have been genetically changed to become much leaner, and the amount of fatback on the carcass middles has reduced dramatically.
As a result, the j-blade portion of the dual blade knife assembly has become less effective over time because of the lack of fat between the skin and the loin. While the system is designed to "pull out" rather than damage the loin, the lack of fatback often leaves skin remaining on the separated loin portion in order to prevent scoring of the loin. This requires more work on the loin portion at subsequent trim stations. Further, while automated skinning machines have been utilized in processing other meat portions, these devices are used to skin meat portions that have no bones. In other words, they are able to apply top pressure on the product to sufficiently flatten the meat for skinning with a straight blade. However, with respect to pork carcass middles, the separated bone-in loin portion is situated between the ribs and the outer layer of fat making it unable to be laid flat on a skinning station. Thus, anything more than minimal top pressure would result in crushing of the bones resulting in damaged loin portions and ribs.
What is needed therefore is an improved apparatus for separating the belly portion from the loin portion of a carcass middle and for removing the skin and fatback from the separated loin portion having a contoured or "saddled" shape.


An automatic bread producing machine includes, in a baking chamber, a vessel unit having a bread vessel where a mixing vane for mixing bread ingredients is rotatably provided and a cylindrical bread vessel support fixed to an underside of the bread vessel. The bread vessel support has stoppers formed on the lower circumference thereof. The machine further includes a vessel mounting support mounted at the bottom of the baking chamber for receiving therein the bread vessel support. The vessel mounting support has cutouts formed at its circumferential wall for receiving and firmly holding the stoppers, respectively. Recessed portions are further formed at the circumferential wall of the vessel mounting support for guiding the stoppers to positions adjacent to the corresponding cutouts, respectively. Each cutout is provided adjacent to a lower end of the recessed portion and at one side of the recessed portion located in a rotation direction of the mixing vane. Each stopper is automatically received and locked in position in the corresponding cutout due to a rotation force of the mixing vane so that the vessel unit is automatically fixed relative to the vessel mounting support. While the stoppers are locked in position, an upper surface of each stopper engages with an upper wall surface of the corresponding cutout. The upper surfaces of each stopper and cutout are so shaped as to urge the vessel unit downward during rotation of the mixing vane.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic bread producing machine which automatically produces bread once the given ingredients are set in the machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The conventional bread producing machine of this type has, in general, a structure like one shown in FIG. 24. In FIG. 24, numeral 1 denotes a chassis mounted at a bottom of a lower case 3. An upper case 2 is mounted onto the lower case 3 so as to cooperatively form a body of the bread producing machine. In the machine body, a baking chamber 4 is formed above the chassis 1. The baking chamber 4 accommodates therein a bread vessel 6 in which the given ingredients of bread are set. The bread vessel 6 is formed of die-cast aluminum. An essentially cylindrical bread vessel support 8 is provided at a bottom of the bread vessel 6.
As shown in FIG. 25, the bread vessel support 8 has fixed ribs 7 integrally formed on the lower circumference thereof for preventing rotation of the bread vessel support 8 and thus the bread vessel 6. Specifically, at a bottom of the baking chamber 4 is fixedly provided a vessel mounting support 10 of an essentially cylindrical shape which receives therein the bread vessel support 8. The vessel mounting support 10 has, on its inner circumferential wall, protruding portions 10a upon which the fixed ribs 7 of the bread vessel support 8 are arranged to abut so as to prevent rotation of the bread vessel 6 relative to the vessel mounting support 10. The bread vessel 6 has a hub opening at a center of its bottom for receiving therethrough a rotation shaft 9a. The rotation shaft 9a has one end inside the bread vessel 6 at the bottom thereof, onto which a mixing vane 9 is detachably mounted for mixing the bread ingredients put in the bread vessel 6. The rotation shaft 9a has the other end outside the bread vessel 6, onto which a driven-side connector 9b is mounted. The driven-side connector 9b engages with a driving-side connector 38b mounted onto a rotation shaft 38a of a pulley 38 which is connected to an output shaft of a motor 5 via a belt 20. Accordingly, a torque of the motor 5 is transmitted to the mixing vane 9 via the pulley 38, the driving-side connector 38b and the driven-side connector 9b. FIGS. 26A and 26B are perspective views for showing the driven-side and driving-side connectors 9b and 38b, respectively.
In the foregoing structure, when a load applied to the mixing vane 9 is increased, the driven-side connector 9b tends to run over projections, each having a triangular cross-section, of the driving-side connector 38b so that the bread vessel 6 tends to move upward. In order to prevent this upward movement of the bread vessel 6 so as to ensure the normal stable engagement between the driven-side and driving-side connectors 9b and 38b, fixing springs 11 are provided to firmly press the bread vessel 6 at an upper end thereof as shown in FIG. 27. In FIG. 27, each of the fixing springs 11 is formed of an elastic steel wire and includes a step 11a for receiving the upper end of the bread vessel 6. The fixing spring 11 has one end fixed to an inner surface of a surrounding wall of the baking chamber 4 by means of a proper mounting fixture 12, such as a screw. The fixing spring 11 has the other end protruding outward through an opening 4a formed at the surrounding wall of the baking chamber 4. Accordingly, when mounting the bread vessel 6 in the baking chamber 4, each of the fixing springs 11 first abuts against the outer periphery of the bread vessel 6 so as to deflect in a direction A. When the bread vessel 6 is placed in position, each fixing spring 11 is restored so as to receive the upper end of the bread vessel 6 at the step 11a.
Referring back to FIG. 24, a heater 14 is arranged in the baking chamber 4 for heating the bread vessel 6. A temperature sensor 15 is further arranged in the baking chamber 4 for monitoring a temperature of the bread vessel 6. Numeral 16 denotes an outer lid with an inner lid 17 for opening and closing the baking chamber 4 relative to the exterior. Numeral 18 denotes an operation panel for a user to manually set a baking time, start cooking and the like. The operation panel 18 includes a control unit for controlling energization of the motor 5 and the heater 14 based on temperature data monitored by the temperature sensor 15, time data and others so as to automatically execute processes of mixing, aging, fermenting and baking. Numeral 19 denotes a capacitor for driving the motor 5.
FIG. 28 shows another example of the conventional bread producing machine, wherein a battery, such as a coin-shaped lithium battery, is provided for backup protection of a microcomputer and maintaining a function of a clock. In FIG. 28, the same or like components are represented by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 24.
In FIG. 28, a chassis 1 firmly holds a plate-metal body 22 of the machine at its lower end in cooperation with a bottom plate 21 in a sandwiched manner. In the machine body 22, a baking chamber 4 having a heater 14 therein is formed above the chassis 1. The baking chamber 4 accommodates therein a bread vessel 6 in which the given ingredients of bread are set. The bread vessel 6 is detachably mounted onto a vessel mounting support 10 in a sandwiched manner. A rotation shaft having an upper end mounted with a mixing vane 9 and a lower end mounted with a driven-side connector 24 is rotatably supported at the center of the bottom of the bread vessel 6. The driven-side connector 24 engages with a driving-side connector 26b mounted onto an upper end of a rotation shaft 26a which is rotatably supported by the vessel mounting support 10. The shaft 26a has a lower end mounted with a large pulley 27 which, in turn, is connected to a small pulley 28 via a belt 20. The small pulley 28 is mounted onto an output shaft of a motor 5 which is fixed to an underside of the chassis 1. Accordingly, the mixing vane 9 is rotated by the driving torque from the motor 5. Numeral 23 denotes a lid for opening and closing the baking chamber 4 relative to the exterior.
A power supply board 29 is an electric drive circuit board for supplying power to the heater 14 and the motor 5 and fixed on the chassis 1 via a board base 30 formed of resin. A microcomputer board 31 is an electric circuit board for outputting control commands to electronic elements, such as a triac and a relay, which perform switching operations for the heater 14 and the motor 5. The microcomputer board 31 is connected to the power supply board 29 via a cable 32 and held in a receiving section 33 provided in a cover 34 of the machine. Further, the microcomputer board 31 is provided with a crystal oscillator and a liquid-crystal display for showing time and an ongoing cooking process. Numeral 35 denotes a battery board in the form of a paper phenol laminate having a coin-shaped lithium battery fixed thereon. The battery board 35 is connected to the microcomputer board 31 via leads 36 and held by a holder 37 which is fixed to the cover 34 by means of a screw. The screw is inserted through an opening formed at the cover 34.
When the machine starts to be operated with the bread ingredients put in the bread vessel 6, the microcomputer board 31 controls the operations of the heater 14 and the motor 5 so that the machine executes, in order, processes of mixing, aging and fermenting of bread dough, and then heats the inside of the baking chamber 4 up to a high temperature of 150.degree. C..about.230.degree. C. for baking bread. The microcomputer board 31 is normally operated with power which is supplied via the plug-socket connection. On the other hand, when the plug is disconnected from the socket, power is supplied to the microcomputer board 31 from the battery board 35 for maintaining the stored data and the clock function.
In the former bread producing machine, however, in order to stably hold the bread vessel 6 in the baking chamber 4, no play is substantially provided between the bread vessel 6 and each fixing spring 11, and the pressing force of each fixing spring 11 is set to be large. This makes it difficult to set the bread vessel 6 in position against the pressing force of the fixing springs 11, and further makes it difficult to detach the bread vessel 6 from within the baking chamber 4. Accordingly, for example, such problems are likely to occur that, when mounting the bread vessel 6 with the given bread ingredients put therein, the bread ingredients spill over the bread vessel 6 due to an extreme force being applied to the bread vessel 6, and that the machine is operated while the bread vessel 6 is not properly positioned in the baking chamber 4. As a result, the bread is not well baked to waste the bread ingredients, and portions of the machine are subjected to damages due to, for example, thermal deformation. Further, for locking the bread vessel 6 relative to the vessel mounting support 10, the fixing springs 11 and the mounting fixtures 12, such as the screws, are additionally required, with the openings 4a further required at the surrounding walls of the baking chamber 4 for allowing the corresponding ends of the fixing springs 11 to pass therethrough. This increases the number of the parts of the machine and the number of the assembling processes of the machine, leading to the increased cost of the machine.
On the other hand, it is necessary to provide certain gap or play in the connection between the bread vessel support 8 and the vessel mounting support 10 for easily mounting and detaching the bread vessel 6 onto and from the vessel mounting support 10. Thus, while the mixing vane 9 is rotated and performs the mixing process to prepare the bread dough, every time the bread dough in the bread vessel 6 rolls and hits an inner wall surface of the bread vessel 6, the bread vessel support 8 along with the bread vessel 6 moves relative to the vessel mounting support 10 so that corresponding sounds are generated between the bread vessel support 8 and the vessel mounting support 10, and further creaking sounds are generated between the fixing springs 11 and the corresponding walls of the baking chamber 4. These sounds in operation are very noisy.
Further, the optimum mixing degrees of the bread dough differ depending on kinds of bread and ingredients. However, since a mixing strength provided by the mixing vane 9 can not be adjusted, the mixing degree can only be adjusted by adjusting a mixing time. This makes it difficult to achieve the optimum mixing process, and further, inevitably changes a cooking time.
Moreover, in the latter bread producing machine, when changing the battery, it is necessary that the battery board 35 be replaced entirely. This lacks handiness and leads to a high cost for changing the battery. Further, when a liquid, such as water, invades the cover 34 through the opening for mounting the holder 37, the battery board 35 is subjected to a leak due to the invaded water, thereby unable to provide the backup protection for the microcomputer and maintain the clock function.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An optic dispersing system, designed for usage in a wavelength field of a beam, includes a network or grating (1) carried by a support (2) with a dilatation coefficient .epsilon.. The system suggested is temperature-stabilized. To do so, it contains a front blade or optical element (3), or refractive index n.sub.1, transparent in the concerned wavelength field. .epsilon.+1/n.sub.1 .times.dn.sub.1 /dt is small and, advantageously, dn.sub.1 /dt and .epsilon. are of opposite signs. This device enables the manufacture of a multiplexer-demultiplexer or a fiber optic wavelength router, which is temperature-stabilized.

Such multiplexers-demultiplexers as described, then progressively perfected, especially in the French patents FR-2.543.768, FR-2.519.148, FR-2.479.981, FR-2.496.260 and in the European patent EP-0.916.963, are already known.
This latter document relates more especially to a multiplexer-demultiplexer in which the input and output fibers are positioned in the immediate vicinity of the focus of a concave mirror. Thus, divergent light received from the input are transformed by the concave mirror into parallel light beams which are directed to a plane diffraction network, i.e., grating, which sends the parallel beams back to the concave mirror and which focuses them on the ends of the output fibers.
We have endeavoured to reduce the aberrations and, especially, the spherical aberrations of such a system and it is thus that such a multiplexer-demultiplexer has been suggested, comprising a fiber carrier, an element carrying the diffraction network (i.e., grating), an intermediate element and a spherical mirror element. The fiber carrier puts the ends of the fibers in contact with the element carrying the diffraction network, the intermediate element which is in contact with the diffraction network and has the same optic index (i.e., refractive index) and the element which carries it, is terminated by a spherical surface in contact with the mirror.
This device is quite satisfactory, has enabled and still enables many embodiments.
However, in certain particular applications, the thermal instability generated by the index variation of the different elements which form the device, with the temperature and the variations of the properties, which may result, has proved detrimental.


A pacifier holder and protector for protecting a pacifier from dirt and other contaminants includes a pouch, a clip connected to the pouch that can be used to connect the holder to an infant's clothing or other item, and a ribbon having one end connected to the pouch and a second end that can be connected to a pacifier. An alternative embodiment of the holder and protector includes an animal character, fictional character, or other object having a built-in pacifier nipple protector connected to a clip or article of clothing and an optional ribbon or strap having one end connected to the clip of other article of clothing and a second end that can be connected to a pacifier.

The present invention relates generally to a pacifier holder. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a pacifier holder and protector.
Pacifier holders are known in the art. These holders typically include a ribbon having one end that can be connected to a pacifier and a second end that can be connected to an infant's clothing using a clip. When the pacifier is not being used, the pacifier simply hangs from the ribbon and is exposed to dirt and other contaminants, which is harmful to an infant. As a result, there is a need for a way to hold a pacifier when it is not in use that eliminates this problem.


A steering column assembly for operating a vehicle packages mechanical components and electrical devices normally found in or around the steering column of the vehicle into a single unit. An on-board processor accepts signals from the electrical devices, which may include motor actuators for steering column adjustments and/or pedal position adjustments. The on-board processor connects to a vehicle communications bus to communicate data received from the electrical devices to various systems throughout the vehicle. The on-board processor also receives data from the various systems. The steering column assembly also includes a display connected to the on-board processor. The display and on-board processor moves with the steering column as it is adjusted for telescope and/or tilt position. The operator receives information about the operation of the vehicle from the display. All components, including the on-board processor, are operatively connected to a column support, allowing the steering column assembly to be installed as a unit. Therefore, the steering column assembly installs quickly into the vehicle with a reduced chance of installation error.

Steering column assemblies for operating a vehicle are well known in the art. One such steering column assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,927 (the '927 patent) to Honekamp et al.
The steering column assembly of the '927 patent includes numerous components typically found on or around a steering column of a vehicle. These components include a steering shaft, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a clutch pedal, and a turn signal switch. The components are assembled together into a steering column assembly for quick installation into the vehicle. However, one the steering column assembly is installed, each of the components must be independently connected, either by mechanical or electrical techniques, to the several systems of the vehicle to which they are associated.
There remains a need for a steering column assembly of components for operating a vehicle that installs into the vehicle very quickly with little opportunity for installation error.


The present invention provides a 3D video shooting control system which controls the position and direction of a pair of imaging devices in order to obtain a suitable 3D effect or maintain the safety, taking the shooting condition and the viewing condition into consideration comprehensively. A base-line length and a convergence angle of a pair of imaging devices are controlled based on an integration model in which a 3D shooting and broadcasting model and a 3D object model are integrated. A base-line length determination unit 6d-1 determines a base-line length based on the relationship expressed by an integration model equation 1 and a camera control unit 6e moves the pair of imaging devices to change the position thereof so that the pair of imaging devices has the determined base-line length.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for controlling a position and a direction of an imaging device (a camera) for shooting a 3D video.
2. Description of the Related Art
Three-dimensional (3D) videos capable of achieving stereoscopic representation have been often used in a variety of fields in recent years, as typified by 3D movies and 3D televisions. Such 3D videos are generally taken by a pair of 3D shooting cameras (a camera for left-eye image and a camera for right-eye image).
The pair of 3D shooting cameras is consistently fixed at a position, and the shooting is done in that situation. Furthermore, in such case, the interval (base-line length) of about 65 mm is generally kept between the 3D shooting cameras so that the problems such as a miniature landscape effect (giant vision) do not arise. Furthermore, the relationship between the interval between the 3D shooting cameras and the angle of view thereof is adjusted manually (for example, operated by a user's hand).
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-81010 titled "THREE-DIMENSIONAL IMAGING DEVICE, METHOD, AND PROGRAM" discloses the adjustment of the base-line length for obtaining the 3D effect as described above, which describes the fact that the base-line length of two 3D shooting cameras is adjusted in order to obtain the stereoscopic effect of a 3D video.

3D video shooting control system, 3D video shooting control method and program


Disclosed herein are a computer program product and a system of fulfilling requests for information data from a network client in a client-server environment. The system and computer program product include receiving a hypertext document and a program component and displaying the hypertext document, the hypertext document having initially no information data filling its form fields. A user requests information from a network client which calls the program component to request information and upon determination that the requested information is not stored in a buffer memory the requested information is downloaded from the network server. The form fields in the hypertext document are filled with the information and displayed.

Client-server computer networks are well known. The most prominent example of a client-server computer network is the Internet. The Internet is a collection of networks that allows users at disparate, heterogeneous computer systems to communicate with each other across organizational and geographical boundaries. The exchange of information on the Internet follows the traditional network rule based on the client-server architecture.
The Internet uses a packet switched protocol referred to as the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). Full Internet access usually includes five key features; electronic mail (e-mail), logging on to Internet-connected computers using Telnet, transferring files from Internet-connected computers using File Transfer Protocol (FTP), getting access to discussion groups, and using various information-research tools, especially the World Wide Web (WWW or Web).
The present invention is particularly concerned with the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web is a hypertext-based information service that makes collections of information available across the Internet. It allows web browser clients to access information from any accessible web server and supports multiple media types. The World Wide Web can be used to invoke other software by means of embedded hypertext links. Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is used to describe static text documents, and a web browser is essentially an HTML interpreter. A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is basically a network location which tells the user not only where something is (its address), but also what it is. The basic form of a URL address is service://hostname/path which identifies what Internet service is needed to reach the resource, what computer it is located on, and enough detail to find what is being searched for. Embedded hypertext links on a given web page can be used to find information related to the given web page. By clicking on a hypertext link in one web page, the user can display another related web page or even invoke a related program.
By navigating through the Web, it is now possible to connect and communicate with platforms of different architectures, such as remote databases, accessible via web servers. Typically, data stored in a remote database are presented to a user connected to a web client (e.g., a web browser), through a form-based format HTML document, commonly referred to as HTML form. In the HTML form, data which is to be looked up i.e., the "dynamic data", populates dedicated fields of the HTML form. At the client side, the HTML document is interpreted by the client web browser and a GUI (graphical user interface) presenting the data is displayed to the user.
According to a typical process, an input HTML form is used to collect data defining a request from a user connected to a web client. The request data is then supplied to a language-independent interface program in the web server, such as a CGI program (common gateway interface) or a servlet program, which interfaces a database application program that is responsible for providing the data requested. The server interface program finally produces an output HTML form containing the requested data populating the form fields, and send it to the web client.
Thus, at the server side, the data which is looked up, i.e., the "dynamic" or "useful" data is retrieved from their storage location, and then merged with the static data i.e. the "template" or "mask" data of the HTML form-based format document, finally the whole document is sent to the web client.
However, the above process presents the shortcomings that it penalizes the response time and generates internet traffic overheads, particularly, for example, in cases when only the dynamic data varys while the static data remains unchanged from one query to another; in other words, when the way of presentation of the data remains unchanged.
Still according to that typical process, when a user, at the client side, wants to make a new information query through a GUI displayed, a new request is generated through an HTML form and the whole document is sent to the web server, even if the new data requested had already been sought and obtained by the user during the same database query session. This again penalizes the response time and generates internet traffic overheads.
Furthermore, in cases when the user wants to update certain data currently displayed through the HTML form, the user typically modifies that data by changing the value of certain fields of the HTML form displayed i.e., the web page currently displayed. To validate that modification the whole HTML form is transmitted to the web server. Now, if the web page displayed was only a portion of a data record stored in the database, then, in order to modify another portion of the same data record, the user has to make a new request for downloading that portion of the same data record. This latter operation is again not effective in terms of response time and Internet traffic overheads generated. Furthermore, it is not convenient for the user.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and system of fulfilling requests for information from a network client

International Business Machines Corporation


A disk drive is disclosed that estimates a sinusoidal error in a wedge time period due to eccentricity in the disk rotating to generate eccentricity compensation values. During a write operation a head is positioned over a target data sector within a target track, a write clock frequency is set using an eccentricity compensation value corresponding to the target data sector, and data is written to the target data sector using the write clock frequency. In this manner, the eccentricity compensation value adjusts the write clock frequency to better optimize the linear bit density from the inner to outer diameter tracks.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to disk drives. In particular, the present invention relates to a disk drive that adjusts the write clock frequency to compensate for eccentricity in disk rotation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A disk drive typically comprises one or more disks rotated by a spindle motor while heads are actuated radially over the disk surfaces. Each disk surface comprises a number of radially spaced, concentric tracks, where each track is divided into a number of data sectors. A number of embedded servo sectors forming servo wedges are also written on each disk surface, which facilitate seeking the head and maintaining the head over the centerline of a target track during read and write operations.
The disks are rotated at a constant angular velocity (CAV) while varying the data rate from an inner diameter zone to an outer diameter zone to maximize the recording density by maximizing the usable disk space at the outer diameter tracks. That is, the write clock frequency is adjusted relative to the radial location of the head so as to maintain a substantially constant linear bit density from the inner to outer diameter tracks correlative with an increasing linear velocity from the inner to outer diameter tracks. Ideally, the linear bit density for each zone on the disk is selected very near the maximum, that is, at a density where interference between adjacent bit cells is tolerable. However, eccentricity in the disk rotating will induce a sinusoidal disturbance in the linear velocity of the tracks relative to the head leading to a sinusoidal disturbance in the linear bit density. Eccentricities may occur, for example, if a media writer is used to servo write the disk before installing the disk into the disk drive, if the disk "slips" after using the head internal to the disk drive to servo write the disk, or if the disk slips after writing user data to the data sectors. Thus, prior art disk drives decrease the linear bit density selected for each zone on the disk by some predetermined margin to account for the worst case disturbance in the linear velocity, which leads to an undesirable decrease in storage capacity.
There is, therefore, a need to increase the storage capacity of disk drives by better optimizing the linear bit density from the inner to outer diameter zones.

Disk drive adjusting write clock frequency to compensate for eccentricity in disk rotation


A new cultivar of Berberis plant named ‘FIREBALL’ that is characterized by semi prostrate habit and bright red foliage. In combination these traits set ‘FIREBALL’ apart from all other existing varieties of Berberis known to the inventor.

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(f) of the earlier-filed application for European Community Plant Breeders Rights, Application Number 2008/0457, filed Feb. 27, 2008.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of barberry that is grown as a dwarf shrub for container or landscape. The new cultivar is known botanically as Berberis thunbergii and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name 'FIREBALL'.
'FIREBALL' was selected by the inventor in Litomysl, The Czech Republic in 1994, for unique foliage color. The new cultivar 'FIREBALL' is a hybrid plant that resulted from deliberate cross-pollination conducted by the inventor in a cultivated area of Litomysl, The Czech Republic. Cross-pollination was between an individual plant of Berberis thunbergii 'Goldalita' (unpatented) and an individual plant of Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea Nana' (unpatented). The female parent is Berberis thunbergii 'Goldalita' and the male parent is Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea Nana'.
'FIREBALL' is a deciduous dwarf shrub whose foliage is bright red when exposed to direct sun. This foliage color persists throughout the summer season. There are no dwarf Berberis known to the inventor that exhibit this foliage color. To date the inventor has observed no flowers produced by 'FIREBALL'. The foliage color distinguishes 'FIREBALL' from all other Berberis known to the inventor.
'FIREBALL' differs from the parent plants as follows: Whereas the foliage of 'FIREBALL' is bright red, the foliage of the female parent plant 'Goldalita' is yellow; and the foliage of the male parent 'Atropurpurea Nana' is deep reddish brown.
The variety of 'Berberis' which the inventor considers to most closely resemble 'FIREBALL' is Berberis thunbergii 'Bagatelle' (unpatented). Whereas the plant habit of 'Bagatelle' is similar to 'FIREBALL', the foliage of 'Bagatelle' is dull reddish-brown in color.
The first asexual reproduction of 'FIREBALL' was conducted by the inventor in 1995, in a cultivated area of Litomysl, The Czech Republic. The method used for asexual propagation was vegetative cuttings. Since that time the distinguishing characteristics of 'FIREBALL' have been determined stable and have reproduced true to type in successive generations.


An article carrier apparatus for a vehicle includes a cross rail interconnected to an exterior surface of the vehicle, a heat sink positioned within the cross rail, and a light source positioned within the cross rail. The light source is thermally connected to the heat sink such that the heat sink will absorb at least a portion of the heat generated by operation of the light source. The cross rail will structurally support an article attached to the exterior of a vehicle.

A vehicle may include one or more spot lights or marker lights to illuminate exterior vehicle portions. A vehicle may also include an article carrier rack to strap luggage or secure articles, such as bicycles or kayaks, to an exterior portion of the vehicle. Typically, light bars or spot lights interfere with article carrier racks since both are designed to occupy the same space.

Low profile light for article carrier system


A therapeutic mobilization device is disclosed. The device includes a flexion assembly, a pro/supination assembly and a valgus carrying angle compensation device. The flexion assembly has an arm attachment assembly and an elbow actuator and the elbow actuator defines and axes of rotation. The pro/supination assembly is attached to flexion assembly and has a distal forearm attachment assembly and a pro/supination actuator operably connected thereto. The valgus carrying angle compensation device is operably attached to the flexion assembly and the pro/supination assembly. Preferably the pro/supination assembly is slidably mounted on a housing shaft whereby during flexion the pro/supination assembly is free to move along the housing shaft. Further, preferably the arm attachment assembly includes an attachment ring and an adjustable clamp pivotally attached thereto whereby the attachment ring defines a pro/supination axis and the adjustable clamp pivots orthogonally to the pro/supination axis.

In recent years it has become evident that the rehabilitation and treatment of injured joints and surrounding soft tissue can be expedited by use of continuous passive motion (CPM) static and dynamic serial splinting of the involved joint and surrounding soft tissue. CPM and splinting entails moving the joint via its related limbs through a passive controlled range of motion without requiring any muscle coordination. Active motion is also beneficial to the injured joint, however muscle fatigue limits the length of time the patient can maintain motion or positioning, therefore a device that provides continues passive motion to the joint is essential to maximize rehabilitation results. Numerous studies have proven the clinical efficacy of CPM or splinting to accelerate healing and maintain a range of motion. Static Progressive Splinting (SPS) and Dynamic Splinting (DS) are accepted and effective treatment modalities for the management and modelling of soft tissue surrounding articulations. Both SPS and DS have been proven efficacious and are supported by clinical studies. CPM, SPS and DS are integral components of a successful therapy protocol.
The successful rehabilitation of elbow and forearm injuries is complex, time consuming and often challenging due to the mobility, complex geometry and high stresses in and around the joint.

Combination pro/supination and flexion therapeutic mobilization device


Methods and systems, including computer program products, implementing techniques for message filtering. The techniques include receiving a plurality of messages generated by an application, and filtering the messages, including simplifying one or more of the messages, eliminating one or more of the messages, or both simplifying and eliminating messages. The messages report errors in the execution of the application or provide warnings about possible errors.

The present invention relates to data processing by digital computer, and more particularly to message filtering.
Messages generated by computer systems can be difficult for end users to understand. For example, error messages generated by computer systems often contain technical content that is cryptic and confusing to the non-programmer user.
Users can also become confused when too many error messages are displayed, particularly when some of the messages are redundant or contradictory.
In some systems, the generated messages are first sent to a message collector and then retrieved from the messages collector when the system is ready to present the messages to a user.


The present invention relates to a novel process for preparing hepatitis C virus (HCV) envelope glycoproteins employing Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells transformed with recombinant expression vectors containing the hepatitis C virus genome. The present invention provides CHO cells cotransfected with DHFR (dihydrofolate reductase) minigene pDCHIP and recombinant expression vectors containing cDNAs of HCV E1 and E2/NS1 ligated with tissue plasminogen activator signal sequence. HCV E1 and E2/NS1 envelope glycoproteins are produced in a massive manner from the transformed CHO cells adapted in methotrexate. The HCV envelope glycoproteins produced by the present invention can be applied to the development of a diagnostic reagent and a potential preventive HCV vaccine.

Hepatitis C virus (hereinafter referred to as `HCV`) is a major etiologic agent for the post transfusional and sporadic non-A, non-B hepatitis which develops into hepatocellular carcinoma through chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis in more than 50% of the cases (see: Alter, H. J., Transfusion-associated non-A, non-B hepatitis: the first decade, In A-J Zuckerman Ed. (1988); Choo Q. L. et al., Science, 244:359-362 (1989); Choo Q. L. et al., British Medical Bulletin, 46 (2):423-441 (1990)). Considering its seriousness due to high mortality and morbidity, much interests have been centered on the development of a diagnostic reagent and a vaccine for HCV infection. Although much progress has been made at the molecular level since a whole HCV genome was cloned and nucleotide sequences were analysed (see: Choo Q. L. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 88:2451-2455 (1991); Kato, N. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 87:9524-9528 (1990)), the difficulty of obtaining enough free viruses either from in vitro propagation or blood of HCV infected patient has been a barrier in development of conventional vaccine including whole killed or attenuated viral vaccine. Under the circumstances, heterologous expression system has been considered to be the best choice to obtain useful HCV antigens as components of HCV subunit vaccine.
On the other hand, HCV has a 9.4 kb single-stranded positive sense RNA genome which encodes a single polyprotein of about 3,010 amino acids (see: Choo Q. L. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 88:2451-2455 (1991); Takamizawa, A. et al., J. Virol., 65:1105-1113 (1991); Kato, N. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 87:9524-9528 (1990)). This single large polypeptide is co- or post-translationally processed to at least 9 polypeptides including two putative envelope proteins (E1 and E2/NS1) either by host signalase or viral proteases (see: Hijikata, M. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 88:5547-5551 (1991); Hijikata, M. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 90:10773-10777 (1993); Grakoui, A. et al., J. Virol., 67 (3): 1385-1395 (1993)). Hydropathy analysis of the deduced amino acid sequences of the HCV poly-protein showed the relatedness of HCV with pestiviruses and flaviviruses (see: Miller, R. H. and Purcell, R. H., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 87:2057-2061 (1990)).
In this regard, there have been several reports indicating that antibodies for the envelope glycoproteins of pestiviruses and flaviviruses (E1 and E2, E1 and NS1, respectively) protect their host against infection (see: Rumenapf, T. et al., J. Virol., 65 (2):589-597 (1991); Falgout, B. et al., J. Virol., 64 (9):4356-4363 (1990); Weiland, E. et al., J. Virol., 64 (8):3563-3569 (1990); Schlesinger, J. J. et al., J. Virol., 60 (3):1153-1155 (1986); Hulst, M. M. et al., J. Virol., 67 (9):5435-5442 (1993); Despres, P. et al., J. Gen. Virol., 72:2811-2816 (1991)). In the case of flavivirus, effective attenuated vaccines have been developed and more recently, recombinant based vaccines directed against flaviviruses and pestiviruses are under investigation (see: Rumenapf, T. et al., J. Virol., 65:589-597 (1991)). Further, two putative envelope glycoproteins (E1 and E2/NS1) of HCV, identified by in vitro processing analyses and N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis, have been expected to be the most probable components of preventive subunit vaccine considering that these may play a major role in the course of viral infection and host immune responses.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for the development of a practical process for mass production of HCV E1 and E2/NS1 envelope glycoproteins for a diagnostic reagent and a potential preventive HCV vaccine.

Process for preparing hepatitis C virus envelope glycoproteins


A pulse signal processing circuit, a parallel processing circuit, and a pattern recognition system including a plurality of arithmetic elements for outputting pulse signals and at least one modulation circuit, synaptic connection element(s), or synaptic connection means for modulating the pulse signals, the modulated pulse signals then being separately or exclusively output to corresponding signal lines.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pulse signal circuit and further to a parallel processing circuit and a pattern recognition system that use this pulse signal circuit, and an image input system for detecting a specified object etc. by use of the pattern recognition system.
2. Related Background Art
Image and voice recognition implementation systems have hitherto been roughly classified into such a type that a recognition processing algorithm specialized for a specified recognition object is sequentially operated and executed as computer software, and a type in which the same algorithm is executed by a dedicated parallel image processor (such as an SIMD (Single Instruction Multiple Data) processor, an MIMD (Multiple Instruction stream/Multiple Data stream) processor and so on).
Typical examples are given below as exemplifying the image recognition algorithm. At first, the following is methods involving calculating a feature amount relative to a similarity to a recognition object model. One method is a method for representing recognition object model data as a template model, calculating a similarity by template matching etc with an input image (or a feature vector thereof) and calculating a high-order correlation coefficient. Another method is a method (Sirovich, et al., 1987, Low-dimensional procedure for the characterization of human faces, J. Opt. Soc. Am.[A], vol. 3, pp. 519-524) for mapping an input pattern to an intrinsic image function space obtained by analyzing primary components of an object model image, and calculating an intra-feature-space distance from the model. A further method is a method (Lades et al., 1993, Distortion Invariant Object Recognition in the Dynamic Link Architecture, IEEE Trans. on Computers, vol. 42, pp. 300-311) for representing a plurality of feature extraction results (feature vectors) and a spatial arrangement relationship as graphs, and calculating a similarity based on elastic graph matching. A still further method is a method (Seibert, et al., 1992, Learning and recognizing 3D objects from multiple views in a neural system, in Neural Networks for Perception, vol. 1 Human and Machine Perception (H. Wechsler Ed.) Academic Press, pp. 427-444) for obtaining position-, rotation- and scale-invariable representations by executing predetermined conversions with respect to input images and thereafter collating with a model.
The following is exemplifications of a pattern recognition method based on a neural network model of which a hint is acquired from a biological information processing system. One exemplification is a method (Japanese Patent Post-Exam. No. 60-712, Fukushima and Miyake, 1982, Neocognitron: A new algorithm for pattern recognition tolerant of deformation and shifts in position, Pattern Recognition, vol. 15, pp-455-469) for implementing hierarchical template matching. Another exemplification is a method (Anderson, et al., 1995, Routing Networks in Visual Cortex, in Handbook of Brain Theory and Neural Networks (M. Arbib, Ed.), MIT Press, pp. 823-826) for obtaining object-based scale- and position-invariable representations by dynamic routing neural networks. Other exemplifications are methods using multi-layer perceptrons, a radial basis function network and so on.
On the other hand, what is proposed as a scheme for taking an information processing system based on biological neural networks with a higher fidelity, is a neural network model circuit (Murray et al., 1991, Pulse-Stream VLSI Neural Networks Mixing analog and digital Techniques, IEEE Trans. on Neural Networks, vol. 1.2, pp. 193-204; Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 7-262157, 7-334478 and 8-153148, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2879670) for transmitting and representing information through on a pulse train corresponding to an action potential.
Methods for recognizing and detecting a specified object by a neural network constructed of pulse train generation neurons, are systems (U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,065, and Broussard, et al., 1999, Physiologically Motivated Image Fusion for Object Detection using a Pulse Coupled Neural Network, IEEE Trans. on Neural Networks, vol. 10, pp. 554-563, and so forth) using a pulse coupled neural network (which will hereinafter be abbreviated to PCNN), to be specific, a high-order (second-order or higher) model by Echhorn (Eckhorn, et al., 1990, Feature linking via synchronization among distributed assembles: simulation of results from cat cortex, Neural Computation, vol. 2, pp. 293-307) which is based on the premise of linking inputs and feeding inputs.
Further, a method for relieving a wiring problem in the neural network is an event-driven oriented method (Address Event Representation: this will hereinafter be abbreviated to AER) (Lazzaro, et al., 1993, Silicon Auditory Processors as Computer Peripherals, In Touretzky, D (ed), Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 5. San Mateo, Calif.: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers) for coding addresses of so-called pulse output neurons. In this case, IDs of pulse train output-sided neurons are coded as binary addresses, whereby even when output signals from the different neurons are arranged in time sequence on a common bus, the input-sided neurons are able to automatically decode the addresses of the source neurons.
On the other hand, the neural network processor related to Japanese Patent Publication No. 2741793 schemes to reduce the number of neurons and to downsize a circuit by configuring multi-layered feedforward oriented networks in a systolic array architecture.
Each of the prior arts described above, however, still entails, as problems to a great extent, a difficulty of downsizing both wiring portions related to inter-neuron connections and a circuit scale of synaptic connection circuit of which the number is by far larger than the number of neurons, and a difficulty of applying a layout of respective components to a general pattern recognition.

Pulse signal circuit, parallel processing circuit, and pattern recognition system


Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for service creation and management. A processor can detect an event relating to a service, and access a service creation database to identify a recipe associated with the service. The recipe can define a resource to be used to provide the service. The processor can access an inventory to determine if the resource is available, identify a service control to control the service, instruct an infrastructure control to allocate virtual machines to host components of the service, and issue instructions to the service control. The instructions can instruct the service control to load service functions to the virtual machines.

In the past few years, service creation, maintenance, and delivery have evolved. Some services may rely upon new technologies such as virtualization, for example the European Telecommunications Standards Institute ("ETSI") network functions virtualization ("NFV"), other "cloud" computing architecture, software defined networking ("SDN"), or the like. Various approaches for creating and deploying applications in these evolved networks on dedicated server infrastructure are generally understood, but a virtualized infrastructure has properties such as scalability and active reassignment of idle capacity that may not be well understood or explored. Applications that are not structured to make use of scalability and/or active reassignment of idle capacity may be more costly and less efficient than an identical or similar application that runs on dedicated infrastructure.
Building services that are designed around a dedicated infrastructure concept and deploying them in a virtualized infrastructure may not exploit the capabilities of, or provide financial benefit from, the virtualized network. Similarly, building a virtualized service that does not provide flexible routing of messages between service components may significantly increase the complexity of the virtualized service relative to an application on dedicated infrastructure.


Readability of overlapping radio frequency identification (RFID) devices on overlapping objects, such as RFID labels on stacked garments, is improved by having different antenna configurations for the overlapped RFID devices. Each pair of closest overlapped RFID devices may have different respective antenna configurations. The different respective antenna configurations may be mirror images of one another, or may have the same shape, with a relative rotation between the two. The different antenna configurations may substantially fill an antenna-receiving portion that is located in the same relative location in each of the RFID devices, with the antenna-receiving portion covering most of an area of the RFID devices. Feedpoints of the different antenna configurations, for receiving a strap or interposer for coupling to the antenna configurations, may be in the same relative location.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of radio frequency identification (RFID) devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and labels (collectively referred to herein as "devices") are widely used to associate an object with an identification code or other information. For example, RFID tags are used in conjunction with security locks in cars, for access control to buildings, and for tracking inventory and parcels. RFID devices generally have a combination of antennas and analog and/or digital electronics, which may include for example communications electronics, data memory, and control logic.
As noted above, RFID devices are generally categorized as labels or tags. RFID labels are RFID devices that are adhesively or otherwise have a surface attached directly to objects. RFID tags, in contrast, are secured to objects by other means, for example by use of a plastic fastener, string or other fastening means.
One possible concern in using RFID devices is that devices may undesirably interact with one another when the devices are close together. It will be appreciated that reducing or eliminating such effects may be desirable.

RFID devices and methods for overlapped objects


A closure system for a cage containing laboratory animals, where in an upper edge of the base of the cage an U-shaped housing towards the outside of the edge hosts a gasket having a lip projecting out of the upper edge, and s bending in contact with a side rim of the top, the side rim overlapping the upper edge, and comprising at least two latches, connected on one side to the base, and having a bending line with a smaller thickness, and a projecting hook at the opposite side, to be restrained in a slot in the top, so that in operation the latch bends in the bending line and the projecting hook can be engaged to or disengaged from the slot.

A way of isolating laboratory test animals from each other and from the personnel and, at the same time, of reducing operating costs is to enclose them, either alone or in small homogeneous groups, in containers, usually small cages. Inside the cages the most convenient microclimate for the life of the animals is realized. Great care is taken to provide the container inside with a change of air adequate for maintaining low levels of ammonia and carbon dioxide concentrations, which substances are harmful to the animals good health.
These cages are provided with means connecting the same with a pipe (or equivalent system) conveying air (generally filtered and decontaminated) at the desired pressure: the connecting system will maintain—at least for a short time—the container isolated and protected from the external environment, should the container be disconnected from the pipe and moved for any reason.
The cages are generally placed on racks (either open or closed by doors or the like) attached to a framework, which is the stationary component of the breeding department. This support framework is provided with a system that supplies the single cages with air and, preferably, but not necessarily, with the water to be conveyed to the drinking-troughs, if any.
The known cages are normally closed by a plastic top equipped with latches, inlet and outlet air valves, external water bottle and, inside the cage, a wire bar lid with a nylon gasket fitted on the upper profile of the cage base.
The problems to be faced with the above kind of cages are an increasing need for improving the containment at cage level while keeping the practicality of use, reducing the number of cage components, increasing the number of cages within the rack footprint and standardising of rack structure.
A further problem also to be solved is to improve the manner for positioning and keeping stable and firm the cages to the rack.

Closure system for a cage containing laboratory animals and methods thereof


The invention relates to a method for creating a space of invisibility, which comprises: (a) providing a metamaterial plate having a subwavelength thickness, said metamaterial plate having bottom and top surfaces; (b) radiating the bottom surface of the metamaterial plate by a primary radiation thereby to form a space of invisibility above the top surface of the metamaterial plate, said space of invisibility being located within a space of a secondary radiation above the metamaterial plate which is in turn formed as a result of said primary radiation passing through metamaterial plate.

Metamaterials are materials that are man-made engineered to have properties that are not found in nature. For example, they may be made from assemblies of multiple elements fashioned from composite materials such as metals or plastics. The one or more materials forming the metamaterial are usually arranged in repeating patterns, at scales that are smaller than the wavelengths of the phenomena they influence. Metamaterials derive their properties not from the properties of the original materials, but rather from their newly designed structures. Their precise shape, geometry, size, orientation and arrangement gives them unique properties capable of manipulating waves: by blocking, absorbing, enhancing, or bending waves, metamaterials achieve benefits that go beyond what is possible with conventional (natural) materials. Metamaterials that are engineered from material composites have exotic electromagnetic properties that do not exist in nature, and are achieved through subwavelength structuring.
The concept of an invisibility cloak with metamaterials has been a topic of interest over the last few centuries. The recent developments in metamaterial science and nanotechnology have enabled the possibility of cloaking an object to become a technological reality. One approach to achieve an invisibility cloak is by use of transformation optics.
Silicon photonics integrated circuits are considered to enable future computing systems with optical input-outputs co-packaged with CMOS chips to circumvent the limitations of electrical interfaces. For example, the silicon based photonic integrated circuits are widely used in applications such as optical modulators, optical interconnects, biosensors, and more. A metamaterial overlayer, or simply a meta-surface on an integrated photonic structure, allows for nurturing the device with novel functionalities. The introduction of meta-surfaces (metamaterial layers) simplifies the design of metamaterial structures due to its characteristic thickness, which is typically much smaller than the wavelength. This essentially converts the design process to two dimensional. One of the most appealing applications of meta-surfaces is achieving invisibility cloaks by tailoring evanescent fields. This can be allowed in a controllable manner using an integrated photonics platform.
The prior art has suggested concealing an object by wrapping or covering it by a metamaterial layer. Waves that radiate the wrapping metamaterial layer cannot reach the object, therefore the object becomes invisible. The wrapping metamaterial layer in itself is also invisible, therefore both the metamaterial layer and the object are "invisible" or undetectable. However, the prior art has failed to teach the hiding of an object which is neither wrapped nor covered by the metamaterial, in a space which is exposed to radiation passing through the metamaterial. For example, the prior art has failed to teach hiding of an object which is positioned above a metamaterial layer.
The term "invisible" used herein means that the object is not "seen", namely undetectable in the relevant wavelength, whether the relevant waves are in the electromagnetic range or in the acoustic range.
Composite plasmonic waveguides incorporating dielectric and metallic films offer a great potential for ultra-compact integrated photonic devices, due to a substantial increase of the propagation distance of the plasmon waves. Surface plasmons (SP) are a type of surface waves that extend along a metal-dielectric interface, considering the momentum matching conditions. The surface plasmons benefit from spatial confinement and high local field intensity. One of the major limitations in the implementation of plasmonic circuits is their short propagation length. Composite plasmonic waveguides provide large confinement of light in a sub-wavelength scale. They also allow for the control of the surface plasmons excited in the metal overlayer, while substantially reducing inevitable ohmic losses of conventional plasmonic materials.
Qiluan Cheng, Kedi Wu, Yile Shi, Hui Wang & Guo Ping Wang—"Directionally hiding objects and creating illusions above a carpet-like device by reflection holography", Nature Scientific Reports 5, Article number: 8581 (2015), teaches an object cloaking above a carpet layer and creation of an illusion of transforming one object into another one. However, this is done by use of reflection holography techniques rather than by use of a metamaterial layer.
Yun Lai, Huanyang Chen, Zhao-Qing Zhang and C. T. Chan "A complementary media invisibility cloak that can cloak objects at a distance outside the cloaking shell" Department of Physics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China, teaches an "invisibility cloak" which can hide an object of a pre-specified shape and size at a certain distance from the layer. However, the cloaking technique in this publication requires a layer which is "complementary" (i.e., "anti-object") to the hidden object. More specifically, each designed layer directly depends and can hide only one specific object. This publication fails to teach a single "general purpose" layer that can hide objects of any shape, i.e., various shapes that are independent from the structure of the metamaterial layer.

System and method for creating an invisible space

B.G. Negev Technologies & Applications Ltd. at Ben-Gurion University