A navigation unit having a gyro sensor mounted thereon. The unit includes a mounting mechanism for changing the mounting direction of the gyro sensor so that the rotation detecting axis of the gyro sensor may be vertical, i.e. normal to a vehicle. In one embodiment, the navigation unit includes a support device for supporting the gyro sensor rotatably with respect to a casing. The gyro sensor may be supported in a rocking manner in the casing, and mounted to be changed between a first mounting direction and a second mounting direction perpendicular to the first mounting direction. In the preferred construction, the gyro sensor has a first pin and a second pin, and the casing has a first guide groove for receiving and guiding the first pin, and a second guide groove extending perpendicular to the first guide groove for receiving and guiding the second pin. The second guide groove provides a rocking center for the gyro sensor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a navigation unit, and, more particularly, to a navigation unit having a selectively positionable gyro sensor mounted therein.
2. Related Art
Navigation systems for use in vehicles are conventionally constructed to include: a display device having a display for displaying data; a control unit allowing a driver to input data; a receiver for using a variety of media; a CD-ROM driver for using a CD-ROM; and a navigation unit for supervising the entirety of the navigation system. The navigation unit includes a variety of electronic parts such as a CPU, a memory and an interface, a card holder for holding a feature expansion PC card, and a gyro sensor for detecting the direction of travel of the vehicle. The navigation unit is usually mounted in a trunk of the vehicle, and is connected with the receiver and the CD-ROM driver, also mounted in the trunk, and with the display device mounted in the passenger compartment near the driver's seat.
Conventional navigation units, however, have such a large size and occupy so much space that they are difficult to mount on a vehicle. In order to improve the mountability, therefore, attempts have been made to provide a navigation unit which can be installed either horizontally or vertically on the vehicle. However, since the gyro sensor must have its rotation detecting axis vertical at all times, it cannot be used in a navigation unit which can be installed either horizontally or vertically. Thus, in these navigation units the gyro unit having the gyro sensor is made separate from the remainder of the navigation unit so that the gyro unit is installed directly on the vehicle. In this latter case, however, the total space occupied by the navigation unit and the gyro unit is enlarged. In addition, the work for installing the gyro unit directly on the vehicle is troublesome, and communication circuits or the like are required between the navigation unit and the gyro unit, thus raising cost.
Navigation units have also been constructed for horizontal installation with two gyro sensors, having different mounting directions, mounted therein. In this construction, when one gyro sensor is mounted vertically in the navigation unit, the other gyro sensor can also be used. However, the two gyro sensors must be mounted in advance in the navigation unit, thus increasing cost and occupied area.


The invention relates to an electronic flat key having a grip element (2) and a key bit (3), the grip element (2) including a casing (4) in which are arranged an electronic switching device (12) for remote operation of a lock or locking system and a holder (16) for at least one battery (17) for supplying power to the switching device, the grip element casing (4) including two side elements (5, 6) constructed in the form of shells, and the key bit (3) being arranged on the grip element casing (4) in a manner enabling it to be swiveled from a retracted position, in which it is situated in a lateral well (10) in the grip element casing (4), into an extended position. In order for the grip element casing (4) to also consist of metallic side elements (5, 6) constructed in the form of shells, without this substantially affecting (electrically shadowing) the transmitting and/or receiving elements located in the casing (4) for remote operation or a lock or locking system, the invention proposes that between the two side elements (5,6) of the grip element casing (4), which are made of metal and are constructed in the form of shells, there is arranged a central element (7) of frame-like construction which is made of a material that does not conduct electricity, which extends peripherally at least in sub-portion (8) of the grip element casing (4) as far as the outer surface (9) of the casing (4) and is sufficient for conveying an adequate signal between the transmitting and/or receiving elements located in the grip element casing (4) and those located in the lock zone or locking system zone.

The invention relates to an electronic flat key in accordance with the features of the preamble of Claim 1.
Flat keys of this type are for example known from DE 39 02 537 C2. They are essentially composed of a grip element and a key bit, the grip element including a casing and the key bit being arranged on the casing of the grip element in a manner enabling it to be swiveled from a retracted position, in which it is located in a lateral well in the grip element casing, into an extended position. In the case of the conventional flat key the grip element casing consists of two shell-type plastics side elements joined together, which enclose an electronic switching device for remote operation of a lock or locking system. In addition, there is disposed in the grip element casing a holder which houses the batteries for supplying power to the electronic switching device. The holder is contiguous with the surface of one of the two shell-type side elements and is sealed towards the exterior by a sliding cover.
The drawbacks of these known flat keys include the fact that the side elements cannot be made of metal, for a corresponding grip element casing would mean that the transmitting or receiving elements located in the grip element casing would be electrically shadowed in an undesirable manner. However, for reasons concerned with stability and with adapting the design of the flat key to the respective vehicle, flat keys having a grip element casing made of metal are often desired.
The known keys also have the drawback that the battery compartment is relatively easily accessible and therefore time and again the sliding cover inadvertently becomes displaced and the batteries can then fall out of the battery compartment.
It is the underlying object of the invention to provide an electronic flat key on which the grip element casing consists of metal side elements constructed in the form of shells, without this essentially affecting (electrically shadowing) the transmitting and/or receiving elements located in the casing for remote operation of a lock or locking system.
In accordance with the invention this object is achieved by the features contained in Claim 1. The subsidiary claims disclose additional, particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention.
The invention is essentially based on the concept of arranging between the two metal shell-type side elements of the grip element casing a central element, in the form of a frame, made of a material that does not conduct electricity, which extends peripherally at least in sub-portions of the grip element casing as far as the outer surface of the casing and is sufficient to convey an adequate signal between the transmitting and/or receiving elements located in the grip element casing and those located in the lock zone or locking system zone.
The frame-type central element may for example be made of plastic or even rubber, and is preferably constructed in such a way that it also acts as a sealing element for sealing off the internal compartment of the grip element casing against external influences.
To prevent the battery cover from being removed unintentionally, another form of embodiment of the invention provides for the battery compartment holder situated in the grip element casing to be internally contiguous with the well for receiving the key bit, with the result that the batteries can only be inserted into the holder or removed therefrom when the key bit is in the extended position.
For rapid installation of the batteries it has proved advantageous if the batteries are placed in a separate battery compartment before being inserted into the battery compartment holder, and then the battery compartment, loaded with a plurality of batteries if appropriate, is pushed into the holder and joined to the latter via, for example, a clip-type connection.
To allow the assembly or disassembly of the flat key according to the invention to be undertaken in a straightforward manner, it has also proved expedient if at least one side element incorporates projections in predetermined peripheral zones, which projections protrude beyond the central element and by means of which said side element can be clipped onto the respective other side element.


A personal vapor device having a disguised appearance is disclosed. The personal vapor device has an outer housing and removable lid that replicate the look of a conventional drinking container, such as a water bottle or drinking cup with a straw. An atomizing device, such as a cartomizer, is contained and concealed within the open interior of the outer housing. A mouthpiece extends through the removable lid and into the open interior. Atomized liquid from the cartomizer is delivered to the mouthpiece for delivery to the user. A power supply and a control circuit are contained within the open interior and, along with the atomizing device, are concealed within the outer housing. The disguised vapor device can be used without drawing attention to the user.

The present disclosure relates to a personal vapor device for delivering an atomized liquid to a user. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a personal vapor device having a disguised appearance that delivers an atomized liquid to a user without drawing attention to the use of the device.
Various different types of smoking simulators have become increasingly popular. Smoking simulators deliver nicotine in an atomized mist and include a flavor that resembles that of cigarettes. Smoking simulators allow users to inhale nicotine without having to inhale the harmful chemicals and tar found in conventional tobacco cigarettes. Smoking simulators generally include an atomizing device that atomizes a supply of liquid including nicotine and a flavoring agent.
Most smoking simulators have a configuration that resembles the long, tubular shape of a cigarette. The shape of the smoking simulator, often referred to as an e-cigarette, allows the user to have an overall experience similar to smoking a cigarette while not delivering the carcinogenic substances created by burning tobacco and inhaling the smoke.
Although the shape of smoking simulators was selected to replicate a cigarette, users of e-cigarettes often suffer from the same anti-smoking stigmatism associated with actually smoking tobacco cigarettes. Further, the size and shape of conventional e-cigarettes make the use of e-cigarettes obvious and draws attention to the user. Since many users to do not wish to call attention to themselves, a desire exists for the creation of a personal vapor device that allows the user to use the vapor device without calling attention to himself or herself.

Personal vapor device having disguised appearance


A method for stratified-sampling-based query execution includes: receiving a query; collecting a first data sample from the first dataset using a non-stratified sampling technique; performing statistical analysis on the first data sample; identifying a stratum classifier from the statistical analysis; generating a stratum classification by calculating strata boundaries for the stratum classifier; and calculating a result to the query based on analysis of the second data sample.

Businesses today collect huge amounts of data relating to sales, marketing, and other critical operations. Querying this data is often a difficult and resource intensive process, especially for many types of complex queries. To some extent, query performance can be improved by generating data aggregates and indices, but it is infeasible to do this across all dimensions in a large dataset. Because of this, query performance issues often slow data analysis. Efficient queries can be conducted by sampling techniques across large datasets, but these queries may suffer in performance when data fails to closely follow unimodal distributions. Thus, there is a need in the data analytics field to create methods for stratified sampling-based query execution. This invention provides such new and useful methods.

Methods for stratified sampling-based query execution


The damping device comprises an interconnecting structure between cables of a group of at least three cables of the suspension system which extend substantially in one and the same suspension plane P. The interconnecting structure has, outside the plane P, at least one bearing point for an energy dissipating element arranged so as to develop a damping force in response to a movement of one of the cables of the group relative to the other cables of the group in a direction perpendicular to the suspension plane.

It applies notably to cable-stayed suspensions of bridges. The stays vibrate notably on account of the wind and the movement of vehicles. Different types of device have been proposed for damping these vibrations.
In a first type of damping device (see for example EP 0 343 054 A1, DE 295 17 250 U1 or WO 98/04780 A1), the vibrational energy is dissipated around an individual cable, in a zone delimited radially by an element fixed to the suspended structure. This element may be an arm extending between the cable and the suspended structure, or a tube that holds the lower part of the cable.
Further devices use linear-stroke dampers such as hydraulic cylinders. One or more cylinders may be disposed on one or more arms that connect an individual cable to the suspended structure (see for example JP 09-59921 A) or between the cable and a tube that is fixed to the suspended structure and contains the lower part of the cable (see for example FR 2 859 260 A1 or JP 06-58370 A).
A damping device referred to as a pendular damping device has an oscillating arm connected to the cable, the oscillations of which are damped by viscous friction. FR 2 664 920 A1 describes an example of such a pendular device.
The abovementioned damping devices have the limitation of having to be disposed in the vicinity of the suspended structure, i.e. close to the anchoring point of the cable, typically at a distance that represents 1 to 3% of the total length of the cable.
FR 2 862 073 A1 describes another type of damping device which connects the cable not to a fixed point on the suspended structure but to an adjacent cable. Since the stays of a cable-stayed bridge generally have different lengths, they all have different natural frequencies of vibration. Consequently, during a vibrational episode, there is always a relative movement between the cables. The damping device according to FR 2 862 073 A1 takes advantage of this relative movement in order to dissipate the energy. The adjacent cable thus represents a pseudo fixed point for the vibrating cable.
Although this pseudo fixed point is less effective than an actual fixed point such as the deck of the cable-stayed bridge, these devices are nevertheless very effective, since they can be positioned relatively far away from the anchoring point of the cable, typically 5 to 10% of the total length.
However, this damping device has the limitation of only acting in the plane of the cables that it connects, i.e. in the plane of the plane of stays. Movements out of the plane (transverse movements) are not effectively damped.
In order to combat vibrations of a plane of stays, another method consists in installing cables interconnecting the stays, said cables stiffening the plane of stays transversely and preventing the stays from adopting certain vibrational modes. Although the interconnecting cables can be designed to damp the vertical vibrations in order to supplement the individual damping applied at the root of the stays, they remain virtually without effect on the transverse vibrations.
An object of the present invention to propose a device for damping vibrations in cables, such as the stays of a bridge, which is highly effective in particular for damping transverse vibrations.

Device for damping vibrations in cables of a suspension system of a civil engineering structure


A method of determining the characteristics of a scene around a vehicle comprises capturing a stereo pair of images of the scene and processing the images to produce a depth map of the scene. Each pixel in the depth map is assigned a value that corresponds to the range of a corresponding region in the scene, the pixels being arranged in a grid of rows and columns with each column of pixels in the grid corresponding to a vertically oriented set of regions in the scene and each row a horizontally oriented set of regions in the scene. The values for one or more columns of pixels in the depth map are binned to form a corresponding histogram, each bin in the histogram having a count value that corresponds to the number of pixels in the column that have a depth within the range assigned to the bin. The or each of the range bin histograms are processed to determine for the or each histogram the lowest range bin that is indicative that an object that represents a non-drivable region is present at a depth that lies in the range of depths assigned to the bin, thereby identifying the location of one or more boundary points that lie on a boundary of a drivable space in the scene.

This invention relates to image processing, and in particular to a method of processing an image to determine the characteristics of regions of space around a vehicle, in particular identifying the boundary of a drivable space into which a vehicle may move.
When driving a vehicle on a highway or off-road, it is essential that the driver of the vehicle is able to avoid hitting other objects. Examples of typical objects in a road environment are other cars and walls and street furniture. For a well-trained driver, having passed a driving standards test, this is generally a simple task as humans generally have excellent spatial awareness.
It is known to provide a driver aid which alerts the driver if they are approaching an object which cannot be driven over. A common example of such a driver aid is a parking aid which may be fitted to a vehicle and which uses ultrasound to measure the distance between the vehicle and a raised object. An audible warning may then be issued if the driver is getting too close to the object, and in some cases a visual warning may also be issued. By fitting multiple sensors at spaced locations around the vehicle it is possible to provide a visual warning that shows the driver the approximate location of the object. These driver aids are relatively low cost and reliable but can only detect objects which will reflect a strong signal back towards the vehicle. This limits their use to low speed maneuvers and to detecting objects which are relatively close to the vehicle, and whilst useful they cannot be totally relied upon to identify all objects as some may not generate a strong reflection that is directed back to the vehicle.
Advances in technology mean that autonomous vehicles and semi-autonomous vehicles are being developed which have no driver or may self-drive under limited circumstances which rely on information captured by sensors fitted to the vehicle to determine where it is safe for the vehicle to move to. These vehicles must be able to plot a safe path for the vehicle at both low speeds and at high speeds, and should ideally be able to work in all environments.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a versatile apparatus and method of detecting regions of drivable space. This may, in some instances, provide information that will be suitable for use by an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle when plotting a course of action for the vehicle as it moves through a scene.

Method of determining the boundary of a driveable space


A blood flow restriction (BFR) exercise strap. The strap is configured with a coupling at a first end of an elastic band. A second free end of the band is releasably retained in the coupling by a lever arm that is biased in a closed configuration against a plurality of teeth carried on an interior surface of the base. The band has graduated indicia carried thereon for determining a constriction level applied by the band to a limb of the user. The graduated indicia allow the user to set a desired level of constriction on each of a left limb and a right limb to provide the user to develop bilateral symmetry of targeted muscle groups of the limbs.

The present invention relates to exercise equipment, and more particularly to equipment for blood flow restriction exercise regimens.
Blood flow restriction (BFR) exercise regimens involve a band that is tightened around a limb to at least partially occlude the blood flow to a targeted muscle group. They are a form of exercises intended to sculpt the targeted muscle groups.
Existing BFR straps are difficult for the user to apply to obtain an even constriction between their limbs to achieve the desired bilateral symmetry in the development of the targeted muscle groups. While the BFR straps are fairly easy for the user to apply to their legs, existing BFR straps are difficult to apply by the user in a single handed operation. Likewise, the BFR straps are difficult to remove in a single handed operation when the user has completed an exercise.
As can be seen, there is a need for an apparatus and method for BFR exercise regimens.


A motorcycle gas tank cover comprising a sheet of material shaped to cover a stock gas tank to modify the appearance of the size and shape of the tank. The gas tank cover is attachable to the gas tank by connectors and fasteners which secure the gas tank in place. The appearance of the gas tank is modified without removing or replacing the gas tank. The present invention provides a method and apparatus to frequently modify the appearance of motorcycle gas tank and the total look of the motorcycle that does not require replacing any motorcycle parts.

Many motorcycle owners enjoy "fixing up" their bikes to change the look of their motorcycle. This is especially popular among Harley-Davidson motorcycle owners, although many other motorcycle owners engage in such fix-up efforts. Owners frequently fix up their motorcycles solely for aesthetic purposes. Although a motorcycle owner may purchase a smooth-running, fully-functional vehicle, many owners prefer to personalize their motorcycle to their own taste or personality by altering the look of the motorcycle. Motorcycle owners will frequently spend considerable time and money on such pursuits even though the motorcycle is new.
Many of the motorcycle owners who fix up their motorcycles enjoy constantly upgrading or modifying their look. New trends in the market and competition between motorcycle owners require the owner to frequently change the look of the motorcycle. Thus, thousands of dollars are often spent by a motorcycle owner in fixing up or accessorizing his or her motorcycle.
A current trend among motorcycle owners is to alter the shape of the stock gas tank. A Harley-Davidson motorcycle comprises a stock gas "tank" with either a 4.2 gallon or 5.0 gallon fuel capacity, depending on which size of tank is installed on the motorcycle. The tank is broken up into two separate containers and mounted on either side of the frame of the motorcycle. The combined fuel capacity of both containers of a tank equals either 4.2 or 5.0 gallons. Although each container of the gas tank has an intake orifice and gas cap for receiving fuel into the tank, the two containers are joined by a transfer tube which maintains an equal level of fuel in each container.
Many motorcycle owners desire to modify the shape of the stock gas tanks on Harley-Davidson motorcycles. There is an approximately three to four inch gap between the rear of the gas tank and the front edge of the seat on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. For purely aesthetic reasons, owners desire to modify the appearance of the size and shape of the gas tank to cover this gap. Some owners also desire to create the appearance of a larger gas tank, without actually incurring the expense of increasing the tank's fuel capacity.
Currently, many Harley-Davidson motorcycle owners spend hundreds of dollars each to purchase an after-market gas tank designed to eliminate the gap that exists between the stock tank and the seat. This is accomplished currently by welding an extension piece to the rear of each of the Harley-Davidson gas tanks or by welding an extension onto a standard Harley-Davidson after-market gas tank. The modified gas tank thus looks like a larger gas tank, yet the extension piece does not increase or otherwise modify the fuel capacity of the stock tank in any way.
A modified after-market gas tank of this type usually sells for approximately $750. Further, the welding charges for modifying a standard gas tank are very high due to the fact that the gas tank has usually already been filled with gas. To install the after-market gas tank or to modify the stock tank, the stock tank must be removed from the motorcycle. The new tank is then installed in the same location as the stock tank. In the case of the after-market gas tank, upon installation the motorcycle owner has no use for the removed stock gas tank.
Because motorcycle gas tanks on motorcycles are exposed, dents or scratches in the paint are visible. In order to maintain a new appearance or certain look of the motorcycle, each time the gas tank is dented, it must be repaired or in some cases even replaced. To replace a stock Harley-Davidson motorcycle gas tank costs approximately $350-750, not including the paint job. Further repair of a dent or paint chip can involve significant time in the body shop during which time the motorcycle cannot be used by the owner. Hence, when a motorcycle gas tank is damaged, the owner can easily spend hundreds of dollars to replace it, often resulting in some possibly lengthy downtime for the motorcycle. If the tank is damaged frequently, the replacement cost multiplies. Additionally, motorcycle owners in remote areas may find it particularly costly and difficult to find a motorcycle shop which fixes or replaces Harley-Davidson motorcycle gas tanks.

Method of attaching a motorcycle gas tank cover


A color laser printer includes chargers for charging the photosensitive drums as an image carrier on which a toner image for each print color is formed. Each charger is supported by a frame member provided rotatably around a central axis of a photosensitive drum. When a closing door is moved from a closed position where an opening portion is closed to an opened position where the opening portion is opened, the frame member is moved in conjunction with the operation, from a first position where the charger charges the photosensitive drum to a second position where a part of the opening portion in the photosensitive drum is covered.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for forming the image using electrophotographic method, and a process cartridge used for the image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there have been well known an image forming apparatuses for forming the image using electrophotographic method.
For example, in JP-A-9-141972, an image forming apparatus having four image carriers (photosensitive members) arranged in the vertical direction is disclosed (see pages 4 through 9 and FIGS. 1 and 2). In the image forming apparatus disclosed in JP-A-9-141972, a sheet conveying belt is provided in contact with the four image carriers, and the sheet is conveyed by the sheet conveying belt to make contact with each image carrier successively, so that the image for each print color is transferred onto the sheet. Also, in this image forming apparatus, the sheet conveying belt is supported inside a front lid, and the entire conveyance path on which the sheet is conveyed is exposed to the user by opening the front lid, whereby a removal process for removing a sheet jam is simply performed.
The above document, JP-A-141972, has a corresponding U.S. patent application, in which the patent number thereof is U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,324.

Image forming apparatus and process cartridge


A direct memory access (DMA) engine has virtually all control in connection with data transfers that can involve one or both of primary and secondary controllers. The DMA engine receives a command related to a data transfer from a processor associated with the primary controller. This command causes the DMA engine to access processor memory to obtain metadata therefrom. In performing a DMA operation, the metadata enables the DMA engine to conduct data transfers between local memory and remote memory. In performing exclusive OR operations, the DMA engine is involved with conducting data transfers using local memory.

Redundant Arrays Of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) systems are well known systems which can help increase availability of stored data in network storage systems. Such systems typically include several hard disk drives which store data in such a way that, if one disk drive fails, data is still able to be recovered from the system. Such systems generally have a network storage bridge, which acts as an interface between a host computer and an array of disk drives. To further enhance the availability of data in such a system, it is common to have redundant storage controllers within the network storage bridge, such that if one controller fails, the remaining controller is able to continue read and write operations to the array of disk drives.
In a fully redundant storage bridge, user data has to be temporarily stored twice, once in a primary controller of data and once in its redundant or secondary counterpart. In this setup if the primary controller is damaged and unable to continue operation, the secondary redundant controller has a copy of the user data. Thus data is available if one controller fails, because either the primary or the secondary copy of the data will be delivered to its final destination, the array of disk drives.
Typically and with reference to the prior art drawing of FIG. 1, when a primary controller 10 receives user data to be stored in the disk array 14, it builds description tables in the process. These tables describe the data size, location and it's destination. The primary controller 10 then initiates a data transfer, known as a mirroring operation, in which the data is transferred to the secondary controller 18. Once the mirroring operation is complete, the primary controller 10 sends an indication to the host computer 22 that the data write is complete. Thus, the host computer 22 is notified that the data is stored, while the data may not be written to the disk array 14 for a period of time.
A traditional method for mirroring data between controllers is for the primary controller 10 to notify the secondary controller 18 that data is going to be mirrored. The primary controller 10 then transfers metadata to the secondary controller 18. The metadata is the data which is contained in the description tables. Following the metadata, the primary controller 10 transfers the user data to the secondary controller 18. The user data is stored in a local memory 26 associated with the primary controller 10 for transfer to a remote memory 30 associated with the secondary controller 18. In some cases, these transfers are initiated using direct memory access (DMA) and a DMA engine 34. In such a situation, a processing portion 38 within the primary controller 10 will give the DMA engine 34 a transfer command to transfer data from the primary controller 10 to the secondary controller 18. This transfer command typically includes the data contained in the description tables, which identifies the data which is to be transferred to the secondary controller 18. The processing portion 38 generally builds a DMA table containing the data from the description tables, which is able to be used by the DMA engine 34. This DMA table is then loaded into the DMA engine 34, with the transfer command. The DMA engine 34 receives the data from the processing portion 38, stores it in a memory 42 associated with the DMA engine 34, and then conducts the data transfer.
As can be seen, the processing portion 38 must build a DMA table, and transfer the table from the processing portion to the DMA engine 34. Thus, this data is stored in a memory 46 associated with the processing portion 38, configured into a form which is usable by the DMA engine 34, and then transferred and stored in the memory 42 associated with the DMA engine 34. It would be advantageous to reduce the amount of processing overhead involved in a mirroring transaction, thereby improving system performance. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a DMA engine which does not require a processing portion to create a DMA table. Furthermore, it would be advantageous to reduce internal memory required in a DMA engine, thereby reducing the silicon area required for such a DMA engine.

Transferring data using direct memory access


An ion analyzer includes: a sample placement unit 2 on which a sample 1 is to be placed; an excitation beam irradiation unit 3 that irradiates the sample 1 placed on the sample placement unit 2 with an excitation beam in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the sample 1; a deflection unit 6 that makes at least some of ions generated from the sample 1 to fly in a direction deviating from an irradiation path of the excitation beam; and an analysis unit 8 disposed in a flight direction of ions deflected by the deflection unit 6, that separates and measures the ions in accordance with a predetermined physical quantity.

One of the sample ionization methods used in mass spectrometers is a laser desorption/ionization (LDI) method. In the LDI method, a surface of a sample is irradiated with laser light, where molecules of the sample are excited and ionized by the energy of the laser light. Molecules existing in a region of the surface of the sample irradiated with the laser light are selectively ionized. The LDI method includes a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) method. In the MALDI method, a material (a matrix material) that easily absorbs laser light and is easily ionized is applied to a surface of a sample, where the matrix material is microcrystallized incorporating the sample molecules. Then the microcrystallized matrix material is irradiated with laser light, so that the sample molecules are ionized. In the LDI method such as the MALDI method, a region of a sample surface to be measured is irradiated with laser light, and ions generated from the region undergo mass spectrometry. Furthermore, by performing mass spectrometry of ions released from each region while shifting the region irradiated with laser light on a sample surface (i.e., while scanning the sample surface with the laser light), it becomes possible to perform analysis to determine distribution of a material having a specific mass on the sample surface as well. Such a technique is called imaging mass spectrometry.
Patent Literature 1 illustrates a mass spectrometer including an ion source that generates ions using the LDI method. Patent Literature 1 discloses the configuration of this mass spectrometer simply with a block diagram as shown in FIG. 1, where, in a housing equipped with a light entrance window 100 on the top and an ion entrance hole 112 on the bottom, an ion optical system 108 is disposed in a lower part and a mass spectrometry unit 104 is disposed in an upper part. Patent Literature 1 describes the operation of the mass spectrometer as follows. The housing is disposed so that the ion entrance hole 112 faces a sample 110 placed on a sample placement table 96. Laser light emitted from a laser light source 92 is introduced into the light entrance window 100 by an optical fiber 98, and the sample 110 is irradiated with the laser light through the ion entrance hole 112. Ions are released from a surface of the sample 110 irradiated with the laser light and enter the housing through the ion entrance hole 112. The ions are focused by the ion optical system 108, separated according to their mass to charge ratio, and detected by the mass spectrometry unit 104. The sample placement table 96 is horizontally movable. By moving the sample placement table 96, a region to be measured of the surface of the sample 100 is irradiated with the laser light, and mass spectrometry is performed.


A one-piece multi-element directional Yagi-Uda antenna comprised of an array of director elements, a reflector element, boom and folded dipole driven element is fabricated from a single piece of conductive material. The method of forming the antenna uses simple, low-cost techniques, such as single and progressive die stamping, punching and forming. The dipole driven element of the antenna is formed by folding the ends of the driven element during the stamping process or in a separate folding step. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the boom of the antenna array is formed with sufficient length to operatively connect a radome thereto.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to antennas. More particularly, the invention relates to Yagi-Uda directional parasitic array antennas at microwave frequencies and low-cost methods for manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
xe2x80x9cYagi-Udaxe2x80x9d antennas have been successfully used for many years in applications ranging from the reception of television signals, point-to-point communications and certain types of military electronics. The basic Yagi antenna typically comprises a single driven element, usually a half-wave dipole, which is driven from a source of, or which drives a sink of, electromagnetic energy. Certain non-driven or parasitic elements are arrayed with the dipole. These parasitic elements typically include a reflector element on one side of the dipole and one or more director elements on the other side of the dipole. Each of these several elements are usually positioned in spaced relationship along an antenna axis with the director elements extending in what is referred to as the transmission direction from the dipole. The transmission direction is that direction to which electromagnetic energy is to be received. The length of the elements and the distances between them determine the radiating power of the antenna system.
The prior art to the present disclosure is comprised of several different designs of Yagi-type antennas and methods of fabricating the same. In particular, Skladany U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,549 teaches the disposition of a parasitic element array onto a dielectric substrate. Despite the use of low-cost stamping or photo-etching techniques to produce the directors, the Skladany design uses a separate microwave substrate for the placement of the signal phasing lines, feed lines and driven elements. Unfortunately, the use of a separate microwave substrate increases the cost and weight of the antenna. Moreover, the Skladany method is comprised of numerous steps that increase labor costs in the manufacture of the antennas. The Skladany method first requires that the directors be attached to a substrate or circuit board. Then a second circuit board must be attached to the first. Finally, the feed line is connected to the second circuit board. A low-cost method of designing a single-piece, Yagi-type antenna would clearly be beneficial to the art.
Huang U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,335 discloses a planar microstrip Yagi-type antenna, having a driven element, reflector patches, and one or more director patches, all disposed on a dielectric substrate. Huang teaches that the dielectric constant of the substrate should be between 1.5 and 5. This requires the use of a low-loss, high-cost microwave substrate for the entire length of the antenna array. A substrate of this density will further increase the overall weight of the antenna by a substantial margin. A method of reducing the cost, weight and complexity of such a Yagi-type antenna is desired.
Kerr U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,706 teaches a microstrip-fed directional antenna that uses a rigid aluminum boom for support of the parasitic elements. The boom is then attached to a circuit board that contains the microstrip patch antenna and feed. The thickness of the aluminum boom precludes the use of low-cost manufacturing techniques, such as stamping. The use of a microstrip patch requires a low-loss, high-cost microwave substrate and additional labor to assemble the antenna array. Furthermore, because the microstrip patch circuit board lies in a plane perpendicular to the director array, the diameter of the antenna is increased, thereby precluding the use of small diameter radomes.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved design for a multi-element directional antenna that is manufactured using a simple and low-cost method, such as single or progressive die stamping.
The present invention consists of a novel, multi-element directional antenna and method of making the same. The antenna is a Yagi-type antenna that is formed in one piece from a sheet of conductive material using single and progressive die stamping techniques. The stamped antenna design forms a boom and an array of parasitic elements and a single driven element that radiate therefrom.
The driven element of the stamped antenna design is formed into a folded dipole, using basic folding techniques. This step can either be performed as a part of the initial stamping of the antenna or in a second process. A coaxial feed line is then attached across the gap that is formed by the open ends of the folded dipole driven element.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the boom may be formed to extend both ends of the array, providing means of supporting the entire antenna within a protective radome.
Thus, a primary objective of the invention is to provide an improved multi-element directional antenna that can be formed in a simple, low-cost manner.
Another objective of the invention is to provide an improved multi-element Yagi-type directional antenna that is formed from a single metal sheet, using low-cost single or progressive die stamping techniques.
Another objective of the invention is to provide an improved, low-cost method of forming Yagi-Uda directional parasitic array antennas at microwave frequencies.
Another objective of the invention is to provide an improved, low-cost method of forming one-piece Yagi-Uda directional parasitic array antennas from a sheet of conductive material, wherein the dipole is formed in unitary construction with the antenna boom using basic element folding techniques.
These and other objectives will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

One-piece Yagi-Uda antenna and process for making the same


The present invention relates to compounds, compositions, and methods, for treating subjects suspected of needing treatment for a Nidovirales virus infection. In certain embodiments, the compounds comprise Nidovirales helicase inhibitors that do not significantly affect helicase ATPase enzymatic activity or nucleic acid binding activity of the helicase.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to antiviral compounds for the treatment of SARS-CoV infections, more specifically, to a new class of small molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV replication that block the helicase activity of nsp13.
2. Background of the Invention
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a highly contagious disease caused by SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) for which there are no approved treatments. SARS causes a life-threatening viral respiratory illness, which emerged from Southern China and spread to other parts of the world including North America, South America, and Europe. There is currently no approved therapeutic agent for the treatment of SARS infections. Although, SARS currently does not pose a public threat, the likelihood of future occurrences of both SARS-CoV and related viruses necessitates continuous research for identification of antiviral therapies.

Suppression of SARS replication by SARS helicase inhibitors

The Curators of the University of Missouri


A method for determining security information of an unknown file in a cloud security system is provided. The method includes: a cloud security serving end receives file security querying information reported by a cloud client end when a preconfigured monitoring point is triggered, wherein the file security querying information comprises identifier information and behavior information of a file; creates a behavior sequence of the file within a lifecycle according to the file security querying information of the file, analyzes the behavior sequence of the file within the lifecycle, and determines file security information of the file according to an analyzed result.

Cloud security system refers to a system which stores file security information at a cloud security serving end. Cloud client end obtains prompt information indicating whether a file is safe by inquiring file security information stored in the cloud security serving end.
The cloud security system plays an important role in current network security field. Based on the cloud security system, the cloud client end may obtain the prompt information indicating whether the file is safe through querying the file security information in the cloud security serving end, without performing a security scan to the cloud client end.

Method and apparatus for determining security information of an unknown file in a cloud security system

Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited


The invention is an apparatus and method to perform a surgical procedure within the beating heart. The instrument provides a seal to surround cardiac tissue, thereby defining a segregated surgical field within the body of the instrument. A suction device is preferred to remove blood and fluids from the surgical field so that a surgical procedure can be performed while the heart continues to beat. The instrument is particularly suitable for a procedure to repair defective or diseased cardiac valves, such as the mitral valve; a procedure which previously required that the heart be stopped so that the corrective surgical procedure could be performed.

For several decades, surgeons have been performing a wide variety of surgical procedures on the heart. The advent of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) allowed surgeons to stop the heart while maintaining a flow of oxygenated blood throughout the rest of the body such that lengthy and highly invasive surgical procedures on the heart could be performed. The CPB apparatus and procedure enabled more widespread practice of cardiac surgery by allowing surgeons to temporarily isolate the heart from the circulatory pathway while extensive and complex repair and reconstruction procedures were performed on the muscles, valves, arteries, etc. of the heart while the heart itself remained static. Although CPB provides the surgeon with the ability to perform certain procedures, connecting the patient to the CPB apparatus is time consuming and traumatic to the patient. In establishing CPB by traditional techniques, the chest is opened by cutting through the sternum and spreading the ribs, large bore cannulas are placed in the patient's venous and arterial system, the heart is stopped by infusion of chemicals, the aorta which supplies blood to the body from the heart is clamped shut, thus separating the heart from the rest of the circulatory system, and the patient's blood supply is circulated outside the body through a mechanical pump and a device to oxygenate the blood.
The CPB procedure has several well-known drawbacks and new information regarding the adverse effects of CPB is continually being discovered. For example, CPB runs the risk of causing ischemic/reperfusion injury in the heart and elsewhere in the body where blood flow is reduced or interrupted and restarted. The problem is particularly significant in the brain where peri-operative strokes and related neurological disorders have been observed in patients following CPB which may result from particles which cause interruptions in the blood supply to the brain. Also, the heart may sustain damage from the CPB process or from the CPB apparatus which results in reduced blood pumping capacity and other irregularities. Furthermore, damage to the blood itself results from passing the blood through the CPB pump and from surface interactions between the patient's blood and the synthetic surfaces inside the pump and associated apparatus. Due to the adverse effects of CPB, surgeons attempt to limit the amount of time that the patient is subjected to CPB and prefer to avoid CPB whenever possible.
Recently, to avoid the need for CPB, techniques and apparatus have been developed to enable surgeons to perform certain types of cardiac surgeries on the beating heart. Principal among these is coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) wherein an obstructed coronary artery, which tends to be located at or near the surface of the exterior of the heart, is bypassed with another source artery or a graft to restore blood flow to the muscles of the heart beyond the obstruction. The prime rationale for the development of the beating-heart procedures is to avoid CPB, and surgeons and engineers are constantly searching for techniques and apparatus to expand the repertoire of beating-heart surgical procedures.
For surgical procedures involving structures and chambers internal to the heart, there is another important rationale for using a beating-heart approach. Many of these procedures require maintaining an opening through the epicardial and myocardial tissue to expose and allow access to the internal target area. An unavoidable result is the introduction of air into the chambers which must be removed to minimize the risk of air bubbles which can lead to stroke. The removal of air in these conventional procedures is accomplished after correcting the defect but prior to resuming normal heart-lung function by closing all myocardial incisions with the exception of a small opening or vent hole and massaging the heart to cause any entrapped air to escape through the opening. The opening is then sutured closed. This technique can be traumatic and damaging to the myocardium and the chambers, and especially to the newly treated target area. Moreover, there is no way of guaranteeing that all air is removed from the heart. Conversely, with a beating-heart approach, the introduction of air could be minimized as atmospheric exposure of the internal chambers must be limited to prevent the loss of blood. In addition, the patient's blood pressure would act to minimize the introduction of any air. Therefore, a need exists for instrumentation that would enable a beating-heart approach to surgical repair of internal cardiac structures while minimizing the risk of air entering the patient's circulatory system.
Surgical procedures involving the repair of structures inside the beating heart, such as the cardiac valves which control and regulate blood flow into, out of, and between the four chambers of the heart, the left and right atria and the left and right ventricles, are very difficult to perform. A surgical procedure on a heart valve is particularly difficult to perform on a beating heart because the valves are located inside the heart and continuously open and close to regulate the flow of blood. Moreover, the valves are immediately proximate to the atria and ventricles which continuously contract to cause blood to flow from the venous system, to the lungs to be oxygenated, and then throughout the body. Still further, the valves must control a volume of blood which may be under considerable pressure due to the contraction of the muscles of the heart. As such, it is extremely difficult to provide a bloodless field within which the surgeon has adequate visibility of the surgical area. Moreover, the continual opening and closing of a valve makes it difficult to perform delicate surgical tasks, such as suturing, which require a high degree of accuracy and precision.
Valve surgery on the beating heart is rendered even more problematic due to the substantial absence of special tools to enable surgical operations inside the beating heart. Among the difficulties inherent in beating heart valvular surgery are the need to work in a moving field, the need to prevent the flow of blood from obstructing the surgical field, and in the case of valvular surgery, the need to isolate a portion of the valve being repaired from the blood flow which is continuing in the remainder of the beating heart, and the need to allow the valves to continue to perform substantially their normal functions during the surgery. Thus, there is a substantial need for instrumentation and new surgical techniques for addressing these difficulties.

Surgical instrument for cardiac valve repair on the beating heart


An apparatus and method for determining the amount of nitrogen in an object. A support means is provided for supporting the object, and at least one gamma ray beam is disposed on one side of the support for producing a beam of about 9.2 MeV gamma rays and in sufficient intensity to cause measurable resonant absorption by .sup.14 N in the nitrogenous compounds. A directing device is disposed between the gamma ray beam and the support for directing the gamma ray beam to the support at a predetermined angle, such that the gamma ray beam forms a path which encounters at least a portion of the object when disposed on the support. An array of gamma ray detectors are disposed on an opposite side of the support for detecting gamma rays of about 9.2 MeV transmitted through the object at both resonant and non-resonant angles. A computation device computes the difference in the amount of transmitted gamma rays detected by the detectors at the resonant angles and non-resonant angles, and the difference is related to the amount of nitrogenous compounds in the object.

It is often important to determine the amount of nitrogen in an object containing nitrogenous compounds and non-nitrogenous compounds. Nitrogen is a common element of many important compounds. For example, nitrogen is a key element in proteins, certain plastics, fertilizers, explosives, certain medications, and even illegal drugs. The art has proposed detection of nitrogenous compounds by gamma ray scattering or absorption by the nitrogen of the compounds, and that scattering or absorption is detected and analyzed for determining the amount of nitrogen in an object of interest. Very briefly, in those techniques, the object of interest having nitrogenous compounds therein is placed in the path of a gamma ray beam. When the beam is of required characteristics, the gamma rays are resonantly absorbed or scattered by the nitrogen in the object being examined, and those gamma rays are detected by conventional detectors which provide output signals proportional to the amount of nitrogen in the object being examined. The details of the theory of such detection devices are well known, and a rather complete description of the theory is presented in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,941,162 and 5,040,200, which patents are incorporated herein by reference and relied upon for the details of the theory and conventional apparatus for carrying out gamma ray detection of nitrogenous compounds.
However, there have been common difficulties in this prior art in that gamma ray scattering or absorption are subject to special limitations in connection with the manner in which the gamma ray beam is applied and in connection with suitable detectors for the transmitted gamma rays. A representative example of those difficulties is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,162. That patent is, specifically, directed to the detection of nitrogenous explosive material, e.g. explosive material concealed in a travel bag, e.g. luggage. In the arrangement of that patent, a gamma ray source emits gamma rays of a desired and monitored flux, and those gamma rays are limited in divergence by a collimator so that a beam of gamma rays will intersect luggage moving on a conveyor near the collimator. Explosive material (which will normally contain nitrogenous compounds) will cause gamma ray attenuation, indicating the presence of nitrogenous compounds in the luggage.
However, that arrangement has two very decided disadvantages. Firstly, in that arrangement, the attenuation of the gamma rays by nuclear resonance takes place with non-resonant attenuation. Accordingly, in order to determine the presence of or amount of nitrogenous compound, that arrangement requires two different sets of detectors, i.e. one set of detectors which can determine the resonant attenuation and one set of detectors which can determine the non-resonant attenuation. These two sets of detectors are linked to a data analysis system which then uses both the data from the resonant detectors and the non-resonant detectors to make a determination of the presence of nitrogenous compounds. This considerably complicates the detection of nitrogenous compounds and, as a result, considerably lessens the accuracy of that determination.
A further difficulty of that arrangement, which is common to the art, is that a result of that arrangement is the necessity to use nitrogen-rich detectors, which, according to the prior art, were required. This was thought to be required because nuclear resonant scattering requires resonant detectors to select the relevant energy portion of the transmitted flux spectrum which contains the resonance absorption information, and it was thought that nitrogen-rich detectors were required to achieve that function.
Further, and partly as a result of the foregoing, the accuracy of detection of nitrogenous compounds is not to the degree required, and to ensure that luggage does not contain nitrogenous explosives, it is necessary in that prior art arrangement to orient the luggage, with respect to the gamma ray beam, at various angles, as the luggage passes through that beam. This considerably complicates and slows the examination of luggage. For example, if the nitrogenous explosive material is in thin sheet form, and the luggage passes that beam with the thin sheet perpendicular to the beam, the lack of desired accuracy could easily not detect the presence of the nitrogenous explosive material in thin sheet form. Thus, it is necessary in that prior art arrangement to examine the luggage as it is passed through the beam a plurality of times, but at different angles to the beam.
While this lack of desired degree of accuracy of detection could be quite dangerous in regard to luggage to be boarded on an aircraft, that undesired degree of detection is also serious in other detections of nitrogenous compounds. For example, the same degree of detection provided by that arrangement could also fail to detect illegal drugs in a particular design of a container for the drugs. Somewhat similarly, for example, where the protein content of a flowing dairy product, such as milk, is to be detected, that degree of detection could give erroneous protein content results. Also similarly, where the protein content of a grain or cereal is to be detected, that degree of accuracy could also give erroneous results.
As can, therefore, be appreciated, it would be of substantial advantage in the art to provide apparatus and methods for gamma ray detection of nitrogenous compounds in an object also having non-nitrogenous compounds, where the accuracy of the detection is considerably increased. It would also be of substantial advantage to the art to provide such apparatus and methods where the apparatus and method are less complex and do not require separate determinations of resonant attenuation and non-resonant attenuation, with the attendant necessity of separate arrays of resonant detectors and non-resonant detectors.

Nitrogen detector and method of detecting


A broom holder has a vertical wall and an angled wall, with a wedge held between the walls. A broom handle is placed against the vertical wall, and the wedge engages the handle and the angled wall, wedging the handle against the vertical wall. The wedge is mounted on a pivoted arm, and a release handle can be pulled down to pivot the arm, lift the wedge, and release the broom handle. The wedge is circular so orientation of the wedge is not critical. Two or more of the broom holders can be mounted on a single base board.

1. Field Invention
This invention relates generally to holders for brooms and the like, and is more particularly concerned with a holder for broom handles utilizing a wedging action, and having a convenient release means.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art holders for broom handles and the like have generally comprised a fixed wall, and a pivoted member for pinching the handle to be held between the fixed wall and the pivoted member. In such construction, the pivot point of the pivoted member receives the stress resulting from the pinching forces. As a result, the prior art devices are usually formed of metal, and may be cast or machined. While some prior art devices are formed of sheet material, the material is required to have considerable strength, so is normally made of steel. The known devices of sheet material either are quite complex, or require that the pivoted member engage the handle to be held by a knife edge. The complex device may easily get out of shape and not operate correctly, and the knife edge may mar the handle.
Thus, the prior art has not provided a holder that can be made of inexpensive materials, without critical dimensions, and with easy operation in both holding and releasing of a broom handle or the like.


Heterocycles having odoriferous ketone or odoriferous aldehyde groups may be suitable in compositions comprising washing agents, cleaning agents, cosmetic agents, air care agents, insect repellents, or combinations thereof where the heterocycles release the ketones and aldehydes during hydrolysis. The heterocycle(s) may have the formula:

In the field of washing and cleaning agents, the controlled release of fragrances in order to provide the product, as well as the washing and cleaning solution and the articles treated with these agents, with an intensive and long-lasting fragrance is known in the prior art. In addition to the methods of applying fragrances to carrier materials and coating the fragranced carriers, or encapsulating fragrances or incorporating them into compounds, there is the option of chemically bonding the fragrances to carrier media, the chemical bond being slowly broken and the fragrance being released.
It is known in the prior art to bind fragrant alcohols to non-volatile siloxanes, from which they are slowly released by hydrolysis. For example, WO 01/068037 A2 and GB 2319527 A describe mixtures of oligomeric silicic acid esters which contain groups of fragrant alcohols and are suitable, for example, for fragrancing washing and cleaning agents. Further polymeric siloxanes which are used as pro-fragrances for alcohols, carbonyls, unsaturated ketones and aldehydes are described, for example, in EP 1716159 B1 and WO 2016/091815 A1.
Silyl enol ethers of fragrance aldehydes and ketones are described, for example, in DE 10 2013 226 098 A1. The problem addressed was to provide alternative precursors of odorants which allow sustained release of the odorants and use low molecular weight anchor groups, which optionally also impart adhesion to the surfaces to be fragranced, such as textile surfaces. Furthermore, precursors should be provided which have a higher efficiency in providing the fragrance.

Hydrolytically labile heterocycles of odoriferous ketones or odoriferous aldehydes


A device for urging a flexible member against an inner surface of a bone tunnel includes a deformable ring that has a bore extending from a first side to a second side and a proximal cutout at a proximal end that extends from an outer surface into the bore. The ring is dimensioned to slide within a bone tunnel and is adapted to permit a positioning of a pair of end segments of a flexible member between two opposed generally flat sections of the ring and an inner wall of the bone tunnel. In position the flat sections are generally parallel to a tunnel longitudinal axis. The ring is expandable from a collapsed state wherein the first and the second sections are a first distance apart to an expanded state wherein the first and the second sections are a second distance apart greater than the first distance. The device further includes a screw that is insertable through the proximal cutout into the ring bore for expanding the flat sections outward. Such an expansion is for urging the ring's outer surface against the flexible member end segments to retain the flexible member end segments against the bone tunnel's inner wall.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to orthopedic devices and methods for attaching flexible members to a bone, and, more particularly, to such devices and methods for attaching flexible load-bearing members within a tunnel of a bone.
2. Description of Related Art
Orthopedic surgical procedures sometimes require an attachment (or reattachment) of a flexible member to a bone. The flexible member might comprise soft tissue such as a ligament or tendon, a synthetic element, or suture. Devices and methods are known in the art to accomplish such an attachment, including those for affixing the flexible member within a hole of the bone.
For example, it is known to use a member such as a screw to press at least one end of the flexible member against the interior wall of a bone space (Mahony, U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,843; Roger et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,878; Steininger et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,767; Huebner, U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,811; Laboureau, EU 0 317 406). It is also known to anchor a ligament between two elements, the inner one deformable (U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,431), and to pass a ligament through a center of a device, creating tension by relative movement of elements (DeSatnick, U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,184).
A particular surgery in which flexible member attachment is required is endosteal fixation, wherein the terminal ends with bone plugs of an anterior cruciate ligament graft replacement material are attached within bone tunnels. The attachment is often achieved by compressive or interference fit means.
However, there is no known effective method for securely affixing two free ends of an entirely soft tissue graft (i.e., without bone plugs attached) so that the entire fixation element is confined within the bounds of the bone tunnel.

Intratunnel attachment device and system for a flexible load-bearing structure and method of use


Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a method for synthesizing self-assembling nanoparticles with defined plasmon resonances. More particularly, certain embodiments disclosed herein relate to an improved method for synthesizing self-assembling gold/gold sulfide nanoparticles by dialyzing samples during the self-assembly process.

U.S. application Ser. Nos. 12/807,792 and 12/807,793 (the "'792 and '793 applications"), incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, disclose gold/gold sulfide ("GGS") nanoparticles within a chitosan matrix, and methods for synthesizing and using the same. These references disclose forming GGS nanoparticles by self-assembly of a sulfide source, such as sodium thiosulfate, and a gold source, such as cholorauric acid. GGS nanoparticles have absorbance peaks in the near infra-red ("NIR") region, which are tunable by varying the self-assembly conditions. During self-assembly of GGS nanoparticles, gold colloid is simultaneously formed as a byproduct. In the '792 and '793 applications, gold colloid particles were removed using one, or more commonly three, rounds of centrifugation.

Method for synthesizing self-assembling nanoparticles

University of Louisville Research Foundation, Inc.


A method of removing a resist layer formed on a substrate wherein the resist layer includes an ion-implanted upper region. The method includes hydrogenating the ion implanted upper region of the resist layer resulting in the hydrogenated ion-implanted upper region. The resist layer, including the hydrogenated ion-implanted upper region is then removed. A hydrogenation of the ion-implanted upper region may be performed by immersing the resist layer, including the ion-implanted upper region, into pressurized boiling water, and/or treating the ion-implanted upper region with pressurized water vapor.

Resist plays a major role in lithography processes for fabrication of semiconductor devices in which the sizes, as well as positions of transistors, resistors, and interconnects are precisely determined on the wafer and fabricated. By using patterned resist, selective etching and impurity doping can be performed. Resists are not a part of the device structure itself, but rather a masking material to enhance selectivity. It is essential to utilize a resist removal process which removes the resist after it has been utilized but which does not damage the fabricated semiconductor device.
As semiconductor devices become more integrated and miniaturized, ion implantation is extensively employed to accurately control impurity distributions in the semiconductor substrate. The concentration and depth of the dopant impurity is controlled by varying the dose of the dopant, the acceleration energy, and the ion current. During this process, a patterned resist is often used for the selected implant of ions.
Generally, an ion implantation process for fabricating a semiconductor device utilizes a resist layer formed from a resist material typically including a matrix material or resin and a sensitizer which is a photoactive compound (PAC). Photoresists include both positive and negative photoresists. One common photoresist includes diazonaphtoquinone (DQ), which acts as the PAC, and novolak, a phenolic-formaldehyde resin. A mask is utilized to expose portions of the photoresist layer to UV light and then the photoresist layer is developed resulting in a patterned resist layer. The patterned resist layer is used so that only selected portions of an underlying substrate are implanted with ions during ion implantation. The resist layer must be removed after the ion implantation is over before proceeding to the next step in the fabrication of the semiconductor device. Various processes have been used in the past for the removal of the resist. Such processes include, but are not limited to, wet chemical etching processes, e.g., in a mixed solution of sulphuric acid and hydrogen peroxide, and dry plasma etching processes, e.g., in an oxygen plasma ashing process.
However, when high doses of ions, for example, such as doses more than 1.times.10.sup.14 atoms/cm.sup.2, are implanted, the ions are also implanted into the resist layer such that an upper region of the resist layer becomes physically and chemically rigid. The formation of an implanted upper region of the resist layer has been called carbonization and the designated region has been referred to as the carbonized region. However, as indicated in the article "Ion-Implanted Photoresist and Damage-Free Stripping," by Kouichi Hirose, et al., J. Electrochem. Soc., Vol. 141, No. 1, January 1994, the ion-implanted upper region of the resist layer is difficult to remove because the surface has an extremely low hydrogen concentration forming an inactive high-polymer layer as opposed to the carbonization of the surface.
Because of the ion implanted upper region of the resist layer, resist removal, for example, by O.sub.2 plasma ashing, causes damage to the substrate on which the resist is formed. During such ashing, cracks may be generated in the resist film which can lead to sudden and intense ashing of the resist inside and further result in damage to the surface region of the substrate. For example, a gate oxide layer of a semiconductor device fabricated under the resist layer may be damaged or degraded.
As such, additional, complicated, time consuming and costly processes have been required to perform the difficult removal of the resist layer when high doses of ions are implanted because of the resulting low hydrogen concentration of the upper region. One such process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,424 to Fujimura et al. which utilizes two etching processes to carry out the removal of the resist layer. Further, as described above, if only conventional processes are utilized for the removal of the resist, a fabricated portion of the substrate under the resist layer may be damaged or degraded. Therefore, there is a need in the art for improved ion-implanted resist removal methods.


A connector includes first and second plug-and-socket connector parts and a connection element. The first connector part has a latch operable to connect the connector parts together. The connection element is connected and is displaceable with respect to the first connector part between first and second positions. The connection element has a pair of locking tabs operable with the latch such that the connection element is fixed in the first position until the latch connects the connector parts together and such that the connection element is movable from the first position to the second position when the latch connects the connector parts together. While in the first position the locking tabs release the latch connection such that the connector parts are separable from one another. While in the second position the locking tabs secure the latch connection such that the connector parts are securable connected to one another.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plug-and-socket connector having first and second plug-and-socket connector parts and a connection element in which a latching element of the first connector part connects the connector parts together after the connector parts have been placed together and the connection element releases the latching element when the connection element is in a first latching position with respect to the first connector part and secures the latching element when the connection element is in a second latching position while the connector parts have been placed together.
2. Background Art
Plug-and-socket connectors connect vehicle electrical components to one another and with the vehicle wiring harness. To secure the assembled parts of a plug-and-socket connector, the parts are connected with one another by latching elements. A lock is used to secure the connection of the latching elements.
DE 297 24 486 U1 (corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,341,972) describes such a plug-and-socket connector. In this connector, a plug part can be latched with a socket part. To accomplish this, the plug part has tongues with latch lugs which engage in receptacles of the socket part. The plug part can have a clip hooked into it which has locking legs running parallel to the tongues. After the plug part and the socket part have been put together, the clip can be latched against the plug part such that it limits the mobility of the tongues engaging into the socket part and thus locks the parts together. The clip can only be released from this latched position by special tools. This connector has the disadvantage that locking the parts by latching the clip after the parts have been put together requires an additional assembly step, and that although the parts are securely connected after being locked, they can only be separated again with substantial effort.

Electrical plug-and-socket connector for a motor vehicle


Usage information, such as minutes remaining in a prepaid or monthly block or other unit of allocated services, is provided to a terminal by a wireless communications system, e.g., a system operative to communicate with terminals via terrestrial base stations and/or satellites. The system maintains a subscriber information database including current cumulative usage information for subscribers. The system automatically communicates current cumulative usage information for a subscriber in the subscriber information database to a terminal. The current cumulative usage information may be communicated in a variety of ways. For example, current cumulative usage information may be communicated to the terminal at registration of the terminal. Current cumulative usage information may also be communicated during or at the end of a call. A plurality of usage indications may be communicated to a terminal, a respective one of which is associated with a respective type of usage, such as voice call usage, data call usage, home area usage, roaming usage and the like. The terminal receives current cumulative usage information from the wireless communications system, and indicates current cumulative usage for a subscriber to a user based on the received current cumulative usage information. Different usages may be indicated in different forms, such as by different visual or auditory indicia. Related operating methods for wireless communications system and terminals are also described.

The present invention relates to communications systems, and more particularly, to apparatus and methods for providing information to users of wireless communications services.
Wireless communications systems are commonly employed to provide voice and data communications to subscribers. For example, analog cellular radiotelephone systems, such as those designated AMPS, ETACS, NMT-450, and NMT-900, have long been deployed successfully throughout the world. Digital cellular radiotelephone systems such as those conforming to the North American standard IS-54 (superseded by IS-136) and the European standard GSM have been in service since the early 1990""s. More recently, a wide variety of wireless digital services broadly labeled as PCS (Personal Communications Services) have been introduced, including advanced digital cellular systems conforming to standards such as IS-136 and IS-95, lower-power systems such as DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telephone) and data communications services such as CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data). These and other systems are described in The Mobile Communications Handbook, edited by Gibson and published by CRC Press (1996).
FIG. 1 illustrates a typical terrestrial cellular radiotelephone communication system 20. The cellular radiotelephone system 20 may include one or more radiotelephones (terminals) 22, communicating with a plurality of cells 24 served by base stations 26 and a mobile telephone switching office (MTSO) 28. Although only three cells 24 are shown in FIG. 1, a typical cellular network may include hundreds of cells, may include more than one MTSO, and may serve thousands of radiotelephones.
The cells 24 generally serve as nodes in the communication system 20, from which links are established between radiotelephones 22 and the MTSO 28, by way of the base stations 26 serving the cells 24. Each cell 24 will have allocated to it one or more dedicated control channels and one or more traffic channels. A control channel is a dedicated channel used for transmitting cell identification and paging information. The traffic channels carry the voice and data information. Through the cellular network 20, a duplex radio communication link 30 may be effected between two mobile terminals 22 or between a mobile terminal 22 and a landline telephone user 32 through a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 34. The function of a base station 26 is to handle radio communication between a cell 24 and mobile terminals 22. In this capacity, a base station 26 functions as a relay station for data and voice signals.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that xe2x80x9ccellsxe2x80x9d may have configurations other than the omnidirectional cells 24 illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, the coverage areas conceptually illustrated as a hexagonally-shaped area served by a base station 26 may actually be subdivided into three sectors using separate directional antennas mounted at the base station 26, with the sector antenna having patterns extending in three different directions. Each of these sectors may itself be considered a xe2x80x9ccell.xe2x80x9d As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, other cell configurations are also possible, including, for example, overlaid cells, microcells, picocells and the like.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, a satellite 42 may be employed to perform similar functions to those performed by a conventional terrestrial base station, for example, to serve areas in which population is sparsely distributed or which have rugged topography that tends to make conventional landline telephone or terrestrial cellular telephone infrastructure technically or economically impractical. A satellite radiotelephone system 40 typically includes one or more satellites 42 that serve as relays or transponders between one or more earth stations 44 and terminals 23. The satellite conveys radiotelephone communications over duplex links 46 to terminals 23 and an earth station 44. The earth station 44 may in turn be connected to a public switched telephone network 34, allowing communications between satellite radiotelephones, and communications between satellite radio telephones and conventional terrestrial cellular radiotelephones or landline telephones. The satellite radiotelephone system 40 may utilize a single antenna beam covering the entire area. served by the system, or, as shown, the satellite may be designed such that it produces multiple minimally-overlapping beams 48, each serving distinct geographical overage areas 50 in the system""s service region. The coverage areas 50 serve a similar function to the cells 24 of the terrestrial cellular system 20 of FIG. 1.
The use of wireless communications systems has rapidly grown, spurred by the availability of less expensive user terminals, the introduction of easier-to-understand billing plans, and an overall reduction in billing rates. These and other features have helped increase the worldwide population of wireless users to over 300 million.
In many countries, licenses to operate wireless communications systems are granted on a countrywide basis. However, in the United States and a few other countries, licenses to blocks of spectrum have been granted on a regional basis, resulting in the concepts of xe2x80x9chomexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9croamingxe2x80x9d areas. Although consolidation of the telecommunications industry has resulted in the concentration of these regional licenses into the hands of a smaller number of large operators, these artificial regional boundaries still exist. Their presence has made it difficult to provide seamless operation across the boundaries, often making wireless usage problematic for traveling users.
The cost of roaming in the United States has traditionally been relatively high. Unlike in many countries where the cost of a call is independent of where the call is placed or received, the cost of calls in the United States can be variable and unpredictable. A user may be charged a daily roaming charge when he activates himself on the roaming (visited) network. Long distance charges may be added for calls made to destinations outside the visited system""s xe2x80x9clocalxe2x80x9d area, which typically is defined differently than the coverage area of the system""s operator. Daily charges may be applied when roaming in a network outside of one""s home network. Because of these and other difficulties, users frequently turn off their terminals when not placing a call, particularly when traveling.
Techniques have been developed to deal with the aforementioned problems. For example, systems conforming to the GSM and ANSI 136 cellular standards provide for a Charge Rate Indication (CRI) that allows the system operator to inform a user of the per minute cost of a call the user has requested the system to place. In GSM, for example, this feature can be used to provide prospective estimates of charges to users that are traveling across national boundaries, with the charge estimate being provided in the user""s home currency. A motivation for provision of CRI in ANSI 136 was to support wireless pay phone systems. The user of CRI can reduce cost uncertainty, but requires support in the cellular network. Generally, operators have little incentive to provide such information to users, as roaming charges represent a significant source of revenue.
Another approach to monitoring costs is to use a so-called xe2x80x9cprepaidxe2x80x9d package. In a typical prepaid package, a user purchases a fixed amount of wireless services, e.g., a fixed number of call minutes. In some systems, the user can call an operator to determine the number of prepaid minutes remaining on his or her package. The system may respond with a computerized voice message or an alphanumeric message that is transmitted to the user.
Other calling plans have been developed that remove some of the uncertainty involved in roaming. Many operators offer package rates, wherein a subscriber pays a fixed monthly charge for a predetermined number of minutes of calling during the month. When monthly usage exceeds the predetermined amount, additional minutes typically are provided at an increased, premium rate. In some plans, service may be provided on extended xe2x80x9cnationwidexe2x80x9d networks that, for example, cover major metropolitan areas of the United States. Minutes used within these extended networks may be included in the base package, but roaming minutes used outside of the extended network may be charged at a higher rate. Other plans, however, may not differentiate between home area and roaming calls in the discounted block, a feature particularly attractive to travelers who frequently use their cell phones outside of their home areas.
These plans have been facilitated by the development of system features that support Intelligent Roaming (IR). IR refers to a database that ranks roaming operators and that is downloaded to a user""s phone from his or her home system. When outside of the user""s home area, the phone seeks out and locks on to the highest ranked available roaming system in the downloaded database. Using this feature, the home system can direct its subscribers"" terminals to seek low-priced systems with which the home operator has a roaming agreement, making a nationwide xe2x80x9cone ratexe2x80x9d plan economically viable. Industry trends toward greater consolidation among wireless operators are likely to increase the availability of such plans.
Notwithstanding trends toward rate simplification, there are still a variety of rate structures and plans in effect. The patchwork nature of wireless rates and plans can lead to uncertainty about the costs incurred in using wireless services. A user that fails to exercise care in the operation of his or her cell phone may incur substantial costs that can be avoided by employing intelligent calling practices. Accordingly, there is a need for wireless communications apparatus and methods that improve a subscriber""s ability to monitor control communications costs.
In light of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide wireless communications apparatus and methods that can improve a subscriber""s ability to monitor and control communications costs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide wireless communications cost monitoring and control apparatus and methods that are compatible with a variety of rate structures.
These and other objects, features and advantages are provided according to the present invention by wireless communications apparatus and methods in which current cumulative usage information associated with a subscriber, such as a number of minutes used, a number of minutes remaining in a prepaid or monthly calling block, or the like, associated with a subscriber is automatically communicated to a terminal, (e.g., without an inquiry from the terminal), and indicated to a user. The usage information is preferably communicated to the terminal using mechanisms used for normal system operation. For example, usage information may be communicated in a Registration Response message, in a control message communicated during a call, and/or in a Release message at call teardown. According to aspects of the present invention, a terminal can extrapolate current usage information from a previous usage indication when operating in a system that does not provide current usage information. According to other aspects of the present invention, the user may be supplied with a visual or auditory indication when indicated usage represents an extrapolation and/or when usage meets a predetermined criterion, e.g., when usage exceeds a predetermined value. According to other aspects of the invention, multiple usage indications can be provided to a terminal, a respective one of corresponds to a respective type of usage, e.g., home area usage, roaming usage, satellite system usage, terrestrial system usage, and the like.
According to an aspect of the present invention, usage information is provided to a terminal by a wireless communications system, e.g., a system operative to communicate with terminals via terrestrial base stations and/or satellites. The system maintains a subscriber information database including current cumulative usage information for subscribers. The system automatically communicates current cumulative usage information for a subscriber in the subscriber information database to a terminal.
The current cumulative usage information may be communicated in a variety of ways. For example, current cumulative usage information may be automatically communicated to the terminal at registration of the terminal. Current cumulative usage information may also be automatically communicated during or at the end of a call. Current cumulative usage information may be communicated to a terminal in at least one of a Registration Response message, a Control message, and a Release message.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of usage indications is communicated to a terminal, a respective one of which is associated with a respective type of usage. The usage indications may include, for example, a voice call usage indication, a data call usage indication, a home area usage indication, a roaming usage indication, a geographic area usage indication, a system type usage indication, a terrestrial system usage indication, a satellite system usage indication, a time of day usage indication, or a time of week usage indication. Information may be communicated in, for example, time or monetary units.
In other embodiments according to the present invention, a terminal receives current cumulative usage information from a wireless communications system, and indicates current cumulative usage for a subscriber to a user based on the received current cumulative usage information. The current cumulative usage information may be received, for example, at registration of the terminal, during a call or at the end of a call. The information may be received, for example, in a Registration Response message, a Control message, or a Release message.
According to another aspect, a terminal may receive a plurality of usage indications, a respective one of which is associated with a respective type of usage. The terminal may provided a plurality of usage indications to a user based on the received plurality of usage indications. The different usages may be indicated in different forms, such as by different visual or auditory indicia. Further, the terminal may convert received usage information, such as an absolute number of minutes used, to a new format, such a number of minutes remaining in a prepaid calling block. Presentation of usage information to a user may be controlled by a user input, such as by a keypad, trackball or similar device.
In yet another embodiment, a terminal may receive an indication from a wireless communications system that current cumulative usage information will not be communicated to the terminal, for example, on a point-to-point or broadcast channel. In response, the terminal may extrapolate usage, and indicate the extrapolated usage to a user. A distinctive display may be used to distinguish such extrapolated usage from actual usage information received from a wireless communications system. The terminal may also provide an indication to the user when a difference between an extrapolated usage and actual usage exceeds a predetermined threshold, or when an actual or extrapolated usage meets another predetermined criterion, such as a maximum number of minutes threshold.
Related operating methods for wireless communications system and terminals are also described. Improved wireless communications apparatus and methods can thereby be provided.

Apparatus and methods for providing usage information in wireless communications systems


A method for producing a LDPC encoded test pattern for media in a LDPC based drive system includes adding error detection code data to a predominantly zero bit test pattern and adding additional zero bits to produce a test pattern of a desirable length. The test pattern may then be scrambled to produce a desirable flaw detection test pattern. The flaw detection test pattern may then be encoding with an LDPC code, or other error correction code with minimal disturbance to the run length constraints of the data pattern, and written to a storage medium.

In most real signal transmission applications there can be several sources of noise and distortions between the source of the signal and its receiver. As a result, there is a strong need to correct mistakes in the received signal. As a solution for this task one should use some coding technique with adding some additional information (i.e., additional bits to the source signal) to ensure correcting errors in the output distorted signal and decoding it. One type of coding technique utilizes low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. LDPC codes are used because of their fast decoding (linearly depending on codeword length) property.
During media flaw scans, which typically occur during the manufacture and assembly of storage devices, drive makers write test patterns over the entire media and use flaw detection circuits in the read channel to identify defects in the media. This information is used to determine the final drive format. One common traditional test pattern is a 4-T-periodic repeating binary pattern.
After manufacture, drive makers require that even uninitialized sectors (sectors that do not yet contain user data) of the media can be read and recovered during drive operation. Because traditional flaw scan test patterns are not true low-density parity-check (LDPC) codewords, they cannot be used for this purpose in an LDPC-based drive system. Instead, drive makers typically write dummy data sectors over the entire media following the flaw scan, requiring a second write of the entire media.
In order to reduce manufacturing time by eliminating the second full-media write, drive makers are exploring the possibility of using run-length limited (RLL) LDPC-based test patterns for media flaw scans. Such test patterns are also decodable in the field. However, a general LDPC-based test pattern may contain runs of Nyquist or DC patterns that interfere with the read channel ability to detect media defects reliably.
Most flaw detection is based on detecting some unexpected change in signal quality; loss of amplitude is a commonly used flaw detection metric. Due to the low-pass nature of the over-all system, Nyquist patterns have very low signal amplitude even when there is no defect on the media. Effectively, a Nyquist pattern does not provide enough nominal signal amplitude in order to effectively detect changes in signal quality. DC patterns can provide adequate signal amplitude, but do not provide any phase information for phase-based detection algorithms.
Consequently, it would be advantageous if an apparatus existed that is suitable for generating LDPC-based test patterns with minimal Nyquist and DC pattern runs.

Test pattern optimization for LDPC based flawscan

Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.