A method and system for dynamic bandwidth re-allocation is provided. The method includes the steps of monitoring a video streams delivered by a server to a first client and a second client that have a same service level agreement and determining whether the first client is receiving a lower bitrate video stream compared to the second client. The method further includes the step of adjusting a parameter to allow the first client to receive a higher bitrate video stream. In an example, the monitoring, determining and adjusting steps are performed by a cable modem termination system (CMTS). In another example, the monitoring, determining and adjusting steps are performed by an optical line terminal (OLT).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally related to dynamic bandwidth re-allocation.
2. Background Art
Online video delivery involves the transport of a video file, in the form a video stream, from a server that stores the video file to a client that requests online delivery of the video file. Typically, the client determines a bitrate of the connection with the server and requests the video stream at a bitrate that can be sustained by the connection. However, network conditions may arise that cause a first client to receive a lower bit rate than a second client, even if both clients have the same service level agreement with their network service provide for bandwidth allocation. In response to the lower bitrate conditions, the first client will request the server to switch to a lower bitrate video stream. This results in an inequitable distribution of bandwidth between the first client and the second client for the same service level.
There is a need for methods and systems to overcome the above-mentioned deficiency.
The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers may indicate identical or functionally similar elements.


When an output image is observed, an image processing apparatus by which image observation can be performed always in a satisfactory state irrespective of its observation environment and a change of a human's visual characteristic is provided. In this image processing apparatus, a first output unit outputs the target image in a first gradation reproduction range, and a second output unit outputs the target image output by the first output unit in a second gradation reproduction range. At this time, a correction unit performs a correction process, i.e., gradation conversion process, to the target image output by the second output unit, on the basis of information concerning the environment for observing the output result of the target image by the second output unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique to perform a gradation conversion process to an image so as to output the image and observe the output image.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, for example, in a personal computer in which a printer driver has been installed, when an image displayed on a monitor is output and printed by a printer, it is necessary for a user to adjust brightness of the image to be displayed (called a target image hereinafter) in a printed material (i.e., an output image) output by the printer. In order to do so, the user has to set automatic setting for the printer driver to automatically perform the brightness adjustment of the target image, set desired setting on adjustment setting items displayed on the personal computer to manually perform the brightness adjustment of the target image, or select an output gamma value.
Thus, on the basis of the automatic setting, the user's manual setting, or the selected output gamma value, the printer driver obtains a print density of the image in the printer corresponding to brightness of the image on the monitor, and calculates a gradation correction curve from the obtained print density. Then, the printer driver corrects the target image on the basis of the calculated gradation correction curve, whereby the brightness of the target image in the print output (i.e., image output) by the printer is adjusted.
On one hand, it has been conventionally known that sight of an image when observing the result (i.e., a printed material) output and printed by the printer is highly influenced by its observation environment. Particularly, with respect to the contrast and the brightness of the image, a human's visual characteristic changes in three environments (1) to (3) as follows. That is, the human's visual characteristic changes in (1) a pitch-dark state in such a case where a viewer observes a slide image or a projector image, (2) a darkish state in such a case where a viewer observes an OHP (overhead projector) sheet, and (3) a bright state or a light state which is known as an ordinary observation environment.
For example, even if there are two printed materials on which the images having the same gradation characteristic have been respectively output and printed, the contrast of the image on the printed material which is observed when the observation environment is the pitch-dark state is viewed as if it is lower than that of the image on the printed material which is observed when the observation environment is the bright state. Moreover, when the observation environment is the darkish state, it is said that a visual characteristic which is intermediate between two visual characteristics as above appears.
However, a conventional apparatus or system which performs such a gradation correction process (i.e., a gradation conversion process) is structured to set a gradation correction curve to be used in the gradation conversion process to the target image without considering the observation environment in case of observing the printed material of the target image, the fact that the human's visual characteristic changes according to the observation environment, and the like. Otherwise, the conventional apparatus or system is structured to set the gradation correction curve in the state that the observation environment in case of observing the printed material of the target image, the fact that the human's visual characteristic changes according to the observation environment, and the like can not be considered. In addition, the conventional apparatus or system is structured to set the gradation correction curve to be used in the gradation conversion process for the target image without considering the relation between a gradation range capable of performing image output by the monitor and a gradation range capable of performing image output by the printer.
Therefore, conventionally, when the printed material is observed, there may be a case where it is very difficult for a user to view or observe the printed material according to an environment at this time or a change of the user's visual characteristic.
For example, when a printed material (i.e., a print-output image) is observed in the dark observation environment, the contrast of the image is visually low or visually too dark as compared with the case where the image displayed on the display is observed. On the other hand, when the printed material is observed in the light observation environment, the contrast of the image is visually high or visually too bright as compared with the case where the image displayed on the display is observed.
Moreover, as a structure to set a gradation correction curve which paid attention to the relation between the gradation ranges of two output devices (e.g., a monitor and a printer), for example, there is the structure which is described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-263151. This structure is to set the gradation correction curve under the condition of paying attention only to the gradation range, but is not to set the gradation correction curve under the condition of considering an observation environment and a change of the visual characteristic of a viewer. Thus, according to this structure, there is no problem in an ordinary observation environment, but such a problem as above that it is difficult to view the image occurs if the observation environment changes.

Image processing apparatus, image processing method, storage medium, and program


A novelty clip apparatus is set forth for effecting a snap-on securement to overlie notebooks and the like by individuals. The apparatus includes spring-biased clip including an upper and lower pivotally mounted jaw arrangement with the lower jaw including a matrix of upwardly extending pins to cooperate with an interior surface of the upper jaw. A series of extension members are securable to the upper jaw to provide an overlying and extended upper jaw arrangement and encourage use of the clip by an aesthetically enhanced extension member. The extension member may be formed of a variety of elongate configurations and includes an underlying blind channel for receiving the upper jaw of the clip fixedly and securedly thereto. The extension member further includes an interior storage compartment with a removable forward cap securable in an aligned relationship with the exterior wall of the extension member.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to securement clips, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved novelty clip apparatus wherein the same effects storage and aesthetic enhancement of the clip and its association with articles to be secured thereby.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various clips in various configurations have been provided by the prior art to enhance the aesthetic appearance thereof. The prior art, however, has heretofore failed to set forth a clip arrangement as set forth by the instant invention wherein the same provides for an effective clip with an overlying extension jaw, wherein the extension jaw member includes a storage compartment therein as well as a clip receiving channel. Examples of prior art may be found in U.S. Design Pat. No. 232,987 to Matas; U.S. Design Pat. No. 175,981 to Rubeck; U.S. Design Pat. No. 155,983 to Freiler; U.S. Design Pat. No. 186,933 to Sapiro; and U.S. Design Pat. No. 135,753 to Graeter. The design patents are illustrative of various configurations of clips for ornamental purpose, but the prior art fails to provide the organization as provided by the instant invention of a securement clip with an overlying extension defining a length at least four times that of the upper jaw about which the extension member is secured.
As such, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for a new and improved novelty clip apparatus which addresses both the problems of ease of use and effectiveness in construction, and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A bias-ply pneumatic tire comprises a tire cover having a thread portion, a pair of opposed side walls integral with the tread portion and a pair of opposed bead portions integral with the respective side walls and adapted to firmly engage with associated rim flanges of a wheel rim. Each of the bead portions includes at least one bead core embedded therein. The tire cover includes a bias-ply carcass structure composed of a plurality of carcass plies laid on a bias at a predetermined angle with respect to the midcircumferential plane of the tire. At least one of the carcass plies in the tire cover has its opposed ends each terminating, without being turned up around and anchored to the corresponding bead core, in a region between the corresponding bead core and a lower portion of the corresponding side wall while the other of the carcass plies have their opposed ends each being turned up around and anchored to the corresponding bead core, thereby terminating at a position adjacent the boundary between the side wall and the bead portion.

The present invention generally relates to a pneumatic tire and, more particularly, to a bias-ply pneumatic tire suited for use on a motorcycle.
There is known a pneumatic tire suited for use on a motorcycle which comprises, as best shown in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings, a tire cover 10 having a tread portion 11, a pair of opposed side walls 12 one on each side of the tread portion 11 and integral with the tread portion 11 and a pair of opposed bead portions 13 integral with the respective side walls 12 and adapted to firmly engage with associated rim flanges 21 of a wheel rim 20, a bias-ply carcass structure 14 embedded in the tire cover 10 and having opposed ends turned up around and anchored to the respective bead portions 13 in the tire cover 10, and an inner lining 15 of a blended rubber material which is impervious to air and which is coated on the inner surface of the tire cover 10. The bias-ply carcass structure 14 is constituted by a plurality of carcass plies of juxtaposed textile cords, which carcass plies are alternately laid down on a bias relative to the midcircumferential plane of the tire.
The pneumatic tire of the construction so far described may be used in practice either with or without an inner tube therein. However, where the pneumatic tire is designed for use without the inner tube, that is, in the form of a tubeless pneumatic tire, the inner lining 15 has a wall thickness larger than that required in the pneumatic tire for use with the inner tube therein. The employment of the larger wall thickness of the inner lining 15 is necessitated to prevent objectionable diffusion of air from within the tire cover 10 and through the side walls, such diffusion of air being objectionable not only from the standpoint of loss of inflation pressure, but also because of a high rate of diffusion of air into the side walls 12 tending to blister and separate the carcass plies from the body material forming the tire cover 10. The inner lining 15 usually extends circumferentially of the tire between the opposed bead portions 13 and extends down to the region of the toes of the respective bead portions 13.
On the other hand, it has often experienced that, when the pneumatic tire in use is, for example, pierced with the inflation pressure consequently reduced, at least one of the opposed bead portions of the tire is displaced in a direction generally transversely of the midcircumferential plane of the tire into a rim well or drop center portion of the wheel rim under the influence of an external lateral force acting on the tire in a direction generally transversely of the midcircumferential plane of the tire. Once this displacement happens, the worst that may happen would be a traffic accident and/or physical damages to a motorcyclist.
In order to avoid the possible displacement of the bead portion 13 into the rim well, an improvement has been made to the design of the wheel rim, an example of which is shown in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings. Referring still to FIG. 1, the wheel rim, generally identified by 20, includes a substantially radially inwardly concaved rim well 22, generally flat bead seats 23 one on each side of the rim well 22, a pair of opposed, generally radially outwardly extending rim flanges 21, and a pair of opposed ribs 24 each radially outwardly protruding from one side portion of the corresponding bead seat 23 remote from the rim flange 21 and extending circumferentially of the wheel rim 20. When the tire is mounted on the wheel rim 20, a rim engaging face or base of each of the bead portions 13 is seated on the corresponding bead seat 23 with toe and heel respectively tightly contacting the adjacent rib 24 and the adjacent rim flange 21.
The conventional wheel rim 20 shown in FIG. 1 is so designed that, when one or both of the bead portions 13 of the pneumatic tire tends to be displaced into the rim well 22, the corresponding rib 24 prevents such bead portion 13 from slipping into the rim well 22.
Since the pneumatic tire for particular use on a motorcycle is generally small in size, the effective width RW of the wheel rim 20 for the support of such tire thereon is limited to a relatively small value and the width WW of the rim well 22 is correspondingly limited to a value as required for the effective mounting of the tire on the wheel rim 20. Therefore, if the wall thickness of the inner lining 15 is increased to enable the tire to be used in practice without an inner tube disposed therein, that is, to enable the tire to be used as a tubeless tire, the pneumatic tire having the inner lining 15 of increased wall thickness can no longer be mounted on the wheel rim 20 having the bead seats 23 with a fixed width SW. This means that a particular construction of the wheel rim is required, depending upon which tire is utilized, that is, depending on whether or not an inner tube is utilized in the tire. More specifically, if the wall thickness of the inner lining 15 in the tire designed for use with the inner tube is merely increased to enable such tire to be used in the form of a tubeless tire, the volume of each of the bead portions 13 increases correspondingly to such an extent that the base of the corresponding bead portion 13 can no longer be accommodated within the fixed width SW of the associated bead seat 23 of the wheel rim 20. If the tubeless tire, the bead portions of which have their bases of a width larger than the fixed width SW of the associated bead seats 23 of the wheel rim 20, is mounted on the wheel rim 20 of the construction shown in FIG. 1, there is the increased possibility of the lateral displacement of the bead portion 13 into the rim well 22.
On the other hand, if an attempt is made during the manufacture of the tire to render the width BW of the base of each bead portion to be equal or slightly smaller than the width SW of the corresponding bead seat 23 by reducing the wall thickness of the tire cover 10 and/or the number of carcass plies, the resultant tire would no longer be used as a tubeless tire with the bead portions exhibiting a poor performance. As is well known to those skilled in the art, each of the bead portions of the pneumatic tire in general has a number of tasks, i.e., to anchor the carcass plies to withstand the deformation forces resulting from running the tire, to withstand the inflation pressure, to transmit longitudinal forces and to provide a seal between the tire and the wheel rim. Therefore, where the poor performance of the bead portions is such that a complete seal cannot be obtained between the tire and the wheel rim and/or that the tire cannot withstand the deformation force acting particularly in a direction generally transversely of the midcircumferential plane of the tire, such tire cannot be used in the form of a tubeless tire, that is, without the inner tube.
Yet, it has been well recognized by those skilled in the art that the pneumatic tire having the bias-ply carcass structure is superior to the pneumatic tire having the radial-ply carcass structure in respect of providing a comfortable riding, a rigidity of the side walls, and a stable drivability particularly during cornering. However, the bias-ply pneumatic tire requires by nature a larger number of the carcass plies than that in the radial-ply pneumatic tire. In view of this, the manufacture of the bias-ply pneumatic tire involves some problems peculiar to such bias-ply pneumatic tire. By way of example, not only is the placement of the carcass plies one above the other to form the bias-ply carcass structure complicated and time-consuming, but also it requires a lot of labor and skill in workmanship. In addition, the productivity of the bias-ply pneumatic tire is limited as compared with that of the radial-ply pneumatic tire.

Tubeless bias-ply tire with at least one carcass ply ending near bead core without being wrapped therearound


A lectin like protein substance, method of obtaining same and a pharmaceutical agent containing the substance, as an effective ingredient. The substance is obtained through steps of cultivating a cell line stablished from Sarcophaga peregrina embryo to produce the substance in a culture medium, as product of the cell line, separating the refining the same. The substance shows an anti-tumor activity and thus is useful as an effective ingredient for medicines to cure cancers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel lectin like protein substance, method of obtaining same and anti-tumor agent comprising the same as an effective ingredient. The substance is produced through a cultivation of an insect cell and more particularly a cell line established from flesh fly (Sarcophaga peregrina) embryo.
2. Related Arts
The term of "Lectin" is a general one meaning glycoproteins found in animals, plants and bacteria inclusive of virus, excepting those of products due to an immunoreaction and some of the lectins obtained from plants had been known for long to behave as a hemagglutinin.
Recently, however, various lectins have been found not only in the plants, but also in animals, and physical significance and characteristics thereof have occupied the attention in the pharmacological field, since some of them shows an agglutination specific not only to erythrocyte, but also leucocyte, cancer cell and the like (for instance, Jap. Pat. Appln. No. 212436/1983 corresponding to Jap. Unexamined Pat. Appln. Gazette No. 105621/1960).
The present inventor has also found a substance from one of insecta, Sarcophaga peregrina, which substance shows lectin like activities, activates a macropharge in vitro to produce a tumor killing substance and has been named as "Sarcophaga-Lectin" (Jap. Pat. Appln. Nos. 123298/1982, 94972/1983 and 66330/1984 which correspond to Jap. Unexamined Pat. Appln. Gazette Nos. 13730/1984, 222422/1984 and 209530/1985, respectively).
As anti-tumor agents, chemotherapeutic agents, immunotherapeutic agents and the like have been clinically employed now but those have a relatively high side effect and thus it is anxious for to develop other anti-tumor agents which have a higher safety.
While, the Sarcophaga-Lectin as referred to has been expected as one of high safety anti-tumor agents but has difficulties in its productivity inclusive of insurance of the raw material, isolation and purification.

Lectin like protein substance, method of obtaining same and anti-tumor agent comprising same


Polymer dispersed liquid crystals are made by mixing liquid crystals into a syrup of polymethylmethacrylate dissolved in polymerizable monomers comprising methyl methacrylate, and polymerizing to monomers, to obtain finely dispersed micelles of liquid crystals which change refractive index in response to an electric field.

Four related patents which recite reliance on a patent application filed on Mar. 19, 1984 describe polymer dispersed liquid crystals. These are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,671,618 to Wu et al, 4,673,255 to West et al, 4,685,771 to West et al, and 4,688,900 to Doane et al. These patents describe both a solvent method and a cure method for making PDLCs. In the solvent method, a fully polymerized polymer is dissolved in a solvent and the liquid crystal is distributed within the system. The solvent is driven off and the resulting solidified material is found to contain small droplets of liquid crystal distributed within it. In the cure method, the liquid crystal is dispersed in a medium of monomer and the monomer is subjected to polymerization conditions. Being inert with respect to the polymerization conditions and insoluble in the polymer, the liquid crystal becomes segregated into small domains scattered throughout the cured matrix. Segregation of the small droplets in either the cure method or the solvent method is known as phase separation.
Typical liquid crystal compositions include cyano biphenyls such as 4-cyano-4'-butylbiphenyl, 4-cyano-4'-hexylbiphenyl, 4-cyano-4'-heptylbiphenyl, 4-cyano-4'-octylbiphenyl, 4-cyano-4'-pentoxybiphenyl, 4-n-pentyl-n-cyano-biphenyl, and 4-cyano-4'-octoxybiphenyl. See West et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,685,771 and 4,673,255.
Fully polymerized polymethylmethacrylate ("PMMA") is used in solution in Examples II, V and VI of Wu et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,618. The PMMA, liquid crystal and solvent, such as acetone or trichloromethane, are mixed together to form a solution, and the solvent is driven off, causing the formation of a solid PMMA polymer with liquid crystal dispersed in it.
Murayama et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,873 disclose the use of dissolved fully polymerized PMMA for the dispersion of other materials having electrooptical effects, such as p-nitroaniline, o-nitroaniline, 2-nitro-4-methoxyaniline, p-nitro-o-chloroaniline, 5-nitro-o-toluidine, 2-nitro-diphenylamine, 1,2-diamino-4-nitrobenzene, and p-nitrophenol.
Leslie et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,847 use various monomeric media including several different acrylic monomers to polymerize to create very small liquid crystal domains. Difunctional acrylic oligomers are used by Gunjima et al in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,818,070 and 4,834,509. Certain materials described as polyurethane prepolymers are employed by Benton et al in U.S. Pat. No. 3,872,050.
The reader may also be interested in "Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystals: Boojums at Work", MRS BULLETIN, January 1991, pages 22-28, Volume XVI, Number 1 (Materials Research Society) by J. William Doane, and "Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal Displays", by J. William Doane, Chapter 14, LIQUID CRYSTALS:APPLICATIONS AND USES, B. Bahadur, ed., World Scientific Publishing Co. (1990), on the use of liquid crystals for various practical purposes.

Polymethylmethacrylate syrup as medium for liquid crystals


An undersea hydraulic coupling having a male member with a stepped outer body is inserted into a female member having a bore with stepped internal cylindrical surface. The step in the male member defines first and second external cylindrical surfaces which are slidably received in the female member bore and in a sleeve member before the seals, which are retained by the sleeve member, engage the male member. Thus, the male member is more accurately positioned and guided into the seals, insuring greater seal reliability and longer seal life. The stepped surfaces also help prevent implosion of the seals due to sea pressure when the end of the male member comes out of the seals.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to hydraulic couplings, and specifically to hydraulic couplings used in undersea drilling and production applications. More particularly, the invention involves an undersea hydraulic coupling having improved guidance of the coupling members prior to sealing between the male member and the female member of the coupling.
2. Description of the Related Art
Subsea hydraulic couplings are old in the art. The couplings generally consist of a male member and a female member with seals to seal the junction between the male and female members.
The female member generally has a cylindrical body with a relatively large diameter bore at one end and a relatively small diameter bore at the other. The small bore facilitates connections to hydraulic lines, while the large bore contains the seals and receives the male portion of the coupling. The male member includes a cylindrical portion at one end to facilitate connection to hydraulic lines. When the cylindrical portion of the male member is inserted into the large bore of the female member, according to various embodiments of the device, the seals either abut the end, or face, of the male member or engage the male member about its circumference. The hydraulic fluid is then free to flow through the female and male portions of the coupling, and seals prevent that flow from escaping about the joints in the coupling.
A check valve may be installed in the female member and also in the male member. Each check valve is open when the coupling is made up; however, each check valve closes when the coupling is broken so as to prevent fluid from leaking out of the system of which the coupling is a part.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,859 to Robert E. Smith III, an undersea hydraulic coupling with a radial metal seal is disclosed. This coupling provides a reusable radial metal seal which engages the circumference of the probe when it is positioned within the female member body. The metal seal is held in place by a cylindrical body or retainer. The retainer prevents escape of the metal seal from the female member body. When the male and female portions of the coupling are parted under pressure, the retainer prevents the metal seal from blowing out through the bore of the female member. This coupling uses a pressure actuated metal c-ring seal. Among the advantages of this design are that it requires no pre-load mechanism, is tolerant to movement of the two halves of the coupling relative to one another, and allows greater tolerances between the couplings and the manifold plates. The retainer also may be used to pre-load the metal c-ring seal by urging it radially inwardly to engage the circumference of the male member. This is accomplished by positioning the seal on a shoulder within the female member bore, then locking the retainer against the seal.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,832,080, 5,099,882 and 5,277,225 to Robert E. Smith III, undersea hydraulic couplings are shown having at least two radial metal seals for sealing between the male member and the female member receiving chamber. Pressure energized seals are shown which are configured to seal radially between the male and female members, and the couplings are pressure balanced for fluid communication through mating radial passages and the annular space between the members.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,029,613 and 5,284,183 to Robert E. Smith III, undersea hydraulic couplings are shown having a sealing member with a metal lip projecting radially inwardly to form a radial metal to metal seal with the male member in response to fluid pressure in the coupling, and locking or retaining means for holding the seal against an internal shoulder in the female member. In the couplings of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,029,613 and 5,284,183, the male member is preferably aligned and guided into the receiving chamber of the female member prior to sealing engagement of the radial metal seals with the male member or probe.
Improved guidance of the probe into the female member will help ensure higher seal reliability and longer seal life in undersea hydraulic couplings. Additionally, in couplings of the foregoing type, a vacuum sometimes occur during withdrawal of the male member from the receiving chamber or bore, because of high subsea pressures.

Undersea hydraulic coupling with pre-sealing guidance


A novel magnetic recording disc is provided comprising, a nonmagnetic support having thereon a nonmagnetic layer comprising nonmagnetic particles and a binder resin, and a magnetic layer comprising ferromagnetic particles and a binder resin, in this order. The nonmagnetic particles in the nonmagnetic layer are partially or entirely electrically conductive particles, the thickness of the magnetic layer is in the range of 0.5 .mu.m or less, and the orientation ratio of the ferromagnetic particles in the magnetic layer is 0.85 or more.. A novel process for preparing the magnetic recording disc is provided. Further, a novel process for recording and reproduction of a signal having a shortest recordable wavelength of 1.5 .mu.m or less is provided, which utilizes the magnetic recording disc in conjunction with a magnetic head having a gap length (.delta.) of 0.50 .mu.m or less.

Magnetic recording media provide excellent advantages which cannot be obtained with other recording systems. Magnetic recording media enable repeated use of media, easily process signals in an electronic form, enable the construction of a system combined with a peripheral equipment, and can modify a signal. Thus, magnetic recording technique has been widely utilized in various fields, such as video equipment, audio equipment, computers and the like. To miniaturize equipment, satisfy the demand for improvement in the quality of recorded and reproduced signals, as well as the demand for prolongation of recordable time and the demand for increase in the recording capacity, it has been desired to further improve the recording density of recording media. For these purposes, improvements in magnetic materials have been made to improve the surface properties of the magnetic layer, the dispersibility of magnetic particles in the magnetic layer and the magnetic properties of the magnetic layer.
Floppy discs having a magnetic layer on a flexible nonmagnetic support, which are used as external recording media for microcomputers and personal computers, require a large capacity as high as 10M bytes or more to manage improved application software and the increase in the amount of data to be processed.
A recording system for high density code having a frequency component region 1.5 times wider than that of conventional codes, such as the RLL signal, has been proposed. Thus, the shortest recordable wavelength of signals to be recorded on these floppy discs approaches 3.0 .mu.m or less, even 1.5 .mu.m or less.
To enhance the recording density of the system, the gap length (.delta.) of magnetic heads has been reduced as well, nearing 0.5 .mu.m or less.
To enable high density recording with a short recording wavelength, it is first necessary to enhance the coercive force of the magnetic layer. To this end, JP-A-58-122623 and JP-A-61-74137 (the term "JP-A" as used herein refers to a "published unexamined Japanese patent application") propose that a ferromagnetic metal powder in the form of ferromagnetic particles be incorporated in the magnetic layer on disc-shaped media.
JP-B-62-49656 and JP-A-60-50323 (the term "JP-B" as used herein refers to an "examined Japanese patent publication"), and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,629,653, 4,666,770 and 4,543,198 disclose use of hexagonal system ferrites, such as barium ferrite, as ferromagnetic particles.
In a magnetic recording medium for computers, such as a floppy disc, overwriting of signals having different recording frequencies is indispensable. Conventional media were satisfactory if they allowed overwriting of two kinds of signals in a double-frequency relationship, i.e., if and 2f signals. However, the above mentioned RLL signal system requires not only the reduction of recordable wavelength, but also overwriting of a plurality of signals having a frequency ratio of 3:8.
If signals having a short recording wavelength and a great difference in recording frequency are used, overwriting of a signal with a shorter recording wavelength on a signal with a longer recording wavelength cannot be successfully performed when the magnetic properties of the magnetic layer are merely improved as disclosed in the above cited JP-A-58-122623 and JP-A-61-74137. In conventional magnetic media, when a signal with a shorter recording wavelength is overwritten on a previously recorded signal with a longer recording wavelength, the magnetic line of force does not reach deep in the magnetic layer, and thus cannot erase the previously recorded signal with a longer wavelength.
To overcome this difficulty, it is most effective to reduce the coercive force of the magnetic layer or reduce the thickness of the magnetic layer. However, the reduction in the coercive force of the magnetic layer causes a reduction in the resolution of recording signals or the reproduced output, making high density recording more difficult.
Another problem encountered with conventional magnetic recording discs is electrification of the media. The occurrence of dropouts resulting from the attachment of dust to the surface of the magnetic layer caused by the electrification of the media must be inhibited. Since these magnetic recording discs are adapted to record computer data in digital form, interruptions in recorded or reproduced signals due to dropout causes an increase in B.E.R. (bit error rate).
The shorter the recording wavelength of signals to be recorded in these magnetic recording discs, the greater the influence of dropout and the deterioration of running durability on the magnetic layer. Thus, this electrification problem is an important consideration in the design of a magnetic recording disc having a large capacity and a high recording density.
An ordinary method for inhibiting the electrification of media is to incorporate carbon black in the magnetic layer. However, even if the thickness of the magnetic layer is reduced, taking into account the problem caused by overwriting in recording of a short recording wavelength region, the amount of carbon black retained in the magnetic layer is limited. Further, to maintain superior the magnetic properties, the incorporation of carbon black in the magnetic layer is preferably avoided.
As another means of solving the electrification problem, a magnetic recording medium has been proposed comprising a nonmagnetic layer containing carbon black, or the like, provided interposed between a magnetic layer and a nonmagnetic support. This magnetic recording medium is disclosed in, e.g., JP-A-55-55432, JP-A-50-104003, JP-A-62-214513, JP-A-62-214514, JP-A-62-231417, and JP-A-63-31027, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,440,091. The magnetic recording medium having such a layer construction is proposed also to improve the surface properties or running durability of the magnetic layer.
However, the magnetic recording media disclosed in the prior art are not sufficiently thin for the recording wavelength of signals to be recorded in large capacity magnetic recording discs which are currently required.
When the thickness of the magnetic layer is reduced to improve the overwritability (i.e., the overwriting property) of magnetic recording discs, the amount of a lubricant which can be retained by the magnetic layer is reduced, deteriorating running durability. After repeated sliding movement with contact the magnetic layer and the magnetic head, lubricant runs short, causing a rise in the friction coefficient. As a result, the magnetic head will scrape the magnetic layer. If the magnetic layer contains too much lubricant, the physical properties thereof are deteriorated. Thus, the content of the lubricant in the magnetic layer is naturally limited.
If a ferromagnetic metal particle or hexagonal system ferrite in the form of ferromagnetic particles is incorporated in the magnetic layer to increase the capacity of magnetic recording discs, the magnetic layer tends to exhibit reduced running durability.
Further, the thinner the magnetic layer is, the more easily the magnetic layer can be peeled off from its support. Such peeling of the magnetic layer can be another cause of dropout. The peeling of the magnetic layer cannot be avoided even by providing a nonmagnetic layer between the magnetic layer and the nonmagnetic support.
As mentioned above, to provide a large capacity medium for a magnetic recording disc, such as floppy disc, the above problems must be considered. No means satisfying all these requirements have been proposed to date.

Magnetic recording disc comprising a non-magnetic underlayer and a magnetic layer comprising ferromagnetic particles and a binder


A control method for a touch display device including a display panel is provided. The display panel includes multiple first gate lines and multiple second gate lines respectively corresponding to a first field and a second field of a frame, and multiple sensing electrodes for touch sensing. Within one single frame period, the control method includes: scanning the first gate lines to update the first field; controlling the sensing electrodes to perform touch sensing and providing a first touch report; scanning the second gates lines to update the second field; and controlling the sensing electrodes to perform touch sensing and providing a second touch report. At least one of the first gates lines is located between two of the second gate lines, and at least one of the second gate lines is located between two of the first gate lines.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a touch display device, and more particularly to a touch display device capable of increasing a touch report rate and an associated control method.
Description of the Related Art
A touch display device is an image display device that includes an input device. The display device may be, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a field emission display (FED), a plasma display panel (PDD) or an electroluminescent display (ELD). A touch display device allows a user to input an instruction or message by touching or pressing a touch sensor on a screen through a finger or a stylus, while viewing an image displayed on the screen of the display device.
A conventional touch display device is formed by additionally attaching a touch panel including touch sensors on a common display screen without a touch function. Such type of touch display device is generally referred to as an add-on type touch panel. Compared to a common display screen without a touch function, an add-on type touch panel usually suffers from issues of a larger thickness and poorer light transmittance.
To overcome the issues above and to at the same time eliminate the additional manufacturing process of attaching a touch panel, an in-cell touch technology has been developed for a touch display device. For example, an in-cell touch panel directly places touch sensors into a display screen. In other words, when the manufacture of the display screen is complete, the touch sensors are simultaneously formed without involving the additional process of attaching a touch panel.
For an in-cell touch screen, the time for updating data of all pixels thereon is referred to as one display frame period, and is usually defined by a cycle of a vertical synchronization signal. The reciprocal of the display frame period is generally referred to as a frame update rate, or simply frame rate.
In an in-cell touch screen, some electrodes are required to handle dual functions of image display and touch sensing. Therefore, a time-division method is frequently adopted for these electrodes to sometimes control the function of image display and sometimes handle the function of touch sensing. One simplest is approach is that, after the data of all of the pixels is updated once and before the next display frame period begins, touch sensing is performed and a touch report is transmitted. A frequency of generating touch point information is usually referred to as a touch report rate. In a common in-cell touch screen, the touch report rate is equal to the frame rate. For example, if the frame rate is 60 Hz, the touch report rate of the common in-cell touch screen is also 60 Hz.
FIG. 1 shows an LCD panel 10 and an associated control circuit, which together serve as an example of a touch display device. On the LCD panel 10, a gate driver circuit 12, gate lines G1, G2, . . . and GN, and data lines D1, D2, . . . and DM are formed. The LCD panel 10 includes an active region 14, in which a gate line and a data line 14 intersect to control a pixel. A data driving circuit 16 controls the data lines D1, D2, . . . and DM. A timing controller 18 provides a corresponding signal to the gate driver circuit 12 to cause the gate driver circuit 12 to sequentially scan the gate lines G1, G2, . . . and GN. The timing controller 18 also writes a digital signal into a register of the data driving circuit 16 according to an audio/video signal, and converts the digital signal to an analog data signal to drive the data lines D1, D2, . . . and DM.
FIG. 1 further depicts an equivalent circuit in a pixel Cellnm correspondingly controlled by the gate line Gn and the data line Dm. The pixel Cellnm may be a pixel of any of the colors red, green and blue. The gate line Gn may turn on or turn off a thin-film transistor (TFT) TMnm. Through the turned on TFT TMnm, the data driving circuit 16 may store a data voltage Vnm in a capacitor Cnm of the pixel. A difference between a common voltage VCOM on a common electrode and a data voltage Vnm on a data electrode determines a twist level of the liquid crystals between the two electrodes, and thus determines a level of transmittance of light emitted from a backlight source (not shown) through the pixel Cellnm.
FIG. 2 shows an operating timing applied to the touch display device in FIG. 1. The LCD panel 10 operates in a progressive scan mode. The gate lines G1, G2, . . . and GN are scanned for display in a period 20. The gate driver circuit 12 sequentially scan the gate lines G1, G2, . . . and GN. For example, the gate driving circuit 12 first pulls the gate line G1 to a high voltage while keeping the other gate lines at a low voltage. As such, the TFT of all of the pixels connected to the gate line G1 are all turned on. At this point, the data driving circuit 16 may write appropriate data voltages into all of the pixels connected to the gate line G1 through the data lines D1, D2, . . . and DM, respectively. The gate driver circuit 12 then pulls the gate line G1 down to a low voltage, and pulls the gate line G2 to a high voltage, and the data driving circuit 16 writes appropriate data voltages into all of the pixels connected to the gate line G2 through the data lines D1, D2, . . . and DM, respectively. Thus, in the period 20, the data voltages of all of the pixels in FIG. 1 are updated. An entire image formed by all of the pixels in FIG. 1 is commonly referred to as a frame. In other words, one frame is updated in the period 20.
In a period 22, touch detection and report are performed. After one frame is updated in the period 20, touch detection and report may be performed using the data lines D1, D2, . . . and DM or the common electrode in FIG. 1 in the period 22 to provide one touch report.
In periods 24 and 26, the periods 20 and 22 are repeated. It should be noted that, as shown in FIG. 2, the periods 20 and 22 are completed in one frame period TFRAME, and the periods 24 and 26 are completed in a next frame period TFRAME. If the frame rate in FIG. 2 is 60 Hz, the frame period TFRAME in FIG. 2 is 1/60 second, and the touch report rate, the same as the frame rate, is also 60 Hz.
However, to provide a more sensitive and fast touch response, some software system manufacturers demand a touch report rate to be as high as 100 Hz. Therefore, there is a need for a solution for increasing the touch report rate.

Touch display device and associated control method


In a machine for winding and inserting coils of the type wherein a flier is rotated so as to wind the conductor drawn from the flier around two blades of an insertion tooling and an auxiliary plate located radially outwardly of said two blades and spaced apart therefrom by a predetermined distance, thereby forming a coil which is directly inserted together with a wedge into slots of a magnetic core of a rotary electric machine, an improvement wherein the blades with wedge guides which form the insertion tooling are divided into alternating main and auxiliary blades equiangularly spaced apart from each other, the auxiliary blades being axially movable relative to said main blades in such a way that when the conductor is wound around a bobbin formed by two of the main blades and an auxiliary plate, the auxiliary blades are retracted away from the main blades, but when the wound coils are inserted into the slots of the magnetic core, the auxiliary blades are raised to align with the main blades, thus forming the insertion tooling. In addition, all the coils for one phase may be continuously wound so as to have only one starting lead and one finishing lead.

The present invention relates to generally a machine for winding coils and inserting the same into the slots of a magnetic core of a rotary electric machine and more particularly a machine for winding coils and inserting the same along with wedges into the slots of a magnetic core of a rotary electric machine.
The assembly of magnetic cores such as stators of rotary electric machines includes a step of inserting into the slots of a stator the coils which have been previously wound and a step of inserting the wedges into the slots.
It has been well known in the art that especially when the coils consisting of many turns of a fine conductor are inserted into the stator core of a motor, it is by far preferable to insert both the coils and wedges simultaneously than separately because better performance or qualities of the coils may be maintained; that is, the disconnection of the coil may be minimized; the degradation of the insulation due to the damage to the conductor may be prevented; and the coils may be securely held in the slots by the wedges.
There has been devised and demonstrated a machine capable of simultaneously inserting all the coils and wedges into a stator core. This machine is provided with a plurality of blades which are extended through a stator core and contact the inside peripheral surface thereof so as to guide the coils towards the slots and a plurality of wedge guides which contact with one of the end faces of the stator core so as to guide the wedges towards the slots. The coils to be inserted are previously wound by a separate winding machine and are inserted between the blades according to a predetermined pattern. Thereafter they are inserted into the slots along with the wedges in the manner described above.
However the coil and wedge inserting machine of the type described above has some defects to be described below. When the edgewise wound coil is removed from the bobbin of the winding machine and inserted into the insertion tooling of the coil insertion machine, the coil is disturbed so that when the coil is inserted into the slots, the conductor of the coil is trapped between the stator core and an inserting means and is cut off and the coil cannot be snugly inserted into the slots and securely held by the wedge, thus resulting in the rejection of the finished product. In addition, manual labor is needed to remove the coil from the bobbin and mount it on the insertion tooling. Furthermore, the productivity is low because the connections between the crossover leads are needed after the insertion.
As disclosed for instance in U.S. Pat. No. 2,934,099, there has been invented and used a machine capable of winding a coil and directly inserting it into the slots of a stator core. With this machine, the coils for respective poles are formed individually around bobbins. As a result, the simultaneous insertion of the coils and wedges is impossible. In addition, after the coils and wedges are inserted, the connection between the crossover leads is needed. Furthermore the winding step and the insertion step must be alternately carried out for respective poles. Thus, this machine has a low productivity and a low rate of operation.
As disclosed for instance in U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,295, there has been also invented and used a machine wherein there is provided an inserter tooling consisting of a plurality of blades with different heights and supporting means disposed radially outwardly of the inserter tooling; and a coil is wound around a bobbin formed by two of the blades and one of the supporting means, the wound coil being directly inserted into the slots of a stator core.
The last mentioned machine of the type described above has also a low productivity or a low efficiency because of the following reasons. Firstly, each time a coil for one pole is formed, it must be immediately inserted into the stator. As a result, many insertion steps are needed. In addition, the connection between the crossover leads is still needed. Furthermore since the blades are not uniform in height, the wound coils are increased in length.


A system and methods are shown for selecting a packet data serving node (PDSN) for a mobile node in a mobile Internet Protocol network. One method includes responsively to receiving on a first foreign agent control node (FACN) from a radio node a registration request message and determining that a mobile profile associated with a mobile node specified in the registration request is not available at the first FACN, sending from the first FACN to a second FACN a query request message including a request for the mobile profile. If the second FACN includes the requested mobile profile, the second FACN sends it to the first FACN using a query response message. When the first FACN receives the query response message, the first FACN makes a determination that the mobile profile includes a network address of the last serving PDSN. Responsively, the first FACN sends to the radio node a registration response message including the network address of the PDSN specified in the mobile profile, and the mobile node registers with the PDSN. Alternatively, if the second FACN does not have the requested mobile profile, the first FACN may select a PDSN using a set of PDSN selection rules available at the first FACN.

The Internet Protocol ("IP") is an addressing protocol designed to route traffic within a network or between networks. The Internet Protocol is used on many computer networks including the Internet, intranets and other networks. Internet Protocol addresses are typically assigned to "immobile" nodes on a network. An immobile node may be moved to a different computer network, but is typically associated with a static physical location (e.g., 3Com Corporation in Santa Clara, Calif.) and an immobile Internet protocol address.
The Mobile Internet Protocol (hereinafter Mobile IP) allows "mobile" nodes to transparently move between different Internet Protocol sub-networks ("subnets"). Internet Protocol addresses are typically assigned to mobile nodes based on their home Internet Protocol subnet. The home subnet is connected to an external network (e.g., the Internet or an intranet) with a "home agent" that serves as the subnet's gateway router. As is known in the art, the gateway connects computer networks using different networking protocols or operating at different transmission capacities. As is known in the art, a router translates differences between network protocols and routes data packets to an appropriate network node or network device.
When a mobile node "roams" (i.e., dynamically changes its physical location), it periodically transmits "agent solicitation" messages to other gateway routers. A mobile node also listens for "agent advertisement" messages from other gateway routers. When a mobile node receives an agent advertisement message indicating that it is now on a foreign subnet, it registers with the foreign gateway router or "foreign agent" and its home agent. The registration with the home agent indicates that the mobile node is away from "home" (i.e., away from its home subnet). The registration with the foreign agent allows the mobile node to receive data on the foreign subnet.
The Mobile Internet Protocol allows a mobile node to dynamically change its network connectivity in a manner that is transparent to protocol layers above the Internet Protocol layer, for example, without re-establishing Transmission Control Protocol ("TCP") or User Datagram Protocol ("UDP") sessions. As is known in the art, Transmission Control Protocol and User Datagram Protocol are often used over Internet Protocol in computer networks. Transmission Control Protocol provides a connection-oriented, end-to-end reliable protocol designed to fit into a layer hierarchy of protocols that support multi-network applications. User Datagram Protocol provides a transaction oriented datagram protocol, where delivery and duplicate packet protection are not guaranteed.
It is often desirable to establish a voice, video and/or data call from a mobile node that has roamed from its home network to a foreign network. Such a voice, video or data call is typically established using call control and other protocols such as Session Initiation Protocol ("SIP"), H.323, Authentication, Authorization and Accounting ("AAA"), e.g., for billing, Domain Name System ("DNS"), e.g., for IP address decoding, etc.
A mobile node registers with its home agent using a Mobile IP Registration Request message. As a result, its home agent can create or modify a mobility binding record for that mobile node. A mobility binding record is used to keep track of mobile communications information such as a home network address of a mobile node on a home network, a care-of-address for the mobile node on a foreign network, a lifetime timer for the association between the home network address and the care-of-network address, and other types of mobile communication information.
Mobile Internet Protocol requires link layer connectivity between a mobile node and a foreign agent. However, in some systems, the link layer from the mobile node may terminate at a point distant from a foreign agent. Such networks are commonly referred to as third generation ("3G") networks. Third-generation networks support data rates ranging from 144K bits-per-second to 2M bits-per-second, packet switched services including IP traffic, multimedia services including video conferencing and streaming video, or international roaming among different third generation operating environments. Third generation networks include packet-based transmission of digitalized voice, data and video, and encompass a range of wireless technologies including Code Division Multiple Access ("CDMA"), Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service ("UMTS"), Wide-band CDMA ("WCDMA") and others.
As is known in the art, CDMA is a digital communications technology that uses spread-spectrum communication techniques. CDMA does not assign a specific frequency to each user instead, every CDMA communication channel can use the full available communications spectrum, and individual conversations are encoded with a pseudo-random digital sequence.
UMTS is a third generation technology that delivers broadband information at speeds up to 2M bps. Besides voice and data, UMTS delivers audio and video to wireless devices anywhere in the world through fixed, wireless and satellite systems.
WCDMA is an International Telecommunications Unit ("ITU") standard derived from the code division multiple access and offers high data speeds to mobile devices. WCDMA supports mobile/portable voice, images, data, and video communications at up to 2M bps. The input signals are digitalized and transmitted in coded, spread-spectrum mode over a broad range of frequencies using a 5 MHz-wide carrier compared with 200 kHz-wide carrier that is used for narrowband CDMA.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a network architecture that may be used in a third generation wireless network. Referring to FIG. 1, a mobile node communicates with a target host 34 on an IP network 30 by means of three devices, a radio network node 16, a packet data serving node 18 (i.e., a foreign agent), and a home agent node 24. The physical layer of the mobile node 10 terminates on the radio network node 16, and the foreign agent's functionality resides on the packet data serving node 18. The radio network node 16 may relay link layer protocol data between the mobile node 10 and the packet data serving node 18, and the packet data serving node 18 establishes, maintains and terminates the link layer to the mobile node 10. For example, the mobile node 10 may be linked to the radio network node 16 via a communication link on a radio access network.
The packet data serving node 18 provides routing services for the mobile node 10 while it is registered with the home agent 24. The packet data serving node 18 de-tunnels and delivers datagrams that were tunneled from the home agent node 24 via an IP network 20 to the mobile node 10. The communication traffic exchanged between the packet data serving node 16 and the home agent 24 includes data traffic as well as control traffic. The control traffic includes registration request and registration reply messages, for instance. The control traffic terminates at the home agent 24 and the packet data serving node 16, while the data traffic is routed between the mobile node 10 and the target host 34. The target host 34 may be connected to a home network 26 by any number of networks, such as the IP networks 20 and 30, or it may be directly located on the home network 26. Alternatively, the target host 34 may be connected to the home network by other types of packet switched networks.
The home agent 24 may be implemented on a router on the mobile node's home network 26, and maintains current location information data, such as a network address of the packet data serving node 16, a mobile home network address assigned to the mobile node 10, and a secret key that is shared between the home agent 24 and the mobile node 10. In one embodiment, a tunnel may be established between the home agent 24 and the packet data serving node 16, and the home agent 24 and the packet data serving node 16 may communicate data via the established tunnel. For example, the home agent 24 and the packet data serving node 16 may establish a point-to-point tunnel using a Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol ("L2TP"). More information on L2TP may be found in a Request For Comments ("RFC"), RFC-2661, currently available at www.ietf.org.
The home agent 24 performs two different tasks for the mobile node 10. First, the home agent 24 performs a registration and authentication process to determine if the mobile node 10 is authorized on the home network 26. The authentication process may involve checking identification of the mobile node 10, such as through the use of the mobile node's unique serial number or manufacturing number, password authentication, and possibly checking if the mobile node's account is current and paid. The home agent's registration and authentication functions may be performed in conjunction with, or with the assistance of, a second device, such as an authentication, authorization, and accounting server, such as a Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service ("RADIUS") server. More information on the RADIUS server may be found in the RFC-2138.
The packet data serving node 28 also performs two distinct tasks for the mobile node 10. The packet data serving node 28 handles registration and session control for the mobile node 10, including sending registration request messages to the home agent 24, and processing registration response messages received from the home agent 24. Additionally, the packet data serving node 28 has tunneling capabilities for forwarding data packets from the home agent 24 for ultimate transmission to the target host 34, as well as de-tunneling data from the home agent 24 for ultimate delivery to the mobile node 10. The packet data serving node 28 may perform authentication, authorization and accounting functions in conjunction with, or with the assistance of, an authorization, authorization, and accounting server, such as the RADIUS server.
When the mobile node 10 initiates a communication session with the radio network node 16 by sending, for instance, a call setup indication to the radio network node 16 across a radio communication link, the radio network node 16 initiates a registration process with the packet data serving node 18. The radio network node 16 may be configured with a number of packet data serving nodes' network addresses, and the radio network node 16 may randomly select one of the packet data serving nodes to serve the mobile node 10.
According to one existing method, a radio network node may include a packet control function ("PCF") that may calculate a hash value based on, for instance, an International Phone Subscriber Interface (such as a phone number) of a mobile node, and the calculated hash may be used to select a packet data serving node's IP address. According to another alternative method, the packet control function may employ a round robin mechanism to select a packet data serving node. In such an embodiment, the packet control function may assign each subsequent arriving session to the next packet data serving node in its list, wrapping around to the first packet data serving node when the last packet data serving node is reached. The round robin mechanism distributes calls between packet data serving nodes; however, it does not take into account the type of call sessions being forwarded to each packet data serving node, for instance.
Therefore, some of the problems associated with the existing prior art mobile IP networks concern inefficient selection of packet data serving nodes by radio network nodes. For example, when a radio network node selects a packet data serving node, the radio network node does not have any load information of the selected packet data serving node. Therefore, using such a selection scheme, if the selected packet data serving node is overloaded, it may reject a registration request from the mobile node 10, thus, resulting in service delays for the mobile node 10.
To overcome problems associated with packet data serving node selection by radio nodes, an external foreign agent control node may be used to select a packet data serving node, and the selection may be based on memory usage, or processing power usage of the packet data serving node, for instance. The functionality of the foreign agent control node is described in the pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/881,649 entitled "System and Method for Managing Foreign Agent Selections in a Mobile Internet Protocol Network," the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. While the foreign agent control node provides load balancing mechanisms during selection of packet data serving nodes, there are several limitations to its current architecture. Using the current architecture, each PDSN may communicate with two foreign agent control nodes, which are completely independent. However, if a foreign agent control node fails while a mobile node is registered at a packet data serving node, the foreign agent control node loses a network address of the packet data serving node assigned to the mobile node, even after the foreign agent control node reboots. Thus, if the mobile node roams and a packet control function handoff occurs and the newly rebooted foreign agent control node is chosen, most likely, the foreign agent control node will assign the mobile node to a different packet data serving node, which would result in a hard handoff and the associated latency of a Point-to-Point Protocol ("PPP") negotiations.
Thus, there is a need for improved system and method for foreign agent control node redundancy.

System and method for foreign agent control node redundancy in a mobile internet protocol network


In a friction transmission belt including a rubber layer forming a pulley contact surface, the rubber layer includes a rubber composition containing polyolefin particles and an inorganic filler. In the rubber composition, a total content of the polyolefin particles and the inorganic filler with respect to 100 parts by mass of a rubber component is 85 parts by mass or more.

The present disclosure relates to a friction transmission belt.
Friction transmission belts known in the art have a pulley contact surface including polyethylene particles dispersed in and exposed from the pulley contact surface.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-070592, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-170454, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-170587 disclose a V-ribbed belt, a compressed rubber layer of which is made of a rubber composition containing ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene particles.
The present disclosure is intended to reduce abnormal noise of a friction transmission belt when the belt is wet.


An assembly-optimized arrangement of the functional elements of a taximeter is disclosed which comprises a two-part housing which further comprises a front housing component and a rear housing component. The arrangement further comprises a printed circuit board carrying the electronic computer and the data and memory of the taximeter, a liquid crystal display, one of an optical fiber and an optical light guide allocated to the rear side of said liquid crystal display, a glass pane, control keys, a receiving means and an aligning means. The receiving means and the aligning means are designed at the front housing component which enable, during assembly of the taximeter, a loose retention of at least one of the glass pane, the liquid crystal display and the optical fiber at the front of the housing component by one of insertion and mounting. An attachment of functional elements occurs indirectly by fastening the printed circuit board to the front housing component.

Taximeters are used in vehicles for hire and serve, as is known, for the computation of the fare and its display so that the fare is easily legible for the driver and the customer. In computing the fare, values of a local rate scale are multiplied by distances and time units and are summed up. Since taximeters, in many cases, have to be installed in niches and recesses provided by the manufacturer in the dashboard of the vehicle involved, the dimensions of the apparatus are predetermined in such a way that an efficient utilization of the space available for the apparatus is necessary for a display which makes extensive use of the available format relative to the available front face of the appliance.
Apart from the fact that the purchaser of a taximeter expects that the taximeter is matched to the price range for vehicle instruments prevailing in the area of motor vehicles, the conditions of mass production must also be considered in the manufacture of taximeters:. This means that the lowest possible number of components, with the components being as simple as possible, as well an easy and largely mechanizable assembly, with a relatively low quantity of assembly steps, is to be sought.

Assembly-optimized arrangement of the functional elements of a taximeter


A the compact disk packing machine includes a base having a box providing device for move empty boxes to a box opening device which opens the empty boxes one by one. A transferring device transfers the opened boxes to a disk providing device and a disk positioning device to put a compact disk in each of the opening boxes. A sheet putting device puts a sheet of commercial in the open boxes and a closing device closes the boxes. The boxes having a compact disk and a sheet of commercial are transferred to a collection device and piled up.

The present invention relates to a compact disk packing machine that automatically puts a compact disk and a sheet of commercial in a box.
Compact disks are used in a variety of fields such as video games, software, and audio and video films. All of these are stored in a compact disk and sold by receiving the compact disk in a box. A commercial sheet is put in the box so that the customers know the detail information in the compact disk to be bought. There are involved many processes to pack the compact disk and the commercial sheet in the box which generally includes a base and a cover.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a buckle device for luggage and comprising.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a machine that is able to open the box, put the compact disk and the commercial sheet in the box and close the box by several continuous processes.
The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.


Disclosed herein are metasurfaces formed on a substrate from a plurality of posts. The metasurfaces are configured to be optically active at one or more wavelengths and in certain embodiments are configured to form lenses having unexpectedly strong focusing power. In particular, the metasurfaces are formed from “low-contrast” materials, including CMOS-compatible materials such as silicon dioxide or silicon nitride. Accordingly, the disclosed metasurfaces are generally CMOS compatible and therefore embody a new paradigm in metasurface design and manufacturing.

Conventional transmissive macroscopic optical elements primarily depend on refraction to control the propagation of light. Refraction relies heavily upon the exact curvature of the surface, and the spatial extent of the element in order to achieve gradual phase accumulation. This imposes a fundamental limitation on the miniaturization of optical sensors and elements, which is necessary for various applications such as the Internet of Things, bio-photonics and two photon absorption microscopy. Metasurfaces, two-dimensional quasi-periodic arrays of sub-wavelength structures, present a method of miniaturizing optical elements. Rather than relying on gradual phase accumulation through light propagation, each sub-wavelength structure imparts a discrete, abrupt change in the phase of incoming light. This has motivated the design of metasurface-based optical elements including lenses, focusing mirrors, vortex beam generators, holographic masks, and polarization optics.
Thus far, high quality metasurface optical elements based on metals, titanium oxide, and amorphous silicon have been demonstrated. Unfortunately, metals are significantly lossy at optical frequencies, titanium oxide lacks CMOS compatibility, and amorphous silicon absorbs light in the visible and near-infrared spectrum (˜400-900 nm). This wavelength range is of particular interest for many applications due to ubiquitous, low-cost silicon detectors, motivating the development of high band gap material based metasurfaces. However, high band gap CMOS-compatible materials such as silicon nitride and silicon dioxide, which are transparent over the aforementioned wavelength range, have a low refractive index. Due to the low refractive indices of these materials, conventional metasurface design principles fail to apply when forming optical elements.
Accordingly, new metasurface designs and compositions are needed in order to access high band gap CMOS-compatible materials as elements of metasurface-based optics.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Disclosed herein is a technique for providing an engine supercharger allowing an exhaust gas to efficiently act on a turbine in a wide operating range. A turbine for use in a supercharger includes a turbine housing, a turbine scroll formed inside the housing continuously with a turbine lead-in route, and a turbine wheel to turn on an axis of rotation close to a tongue portion. The turbine lead-in route is partitioned by a partition wall into first and second lead-in routes. Exhaust variable valves are provided upstream of the second lead-in route in order to change the flow rate of the exhaust gas to be introduced. When viewed in the direction in which the axis of rotation extends, a downstream end of the partition is aligned with the axis of rotation and the tongue portion.

The present disclosure relates to an engine supercharger to be mounted on vehicles such as motor vehicles.
To increase its output, a vehicle engine is sometimes provided with a turbocharger for supercharging the engine with pressurized air by utilizing the energy of its exhaust gas.
A turbocharger generally includes a turbine and a compressor as its major components. The turbocharger turns the turbine with an exhaust gas released from the engine to generate power that drives the compressor, thereby increasing the manifold air pressure.
The engine speed of a motor vehicle varies significantly according to its traveling condition. Thus, a turbocharger mounted on a motor vehicle is required to exhibit stabilized supercharging performance irrespective of the amount of exhaust gas released, which varies widely from a low-speed operating region where the amount of the exhaust gas released is relatively small through a high-speed operating region where the amount of the exhaust gas released is relatively large.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-31942 discloses a technique for improving the performance of such a turbocharger by classifying a group of exhaust passages, through which an exhaust gas is introduced from a plurality of cylinders of an engine into a turbine, into first and second exhaust systems 161 and 162.
Specifically, according to the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-31942, the two exhaust systems 161 and 162 have substantially equal flow cross sections, but the first exhaust system 161 is designed to have a shorter passage length and a smaller capacity than the second exhaust system 162. Also, the first exhaust system 161 is introduced into an outer peripheral portion of the turbine 21 and the second exhaust system 162 is introduced into an inner peripheral portion of the turbine 21.
This allows an exhaust gas with a relatively high flow velocity to be introduced into the turbine through the outer peripheral portion, thereby enabling the turbocharger to achieve high supercharging performance in the low-speed operating region.
However, the turbocharger disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-31942 still has room for improvement regarding how to use the exhaust gas in an operating region where the amount of the exhaust gas released is relatively small. The reason is that the turbocharger allows the exhaust gas to flow continuously through both of the two exhaust systems.
Meanwhile, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-144642 discloses an engine system including a variable exhaust valve 30, which varies the cross-sectional area of the opening (i.e., flow cross section) of its exhaust passage according to the engine's operating region, such that the opening area of the exhaust passage is narrowed while the engine is operating in a region where the amount of exhaust gas released is small.
Specifically, according to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-144642, a duct 51b for introducing the exhaust gas into a turbine is split into an inner portion and an outer portion by a rectifier 56. The turbocharger disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-144642 is configured such that when the opening area is decreased by the variable exhaust valve 30, the outer passage is closed and the mainstream exhaust gas is guided by the rectifier 56 into the inner portion of the turbine.
The rectifier 56 enters a turbine chamber 51c while bending inward. More specifically, a terminal portion 56a of the rectifier 56 is extended to the point of facing a tongue portion 51d of a turbine casing 51a (i.e., a portion where the turbine chamber's scroll starts to swirl and which is located close to a turbine wheel) with the turbine wheel interposed between them. That is to say, the terminal portion 56a is arranged close to the turbine wheel.
This allows the turbine wheel to receive great couple of force Fc from the exhaust gas at the terminal portion 56a of the rectifier 56 and the tongue portion 51d, thus applying a great moment to the turbine wheel while decreasing the bending moment acting on a shaft 53 of the turbine wheel.
However, if the rectifier is allowed to extend deep into the turbine chamber as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-144642, then the exhaust gas flowing into the turbine chamber through the inner passage is rather separated from the exhaust gas flowing into the turbine chamber through the outer passage. That is why if the exhaust gas is introduced into the turbine through not only the inner passage but also the outer passage, then the exhaust gas flows coming from the respective cylinders will apply their pressure to the turbine wheel at noticeably different timings, thus generating significant energy loss.
In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide an engine supercharger allowing an exhaust gas to act on a turbine highly efficiently over a wide operating range.