An antenna for a portable radio commununication device including a first elongate electrically conductive member (10) having opposed first and second ends, the first end adapted to be mounted in electrical communication to a radio communication device (18). A radiation field pattern is generated by radiation emitted by the first elongate electrically conductive member (10) and the radio communication device (18) during radio transmission, the radiation field pattern having maximum intensity at a first location. Means (24) for increasing radiation resistance is mounted to the first electrically conductive member at an opposition at generally the second end of the first member, whereby the radiation field pattern maximum intensity is shifted from the first location to a second location closer to the second end of the elongate member (10), and near field intensity of the radiation field pattern at the first location is reduced over an operational bandwidth of the radio communication device (18).

Cellular and other portable radio telephones typically have antennas which extend from the housing of the phone. While the phone is in use the antenna emits radiation which has caused concern among the medical community as to the radiation's effects on the user of the phone.
The use of flexible protective shields to protect personnel against X-ray frequency and Gamma frequency radiation such as may be emitted by X-ray machines or by nuclear reactors, respectively, is known in the art as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,039,001 entitled "Flexible Protective Plastic Shield" and by U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,114 entitled "Radiation Shield".
U.S. Pat. No. 3,039,001 discloses that a sheet of vinyl or other plastic material containing resin, plasticizer and stabilizer may have a protective material such as pulverized lead uniformly distributed therethrough in order to provide a flexible sheet of material which protects the wearer against X-rays, Gamma rays, Neutron rays, secondary cosmic rays and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,114 discloses a gamma radiation shield which comprises a wrappable sheet of gamma radiation shielding material to which is affixed releasable contact-fasteners, which are so dimensioned and configured that when a shield member is wrapped around a gamma radiation emitting structure, complimentary locking portions of the releasable fasteners engage each other to securely hold the shield member in shielding position wrapped around the structure. The gamma radiation shielding material may be comprised of the known construction of fine lead powder being uniformly dispersed in a matrix of thermo-plastic material which serves as a binder for the lead powder so as to form a flexible sheet. The releasable contact-fasteners may be of a type sold under the trade-mark Velcro. The patent is directed to protecting personnel in nuclear reactors and the like by shielding conduits such as pipes, most clearly seen in FIG. 6 of the patent, through which radioactive material flows.
The use of electromagnetic shielding to minimize interference between electromagnetic signals radiated by cellular phones and like electronic equipment with another portion of that equipment and the minimization of such interference by interposing electrically conducting material in the form of a shield between the source of the electromagnetic signals and the circuitry subject to interference is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,889 entitled "Electromagnetic Shielding Apparatus for Cellular Phones". The reference to electromagnetic shielding does not appear to be concerned with protecting the user of the electronic device from radiation from the antenna or the like.
With portable radio telephones such as hand-held cellular phones, radio waves that carry the call emanate directly from the telephone, specifically the length of the telephone and antenna, most intensely at a midpoint there along, while the telephone is held to the ear of the user. There is concern that the radio frequency waves entering the dissipative medium of the user's head may cause heating, cancer or DNA fragmentation.
There is currently being marketed a cellular phone radiation shield being sold under the trade-mark "Cellguard", manufactured by Quantum Laboratories of Renton, Wash., U.S.A. As discussed in more detail below, the "Cellguard" device consists of two sections of molded plastic, each with metal inside, that serves to block or deflect the radio frequency signal. One part of the device covers the phone's antenna and the other part fits over the earpiece of the phone. The metal of the Cellguard device is placed between the antenna and the user and between the earpiece and the user. A similar device, that is, an arrangement in which a radiation shielding device is placed between the antenna and the user is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,366 which issued to Daniels on Aug. 2, 1994. In particular, Daniels discloses a radiation shielding apparatus for a radio transmitting device having a radiation shield disposed between the antenna and a user, the radiation shield for absorbing, blocking and/or reflecting electromagnetic wave radiation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,896 which issued to Katz on Aug. 9, 1994 for a cellular telephone users protective device teaches a cellular telephone accessory both for protecting a user from electromagnetic radiation and for providing a handle for the cellular phone. In particular, a tilt and swivel base is taught to permit moving the cellular phone antenna away from close contact with the user's head and to also supply a carrying handle. What is further taught is providing a protective magnetic radiation shielded jacket to contain the cellular phone within the jacket, the antenna tilt and swivel base attached to the outside of the jacket.
The present invention has at least five objects. The first object, in one embodiment, is to reduce the overall amount of electromagnetic radiation emitted by reducing the emitted power of the antenna. The second object, in a further embodiment, is to redistribute the radiation in the vicinity of the phone and in particular the antenna, ie. in the near field, away from an associated dissipative medium such as the head of a user. Consistent with this object, the present invention changes the near field radiation pattern surrounding a radio communication device such as a radio phone, and in particular surrounding the device's antenna so that: (a) a reduction is attained in radiation field strength during transmission thereby reducing "hot spots" at the associated dissipative medium such as the user's head; (b) a reduction is attained in the amount of radiated energy during transmission which is absorbed by the associated dissipative medium, to thereby increase the effective power of the radio transmission; and, (c) an increase is attained in the effectiveness of the antenna during reception of radio transmissions by an increase in the effective exposure of the antenna.
The third object is to accomplish the above objects without significantly adversely affecting the operation of a radio communication device such as a cellular telephone within a cellular telephone communication system, which adverse operation may result if the antenna excessively loses radiating power or becomes excessively directional. In the case of cellular telephones it is desirable that the far field radiation pattern does not have large signal strength variations with the direction in which the signal is sent. It is desired that the user can hold the cellular telephone in a random orientation without concern about the direction in which the signal must travel in order to reach the center of the cell. Modification of an antenna can result in large changes to the far field radiation pattern. Since this is undesirable, it is an object of the present invention to not cause large changes to the far field radiation pattern while at the same time, over the entire desired operational bandwidth, minimizing the near field "hot spots" on an associated dissipative medium where radiation strength is excessive, minimizing the amount of radiation absorbed by the dissipative medium, and maximizing the effective exposure of the antenna to reception of radio transmissions.
The fourth object is to avoid damage or undue strain on the internal electrical circuitry of the cellular phone. Such damage is conceivable in a situation where a modification to the antenna results in a greater electrical load being placed on the electrical circuitry so that a greater current flows through parts of the cellular phone. If this increased current exceeds the limits contemplated by the designers of the cellular phone, some internal parts of the cellular phone could have their operation impaired or could malfunction.
The fifth object is to maintain operation of the receiving function of the cellular telephone to an acceptable degree. The antenna of the cellular telephone simultaneously operates with two functions. One is to transmit signals, and it is this function that results in high intensity radiation being present in the vicinity of the cellular telephone. The second function of the antenna is to receive signals from a distant source, convert these signals into oscillating electrical currents which are converted by the circuitry of the cellular telephone into a voice message heard by the user. It is conceivable that modifications to the antenna could decrease the ability of the cellular phone to clearly receive these incoming signals. It is an object of the present invention to not cause unacceptable reduction in the quality of these incoming signals, but in fact to increase the reception quality by increasing the effective exposure of the antenna.

Antenna for a portable radio communication device


A ball for warmup and therapy having a solid homogeneous body of molded elastomeric material of a size easily grasped in the palm of the hand, a weight of between 1-1.7 pounds, a hardness of 50-70 Shore A durometer and a percentage rebound of 65-90%. For therapy and warmup, the ball is generally used by grasping the ball in the palm of the hand and throwing or tossing this at a desired distance and angle, preferably using a full overhand motion, and catching the ball with any preferred hand as it bounces back to the user. This process is repeated as many times as the user is allowed, able or feels comfortable with.

Balls have been historically used for playing a variety of games. Recently, balls have also been used for therapeutic purposes. Soft, spongy and flexible balls held in the hands have been used to exercise the hand muscles and joints used for gripping. Use of these balls do not provide therapy beyond the hands such as the arms and shoulders.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,438 discloses a non-bouncing ball with a rigid core surrounded by a molded layer of foamed flexible polyurethane which is bonded together during the molding process to form an integral sphere. These balls have an outer diameter of less than about 30 inches, useful for football training, physical therapy and early childhood physical education. "Medicine balls" for weight training has also been known. These balls are usually made of heavy wool shearings, kapok filler or the like, inside a stitched leather cover. These training balls are generally greater than 15 inches in diameter and can not be easily swung by one hand.
A weighted regulation size warmup ball weighing from about 2 ounces to about 12 ounces is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,055. To give weight to the ball, the center core is made up of metal. These balls weigh less than one pound and are considered not as effective for the therapeutic purpose of this invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,648 discloses a weighted training ball for baseball and softball batting practice. The ball is made of a solid elastomeric material having a circumference of approximately 9-16 inches, weighted between 7.5-20 ounces with a hardness rated between 40-70 A-2 Shore durometer. This weighted ball is especially adapted for use in baseball batting exercises which has the added feature of being usable in conjunction with conventional pitching machines. Although the disclosed weighted ball has some similar features or characteristics as the claimed ball, the ball does not have the required bounce to make it suitable for the purpose intended by the claimed invention. The ball disclosed, likewise, may be slightly lighter than desired. A ball weighing in the range of the claimed invention may break the bat and also cause injury to the wrist, arm and shoulder because of the recoil effect when the bat hits the ball. Recoil effect is the back vibration resulting from the resistance offered by a solid object, in this case a bat, when the ball impacts the solid object.
It is the object of this invention to provide a ball that can condition specific muscles and joints of the hands, arms and shoulders.
It is also an object of this invention to provide an exercise means that is neither cumbersome or expensive.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an exercise means that is portable, easily carried by the user.
It is further an object of this invention to provide an exercise ball of certain bounce to enable a single person to condition oneself without the need of a second person.
It is also an object of this invention to provide an exercise means adapted for use by persons or athletes of different physical size and physique.


For one or more disclosed methods, a supply voltage is supplied to an integrated circuit, the integrated circuit is placed in a test mode to select one of a plurality of reference voltage generators on the integrated circuit to supply to another voltage generator on the integrated circuit a reference voltage that is at least partially dependent on the supply voltage, and the integrated circuit is tested with the reference voltage supplied to the other voltage generator. One or more disclosed integrated circuits comprise a first voltage generator on the integrated circuit to generate a first voltage that is at least partially dependent on a supply voltage powering the integrated circuit, a second voltage generator on the integrated circuit to generate a second voltage, a third voltage generator on the integrated circuit to generate one or more internal voltages based on a reference voltage, and control circuitry to select the first voltage for use as the reference voltage in a test mode and to select the second voltage for use as the reference voltage in a non-test mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to integrated circuit testing.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art integrated circuit 101 on a wafer 100. Integrated circuit 101 comprises a band gap reference (BGR) voltage generator 110, a switch 112, a supply and control voltage generator 140, memory control circuitry and one or more memory arrays 150, control circuitry 130, test circuitry 160, and adjustment circuitry 170.
BGR voltage generator 110 generates a substantially temperature independent BGR voltage from which supply and control voltage generator 140 generates supply and control voltages for memory control circuitry and memory array(s) 150. Because the BGR voltage generated by BGR voltage generator 110 may vary from its desired target value due to, for example, manufacturing tolerances, a tester 180 is used to test integrated circuit 101 using an externally forced BGR voltage. This externally forced BGR voltage may be varied over a range that includes the range of variations expected in the BGR voltage produced by the generator 110. By testing the integrated circuit device over this range (e.g., by writing and reading known test data patterns to the memory array(s) 150, some assurance may be gained that the integrated circuit 101 will operate properly over the expected range of voltages produced internally by the generator 110.
Tester 180 tests integrated circuit 101 in accordance with a flow diagram 200 of FIG. 2. Tester 180 for block 202 supplies a supply voltage VDD through an external VDD pad 103 and supplies a ground supply voltage VSS through an external VSS pad 104 to power integrated circuit 101. Tester 180 for block 204 supplies control signals to control circuitry 130 through one or more external control pads, such as pads 106 and 107 for example, to place integrated circuit 101 in a test mode in which control circuitry 130 activates switch 112 to couple an external VBGR pad 109 to BGR voltage generator 110. Tester 180 for block 206 then forces a BGR voltage substantially at a desired target value onto integrated circuit 101 through external VBGR pad 109 and for block 208 tests integrated circuit 101 using the externally forced BGR voltage.
Tester 180 controls control circuitry 130 to control test circuitry 160 to test memory control circuitry and memory array(s) 150 using the externally forced BGR voltage, for example, as known data patterns are written to the arrays 150 and read back to verify operation of the integrated circuit 101 at the forced BGR voltage. In some cases, the BGR voltage generator 110 may be adjusted (during or after additional testing) by adjustment circuitry 170 to trim the internally generated BGR voltage (e.g., by setting of one or more fuses).
In testing integrated circuits on a wafer, it is generally desirable to have a high degree of parallelism, that is the use of the same tester resources for multiple integrated circuits on the wafer. The number of tester channels that have to be connected to each integrated circuit under test, however, limits the degree of parallelism that can be achieved. Unfortunately, the need to supply an externally forced BGR voltage requires a separate tester channel for each integrated circuit under test.

Internal reference voltage generation for integrated circuit testing


In one embodiment, a method is contemplated. An interrupt is received in a processor from an interrupt controller. Responsive to receiving the interrupt, the interrupt is masked in the interrupt controller to permit another interrupt to be transmitted by the interrupt controller to the processor. The other interrupt has a lower priority than the previously-received interrupt in the interrupt controller.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to virtualization and the use of virtual machines in processors and computer systems and, more particularly, to virtualizing an interrupt controller.
2. Description of the Related Art
Virtualization has been used in computer systems for a variety of different purposes. For example, virtualization may be used to execute privileged software in a "container" to prevent the privileged software from directly accessing and/or making changes to at least some of the physical machine state without first being permitted to do so by a virtual machine manager that controls the virtual machine. Such a container may prevent "buggy" or malicious software from causing problems on the physical machine. Additionally, virtualization may be used to permit two or more privileged programs to execute on the same physical machine concurrently. The privileged programs may be prevented from interfering with each other since access to the physical machine is controlled. Privileged programs may include operating systems, and may also include other software which expects to have full control of the hardware on which the software is executing. In another example, virtualization may be used to execute a privileged program on hardware that differs from the hardware expected by the privileged program.
Generally, virtualization of a processor or computer system may include providing one or more privileged programs with access to a virtual machine (the container mentioned above) over which the privileged program has full control, but the control of the physical machine is retained by the virtual machine manager. The virtual machine may include a processor (or processors), memory, and various peripheral devices that the privileged program expects to find in the machine on which it is executing. Each privileged program (and related software in some cases, such as the applications that execute on an operating system) may be referred to herein as a guest. Virtualization may be implemented in software (e.g. the virtual machine manager (VMM) mentioned above) without any specific hardware virtualization support in the physical machine on which the VMM and its virtual machines execute. However, virtualization may be simplified and/or achieve higher performance if some hardware support is provided.
In some cases, all of the peripheral devices that a guest interacts with are virtualized. That is, the VMM provides a software model of the peripheral device with which the guest interacts. The VMM interfaces to the corresponding physical device (if any) on behalf of the guest, or emulates operation of the peripheral device is no corresponding physical device exists in the computer system. Any interrupts generated by the physical device may generally be handled by the VMM as well in these cases.
In other cases, a guest may be permitted to directly interact with one or more physical peripheral devices in the computer system. If a guest directly interacts with a physical device, the guest will typically handle any interrupts generated by that device. Each guest may presume that it has full access to its own dedicated interrupt controller. A mechanism for sharing the interrupt controller among multiple guests may be needed if guests may interact directly with one or more physical peripheral devices. For example, an interrupt that is to be serviced by one guest should not be indefinitely blocked by a higher priority interrupt being serviced by another guest.
Additionally, the VMM may need to be able to inject interrupts into a guest. Typically, the VMM must determine if the guest's virtual processor is in a state that would permit the interrupt to be taken if the guest were executing on the physical machine. The checking may include examining various state that may prevent interrupts from being taken (e.g. interrupt enables), as well as examining which instructions have recently been executed in the virtual machine. If the guest's virtual processor would take the interrupt, the VMM then physically modifies the state of the guest's virtual machine. The modifications change the state of the virtual machine to the state that would result if the processor had taken an interrupt. For example, execution of the currently executing program may be suspended; some amount of state related to the currently executing program may be saved (as specified by the processor's architecture), such as the current program counter; other processor state that would be changed on taking an interrupt may be changed (e.g. processor mode registers); and the program counter may be changed to the address of the first instruction in the interrupt handler. Such direct state modification may generally be complicated and error prone, in addition to being fairly slow as a large amount of state may need to be changed. Furthermore, and in some cases a larger issue than the state modification, may be checking for whether or not interrupts are enabled. The VMM generally must intercept all operations that can change the "interrupt enables" whenever a virtual interrupt is pending, until the interrupt is finally taken. In some architectures, such as x86, numerous operations would be intercepted.


A radio frequency (RF) power amplification circuit including a power amplifier is provided for preventing breakdown of the power amplifier. The power amplifier includes an input for receiving RF signals and an output for providing amplified RF signals. The RF power amplification circuit also includes a bias circuit coupled to the input of the power amplifier to permit normal operation of the power amplifier when the base current is below a predetermined current threshold and to prevent normal operation of the power amplifier when the base current is above the predetermined current threshold.

Radio frequency (RF) power amplifiers are utilized to boost the RF signals in order to transmit them in wireless applications such as cellular phones. However, such wireless applications may temporarily place the RF power amplifiers in high power conditions. When RF power amplifiers are subjected to load mismatch during these high power conditions, the base current, i.e., the current at the input to the power amplifiers, increases more than would be required under normal conditions. This increase in base current under such high power conditions decreases the reliability of the RF power amplifiers and may cause the failure of the RF amplifiers.
Accordingly, it is desirable to limit the base current of the RF power amplifier to enhance its ruggedness. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.


The disclosure is directed to a receiver. The receiver includes an interference canceller configured to filter digital samples produced from a modulated signal transmitted over a wireless channel, and a digital variable gain amplifier (DVGA) configured to amplify the filtered digital samples.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly, to concepts and techniques for canceling narrow-band interference in a wireless receiver.
2. Background
In a wireless communications system, a transmitter typically processes (e.g., encodes and modulates) data and generates a radio frequency (RF) modulated signal. The transmitter then transmits the modulated signal through a wireless medium to a receiver. As the modulated signal propagates through the wireless medium, it may be subject to noise, interference, and other disturbances.
The function of the receiver is to recover the modulated signal in the presence of these disturbances. The design of the receiver will depend not only on the type of signal to be detected, but the nature of the disturbances. Narrow-band interference, for example, is a type of disturbance that can present unique challenges for a receiver designer. Unless properly filtered, the receiver may be unable to recover the modulated signal.
Narrow-band interference is often a concern in broadcast systems. These systems often operate in the UHF region, and therefore, are susceptible to narrow-band interference from TV signals operating in the same region of the frequency spectrum. Another source of narrow-band interference is other channels, whose interaction due to the non-linearity of the receiver may result in equivalent in-band components. The most common effects in this category are IM2 and IM3 interferers. The second-order non-linearity (IM2) components are generally out of band, except for a DC component which can be cancelled by a DC offset. The IM3 imperfections, however, tend to produce in-band components that can appear anywhere in the baseband signal, depending on the frequency of the narrow-band interference.
There is therefore a need in the art for techniques to cancel narrow-band interference at a wireless receiver.


A selective spacer for semiconductor and MEMS devices and method of manufacturing the same. In an embodiment, a selective spacer is formed adjacent to a first non-planar body having a greater sidewall height than a second non-planar semiconductor body in a self-aligned manner requiring no patterned etch operations. In a particular embodiment, a margin layer of a particular thickness is utilized to augment an existing structure and provide sufficient margin to protect a sidewall with a spacer that is first anisotropically defined and then isotropically defined. In another embodiment, the selective spacer formation prevents etch damage by terminating the anisotropic etch before a semiconductor surface is exposed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of manufacturing of semiconductor devices and micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), and more particularly to the formation of spacers.
2. Discussion of Related Art
For many years spacers have been employed in the manufacture of semiconductor and MEMS devices. Generally, a spacer is a material ultimately retained only on the sidewalls of non-planar structures. The formation of a spacer typically proceeds by depositing a film over a non-planar structure and anisotropically etching the film by an amount sufficient to at least the as-deposited thickness of the film. The anisotropic character of the etch process leaves a spacer only where deposition of the film on the sidewall of the non-planar structure increases the effective thickness of the film. Therefore, the thickness of the film deposited on the sidewall determines the final spacer thickness after the bulk of the film has been etched away.
One reason the conventional spacer process has found wide application in industry is because of its "self-aligned" nature. The formation of the spacer itself requires only a blanket deposition and an unpatterned anisotropic etch to consistently form a spacer of a controlled lateral thickness (i.e. width) adjacent to another feature from the sidewall of the non-planar structure. Unfortunately, as devices have become more advanced, the self-aligned nature of a spacer begins to have significant disadvantages. For example, more advanced devices have more severe topography and the need to prevent a spacer from forming on a particular sidewall of a device may be in conflict with the need to form a spacer on another sidewall of the same device.
Conventional multi-gate transistor 100 in FIG. 1A, serves to illustrate this point further. A non-planar semiconductor body 115, having sidewall 107 with sidewall height H1, and top surface 108, is formed adjacent to isolation 110 over substrate 102. Top surface 108 and sidewall 107 are apportioned into a non-planar source/drain regions 116 and a channel region. The channel region is that portion of non-planar semiconductor body 115 covered by a gate stack with a sidewall height H2 and comprised of gate insulator 112 and gate electrode 113. In this transistor design, the device can be gated by the gate stack through sidewall 107 as well as the top surface 108 of the device. Because the channel is gated by multiple gate electrode-semiconductor interfaces, the transistor having a non-planar channel is frequently called a multi-gate device.
As further shown in FIG. 1A, spacer 119 is formed to offset or "space" non-planar source/drain regions 116 from the channel region covered by the gate stack. The self-aligned nature of the conventional spacer formation process dictates that spacer 118 is formed adjacent to sidewall 107 by the same process that forms spacer 119. While spacer 119 is desirable, spacer 118 may be undesirable because, for example, spacer 118 limits access to non-planar semiconductor body 115 in non-planar source/drain regions 116. Thus, undesirable spacer 118 leaves only the area of the top surface of non-planar source/drain regions 116 having length L and width W accessible to subsequent processing. Therefore, the non-selective nature of the conventional spacer shown in FIG. 1A can be problematic.
FIG. 1B represents a cross-sectional view of the multi-gate transistor of FIG. 1A taken along the A-A′ reference line. Here again, spacer 118, undesired, is adjacent to non-planar semiconductor body 115 extending over isolation 110 on substrate 102. Spacer 119, desired, is adjacent to gate stack 114. Also visible in FIG. 1B is etch damage to semiconductor surface 125 spanning the length L of the top surface of non-planar source/drain regions 116. Damage to semiconductor surface 125 is a result of exposing semiconductor surface 125 to a plasma-based anisotropic etch during a conventional spacer formation process.

Method of forming a selective spacer in a semiconductor device


A tool for inserting a barbed fitting of a spile assembly into a conduit includes a main body including a grip, a lever pivotally coupled to the main body and including a trigger, and a jaw assembly. The jaw assembly includes a first jaw extending along an actuation axis and a second jaw coupled to the trigger and moveably coupled to the first jaw. The first jaw is translatably coupled to the main body such that an angle between the actuation axis and the main body is substantially constant. The first jaw and the second jaw are configured to receive the conduit therebetween. The first jaw is configured to move in a first longitudinal direction relative to the main body in response to movement of the trigger toward the grip.

Hoses are commonly used to fluidly couple various devices to sources of fluid. To connect hoses to such sources of fluid, devices, or other hoses, barbed, friction fit, or other types of fittings are used. Barbed fittings can include a series of concentric tapered protrusions that all face the same direction. Friction fit fittings can have a smooth outer surface that frictionally engages with the hose. To couple the barbed fitting to the hose, the smallest portion of the barbed fitting is inserted into an end of the hose. The hose is then forced onto the fitting, stretching the hose to form a fluid-tight seal. This process is normally completed by hand, and can be difficult to complete without damaging the hose or the fitting or harming a user's hands.


A magnetic field manipulation apparatus comprises a metamaterial structure, the metamaterial structure including a multilayer stack of metamaterial layers, each metamaterial layer including a substrate supporting one or more conductive loops. The metamaterial structure may be configured to redirect the magnetic flux around the metamaterial structure, and in some examples concentrated into a gap between two adjacent metamaterial structures. An apparatus may further include a magnetic field source such as an electromagnet.

Permanent magnets can be arranged to create various magnetic field patterns. An example is the Halbach array, in which a number of permanent magnets are arranged adjacent each other, having magnetic fields directions for each permanent magnet arranged in a particular configuration. The permanent magnet array may have an unusual magnetic field pattern, in which the flux lines are concentrated on one side of the array. However, assembling permanent magnets can be a difficult and expensive proposition, and is not practically possible in many applications. It would be useful in numerous applications to achieve similar magnetic field manipulation and flexible control of control of flux directions, without the need to assemble a multitude of permanent magnets.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.


The specification relates to a method of receiving a first query and a second query. The method analyzes the second query for a presence of anaphora. If anaphora is present, the method analyzes the first query for a presence of an entity that can be associated with the anaphora. If the analysis analyzing the first query returns two or more associated entities, the method forms a third query wherein the anaphora of the second query is replaced with one of the associated entities and forms a fourth query wherein the anaphora is replaced with the other of the associated entities. The third query and the fourth query are sent to a query-ranking engine. The third query and the fourth query receive a ranking and the higher-ranked query is sent to a search engine.

The subject matter described herein relates to providing search results in response to search queries. A search engine receives search queries from one or more input sources, e.g., a client device, a server or any device that may submit a query and the search engine returns search results responsive to the queries. As another example, the search engine can receive queries from and return search results to a computing resource, such as another search engine.
The search engine can also identify resources responsive to a search query, generate search results with information about the resources, and provide search results in response to the query. Examples of resources include, e.g., documents, web pages, videos, books, sound files, etc. Other types of search results can also be provided, for example, answers to questions posed by the user, or a summary of information responsive to the user's query.


The present invention provides for a method of updating an internet search engine database with the results of a user's selection of specific web page listings from the general web page listing provided to the user as a result of his initial keyword search entry. By updating the database with the selections of many different users, the database can be updated to prioritize those web listings that have been selected the most with respect to a given keyword, and thereby presenting first the most popular web page listings in a subsequent search using the same keyword search entry.

An efficient and practical means of obtaining relevant information and also screening unwanted/uninteresting information has been an ongoing need, especially since the inception of the internet. This need is particularly acute at present due to the exponential growth in the number of world-wide web sites and the sheer volume of information contained therein. In an attempt to index the information available on the internet, a number of software search engines have been created via which a user enters a search command comprised of suitable keywords from a keyboard at his personal computer. The search command is transmitted to a server computer, that has a search engine associated with the server computer. The search engine receives the search command, and then using it scans for these key words through a database of web addresses and the text stored on the web sites. Thereafter, the results of the scan are transmitted from the server computer back to the user's computer and displayed on the screen of the user's computer.
In order for the search engine to be aware of new web sites and to update its records of existing sites, either the proprietors of the web sites notify the search engine themselves or the information may be obtained via a 'web crawler' to update the database at the server computer. A web crawler is an automated program which explores and records the contents of a web site and its links to other sites, thereby spreading between sites in an attempt to index all the current sites.
This database structure and method of searching it poses some significant difficulties. The internet growth-rate has resulted in a substantial backlog in the scanning of new sites, notwithstanding the fact that web sites are frequently deleted, re-addressed, updated and so forth, thus leaving the search engine with outdated and/or misleading information. Although the web crawlers can be configured to prioritize possible key-words according to their location (title, embedded link, address etc), nevertheless, depending on the type of search engine used, substantial portions of the web site text (often involving the majority or even all of the site text) is still required to be scanned. This results in colossal storage requirements for the search engine. Furthermore, a typical key word search may bring up an excessively large volume of material, the majority of which may be of little interest to the user. The user typically makes a selection from the list based on the brief descriptions of the site and explores the chosen sites until the desired information is located.
These results are in the form of a list, ranked according to criteria specific to the search engine. These criteria may range from the number of occurrences of the key-words anywhere within the searched text, to methods giving a weighting to key-words used in particular positions (as previously mentioned). When multiple key-words have been used, sites are also ranked according to the number of different key-words applicable. A fundamental drawback of all these ranking systems is their objectivity—they are determined according to the programmed criteria of the search engine, and the emphasis placed on particular types of site design, rather than any measure of the actual users' opinions. Indeed this can lead to the absurd situation whereby in an attempt to ensure a favorable rating by the most commonly used search engines, some designers deliberately configure their sites in the light of the previously mentioned criteria, to the detriment of the presentation, readability and content of the site.


A solid electrolytic capacitor that includes a plurality of laminated units each including a valve action metal substrate including a porous layer on a surface thereof, a dielectric layer on a surface of the porous layer, and a solid electrolyte layer on the dielectric layer. A metal foil is between the laminated units. The units and the conductor layers are sealed with a coating resin. The valve action metal substrate has an anode section-side end surface directly connected to an anode outer electrode on the surface of the coating resin, and the metal foil is directly connected to a cathode outer electrode on the surface of the coating resin.

A solid electrolytic capacitor includes a capacitor element including a valve action metal substrate made of a valve action metal such as aluminum, a dielectric layer placed on a surface of the valve action metal substrate, a solid electrolyte layer placed on a surface of the dielectric layer, and a conductor layer placed on a surface of the solid electrolyte layer. In a capacitor element included in such a solid electrolytic capacitor, the valve action metal substrate is made porous or roughened by etching so as to have increased surface area or a dielectric layer is formed using an oxide film, thereby enabling a compact, high-capacitance capacitor to be obtained.
A method for manufacturing this type of conventional solid electrolytic capacitor is described in Patent Document 1. The method includes a step of preparing capacitor elements provided with a cathode electrode section formed in such a manner that an anode electrode section and a cathode-forming section are isolated by providing an insulating section at a predetermined position in an anode body made of valve action metal foil having a dielectric oxide coat layer formed on a surface thereof and a solid electrolyte layer made of a conductive polymer and a cathode layer composed of a carbon layer and a silver paste layer are stacked in series on the cathode-forming section, a step of stacking a plurality of the capacitor elements on a anode COM terminal and a cathode COM terminal and joining the capacitor elements thereto, a step of providing a plurality of the capacitor elements joined to the anode COM terminal and the cathode COM terminal in a molding die and integrally coating the capacitor elements joined to the anode COM terminal and the cathode COM terminal with an insulating coating resin except portions of the anode and cathode COM terminals, and a step of providing an anode terminal section and a cathode terminal section on a lower surface serving as a mounting surface by bending the portions of the anode and cathode COM terminals that are exposed from the coating resin along the coating resin.
In the method for manufacturing the solid electrolytic capacitor, a multilayer body has been prepared in such a manner that a plurality of the capacitor elements are laminated using a conductive adhesive.
In the above-mentioned conventional solid electrolytic capacitor, the anode electrode section has been joined to an outer electrode (anode COM terminal) by a means such as resistance welding and the cathode electrode section has been joined to an outer electrode (cathode COM terminal) using an conductive adhesive or the like.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-135427


Quaternary ammonium compounds having the structural formula: ##STR1## wherein X is chloride, bromide, iodide or alkyl carboxylate having a C.sub.1 -C.sub.18 alkyl radical, and R is n-nonyl or isononyl. The disclosed compounds were found to be non-toxic, low foaming, effective biocides in treatment methods for controlling bacteria, algae and molluscs in aqueous systems.

Quaternary ammonium compounds have been widely used as bactericides, algicides and molluscicides to treat circulating or static bodies of water. The estimated current market for quaternary ammonium compounds in the water treatment of cooling towers, pool, and spa industries is approximately 15 to 16 million pounds per year. These markets have been traditionally served by higher alkyl and dialkyl quaternary ammonium compounds as it is known that such compounds possess potent biocidal properties.
Higher alkyl and dialkyl quaternary ammonium compounds known in the art, however, suffer from one or more deficiencies which include a limited spectrum of biocidal activity, high foaming characteristics, inherent toxicity, and disagreeable odor production. Moreover, it is known that the beneficial biocidal effects of these agents are substantially inhibited when used in hard water. Hence, the aforementioned deficiencies are important factors in limiting the greater usage of quaternaries as biocides in practical water treatment.
For example, dioctyldimethylammonium chloride has low foam, but has high toxicity and poor bactericidal and algicidal properties. Didecyldimethylammonium chloride, in contrast, is a highly effective bactericide and algicide with low toxicity, but has high foam. Similarly, diisodecyldimethyl ammonium chloride disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,444,790 and 4,450,174 causes eye irritation and odor problems. The high foaming characteristic of conventional dialkyl quaternaries is an undesirable feature in their use as algicides in recirculating cooling water systems.
Various quaternary ammonium compounds, including dioctyldimethylammonium chloride, have been used as molluscicides for controlling molluscs, e.g. zebra mussels and asian clams, infestation of fresh water supplies (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,395 and references therein). However, many of these quaternaries suffer from at least one of the aforementioned deficiencies and thus do not offer an effective means for controlling mollusc growth.
Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) have recently been discovered in various lakes and rivers of the Midwest and Northeast regions of the United States. For example, Zebra mussel contamination was found in the Great Lakes of North America which serve as the main fresh water supply for domestic municipal, utility, and industrial use in this region. The resulting economic costs to industry and fishing in this region alone was estimated to be about $500 million in 1990.
Because of their propensity to reproduce quickly and their ability to affix themselves onto any hard surface in contact with an aqueous system in which they are present, zebra mussels are particularly troublesome in municipal water treatment plants and industrial water systems as zebra mussels can foul water intake piping and process equipment. Accordingly, there is a need for safe and effective molluscicides for practical water treatment to inhibit zebra mussel growth.
Surprisingly, it has now been discovered that decylnonyl- and decylisononyldimethylammonium compounds, especially decylnonyldimethylammonium chloride and decylisononyldimethylammonium chloride, exhibit a superior range of bactericidal, algicidal, and molluscicidal properties with virtually none of the undesirable foaming properties and toxicities commonly found in quaternary ammonium compounds currently in use. In particular, the quaternary ammonium compounds of the invention are especially effective in inhibiting the growth of algae such as Chlorella pyrenoidosa, Mustard Algae and Phormidium luridum.
Decylnonyldimethylammonium chloride and decylisononyldimethylammonium chloride, individually or as mixtures thereof, therefore, have enormous potential utility in the treatment of pools, spas, and recirculating and stationary cooling towers as well as in household disinfectant products and other industrial biocide market areas.

Biocidal decylnonyl- and decylisononyl dimethylammonium compounds


In a system which divides requests to an application, into computers on which the application is operating, computers are managed so as to prevent the lowering of the service level of each application. The resource assigning management apparatus 1 subtracts a total number of request counts (receive request count) received per unit tame by each server computer which is assigned to the application, from the total number of requests processible per unit time by each server computer 3 which is assigned to the application (request processible count), and calculates a resource amount available from the application to another application. Then, allocation of at least one server computer 3 that is assigned to the resource-excessive application is changed to an application which is lacking resources.

The present invention relates to a technique to determine a computer which is to be assigned for a desired application, out of a plurality of computers.
Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2001-331332, hereinafter referred to as "Patent Document 1", discloses a technique to reserve a particular resource for a real-time application system. In this technique, there are accumulated in a database, correspondences between service levels and resource amounts of a processor, memory, and disk band, respectively. A resource amount to be assigned for the application is determined according to the resource amount associated with a service level which is requested. With this technique, it is possible to reserve resources easily without designating complicated parameters particularly, and with such reservation of resource amount, a waste thereof can be prevented.

Resource assigning management apparatus and resource assigning method


The present invention involves a pressurized water treatment system and method having a unitary liner and flange and a plurality of interchangeable heads. The system utilizes non-threaded connections where periodic detachment is desirable to eliminate the cross-threading problems posed by plastic threads. The coupling devices include an improved clamp assembly to removably secure the water treatment heads to the liner flange or other system components and an improved spring clip to removably attach inlet and outlet lines to water treatment heads and fittings. By including L-shaped tabs, the spring clip reduces the chance of inadvertent dislodgement. The use of common connectors allows any of the interchangeable heads to be used with the liner and other fittings. Adapters can also be used to allow non-system components to be integrated into the system. A fill port adaptor can also be disposed between the liner and water treatment head to provide access to the tank interior without the removal of the head.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to residential and commercial water treatment systems, and, more particularly, to pressurized tank liners, fittings and coupling devices for residential and commercial water treatment systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Residential and commercial water treatment tanks are generally used to hold either a sacrificial or filtration media through which water is directed for treatment. For example, the removal of iron, hydrogen sulfite, copper, zinc, lead and other compounds often requires adjustment of the water's pH. A common method of adjusting pH is by the use of calcium carbonate as a sacrificial media. This requires the periodic replenishment of the sacrificial medium placed within the water treatment tank. It is desirable to have a hole in the dome or top of the tank to ease this replenishment. Filter media, such as activated carbon, filter sand, anthracite coal and various grades of gravel, are used to remove unwanted taste, odor, color and turbidity. Periodic access is also necessary for such filter media to either replace or clean the media.
Early water treatment pressure vessels were welded steel tanks which were both heavy and susceptible to corrosion even when painted and epoxy lined. With the development of fiberglass reinforced plastic tanks (i.e., FRP tanks) corrosion problems were eliminated. FRP tanks, however, were susceptible to impact damage which often occurred during transport. Although FRP tanks are capable of withstanding high internal pressures, impact damaged areas inevitably leak and cannot be repaired. Filament wound tanks eventually replaced FRP tanks. Early filament wound tanks, although having a rugged exterior, had a brittle ABS (i.e., acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic liner which was susceptible to cracking. Currently, the majority of filament wound tanks utilize an extremely durable polyethylene liner.
Polyethylene, however, is not well suited for use with threaded fittings. Fittings attached to water treatment tanks must often be detached to allow for access to the tank interior for replenishment of the medium, to perform maintenance on the tank or fitting, or to exchange the fitting. The use of threaded unions to attach the tank liner, inlet, and outlet lines to these fittings is undesirable because the fittings and liner are often constructed of plastic and the cross-threading of plastic fittings is a significant problem. Such cross-threading occurs frequently when fittings are re-installed after removal and the resultant damage is not easily repaired. Plastic threads can also bind, making it extremely difficult to remove a previously installed fitting.
A two piece liner having a polyethylene vessel and a threaded insert with more durable threads has been developed. Conventional polyethylene tanks often have a two piece liner and a filament wound outer shell as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,544 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,242, the disclosures of which are explicitly incorporated by reference. The tank liner generally consists of an internally threaded insert and a vessel which is blow molded around the insert as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,563, the disclosure of which is explicitly incorporated by reference. An injection molded internally threaded tank end can also be bonded to an ABS tank liner after the liner has been blow molded.
All such two piece liners have a seam, glue joint or heat welded bond where the two pieces interface and such joints can contain voids and structural weaknesses. When pressurized, the joint between the insert and vessel is subjected to stresses and may form small cracks or the bond may fail which can create leakage problems.
Another method which has been developed to avoid the problems presented by plastic threads is to utilize a flanged tank insert for use with clamps and O-rings. Although this type of construction avoids the use of plastic threads it still includes the use of a tank insert. For example, a tank insert may have a flange, on top of which an O-ring is seated, followed by a basket filter flange, a second O-ring and then a valve flange. The flanges and O-rings are then all secured together by a four piece collar shaped clamp. One problem with this method is that the O-rings are disposed axially and the pressure of the contained fluid generates a force perpendicular to the bearing forces the sealed parts are exerting against the O-ring. As the pressure of the contained fluid is increased the sealed parts tend to pull apart axially. This axial force lessens the bearing force on the O-ring and thereby its effectiveness. The pressure forces also stress the joint between the tank vessel and insert which, as previously mentioned, can lead to potential leakage and structural problems.
Another problem with conventional tanks is the lack of a convenient port to access the tank interior. One option has been to provide an additional dome hole near the top of the tank. However, in conventional filament wound tanks, such dome holes can weaken the structural integrity of the tank, be expensive to produce and pose a potential leakage problem.
Female plastic threads present problems not only for the liner and fitting connection but also for connections involving the inlet and outlet lines. In response to this problem, a spring clip has been developed for coupling inlet and outlet lines to plastic fittings without the use of female threads. The inwardly directed tabs of a partially circular resilient spring clip are inserted into slots in the fitting to secure the inlet and outlet lines. The tabs extend through the slots and into an annular groove in an insert which has been affixed to the inlet or outlet line. The line is thereby removably secured to the fitting without a threaded connection between the fitting and the line. One problem with such a connection, however, is that when the line is not under pressure the clip may loosen and can be dislodged from the fitting.

Tank assembly and method for water treatment


A plurality of modules interact to form an adaptive network in which each module transmits and receives data signals indicative of radio-frequency identification signals, and indicative of proximity sensing at the module. A central computer accumulates the data produced or received and relayed by each module for analyzing inventory, pricing and customer responses to transmit through the adaptive network signals representative of information to be displayed at selectively-addresses modules in response to computer analyses of the data accumulated from modules forming an adaptive network.

Retail establishments have long needed capability to conduct real-time inventory management, and to adjust prices of objects offered for sale on the bases of demand, available supplies, promotional tenders, and the like. Prior retailing practices relied upon manual counting of available objects for periodic inventory checks and upon manual re-marking of prices as demand and available supplies and promotional tenders required.
Such practices were notoriously slow and expensive, and have been replaced to some extent by computerized management of such information based upon object data collected during check-out procedures.
Such computerized management commonly entails sensing identity of an object via product identity codes that are communicated from a point-of-sale terminal to a main computer for analysis against a database of all such objects for current pricing, adjustment of inventories of sold objects, and the like. However, such computerized management is delayed from the time of removal from a stock of objects to the time of check-out, and does not address changing the posted prices at which objects may be selected for purchase.
One innovation that proposes to improve such computerized management includes electronic shelving that replaces passive storage shelving and includes various electronic sensors and displays which are permanently wired into a main computer for determining when a supply of an object is depleted and for posting pricing and unit valuations, and the like, on built-in computer-controlled displays. Such innovative shelving requires power and data cabling, major expenditures for such shelving as capital expenditures, and has generally not been widely successful in retailing operations that operate on low profit margins. In addition, retailing operations desire to know about buying behavior of customers including such characteristics as time spent examining an object and then buying or not buying that object, since such behavior promotes analyses of appropriate real-time pricing, appeal of a display of selected objects, and the like.


Techniques described herein enable peers to determine each peer's NAT type much more efficiently and quickly than when compared with existing techniques. To do so, a peer simultaneously sends multiple test messages to a server. The peer then waits to either receive a response for each of the multiple test messages or may store an indication that no response has been received after a predetermined timeout period. The peer then analyzes the received responses and/or the stored timeout indications to determine the peer's NAT type or to determine that the peer is operating free from concealment by a NAT/firewall device. By simultaneously sending the multiple test messages, the peer may determine the NAT type within a maximum time defined by the predetermined timeout period or a roundtrip time period that is required for communication between the peer and the server. As such, the tools allow for efficient NAT-type detection.

A peer-to-peer architecture comprises a multitude of interconnected peers, some of which reside behind a network address translator (NAT) and/or a firewall. In order for peers to connect with one another, each peer typically sends out contact information associated with the respective peer. This contact information may include an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the peer, a type of NAT behind which the peer operates, and, if applicable, a NAT address of the peer. When other peers receive this contact information, these other peers may choose to use this contact information to connect with the peer.
A key part of the contact information that peers send out is the NAT type of the peers. However, in order to send out this information to other peers, each peer must first learn the peer's own NAT type. While reliable, traditional techniques are cumbersome and require an undue amount of time.

Network address translators (NAT) type detection techniques


A hardware implemented method for interpolating missing colors is provided. In this method, the missing colors of a raw image received from an image capture device are interpolated using a first interpolation algorithm if the raw image is to be displayed on a display panel. It should be appreciated that the raw image is obtained through a color filter array. However, if the raw image is destined for output to a host, the missing colors of the raw image are interpolated using a second interpolation algorithm. An apparatus and a display controller for interpolating missing colors are also described.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to computer graphics and, more particularly, to methods and apparatuses for interpolating missing colors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Each pixel of an image has a camera sensor associated with the pixel. The camera sensor contains a light sensitive photodiode that measures the brightness of light. Since photodiodes are monochrome devices, they are unable to tell the differences between different wavelengths of light. To provide red, green, and blue (RGB) color sensitivity, a color filter array is applied on top of the camera sensors to filter out the RGB components of light falling onto the camera sensors. The color filter array typically uses a 3-color red-green-blue pattern. For example, a popular color filter array is a Bayer filter that has an RGB filter pattern arranged in a quartet ordered in successive rows that alternate either red and green or blue and green filters.
Since each pixel has been made sensitive only to one color, the two missing pixels required for a full RGB value are estimated based on the color values of neighboring pixels via interpolation algorithms in the camera. Currently, small cameras (i.e., image capture devices) used in many small portable devices include the logic to interpolate the missing colors. Since these small cameras have limited memory and computing power, these small cameras can only use simple interpolation algorithms. As the resolution of the cameras increases to the mega-pixel range, higher quality interpolation algorithms are needed. However, these small cameras do not have the memory and computing power to utilize higher quality algorithms.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need to provide apparatuses and methods for interpolating the missing colors using higher quality interpolation algorithms in small portable devices.

Apparatuses and methods for interpolating missing colors


A system and method are set forth for decreasing the levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) in a swimming pool and for conserving water. An amount of water is drawn from the swimming pool water circulating system and delivered to a demand such as irrigation or used to supplement the potable water system. If evaporative coolers are present, their waste water discharge can likewise be conserved and used to fill a demand such as irrigation.

In areas where it is hot and dry such as the American Southwest, the evaporation of water from spas, swimming pools and fountains (hereinafter collectively referred to as pools) tends to cause increases in the level of total dissolved solids in the water. Chemicals have been used to attempt to control TDS unsuccessfully.
The increased levels of total dissolved solids tend to require the use of even greater amounts of chemical agents to control the scaling and staining of the walls of the pool and for clarity of the pool water. Further for commercial units such as municipal or hotel pools, human use also contributes to an increase in TDS.
In addition to the use of chemical agents, it is a typical practice to periodically empty and refill the pool because of the buildup of TDS. Disposal of drained pools, such as a 20,000 gallon pool, are, in most instances done by draining the pool to storm sewer systems or into the street or other convenient location. This is not only wasteful of an important natural resource, water, but also can strain municipal storm sewer treatment systems and contributes to the degradation of the infrastructure such as concrete, streets, curbs, pipes and gradings due to the chemical agents and high total dissolved solids in the drain water.
For example, in a municipality with 10,000 pools holding an average of 20,000 gallons per pool would amount to 200,000,000 gallons of water disposed of per year by emptying pools.
In an unrelated system, some homes or businesses have evaporative coolers for air conditioning purposes. The water not evaporated during the evaporative process for cooling, is discharged as waste. A typical example would be an evaporative cooler which discharges an average of 6 gallons of waste water per hour for ten hours per day. At 68 cooling days per year, that equals 4080 gallons of water per year per cooler which is treated as a nuisance and discharged.
There is a need to conserve the water heretofore discharged into storm sewer systems or otherwise treated as a nuisance. There is also a need for a system which can control the TDS levels in pools to maintain the clarity, reduce scaling and staining and avoid the expense of cleaning and draining and to further reduce the amount of chemical additives required for the pool.

System and method for contributing to the control of the total dissolved solid levels in a pool and for conserving water


The portable out door heater burns fuel such as propane from a pressurized gas fuel tank. The fuel enters an entrainment tube through a nozzle orifice that is coaxial with the cylindrical entrainment tube axis. Air enters the entrainment through air entry apertures and is entrained with the high velocity fuel stream. The air and fuel mixture passes from the entrainment tube into a coaxial cylindrical burner supply tube. The supply tube has a smaller diameter to accelerate movement of the air and fuel mixture. A cylindrical combustion chamber receives the air fuel mixture moving tangentially to the combustion chamber inside wall. A ring inside the chamber retards movement of the fuel charge. The fuel oxidizes at a temperature that reduces odors and converts carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide. The products of combustion pass through a silencer and into an area to be heated. A choke and igniter initiate combustion.

Outdoorsman during periods of low ambient temperatures need a heat source to maintain body temperature. This is particularly true when confined to a small area, such as a blind, a tree stand or a water craft. A person trying to photograph a moose for example, in it's natural habitat is unlikely to see the animals if the animals can see, hear or smell the outdoorsman's presence. Heat sources that burn fuel and are currently available, produce odors, and noise that a moose can detect from a distance. The scents and noise often keep animals away from view by the outdoorsman.
Fuel burners generally produce high concentrations of carbon monoxide. This deadly gas overcomes a few outdoorsmen each year.


Disclosed is a method of forming metallic composite structures The method utilizes superplastic and quickplastic formation methodologies in conjunction with the use of appended engineered metallic foams to provide energy absorbing materials.

A useful method for metal sheet forming is provided in "quickplastic" or "superplastic" ("quick plastic" or "super plastic") forming approaches (QPF or SPF) in which sheet metal is formed into a complex shape in a single-sided forming tool using gas pressure to provide the forming force to transform the sheet metal into a form. In this regard, metal sheets such as aluminum are heated and then formed into shapes using gas pressure. The technology allows complex shapes to be formed from materials otherwise difficult to form to the complex shape. Details in these methods are presented in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,847 for a "Superplastic Forming Process" issued to Fredrick I. Saunders, et al., on Nov. 2, 1999, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,588 for "Quick Plastic Forming Of Aluminum Alloy Sheet Metal" issued to Moinuddin S. Rashid, et al., on Jul. 3, 2001, which are herein incorporated by reference.
In a number of products, such as energy absorbing structures used in transportation vehicles, it would be desirable to form a metal foam portion attached to a formed sheet metal structure so as to form a lightweight compactable structure. The compactable structure would deform at predetermined stress levels when subjected to an impact. Formation of such structures to date has not been feasible due to the cost of formation of the foam portion which needs to be shaped prior to the attachment to the shaped sheet metal. Furthermore, adherence of the shaped foam portion to the shaped sheet metal requires use of an adhesive. The adhesive provides a bond in the composite (between the foam portion and the metal sheet) which has its own properties, thus establishing at least three discrete domains of properties within the composite. The interfacial properties of the adhesive may significantly complicate the design of structures using these materials.
What is needed is a unified and straightforward approach for providing a complex composite structure of a formed metal sheet with a metal foam substrate. Preferably, the composite structure could be formed at low cost in such a manner that the foam does not require significant processing of the foam in the attachment step. The present invention is directed to fulfilling these needs.

Method of metallic sandwiched foam composite forming


The current document is directed to methods and systems for detecting the occurrences of abnormal events and operational behaviors within the distributed computer system. The currently described methods and systems continuously collect metric data from various metric-data sources, generate a sequence of metric-data observations, each metric-data observation comprising a set of temporally aligned metric data, and employ principle-component analysis to transform the metric-data observations to facilitate reduction of the dimensionality of the metric-data observations. The currently described methods and systems then employ clustering methods to identify outlying transformed-metric-data observations, accordingly label the transformed metric-data observations to generate a training dataset, and then apply one or more of various types of machine-learning techniques to the training dataset in order to generate an abnormal-observation detector that can be used to detect, in real time, abnormal metric-data observations as they are generated within the distributed computing system.

During the past seven decades, electronic computing has evolved from primitive, vacuum-tube-based computer systems, initially developed during the 1940s, to modern electronic computing systems in which large numbers of multi-processor servers, work stations, and other individual computing systems are networked together with large-capacity data-storage devices and other electronic devices to produce geographically distributed computing systems with hundreds of thousands, millions, or more components that provide enormous computational bandwidths and data-storage capacities. These large, distributed computing systems are made possible by advances in computer networking, distributed operating systems and applications, data-storage appliances, computer hardware, and software technologies. However, despite all of these advances, the rapid increase in the size and complexity of computing systems has been accompanied by numerous scaling issues and technical challenges, including technical challenges associated with communications overheads encountered in parallelizing computational tasks among multiple processors, component failures, and distributed-system management. As new distributed-computing technologies are developed, and as general hardware and software technologies continue to advance, the current trend towards ever-larger and more complex distributed computing systems appears likely to continue well into the future.
In modern computing systems, individual computers, subsystems, and components generally output large volumes of status, informational, and error data. In large, distributed computing systems, terabytes of status, informational, and error data may be generated each day. The status, informational, and error data generally contain information that can be used to detect the potential for serious failures and operational deficiencies in the computer systems prior to the accumulation of a sufficient number of failures and system-degrading events to lead to subsequent data loss, component and subsystem failures, and down time. The information contained in the data may also be used to detect and ameliorate various types of security breaches and security issues, to intelligently manage and maintain distributed computing systems, and to diagnose many different classes of operational problems, hardware-design deficiencies, and software-design deficiencies. It has proved to be a challenging task for system administrators, system designers and developers, and system users to identify, within the enormous quantities of status, informational, and error data generated in distributed computing systems, specific information relevant to predicting, detecting, and diagnosing operational anomalies and relevant to identifying specific information that can be used for administering, managing, and maintaining distributed computer systems.

Methods and systems that detect and classify incidents and anomalous behavior using metric-data observations


An automatic sliding mechanism is described. The automatic sliding mechanism includes a rail base, a sliding rod, an actuating device, and a sliding rod recovery device. The sliding rod couples to the sliding base and moves along the sliding base. The actuating device configured on the rail base locks or unlocks the sliding rod in the rail base. The sliding rod recovery device configured on the rail base provides a spring force to move the sliding rod.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a sliding mechanism and, in particular, to an automatic sliding mechanism for cell phones.
2. Related Art
Due to its convenience of carriage and communication at any time, cell phones have become very popular in daily life. Spurred by progress in science and technology and market competition, the cell phone has more powerful functions than before. For example, aside from the small monochromatic display screen for display text signals, there are also cell phones with large color display screens available for displaying, transmitting and receiving color images. Some of the cell phones with large color display screens on the market are panel-sliding cell phones that use rail devices to couple the display screen panels and the key panel. However, when a user operates such a cell phone, he or she has to manually push the panel to expose the operation keys. In this case, one needs to move fingers or use the other hand to slide the panel. Moreover, the panel has to slide all the way out before the operation, causing inconvenience. As the space inside the cell phone is very limited, wiggling often happens if the fixed part and the sliding part of the panel-sliding cell phone are coupled in a small region.


The video or other computer graphics display shows, on a touch screen, a spinnable bar having a control wheel affixed to an end thereof. Strokes of a stylus applied to the surface of the wheel controls the direction and/or rate of spin of the wheel and bar. An animated game character holding on to the spinning bar may spin with the bar and perform acrobatic acts in response to other touch screen or other types of control inputs.

Video game play is an extremely popular pastime throughout the world. Nearly every type of human endeavor is represented by some aspect of video game play. For example, driving games simulate car racing and allow the game player to feel as is he or she is behind the wheel of a race car racing at high speed around a track. Adventure games allow the game player to control a character moving through an imaginary landscape. Puzzle games present graphical or other puzzles for the game player to solve. Strategy games simulate historical battles, problems of diplomacy, or other interesting scenarios. Video game play possibilities are as limitless as the range of human interests.
Much work has been done in the past toward providing user interfaces for interactively controlling characters performing a variety of physical activities such as gymnastics, snowboarding, skiing, platform diving and the like. A few video games in the past have attempted to model or represent gymnastic moves. For example, Vivendi introduced a video game for the personal computer in 2001 called "Barbie Team Gymnastics" allowing game players to control game characters to participate in various gymnastic routines such as balance beam, floor exercises, uneven bars and the vault. Gamers often refer to the Lara Croft character in the Tomb Raider series as having "gymnastic dexterity" as the game character moves over various obstacles, climbs ladders and the like.
To make such game play action as realistic as possible, video game developers and computer graphics system designers have in the past worked tirelessly to model the underlying physics so that objects and game players move as one would expect them to move in the real world. Some very complicated and realistic animations have been developed. Video game developers have taken great pains to accurately model physical phenomena such as wind, the motion of the vehicle, the way a ball bounces on a hard surface, how an aircraft responds in flight, and other effects. For example, a character with a billowed cloak may create a parachute-like effect when that character falls, slowing the fall and allowing control of the falling character. Or a character may have to run faster to leap over a large chasm.
Many games in the past were controlled by a joystick or other type of game controller. While the player may be able to push a button or double-tap a joystick in a certain direction, indicating that the game character should, for example, run faster, the player may in some cases lack direct control over how fast the character is moving. Such less-than-fully-intuitive user interaction can sometimes result in a less satisfying game play experience.
Much work has been done in the past to improve computer and video game user interfaces and make them more intuitive. Recently, touch screens have become popular for use in controlling game play on a handheld videogame playing device. The Nintendo DS, for example, provides 3D videogame play on a touch screen that can be controlled using a stylus. To manipulate game characters or otherwise control the game, the user can touch and/or move a stylus on the surface of the touch screen. Different stylus touches and movements can control game characters to move in different ways or select other videogame play functionality. Such touch screen interfaces have become widely used and highly successful. However, further improvements are possible and desirable.
The technology herein provides techniques and apparatus for controlling gymnastic and other rotational effects within a videogame or other computer graphics or multimedia presentation using a touch screen or other user input.
In one exemplary illustrative non-limiting implementation, a gymnastics high bar is modeled using conventional 3D computer graphics techniques. The game player can control an animated game character to jump onto the high bar and perform a variety of gymnastic moves such as for example giants, handstands, fly aways, swings and turns, pirouettes, kips, and a variety of dismounts. Any particular game or other presentation can provide some or all of these moves or any other suitable acrobatic, gymnastic or other moves. In the exemplary illustrative non-limiting implementation, the touch sensitive surface is used to control the animated character. Gestures scribed by a stylus on a touch screen may, for example, be used to control the direction and type of move or other motion the animated game character performs.
In one exemplary illustrative non-limiting implementation, 3D computer graphics may be used to model a high bar that spins. This spinning bar provides a variety of interesting animation possibilities. For example, an animated character simply holding on to the spinning bar can be shown spinning with the bar—reducing the complexity of the user commands required to provide interesting and fun animated gymnastics action.
In one exemplary illustrative non-limiting implementation, a game player can cause the bar to spin through interaction with a virtual wheel attached to an end of the bar. In this exemplary illustrative non-limiting implementation, the bar is modeled as a steel or other high tensile strength bar oriented horizontally and mounted on low friction bearings. A virtual wheel is axially attached to an end of the bar. Imparting a virtual spin to the wheel causes the bar to spin. In this exemplary illustrative non-limiting implementation, the game player can impart spin to the wheel by directing touch screen stylus strokes to the wheel's surface. The faster the game player applies strokes to the wheel, the faster the wheel and associated bar spins. The effect of friction and gravity may be modeled so that the bar's spin will eventually slow down if the user does not impart strokes to the wheel for a period of time. Meanwhile, the game player can use the same stylus to control an animated character to interact with the spinning bar (e.g., mount, dismount, handstands, or other acrobatic moves).
According to an exemplary non-limiting illustrative implementation, the player instructs a game character to grasp a bar set at a height above the game level. Once the game character has grasped the bar, the player can use a device, such as a stylus, to manipulate a virtual wheel attached to the end of the bar. The player can drag the wheel up or down, and the character will spin according to the direction indicated by the player "spinning" the wheel. Once the game character is spinning, the player may then use the stylus to instruct the game character to jump in a certain direction. The game may model rotational speed (angular velocity) of the spinning character to determine just how far to jump.
According to another exemplary non-limiting illustrative implementation, the speed at which the player instructs the wheel affixed to the bar to spin affects the speed of the game character. If the player uses quick strokes to spin the bar, the game character may spin quickly. If the player slows the strokes, the spin will slow. Friction can also be modeled to gradually slow the rate at which the bar spins. If the player stops interacting with the wheel/bar then the game may slow the bar's spin down, adding the appearance of friction and/or gravity taking effect within the game. This feature allows players to directly affect the speed of the spin, in a manner where the in-game action correlates with the action taken in the real world. The player feels as if he is actually spinning the bar using the stylus. If a precision jump has to be made, the player can directly control the speed of the spin, until he feels the speed is just right, and then immediately and directly indicate using a stylus where he wants the game character to jump.
According to a further exemplary non-limiting illustrative implementation, a plurality of movement zones are predefined around a game character. These zones may be centered at the center of the character, and there may be any number of zones surrounding the character. For example, there may be plural zones indicating an upward movement, plural zones indicating a downward movement, and plural zones indicating movement to the left or right. When the player selects the game character by placing the stylus within a selection region, and subsequently moves the stylus through a zone, the game character may move in direction corresponding to the zone direction. See for example U.S. Patent Application No. 60/745,892 filed Apr. 28, 2006 entitled "Touch-Controlled Game Character Motion Providing Dynamically-Positioned Virtual Control Pad."
Character interaction is not limited to bars. Any sort of direct or indirect interaction using a tool such as a stylus where the speed, direction or other characteristic of the player's indication translates into game physics or action is possible. The game character could, for example, be swinging from a rope or a fixed pendulum, where the player's motions increases the swing speed. Other examples are possible.
The exemplary non-limiting illustrative implementations allow a player to directly control a game character through the use of a touch screen and stylus or similar combination. Because the player interacts directly with the character, the player gains a much greater sense of actually affecting the in-game events. Depending on the developer's desires, the player may also have to become skilled at manipulating and timing character movement with a stylus or similar device, adding a whole new challenge for players to master.

Method and apparatus for simulating interactive spinning bar gymnastics on a 3D display


A rotary sliding device which can perform agile motion, without the need to make the driving means large, and a simulator using the same, are disclosed. The rotary sliding device includes first and second sliding plates 32 which slide in parallel and separately with a predetermined interval, a pair of stepping motors 20 for separately sliding said sliding plates 32, and a moving plate 12 and a seat 32. The first sliding plate 32 is connected to the moving plate 12 so as to allow it to rotate only around the rotation axis 38, and the second sliding plate 32 is connected to the moving plate 12 so as to engage therewith in a sliding direction, and to allow the moving plate 12 to move in the crossover direction to the sliding direction and to rotate by means of a roller 64.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary sliding device and a simulator using the same, and more specifically, to a rotary sliding device capable of agile motion and a simulator using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, simulators have been widely used for bodily-sensing games or various training. Since simulators are to let people have the same feeling as in the actual vehicles, the same motion is required as in the actual vehicles. Particularly in the bodily-sensing games, simulation apart from the usual life, such as driving a combat car and manipulating a robot is performed other than in racing games. In such a simulation, it is important how agilely is performed the motion to rotate as well as slide the seat of a player back and forth, or from side to side. In this behalf, with conventional simulators, it has been necessary to make them large in order to move agilely heavy materials such as a seat on which a player sits.

Rotary sliding device and a simulator using the same


A recording material comprising a support coated with a photosensitive layer comprising a photosensitive diazo compound enclosed in microcapsules and a coupling component. The microcapsules are produced by forming an organic solution containing the diazo compound and a wall monomer, and emulsifying the organic solution in an aqueous solution containing an anionic surface-active agent and polyvinylpyrrolidone to produce oil droplets containing the wall monomer. The wall monomer is polymerized to form a wall around the oil droplets. When heat is applied to the photosensitive layer under alkaline conditions, the coupling component reacts with the diazo compound to form a color.

Recording and reproducing materials which utilize the photosensitivity of diazo compounds are widely used because they provide excellent performance at low cost. Three major types of photosensitive diazo compounds are known.
The first, known as the wet-developing type, includes a photosensitive layer comprising a diazo compound and a coupling component as main constituents provided on a support. The photosensitive layer is developed with an alkaline solution after the photo-sensitive layer is placed over an original to be reproduced and exposed to light.
The second, known as the dry developing type, is developed with ammonia gas.
The third, one known as the heat-developing type, has several variations, such as the type containing an ammonia gas generating agent like urea, which generates ammonia gas in the photosensitive layer by heating; the type containing in the photosensitive layer an alkaline salt of compounds like trichloroacetic acid which loses acidic characteristics by heating; or, the type which activates a diazo compound and a coupling component by thermal fusion using higher fatty-acid amides as coloring aids.
The wet-type recording materials are undesirable because additional entries cannot be recorded on the still wet material, and copied images cannot be stored for extended periods. In addition, difficulties in maintenance and control of the development process are a problem, such as replenishing and disposition of the developing agent due to its liquid form, and the large size of the equipment.
The dry-type materials also are undesirable because a liquid developer must be replenished during development, as with the wet type. Moreover, an ammonia gas absorbing device is required to prevent leakage of the generated gas to the outside, which in turn requires large equipment, and a strong odor of ammonia is present immediately after reproducing.
On the other hand, the heat-developing type, unlike the wet type and the dry type, does not require use of the developing liquid. However, underdevelopment and variable color tones may occur due to the required high developing temperature of 150.degree. to 200.degree. C. and temperature control tolerance of .+-.10.degree. C. Thus, expensive equipment is required to ensure the reproduction of fine images. To tolerate such a high developing temperature, the diazo compound used in the heat-developing process should have high heat resistance, which is often a disadvantage in obtaining high density in recorded images.
Therefore, various attempts have been made to achieve low temperature development, between 90.degree. and 30.degree. C., but this decrease in development temperature resulted in a degradation of the shelf life of the recording materials. Thus, because of the difficulties caused by the high developing temperature, the heat-developing type has not yet become the most widely used diazo-type reproducing system, though it is anticipated that the heat-developing type has more advantages than the wet-type and the dry-type.
The needs of users of diazo recording materials are widely diversified. For example, not only reproduction of colored images on a white base is required, but a recording system must also produce hues of the base texture and colored images for particular applications. When the recording material is used for drawings or posters, a high quality image is required, and conventional recording materials could not meet such demands.
To obtain the necessary color density by heating a photosensitive layer comprising a diazo compound, a coupling component and a coloring aid provided on a support, formation of dyes by instant fusion, diffusion and dispersion and reaction of respective components by heating is required.
If such a recording material which enables development of colors at low temperature and production images of high density images were designed, coloring reactions would gradually occur at room temperature during storage before use. These reactions would contaminate the base texture with colors before development instead of keeping the base texture clean white as desired.
The above-mentioned problem of contamination during storage, which looks unsolvable at a glance, has been nearly solved by enclosing a diazo compound in microcapsules on the reproducing material in a photo-sensitive layer comprising a diazo compound, a coupling component and a coloring aid provided on a support, which can be developed by heating, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,681.
However, even with the microencapsulated materials the preservability of the recording material before use is insufficient, if images of considerably high density are required.

Heat sensitive diazo type recording material utilizing microencapsulated diazo compound and a coupling component


A hammock support is provided that includes an arched structure supported by tripod leg supports. The arched support is preferably a truss structure that provides multiple attachment points to support a hammock bed for varying the types, lengths, and heights of hammocks. In some embodiments, the arched truss structure includes multiple interlocked truss sections that can be assembled and disassembled without tools. The tripod leg supports provide stability for use in wet, uneven, or otherwise inhospitable terrain. The arched structure provides attachment locations for one or more accessories, such as mosquito netting, tents, tables, drink holders, lights, and other accessories. Additionally, the hammock support assembly of the invention is adapted to be used with one or more hammock support assemblies to create larger structures to create tents or bivouacs for camping or emergency shelter.

Hammock assemblies are well known and are available in a variety of configurations. One example is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,251,299, in which a hammock is suspended from a connecting thrust bar assembly. The thrust bar assembly is constructed of interlocked steel tubing connected to support legs at each end. The hammock includes cords at each end that engage with hooks located on the support leg assemblies. Alternatively, the hammock may be suspended by chains at each end that extend through perforations formed in a socket plate in the support leg assemblies. This assembly has limited use in that there is only one point of connection at each end of the frame from which to suspend the hammock bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,618,788 shows and describes a hammock supporting assembly in which a hammock is suspended from a frame. The frame is constructed of a central tubular member having Y-shaped ends for connection to tubular support legs. The hammock is suspended from the frame by a chain that extends through a notch in the tubular support leg assemblies. This assembly is not modular and is not easily transportable. Another hammock is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,012, in which a hammock is suspended from a support frame. The support frame includes supporting leg structures with each leg structure having two ground-engaging support legs and a third support leg for connection with a crossover member. The crossover member is constructed of a single tubular member having a straight section with bent ends that interfit with the third support legs. This assembly is limited because the support frame includes only a single attachment point for the hammock. Additionally, the tubular construction provides less strength and stability than is often desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,008, shows and describes a hammock frame that includes tubular steel members connected in a square configuration. The frame includes two small legs at each end protruding diagonally out from the frame. The hammock is attached to the frame by a spring and hook at each end. This assembly is limited with only one attachment point at each end for the hammock bed. Additionally, this assembly requires a beam that extends underneath the hammock bed that could cause injury should the hammock bed fall.
Another hammock assembly is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,470,518, in which a bed net is supported between a pair of support frames connected by a connection tube set. The support frames each include three support rods connected at an upper end through a joint member. Each joint member includes a pedestal seat for connection with the associated support rod ends. The support frames are connected by a connection tube set that includes two interconnected tubular members. The bed net is connected to the support frames at each end by distal hooks that hook on cross bars in the pedestal seats. This assembly is complicated in design the single tubular frame structure does not provide optimal strength and support.
An arched hammock stand is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,842,920, in which two sets of support legs are joined together by a covering arch that extends up and over the hammock. The hammock is connected to cross braces bolted to the support legs. This assembly requires tools for assembly and is limited in design and use. What is needed is a hammock assembly that provides strength and stability for a variety of terrains and locations and uses.