A semiconductor package includes a die attach pad; a plurality of lead terminals disposed around the die attach pad; a semiconductor die mounted on the die attach pad; a molding compound encapsulating the plurality of lead terminals, the semiconductor die, and the die attach pad; and a step cut sawn into the molding compound along a perimeter of a bottom surface of the semiconductor package. The step cut penetrates through an entire thickness of each of the plurality of lead terminals, whereby each of the plurality of lead terminals has at least an exposed outer end at the step cut.

This invention relates generally to a semiconductor package, and in particular to an improved leadframe chip package secure to physical probing or hardware hacking.
Many integrated circuits are used to store sensitive or confidential information such as personal or financial information. The technology for reverse engineering an integrated circuit (IC) has progressed to the point where the state of individual circuits can be read off of an operating microcircuit. For example, a leadframe chip package such as a quad flat no-lead (QFN) package typically has pins (or perimeter lands) located on the edge of the package and is susceptible to physical probing or hardware hacking.
Protection of integrated circuits from such intrusions, which may allow access to the sensitive or confidential information, is becoming increasingly important. Therefore, there is a constant need in this industry to provide an improved leadframe chip package capable of reducing the ability of a hacker to physically probe an IC package with such perimeter lands.

Semiconductor package having step cut sawn into molding compound along perimeter of the semiconductor package


The present invention relates to a method of screening a compound for potential effectiveness in treating or preventing a mammalian disease mediated by plasma cells or a mammalian disease caused by virus infection of mammalian cells. Compounds are tested for their ability to inhibit IRE1-mediated processing of untranslatable XBP-1 mRNA into translatable XBP-1 mRNA. Drugs that are useful in treating or preventing a mammalian disease mediated by plasma cells and a method for detecting XBP-1 activity in living cells are also described.

Plasma cells are the major immunoglobulin-producing cells in humans. While a great deal has been learned in recent years on the development of the B cell lymphoid lineage that gives rise to plasma cells, there has been very little molecular insight into the process of plasma cell development and maintenance. For this reason there are at present few, if any, useful pharmacological tools for manipulating plasma cell development and function. It is highly likely that drugs that would interfere with plasma cell development and function would be useful in treating human diseases caused by pathogenic immunoglobulins (that are produced by plasma cells). Such drugs would also be useful in treating diseases such as Multiple Myeloma, a common human cancer in which plasma cells proliferate abnormally.
XBP-1 (X-box binder protein 1), which encodes a transcription factor, has been described as playing a role in plasma cell development, as reported by Reimold et al., "Plasma Cell Differentiation Requires the Transcription Factor XBP-1," Nature 412:300-307 (2001). In that study, mice lacking the XBP-1 gene were unable to develop plasma cells and had impaired immunoglobulin secretion. Because of the apparent crucial role of XBP-1 in plasma cell development and function, Reimold et al. suggested that a drug that would prevent XBP-1 action or expression would be useful. However, because it is very difficult to inhibit a transcription factor (such as XBP-1), it is not likely that XBP-1 would be a good drug target for developing treatments of diseases associated with plasma cell function. Thus, rather than directly targeting XBP-1 as a means for inhibiting plasma cell development, targeting other factors in the XBP-1 pathway may be useful in developing drugs or other treatments for diseases associated with plasma cell development.
IRE1 is a stress-activated endonuclease that resides in the endoplasmic reticulum. The processing of XBP-1 by IRE1 has been previously reported (Shen et al., "Complementary Signaling Pathways Regulate the Unfolded Protein Response and are Required for C. elegans Development," Cell 107:893-903 (2001), Yoshida et al., "XBP1 mRNA is Induced by ATF6 and Spliced by IREI in Response to ER Stress to Produce a Highly Active Transcription Factor," Cell 107:881-891 (2001), and Calfon et al., "IRE1 Couples Endoplasmic Reticulum Load to Secretory Capacity by Processing the XBP-1 mRNA," Nature 415:92-96 (2002)). However, knowledge in the art of how to develop treatments for plasma cell associated diseases by targeting the XBP-1 pathway, and particularly IRE1, is not well developed. In particular, it would be important to the medical community to have assays that screen for compounds that can be developed into drugs for inhibiting plasma cell development and function. Currently, the only drugs known to inhibit abnormal plasma cells are proteasome inhibitors that are in clinical trials (Adams, "Proteasome Inhibition in Cancer: Development of PS-341," Semin. Oncol. 28: 613-9 (2001)).
The present invention is directed to overcoming these and other deficiencies in the art.

Method of screening test substances for treating or preventing a disease mediated by plasma cells


A foot dryer designed to provide air flow between a patient's toes for drying the bottoms of a patient's feet and especially between their toes. Toe separators are provided on a pair of replaceable gel foot beds for improved sanitation and comfort for the patient. The footpads are replaceable in order to decrease cross contamination from one user to another. Air vents are provided to direct air flow to hard to dry areas such as between a user's toes.

There are many situations in which a patient's feet may become wet, such as during bathing. It is important that a patient's feet be dried after being wet to prevent the growth of bacteria, yeast, and fungus. It is also critical that these microbes are not spread from one patient's feet to other patients.
It is important for a person's feet to be dry, to prevent growth of microbes such as yeast, bacteria, and fungus. Certain patient's have great difficulty in drying every part of their feet, particularly between the toes. This can happen when a person has reduced feeling in their feet, when touching their feet is painful, if they cannot reach their feet, or if touching the feet may tear the skin. In each of these situations, it would be beneficial to have a foot dryer which would assist the patient in drying their feet, and which would assure that areas between the patient's toes are also dried. It would also be beneficial to have a foot drying device that prevented cross contamination of microbes from one person's feet to another person's feet.


A function executing device for executing a function by utilizing a consumption article may be provided with a device main body, a sensor, an information output device, and a controller. A consumption article housing case for housing the consumption article may be mounted on the device main body. The sensor may detect the quantity of the consumption article within the consumption article housing case mounted on the device main body. The information output device may output information to the exterior in a case where the quantity of the consumption article within the consumption article housing case mounted on the device main body has become less than a predetermined quantity. The controller may prevent the information output device from outputting the information twice or more in a period between a time where the consumption article housing case is mounted on the device main body and a time where the consumption article housing case is dismounted from the device main body and a next consumption article housing case is mounted on the device main body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a function executing device for executing a function by utilizing a consumption article.
2. Description of the Related Art
A printer that executes a printing function utilizing a consumption article such as, for example, toner, ink, etc. is widely known. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-228761 teaches a system comprising a printer, and a service center connected with the printer via a remote communication network. The printer comprises a sensor that detects the quantity of toner within a toner cartridge. When the sensor detects that the quantity of toner is equal to or below a predetermined quantity, the printer sends a toner low signal to the service center. The service center can thus recognize that the toner cartridge must be replenished.


A mobile station communication network includes a high penetration network which schedules high transmission power level paging to reach a mobile station for which an acknowledgment signal is not received. A home location register stores mobile station high penetration network (HPN) subscriber feature information. The HPN analyzes mobile station class to determine an appropriate response when a mobile station fails to acknowledge a page request. The HPN further maintains a record of short message service (SMS) time out (timer) values and examines the ID of the center that generated the message to determine when the SMS center will time out. Just prior to the time out, the HPN will send a "user unavailable" signal to the originating SMS center to avoid unnecessary paging request retries by the SMS center.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mobile cellular telephone communications systems and, in particular, to overcoming signal path interference during the delivery of messages to mobile stations by increasing the power of the communications transmissions.
2. Description of Related Art
Historically, paging systems and mobile telephone systems have provided service to a limited geographic area using a relatively high-powered centralized transmitting site. This arrangement has worked well in small cities and municipalities, but has often proved unsuitable for large metropolitan areas. To adequately serve a large geographic area, cellular phone systems began to simulcast (transmit the same signals at substantially the same time) from several transmitters strategically positioned to provide wide-area coverage. In such systems, a pager or a mobile station could receive information anywhere in the specified wide area.
Today, the trend in wireless communications is to provide even greater geographic coverage. Nationwide communication systems are often contemplated in an attempt to provide communication services to customers without regard to where they are in the United States, or for that matter, in the world. One known communication system employs satellites to transmit paging messages to pagers as well as cellular mobile stations.
It is well known that, in ground based cellular communication systems or satellite based communication systems, signal path interference can block a signal and prevent it from reaching the specified receiver. Such signal path interference of this type is often due to structural blockage from thick foliage, buildings and the like. Generally speaking, the signal path interference results in a mobile station being in an operational mode but also being temporarily unable to communicate with a transceiver.
Many methods and systems have been proposed for ground based as well as satellite based communication systems in response to the problem of mobile station unavailability for message delivery due to signal path interference. One proposed system includes a store in a mobile switching center for storing a message until the presence of the mobile station is detected through a registration, at which point the message is delivered or made available for retrieval. A drawback to this approach, however, is that the delivery of important messages may be unacceptably delayed until the mobile station clears the signal interference and re-registers within a cell area. Another drawback is that no further attempts to communicate with the mobile station and to deliver the potentially important message are made by the mobile switching center transceiver until re-registration occurs.
Another proposed solution to the problem of mobile station unavailability owing to signal path interference is to increase the transmission power level within a "standard" range of power levels. Increasing the power level within a standard range, however, may not be sufficient to overcome the signal interference due to structural path blockage. Moreover, current proposals for increasing transmission power include increasing power either on a system wide basis or on a cell wide basis. Under these proposals, unnecessary power levels are utilized for transmission to mobile stations which are receiving signals clearly in order to reach those mobile stations that are not receiving signals clearly.
In proposed satellite based communications systems, a mobile station located toward the center of a building or under a large oak tree with thick foliage may be subject to signal path interference and may not be able to receive and respond to a message delivery attempt or to a paging attempt from a satellite based transceiver. With satellites, the solution of transmitting at increased power levels is not always possible because many satellites have fixed transmission power level capabilities. While some satellites can exceed the standard transmission power levels to attempt to deliver a message, or to page a mobile station, other satellites have no capability of transmitting at increased power levels. Thus, a given satellite serving the mobile station may not be capable of performing a high power level transmission to overcome signal path interference.
Even for those scenarios in which it is possible to exceed standard transmission power levels, economic disincentives exist for doing so. It is likely that only some users will be interested in selectively using a higher power transmission level service. Other users simply may not care about becoming more "reachable". It would be unfair for the expenses of increased power transmission levels to be borne by all mobile station users. Thus, even if a satellite based transceiver has the capability to transmit a message at an increased power level, the increased power level should not be provided to those users that would not ordinarily need or appreciate such a service feature. There is a need, therefore, for a system to only transmit at increased transmission power levels in select situations.
Timing problems also exist with using satellite based transceivers for increased power transmissions to a ground based receiver. First, in order to avoid unnecessary transmissions at high power levels, increased power level transmissions should only be made after a transmission at a standard power level fails. Second, in a typical communication system, namely one in which high penetration power level transmissions do not occur, a paging system may designate that a user is unavailable after a mobile station fails to respond to at least one page attempt. Under current systems, certain time out values are established which only account for the amount of time required to page a mobile station at a standard power level. Current systems are set up wherein an originating source of a message rebroadcasts its message to initiate paging once a time out value is reached.
Unfortunately, such timeout values are frequently less than the time required for the communication system to initiate and process a second paging attempt or a third paging attempt at higher power levels. Accordingly, there is a need to reduce or eliminate unnecessary subsequent broadcast attempts or paging attempts by the originating source until it can be determined that a receiver is not responding even to the high power paging or communication attempts.
Another problem that exists, in those systems which utilize high power transmissions for paging or message delivery, is that a user has no way of knowing that a system is having to use non-standard transmission power levels to reach the user due to signal path interference. Accordingly, there is a need to provide such information to a user so that a user will know to move to a location less subject to signal path interference.

Subscriber feature controlled high penetration messaging


Member for the guidance of a movable piece, including at least one surface in friction and sliding contact with a complementary surface of the movable piece, including several separate ceramic elements carried by a support having resilience characteristics, and for example, made of an elastomer.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a member for the guidance of a movable piece, for example of a shaft or a cylindrical rod movable in rotation and/or in translation, or else of a swiveling piece.
II. Discussion of the Background
It is a known practice to use cylindrical rings to provide a precise positioning of a shaft while providing its guidance in rotation or in sliding. To make the movement easier while reducing the wear of the friction surfaces, materials with a low friction coefficient and a good wear-resistance are used. These materials may form the totality of the rings or be used in thin layers placed on the supports providing a mechanical resistance of the thin layers.
For example it is a known practice to use rings made of metal or metal alloy, such as a bronze alloy, with, in some cases, a surface glaze to improve the sliding of the shaft.
Other rings, usually used dry without additional lubricant, are produced in a single piece of plastic or comprise a metal support or sleeve ensuring the mechanical resistance, with a coating of the guide surfaces with a material with a low friction coefficient.
In certain applications, these rings are subject to severe stresses, for example heavy pressure, high sliding speed or high temperature, often with vibrations and impacts transmitted by the shaft to be guided, which results in rapid wear and a risk of destruction of these rings.
If metal rings are used to reduce the wear and increase the service life, seizing problems are noted eventually.
It has also been proposed to use ceramic rings, this material having a high degree of hardness and a relatively low friction coefficient, for example approximately 0.3, and a very good resistance to many physical or chemical agents.
In addition, these rings are produced by sintering, which allows complex shapes to be produced easily. However they have the disadvantage of having a very high rigidity, a zero elasticity and a fragility to impacts, which poses problems of resilience because these rings do not deform and, in the event of wear, the contact surfaces deteriorate and a functional clearance appears which may lead to the breakage of the rings.
These problems of wear and failure of the anti-friction rings may have consequences particularly in the aerospace industry where the wear and breakage of a bearing may lead to the stoppage or destruction of an engine.


The invention generally relates to clavata1 nucleic acids, proteins, and antibodies, and to plants transformed with clavata1 nucleic acids having altered phenotypes.

Meristems are central to higher plant development, as almost all post-embyronic organs, including roots, leaves, flowers and axillary meristems, are initiated by either shoot or root meristems. Two aspects of shoot meristem development are central to its function. First, the meristem must maintain a group of cells in the center that remain undifferentiated. The proliferation of these undifferentiated meristem cells is necessary to provide new cells for organ initiation. In Arabidopsis, for example, new organs are generated throughout the life span, requiring the plant to maintain a pool of undifferentiated cells from which to draw for organ and new meristem initiation. Second, as the meristem apex moves away from these undifferentiated cells by continuted cell division, the undifferentiated cells that are now on the flanks of the meristem must be allowed to enter a specific developmental pathway, such as leaf or flower development, leading to eventual differentiation. It is the balancing of these two features that allows for the continued growth of the meristem and its continuous initiation of new organs.
Proliferation of meristem cells balanced with their subsequent incorporation into organ primordia relates to the classical separation of the shoot meristem into a central zone (CZ) and surrounding peripheral zone (PZ). The CZ at the very tip of the shoot meristem, would correspond to the region where cells are maintained in an undifferentiated state. In the PZ, daughter cells enter a specific developmental pathway and become incorporated into organ primordia. Molecular evidence corroborates this distinction. A number of mutants that disrupt meristem development have been described in Arabidopsis.
The existence of CLAVATA1 is well known in Arabidopsis thaliana. It was identified through the phenotype of its mutant alleles, best described in Clark et al., Development 119: 397-418 (1993); see also Koomneef et al., J. Hered. 74: 265-272 (1983); Bowman et al., Oxford Rev. Plant Cell & Mol. Biol. 5: 57-87 (1988); and Leyser et al., Development 116: 397-403 (1992). The gene has also been described under the names FLO5, FAS3 and FUF by rediscoverers, between the time when they found new alleles, and the time when it was shown that they had identified alleles of the earlier-described CLAVATA1 gene.
Mutations in the gene cause a loss of normal control of cell division in shoot apical meristems and in floral meristems. The result of loss of cell division control is in either case an enlargement of the meristem. In shoot apical meristems this enlargement can lead to fasciation (cresting), where the meristem grows very large, causing the stem to become straplike, and leaves and flowers to be produced in great profusion. In flowers the enlargement leads to an increase in the number of floral organs, including an increase in carpel number, which increases fruit size and seed number.
There are naturally occurring mutations whose phenotypes resemble those of CLAVATA1 in Arabidopsis. Celosia, or cock's comb, is a cultivated flowering plant that differs from its wild progenitors by fasciation, which enlarges the inflorescence. Since the inflorescence leaves (bracts) are the colorful part, the cultivated variety is much showier than the wild ones. Crested cactuses and other succulents also are considered highly desirable, but as cresting occurs in cactus as a rare response to unknown environmental conditions, the commercial crested cactuses are not genetic variants. Similarly, wild tomatoes are small berries with two carpels, or fruit components. The large, beefsteak-type cultivated tomatoes are mutants in a gene that gives extra floral organs, similar to CLAVATA1 mutants. The organs of interest are carpels, which are increased to about 6 in number, giving a much larger fruit.
A separate locus, CLAVATA2, appears to exhibit similar mutant phenotypes based on brief descriptions (McKelvie, Radiation Botany 1: 233-241 (1962); Koomneef et al., J. Hered. 74: 265-272 (1983)).
Thus, it would be desirable to be able to control the size and appearance of shoot and floral meristems, to give increased yields of leaves, flowers, and fruit. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide for clavata1 nucleic acids and proteins, and modified clavata1 nucleic acids and proteins which result in altered meristem phenotypes.
It is a further object to provide plant cells and plants which contain the recombinant clavata1 nucleic acids and proteins of the invention.

Plant clavata1 nucleic acids, transformed plants, and proteins


An apparatus for recording and displaying images of and identifying material types in a target object in a fluid carrying conduit includes a downhole unit. The downhole unit includes a controllable light source, the controllable light source structured to emit high energy photons. The downhole unit further includes a sensor unit structured to detect the high energy photons that are backscattered from the target object and to generate signals in response to the detected high energy photons. The apparatus also includes a control and display unit that includes a signal transmitter and a viewing screen structured to display at least one two-dimensional image that is generated using the signals from the sensor unit.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to an apparatus and a method for providing an accurate image of a target object in a fluid-carrying pipe and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for providing an accurate image of a target object in an exploration or production well or in a pipeline carrying fluids such as hydrocarbons or aqueous liquids, and provides the opportunity of accurately determining which types of material said target object is composed of.
2. Description of the Related Art
For purposes of this disclosure, the term "fluid" is defined as any form of liquid and/or gas, separately or mixed. For purposes of this disclosure, the term "see" or "seeing" is defined as making image recordings that can be viewed by the human eye immediately or at a later stage, using, for example, a viewing screen.
The environment in exploration and production wells for oil and gas generally prohibits the use of video cameras due to the presence of saline solutions, mud, hydrocarbons and other substances that prevent the passage of visible light. Consequently, the possibility of seeing in such an environment by using a video camera is highly limited, due to the normal mixture of substances in the well. This very often results in time-consuming and costly inspections of well formations and equipment, and also fishing operations directed at the removal of unwanted objects in exploration and production wells.
Currently there exists no apparatus capable of seeing the targets under such conditions. However, the possibility of seeing in such environments is highly advantageous in terms of fulfilling the requirements for identification and localization of possible material damage and/or undesirable objects that have been lost or are stuck in the borehole.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,078,867 describes a system that produces a three-dimensional image of a borehole by means of a four-armed (or more) downhole caliper and gamma rays.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,814 describes a system for creating three-dimensional images by using data from a scan of a borehole carried out by use of a rotary acoustic transducer.
EP 1070970 describes a method of three-dimensional reconstruction of a physical quantity from a borehole comprising the creation of a three-dimensional image by measuring a first physical quantity as a function of depth, then to be compared with a second item.
WO 9935490 describes an apparatus and a method of depicting a lined borehole by means of ultrasound.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,385 describes an acoustic logging tool for creating a peripheral image of a borehole or a well lining by means of ultrasound generated by several transmitters/receivers mounted substantially in the same plane in the end piece of a drill string.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,728 describes a three-dimensional imaging system for representation of objects scanned by ultrasound.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,564,251 describes the use of radioactive radiation to establish information about the distance from the apparatus to the surroundings, e.g. a well wall, by creating a radial graph centered on the center of the apparatus.
Available radiation types for imaging applications range from radio waves to visible light to gamma rays. The wavelength of long-wave radiation in the form of radio waves (>1×10−1 m) is too great to create focused images that fulfill the necessary requirements. Short-wave radiation in the form of gamma rays (<1×10−11 m) has a wavelength and an energy level that gives sufficient image quality, but unfortunately requires a radiation source in the form of a radioactive material, which is out of the question in the environment of exploration and productions wells for oil and gas.
Embodiments of the invention address these and other disadvantages of the conventional art.

Apparatus and a method for visualizing target objects in a fluid-carrying pipe


The present invention provides a wring mop with a lever handle. The handle adds leverage and torque to the wringing operation of the mop head. A more thorough wringing is achieved with more liquid removed from the mop.

There exist numerous types of mops in the art used to clean surfaces such as floors, including twist mops, squeeze mops, ringer mops, etc. Each of these mops include a handle for supporting a mop head at one end thereof and additionally typically include means for removing liquid from the mop head.
In one such construction, a wringing tube or sleeve is mounted to the handle and is adapted to be slid over a mop head to wring or compress water therefrom. Further, the sleeve in one known prior art type device is configured to ensure a certain degree of resistance between the sleeve and the mop head to facilitate twisting, and preferably complete wringing, of the mop head. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,709,622 (Justis) purports to show providing inwardly extending ribs on a sleeve located between opposing longitudinal ends of the sleeve to facilitate engagement of the strands of a mop head. A further example of such a mop is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,338 (Yates et al.) that purports to disclose a sleeve formed with a plurality of inwardly extending grooves extending along a substantial portion of the axial length of the sleeve and located between the opposing ends of the sleeve.
In other constructions of sleeves for squeezing a mop head, the sleeve is configured to provide a compression of the mop head to thereby compress water from the mop strands. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,848 (Monahan) purports to show a housing for compressing the mop head wherein the housing is provided with a slit to permit the housing to movably overlap itself and change a mop head receiving surface area to compress water from the mop head. A further known construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,378 (Petner) that purports to show a sleeve including a plurality of rollers for engaging and wringing a mop head as the sleeve is moved longitudinally down over the mop head.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,625,838 (Laux, et al.) purports to disclose a mop with a handle and a mop head located at one end of the handle with a plurality of flexible strands defining a mop body. A sleeve is positioned on the mop handle and is supported for slidable movement in an axial direction parallel to the handle, and is further supported for rotatable movement relative to the handle.
There is a continuing need to provide an improved means for wringing a mop head, and in particular, there is a continuing need for providing a self-contained wringer which is capable of efficiently manipulating a mop head to dispense liquid therefrom during a wringing operation of the mop head. None of the references mentioned above include a handle providing added leverage and increased torque to the mop head, thereby removing more liquid than previously possible.


A system and method for providing integrated voice quality measurements for wireless networks, based on actual calls made by end devices, are provided. The system includes a plurality of end devices, each of which includes an algorithm for determining voice quality data; an over-the-air server configured to enable voice quality reporting in the end devices; a messaging server configured to receive voice quality reports from the end devices; a voice quality server configured to receive the voice quality reports from the messaging server and consolidate the voice quality reports; and a call data record server configured to combine call records and the consolidated voice quality reports.

The present invention relates to a system and method for providing integrated voice quality measurements for wireless networks.
Determination of voice quality for a telecommunications network has traditionally been an expensive and tedious process where data is collected using test calls and reference speech files. Data is then submitted to a subjective voice quality measurement facility, e.g., Dynastat, Inc., to evaluate quality in accordance with International Telecommunications Union (ITU) P.800 standards. This process is typically a relatively costly endeavor. Alternatively, the same field-collected data may be processed using existing objective measurement tools, in accordance with ITU P.862, which is a standard for calculating telephone call quality using the Perceptual Evaluation of Speech Quality (PESQ) method.
Test calls are often made through coordinated field personnel, which is a logistically intensive process that requires detailed coordination. Only an identified suite of test calls can be made to try to provide a sufficient sample that accurately reflects subscribers' calling patterns in the production network.
If a subscriber is not satisfied with the voice quality of a call, he may call a customer service telephone number to complain about the quality. Complaints about voice quality require subscribers to identify details of calls, e.g., location, time of data, etc., after the call has been completed. There is, however, no automated way to assess voice quality at the demarcation point between a subscriber and an operator to an external carrier for a Service Level Agreement (SLA) dispute.
In one known system including a server and clients, one client end injects a reference speech file into a production network and another client end records the resultant speech. Both files are fed into a server that compiles the result for reporting. This architecture, however, is not able to provide the complete sample with additional information such as Carrier-to-Interference (C/I) data, location, etc. There is no way to replicate the call scenario for a bad call complaint. The architecture can only assess impairments in the core network. Furthermore, the sample provides limited information and does not take into account the entire subscriber population.

System and method for providing integrated voice quality measurements for wireless networks


An ultrasonic measurement apparatus detects a plurality of feature points in a B-mode image acquired by ultrasonic measurement. The feature point detection is repeatedly performed for each measurement frame. Then, a displacement vector of each feature point between measurement frames that are temporally adjacent (consecutive) to each other is calculated. Then, a displacement direction is calculated based on the displacement vector for each feature point. An intersection of the displacement direction lines is detected as a cross-sectional center position of a blood vessel.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic measurement apparatus that detects a blood vessel position using an ultrasonic wave.
2. Related Art
As an example of measuring biological information using an ultrasonic wave, the evaluation of a vascular function including the determination of a vascular disease is performed. For example, the intima media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery, which is an indicator of arteriosclerosis, is measured. In such measurement, the position or shape of a blood vessel of the tissue in the body is measured.
JP-A-2009-66268 discloses a technique of estimating and modeling the position or shape of the carotid artery based on a B-mode image that is a cross-sectional image of the carotid artery. In this technique, focusing on the movement of the artery due to beating of the heart, generation of an evaluation function of a model, optimization for estimating the position or shape of the carotid artery of the next frame, and modeling are repeated for each frame.
In the technique disclosed in JP-A-2009-66268, since the generation of an evaluation function, optimization, and modeling are repeatedly performed for each frame, calculation processing related to measurement becomes complicated. Accordingly, there has been a problem in that the amount of calculation is increased.

Ultrasonic measurement apparatus and ultrasonic measurement method


A system for redistributing a broadband audio-visual-data signal to a multiplicity of receiver units within a multiple dwelling unit (MDU) includes a main receiving antenna that receives a broadband video/audio/data signal having a number of individual program multiplex signals therein and a transmodulator device that transmodulates the individual program multiplex signals associated with the broadband signal from a first modulation scheme to a second modulation scheme to reduce the bandwidth of the broadband signal. The transmodulated signals are broadcast over a cable network, along with terrestrial signals, to individual receiver units at the MDU. The receiver units demodulate the transmodulated and/or terrestrial signals and provide user-specified channels to television sets for display.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to signal distribution systems and, more particularly, to audio/visual/data signal distribution systems that distribute satellite signals typically in conjunction with standard terrestrial and/or cable signals to a plurality of individual receivers within one or more multiple dwelling units.
(b) Description of Related Art
Audio/visual/data (A-V) signal distribution systems generally rely on either a cable network or on free-space propagation for delivering A-V signals, such as television signals, to individual users or subscribers. Cable-based A-V signal distribution systems transmit one or more individual A-V signals or "channels" over wire, while free-space propagation systems transmit one or more channels over-the-air, i.e., in a wireless manner. Most large-scale cable and wireless signal distribution systems broadcast a broadband A-V signal having a plurality of individual A-V signals modulated onto one or more carrier frequencies within a discernable frequency band.
Some wireless signal distribution systems use one or more geosynchronous satellites to broadcast a broadband A-V signal to receiving units within a large geographic area while other wireless systems are land-based, using one or more land-based transmitters to broadcast to individual receiver units within smaller geographic areas or cells. A satellite A-V signal distribution system generally includes an earth station that compiles a number of individual A-V programs into a broadband signal, modulates a carrier frequency band with the broadband signal and then transmits (uplinks) the modulated signal to one or more geosynchronous satellites. The satellites amplify the received signals, shift the signals to different carrier frequency bands and transmit (downlink) the frequency shifted signals to earth for reception at individual receiving units.
The uplink and downlink broadband signals of analog satellite systems are typically divided into a plurality of transponder signals, each typically containing a single analog signal. For example, analog satellite systems operating in the so-called "C-band," i.e., between 3.7 GHz and 4.2 GHz, may broadcast a plurality of transponder signals, each including a single frequency modulated analog T.V. channel. In current digital satellite systems, each transponder typically contains a number of individual channels multiplexed into a single data stream, commonly referred to as a program multiplex.
Satellite systems may also broadcast a set of transponder signals at multiple polarizations, for example, at a right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) and at a left-hand circular polarization (LHCP), within the band of carrier frequencies associated with the satellite, effectively doubling the number of channels broadcast by the system.
Satellite signal distribution systems exist for many frequency bands, including the so-called "Ku-band." One known Ku-band direct-to-home satellite system now in operation uses an uplink signal having 16 RHCP transponder signals and 16 LHCP transponder signals modulated onto frequency bands between about 17.2 GHz and about 17.7 GHz. Each of these 32 transponder signals is program-multiplexed to include digital data packets associated with e.g. about five to eight or more individual A-V programs, such as television channels, and is modulated according to a quartenary phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation scheme. The satellites associated with this system shift the uplink transponder signals to carrier frequencies ranging from approximately 12.2 GHz to approximately 12.7 GHz and transmit these frequency-shifted transponder signals back to earth for reception at each of a plurality of individual receiver units.
At the individual receiver units, a receiving antenna, typically comprising a parabolic dish antenna, is pointed in the general direction of the transmitting satellite (or other transmitting location) to receive the broadband QPSK modulated multiplex of A-V signals. Typically, such antennas include a low noise block (LNB) which amplifies, filters and shifts the incoming signal to an intermediate frequency band, such as L-band (between about 1.0 GHz and 2.0 GHz). The representative system, in particular, shifts the satellite signal to the frequency band between about 950 MHz and about 1450 MHz.
Typically, only the RHCP transponder signals or the LHCP transponder signals are mixed down to L-band, depending on which particular A-V channel a user is viewing. However, in systems having a two-channel LNB, both the RHCP and the LHCP transponder signals may be individually shifted down to a 500 mHz portion of L-band (e.g. between 950 MHz and 1450 mHz) and provided, via separate lines, to a set-top box or other integrated receiver and detector (IRD) associated with the receiver unit. At the IRD, an A-V program associated with a particular channel within one of the program-multiplexed transponder signals is decoded and provided to a television or other presentation or processing device for display and/or for processing of transmitted data, audio output, etc. However, because cable lines are inherently frequency limited, typical cables used at receiver sites (such as RG-6 and RG-59) are not capable of simultaneously transmitting all of the received satellite signals (1000 MHz) along with standard CATV signals to the IRD.
Furthermore, the receiving antennas or dishes associated with land-based or satellite-based wireless signal distribution systems are typically large and cumbersome. For example, C-band satellite dishes are generally in the range of four to five feet in diameter and, therefore, require a large amount of operating space. As a result, it can be difficult, if not practically impossible, to install a receiving antenna for each individual unit within a multiple dwelling unit (MDU), such as an apartment, condominium or townhome complex. Reception of a particular satellite signal is made even more difficult in MDUs when, as is generally the case, some of the individual dwelling units therein do not have any walls or outside exposure facing the direction in which the receiving antenna must be pointed, or these dwelling units are shadowed by surrounding buildings or other obstructions.
In the past, these disadvantages have been overcome by placing one or more receiving antennas on, for example, the roof of an MDU and then running cable to each of the individual dwelling units. For example, a system for redistributing a single, off-air signal to multiple buildings in a small geographic area is disclosed in Japanese Patent Document No. 56-47183. However, common L-band multi-user distribution solutions typically used to support single dish antenna systems are fraught with installation and maintenance problems. For example, significant roll-off or degradation of the television signals may occur in cable systems due to the poor high frequency propagation properties of standard cable lines especially at and above L-band.
Broadcasting a received broadband A-V signal over an existing cable network at lower carrier frequencies may prevent the use of that network for other A-V signals, such as standard cable, CATV, UHF and VHF television signals, or may require that the some of the broadband signals or existing cable signals be eliminated due to the bandwidth restrictions of the cable network.
One system proposed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) in the area of Satellite Master Antenna Television (SMATV) receives a QPSK modulated satellite television signal (which may be combined with terrestrial TV signals) and remodulates this signal according to a 64 quadrature amplitude modulation (64-QAM) technique. The SMATV system then sends this remodulated signal out over cable to one or more adjacent buildings. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,775 discloses a system that remodulates data portions of a satellite television signal from one modulation scheme to another, such as from FM to AM, for retransmission to subscribers. However, these systems do not specifically demonstrate how to propagate remodulated satellite signals and existing cable or terrestrial signals on the same cable line or other transmission channel in an efficient manner or demonstrate how to remodulate and broadcast a large number of transponder signals associated with one or more satellites over the same cable line or other transmission channel to one or more adjacent buildings.

Transmodulated broadcast delivery system for use in multiple dwelling units


Extraneous matter such as snow or mud sticking to an ultrasonic sensor is detected. An obstacle (10) reflects transmitted waves from an ultrasonic sensor (3), and the indirect waves (k) are received by an ultrasonic sensor (2), whereby the obstacle (10) is detected. The ultrasonic sensor (3) generates direct waves (t) directly received by the ultrasonic sensors (2) and (4), and therefore the ultrasonic sensors (2) and (4) are arranged to monitor also the direct waves (t). The direct waves (t) are attenuated when extraneous matter (8) such as snow or mud sticks to the ultrasonic sensor (4), and the presence of the extraneous matter is detected according to this attenuation.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic obstacle detector for detecting an obstacle using an ultrasonic sensor that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves.
2. Background Art
A conventional obstacle detector for vehicles is shown in the Japanese Patent Publication (unexamined) No. 27779/1988. This detector is provided with an ultrasonic horn, and extraneous matter such as snow or mud is detected by an ultrasonic microphone disposed near an opening of the horn or an electrode disposed in the horn each serving as means for detecting the extraneous matter stuck to the horn.
Since the conventional ultrasonic obstacle detector is constructed as described above, it is necessary to add any assistant parts such as additional ultrasonic microphone or electrode in the horn in order to detect the extraneous matter such as snow or mud.
The present invention was made to resolve the above-discussed problems and has an object of providing an ultrasonic obstacle detector capable of easily detecting foreign matter without additional parts to the ultrasonic sensor.
An ultrasonic obstacle detector according to Embodiment 1 of the invention is an ultrasonic obstacle detector for detecting an obstacle using at least one ultrasonic sensor transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves comprising;
a plurality of ultrasonic sensors disposed close to each other so that one of the ultrasonic sensors is arranged to. receive direct waves transmitted from at least one of the other ultrasonic sensors, and
means for detecting a state of extraneous matter such as snow or mud sticking to the mentioned ultrasonic sensors according to reception level of the mentioned direct waves.
An ultrasonic obstacle detector according to Embodiment 2 of the invention is an ultrasonic obstacle detector for detecting an obstacle using at least one ultrasonic sensor transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves comprising;
not less than three ultrasonic sensors disposed close to each other so that one of the ultrasonic sensors is arranged to receive direct waves transmitted from at least one of the other ultrasonic sensors, and
means for judging the ultrasonic sensors to which extraneous matter such as snow or mud is sticking according to reception level of the direct waves for each combination of an ultrasonic sensor transmitting ultrasonic waves and an ultrasonic sensor receiving the transmitted direct waves, the combination being changed in order.
An ultrasonic obstacle detector according to Embodiment 3 of the invention is an ultrasonic obstacle detector for detecting an obstacle using at least one ultrasonic sensor transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves comprising;
a plurality of ultrasonic sensors disposed close to each other so that one of the ultrasonic sensors is arranged to receive direct waves transmitted from at least one of the other ultrasonic sensors, and
means for calculating a temperature on the basis of a transfer time and a transfer distance of the mentioned direct waves between the two ultrasonic sensors transmitting and receiving the direct waves, and judging whether or not there is a possibility of snow, frozen ice, or the like sticking to the mentioned ultrasonic sensors according to a value of the calculated temperature.
In the ultrasonic obstacle detector as set forth in claims 1 to 3 of the invention, whether or not extraneous matter such as snow or mud is sticking onto the ultrasonic sensors is detected by monitoring direct waves from the ultrasonic sensors.


Provided is a filtering apparatus, method, and medium for a multi-format codec, in which a blocking artifact of decoded video data is removed. The filtering apparatus includes a compression format detection unit, a block strength determination unit, a table determination unit, and a first filtering unit. The compression format detection unit detects a video compression format of the decoded video data. The block strength determination unit determines a block strength indicating a filtering strength with respect to the decoded video data according to the detected video compression format. The table determination unit determines a filtering table differently according to the block strength when the block strength is greater than a predetermined threshold. The first filtering unit performs filtering on the decoded video data in units of a block using the determined filtering table.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the decoding of a video, and more particularly, to a filtering apparatus, method, and medium for a multi-format codec (coder and decoder), which can be commonly used for various video compression formats to implement the multi-format codec.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are various video compression algorithms, i.e., video compression formats such as Windows® Media Video 9 (WMV-9) codec and H.264 codec (a digital video codec industry standard established by Video Coding Experts Group and Moving Pictures Expert Group). A detailed encoding/decoding algorithm varies from format to format. In general, a decoding algorithm suitable for a particular video compression format extracts a motion vector from a received bitstream, generates a current prediction frame using a reference frame that has been already reconstructed and the extracted motion vector, and reconstructs a current frame using the generated current prediction frame and residual data included in the bitstream.
A block boundary is visually distinguished in a digital video reproduced through decoding. This is called a blocking happening. A loop filter is used to reduce or remove the blocking happening. In other words, the loop filter is inserted into a decoding loop of a codec (coder and decoder) for deblocking. Moreover, in a currently required multi-codec decoder, i.e., a decoder supporting the video compression formats WMV-9 and H.264, developing a method for implementing a separate filtering process for each of the video compression formats increases the time and cost required for the development. Thus, there is a need to reduce the time and cost required for the development through filtering common to various video compression formats.

Filtering apparatus, method, and medium for multi-format codec


Techniques to rotate the phase of a received signal to compensate for phase change or discontinuity introduced by circuit elements located directly in the receive signal path. One or more control signals are received, with each control signal being provided to adjust a particular characteristic of one or more circuit elements associated with the receive signal path. A phase rotation corresponding to an operating state defined by the control signals is then determined, and the phase of the received signal is rotated by an amount related to the determined phase rotation. In some designs, the phase rotation is performed on digitized inphase IIN and quadrature QIN samples to generate phase rotated IROT and QROT samples. The phase rotation can be performed by a complex multiply (after DC offset compensation) and, for ease of implementation, can be performed digitally in discrete increments (e.g., 90° increments).

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data transmissions. More particularly, the present invention relates to method and apparatus for adjusting the phase of a received signal to account for phase shifts and discontinuities experience by the signal.
II. Description of the Related Art
In a typical RF communications system, data is proceed at a transmitter device, modulated, filtered, amplified, and transmitted to one or more receiver devices. The transmitted signal typically experiences path loss, multipath, and other phenomena prior to reaching the receiver devices. At a receiver device, the modulated signal is received, conditioned, and demodulated to recover the transmitted data. The signal conditioning typically includes low noise amplification, filtering, automatic gain control, frequency downconversion, sampling, quantization, and so on.
Due to path loss, multipaths that may add constructively or destructively, and other phenomena, the signal level of the received signal typically varies over a wide rang of values. For example, for a CDMA system, the received signal may vary over 85 dB. To provide a signal having the proper level for sampling and quantization, multiple gain stages are usually employed in the received signal path. These gain stages may include one or more variable gain amplifiers (VGAs) having gains that can be adjusted by control signals. The receive signal path may also include one or more sections in which the received signal can be routed through one of several signal paths (e.g., a gain path and a bypass path).
The characteristics of the received signal can change as the variable circuit elements in the receive signal path are adjusted or as different signal paths are selected. In particular, the phase of the received signal can shift as the circuit elements are adjusted. The received signal can have phase discontinuities if the circuit elements are adjusted in a step-wise fashion or if the signal is switched through different signal paths. The phase shifts and discontinuities can cause performance degradation.
Conventionally, changes to the phase of the received signal are maintained at acceptable levels by proper design and operation of the circuit elements in the receive signal path. For example, some conventional designs limit the rate at which the circuit elements and signal paths can be switched. These limitations allow the loops in the receive signal path to better track the changes, thereby reducing the amount of degradation. However, these limitations also prevent the receiver device from tracking fast changes in the received signal, which may also degrade performance. Furthermore, in CDMA systems, these limitations may also adversely affect the initial transmit power level.
As can be seen, techniques for adjusting the phase of a received signal to compensate for phase shifts and/or discontinuities due to adjustments and/or switching of circuit elements associated with the receive signal path are highly desirable.

Method and apparatus for adjusting the phase of a received signal


The disclosure provides systems and methods for conducting and managing integrated laboratory experiments. The system includes a variety of laboratory instruments that are connected to conduct a large number of different types of experiments, and an interface for a user to design experiments and adjust parameters for the experiments. Given the integration, the system can further take data from related samples and instruments for determining or adjusting certain experimental parameters for optimized experimental efficiency and results.

Laboratory experiments, especially in life sciences, require a great variety of instruments, experimental techniques, and experience. Such experiments, therefore, are typically conducted by researchers and technicians with advanced training in chemistry or biology and are generally not amenable to standardization and automation. Yet, even with advanced instrumentation and experienced staff, it is well known that the results of a given experiment, to a great extent, vary with the specific technicians and instruments used even when given the same experimental protocol to follow. The negative implications of this inability to objectively replicate experimental results have been the subject of much discussion in the life sciences, with some characterizing it as a crisis. There is undoubtedly a strong need in the field to improve the reproducibility of experiments and reduce the impact of technicians, instrumentation, and environmental factors on experimental results.
A life sciences research project typically involves a large number of steps over an extended period of time, and each step may require a different instrument and have different input and output samples. For instance, a screening for siRNA can involve siRNA synthesis, purification, verification and quantification, cell-free assay, and in vitro testing. No single instrument has been designed to carry out such a great variety of experiments, and there is currently no system or method for flexibly specifying and automating such multi-technique, multi-instrument, multi-platform research projects. Indeed, many in the art regard a generalized experimentation platform as impossible due to the potential for nearly exponentially many combinations of techniques and the myriad of specific parameters that can be varied within each technique. Despite ambitious claims of flexibility by some, the practical reality within the field is that functioning systems focus on automating or electronically representing a small, restricted, well-defined set of experiments centered around a specific task, e.g., high throughput screening of ligands for a specific enzyme. This restricted approach "addresses" the exponential scale of the generalization problem by avoiding it entirely, and therefore does not provide the technological foundation for building a truly flexible general experimentation system as disclosed herein.
One reason for this is that existing electronic systems for managing, storing, and viewing experimental data do not specify the experimental protocols used in a machine-readable form amenable to computerized analysis and reasoning. Thus, even when a computer has access to raw experimental data, it lacks a rich understanding of the experimentation that generated the raw data. For example in the Indigo Electronic Lab Notebook ("ELN"), the experimental protocol is just free text. See, e.g., EPAM Life Sciences, Indigo ELN User Guide Version 1.2, FIG. 18, bottom right panel. Thus, information regarding the experimental setup in the Indigo ELN is not machine parsable and one cannot programmatically validate or relate the experimental protocol information embodied by the free text to other information stored in the system. One consequence of this, as is observed in many fields, is that it is not possible to verify the completeness of the experimental protocol information contained in the free text. Another consequence of this is the inability to link experimental protocol information and resulting experimental data together, making it impossible to implement an efficient, reliable, and scalable general framework for linking experiments together.

System and method for management, execution, and analysis of laboratory experiments


A common-mode feedback circuit which calculates the common-mode signal at each stage of a pipeline ADC, rather than calculating it globally and distributing it. The local calculation thus provides a local interpolation between the positive and negative voltage reference, and also provides a mechanism for storing the interpolated charge for application to the common-mode feedback input of the amplifier.

The present invention relates to a circuit which causes a differential op-amp common-mode output level to track a DACs common-mode level, and in particular to such circuits for use in a pipeline analog-to-digital converter (ADC).
In fully differential circuits, it is desirable to avoid variations in the common-mode component of differential signals. This is especially true in high resolution ADCs. A 1.5b/stage pipeline ADC, typically uses a switched digital-to-analog converter (DAC) in each stage to supply the required reference voltages that are used in the algorithm for the given stage. This switched DAC reference voltage is applied to the input of an op-amp. The op-amp is biased to accept a common-mode input at the same level as the common-mode output level of the previous stage. In addition, the op-amp typically has a limited common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR), and common-mode input range (CMIR). To minimize the variation in the common-mode component of these two inputs, it would be helpful to have the common-mode output level of the previous stage track the common-mode level of the DAC. Further, it would be helpful if this tracking function could be done without requiring any additional external decoupling capacitors. (Two decoupling capacitors are usually required for a positive DAC reference voltage (Vdacp) and a negative DAC reference voltage (Vdacn)). Also, it is helpful for this circuit to be insensitive to wire resistance, and for this circuit to track any high frequency variations in the common-mode DAC voltage.

Pipeline ADC common-mode tracking circuit


An oil filter has a drain hole, which is internally blocked with a valve member. When oil remaining in the oil filter is drained, a drainpipe is inserted into the drain hole, so that the valve member is displaced and remaining oil is drained from the drain hole. This valve member has an annular recession to steadily support an upper end of the inserted drainpipe. Therefore, gripping force of the drainpipe is enhanced without decreasing draining performance. The drainpipe and the oil filter are connected with each other via a seal member that is provided to the oil filter. The drainpipe 80 has a removing means that holds at least a part of the seal member to pick the seal member off the oil filter, when the inserted drainpipe is detached from the drain hole. Thus, the seal member can be removed simultaneously with the drainpipe from the oil filter.

In general, lubricant oil, which is received in an oil filter for an internal combustion engine or a machining tool, becomes hot. Accordingly, a worker, who drains oil remaining in an oil filter, have to be restricted from getting burned and getting dirt with drained oil in a draining work when a filter element is replaced.
According to JP-A-11-104408, a pipe member 14 is provided in a filter body of a fluid filter, and a cylindrical drain plug 15f is screwed into the pipe member 14. The drain plug 15f axially extends to the outside of the filter body. The drain plug 15f has a window hole 15f. When the drain plug 15f is screwed into the pipe member 14, the window hole 15f is blocked with the sidewall of the pipe member 14. When the drain plug 15f is loosened, the window hole 15f is positioned on the lower side of the sidewall of the pipe member 14, so that the window hole 15f communicates with a gap formed between the pipe member 14 and the filter body. Thus, fluid remaining in the fluid filter flows into the window hole 15f of the drain plug 15f through the gap, so that the fluid is drained to the outside of the filter body through the drain plug 15. Fluid remaining in the filter body can be drained to a predetermined place using this drain structure. Therefore, drained oil can be restricted from dripping to a worker, so that the worker can be restricted from getting burned and getting dirt.
However, in this fluid filter, the window hole 15f of the drain plug 15f is received in the pipe member 14. Accordingly, the window hole 15f, i.e., drain port cannot be largely formed. When the window hole 15f is small, remaining fluid cannot be quickly drained. As a result, draining work and replacement of the filter element takes long. Generally, a vehicular engine oil filter is replaced by a professional worker in a service station. While the filter element is replaced, a vehicle owner has to wait, accordingly, a draining time needs to be shortened. Here, the drain port of remaining fluid, i.e., window hole 15f may be enlarged, however in this structure, the fluid filter may be jumboized.
According to JP-A-2004-160348, a drain structure, in which a drainpipe is detachable from a drain hole formed in a cap of a fluid filter, is disclosed. In this drain structure, when the drainpipe is inserted, a valve member blocking the drain hole can be unblocked, so that the drain hole can be communicated with a drain passage formed in the sidewall of the inserted drainpipe. Most of the sidewall of the inserted drainpipe is used as a drain port, so that the drain port can be enlarged without jumboizing the drainpipe, and draining work can be efficiently performed. However, in this fluid filter, gripping force supporting the drainpipe is small, because the sidewall of the drainpipe is used as the drain port. Besides, a supporting member cannot be provided to the sidewall, because an additional supporting member may reduce efficiency of draining. When gripping force is small, the drainpipe may be detached or the drainpipe may be inclined in draining work.
Besides, the fluid filter needs to be entirely or partially replaced in accordance with pollution of the filter element and deterioration of a seal member. Normally, the seal member, which restricts fluid from leaking to the outside, is replaced simultaneously with the filter element.
In replaceable type filters according to JP-A-11-104408 and JP-A-2004-160348, fluid remaining in the fluid filter can be drained using a pipe member before replaceable components such as a filter element and a seal member are replaced.
In a quickly replaceable throwaway type oil filter according to JP-U-58-26911, a fluid filter is entirely replaced as appropriate. This oil filter is provided to a filter mounting portion 9 of an internal combustion engine. A gasket 3 is provided between the oil filter and the filter mounting portion 9. The gasket 3 prevents oil in the oil filter from leaking. The gasket 3 is supported by a gasket holding plate 2, which can receive the gasket that includes an edge portion and a string portion in the lower inner peripheral portion of the gasket. The gasket is supported by the gasket holding plate 2 having a special shape, so that the gasket 3 is not dropped from the oil filter when the oil filter is removed from the filter mounting portion 9. Therefore, the gasket can be quickly removed simultaneously with removing the oil filter, so that draining process can be reduced. However, this special shaped gasket holding plate 2 is applicable to a throwaway type fluid filter, and is difficult to apply to a replaceable type filter. In the fluid filters disclosed in JP-A-11-104408 and JP-A-2004-160348, a seal member 15g needs to be replaced in addition to a replacing work of the filter element. Accordingly, total replacing work takes long, and replacing work becomes complicated.

Drain structure having drainpipe and fluid filter using the same


Control structures are provided to accurately maintain amplifier common-mode levels at the predetermined level of a common-mode reference voltage Vcm. The disclosed control structures provide amplifier feedback along a first feedback path that is configured to provide high gain and low bandwidth to closely maintain amplifier common-mode level at the predetermined level of a common-mode reference voltage Vcm. They also provide amplifier feedback along a second feedback path that is configured to provide wide bandwidth to substantially reduce perturbations of the common-mode level that would have otherwise been induced by input signal transients. In an important amplifier feature, these controls are obtained without use of structures (e.g., capacitors and switching transistors) that use substantial current which reduces amplifier efficiency. Although the disclosed control structures may be used in a variety of systems, they are particularly suited for use in samplers and converter stages of pipelined analog-to-digital converters.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the control of common-mode signal levels.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pipelined analog-to-digital signal converters are attractive choices for high-speed, high-resolution signal-processing applications. By breaking down the generation of a desired number of digital bits into a cascade (pipeline) of low resolution signal converters, pipelined converter systems achieve high resolution at sampling speeds that are difficult, if not impossible, to realize with other converter systems.
In pipelined systems, each pipeline stage (whether sampler or converter stage) passes an output signal to a succeeding stage for further processing. The accuracy of the conversion process directly corresponds to the accuracy of these output signals. In order to preserve this accuracy, the output signals must be generated with amplifiers that closely control the common-mode level of the output signals at the predetermined level of a common-mode reference voltage Vcm. In addition, these amplifiers must control the common-mode level with bandwidths that are sufficient to reduce perturbations of the common-mode level that would otherwise have been induced by transients in the analog input signal.
Although amplifier structures have been provided to satisfy these amplifier requirements, they generally operate with structures (e.g., capacitors and switching transistors) that require substantial amplifier current so that they significantly degrade converter efficiency.

Common-mode control structures and signal converter systems for use therewith


Systems and methods for executing a formula written using a formula language may include receiving a formula written using a formula language, the formula associated with a record of a database; transpiling the formula in the formula language to a program code in a programming language; and executing the formula based on the program code.

The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.
A formula is similar to an equation that is executed at run time. Depending on the context of the formula, it can make use of various data and operations to perform the calculation. For example, an administrator may generate a formula to make use of data and operations to calculate a new value of some type.
In a multi-tenant environment, related information may be stored in one or more databases and grouped by objects. For example, a database associated with Salesforce.com of San Francisco, Calif., may include multiple objects such as accounts, contacts, opportunities, leads, etc. With each object, there may be multiple records. Each record may include one or more fields. Each field may be assigned a field type and configured to store information associated with that field. For example, a field type may be number, text, or a formula which is calculated at run-time to determine a value or to determine when certain actions should occur.
An administrator may generate a formula using a formula language. The formula language may enable the administrators to write or generate a formula using business logic instead of writing a program. This is because the administrator is not expected to write codes using a programming language. The formula language may include a set of operators to operate on fields based on a formula syntax. Current formula implementation enables administrators to use an editor to generate a formula. However, the current formula implementation is inefficient because it does not provide real time feedback, among others.

Executing formulas written using formula language


A foldable basketball stand comprises a seat having a supporting frame, a transfer unit installed at one end of the supporting frame and a weight installed to the supporting frame; and the weight being a foldable water box; a supporting unit formed of a plurality of rod bodies; one end of the supporting unit being connected to the transfer unit of the seat; and a backboard installed at another end of the supporting unit; and the backboard having at least two plate bodies and a hoop installed between the two plate bodies. The installation of the seat, supporting unit and backboard causes the foldable basketball stand can be assembled easily for use and detached easily for storage. Thereby the volume of the foldable basketball stand is small. It can be storage and transferred easily and conveniently.

The prior art backboard is formed of a plurality of metal rods which are connected together. One end of a supporting frame is connected to a backboard. A hoop is installed to the backboard. Another end of the supporting frame is installed with rollers. Thereby the basketball stand can be installed to a predetermined position.
The prior art basketball stand can be installed to a predetermined position, but the metal rods have larger diameters and are connected by welding. The basketball stand is moved by using a hanging machine. Thus it is not suitable for a small area. Thereby it is difficult to move the basketball stand and thus it is not suitable to adjust the position of the basketball stand. Further, the supporting frame, backboard and hoop of the basketball stand are difficult to be detached.
An improved basketball stand is developed. The basketball stand is formed of a seat including a water box or a concrete structure, a rod body connected to the seat, a backboard on the rod body, and a hoop on the backboard. This improved structure can be installed to a small area. However the seat, rod body, backboard and hoop cannot be detached. Since the components of the basketball stand are not detachable, the volume is great. Thus, it is inconvenient to transfer or store the basketball stand. Thus the prior art basketball stands are not practical.


A current-limiting device comprises at least one polymer-based electrically conducting body with two contact surfaces and at least two electrodes. Close to a first one of the two contact surfaces of the polymer-based electrically conducting body, a surface layer is arranged. The resistivity of the surface layer is reduced relative to the resistivity of the bulk of the polymer body, and at the same time at least the second contact surface of the body is adapted to make free contact with at least one of the electrodes or other electrically conducting body.

European patent EP 0 487 920 describes a device of the above-mentioned type in the form of a PTC element which at least comprises one polymer-based electrically conducting body, the resistivity of which exhibits a positive temperature coefficient and electrodes for conducting current through the body. At least one of the two contact surfaces of the polymer body makes free contact with one of the electrodes or another electrically conducting body. The polymer body and the electrodes are retained by resilient and pressure-applying devices. This results in to the creation of a contact pressure in a contact surface where the polymer body freely makes contact with an electrode or another electrically conducting body. Since current transition between the electrode and the polymer body only takes place at certain contact points, a current displacement arises at the contact surface resulting in a voltage drop near the contact surface. As a result of the difference in resistivity between the polymer body and the electrode, this voltage drop occurs substantially in the body which has the highest resistivity, that is, the polymer body.
At current intensities below rated current, a low contact resistance is maintained at the contact surface in that the contact pressure which is applied to the contact surface by the pressure-applying devices ensures current transition at a sufficient number of contact points. At short-circuit currents, the temperature at the contact points is increased. This increase in temperature results in a local melting and/or gasification of the polymer material at some of these points, whereby the resistance is increased. Finally, a layer of gasified polymer/carbon arises near a freely contacting contact surface, whereby a strong increase of the resistance across the layer is obtained, that is, the current-limiting device trips. Since the contact pressure is maintained by the pressure-applying devices, the original contact pressure and the original contact resistance are essentially resumed across the contact surface in connection with the gas pressure decrease. One problem is that the gasification has normally arisen at both contact surfaces of the polymer body before the current-limiting device trips. Therefore, it is difficult, using constructive changes such as cooling electrodes, etc., to increase the ability of the current-limiting device to withstand overcurrents for a limited period of time, i.e, currents with a current intensity is normally up to 10 times the rated current, while at the same time maintaining the ability of rapidly limiting short-circuit currents. Overcurrents of the order of magnitude of 10 times the nominal current occur frequently, for example when starting electric machines.
To maintain a low contact resistance at a normal current transition and to ensure that essentially the original contact and the original contact resistance are formed again after the current-limiting device has tripped as a result of a short-circuit current, it is desirable that a great contact pressure act on the contact surface since a high contact pressure ensures a large number of contact points and hence a large effective contact surface and a small current displacement. However, at the same time, the current-limiting function of the device is deteriorated since the limited current displacement results in a low energy development in the layer. In this way, with increasing contact pressure, a larger level of power must be supplied to the polymer body before the current-limiting device trips. This means that an increased contact pressure extends the time to a trip at short-circuit currents, which cannot be tolerated.
In European patent EP-A3-454 422, a PTC element is described which comprises a polymer-based electrically conducting body, the two contact surfaces of which consist of a polymer composition comprising an electrically conducting metal powder, preferably a nickel powder. By the addition of nickel powder, a PTC element with integrated electrodes is obtained. For a PTC element according to EP-A3-454 422 with a low contact resistance at both of its contact surfaces and hence a small current displacement at the contact surfaces, the whole of the polymerbased element will be heated homogeneously at increased current transition. This extends the time to trip at short-circuit currents in the same way as described above for a PTC element with a high contact pressure at the contact surfaces. Since the energy development in the PTC element becomes evenly distributed over the whole bulk of the PTC element, a large energy volume must be supplied to the PTC element before it trips. This means that the local melting and/or gasification of the polymer material, which arises at short-circuit currents and greatly increases the resistance and leads to the current-limiting device tripping, is not concentrated at a layer but arises at points, so-called hot spots, distributed over the whole bulk of the PTC element. In this way, there is no possibility, with a PTC element according to EP-A3-454 422, to predict where in the electrically conducting body the gasification occurs. The low contact resistance and the low power loss at a normal current transition for a PTC element according to EP-A3-454 422 are thus obtained at the cost of a long time to trip at short-circuit currents when a large energy volume must be supplied to the PTC element before it trips.
The object of the invention is to provide a device for current limitation, comprising an electrically conducting body which exhibits a low resistance at current intensities below rated current and an increased resistance to the overcurrents which normally occur in electric installations, that is currents with a current intensity which normally is up to 10 times the rated current, while at the same time the ability to rapidly and reliably limit short-circuit currents and other large fault currents is maintained or improved.
Further, it is an object of a current-limiting device according to the invention to be able to predict that tripping occurs at a layer near one of the two contact surfaces of the electrically conducting body and in which of these two contact surfaces tripping occurs. In this way, constructive measures can be suggested, by means of which the resistance across the electrically conducting body can be reduced, the resistance to brief and limited overcurrents increased, and the ability to rapidly and reliably limit short-circuit currents improved.

Device for current limitation and protection against short-circuit currents in an electric installation


A product package includes a vertical container in which a base product is located and a lid assembly. The container has a top opening and a side periphery while the lid assembly include a lid which closes the top opening of the container. The lid includes (a) a peripheral skirt which engages the side periphery to hold the lid in place, (b) a top extending centrally of the peripheral skirt and having a top band extending centrally from adjacent the upper end of the peripheral skirt and a depression which extends downwards from the top band to a position substantially equal to or above the lower edge of the skirt, and (c) a peripheral retention lip which extends upwards and inwards from the top band. The lid assembly also includes an insert having a peripheral border. The insert is sized such that the peripheral border is retained underneath of the peripheral retention lip so that the insert is held on the lid. The lid assembly also includes a secondary product which is located in the depression and which is held therein by the insert. Preferably, the product package also includes a tamper evident shrink band.

When providing a base product in a package, it is sometimes desirable to provide a secondary item with the base product contained in a container. While applying the secondary item to the lid is one means of providing the secondary item in a handy manner, such an application often results in pilferage or other loss of the secondary item prior to purchase by the consumer. In addition, applying of the secondary item to the lid may ruin the stackability of the packages being displayed to the consumer. Further, while it is often advantageous to apply the secondary item prior to application of the lid to the container, such an lid with a secondary item attached thereto may then no longer be stackable making subsequent automatic application of the lid to the container difficult.

Product package and stackable lid assembly therefor


A light emitting element is mounted on the surface of a board. The light emitting element emits light. The light passes through a translucent optical member. The light enters the translucent optical member through a incident surface. The lines of protrusions make the incident surface jagged. The jagged surface resulting from the protrusions enables diffusion of the light entering through the incident surface. The light spreads along the surface of the board. Simultaneously, the emitted light is partly reflected on the incident surface. The reflected light is reflected on a reflecting surface placed behind the light emitting element. The reflected light then enters the translucent optical member. The translucent optical member is thus allowed to illuminate over a wide range with a sufficient brightness. An impressive illumination can be realized.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus such as a cellular or mobile phone terminal. In particular, the present invention relates to an electronic apparatus including a light emitting element incorporated in an enclosure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A light emitting element such as a light-emitting diode (LED) is incorporated in a mobile phone terminal. Light emitted from the LED leaks at the surface of the mobile phone terminal. Light blinks in response to the receipt of a call, in synchronization with music, and the like, for example.
The light emitted from the LED has a high directivity. The LED cannot illuminate over a wide range. In the case where two or more LEDs are utilized, each LED makes a spot. The LEDs cannot illuminate uniformly over a wide range. Impressive illumination cannot thus be obtained.

Electronic apparatus and illuminating device having a translucent member with incident lines of protrusions


A map display device includes a position information acquiring unit for acquiring the present position of a vehicle; a map data storage unit for storing map data; a remaining energy acquiring unit for acquiring a residual quantity of energy for driving the vehicle and equipment mounted on the vehicle; a range calculating unit for computing a range the vehicle can travel with the remaining energy, using a moving energy consumption rate which is energy consumption per unit time required for moving the vehicle and a driving energy consumption rate Eci which is energy consumption per unit time required for driving the equipment mounted on the vehicle; and an output control unit for displaying the range on a map using the map data.

Conventionally, a map display device has been used which is mounted on a mobile unit such as a car, detects the present position of the vehicle using GPS or the like and displays the position on a display together with a road map. Furthermore, with the recent spread of electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, a technique is utilized which displays a range the mobile unit can cover with the present remaining energy, or an energy supply necessary for the mobile unit to continue traveling together with the map display. For example, a map display device disclosed in Patent Document 1 calculates, when charging the battery of a driving motor, a range the mobile unit can cover after charging the battery for a plurality of periods of time considering the remaining battery life, and displays the result on a display. In addition, a vehicle control device disclosed in Patent Document 2 shows a fuel station reachable under an energy-saving driving mode to a driver, even though only one reachable fuel station remains in a normal driving mode, and controls the driving mode of the vehicle so that it can reach the fuel station the driver desires.

Map display device, navigation device and map display method


A process for preparing a multilayer ceramic capacitor of the present invention comprises the steps of forming a pattern sheet, laminating a plurality of the pattern sheets and firing to obtain a multilayer ceramic capacitor comprising dielectric layers and internal electrode layers that are alternately laminated. The pattern sheet comprises a dielectric material green sheet and a conductor pattern. The conductor pattern is formed on the dielectric material green sheet and contains a main component selected from Ni, Cu and their alloy, at least one selected from the elements of the groups 3B to 6B of the periodic table and at least one selected from Mn, Co and Fe. The multilayer ceramic capacitor so obtained has an internal electrode layer wherein occurrence of discontinuous portions in conductor patterns is suppressed even after firing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for preparing a multilayer ceramic capacitor and the multilayer ceramic capacitor, and in particular, to a process for preparing a multilayer ceramic capacitor and the multilayer ceramic capacitor, wherein a base-metal material is used for a conductor pattern.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, in response to growing demand for smaller size and larger capacity, efforts have been made so that an internal electrode layer as well as a dielectric layer in a multilayer ceramic capacitor can be a thinner film. For example, a well-known method is to form on a film a conductor pattern that turns into an internal electrode layer, employing physically thin film forming method such as sputtering and deposition, or chemically thin-film forming method such as electroless plating (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-243650). In addition, as an appropriate forming method for mass production, it is proposed to employ electroplating method, using such electrolytic solution as nickel (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-309037).
According to the above conventional methods, it is possible to easily make conductor patterns thinner. However, among these thin films, especially, in a plated film obtained through electroplating method, metal additives that are added during manufacturing process, for example, sulfur etc. hardly form solid solution with Ni and are precipitated disproportionately in grain boundary portions of Ni in the form of an intermetallic compound such as Ni3S2 having a melting point of 640° C.
In cofiring with dielectric material green sheets, the intermetallic compound having a low melting point is melted. Therefore, the molting point of a base-metal material that is a main component is lowered, making conductor patterns discontinuous during cofiring with dielectric layers.
According to the above methods, among thin film of conductor patterns, especially, in a plated film obtained through electroplating method, in cofiring with dielectric material green sheets, the melting point of a base-metal material that is a main component is lowered, making conductor patterns discontinuous during cofiring with a dielectric layers.
As above, once conductor patterns turn discontinuous, the effective area of internal electrode layers is smaller, resulting in the problem of not being able to obtain desired electrostatic capacitance of a multilayer ceramic capacitor.
Moreover, when the conductor paste of nickel metal powder is used as an internal electrode layer, there is a problem that conductor patterns turn discontinuous, like the above-mentioned plated film.

Process for preparing multilayer ceramic capacitor and the multilayer ceramic capacitor


The invention is directed toward an apparatus for promoting urorectal organ emptying and related method. The apparatus has a funnel that circumscribes a woman's urethral opening and directs urine to pass therethrough and generally away from the woman. A lift portion is attached to the funnel, and is sized to be insertable into the woman's vaginal cavity and displace a prolapsed organ. In the case of prolapsed urinary bladder, the lift portion is shaped to engage the woman's anterior vaginal wall and displace a prolapsed urinary bladder and promote urinal emptying.

Female Pelvic organ prolapse (FPOP) is a relatively common condition. According to some studies, 75% of women over the age of 18 experience some degree of FPOP. Over 300,000 surgeries are performed annually in the United States. This costs the country more than $20 billion annually in direct and indirect medical costs, while surgeries alone to correct FPOP cost more than $1 billion annually. This condition is projected to become much more common in the United States with the aging of the Baby Boomers. An estimated 11 to 19 percent of women will undergo surgery for FPOP by the age of 80.
Normally pelvic organs are held in place by the muscles and connective tissues of the pelvis. Female Pelvic Organ Prolapse occurs when the pelvic floor muscles are weakened, stretched, or damaged and can no longer support nearby pelvic organs. These pelvic organs can fall (prolapse) from their normal position, and protrude through the vagina. Women commonly complain of discomfort, pressure, incontinence and/or retention and pain in the pelvis. FPOP can also cause bladder and bowel dysfunction. Often, women are unable to fully void their urine and bowl, which can cause leakage and also lead to infection and other health issues. In the most severe cases of FPOP, a visible protrusion of the prolapsed organ through the vaginal introitus can be seen. Risk factors that cause or promote FPOP include: pregnancy and vaginal delivery; surgery such as a hysterectomy that can disrupt the supporting tissues of the pelvis; and other health-related issues such as multiple sclerosis, obesity, aging, and genetics.
Multiple pelvic organs can prolapse, sometimes simultaneously. The organs most often associated with pelvic prolapse include the bladder, rectum, small intestine, and uterus.
There are several different types of FPOP, depending on the organ(s) involved. For example, a cystocele occurs when the bladder protrudes and herniates into the vagina anteriorly. A rectocele describes the protrusion of the rectum through the posterior vaginal wall. An enterocele involves the prolapse of the small intestine into the vagina. Uterine prolapse occurs when the uterus drops into the vagina.
Women suffering from a cystocele may have difficulty emptying their bladder due to the physical obstruction created by the prolapse or tilted bladder. Likewise, those with a rectocele may experience difficulty with emptying stool from the rectum. Such problems may lead to further related health issues, if not addressed.
Treatments to correct FPOP include surgery, physical therapy, and pessaries. Surgery is the most expensive option, requiring the patient to be anesthetized, yet is associated with a high failure rate. Surgery typically entails donor tissue or mesh used to hold the organs in a more upright position. Pessaries are devices that hold the pelvic organs in place and are worn in the vagina 24 hours a day. A pessary typically needs to be removed and cleaned once a month by a doctor. Pessaries are often times accompanied by a hormone prescription. For physical therapy, exercises are performed to strengthen the vaginal vault. This treatment is the least invasive, but is less effective in advanced cases.
Accordingly, the need exists for a simple, yet effective means to overcome the symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse, and in particular to aid in a woman's ability to empty her bladder and/or rectum when voiding. An ideal apparatus for such treatment should be hygienic, portable, reusable, non-toxic, and non-surgical. Additionally, there is a need for a related method for promoting urinary and rectal voiding in women suffering from pelvic organ prolapse.

Apparatus for promoting urorectal organ emptying and related method