A flowerpot employs a water reservoir in its bottom section, a soil holding section above the water reservoir, a porous water/soil separation board which separates the water reservoir and the soil holding section, and a pot cover. Any excessive water in the water reservoir can escape to the outside through an overflow water escape facility. The porous water/soil separation board holds the soil thereon and allows any moisture or water to pass therethrough. The pot cover collects dews and rainwater and keeps the moisture in the pot from escaping to the outside by evaporation. Namely, the flowerpot is a planting system which has automatic water preserving, drainage, and recycling facilities.

1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to a water/soil separative planting system, and particularly to a flowerpot which has automatic water preserving, drainage, and recycling facilities.
2. Description of The Prior Art
People living in urban areas often keep flowers, shrubs, trees, and other plants in flowerpots and place the pots on terraces, balconies or decks. Such plants not only provide good air quality but also beautify the places. However, since a conventional flowerpot includes neither self water storage facility nor automatic water drainage facility, the plant in the pot is frequently subjected to a water problem, either an excessive water or a shortage of water. In other words, the root of the plant will soon be rotten if it is soaked in the water for a substantial time period because of a continuous rainfall or an excessive watering. The plant will naturally wither if it is not watered enough and no rain falls.

Flowerpot with water/soil separative planting system


Systems and methods that dynamically reset a workflow state by employing a dynamic state manager that is external to the workflow, and enables interaction of a host with a workflow instance. An event driven workflow or state machine workflow can be supplied, wherein ad hoc events are employed to reset and manipulate the workflow to states that have not been modeled as part of the workflow itself, to dynamically create relation ships at runtime.

The evolution of computers and networking technologies from high-cost, low performance data processing systems to low cost, high-performance communication, problem solving and entertainment systems has provided a cost-effective and time saving means to lessen the burden of performing every day tasks such as correspondence, bill paying, shopping, budgeting and information gathering. Today, a computing system interfaced to the Internet, via wire or wireless technology, can provide a user with a channel for nearly instantaneous access to a wealth of information from a repository of web sites and servers located around the world, at the user's fingertips.
For example, in such "worldwide web" network, a user is able to designate an address of a site or target page where the user desires to "go". The user then enters the selected site and the target page or site home page will be displayed on the user's display screen. Typically, the information available via web sites and servers is accessed via a web browser executing on a web client (e.g., a computer). For example, a web user can deploy a web browser and access a web site by entering the web site Uniform Resource Locator (URL) (e.g., a web address and/or an Internet address) into an address bar of the web browser and pressing the enter key on a keyboard or clicking a "go" button with a mouse. In many cases, when the target screen is displayed, it may not present the anticipated or sought after information and the user will then have to designate another target address for access.
Processes involved in page navigation can be automated, relying on communication among applications, while others rely on people to initiate the process, approve documents the process uses, resolve any exceptional situations that arise, and more. In either case, it is common to specify a discrete series of steps known as a workflow (e.g., page flow control) that describes the activities of the users and software involved in the process. Once such workflow has been defined, an application can be built around that definition to support the business process.
Computer systems and associated software now provide tools with which businesses and other organizations can improve their workflow. Software tools can be used to model business workflow processes or schedules and identify inefficiencies and possible improvements. In addition, where a process involves exchanging data between people, departments, plants, or even between separate companies, computer systems and networks can be used to implement such exchanges. Such systems and software tools are further able to implement large-scale computations and other data or information processing that are typically associated with business related information.
Accordingly, workflow management includes the effective management of information flow and control in an organization's business processes, wherein automation of such information processing has led to many efficiency improvements in the modern business world. Moreover, such automation of workflow management is now allowing businesses and other organizations to further improve performance by executing workflow transactions in computer systems, including global computer networks, such as the Internet.
A typical workflow-based application often requires a plurality of conditions to be satisfied. For example, one such condition is the ability to make decisions based on business rules. Such can include simple rules, (e.g., like as a yes-or-no decision based on the result of a credit check), and more complex rules, (e.g., the potentially large set that must be evaluated to make an initial underwriting decision.) Another requirement is communication with other software and other systems outside the workflow. For example, an initial request can be received from one part of the application, while some aspects, (e.g., contacting a credit service) can require communication using other web services or technologies. A further condition to be satisfied is the proper interaction of the workflow with users. For example, the workflow should typically be able to display a user interface itself or interact with human beings through other software. Moreover, the ability to maintain state throughout the workflow's lifetime is another condition that needs to be satisfied. Accordingly, creating and executing a workflow in software poses unique challenges.
Today there are a plurality of solutions for incorporating workflow systems with page flow control. Such can include ones that employ Model View Controller (MVC), Page Controller, and Front Controller patterns, to orchestrate web page navigation, for example. These solutions allow users to navigate through a series of predefined pages with hard-coded relationships. Nonetheless, submitting pages that have already being processed requires the relationships to be defined ahead of time.
Accordingly, it can become challenging to model all possible combination of relationships between any set of pages. Such complexity forces developers and analysts to model the relationship between pages that is most common and likely to happen, e.g., the "happy path". Thus, developers can be forced to build re-submit logic inside their pages that needs to keep track of the last page submitted. In general, no mechanism exist to enable definition of page flow, wherein end users are capable of repositioning the flow without a formal relationship between pages being defined.
Therefore, there is a need to overcome the aforementioned exemplary deficiencies associated with conventional systems and devices.

Dynamically repositioning workflow by end users


A light guide connector is formed at each end of a light guide to connect the light guide to another one. The light guide reduces leakage of light energy even if optical axes of optical fibers of opposing light guide to be connected are not aligned with one another. Optical fibers in the connector are bonded with one another with an adhesive having a smaller refractive index than that of cladding of the optical fibers. Claddings of the optical fibers are melted and solidified with same solvent as the cladding.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a connector of a light guide having a bundle of optical fibers for transmitting light energy from a light source.
2. Description the Prior Art
Light guides are widely used as means transmitting light energy from a light source to a target part, for example, in an endoscope.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the endoscope for photographing a part of human body cavity and displaying an image of the photographed part on a monitor. In the figure, an endoscope apparatus 2 has a light source 10 for emitting light, which is collected by a condenser lens 12 and send to light receiving unit 14. The light is then transmitted to an illumination unit 18 through a light transmission unit 16, for illuminating a target part in a human body cavity. A sensor 22 photographs the target part and provides image informations to be processed by circuits such as 24, 26, 28 shown in FIG. 1. Processed signals are sent to a monitor from the circuits and then, the photographed image is displayed on a monitor 30.
The light transmitting unit 16 is usually a light guide comprising a bundle of optical fibers. Each optical fiber comprises a core transmitting light energy and a glass cladding around the core for preventing light leakage. The light guide 16 is usually accommodated in an inserting means which is inserted into along a human body cavity, so that the inserting means and light guide must be flexible. This requirement induces that the light guide should comprise a bundle of thin optical fiber elements.
From the view points of manufacturing, maintenance and handling, the light guide is preferred to be properly divided into sections and connected to one another with connectors. It is practically difficult, however, to provide a connector to each of a lot of the thin optical fiber elements. Then, optical fiber elements 40 are, as shown in FIG. 2, bonded together to form connectors 42, 42a or 42b. End faces of the connectors 42a and 42b are tightly attached to one another in order to transmit enough light energy.
However, since it is difficult to align each center axis of the optical fiber elements of opposing connectors 42a and 42b when attaching them to each other, a great deal of the light energy is lost. This light energy loss causes problems that it generates heat loss and requires a light source of a large power.


A turbomachine combustion chamber includes an inner annular wall, an outer annular wall surrounding the inner wall so as to co-operate therewith to define an annular space forming a combustion area, a plurality of fuel injector systems including pilot injectors alternating circumferentially with full-throttle injectors, and at least one air admission opening out into the upstream end of the combustion area in a substantially longitudinal direction. The outer wall has a plurality of pilot cavities extending between the two longitudinal ends of the outer wall and extending radially towards thereof, the pilot cavities being fed with air from outside the combustion chamber in a common substantially circumferential direction. Each pilot injector opens out radially into a pilot cavity, and each full-throttle injector opens out radially between two adjacent pilot cavities.

The present invention relates to the general field of combustion chambers for an aviation or terrestrial turbomachine.
Typically, an aviation or terrestrial turbomachine comprises an assembly made up in particular of: an annular compression section for compressing the air that passes through the turbomachine; an annular combustion section located at the outlet from the compression section and in which the air coming from the compression section is mixed with fuel in order to be burnt therein; and an annular turbine section disposed at the outlet from the combustion section and having a rotor that is driven in rotation by the gas coming from the combustion section.
The compression section is in the form of a plurality of rotor wheel stages, each carrying blades that are located in an annular channel through which the turbomachine air passes and of section that decreases from upstream to downstream. The combustion section comprises a combustion chamber in the form of an annular channel in which the compressed air is mixed with fuel in order to be burnt therein. The turbine section is made up of a plurality of rotor wheel stages, each carrying blades that are located in an annular channel through which the combustion gas passes.
The flow of air through the above assembly generally takes place as follows: the compressed air coming from the last stage of the compression section possesses natural gyratory motion with an angle of inclination of the order of 35° to 45° relative to the longitudinal axis of the turbomachine, which angle of inclination varies as a function of the speed of the turbomachine (speed of rotation). At its inlet into the combustion section, this compressed air has its flow straightened to become parallel with the longitudinal axis of the turbomachine (i.e. the angle of inclination of the air relative to the longitudinal axis of the turbomachine is brought back to 0°) by means of air flow straightener vanes. The air in the combustion chamber is then mixed with the fuel so as to provide satisfactory combustion, and the gas produced by the combustion continues to flow generally along the longitudinal axis of the turbomachine so as to reach the turbine section. In the turbine section, the combustion gas is redirected by a nozzle so as to present gyratory motion with an angle of inclination greater than 70° relative to the longitudinal axis of the turbomachine. Such an angle of inclination is essential for producing the angle of attack needed to provide the mechanical force for imparting rotary drive to the rotor wheel of the first stage of the turbine section.
Such an angular distribution for the air passing through the turbomachine presents numerous drawbacks. The air that leaves the last stage of the compression section naturally presents an angle lying in the range 34° to 45° and its flow is successively straightened out (angle returned to 0°) on entering into the combustion chamber, and is then redirected to have an angle greater than 70° at its entry into the turbine section. Those successive changes to the angle of inclination of the air flow through the turbomachine require intense aerodynamic forces to be produced by the flow-straightener vanes of the compression section and by the nozzle of the turbine section, which aerodynamic forces are particularly harmful to the overall efficiency of the turbomachine.

Turbomachine combustion chamber with helical air flow


A multilayered premoistened cleaning wipe having: a liquid permeable first layer joined to a liquid permeable second layer and a core disposed between the first layer and the second layer. A cleaning composition is releasably absorbed in the core. The cleaning composition has between about 0.001% to about 10% by weight of surfactant. The wipe has a first colored region and a second colored region.

People come into contact with many surfaces in their normal everyday lives. The propensity for surfaces to harbor viruses, bacteria, dust, dander, soil, grease, hair, and like materials is well known. As people come into contact with surfaces as they move about, they are exposed to these nefarious materials. Exposure to viruses and bacteria can result in illness. Exposure so dust, dander, and pet hair can cause respiratory distress. Exposure to soil and grease can result in stained clothing. As such, devices for cleaning surfaces are desirable.
One common device provided to consumers for cleaning surfaces is a premoistened cleaning wipe. Such wipes are commonly single layers of a nonwoven fibrous material, the fibrous material being cellulosic or polyolefin material. One limitation to such simple common wipes is that the wipe has only one kind of texture and that texture is presumed by marketers to be efficacious on all kinds of surfaces for all kinds of materials deposited on such surfaces.
In reality, the texture of surfaces and the types of materials deposited on such surfaces vary widely. For instance, the texture of the surface of a sofa is vastly different from a countertop surface. The type of cleaning needed to clean the crumbs and hair from a textile at the crease between decorative cording on a sofa and the body of a cushion is wildly different from the type of cleaning needed to clean a hard countertop surface or the body of a textile cushion. Similarly, hair and dust have properties that are largely different from soil.
In view of the wide variety of surfaces that need cleaning and the types of detritus found on surfaces, it is desirable to provide a wipe having particular features that are adapted to clean a wide variety of surfaces and detritus.
For disposable multiple layered premoistened wipes, it can be difficult for the consumer to appreciate that different cleaning surfaces are provided on different sides of the wipe, with the different sides possibly having different efficacy on different surfaces and different kinds of detritus. With these needs in mind, there is a continuing unaddressed need for disposable multiple layered premoistened wipes that the consumer can immediately recognize and understand how she will use the wipe for cleaning different surfaces having different kinds of detritus deposited thereon.

Premoistened multilayered cleaning wipe having colored regions


Provided are approaches to establish a failsafe barrier to internal bleeding from percutaneous wounds to protect a patient from failed wound closure devices or related complications due to a variety of contributing factors such as state of systemic anticoagulation, errors in surgical procedure, variability in patient anatomy, and the like. Systems include a clotting agent to encase, and thus isolate, substantially the entire wound access area from the rest of the patient and an instrument, such as an intravascular introducer sheath, inserted through a wound at an access site on a vessel, for delivering the clotting agent to the entire enveloping tissue region around the accessed area as a mold cavity to be filled with the clotting agent. With benefits of patient safety, user simplicity, and low healthcare cost driving the effort, autologous whole blood is the preferred injected agent.

Blood vessels are commonly used as a conduit to access internal patient anatomy for assessing medical needs and performing surgical procedures. Access through blood vessels allows surgical procedures to be performed while greatly reducing trauma and recovery time for the patient. Such procedures are generally regarded as minimally invasive procedures in contrast to open surgery procedures, the latter of which cut a patient open for access and create much larger wounds to be closed following a surgical procedure.
In 1953, Sven Seldinger developed a minimally invasive percutaneous access technique that is still commonly used today. This technique, known as Seldinger access, typically consists of several basic steps. A blood vessel, such as the femoral artery, is punctured through the skin surface using a hollow syringe needle. A guidewire is threaded through the needle into the artery, and the needle is removed by sliding it out over the guidewire. A cannula known as a dilator is inserted through a larger diameter tube known as a sheath, and both are advanced over the guidewire into the blood vessel, thus also assisting with later closure of the wound by having minimized disruption of the wounded tissue. The dilator and guidewire are removed from the sheath, leaving the sheath spanning from the outside of the patient to the inside of the blood vessel. The sheath provides an access port to the inside of the blood vessel through which large-diameter catheters and other surgical instrumentation may be advanced into, and traversed around, the patient's body. The sheath also serves to seal the wound from bleeding prior to completion of a further medical procedure through the wound. An anticoagulant such as heparin is typically administered to the patient so that the instrumentation placed into the blood vessel does not precipitate dangerous blood clots within the vasculature. Upon completion of the medical procedure, all instrumentation and the sheath are removed from the patient. The access wound site is typically subjected to manual compression until a clot has established to sufficiently stop bleeding from the vessel wound.
The use of manual compression for wound closure following a minimally invasive percutaneous surgical procedure is the "gold standard" by which all alternative methods of wound closure are evaluated for safety, reliability, and efficacy. However, wound closure by manual compression can be a slow process, particularly in the presence of anticoagulants. This led to a plethora of wound closure inventions that sought to expedite wound closure. Some, by example Khosravi et al. in US Application 2005/0149117 A1, followed Seldinger's efforts to seal or assist sealing of percutaneous wounds early in the process of performing a percutaneous medical access procedure. Khosravi did this by early deployment of a wound closure approach selected from a broad choice of agents, materials, or devices to seal or assist in sealing a percutaneous wound site. Most similar to the present invention, Nowakowski in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/162,655, also advocated early deployment of an agent for wound closure and did so in a manner like the present invention, but failed to fully specify a different and substantial further beneficial utility of the approach employed, as will now become clearer in the prophylactic subject matter of the present invention. Despite the above prior art and numerous other percutaneous wound closing inventions, acceptable success rates remains elusive in the clinic due largely to external reasons, e.g., inherent anatomical variability in patients, with the resultant persistent bleeding complications regarded as far outweighing the cardiovascular complications of the primary reason for a surgical procedure. This is summarized in an article authored by Jackson Thatcher, MD, FACC, Director of Inpatient Cardiology for the Park Nicollet Heart Center at Methodist Hospital St. Louis Park, for Cath Lab Digest, (March 2008) entitled "Groin Bleeds and other Hemorrhagic Complications of Cardiac Catheterization: A list of relevant issues" Volume 16 (Issue 3), retrieved from http://www.cathlabdigest.com/articles/Groin-Bleeds-and-Other-Hemorrhagic-Complications-Cardiac-Catheterization-A-list-relevant-is. The article lists percutaneous accessed arterial bleeds as the number one " . . . major cause of morbidity and mortality associated with cardiac catheterization procedures and percutaneous coronary interventions" with failed percutaneous wound closure technologies alone comprising only a very small portion of the root causes cited. In contrast, the present invention compensates for the vast majority of root causes cited in the article, not by offering yet another percutaneous wound closure technology, but by providing a barrier to protect a patient when a wound closure technology fails or is otherwise rendered ineffective in the presence of contributing factors.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A vector quantizer which transmits the input vector of the time when the minimum distortion is larger than the preset distortion threshold value and stores such input vector into the second code book as the new quantizing representative vector for the use in the successive vector quantizing processes.. Further, since the first and second code book constitute in the form of tree-structure, calculation for search may be executed at a high speed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vector quantizer for encoding digital signals at a high efficiency.
2. Prior Art
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the structure of a vector quantizer of the prior art indicated in the Technical Report IT 85-61 of IECE Japan. In the same figure, 1 designates a vector quantizing encoder for vector-quantizing input vectors 101 and outputting indices of quantizing representative vectors as the encoded data 105; 2 designates a codebook for storing a plurality of quantizing representative vectors 102 and 5 designates a vector quantizing decoder for recovering, as decoded vectors 106, the quantizing representative vectors corresponding to said indices given as the encoded data 105.
Operation will now be explained. The k-dimensional input vector 101 is defined as X=[X.sub.1, X.sub.2, . . . , X.sub.k ] and the quantizing representative vector Y.sub.i =[y.sub.1, y.sub.2, . . . , y.sub.k ] is set to [Y]=[Y.sub.1, Y.sub.2, . . . , Y.sub.N ] 102. The vector quantizing encoder 1 determines the quantizing representative vector Y.sub.i which minimizes the distortion di from the input vector X defined by the following formula. ##EQU1##
As the encoded data 105, the index i for identifying the quantizing representative vector Y.sub.i is output and transmitted.
The vector quantizing decoder 5 reads the quantizing representative vector Y.sub.i corresponding to the index i given by the encoding data 105 from the codebook 2 and regenerates decoding vector X 106. EQU X=Y.sub.i
In the course of the vector quantization described, the tree-searched method indicated hereunder is used for high speed arithmetic operations during the search of quantizing representative vectors. FIG. 2 is an example of quantizing representative vectors arranged in the form of a binary tree. Preceding design determines that the higher vector is the representative vector of the lower vector.
In each stage, the procedures for selecting a vector from the two vectors where distortion from the input vector X becomes smaller are sequentially executed from the highest location to the lowest location to determine the final quantizing representative vector. In the binary tree, `0` or `1` is assigned depending on the branching direction from respective nodes and a stream of binary numbers representing a route up to the quantizing representative vector of the lowest location corresponds to the index i of the quantizing representative vector.
Since the vector quantizer of the prior art is constituted as described, if the number of orders of the vector is high, it has been difficult to perfectly optimize a limited number of quantizing representative vectors stored previously within the codebook for all information source input vectors and also it has been a problem to reduce excessive quantization error generated in irregular input vectors.
Further, FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the constitution of an interframe vector quantization encoding and decoding apparatus in the prior art disclosed, for example, in Murakami et al. "Vector quantization system interframe encoding simulation", report No. 1175 in 1983 whole country symposium of the Institute of Electronics and Communication Engineers of Japan. In FIG. 3, numeral 201 designates a subtractor which performs subtraction between input video signal series 301 and interframe forecast video signal series 302 and outputs interframe difference signal series 303, and numeral 202 designates a vector quantization encoding and decoding unit which inputs the interframe forecast video signal series 303 and encoding control parameter 309 and outputs encoded data 304 and decoding interframe difference signal series 305.
Numeral 203 designates an adder which adds the interframe forecast video signal series 302 and the decoding interframe difference signal series 305, and outputs decoding video signal series 306.
Numeral 204 designates a frame memory which supplies the decoding video signal series 306 with delay of one frame, and forms the interframe forecast video signal series 302.
Numeral 205 designates a variable length encoding unit which inputs the encoded data 304 and outputs variable length encoded data 307, and numeral 206 designates a transmission buffer for speed smoothing which inputs the variable length encoded data 307 and outputs encoding control command signal 308 and transmission data 310.
Numeral 207 designates an encoding control unit which inputs the encoding control command signal 308, and outputs encoding control parameter 309 to the vector quantization encoding and decoding unit 202.
The vector quantization encoding and decoding unit 202 is constituted as shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, numeral 224 designates a mean value separation normalization unit which inputs the interframe difference signal series 303, and outputs separated mean value 401, amplitude gain 403 and normalization vector 501.
Numeral 210 designates a read only code book which stores a plurality of normalization output vectors 411, and numeral 225 designates a vector quantization encoder which selects normalization output vector 411 so as to minimize distortion of the normalization vector 501, and outputs index 409 of the selected normalization output vector.
Numeral 214 designates a block discrimination unit which inputs encoding control parameter 309, mean value 401 and amplitude gain 403, and outputs block discrimination data 404.
Numeral 215 designates a mean value encoder which inputs encoding control parameter 309 and mean value 401, and outputs mean value encoding data.
Numeral 216 designates an amplitude gain encoder which inputs encoding control parameter 309 and amplitude gain 403, and outputs amplitude gain encoding data 406.
Numeral 217 designates a mean value decoder which inputs block discrimination data 404 and mean value encoding data 405, and outputs decoded mean value 407.
Numeral 218 designates an amplitude gain decoder which inputs block discrimination data 404 and amplitude gain encoding data 406, and outputs decoded amplitude gain 408.
The block discrimination data 404, the mean value encoding data 405, the amplitude gain encoding data 406 and the index 409 become the encoded data 304 and are transmitted to the variable length encoding unit 205 in FIG. 3.
Numeral 226 designates a vector quantization decoder which inputs index 409 and normalization output vector 411 outputted from the code book 210, and outputs selected output vector 502, and numeral 227 designates an amplitude reproduction mean value adding unit which inputs the output vector 502 and outputs decoding interframe difference signal series 305.
Next, operation will be described. Input video signal series 301 has interframe forecast video signal series 302 subtracted by the subtractor 201 and is converted into interframe difference signal series 303. Since the interframe difference signal series 303 becomes small in overall power in comparison to the original signal, encoding with less encoding error is possible in the same encoding quantity.
The interframe difference signal series 303 is subjected to high-efficiency encoding and decoding operations in the vector quantization encoding and decoding unit 202 as hereinafter described, thereby encoded data 304 and decoding interframe difference signal series 305 can be obtained.
In the adder 203, the interframe forecast video signal series 302 and the decoding interframe difference signal series 305 are added, thereby decoding video signal series 306 can be obtained.
The decoding video signal series 306 is stored in the frame memory 204 and delayed by prescribed frame time, thereby interframe forecast video signal series 302 for the next encoding operation is formed.
On the other hand, encoded data 304 is converted by the variable length encoding unit 205 into suitable variable length code data (code word) and stored in the transmission buffer 206, subjected to speed smoothing and transmitted as transmission data 310 at a constant speed.
Also in the transmission buffer 206, the total code quantity corresponding to one frame is estimated as encoding control command signal 308 (hereinafter referred to as "encoding information generating quantity") and supplied to the encoding control unit 207.
Based on the encoding information generating quantity 308 and an encoding mode signal such as encoding speed, reproduction picture quality or the like fixedly selected in accordance with external commands, the encoding control unit 207 adaptively develops encoding control parameter 309 used in the vector quantization encoding and decoding unit 202.
High-efficiency encoding and decoding operation in the vector quantization encoding and decoding unit 202 will be described referring to FIG. 4. An input signal to be subjected to vector quantization is interframe difference signal series 303. The interframe difference signal series 303 is converted into blocks (vector) in the mean value separation normalization unit 224, and subjected to mean value separation normalization processing.
If the blocked input signal series is expressed by .epsilon.=[.epsilon..sub.1, .epsilon..sub.2, . . . , .epsilon..sub.k ] (k=m.sub.1 .times.m.sub.2, m.sub.1, m.sub.2 : natural number), the mean value separation normalization processing can be described, for example, by following formulas. ##EQU2##
Since all normalization vectors x=[x.sub.1, x.sub.2, . . . , x.sub.k ] 501 obtained through the above-mentioned process are distributed on the unit super spherical surface of the k-dimensional signal space, the vector quantization efficiency can be improved in comparison to the case that input vector s before the mean value separation normalization is subjected to vector normalization directly.
A plurality of normalization output vectors y.sub.l 411 defined as quantization representative points of the normalization vector x are previously stored in the code book 210.
The normalization output vector y.sub.l is normalized under condition that ##EQU3## In the vector quantization encoder 225, the normalization output vector y.sub.i is selected so that distortion of the normalization vector X becomes minimum, and index i 409 to discriminate the normalization output vector is outputted. That is, calculation the following formulas is executed. ##EQU4## y.sub.l =[y.sub.l1, y.sub.l2, . . . y.sub.lk ] is normalization output vector
[Y]=[y.sub.1, y.sub.2, . . . , y.sub.l, . . . y.sub.N ] is code book PA1 vector quantization Q: Q (x)=y.sub.i PA1 wherein d (x, y.sub.i)<d (X, y.sub.l) ( .sub.l .noteq.i) PA1 Y=y.sub.1, y.sub.2, . . . , y.sub.i, . . . y.sub.N is code book content) PA1 vector quantization: Q (X)=y.sub.i PA1 wherein d (X, y.sub.i)<d (X, y.sub.m) for .sub.m .noteq.i
On the other hand, the separated mean value m 401 and the amplitude gain g 403 are individually made highly efficient by the mean value encoder 215 and the amplitude gain encoder 216 respectively.
Encoding characteristics such as quantization bit number, quantization width or the like of a scalar quantizer used in the mean value encoder 215 are adaptively controlled based on encoding control parameter 309.
The mean value m 401 and the amplitude gain g 403 are used together with the encoding control parameter 309 for the block discrimination in the block discrimination unit 214.
That is, comparison of amounts with threshold value Th corresponding to the encoding control parameter 309 is executed in accordance with following formulas, and block discrimination data .nu. 404 is determined. EQU .vertline.m.vertline..ltoreq.Th and g.ltoreq.Th . . . .nu.=0 (invalid block) EQU .vertline.m.vertline.>Th or g>Th . . . .nu.=1 (valid block)
Regarding the valid block, the mean value encoding data 405 corresponding to the block, the amplitude gain encoding data 406, the index 409 together with the block discrimination data 404 are outputted as encoded data 304.
Further, using mean value m 407 and amplitude gain 408 g decoded respectively through the mean value decoder 217 and the amplitude gain decoder 218 and normalization output vector yi 502 corresponding to the index 409 read from the code book 210 in the vector quantization decoder 226, the following local decoding operation is executed in the amplitude reproduction mean value adding unit 227 thereby obtaining decoding vector s comprising decoding interframe difference signal 305. EQU .epsilon..sub.j =g.multidot.yij+m EQU .epsilon.=[.epsilon..sub.1, .epsilon..sub.2, . . . .epsilon..sub.k ]
Regarding an invalid block, any interframe difference signal value of the block is treated as 0. Consequently, the outputted encoded data 304 may be the block discrimination data 404 only, and the mean value encoding data 405, the amplitude gain encoding data 406 and the index 409 need not be transmitted.
Also in the mean value decoder 217 and the amplitude gain decoder 218, both the decoded mean value m 407 and the amplitude gain g 408 are outputted as 0 thereby the decoding vector .epsilon. is given by EQU .epsilon.=[0, 0, . . . , 0]
Since the interframe vector quantization encoding and decoding apparatus in the prior art is constituted as above described, there have been problems in that the adaptive encoding processing corresponding to variations of properties of the input image cannot be performed effectively, and the information generating quantity is extremely increased when the block discrimination threshold value is made small to improve the reproduction picture quality.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a further interframe vector quantizer in the prior art disclosed, for example, in Murakami et al. "Vector quantization system interframe encoding simulation", report No. 1175 in 1983 whole country symposium of the Institute of Electronics and Communication Engineers of Japan.
In FIG. 5, numeral 601 designates input video signal series, numeral 655 designates interframe forecast signal, numeral 609 designates a subtractor which performs subtraction between the input video signal series 1 and the interframe forecast signal 655, numeral 656 designates interframe difference signal outputted from the subtractor 609, numeral 657 designates a vector quantization encoding unit to which the interframe difference signal 656 is inputted, numeral 658 designates encoding data outputted from the vector quantization encoding unit 657, numeral 659 designates a vector quantization decoding unit to which the encoding data 658 is inputted, numeral 660 designates interframe decoding difference signal outputted from the vector quantization decoding unit 659, numeral 616 designates an adder which adds the interframe decoding difference signal 660 and the interframe forecast signal 655, numeral 661 designates decoding video signal series outputted from the adder 616, numeral 662 designates a third frame memory which supplies the decoding video signal series 661 with frame delay and forms the interframe forecast signal 655, numeral 619 designates a variable length encoding unit to which the encoding data is inputted, numeral 620 designates a buffer which is connected to the variable length encoding unit 619 and performs the speed smoothing, numeral 612 designates threshold value which is transmitted from the buffer 620 to the vector quantization encoding unit 657 and used for the block discrimination, numeral 623 designates a circuit interface (hereinafter referred to as "circuit I/F") connected to the buffer 620, and numeral 624 designates a transmission signal outputted from the circuit I/F 623.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the constitution of the vector quantization encoding unit 657. In FIG. 6, numeral 663 designates a mean value separation normalization unit to which the interframe difference signal 656 from the subtractor 609 is inputted, numeral 637 designates a normalization vectors outputted from the mean value separation normalization unit 663, numeral 651 designates a fixed code book which stores normalization output vector, numeral 630 designates the normalization output vector outputted from the fixed code book 651, numeral 664 designates a distortion calculating unit to which the output vector 630 is inputted and which estimates distortion with the normalization vector 637, numeral 665 designates distortion estimated by the distortion calculating unit 664, numeral 666 designates a minimum distortion detecting unit which detects a minimum distortion from the distortion 665, numeral 632 designates an index of the output vector to give the minimum distortion outputted from the minimum distortion detecting unit 666, numeral 667 designates mean value and amplitude separated in the mean value separation normalization unit 663, numeral 639 designates a block discrimination unit to which the mean value and the amplitude and the threshold value 612 from the buffer 620 are inputted, and numeral 640 designates block discrimination information outputted by the block discrimination unit 639. The encoded data 658 outputted from the vector quantization encoding unit 657 is constituted by the block discrimination information 640, the index 632 of the output vector to give the minimum distortion, and the mean value and the amplitude 667 separated in the mean value separation normalization unit 663.
Next, operation will be described. Input video signal series 601 has interframe forecast signal 655 by the subtractor 609 and is converted into interframe difference signal 656. Since the interframe difference signal 656 becomes small in power in comparison to the original signal, encoding with little encoding error is possible. The interframe difference signal 656 is encoded in the vector quantization encoding unit 657 (The encoding system will be hereinafter described). Then the threshold value 612 from the buffer 620 is used as parameter. The encoded data 658 encoded in the vector quantization encoding unit 657 is decoded in the vector quantization decoding unit 659, thereby obtaining the interframe decoding difference signal 660. In the adder 616, the interframe decoding difference signal 660 and the interframe forecast signal 655 are added thereby obtaining the decoding video signal series 661. The decoding video signal series 661 is once stored in the third frame memory 662 and supplied with frame delay thereby forming the interframe forecast signal 655. On the other hand, the encoded data 658 outputted from the vector quantization encoding unit 657 is also inputted to the variable length encoding unit 619 and subjected to variable length encoding, and further stored temporarily in the buffer 620, subjected to speed smoothing processing, and then transmitted as transmission signal 624 through the circuit I/F 623. Also in the buffer 620, the threshold value 612 proportional to the storage quantity of the variable length encoded data is outputted and supplied to the vector quantization encoding unit 657 thereby the information generating quantity is controlled.
Next, encoding and control of the information quantity in the vector quantization encoding unit 657 will be described. An input signal to be subjected to vector quantization is the interframe difference signal 656. The interframe difference signal 656 is converted into blocks (vector) in the mean value separation normalization unit 663, and subjected to mean value separation normalization processing and outputted as the normalization vector 637. If the blocked input signal is made S=[s.sub.1, s.sub.2, . . . , s.sub.K ] the mean value separation normalization processing can be described, for example, by the following formulas. ##EQU5##
In the normalization vector X=[x.sub.1, x.sub.2, . . . , x.sub.K ] obtained as above described, the scalar quantity is the mean value and the amplitude is separated thereby the probability distribution is made uniform in comparison to the vector S before the mean value separation normalization, and efficiency of the vector quantization as hereinafter described can be improved. Distortion between the normalization vector 637 and the normalization output vector 630 read from the fixed code book 651 is estimated in the distortion calculating unit 664. In the minimum distortion detecting unit 666, the minimum value among the distortion values 665 between the normalization output vector 630 stored in the fixed code book 651 and the inputted normalization vector 637 is detected, and the index 632 of the output vector having a minimum distortion is outputted. This process is the vector quantization. This is expressed by the following formulas. ##EQU6## (where, y.sub.i =[y.sub.i1, y.sub.i2, . . . , y.sub.iK ] is normalization output vector
In this case, the encoding processing is image from X to i, and image from i to y.sub.i (read of the fixed code book 651) becomes decoding processing. i corresponds to the index 632. On the other hand, the mean value and the amplitude 667 are used, together with the threshold value 612 for the block discrimination in the block discrimination unit 639. If the threshold value 612 in the block discrimination unit 639 is made Th, the block discrimination is expressed, for example, by following formulas. EQU .vertline.m.vertline..ltoreq.Th and g.ltoreq.Th . . . invalid block EQU .vertline.m.vertline.>Th or g>Th . . . valid block
Regarding the invalid block, an interframe difference signal of the block is treated as 0. Consequently, the mean value and the amplitude 667 and the index 632 need not be transmitted as the encoded data 658. The encoding data 658 outputted from the vector quantization encoding unit 657 comprises the mean value and the amplitude 667, the block discrimination signal 640 and the index 632. However, in the case of the invalid block, since only the block discrimination signal 640 has meaning, control of the information generating quantity becomes possible by the threshold value 612.
Since the interframe vector quantizer in the prior art is constituted as above described, there have been problems in that the input video signal series with low space frequency and being sensitive in the visual sense and the input video signal series with high space frequency and being insensitive in the visual sense must be encoded without distinction and therefore the effective encoding taking visual sense characteristics into consideration is difficult.
Still further, FIG. 7 indicates a frame structure of the multimedia data transmission system of the prior art indicated in the Technical Report ICS87-7 of IECE Japan, 1987, by Juji Matsumoto, entitled "Structure and Application of Interface in 64 Kbps System Multimedia Communication System". In the same figure, 716 designates an octet frame comprised of eight subchannels of 1 bit having a repetition frequency of 8 kHz; 717 designates a transmission frame comprised of 80 octet frames 716.
FIG. 8 is a table for explaining the assignment of frame synchronous signals (FAS) in FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is a table showing the content of frame synchronous signals (FAS) in the multiframe formed by 16 transmission frames 717 in FIG. 7.
FIG. 10 is a profile for sending the transmission frame shown in FIG. 7 to the transmission path with the bit rate of 64 Kbps. In this figure, 718 designates a bit string to be sent to the 64 Kbps transmission path.
Operation will now be explained. In FIG. 7, the octet frame 716 has the 8-bit length. The period T.sub.oct of the octet frame 716 in case it is sent to the line with transmission rate of 64 Kbps is given by EQU T.sub.oct =64 Kbps/8-bit=8 kHz
and transmission capacity C.sub.s per subchannel of 1 bit is indicated by EQU C.sub.s =1 bit.times.T.sub.oct =8 Kbps
Namely, in case the subchannel in the octet frame 716 is individually assigned to the voice, video signal and data, each assigning rate becomes an integer time of 8 Kbps. It provides an advantage that matching with voice encoding and decoding apparatus (voice codec)usually having the sampling frequency of 8 kHz can be obtained easily. The transmission frame 717 is formed by 80 octet frames 716 with the frame bits occupying the 8th subchannel (service channel) in the octet frame 716 for identifying the subchannel in the octet frame 716 and also identifying assignment of subchannel to each media. The 8th subchannel (service channel) in the transmission frame 716 makes a cycle in use in the 80 octet frames 716.
The 8th subchannel (service channel) is formed by 8-bit frame synchronous signal FAS, 8-bit bit rate assigning signal BAS and 64-bit application channel AC. A content shown in FIG. 8 is arranged as the frame synchronous pattern in the FAS to decide the frame synchronization and the multiframe synchronization formed by collecting 16 transmission frames 717. In the receiving side, the synchronization of transmission frame 717 is first set by detecting a unique pattern. Next, the multiframe synchronization is a table indicating content of mi bit indicated in FIG. 8 and the unique pattern and additional information are arranged by assigning 16 bits to the Mi bit in the one multiframe.
BAS in the transmission frame 717 dynamically changes the assigning information for each of 8 transmission frames SMF1, SMF2 717 which is equal to 1/2 of the multiframe shown in FIG. 9 and the same BAS information is transmitted 8 times in total, with each transmission directed to the transmission frame 717 of SMF1 and SMF2. In the receiving side, an error protecting means for identifying bit rate assignment in the next SMF based on the BAS information which is matched in content for 5 times or more among 8 times in total is applied.
The application channel AC is assigned to a command data for inter-terminal negotiation during the initial setting but it is assigned to user data during communication for effective use of lines. The bit capacity CA.sub.c of AC is given according to the following relation. EQU CA.sub.c =T.sub.oct .times.64/80=64 Kbps
FIG. 10 shows practical structure of the transmission frame 717 to be transmitted to the 64 Kbps line in accordance with the above description.
The transmission frame structure is based on the bit rate assignment for each subchannel having the capacity of 8 Kbps and it is apparent that this frame structure cannot directly be applied to the 56 Kbps line which is generally employed in the US or to the 32 Kbps line which is often used for the communication networks in the private companies.
Since the multimedia data transmission system of the prior art has been constituted as described above, it is difficult to apply this system to the line of l.times.8 Kbps (l is an integer of 1 or larger). For instance, there is a problem that amount of H/W increases and transmission capacity cannot be used effectively for the necessity of setting individual frame formats corresponding to each transmission rate in order to provide the function suitable for the l.times.8 Kbps line with the same apparatus.
Still further, FIG. 11 is a block diagram indicating a configuration of an interframe encoding apparatus of the prior art using an encoding control system, introduced in the Technical Report CS85-3 of IECE Japan, 1986 by Murakami, Itoh and Kamizawa, entitled "Colored Dynamic Video Signal Transmission System for TV Conference".
In this figure, 902 designates a subtractor for subtracting a preceding frame recovery video signal series 912 from input video signal series 901 and outputting an interframe difference signal series 903. 906 designates an encoding and decoding means (CODEC) for inputting an interframe difference signal series 903 and a block recognition data 905 and outputting an encoding data 907 and an interdecoded frame difference signal series 908.
In addition, 909 designates an adder for adding such preceding frame recovery video signal series 912 and interdecoded frame difference signal 908 and outputting a recovered video signal series 910.
911 designates a frame memory for storing up to one frame of such recovered video signal series 910.
913 designates a sending buffer for inputting an encoding data 907 to obtain amount of information generated, outputting an encoding control signal 914 and sending data 915.
916 designates an encoding control means for inputting an encoding control signal 914 and outputting encoding control parameter 917 to a block discrimination means 904.
904 designates a block discrimination means for inputting an encoding control parameter 917 and an interframe difference signal series 903 and outputting a block discrimination data 905.
FIG. 12 is an example of structure of the block discrimination means 904 shown in FIG. 11.
1001 designates a threshold value control means for outputting a threshold value Th 1002 corresponding to the encoding control parameter 917 and 1003 designates a block decision means for discriminating blocks depending on the threshold value Th 1002.
Operation will now be explained.
The subtractor 902 subtracts the preceding frame recovery video signal series 912 from the input video signal series and converts it into an interframe difference signal series 903. This interframe difference signal series allows more minute encoding with less encoding error in the same amount of encoding since the total signal power thereof is smaller than the original signal.
The interframe difference signal series 903 is encoded and decoded with high performance in the codec 906 in order to obtain the encoded data 907 and inter-decoded frame difference signal series 908.
The adder 909 addes the preceding frame recovery video signal series 912 and inter-decoded frame difference signal series 908 to obtain a recovered video signal series 910.
This recovered video signal series 910 is stored in the frame memory 911 to give delay of the predetermined frame period and form a preceding frame recovery video signal series for the encoding of next frame.
Meanwhile, the encoding data 907 is once stored in the sending buffer 913 and is then transmitted as the sending data 915.
Moreover, the sending buffer 913 obtains a total sum of the amount of codes up to one frame as the encoding control signal 914 (amount of information generated) and then supplies it to the encoding control means 916.
With such amount of information generated 914 and instruction from external circuit, the encoding control means 916 adaptively controls the encoding control parameters 917 to be used in the block discrimination means 904 for each frame on the basis of the encoding rate which is uniquely selected and an encoding mode signal such as quality of recovered signal.
Since the block discrimination means 904 decides the block of the frame as a whole with the threshold value Th corresponding to the encoding control parameter 917, the threshold value Th 1002 is output from the threshold value control means 1001, allowing comparison between Th and data value in the block decision means 1003 depending on the following formula and thereby determining the block discrimination data 905. ##EQU7##
For the valid block, a data value corresponding to the block is output as the encoded data 907 along with the block discrimination data .nu.905, while for the invalid block, a data value corresponding to the block is considered as 0 and only the block discrimination data .nu.905 is output as the encoded data 907.
The encoding control system used in the interframe encoding apparatus of the prior art is executed as described previously, there arises a problem that if the block discrimination threshold values are all lowered in unit of frame in the same degree when an input image becomes stationary, the number of valid blocks in unit of one frame increases, and amount of information generated becomes extremely large.
Still further, FIG. 13 is a block diagram of the image encoding transmission apparatus disclosed in "Adaptive Quality Control in Dynamic Encoding" by Atsuya Itoh (draft of Image Encoding Symposium, Jun. 3, 1986).
As shown in the same figure, the image encoding transmission apparatus is comprised of a preprocessing means (A), a motion compensating means (B), a vector quantizing encoding means (C) and a vector quantizing decoding means (D).
The processing means (A) comprises an A/D converter 1101 for generating a pixel signal 1201 through analog/digital conversion (hereinafter referred to as A/D conversion) by reading the video signal for each frame and a block divider 1102 for grouping the adjacent pixels on the image into blocks each of which is composed of the predetermined number of pixels and generating the image vector signal 1202 consisting of pixel signal 1201 group for each block.
Moreover, the motion compensating means (B) comprises a frame memory 1103 for storing the decoded recovery signal 1212 of a preceding frame and a motion compensating processing means 1204 for producing a plurality of reference blocks 1203 with reference to the current block position from the decoded recovery signal 1212 of the preceding frame stored in the frame memory 1103 and outputting, by searching, the reference block 1204a which is approximated closest to the image vector signal 1202 and movement position information 1204b.
The vector quantizing encoding means (C) comprises a subtractor 1105 for obtaining the difference between the image vector signal 1202 and the selected reference block 1204a by subtraction and outputting a difference vector signal 1205, a valid/invalid block discriminating means 1106 for calculating an evaluation value which indicates magnitude of the difference vector signal 1205, executing comparison between the evaluation value and threshold value, and judging the block discrimination information as invalid information under the decision that the image vector signal 1202 is identical to the reference block 1204a when the evaluated value is within the range of the threshold value, or judging the block decision information as the valid information considering it as the block to be transmitted when the evaluated value is out of the range of threshold value, a vector quantizing encoding means 1107 for vector-quantizing and encoding only the difference vector 1205 decided as the valid information in the valid/invalid block discriminating means 1106 to output the encoded vector signal 1207 and a variable length encoding means 1108 for encoding, in variable length, the encoded vector signal 1207 and movement location information 1204b through multiplexing.
A multiplex encoded data 1208 output from the variable length encoding means 1108 is output to the communication line through the send buffer 1109.
The vector quantizing decoding means (D) comprises a vector quantizing decoding means 1110 for outputting a decoded vector signal 1210 by decoding the encoded vector signal 1207 and an adder 1111 for adding the decoded vector signal 1210 and searched reference block 1204a to output the decoded reproducing vector signal 1211.
A space filter 1112 executes the smoothing process of the decoded reproducing signal 1211.
Next, operations of image encoding transmission apparatus of the prior art will be explained.
First, the dynamic video signal 1200 of the first frame is input to the A/D converter, then converted to the pixel signal 1201 and input to the block divider 1102.
The block divider 1102 produces the video vector signal 1202 by blocking the predetermined number of the adjacent pixel signals 1201 on the image and then outputs such vector signal.
Next, the video vector signal 1202 passes directly through the subtractor 1105 and is then input to the vector quantizing encoding means 1107.
Thereafter, the vector quantizing encoding means 1107 performs the vector quantizing and encoding of the video vector signal 1202 as explained below.
A mean value m of the video vector signal 1202 is first calculated. Separation of mean value is carried out on the basis of mean value m and the mean value separating vector is output.
The vector approximated closest to the mean value separating vector is searched from the code-book storing a plurality of pattern vectors to be output as the encoded vector 1207 of the vector signal 1202.
The vector quantized and encoded vector signal 1207 is output to the communication line as the send encoded data 1209a through the send buffer 1009 after it is encoded to the code in variable length.
Meanwhile, the encoded vector signal 1207 is input to the vector quantizing encoding means 1110 and then decoded. Thereafter, it passes the adder 1111 and is then written into the frame memory 1103 after the smoothing processing by the space filter 1112.
A dynamic video signal 1200 of the second frame is converted to the video vector signal 1202 in the preprocessing circuit (A) and is then output and the video vector signal 1202 is input to the subtractor 1105.
Moreover, this vector signal 1202 is input to the motion compensating processing means 1104.
On the other hand, a plurality of reference block signals 1203 including the vector signal in the same position as the input block is produced from the decoded reproducing signal 1212 stored in the frame memory 1103 and is then input to the motion compensating processing means 1104.
In the motion compensating processing means, distortion between the vector signal 1202 and the reference block signal 1203 is calculated, the reference block which gives minimum distortion is selected and the reference block signal 1204a thereof and movement position information 1204b are output respectively.
The subtractor 1105 calculates the difference between the vector signal 1202 and reference block signal 1204a to produce the difference vector signal 1205 and then outputs such signal to the vector quantizing encoding means 1107 and valid/invalid block discrimination means 1106.
The valid/invalid block discrimination means 1106 makes decision expressed by the following formula. ##EQU8## wherein d: evaluated value
.epsilon..sub.i : difference vector signal element EQU When d.gtoreq.Th, valid EQU When d<Th, invalid
In case decision by the valid/invalid block discrimination means 1106 is valid, the difference vector signal 1205 is subject to the vector quantizing and encoding as the information to be sent.
Moreover, in case decision by the valid/invalid block discrimination means 1106 is invalid, the selected reference block 1204a is considered as identical to the video vector signal 1202 and only the movement position information 1204b is transmitted.
Next, the encoding vector signal 1207 is multiplexed in the variable length encoding means 1108 together with the movement position information 1204b through the variable length encoding, wherein a shorter code is assigned for the signal having high generation probability and a longer code to the signal having low generation probability, and is then output to the send buffer 1109.
Meanwhile, the encoded vector signal 1207 is converted to the decoded vector signal 1210 in the vector quantizing decoding means 1110, then added to the reference block signal 1204a in the adder and is converted to the decoded reproducing vector signal 1211.
Further, the decoded reproducing vector signal 1211 is subjected to the smoothing process in case the movement position information 1204b is large and is then stored in the frame memory 1103. Here, the smoothing process of space filter 1112 is carried out on the basis of the movement position information 1204b obtained by the motion compensation and the control is carried out so that the smoothing process is executed only to the same region, but to the stationary region.
With the configuration as described, the video encoding transmission apparatus of the prior art also carries out the smoothing process with a filter to the region to which the encoding with high accuracy has been conducted to produce the decoded image approximated to the input dynamic image signal and on the other hand, is accompanied by a problem of deteriorating quality of decoded image because the smoothing process is not carried out to the stationary region to execute the on-off control of filter with the motion vector information and thereby encoding noise to the roughly encoded region is accumulated.


Laser information is prepared which indicates the irradiation interval and intensity level to be irradiated on an optical disc in advance. Then, when image drawing is indicated together with the indication of the forming spacing for pits, a laser is controlled so as to achieve the irradiation interval and intensity level indicated by the laser information that corresponds to the indicated formation spacing to fabricate pits in the optical disc.

This invention relates to a technique for performing image drawing of high designing effect (i.e., holographic visual effect) on an optical disc in addition to data recording as the intrinsic recording object.
An optical disc recording apparatus for CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable) that can form visible images in addition to the mainstream data recording (e.g., recording of music data) is known. This type of optical disc recording apparatus forms letters or pictures in the form of visible images by irradiating, with laser light, an unrecorded region not used for data recording to cause a thermal discoloration of the part of the unrecorded region.
In recent years, to form a visible image having a higher designing effect, an optical recording apparatus is proposed that can form a hologram on an optical disc (See, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 011804/1998).
However, the recording data for hologram formation are extremely large, thus accompanying an issue of requiring a long computing time for data preparation.

Method, program and system for image drawing


An assembly for vertically extending a gondola display area which includes a pair of upright extension tubes, each with a single protruding mounting hanger connectable with slotted openings in tubular vertical uprights of the display framework; adjustment and locking brackets fasten to each extension tube, above and below the mounting hanger thereon, for pivotally adjusting and locking the extension tubes in parallel relation to support one or more horizontal cross bars having elongated retention rods for coupling plural detachable merchandise display elements to the crossbars.

Gondola displays to which the present invention is particularly directed generally are formed as free-standing or, at times, wall mounted vertical racks, frequently supporting peg board panels and/or horizontal cross bars to which various brackets, hooks or other support elements are attached for the purpose of displaying merchandise. In the more familiar installations gondola displays are floor mounted, free standing racks usually arranged to form a series of spaced partitions definitive of shopping aisles. This arrangement is necessarily limited by available floor space. However, since such displays are normally about six feet in height or less, there is considerable unused overhead space available for additional display.
It is readily apparent that this available space may be utilized by simply purchasing higher or bigger display racks. However, this solution is not economically appealing due to the heavy investment involved in buying such new equipment. Thus, there is a distinct need and demand for a simple, relatively inexpensive means for increasing the available display capacity of typical gondola display systems.

Extension assembly for merchandise display racks


An external drive assembly is provided which conveys rotational movement to a shaft, and the shaft is adapted to be positioned substantially coaxial with the axis of the wheel hub of a motor vehicle. An adjustable drive member extends from the distal end of the shaft to the center of an adapter hub attachable to the wheel hub. Adjustable lug adapter legs are provided in which one end of each of such legs is adapted to attach to the threaded studs of an automobile wheel hub and the other end of each of the legs is provided with a cylindrical pin adapted to fit within one of a plurality of bores spaced around the peripheral edge of the adapter hub to retain the adapter leg within the adapter hub.

As a result of wear, the disc brake rotors of automobiles and the like wear unevenly and develop grooves therein. To extend their life, the rotors are machined in a lathe. The lathe removes the irregular outer surface of metal such that the rotor, after machining, is smooth. It is desirable to machine such disc brake rotors without removing them from a vehicle, with a portable external rotor and lathe assembly such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,199 which has been assigned to the assignee of the present application. Another such portable brake lathe is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,846. The machining of the disc brake rotor while it remains on the vehicle requires less operating space than is needed for a conventional stand alone lathe that machines brake rotors after their removal from a vehicle. Furthermore, some wheel rotors cannot be removed without destroying the wheel bearings, and time is consumed in removing and reinstalling the discs on the vehicle, all of which results in higher costs. To machine the brake discs while on the vehicle, an exterior drive assembly is required which will rotate a wheel hub at a constant speed during the machining operation. Such external drive assemblies, however, are not affixed to the automobile, but are positioned adjacent the wheel hub. As as result, the drive assembly and the wheel hub may not be perfectly aligned with each other. If the connection between the two is not adapted to account for some misalignment, the drive assembly may fail and damage may be caused to the wheel hub. The present invention is intended to provide a drive assembly which has sufficient flexibility designed therein so as to enable it to operate efficiently, even when the drive assembly is not perfectly aligned with the wheel hub.

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This document discusses designing and managing medical devices that are equipped with software, including a variety of ways of managing the public interest in safety and effectiveness of medical devices that are preferably implemented with open-source software. In one general aspect, a method of updating a medical device is disclosed. The method includes storing a vendor certificate in the device, and receiving and storing a licensed prescriber certificate in the device. A signed request to update code in the medical device can then be received and this request can be authenticated with one of the certificates, and the code can be updated in the medical device with code from the authenticated update request.

The Internet of Things or IoT is a vague term commonly applied to devices that combine hardware, software, and connectivity to a network, including a public network such as the Internet. The connectivity adds value but it also brings risks of security breaches and unintended behaviors which are often difficult to anticipate at the time of manufacture and installation of the device. Therefore, it is important to provide a means to audit the software of a device and update it as exploits become known. The audit should cover multiple aspects controlling device integrity including, but not restricted to: unintentional changes to the software, hidden or latent behaviors such as malicious communications or denial of service, as well as intentional changes that violate the terms of use associated with the device.
Periodic updates are a common feature of today's connected devices such as smartphones. More sophisticated devices such as an Apple iPhone model 6 include secure hardware elements designed to link update procedures to a vendor's authorized processes. These features are described in publications such as Apple Inc.'s iOS_Security_Guide_Sept_2014 https://ssl.apple.com/privacy/docs/iOS_Security_Guide_Sept_2014.pdf and incorporated herein by reference. Apple's approach is not designed to easily accommodate modifications to the software without permission from Apple.
Open source software promotes peer review, community support, and facilitates innovation. However, open source software also shifts responsibility away from the device vendor, leading to potential security and trust concerns. Variations on the theme of managing the integrity of software are well known to those skilled in the art. For example, the widely deployed Unified Extensible Firmware Interface or UEFI describes the practice of securing one or more public keys in the hardware and signing software with the corresponding vendor's private key. Restriction on software modification is a concern to the open source community and variations in the practice of hardware vendors have been described and adopted http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface#Secure_boot_critism.
A third example of secure hardware devices is a secure element with a private key and the ability to sign external challenges. Fast IDentity Online or FIDO http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIDO_Alliance enables a single device to be registered and linked to an unlimited number of servers. The FIDO device includes a vendor's public certificate to prove integrity and a mechanism for user control to prevent unauthorized use or impersonation. Apple, UEFI, and FIDO are examples of trust models focused on the device vendor.
A fourth example of secure devices is protection on the basis of multiple signatures. In particular, Bitcoin multisig https://coincenter.org/2015/01/multi-sig/ is able to distribute responsibility for a secure transaction among multiple parties. Multisig can be used to distribute responsibility and introduce desirable redundancy in the trust model among multiple parties including one or more vendors, licensed prescribers, and patients. In this example the vendor is only one of many votes and no longer has veto power over device updates.
Regulated medical devices are also party to the Internet of Things. Agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review applications by device vendors for safety and effectiveness relative to the stated Indications for Use of the device. The Indications for Use may restrict use through prescription by a licensed professional such as a physician.

Apparatus and method for a managed open source medical device


A stainless steel pipe includes a base metal containing 20-35 mass % of Cr, and a Cr-depleted zone is formed in the surface region of the pipe. The Cr concentration in the Cr-depleted zone is at least 10%, and the thickness of the Cr-depleted zone is at most 20 micrometers. A Cr-based oxide scale layer having a Cr content of at least 50% and a thickness of 0.1-15 micrometers may be provided on the outer side of the Cr-depleted zone. An Si-based oxide scale layer with an Si content of at least 50% may be provided between the Cr-based oxide scale layer and the Cr-depleted zone. The pipe is particularly suitable for use in petroleum refineries or petrochemical plants, such as for use as a pipe of a cracking furnace of an ethylene plant.

This invention relates to a stainless steel having excellent high temperature strength and corrosion resistance and having a scale layer with an excellent ability to shield the steel against carburizing gas. The steel is highly suitable for use in manufacturing a steel pipe or tube (hereafter referred to as "pipe" collectively) capable of being used in a carburizing gas atmosphere containing hydrocarbon gas or CO gas, such as a steel pipe for a cracking furnace, a reforming furnace, a heating furnace, or a heat exchanger employed in a petroleum refinery or a petrochemical plant. The present invention also relates to a stainless steel pipe made from this material.
The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a stainless steel having excellent resistance to carburization and coking when used in a carburizing gas atmosphere.
In recent years, due to an increasing demand for synthetic resins, there has been a trend towards the use of higher operating temperatures in cracking furnaces in ethylene manufacturing plants, for example, so as to obtain a higher yield of ethylene. As a result, pipes for use in cracking furnaces are being subjected to higher operating temperatures. The inner surface of pipes used in cracking furnaces are exposed to a carburizing atmosphere at high temperatures, so the pipes need to be made of a heat resistant material having excellent high temperature strength and resistance to carburization.
During operation of a cracking furnace, carbon is deposited on the inner surface of the pipes of the cracking furnace (a phenomenon referred to as coking). As the amount of deposited material increases, operational problems can occur such as an increase in pressure losses (ΔP) and a decrease in heating efficiency. Accordingly, so-called decoking in which the deposited carbon is oxidized and removed using air or steam is periodically carried out. However, it is necessary to stop the operation of a cracking furnace in order to perform decoking, so the operating efficiency of the furnace is greatly decreased by the need to carry out decoking. The problem of coking becomes worse as the diameter of the pipes of a cracking furnace decreases. This is a major drawback, because smaller diameter pipes are advantageous from the standpoint of increasing product yield.
In the past, there have been various proposals of materials for suppressing coking. For example, Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application Hei 2-8336 proposes a steel pipe which includes at least 28% of Cr so as to form a strong and stable Cr2O3 film on the surface of the pipe to prevent Fe and Ni, which act as catalysts to promote carbon deposition, from floating to the surface of the pipe and to thereby suppress coking.
As disclosed in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application Sho 57-23050, for example, it is known that increasing the Si content of an alloy so as to form an SiO2 film on the surface of the alloy is effective at increasing resistance to carburization.
However, in the above-described prior art in which the Cr or Si content of a steel is increased in order to form a film of Cr2O3 or SiO2 on the steel, depending on the operating conditions in an actual carburizing environment, a nonuniform scale layer is formed on the steel surface. If the scale layer undergoes cracking or peeling, it is often not possible for the scale layer to be adequately restored (regenerated).
As a result, the scale layer does not have a satisfactory shielding ability with respect to carburizing gas, so the problem of needing to interrupt equipment operation in order to perform decoking and the problem of deterioration of materials due to carburization remain.
In order to solve these problems of nonuniform formation of scale and inability of a scale to be regenerated, methods have been proposed in which oxidation pretreatment is performed on a steel. For example, Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Applications Sho 53-66832 and Sho 53-66835 disclose a method in which pretreatment of oxidation is carried out on a 25Cr-20Ni (HK 40) low-Si heat resistant steel or a 25Cr-35Ni low-Si heat resistant steel at around 1000° C. in air for at least 100 hours, and Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application Sho 57-43989 discloses a method in which pretreatment of oxidation in air is carried out on an austenitic heat resistant steel containing 20-35% Cr. In addition, Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application Hei 11-29776 discloses a method in which resistance to carburization is increased by heating a high Ni—Cr alloy in a vacuum and forming a scale film.
In addition, PCT-based Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application 2000-509105 discloses a method of increasing resistance to carburization by performing surface treatment to form a layer with an increased concentration of Si or Cr.
However, in any of the above-described prior art methods, it is necessary to carry out special heat treatment or surface treatment, so these methods are uneconomical. In addition, these methods do not take into consideration restoration of scale (scale regeneration) when previously oxidized scale or a surface treatment layer peels off, so localized damage of scale is a problem.

Ni-Cr-Fe alloy and Ni-Cr-Fe alloy pipe having resistance to carburization and coking


Provided is a polymer electrolyte containing a block copolymer comprising one or more blocks having sulfonic acid groups and one or more blocks having substantially no sulfonic acid group, and at least one block among all blocks is a block having aromatic rings in the main chain thereof, and a method for producing the same. The polymer electrolyte is suitable for a proton conductive film of a fuel cell due to excellent water resistance and heat resistance, and high proton conductivity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a polymer electrolyte, particularly, a polymer electrolyte suitably used for a fuel cell and a method for producing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a proton conductive polymer electrolyte used in a solid polymer-type fuel cell, perfluorosulfonic acid-based materials typically including Nafion (trade mark of Dupont) are mainly used conventionally because of their excellent property as a fuel cell.
However, this material is very expensive which is believed to be a serious problem in wide-spreading a powder generation system using a fuel cell in the future.
Under such circumstances, there are recently activating developments of cheap polymer electrolytes which can replace the perfluorosulfonic acid-based materials. Among others, materials obtained by introducing sulfonic acid groups into an aromatic polyether which is excellent in heat resistance and has high film strength are recognized as hopeful, and for example, JP-A (Kohyo publication) No. 11-502249 describes a sulfonated polyether ketone-based polymer electrolyte, and JP-A Nos. 10-45913 and 10-21943 describe a sulfonated polyether sulfone-based polymer electrolyte.
In these materials, when the amount of introduced sulfonic acid group is larger, proton conductivity increases generally, however, water absorption of a polymer tends to increase simultaneously. When a film produced from a polymer having high water absorption property is used in a fuel cell, water produced in using the cell causes large dimension change and reduction in strength.
On the other hand, JP-A (Kohyo publication) No. 10-503788 describes a polymer electrolyte obtained by introducing sulfonic acid groups into a styrene-(ethylene-butylene)-styrene triblock copolymer. There is a fear of low heat resistance of this block copolymer since the main chain of the copolymer is flexible.

Polymer electrolyte and method for producing the same


A lens component has a element-side lens portion 65 which is provided so as to face a light emitting and receiving element 52 mounted on a circuit substrate 24, a positioning portion 75 that protrudes such that the element-side lens portion 65 is separated from the circuit substrate 24 by a predetermined distance, and an adhesion portion 76 that forms an adhesive-agent filling space S, which is filled with an adhesive agent 77, between the circuit substrate 24 and the adhesion portion 26, in a state where the positioning portion 75 contacts with the circuit substrate 24 and the element-side lens portion 65 is fixed so as to face the light emitting and receiving element 52.

An optical module is known that converts an electrical signal into an optical signal, or an optical signal into an electrical signal. Such an optical module includes an optical fiber, a photoelectric conversion element, and a lens component that guides light from the optical fiber to the photoelectric conversion element. The lens component is adhesively fixed to a substrate, on which the photoelectric conversion element is mounted, using an adhesive agent after positioning a lens portion with respect to the photoelectric conversion element (for example, refer to PTL 1).

Lens component and optical module provided with the same


Technologies are described for categorization of time blocks in calendars. A time block to be categorized on a user's calendar may be determined based on a direct user input or inference from user history or behavior. Next, a category to be assigned, a beginning, and an end for the time block may be determined. The time block may be the same on all work days, different on each day, etc. One or more exceptions to be processed during the categorized time block may also be determined through direct user input or inference. Then, one or more rules associated with the assigned category restricting scheduling, of events on the user's calendar during the categorized time block may be implemented subject to the one or more exceptions.

There are many software tools to assist people with their busy days and tasks. Calendar applications are one of those tools allowing people to schedule events such as meetings, tasks, appointments, etc. Modern calendar applications are typically much more than a scheduling tool and provide a wide variety of functionality and features. The essence of calendar applications is still based on same concepts. For example, a user indicates they want to create an event the user provides all details of the event, and the event is created and displayed on a calendar with textual presentation such as title and timing of the event.
In an increasingly busy work and personal environment, people's calendars are usually filled with meetings, appointments, and similar events. Furthermore, increased collaborative features and access allow others to schedule meetings and other events easily resulting in diminished control of a person over his or her own daily schedule. Time slots in a person's schedule may be double booked and meetings may be scattered at various times, which may become disruptive for the person when trying to complete tasks.

Categorized time designation on calendars


A system for closed loop prefix management for white boxes includes a network device, a route reflector coupled to the network device, a software defined network controller coupled to the route reflector and the network device, and a prefix usage analyzer in the software defined network controller. The prefix usage analyzer determines usage attributes of prefixes and identifies the prefixes with a predetermined usage attribute. The software defined network controller instructs a network controller in the network device to store the prefixes with the predetermined usage attributes in a table in the network device.

A "white-box" is a router that uses general-purpose processors and other off-the-shelf components, such as application-specific standard products (ASSPs). Rather than have custom application-specific integrated circuits customized for routing network traffic, white-box routers include software modules configured to form a control plane to make routing decisions and perform network management, while the underlying commodity hardware functions as the data plane (forwarding plane).
The control plane is the component to a router that focuses on how that one individual box interacts with its neighbors with state exchange. The Routing Information (data)Base (RIB) and Label Information Base (LIB) are processed in software and used to populate the forwarding information base (FIB) and the Label Forwarding Information Base (LFIB).
All routers maintain in memory a forwarding table, which consists of a list of internet protocol (IP) prefixes that corresponds to the destination IP address, according to which they decide where to forward each incoming packet. This memory is considered a significant factor in the white box router costs. In practice the forwarding table memory of white box network equipment uses two or more levels of memory, where the faster memory is limited and is more expensive than the slower memory levels.
One of the more expensive elements that affects a router cost is the size of the memory allocated to the forwarding table. This forwarding table contains a long list of IP address prefixes according to which the router determines to which egress port each packet should be forwarded to. Over time the number of prefixes grows as subnets become more specific. Furthermore, white boxes with large fast memories (e.g. TCAMs) cost significantly more than those with smaller memories. The purchase of white boxes to hold all prefixes is not cost effective. There is a need to identify a means to dynamically deploy and manage subsets of prefixes within white boxes containing smaller fast-memories. In some cases, current legacy vendors use proprietary and comparatively expensive router's forwarding tables/TCAMs that are sufficiently large to hold all prefixes encountered. Operators prefer simplicity (i.e. one type of memory) even if it costs much more.
Another problem is that the cost of error when configuring IP prefixes forwarding list, may be a network outage. For this reason, network operators tend to be conservative with resource allocation and over allocate resources (such as memory) to avoid network errors. Any solution that introduces resource savings must be rationalized or explained carefully such that an operator can verify it and approve it with high certainty.

Closed loop prefix management and controller for whiteboxes


A method for generating extreme ultraviolet radiation and soft x-ray radiation with a gas discharge operated on the left branch of the Paschen curve, in particular, for EUV lithography,

The invention relates to a method for generating extreme ultraviolet radiation and soft x-ray radiation with a gas discharge operated on the left branch of the Paschen curve, in particular, for EUV lithography, wherein a discharge chamber of a predetermined gas pressure and two electrodes are used, wherein the electrodes have an opening, respectively, positioned on the same symmetry axis and, in the course of a voltage increase upon reaching a predetermined ignition voltage generate a plasma located in the area between their openings, which plasma is a source of the radiation to be generated, wherein an ignition of the plasma is realized by affecting the gas pressure and/or by triggering, and wherein, with the ignition of the plasma, an energy storage device supplies by means of the electrodes stored energy into the plasma.
A method with the aforementioned method steps is known from DE-A-197 53 696. The method is carried out in a device comprising an electrode system forming the discharge chamber. By means of this electrode system, extreme ultraviolet radiation and soft x-ray radiation are generated that can be used, in particular, for EUV lithography. The electrode system is comprised of two electrodes, i.e., a cathode and an anode, each having an opening. The opening is essentially a hole, and both openings are positioned on a common axis of symmetry. The cathode is embodied as a hollow cathode, i.e., it has a cavity. This cavity is used in order to generate the electrical field in a predetermined way. In particular, the arrangement of the electrodes is such that the field lines in the area or the bore holes are sufficiently stretched so that the firing condition of above a certain voltage is fulfilled. The discharge chamber is filled with gas, and the gas pressure, at least in the area of the electrode system, is within the range of 1 Pa to 100 Pa. The geometry of the electrodes and the gas pressure are selected such that the desired ignition of the plasma is realized on the left branch of the Paschen curve and, as a result of this, no dielectric firing between the electrodes outside of the openings occurs. As a result of the ignition, a current-conducting plasma channel of axial-symmetrical shape results in the area of the openings of the electrodes. In addition, current is supplied by means of the energy storage device via this channel. The resulting Lorentz force constricts the plasma. As a result of this constriction effect and because of resistance heating, very high temperatures occur within the plasma and radiation of a very short wavelength is generated. The known device can produce EUV light in the wavelength range of 10–20 nm.
In connection with the method it is important that a switching element between the electrode system and the energy storage device is principally not needed. Accordingly, a low-inductive and effective coupling of the electrically stored energy into the electrode system can be achieved. Poles energies of a few Joules are sufficient in order to trigger current pulses in the range of several kilo ampere up to several 10 kilo ampere. Triggering of the energy coupling into the discharge that is operated in a controlled fashion or by automatic firing is realized by adjustment to a predetermined ignition voltage. The ignition voltage is affected, for example, by the gas composition, the temperature, pre-ionization, electrical field distribution, and other parameters. It can be adjusted according to the Paschen curve by means of the gas pressure of the discharge vessel. The energy storage device must also be charged up to this ignition voltage in order to be able to supply in the case of ignition as much energy as possible into the plasma.
The invention has the object to improve a method comprising the aforementioned method steps such that the radiation yield, i.e., particularly the yield of EUV light, for each pulse is improved as well as the pulse-to-pulse stability of a plurality of sequentially performed discharges that are utilized in the method performed with pulse operation for generating the EUV light.

Method and device for producing extreme ultraviolet radiation and soft x-ray radiation

Abstract: wherein a discharge chamber (10) of a predetermined gas pressure and two electrodes (11, 12) are used, wherein the electrodes have an opening (14, 15), respectively, positioned on the same symmetry axis (13) and, in the course of a voltage increase (16) upon reaching a predetermined ignition voltage (Uz), generate a plasma (17) located in the area between their openings (14, 15), which plasma is a source of the radiation (17′) to be generated,wherein an ignition of the plasma (17) is realized by affecting the gas pressure and/or by triggering,and wherein, with the ignition of the plasma (17), an energy storage device supplies by means of the electrodes (11, 12) stored energy into the plasma (17), characterized in that the ignition of the plasma (17) is realized by using a predetermined ignition delay (18).

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.

Philips Corporate Intellectual Property GmbH


This invention relates to a method, a system, a device, a browser and a computer program product for informing on the validity of a character string as a document identifier. In the method, a character string comprising one or more characters is received, the validity of the character string as a document identifier is checked repeatedly, a valid part of the character string is indicated, by means of which the document identifier is defined, and a user is offered a possibility to send a request for a document relating to the document identifier defined by the valid part of the character string.

The Internet is a global network that is formed for computers, so called client computers and server computers ("a client" and "a server"). In order to browse data in the internet, the client makes a contact to the server which stores the data being presented in the internet. The client asks data from the server by means of a web browser ("browser"), which is a software program intended for browsing.
The request for the data is done by a user desiring to go on a certain web page. The user opens the browser, of which address field the user either types an address (e.g. URL, Uniform Resource Locator) or selects a link directing to the desired web page. The request including the desired address is sent to a server, which searches the requested web page and returns it to the client, if the web page is stored in said server. However, there are times, when a web page is not found from the server, whereby the response to the client comprises information that the desired address does not refer to any existing document. This might have been a result of a mistyped address or a misrepresented link or if the document is removed or saved to some other location. In any case, the user does not know what went wrong.
Relating to this problem, a publication U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,324 has presented a solution for determining a valid path for a web page address. In said solution an address path for the web page is transmitted to a server, which server returns an indication of a not found page, if the address does not refer to any existing document. As a result of this, the address is truncated by the most specific portion from the end of the address path, which truncated address is again transmitted to the server in order to have a corresponding web page. This operation is iterated between the client and the server until the address has been truncated to such a form, which is valid and by means of which a web page is found. When a valid path for the address is found the user can be given an option to ask completion portions to the path, i.e. subpages. If the completion portions are asked and if there exists any, they are displayed to the user, which can select one for to be added to the address path.
It can be realised that the solution presented in publication U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,324, suits well to a situation, where the user has e.g. mistyped a portion of the address, but where at least another portion of the address still refers to an existing web page. However, the searching process is slow because of the iteration process carried out in the publication.
Therefore a solution for further improving the user experience with browsing is needed, and the current invention is targeted to such a need.

Method, a system, a device, and a computer program product for providing information regarding the validity of a character string as a document identifier