A device for the carrying of artworks, such as oil paintings, prints and the like for the transportation thereof. A base for receiving the artwork thereon. At least two adjustable clamps are carried by the base for clamping respective opposite edges of the artwork. In this manner, the artwork is secured to the base without either being touched or damaged thereby. Each of the clamps is selectively moveable along respective axes. This permits the precise positioning of the respective clamps to be selectively adjusted to accommodate artworks of various sizes and shapes. Preferably a stationary clamp is also carried by the base.

The problem of transporting artworks, such as oil paintings, prints and the like, without causing damage thereto, has been one of long-standing duration. The necessity of minimizing contact with that side of an artwork having the artist's media thereon during the transportation thereof is especially important where the artwork is a still-wet painting. In such cases, contact with the side of the canvas on which the artist's media is disposed, or exposure of that side of the canvas to the elements (or environment) can result in smearing and/or other damage thereto. Such a situation is commonly confronted by, inter alia, landscape painters who must transport their artworks from the field while the media thereon is still wet.
In order to permit the transportation of artworks, especially artworks that are still wet, several differing arrangements have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 728,450 issued to Everett and U.S. Pat. No. 941,212 issued to Tolman each disclose clamps for holding a pair of canvases, so that the canvases are maintained facing one another in order to shield them from both inadvertent contact, as well as from the surrounding environment. Unfortunately, neither of these arrangements provide any manner whatsoever for affording the same type of protection when they are utilized to transport only one canvas at a time, which is often the situation encountered by artists. Further, these arrangements may be subject to bending or distortion during the use thereof caused by the stresses and weights to which they are subjected, which could result in the undesired inadvertent contact with and/or exposure of that side of the artwork having the artist's media thereon to the elements which may result in damage thereto.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,281,031 issued to Shapiro discloses a carrier for artist's canvases which possesses greater structural strength. However, that arrangement relies on the use of the framework of the canvases for providing this structural strength. Such a situation places pressures on the framework that could cause bending and/or distortion of the artwork, thereby resulting in damage to the painting. Furthermore, in use, artworks carried with the use of that arrangement are held facing outwardly so that the surfaces thereof that bear the artist's media thereon are exposed to the environment, and are not shielded in any manner whatsoever from being inadvertently contacted.
In an attempt to remedy the problems associated with arrangements such as those discussed above, other arrangements have been disclosed for transporting artworks that shield that surface of the artwork having the artist's media thereon from both the environment and from inadvertent contact therewith. Examples of such arrangements are disclosed in Swiss Letters Patent No. 250,233 issued to Wales and U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,119 issued to Messmore. However, both of these arrangements are complicated. Wales permits the wet surface to contact a second canvas. Messmore can be used only with relatively thin articles which would preclude artworks mounted on frame. Further, like Shapiro '031, these arrangements also place stresses and pressures on the framework of the canvas of the artwork, which can result in bending and/or distortion of painting.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,008,618 issued to Watts, et al and U.S. Pat. No. 1,490,608 issued to Gilmour each disclose arrangements for holding, respectively, containers, such as cups, having contents, such as liquids or beverages, and an engraving block. However, neither of these arrangements are adaptable for use to secure and hold artworks. Watts cannot be used with flat articles such as an artwork. Gilmour does not prevent the surface of the artwork from contacting the carrier. Furthermore, these arrangements are complicated and can prove expensive.
Accordingly, it can be seen that there remains a need for a device for carrying either one or a pair of artworks, such as paintings, prints and the like, which shields that side (the frontside) of the artwork on which the artist's media is disposed from both inadvertent contact therewith, as well as from the elements. There further remains a need for a device which minimizes contact with that side (the front side) of the artwork on which the artist's media is disposed. Finally, it can be seen that there further remains a need for such a device which is simple, inexpensive to fabricate and easy to use.


An outrigger pivot assembly structured to rotatably support an outrigger fishing assembly having a shaft bottom end, the pivot assembly including a support housing coupled to a support surface of a boat and structured to generally receive and support a positioning member therein. The positioning member, which is coupled with the shaft bottom end of the outrigger fishing assembly, is structured to rotate the outrigger fishing assembly upon rotation thereof relative to the support housing. A outrigger pivot assembly further includes a handle assembly structured to rotate the positioning member and outrigger fishing assembly upon pivoted movement thereof about a perimeter of the support housing, and a lock assembly having a channel with at least a first position, a second position and a connection segment wherethrough the handle assembly is structured to selectively move when not being retained in place as a result of a structure of said lock assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an outrigger pivot assembly which is structured to facilitate the pivoted movement of an outrigger fishing assembly between a stowed orientation and a extended orientation, and which is substantially cost effective to utilize and manufacture, is substantially free from mechanical breakdown, and is substantially secure so as to lock the outrigger fishing assembly in a desired position without risk of slippage or accidental pivoting and without requiring extensive locking assemblies.
2. Description of the Related Art
Outrigger fishing assemblies are commonly used devices in both recreational and commercial fishing situations. Specifically, these outrigger fishing assemblies are utilized so as to maximize the number of lines which a fishing boat has in the water, while minimizing the risk of entanglement between these lines. As such, in a normal operative orientation, the outrigger fishing assemblies tend to be extended outwardly away from the boat, leading the fishing line into the water at a generally spaced apart distance and orientation from the boat. Of course, however, it is not acceptable for these outrigger fishing assemblies to be fixed in their extended orientation, especially if the boat is passing through narrow waterways or is docking. As a result, it is necessary for the outrigger fishing assembly to be able to pivot inwardly towards the boat and into a stowed orientation if a user is going to avoid complete removal of the outrigger fishing assembly from its supported orientation. To this end, a variety of pivoting assemblies have been developed so as to provide for facilitated pivoted movement of the outrigger fishing assembly, and the field of art associated therewith is naturally quite crowded.
Of the substantial amounts of outrigger pivot assemblies presently available, some primary drawbacks associated therewith are the potential for slippage and accidental movement of the outrigger fishing assembly into and out of the stowed orientation, the need for specialized hubs, and the general mechanical complexity of the assemblies, which can lead to higher costs, mechanical breakdown, slippage, wear, or sticking. Indeed, some such devices, in an attempt to overcome the general short comings of the industry, have become quite complex, requiring elaborate, specialized mating hub designs, and requiring a great degree of manipulation during locking, unlocking, and the like in order to achieve the necessary pivotal movement.
For the preceding reasons it would be highly beneficial to provide an outrigger pivot assembly which is substantially easy and cost effective to machine, manufacture and utilize, yet which is highly effective for use. Such a device should not rely on clamping mechanisms and the like which function as a result of friction and can be subject to slippage or premature wear, and should be substantially durable, withstanding many years of continuous use. Furthermore, such a device should provide for substantially secure and stable locked engagement thereof in a desired orientation, but should also have an aesthetically appealing, uniform exterior appearance wherein the locking mechanism is shielded from visibility or damage as a result of external forces and is maintained in a properly aligned and oriented configuration for pivoting. Also, such a device should be usable with existing or only slightly modified hub type assemblies, which are often somewhat permanently or fixedly secured to the outrigger fishing assemblies, thereby eliminating the cost of new tooling or hub purchases when utilized with existing outrigger fishing assemblies. The device of the present invention provides such an outrigger pivot assembly.


A life saving device that can be attached to the body of a user including an attachment strap, a housing, an inflation sac, a rope, a pressure release device and a compressed air cylinder. The attachment strap is attached to the user's body. The housing accommodates the inflation sac, the rope, the pressure release device and the compressed air cylinder. An upper cover of the housing is popped off when the inflation sac is being inflated. The inflation sac envelops the compressed air cylinder and most of the pressure release device with a press element of the latter partly projecting from an opening of the inflation sac. When the press element is pressed, a steel ball stopping the compressed air cylinder is pushed away so that compressed air escapes from the cylinder through a tubular body and an air outlet of the pressure release device into the interior of the inflation sac to form a life ring. The rope is provided to allow the user to pull back the inflation sac if it floats away from him/her.

The present invention relates generally to a life saving device that can be attached to the body of the user, and more particularly to a life saving device that is small and can be carried on the user's body and easily operated to become inflated to form a life ring during emergencies.
For those who are not good at swimming but like to play or angle at the seaside, it will be dangerous if the waves suddenly big. It is therefore desirable to provide a compact life saving device that can be attached to the user's body and can be quickly inflated to keep the user from being drowned.

Life saving device that can be attached to the body of a user


A toner housing container includes: container body; conveying portion; pipe receiving port; and uplifting portion. Container body includes; protruding portion protruding from container body interior side of container opening portion to one end of container body; and shutter member moving between closing and opening positions to close and open container opening portion. Uplifting portion includes: uplifting wall surface extending from container body internal wall surface toward protruding portion; and curving portion curving to conform to protruding portion. Shutter member moves from closing to opening position upon push by conveying pipe. When toner housing container is mounted on toner conveying device, protruding portion is present between curving portion and toner receiving port of conveying pipe inserted and extends along shutter member moving region. Toner has bulk density of ≦0.399 g/cm3 when toner housing container is shaken up-and-down 10 times at 25° C., 50% RH, and put such that container opening portion faces downward.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toner housing container and an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In electrophotographic image forming apparatuses, a powder conveying device supplies (or replenishes) a toner serving as a developer from a toner container, which is a powder housing container housing the developer in the powder form, into a developing device.
For example, there is proposed a toner housing container that includes a rotatable tubular powder housing member, a conveying pipe receiving member fixed to the powder housing member, an opening provided in the conveying pipe receiving member, and an uplifting portion configured to uplift the toner upward in the container along with rotation of the container body (e.g., see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2012-133349). According to this proposed technique, the toner is uplifted by the uplifting portion along with rotation of the container body, and the toner falls from the uplifting portion during the rotation and is supplied into the conveying pipe.
Further, according to this proposed technique, there is also provided an opening/closing member (a so-called shutter member) configured to open or close the opening by making a sliding move along with the conveying pipe being inserted into the conveying pipe receiving member. The opening/closing member prevents leakage or scatter of the toner.
However, when a shutter member is used in a system that employs the mechanism of uplifting the toner by the uplifting portion and supplying the toner into the conveying pipe, the conveying pipe receiving member may be clogged with the toner depending on the type of the toner filled in the toner housing container, which causes a problem that the shutter member cannot be opened.
Accordingly, it is currently requested to provide a toner housing container that is free from the problem that a shutter member cannot be opened.

Toner housing container and image forming apparatus


A dynamically adjustable signal detector receives a differential input signal and outputs a signal indicative of whether a valid signal is being received based on dynamically adjustable threshold settings. The threshold settings can include differential voltage, peak power, average power, or other suitable settings, and can have a dynamically adjustable value for a selected threshold setting. The threshold settings and the value for a selected threshold setting can be set using control signals that are set by programmable logic resource circuitry, by soft intellectual property programmed into a programmable logic resource, by a processor, by circuitry external to a programmable logic resource, or by user input.

This invention relates to signal detectors. More particularly, this invention relates to providing dynamically adjustable signal detectors for programmable logic resources.
Programmable logic resource technology is well known for its ability to allow a common hardware design (embodied in an integrated circuit) to be programmed to meet the needs of many different applications. Known examples of programmable logic resource technology include programmable logic devices (PLDs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).
Programmable logic resources typically include large numbers of regions of programmable logic and other resources such as memory, input/output circuits, etc., that are selectively interconnectable via programmable interconnection resources on the programmable logic resources. For example, each region of programmable logic on a programmable logic resource may be programmable to perform any of several relatively simple logic functions on several input signals applied to that region in order to produce one or more output signals indicative of the result of performing the selected logic function(s) on the input signals. The interconnection resources are programmable to convey signals to, from, and between the logic regions in any of a wide variety of patterns or configurations.
Programmable logic resources can be designed to support multiple signaling protocols. These signaling protocols vary with respect to such parameters as clock signal frequency, header configuration, packet size, data word length, number of parallel channels, etc. Such signaling protocols can include, for example, (1) industry-standard forms such as XAUI, InfiniBand (IB), Fibre Channel (FC), Gigabit Ethernet, Packet Over SONET or POS-5, Serial RapidIO, etc., and (2) any of a wide range of non-industry-standard or "custom" forms that particular users devise for their own uses. Such custom protocols often have at least some features similar to industry-standard protocols, but deviate from industry standards in other respects.
Differential signaling circuitry is often used to provide interconnection paths between transmitters and receivers in programmable logic resources. A transmitter includes a differential driver circuit for converting a single input signal to a pair of differential signals. Two conductors are used to convey the differential signals from the driver circuit to a receiver. The receiver includes a differential receiver circuit for converting the pair of differential signals back to a single signal for output to digital circuitry or analog circuitry.
A signal detector is often used in the differential receiver circuit to determine whether the differential signals being received from the transmitter are valid. To determine the validity of a differential signal, a differential input voltage (VID) is computed and compared to a minimum differential voltage (VMIN). The differential input voltage is a difference between the positive terminal and the negative terminal of the differential signal. The minimum differential voltage is a fixed value generally associated with a given signaling protocol. The differential signal is valid when the differential input voltage is greater than or equal to the minimum differential voltage (e.g., VID≧VMIN).
Because known signal detectors are designed to operate for a given signaling protocol, a signal detector cannot be changed in order to support a different signaling protocol. Furthermore, changes can occur in the link between the transmitter and the receiver that can result in the minimum differential voltage being less effective in determining whether a differential signal is valid. Such changes, which can be due to component aging or environmental conditions (e.g., changes in temperature or voltage), can be classified as minor or serious. A minor change to the link can cause the differential input voltage to no longer meets the minimum differential voltage. However, the receiver may be able to tolerate a smaller minimum differential voltage while continuing to allow the system to operate reliably. A major change to the link can cause the differential input voltage to change too often or can cause the minimum differential voltage to be too small to be effective in determining whether a differential signal is valid.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a dynamically adjustable signal detector that supports different signaling protocols and adapts to changes in the link between the transmitter and receiver.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A hydraulic brake apparatus is disclosed for braking a vehicle. The apparatus includes a reservoir for the reception therein of hydraulic fluid and a master cylinder hydraulically connected to the reservoir. A pedal actuator is pivotally secured to the vehicle and operably connected to the master cylinder. The arrangement is such that when the pedal actuator is pivoted from a retracted first location to a depressed second location thereof, hydraulic fluid is drawn by the master cylinder from the reservoir towards the master cylinder. A slave cylinder is hydraulically connected to the master cylinder such that when the pedal actuator moves from the retracted first location to the depressed second location, hydraulic fluid is pumped from the master cylinder towards the slave cylinder for actuation thereof. A further pedal actuator is pivotally secured to the vehicle and operably connected to the slave cylinder, the arrangement being such that upon the actuation of the slave cylinder, the further pedal actuator is pivoted from a released first location to an applied second location thereof. A further master cylinder is hydraulically connected to the reservoir and operably connected to the further pedal actuator. A brake system is hydraulically connected to the further master cylinder such that when the further pedal actuator is pivoted towards the applied second location, the further master cylinder pumps hydraulic fluid from the further master cylinder towards the brake system so that the brake system is applied for braking the vehicle. The arrangement is such that braking of the vehicle is accomplished by movement of at least one of the pedals towards the respective second location.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hydraulic brake apparatus for braking a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a hydraulic brake apparatus for braking a vehicle having dual braking controls.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
Typically, truck chassis are either steered from the left hand side or the right hand side. In the United States, trucks are arranged for steering from the left side whereas in countries such as England, steering is from the right side.
Additionally, there are some applications where steering is required from both sides such as driver education vehicles, garbage trucks and street sweepers. The present invention relates to the aforementioned dual steer chassis. More specifically, the present invention relates to the application of the brakes from the right side of the chassis which normally has left hand steer.
Although many manufacturers have over the years built dual steer chassis with air brakes, the air brakes are controlled with a combination of air valves which allow control from either side. However, this system is not possible on trucks with hydraulic brakes.
More specifically, in the past, manufacturers have used a combination of cables and mechanical linkages to link the right side pedal to the left side pedal. Therefore, when the operator pushed the pedal on the right, the cables and linkage would push the pedal on the left.
Although the aforementioned cable and linkage system has worked relatively well on driver education vehicles, such is not the case with stand up right hand steer equipment. With stand up steer machines, the linkage and cabling becomes quite complicated and less effective. For this reason, at least one manufacturer refuses to convert stand up right hand steer vehicles with hydraulic brakes.
The present invention overcomes the aforementioned problem by the provision of apparatus in which pushing on the right side pedal actuator causes a slave cylinder to stroke the left side brake pedal which results in the brakes being applied.
Return springs built into the pedal actuators and slave cylinder return these assemblies to the non-brake applied position when the operator at the right side removes pressure from the brake pedal.
When driven from the left side, the driver can apply the brakes as normal. The slave cylinder, according to the present invention will stroke unnoticed with the left side pedal as the left side driver applies and releases the brake pedal.
Accordingly, the present invention overcomes the problems associated with the prior art arrangements and makes a considerable contribution to the art of hydraulic braking systems.
Therefore, the primary objective of the present invention is the elimination of the need for cables and linkages.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art by careful consideration of the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention as described hereinafter.

Hydraulic brake apparatus having plural master cylinders


A system and method for detecting and handling spurious input are disclosed. In one embodiment, upon receipt of an interrupt signal, a device activates command and keystroke timeouts. The keystroke timeout may have a shorter duration than the command timeout and may be reset upon receipt of a keystroke. At the first expiration of either the keystroke or command timeouts, the device generates a user message. At the second expiration of either the keystroke or command timeouts, the device resumes initialization or resets.

Data processing devices, such as personal computer and server systems are well known in the art. Such devices have attained widespread use and typically include one or more central processing units and associated volatile and non-volatile memory, including random access memory (RAM) and basic input/output system read only memory (BIOS ROM), along with one or more input/output devices and external interfaces.
When a data processing device is reset or initially powered-on, an initialization, or boot process begins. The BIOS generally provides instructions for the tasks that the device performs at start-up. These tasks, may include, for example, hardware initialization, Power-On Self Test (POST), and booting an operating system. Furthermore, the BIOS provides an interface to the underlying hardware for the operating system in the form of a library of interrupt handlers.
Some BIOS systems permit interruption of the initialization process to allow system configuration, maintenance, diagnostic test, or the like. Typically, such BIOS systems interrupt and stop the initialization process upon receipt of an interrupt signal, such as that generated by a certain keystroke or keystroke sequence. Upon receipt of such a keystroke, the BIOS system stops initialization and waits indefinitely for a valid command. If such a valid command is not entered, the BIOS system will not resume initialization, thus preventing initialization of the device.
In some instances, a BIOS system may stop initialization in response to receiving a spurious interrupt signal rather than an intentional keystroke by a user. The spurious interrupt signal may be generated, for example, by an inadvertent keystroke by the user or by random noise on an input line, which may cause such a spurious interrupt signal to be generated that the BIOS interprets as an interrupt signal. A system management interrupt signal may also cause a BIOS to stop and to wait indefinitely for user input.
When, in response to an interrupt signal, a BIOS stops initialization and waits indefinitely for a valid user command. If no such valid user command is provided, the initialization process will not resume and the associated device will not complete the initialization process.
If the user is not monitoring a console associated with the device, the user may not be aware that the device is waiting for a valid user command. Rather, the user may believe that the device is malfunctioning and that a service call is required.
One conventional approach for limiting the potential for an interrupt signal to stop hardware initialization indefinitely is to only permit an interrupt signal to be received during a small time window. Some personal computer BIOS systems function in this manner. A limitation of this approach is that initialization of such a BIOS system may be indefinitely stopped if the interrupt signal is received during the time window. Another limitation is that the smaller this window, the less convenient it becomes for the interactive user.
Another conventional approach for limiting the potential for an interrupt signal to stop hardware initialization is to design the entry sequence such that the entry sequence is not likely to be accidentally typed. However, this approach is also limited in that if the entry sequence, or another interrupt signal, is received by the BIOS, the BIOS may be indefinitely stopped until suitable action, such as the entry of a valid command, is taken.
Accordingly, a need exists for a system and method for detecting and handling an interrupt signal such that system operation is not impaired.


A system is disclosed for facilitating operation of a peripheral bus, such as a PCI bus, that operates at multiple clock speeds. The system includes an expansion slot controller that identifies the number of peripheral devices that have been installed in the expansion slots, and further determines whether these devices support high speed operation. The expansion slots transmit a signal indicating the presence of a peripheral device in the slot, and also transmit a signal indicating whether the device is operable at the higher clock frequency. Once the expansion slot controller determines this information, it decides whether operation at the higher frequency is supported by the peripheral devices and by the bus bridge. The expansion slot controller informs each peripheral device of what the operating frequency will be, and transmits a signal to the PCI bus bridge indicating if high frequency operation will be supported.

Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a system for supporting peripheral components that couple to a high speed peripheral bus, such as a PCI bus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system which checks the capability of peripheral components to operate at particular clock frequencies of the peripheral bus. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a system which includes a plurality of expansion slots coupled to a variable speed peripheral bus, and that determines which clock frequency to use for the bus based upon the characteristics of the devices that populate the expansion slots.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates a prior art computer system 10 including a microprocessor (CPU) 12, a system memory 14, and a bus bridge 16. A local bus 18 couples the microprocessor 12 to the bus bridge 16. A memory bus 20 couples system memory 14 to bus bridge 16. A first peripheral device 22 and a second peripheral device 24 are coupled to the bus bridge 16 through a peripheral bus 25.
The peripheral bus 25 may comprise a high performance PCI bus capable of supporting a plurality of PCI master and slave devices. Thus, the peripheral device 22 may comprise PCI Master controller that is capable of asserting ownership of the PCI bus during PCI Master cycles. The PCI master device 22 may comprise a local area network (LAN) device that connects other computer systems to peripheral bus 25, or could be embodied by an expansion bus interface that connects peripheral bus 25 to other peripheral buses. A second peripheral device 24 also is shown coupled to the peripheral bus 25. Peripheral device 24 may comprise a PCI slave device, such as a disk controller device or an audio controller device, for example. In accordance with normal convention, the PCI peripheral devices may be coupled via expansion slots to the PCI bus, thus permitting the user to configure the computer system 10 by adding peripheral devices to the system that are capable of coupling to the PCI bus.
The microprocessor 12 shown in FIG. 1 may comprise one or more of any of the various Intel Pentium-class microprocessors, and the local bus 18 could comprise a Pentium style local bus. Other style microprocessors and/or local bus architectures may be used without departing from the principles of the present invention. Details regarding the various bus cycles and protocols of the Pentium local bus 18 are not discussed in detail herein, as they are well known by those in the art, and are available in numerous publications.
The bus bridge 16 provides a standard interface between the CPU local bus 18 and the PCI bus 25. As such, the bus bridge 16 orchestrates the transfer of data, address, and control signals between two buses. PCI bus 25 typically comprises a high performance peripheral bus that includes multiplexed data/address lines, and which supports burst-mode transfers. Additional features regarding the PCI bus are described in the publication xe2x80x9cPCI Local Bus Specification,xe2x80x9d Revision 2.2, Dec. 18, 1998, PCI Special Interest Group, Hillsboro, Oreg. the details of which are incorporated by reference herein.
As set forth in Revision 2.2 of the xe2x80x9cPCI Local Bus Specification,xe2x80x9d the PCI bus comprises a synchronous bus with a generally uniform clock. The PCI bus clock signal typically is generated by circuitry in the bus bridge 16 and transmitted via the PCI CLK line to each of the devices resident on the PCI bus 25. Although shown in FIG. 1 as a separate signal line, as one skilled in the art will understand the PCI CLK line may comprise one of the signal lines in the PCI bus 25.
Relatively recent modifications to the PCI Bus Specifications have been made to permit operation of the bus at higher clock speeds. See generally Chapter 7 of the PCI Local Bus Specification, Revision 2.2. One problem with implementing a high speed PCI bus is that some PCI peripheral devices, particularly those devices developed in the past, simply are not capable of operating at the higher clock speeds. For many years the PCI bus was only capable of 33 MHz operation. Consequently, peripheral devices intended for coupling to a PCI bus were designed during this period to operate at 33 MHz. Because of this limitation, such peripheral devices may be incapable of operation at higher speed environments, such as at the 66 MHz clock speed available today. Use of these slower speed peripheral devices may cause the entire bus to malfunction if the PCI bus is operated at 66 MHz.
To address this problem, a 66 MHz ENABLE control line is included as part of the PCI bus 25, as shown in FIG. 1. The 66 MHz ENABLE line couples to a voltage source Vcc, and to each PCI slot provided in the system. If a peripheral device inserted in a PCI slot is incapable of 66 MHz operation, the 66 MHz ENABLE pin on the peripheral device connects to ground to pull the 66 MHz ENABLE line low. This, in turn, is detected by the bus bridge 16, which responds by slowing the operating speed of the bus to 33 MHz. In this manner, the bus bridge only drives a 66 MHz clock if all peripheral devices support 66 MHz operation.
While the use of the 66 MHz ENABLE line addresses some of the concerns regarding incompatible clock speeds, there still remain some problems that result from the use of a peripheral bus capable of operating at multiple speeds. One problem is that the bus bridge may be unable to drive the faster data and control signals to multiple expansion slots. As noted in Chapter 7 of the xe2x80x9cPCI Local Bus Specification,xe2x80x9d Revision 2.2, the xe2x80x9c66 MHz PCI requires faster timing parameters and redefined measurement conditions. As a result, 66 MHz PCI buses may support smaller loading and trace lengths.xe2x80x9d Thus, the 66 MHz clocking of the PCI bus mandates fewer peripheral devices and shorter leads to the peripheral devices. Consequently, computer systems that support dual 33 MHz/66 MHz operation on the same PCI bus must typically limit the number of available PCI slots to prevent too many 66 MHz devices from being connected to the PCI bus, Because of the loading and trace limitations of the 66 MHz bus, some manufacturers of bus bridges and associated chipsets recommend that a computer system only include two PCI slots to prevent more than two 66 MHz peripheral devices from being coupled to the PCI bus bridge. This approach to handling the problem of loading at higher clock frequencies can be Draconian. A user who desires to run more than two peripheral devices at the slower clock frequency (i.e. 33 MHz) cannot do so, even though the system would support these devices, because not enough expansion slots are provided. Thus, limiting the number of expansion slots to overcome limitations in driving peripheral devices at higher frequencies penalizes the user desiring more expansion slots at slower clock frequencies.
It would be advantageous if a system were developed which could include more slots than could be driven at the higher clock frequency, and which would reduce the frequency of the bus clock if an excessive number of peripheral components were installed in the expansion slots. Preferably, the system would detect the capabilities of the installed peripheral components and adjust the clock frequency of the bus to the highest possible setting based upon those capabilities, and the capability of the bus bridge to drive the data and control signal to the populated expansion slots. Despite these and other readily apparent advantages of such a system, to date no such system has been developed.
The present invention solves the shortcomings and deficiencies of the prior art by providing a computer system that automatically determines whether a peripheral device is present in each expansion slot, and whether each device is capable of high clock frequency (such as, for example, 66 MHz) operation. If any PCI device cannot operate at the high clock frequency or if the bus bridge is incapable of driving the number of devices present at the higher clock frequency, the system automatically drives the PCI bus clock signal at a standard, lower frequency (such as, for example, 33 MHz). Conversely, if the PCI devices present are operable at the higher frequency and the bus bridge can drive the higher speed bus to the number of installed peripheral devices, the system operates the PCI bus clock signal at the higher frequency (66 MHz, for example).
The present invention includes a bus bridge which orchestrates the transfer of address and data signals between the PCI bus and a local bus. The bus bridge preferably includes a clock driver, which generates the PCI bus clock signal, at a frequency dependent on the status of a high frequency enable (66 MHz ENABLE in the preferred embodiment) line. An expansion slot controller couples to each PCI expansion slot and to the 66 MHz ENABLE line. The 66 MHz ENABLE line is asserted high by the expansion slot controller if the system supports operation at 66 MHz. The expansion slot controller determines if a peripheral device is present in an expansion slot, and also determines if the device is capable of supporting operation at the higher clock frequency. After determining the status of each expansion slot, the expansion slot controller determines if all of the peripheral devices can support high frequency operation, and also determines if the bus bridge can drive the number of devices present. Based upon this determination, the expansion slot controller can drive the 66 MHz ENABLE line low to indicate that the PCI bus must be operated at a lower frequency, or can drive the 66 MHz ENABLE line high. If the 66 MHz ENABLE line is deasserted by the expansion slot controller, the bus bridge drives the PCI bus signals at a standard clock frequency, such as 33 MHz. Conversely, if the expansion slot controller does not drive the 66 MHz ENABLE line low, then the bus bridge drives the PCI bus signals at the higher frequency, such as 66 MHz.

System for incorporating multiple expansion slots in a variable speed peripheral bus

Compaq Information Technologies Group, L.P.


In accordance with the present invention, it has been discovered that additive gels can provide additives to a functional fluid over time. In accordance with the present invention it has been discovered that an additive gel comprising                i.) at least two additives selected from the group comprising detergents, dispersants, acids, bases, over based detergent, succinated polyolefins or mixtures thereof wherein the selected additives when combined form a gel;        ii.) optionally at least one additive comprising viscosity modifier(s), friction modifier(s), detergent(s), cloud point depressant(s), pour point depressant(s), demulsifier(s), flow improver(s), anti static agent(s), dispersant(s), antioxidant(s), antifoam(s), corrosion/rust inhibitor(s), extreme pressure/antiwear agent(s), seal swell agent(s), lubricity aid(s), antimisting agent(s), and mixtures thereof;        resulting in a controlled release gel that over time releases at least one desired additive into a functional fluid when the gel is contacted with the functional fluid.

Functional fluids degrade over time through use. The additives in the functional fluids deplete over the lifetime of the fluid in an engine or other mechanical device. Time release additives for engine oil are known. These additives are typically incorporated into thermoplastic polymers which slowly dissolve into the engine oil, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,075,098. Time release additives have also been incorporated into polymers which are oil-permeable at elevated engine temperatures, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,559. In another approach, coating oil additives dissolves over time to release additives into the engine oil, see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2004/0154304A1.
Replenishment of desired additives into the functional fluid will improve the performance of the functional fluid and the device using the functional fluid.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide controlled release additives for functional fluids which do not require inert carriers or complicated mechanical devices for achieving controlled release metering of the desired additives into the functional fluid.

Controlled release of additive gel(s) for functional fluids


A solid surface material with an antimicrobial agent in a thermoset and/or thermoplastic resin matrix where the antimicrobial agent comprises a chitosan-metal complex.

Artificial or synthetic marble is a general designation for various types of materials used as building products, such as bathroom vanity tops, sinks, shower stalls and kitchen counter tops, and other decorative surfaces. It is also a suitable material for use in furniture, lining materials, and in stationary small articles. The artificial marble is easily kept clean and neat. Therefore, it has increasingly been used in hospitals, nursing homes, as well as in commercial and residential food preparation facilities.
Artificial marbles encompass cultured marble, onyx and solid surface materials typically comprising some kind of resin matrix and either with or without a filler present in the resin matrix. Typically, cultured marble is made of a gel coating of unfilled unsaturated polyester on a substrate of a filled unsaturated polyester. The filler may be calcium carbonate or a similar material. Onyx typically consists of a gel coat of unfilled unsaturated polyester on a substrate of filled unsaturated polyester. The filler in this case is typically alumina trihydrate (ATH). Solid surface materials are typically filled resin materials and, unlike cultured marble or onyx, do not have a gel coat. Corian® material available from E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont), Wilmington, Del., is a solid surface material comprising an acrylic matrix filled with ATH. Another solid surface DuPont material, known by the brand name Zodiaq®, is alternatively described as an engineered stone or artificial granite. Such materials are made from an unsaturated polyester matrix filled with quartz or other similar fillers.
As evidenced by numerous materials in the market, there is clearly a demand for materials and/or processes that either minimize or kill harmful microorganisms encountered in the environment. Such materials are useful in areas for food preparation, processing, service or handling. Such materials will also be useful in areas for personal hygiene, such as bathroom facilities. Similarly, there is a use for such antimicrobial materials in hospitals and nursing homes where people with lowered resistance are especially vulnerable to pathogenic microorganisms.
Solid surface materials made of either an acrylic resin, an unsaturated polyester resin, an epoxy resin, or other such resins and incorporating certain antimicrobial agents throughout the resin are described in WO 97/49761 (E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company). However, such antimicrobial agents can be expensive, resulting in a high installation cost for the resulting solid surface material.
Chitosan and chitosan-metal compounds are known to provide antimicrobial activity as bacteriocides and fungicides (see, e.g., T. L. Vigo, "Antimicrobial Polymers and Fibers: Retrospective and Prospective," in Bioactive Fibers and Polymers, J. V. Edwards and T. L. Vigo, eds., ACS Symposium Series 792, pp. 175-200, American Chemical Society, 2001). Chitosan is also known to impart antiviral activity, though the mechanism is not yet well understood (see, e.g., Chirkov, S. N., Applied Biochemistry and Microbiology (Translation of Prikladnaya Biokhimiya i Mikrobiologiya) (2002), 38(1), 1-8).
Chitosan is the commonly used name for poly-[1-4]-β-D-glucosamine. Chitosan is chemically derived from chitin (a poly-[1-4]-β-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine) which, in turn, is derived from the cell walls of fungi, the shells of insects, and, especially, crustaceans. Thus, it is inexpensively derived from widely available materials. It is available as an article of commerce from, for example, Primex (Iceland); Biopolymer Engineering, Inc. (St. Paul, Minn.); Biopolymer Technologies, Inc. (Westborough, Mass.); and CarboMer, Inc. (Westborough, Mass.). Chitosan can also be treated with metal-salt solutions so that the metal ion forms a complex with the chitosan. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,541,233 and 5,643,971 disclose a process for preparing durable antimicrobial agents by treating a chitosan suspension with metal salts of zinc and copper followed by chelation of a potentiator such as an imidazole. Application WO 99/37584 discloses the preparation of chitosan-zinc sulfate, copper sulfate and silver nitrate complexes for treating water to reduce levels of pathogens.
In commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/290,297 (filed 11 May 2001), chitosan (in the form of an acidic solution applied to polyester articles) is shown to impart antimicrobial activity. The chitosan-treated article may be treated subsequently with a solution of zinc sulfate, cupric sulfate, or silver nitrate to enhance antimicrobial activity.
Cultured marbles have been developed incorporating an antimicrobial agent in the gel coat only (i.e., not throughout the matrix of the substrate). Such materials have been disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication Kokai: 7-266522. These materials have a relatively thin gel coat, typically on the order of 15 mils. As such, when the gel coat is depleted of antimicrobial agent or the gel coat wears away or is otherwise removed, the antimicrobial effect of the gel coat is significantly decreased or lost entirely.
The problem that remains to be solved is to provide solid surface materials comprising either an acrylic resin, an unsaturated polyester resin, an epoxy or other similar resin and an effective antimicrobial agent dispersed throughout the resin.

Antimicrobial solid surface materials containing chitosan-metal complexes


A patch bag has a heat-shrinkable patch adhered to a heat-shrinkable bag. The patch comprises an ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer having a density greater than about 0.915 g/cm3, this copolymer being present in the patch in an amount of at least about 5 percent, based on a total patch weight. The patch also comprises a heterogeneous ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer having a density of less than about 0.915 g/cm3, which is also present in the patch in an amount of at least about 5 percent, based on total patch weight. In addition, the two ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymers make up at least 70 percent of the total patch weight. VLDPE is a preferred heterogeneous ethylene/alpha-olefin less than 0.915 g/cc, and LLDPE is a preferred ethylene/alpha-olefin greater than 0.915 g/cc. The patch film can be selected to exhibit a total free shrink and/or bone-puncture resistance which is higher than either VLDPE or LLDPE alone. The patch film can be selected to exhibit Standard Rib Drop Test results (i.e., puncture-resistance in actual use) superior to other patch bags.

Various patch bags have been commercialized for the packaging of bone-in fresh meat products, especially fresh red meat products and other bone-in meat products, such as whole bone-in pork loins, etc. The patch reduces the likelihood of film puncture from protruding bones. The patch needs to exhibit good resistance to bone puncture. Optimally, the patch should also exhibit a relatively high free shrink at a relatively low temperature.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,403, to Ferguson, discloses a patch bag having a heat-shrinkable patch containing a blend of linear low density polyethylene blended with ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,402, to Dudenhoeffer et al., discloses the use of various polymers, including very low density polyethylene, in a non-heat-shrinkable patch for a patch bag. AU-B-40238/95 (based on Australian application40238/95, published Jun. 20, 1996) discloses the use of homogeneous ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymer in a patch for a patch bag. However, it remains desirable to provide a film which exhibits improved bone puncture resistance, especially in combination with relatively high free shrink.

Patch bag with patch containing high and low crystallinity ethylene copolymers


An improved device for adjusting the running clearance of a pump impeller is shown and described. In a preferred embodiment, an annular adjustment member is positioned adjacent to a pump impeller and the pump housing, the impeller being spaced from the adjustment member and housing by a predetermined distance. The adjustment member is selectively moved towards and away from the impeller, and lockable in any desired position. The adjustment member is moved in an axial direction by loosening a plurality of clamp nuts, and turning adjustment nuts until the annular adjustment member bottoms out on the impeller. The annular adjustment member is then backed off until an end surface of the adjustment member is spaced from the end surface of the impeller by the predetermined distance. The adjustment member is locked in the new location, thereby resetting the running clearance of the pump. The annular adjustment member includes an elastomeric member that creates a dynamic seal in a radial direction, the adjustment member being accessible and usable during operation of the pump.

Prior to operation of a pump, the impeller is spaced from the pump casing by a predetermined distance, commonly referred to as the running clearance. During operation of the pump, the suction side of the pump casing assembly, as well as the adjacent face of the pump impeller, are subject to abrasive wear. As a result of this wear on the impeller face and pump casing, the running clearance becomes larger after operation of the pump. However, as the running clearance increases, increased turbulence accelerates the erosion and wear on the impeller and pump casing, and suction performance is reduced. As a result, pump performance deteriorates resulting in higher power consumption, and the accelerated wear causes the impeller and pump casing to wear out prematurely. It is therefore important to maintain the running clearance at a selected distance.
Currently available devices for adjusting the running clearance of a pump have several disadvantages. For example, some systems require the pump to be shut down and the drive gear disassembled in order to make the adjustment. Depending on the size of a pump, this procedure can take anywhere from several hours to two days, during which time the pump is off-line, resulting in a loss of production. Other adjustment devices use mechanisms whose performance will deteriorate and ultimately cease when subjected to media containing solid particles, which is a common operating condition. Other currently available adjustment devices produce a gap between the intake liner and casing while making the adjustment, resulting in the problems discussed above, namely, severe turbulence, possible cavitation, and accelerated erosion.
A need therefore exists for an improved device for adjusting the running clearance of a pump impeller. The present invention fulfills this need, and provides further related advantages.

Device for adjusting the running clearance of an impeller


A stereophonic signal processing system provides optimal spatial enhancement in a compact stereo sound system having limited physical separation between two relatively small stereo loudspeakers with accordingly limited low-frequency output capability. A difference signal is derived from the left and right stereo signals by subtraction in a a differential amplifier circuit, which may be made frequency-dependent so that the rejection of correlated information decreases with increasing frequency. The difference signal is processed through a frequency equalizer circuit, and an inverted version is derived via an inverter; the non-inverted and inverted difference signals are filtered according to a high-pass filter function having an upper-bass cutoff frequency selected to avoid excessive spatialization at low frequencies. The left and right stereo signals are filtered according to a transfer function having low-bass cutoff frequency selected to minimize reproduction distortion by minimizing low frequency signal components below an effective frequency range of the loudspeakers. The filtered stereo signals are separately mixed in optimal proportion with the equalized and filtered difference signals, thereby providing optimal spatial enhancement for small and closely-spaced stereo loudspeakers.

Compact integrated sound systems, such as those incorporated in personal computers, portable televisions and portable stereos, generally provide limited physical separation between the stereo speakers and a correspondingly small angle between the speakers and the listener. It follows that with such compact sound systems the "spatialization", which is defined as the width of the perceived sound stage, will be generally perceived by the listener as inferior to that of larger systems. Additionally, small sound systems generally utilize small stereo loudspeakers with limited low-frequency capability.
Correlated information is typically generated when a recording engineer balances a lead instrument or instruments equally on both stereo channels so that the listener will perceive such instruments as a center image when reproduced by the stereo speakers.
In small sound systems having limited physical separation between the stereo speakers, the stereo signals can be processed in a manner to enhance spatialization; in such an enhancement signal process, a high degree of rejection of correlated information serves to prevent excessive spatialization of such correlated information, which in turn preserves the center image of lead instruments as intended during the recording process. At the same time, however, a high degree of rejection of correlated information excessively reduces the spatialization of correlated reverberation sound components.
It has been demonstrated that human hearing is most sensitive to spatial information at lower-midrange frequencies and is most sensitive to reverberant information at upper-midrange frequencies. It follows that a high degree of rejection, of correlated information below a lower-midrange frequency and a reduced degree of such rejection of correlated information above such lower midrange frequencies serve to optimally spatialize stereophonic information as well as correlated reverberant information in small sound systems.
It is known that the ability of a loudspeaker to accurately reproduce lower-midrange frequencies is crucial to the reproduction of spatially enhanced music. It is also known that the ability of small loudspeakers to accurately reproduce such lower-midrange frequencies is compromised when low-bass signals are present in the loudspeaker driving signals. Since small loudspeakers are not typically capable of providing audible low-bass acoustic output, such low-bass signals may be attenuated in the left and right loudspeaker driving signals as a means to improve spatial reproduction without affecting the audible bandwidth of the loudspeaker. It has been determined by the present inventor that an optimum low-bass cutoff frequency, typically between 35 Hz and 70 Hz, exists for the left and right stereo signal components of loudspeaker driving signals, and an optimum upper-bass cutoff frequency, typically between 80 160 Hz, exists for the derived difference signal components of such driving signals. This difference in optimum cutoff frequency occurs as a result of the oppositely polarized relationship of the derived left and right difference signals, whereby high-pass filtering at an upper bass frequency is required to prevent stereophonic acoustic cancellation, and a corresponding reduction in sound pressure level below such upper bass frequency.


A photographing apparatus is disclosed. The photographing apparatus includes a determination unit which determines a scene category to which an input image belongs from a plurality of predetermined scene categories, a photographing unit which photographs the input image, a control unit which controls the photographing unit to generate an original image corresponding to the input image and an additional image where image processing corresponding to the determined scene category has been performed on the input image, and a display unit which displays the generated original image and additional image according to a predetermined event.

1. Field
Methods and apparatuses consistent with the exemplary embodiments relate to a photographing apparatus and method for controlling thereof, and more particularly to a photographing apparatus which recognizes a photographing scene and performs photographing, and a control method thereof.
2. Related Art
Currently, numerous processing technologies are utilized to supplement existing image processing methods according to a current photographing operation. But since different users have different preferences, and due to side effects of the processing technologies, users must select the corresponding technologies manually.
For these reasons, problems arise when users who do not have information on the processing technology become unable to use the technology. Thus, as the types of processing technologies increases, the menu selections users must navigate also get more complicated, which keeps the users from using the technology even when they want to.
In addition, in a case of lens effect, which provides a user with an image having different effects from that of a normal image through a filter, even though the user can use it in app programs on mobile phones and in PC image editing programs, the lens effect is only provided in manuals since it can excessively distort existing images. Accordingly, the user has to photograph and then apply the filter to achieve the lens effect, or the user has to use a menu to select a filter for achieving the effect from the numerous filters before photographing. Here, if a user who has no knowledge of the filters, then the user spends even more time and effort.
In addition, when continuously photographing a baby or pet that moves, by reducing the shutter speed, it is possible to obtain an image where the movement has been somewhat corrected. But in such a case, the user may not know how to take photographs continuously, or when the camera is set in a continuous photographing mode, numerous photographs may be taken regardless of the conditions causing problems in photographing time and storage memory, and thus not used frequently.

Photographing apparatus for scene catergory determination and method for controlling thereof


A method for collecting cells that have been cultured by using a cell culture kit in which, at least, a culture container for cultivating cells, a cell collection container for collecting cells after cultivation and a waste liquid container for collecting a culture medium after cultivation are linked to one another through a conduit is provided. The method includes transferring a culture supernatant that has been cultured from the culture container to the waste liquid container, transferring a concentrated suspension of cells from the culture container to the cell collection container, returning part of the culture supernatant discharged in the waste liquid container to the culture container and allowing cells remaining in the culture container to be suspended in a suspension of cells, and transferring again a suspension of cells in which remaining cells are suspended from the culture container to the cell collection container.

In recent years, in the fields of production of medicines, gene therapy, regenerative medicine, immunotherapy or the like, there has been a demand for cultivating a large amount of cells, tissues, microorganisms or the like efficiently in an artificial environment.
In such cultivation of a large amount of cells, in general, cells are cultivated by using a culture container. In the cell culture by using a culture container, it is required to collect cells from the culture container after cultivation.
In the case where cultured cells (in particular, floating cells) are collected, conventionally, a method was conducted in which the total amount of a suspension of cells is collected from a culture container, and cells are then separated by centrifugation. However, this method suffers from a problem that, when a large amount of a suspension of cells is present due to the cultivation of a large amount of cells, centrifugation is required to be conducted several times in a divided manner, resulting in waste of time and effort.
On the other hand, as a technology relating to the method for collecting cells, a cell collection method used in the cell culture method disclosed in Patent Document 1 can be given, for example. In this collection method, after discharging a used culture medium supernatant from a culture container, a suspension containing cultured cells is collected, whereby a concentrated suspension of cells can be obtained.


An illuminated dome type switch for use on a control panel having a support base and suitable circuitry for interconnecting various components making up the panel is disclosed herein. This switch includes a light source and a dome, both of which are supported on the base of the panel and the latter of which is resiliently movable between a biased OFF position and a depressed ON position. The switch also includes a keycap having an upper portion through which at least some light can pass, and a bottom outer periphery including a dome actuator. The keycap is supported directly over the light source and to one side of the dome for movement between a biased OFF position so as not to depress the dome and a depressed ON position for causing the actuator to depress the dome in order to move the latter to its on position, whereby to turn on the light source by means of circuitry forming part of the control panel and a suitable source of power and thereby illuminate the upper portion of the keycap. In the embodiments disclosed herein, the bottom outer periphery of the keycap also includes one or more fulcrums to aid the actuator in depressing the dome.

1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to dome type switches for use on, for example, a control panel forming part of a video or data recorder or other such apparatus, and more particularly to a specifically designed illuminated dome type switch.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dome type switches, or merely dome switches as they will be referred to herein, are well known in the art. Even illuminated dome switches are known in the art. One such commercially available arrangement is illustrated in prior art FIG. 1. This arrangement which is generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 is shown including two dome switches 12 supported on a printed circuit board 14 with an incandescent lamp, light emitting diode or like light source 16 within a diffuser block 17 located between the two switches for simultaneously illuminating both. Each of the dome switches 12 includes a dome 18 and a keycap 20. The dome, which is shown mounted on the top surface of printed circuit board 14, is constructed of stainless steel or like electrically conductive, resilient material and is designed to resiliently move between a biased OFF or open position and a depressed ON or closed position, both of which are illustrated in FIG. 1.
Each of the keycaps 20 includes an upper main body 22 constructed of transparent or at least translucent material and a downwardly projecting actuator 24 disposed centrally below its associated main body portion 22. As illustrated in FIG. 1, each keycap is positioned immediately above a cooperating dome 18 within a cooperating opening 26 defined by an outer facia 28 forming part of the overall control panel 10. Means not shown, for example, a resilient boot, is disposed within each of the openings 26 in order to support its associated keycap for movement, between a biased raised position such that the keycaps actuator 24 does not depress dome 18 and a depressed lower position which, in turn, causes its actuator to depress the underlying dome.
Depression of a dome 18, as illustrated by the dome on the right in FIG. 1, closes a cooperating circuit on the PC board. Typically, the dome need be depressed only momentarily in order to close the circuit after which the circuit can again be opened by subsequently momentarily depressing the same keycap.
In the case of prior art dome type switches generally, it is very difficult to adequately and uniform illuminate individual keycaps. This is because the keycaps are typically disposed directly over their respective domes, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Thus, an attempt to illuminate a keycap typically takes the form of an incandescent lamp, LED or like light source located to one side of the switch, as shown. As will be described in more detail hereinafter, the present invention overcomes the problem just described by supporting a dome and a light source side by side, as in the case of the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 1. However, in accordance with the present invention, as will be seen, the keycap is disposed directly over the light source rather than over the dome, the latter being positioned to one side of the keycap. Nevertheless, the keycap is specifically designed to actuate its dome in the same reliable manner as the prior art. However, by placing the light source directly under the keycap, rather than to one side, it more efficiently and uniformly lights up the keycap.


A method is provided for reserving trunks on a trunk group for designated class of service calls. The trunks available for a denominated class of service is specified, and the trunks remaining are enumerated and designated as of no class and available for all calls. When the no class trunks are in use and a new call is a denominated class of service, it is allocated to a trunk and the trunks available is reduced accordingly. If the no class trunks are in use and a new call is not of a denominated class of service, the new call is allocated to a further trunk group. When a call is released and the number available is reduced below a specified number, the number of available trunks increases. If the number of trunks available is not reduced below a specified number, the released trunk is made available for all calls.

A telephone exchange switch allocates calls to an outgoing trunk group consisting of trunk lines to a different exchange switch where a call is to other than a local telephone. Some such calls may have a priority giving them a higher class of service (COS) which allows them to pre-empt calls with a lower class of service. Calls may be allocated to the trunk group regardless of the COS but typically calls such as emergency calls have a dedicated trunk line which ensures that they will be forwarded to the required destination without being routed through an excessive number of exchanges when trunk groups are busy. Clearly if too many trunk lines are reserved for various classes of service the general service will suffer, so the allocation of reserved trunks is an exercise in statistics.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,493,444 to L. Lloyd Williams (published as US 20020071543) and originally filed Mar. 16, 1999 relates to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) with common channel signaling to a call control node from each switching office, so that node can control the call routing in an efficient manner. This includes detecting calls which require an enhanced level of service, and routing these calls via reserved trunks. It also includes overflowing plain old telephone system (POTS) calls into the reserved trunks under overflow conditions, which tends to reduce or negate the reason for reserved trunks.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,345,092 to Rie Hoshi relates to trunks physically graded into reserved and non-reserved classes of service. At times when utilization is low the specification proposes using non-reserved trunks for all calls, though it may use both reserved and non-reserved without distinction, but when usage is high it places reserved calls onto reserved trunks. The specification also includes restricting all calls when reserved trunks are full, and having grades of reserved call restriction depending on the level of usage of reserved trunks. Because physical trunks are reserved the system must track the usage state of each line within the reserved lines to ensure that it is usable, and the individual allocation of each call to a line.
Tracking and allocating calls under such a system requires fairly high overheads in terms of marking particular lines as reserved and tracking their use and it would be preferable to provide a system where the overheads were reduced.
The present invention provides a solution to this and other problems which offers advantages over the prior art or which will at least provide the public with a useful choice.
All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein; this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art in any country.


The present invention provides a sound signal processing device that precisely detects various kinds of noises and that does not block output of voice signals even when detecting noise during the output of the voice signals. The sound signal processing device according to the present invention comprises: an input part 10; an input signal determination part 20 that determines whether an input signal from the input part is present; a noise detection part 30 that detects noise included in the input signal from the input part; an output part 80 that outputs the input signal as an output signal; an output switching part 52 that performs switching between an output state in which the output part outputs the output signal and a non-output state in which the output part does not output the output signal; and a control part 60 that controls the switching performed by the output switching part. The control with the control part for switching includes first control that controls the switching based on a determination result r1 from the input signal determination part and a detection result r2 from the noise detection part, and second control that controls the switching based on the determination result from the input signal determination part. One of the first control and the second control is selected based on a state of the output switching part.

Conference systems are used, for example, for conferences with a large number of attendees, such as congresses and teleconferences. The conference systems provide smooth processing of conferences through processing of sound signals from a plurality of microphones. Some conference systems comprise an auto voice recognition function. The auto voice recognition function is a function to automatically detect speaking (voice) of attendees to control switching between output and block of signals from the microphones.
The auto voice recognition function may misdetect noise of tapping a desk with a pen or of flipping pages, as voice. In this case, control for switching can be carried out between output and block of signals from a microphone without a user's intention. Therefore, this can lead to inadequacy such as releasing noise to a conference hall.
Noise detectors to prevent the auto voice recognition function from misdetecting the noise that is not voice, as voice, have been proposed (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H6-83391).
A noise detector disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H6-83391 can separately detect silence, noise in a low frequency range (low range), and noise in a high frequency range (high range) by comparing autocorrelation coefficients for different degrees with corresponding thresholds.


A voice command interface is implemented in a data processing system whereby a user may select any application which is currently running on the data processing system without having to manually modify a list of programs which may be accessed by a voice command and without having to request the program by its full name. To allow a user to access a program which is currently running on the data processing system, control within the data processing system ensures that a name of the program or application which is opened by an external user is added to a window list automatically. Similarly, a program which is no longer enabled by a user and running on the data processing system will be automatically removed from the window list. Additionally, the data processing system and methodology implemented therein allow an external user to speak merely a portion of a title of an application to access the application using a voice command. When two or more programs have the same or similar titles, the data processing system first accesses a program which is first on the window list. If this is not the program desired by the user, the user then repeats the command and a next program or application is accessed and brought into focus. This procedure repeats and may even loop back to the first access program if the user continues to repeat commands accessing the program having similar or the same titles.

With the ever increasing use of computers by people of all walks of life, developers of computer systems have had to design computer interfaces which interact with the user in an intuitive and effective manner. In an attempt to effectively communicate with all types of external users, designers of many computer systems have implemented user interfaces which respond to voice commands. For examples of such interfaces, refer to IBM Voice Type Dictation 1.1 for OS/2 and IBM Voice Type Dictation 3.0 for Windows '95.
As is known in the data processing art, a speech recognition apparatus required to implement such user interfaces which respond to voice commands. Speech recognition apparatuses generally include an acoustic processor and stores a set of acoustic models. The acoustic processor measures sound features of an utterance by an external user and the acoustic model represents the acoustic features of the utterance of one or more words associated with the model. The sound features of the utterance are then compared to each acoustic model to produce a match score. The match score for an utterance and an acoustic model is an estimate of the closeness of the sound features of the actual utterance to the acoustic model.
The word or words associated with the acoustic model having the best match score may then be selected as the recognition results. Alternatively, the acoustic match score may be combined with other match scores, such as additional acoustic match scores and language model match scores. The word or words associated with the acoustic model or models having the best combined match score may then be selected as the recognition result.
For command and control applications, the speech recognition apparatus typically implemented recognizes an uttered command. Subsequently, the computer system executes a command to perform a function associated with the recognized command. For this purpose, the command associated with the acoustic model having the best match score is selected as the recognition result. Problems associated with inadvertent sounds such as coughs, size, or spoken words not intended for recognition have been alleviated by the invention disclosed within U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,317, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
As problems associated with recognizing spoken commands in a computer system have been reduced, or even alleviated, computer systems have taken advantage of this new and easily implemented interface to perform certain functions within the computer system. For example, International Business Machines Corporation has developed a VoiceType.RTM. V product which effectively allows a user to speak commands and have a computer system respond in a limited manner. Specifically, a user may specify a program or application to be accessed using voice commands. A speech recognition unit, such as those previously described, is then used to detect when an external user utters the specified phrases. Upon determining that an uttered word corresponds to the list specified by a user, the computer system implementing this interface accesses a program in response to a user's utterance of a word which is specified on the previously programmed static window list described above. Thus, such systems effectively implement a user interface in which program control may be specified by a voice command when the program has previously been stored in a specified list by the user.
While the aforementioned voice command interface works well, a user is limited by a manner in which voice commands may be issued. For example, because the program list is programmed and static, the user is only able to access the programs designated therein by a voice command. Therefore, the user is limited in the programs which are accessible by a voice command and is only able to access a program previously stored in the program list. To access additional programs using a voice command, a user is required to update a list of programs which are accessible by a voice command.
Furthermore, current implementations of voice command interfaces for computer systems require an external user to speak a full title precisely and accurately to access a computer application corresponding to that title. In situations in which different views of an application are provided or different components of the application are to be accessed, a user may encounter difficulty as the voice command interface becomes less intuitive and, therefore, a less effective interface for the user. For example, when a user desires to view a desktop, a user must specify whether it is Desktop-Icon View, Desktop Tree View, or Desktop-Properties, among others. In this situation, a user is required to speak the full title to access an application using voice command. Therefore, if a user simply spoke "a desktop," the speech recognition unit corresponding to the computer system would not find a match because the full label had not been spoken. In this case, a user is limited by a computer systems requirements that stilted, lengthy language be input to be recognized by the voice command interface.
Therefore, a need exists for a voice command interface which allows a user to communicate in a more natural and intuitive manner to perform desired actions on a data processing system.

Data processing system and method for dynamically accessing an application using a voice command


The apparatus (3, 11) comprises a first input part (5, 43) which inputs first utilization state information that indicates information relating to the utilization state of first shared data in the respective first data control devices, a second input part (5, 43) which inputs second utilization state information that indicates information relating to the utilization state of second shared data in the respective second data control devices, and a selection part (5, 43) which compares the input first utilization state information and second utilization state information to each other, selects the data among the first shared data or the second shared data, that is to be used as the migration object data on the basis of the results of this comparison, selects the data migration destination from the one or more first data control devices or the plurality of second data control devices, and outputs information relating to the selection results.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer technique that is used to select data migration destinations.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, in cases where a file sharing environment is constructed in a business that is conducted while being divided into a plurality of departments, there are instances in which the following first method is employed. Specifically, a plurality of client machines and one or more server machines are installed in each department. In each department, the server machines store shared data files (hereafter referred to as shared data), and the plurality of client machines share the shared data that is stored by the server machines.
Furthermore, for example, as is disclosed in Pub. No. US 2003/0200308, there is a second method in which information is gathered by means of an agent program that operates in the server machines in order to grasp the operating conditions of the server machines, and information relating to the operating conditions (e.g., information indicating that trouble has occurred) is provided to a manager.

Method and apparatus for data migration based on a comparison of storage device state information


According to one embodiment, a deadlock detection device includes a combining calculator and a deadlock determiner. The combining calculator performs selecting a mobile vehicle or combined mobile vehicles from among mobile vehicles, based on a traveling path configuration graph and first state information, going forward the selected mobile vehicle to go forward on traveling path configuration graph and combining the selected mobile vehicle to another mobile vehicle or another combined mobile vehicles at a back of the other mobile vehicle or the other combined mobile vehicles, iterating a process of the selecting, the going and combining. The deadlock determiner determines that a deadlock occurs if not all the mobile vehicles have been combined by the combining calculator, and determines that no deadlock occurs if all the mobile vehicles have been combined.

Conventionally, a method of creating a traveling plan of a mobile vehicle such as an automatic guided vehicle that conveys a package or the like in a warehouse, a factory or the like has been proposed. To calculate optimal traveling plan, simulation based a method that simulates future states (travel patterns of mobile vehicles) from current state (e.g., the positions and directions of the mobile vehicles on traveling paths) is often used. If it is allowed to take time more, more states to the distant future can be searched. Accordingly, a more optimal state can be found, and the optimal traveling plan can be created. However, if there are a large number of mobile vehicles and the traveling path configuration is complex, the number of states transitioned from a certain state becomes large. Consequently, it is impossible to search all the states in a realistically allowed time period.
As a method for resolving this problem, there is a method of providing an upper limit of a simulation time period or the number of times. However, according to this method, because a sufficient search process cannot be made, created traveling plans possibly cause a deadlock when operation instructions based on the traveling plans are issued for mobile vehicles. Here, the definition of deadlock is as follows: at least one mobile vehicle which cannot move to a certain crossing (an intersection) or an end point (a terminal point) exists.
As methods for preventing occurrence of the deadlock, there are known the following methods; a method of providing a rule for preventing occurrence of a deadlock, a method of providing blocked sections on traveling paths, and a method of setting traveling paths to be one way only,. However, these methods cannot create efficient (optimal) traveling plans in many cases.
Meanwhile, it is desired to create a traveling plan not causing a deadlock in the future as possible.

Deadlock detection device, information processing device, deadlock detection method, and non-transitory computer readable medium


The apparatus for measuring differences in the transmission of light through a lens of an eye is an eye chart has two main sections including a test section that displays a shade of a test color and a reference section that displays either a spectrum of shades, or a different shade of, the test color. The chart is displayed in a box, projected on a wall or displayed as a chart hung on a wall. The chart is illuminated using a constant or variable intensity light source. A patient is required to find or make a match between the shades disposed on the chart. When the variable intensity light is used, the patient will be required to adjust the light intensity of the section it illuminates until a match in color shades is made. The chart may be used in conjunction with a Snellen eye chart.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for measuring differences in the transmission of light through an eye. More particularly, the invention relates to a non-invasive device that uses shades of color and brightness of color to determine whether the eye is impaired, e.g., by cataracts.
2. Description of the Related Art
Eye examiners perform a number of tests to determine the health of an eye. Some tests gauge the eye's health and determine ailments based on the amount of light entering or, on the contrary, leaving the eye. A cataract is one eye disease that can be detected based on the amount of light entering the eye. A cataract is defined as a clouding of a lens of an eye. The clouding of the lens blocks light entry into the eye. The amount of light entering the eye and reaching the retina is proportionally related to color perception. Hence, decreased light entry into the eye results in the eye perceiving a color as being a dark shade, while increased light entry into the eye results in the patient perceiving the color as being a light shade. Other conditions that affect light entry into the eye are thin abnormalities in the cornea or problems with the retina.
Current tests used to measure light entry into the eye measure the amount of light scattered back out of the eye, or require the use of computers. Some of these tests are invasive or are based on subjective, visual observation by an examiner, while others require the patient to perform complicated tasks. Theses tests do not measure light entry into the eye based on the patient's own ability to perceive color. Therefore, an apparatus and method is needed for measuring light entry into the eye that is non-invasive and is based on a patient's individual ability to perceive color.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,973, issued to Raif on May 4, 1982, describes an ophthalmoscopic instrument for measuring eye defects, such as cataracts and flares. The instrument splits a light beam into a first part and a second part. The first part is reflected off the back of the eye to a viewing station. The second part passes through a light scatterer then to the viewing station to be matched with the light of the first part. The amount of light reflected on the viewing station is quantified to determine the health of an eye.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,542, issued to Ichihashi et al. on Dec. 8, 1987, describes a device that photoelectrically detects the amount of backscattering resulting from a laser beam directed into the back of the eye to determine ophthalmic disease, such as cataracts. U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,159, issued to Kandel et al. on Mar. 11, 1997, describes a method and apparatus for noninvasive determination of a disease state of an eye. The test determines a patient's color mixing behavior by requiring the patient to manipulate lights of different wavelengths until a match is made. The patient's test results are then compared to a standard determined appropriate for their age group.
Several devices have been developed that test color vision in the eye by requiring a patient to discern symbols, patterns or to change a variable to match a fixed item. U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,007, issued to Farb on Apr. 30, 2002, describes an eye chart with distinct symbols and methods for vision testing. The chart displays a distinct set of numbers, letters or pictures useful in diagnosing loss of color vision and testing for neurological disorders or diseases.
German Patent Number 19,910,743 published on Sep. 14, 2000, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,708, issued on Apr. 24, 2001 to Koest, both describe a method and device for producing multicolored patterns to test color vision. The device transmits a time-controlled light through color segments that can be alternatively rotated into the beam of the light path.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,898, issued to Massof on Jul. 18, 1989, describes an apparatus for testing color vision. The device uses a mixture of yellow, red and green lights to determine color vision deficiencies, such as anomalous trichromacy and dichromacy. The lights are displayed in different patterns and light intensities.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,210,006, issued to Menozzi on Apr. 3, 2001, describes a color vision deficiency test. The test displays two separate fields, each being a different color. The first field is a fixed color such as yellow; the second field is a variable color being either green or red. The test subject is asked to determine which field corresponds to the color they are instructed to select. The test is then repeated with a different variable color. Other colors may be adjusted for other types of color deficiencies.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,462,485, issued to Freeman on Feb. 22, 1949, describes a means for testing a person's sensitivity to discriminating colors. Test plates are used having a number of chromatic spots arranged in color groups. A test subject is required to determine the number of colors that differ from the majority of colors.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,376, issued to Ledl on Jul. 20, 1976, describes an instrument to test color vision. The instrument comprises a number of colored glass panels that are grouped in pairs and are illuminated by a light. The glass panels include a plurality of filters to transmit light at different degrees. A test subject determines and compares the color intensity of the panels. The results tell whether or not a person is colorblind.
International Patent Number WO 99/15071, published on Apr. 1, 1999, describes a method and apparatus for testing and qualifying visual information from the eye using a virtual reality system. U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,285, issued to Walker on Sep. 25, 1979, describes a method for quantifying a person's color perception.
Other devices have been developed that test the visual acuity of the eye by testing a patient's ability to discern symbols or contrast and spatial frequency. U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,520, issued to Klimsa on Jul. 15, 1980, describes a device for testing visual acuity. The device comprises an opaque chart having a plurality of cutout openings in the shape of numbers or letters, and a contrast means disposed behind the cutouts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,873, issued to Ginsburg on Dec. 28, 1982, describes a visual sensitivity test for spatial frequency and contrast sensitivity. U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,594, issued to Task on Oct. 7, 1986, describes a vision test chart. The chart displays a number of test shapes organized over a background where both the shapes and the background each have its own pre-selected luminance level. The chart tests a subject's ability to perceive contrast, specifically, contrast in relation to size.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus an apparatus and method for measuring differences in the transmission of light through a lens of an eye solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

Apparatus and method for measuring differences in the transmission of light through a lens of an eye