The present disclosure discloses an imaging lens assembly. The imaging lens assembly includes sequentially, from an object side to an image side along an optical axis, a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens and a fifth lens. The first lens has a positive refractive power, an object-side surface of the first lens is a convex surface, and an image-side surface of the first lens is a convex surface; the second lens has a negative refractive power; the third lens has a positive refractive power, an object-side surface of the third lens is a convex surface, and an image-side surface of the third lens is a convex surface; the fourth lens has a positive refractive power; and the fifth lens has a negative refractive power, and a surface tilt angle β5 of an object-side surface of the fifth lens at a maximum effective radius satisfies: −20°<β5<5°.

In recent years, as the science and technology develop, portable electronic products are gradually emerging, and portable electronic products having camera functions are increasingly liked by people. Therefore, there is an increasing market demand for camera lens assemblies suitable for the portable electronic products. Since the portable electronic products tend to be miniaturized, the total length of the lens assembly is limited, thereby increasing the difficulty in designing the lens assembly. Currently, an often used photosensitive element in the camera lens assembly is generally a CCD (charge-coupled device) or a CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor). As the CCD and CMOS elements are having higher performances and smaller sizes, higher requirements on high image quality and miniaturization of the counterpart camera lens assemblies have been brought forward.
To satisfy the miniaturization requirement, a typical configuration of an existing lens assembly has an F-number Fno (effective focal length of a lens assembly/entrance pupil diameter of a lens assembly) of 2.0 or above, to possess a good optical performance while realizing the reduction in size of the lens assembly. However, with the constant development of smart phones and other portable electronic products, higher requirements on camera lens assemblies are brought forward, especially in situations such as lack of light (e.g., cloudy and rainy days, dusk, etc.) and hand trembling, thus the F-number Fno of 2.0 or above has been unable to meet higher order imaging requirements.
Therefore, there is a need for an imaging lens assembly applicable to the portable electronic products, having a large ultra-thin aperture and a good image quality.


A method of regulating the calorific power of a stream of gaseous fuel of the fossil-gas type, comprising a predominant fuel gas, denoted xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d and flowing in a pipe. This regulation is performed, at least partly, by controlled addition of at least one fuel gas called having a calorific power greater than that of xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d into the stream. The subject of the invention is also its apparatus for implementation and its applications.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the purpose of regulating the combustion characteristics of a gaseous fuel, and more particularly to the calorific power conveyed by a stream of gaseous fuel, especially a stream of fossil fuel of the natural-gas type.
The present invention relates especially to regulation of a stream of gaseous fuel distributed by a network of feed pipes to industrial plants using a thermal process, the regulation according to the invention preferably taking place at the downstream end of the said network, on the site of the industrial plant, or just upstream of the latter.
2. Description of the Background
The industrial plants more particularly intended are glassmaking plants using natural-gas burners for melting (and possibly refining) glass in the widest sense, that is to say mineral compositions used to manufacture flatware (float lines), hollowware (plants for making bottles and flasks), mineral wool of a glass type or rook type intended for thermal and/or acoustic insulation, or glass fibers used for the reinforcement of polymeric-type materials, called reinforcing figures, or else textile fibers.
In all these types of plant, it is important for the furnaces to operate under the most constant and uniform conditions as possible, one parameter among others, which is not insignificant, being the properties of the fuel which feeds the burners, especially its calorific power. Now, it may happen that the distribution network delivers a natural gas whose properties fluctuate for various reasons, the most frequent of which is the fact that the network is fed with natural gas having different properties coming from several sources of supply.
It has therefore proved necessary to take corrective actions in order to compensate for these variations in calorific power.
A first mode of regulation has consisted in varying the flow of the fuel, by making a high-value correction to its calorific power by increasing its flow rate, or by making a low-value correction by decreasing its flow rate with a non-combustible gas in order to reduce its flow rate, the flow corrections taking place in the same proportions as the observed fluctuations in the calorific power of the fuel. This mode of regulation makes it possible to maintain the calorific flow entering the furnace at its set value. Whether this regulation is carried out manually or automatically, their limits have quickly been reached; this is because it has been observed that simply correcting the calorific power of the incoming gas by proportional modulation of the flow rate does not achieve perfect stabilization of the furnace operating conditions, all other things being equal. This could be explained by the fact that variations in the fuel flow rates at the burners also cause modifications in the manner in which the combustion takes place and, especially, the manner in which the flame will develop above the glass bath.
Accordingly, there remains a need for new methods of regulating the calorific power of fuel gases.
An object of the invention is to provide an improved mode of regulation for the calorific power of a stream of gaseous fuel, especially with the aim of minimizing any modification induced by the regulation itself in the manner in which the combustion takes place. In particular, an object of the invention is to achieve a regulation which preserves as far as possible the stability of the operating conditions of the furnace, when the fuel is intended to feed the burners of a furnace of the glass-furnace type.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a method of regulating the calorific power of a stream of gaseous fuel of the fossil-gas type comprising predominantly a gas, denoted xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d, and flowing in a pipe. It consists in carrying out the regulation, at least partly, by the controlled addition of at least one combustible gas, denoted xe2x80x9cBxe2x80x9d, having a calorific power greater than that of A into the stream.
A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description.

Method and apparatus for regulating a stream of gaseous fuel


A swivel lever closing device for doors of housings or cabinets which preferably have walls of thin material such as sheet steel, in particular, for operating locking systems such as locking bars which can be installed in the fold space in sheet-metal cabinet doors. The swivel lever closing device is formed of a door plate which has a base plate with a swivel lever serving as a handle and with protuberances serving to engage in cut outs in the door, wherein a first protuberance is formed at one end of the door plate in the region of a locking arrangement for the swivel lever and another or second protuberance is formed at the other end of the door plate and is arranged at the door plate symmetrically with respect to rotation so as to be offset by 180.degree. with reference to the actuating axis of the swivel lever, wherein a locking bar is provided which is in a working connection, via a latch, with the swivel lever and an articulated spindle pinion and with receptacles in the cabinet for locking elements formed in the region of the locking bar. Another swivel lever has a first door plate region and a second door plate region, wherein the first door plate region is formed by the base plate whose protuberances, as retaining block or retaining blocks, can be secured in the cut outs in the door leaf or the like, while the second door plate region is formed by a lateral shoulder which is connected with the base plate so as to form one or more parts, a push plate which is adjustable parallel to the axis of the locking bar being supported at the inside of the lateral shoulder.

The invention is directed to a swivel lever closing device for doors of housings or cabinets which preferably have walls of thin material such as sheet steel, in particular for operating locking systems such as locking bars which can be installed in the fold space in sheet-metal cabinet doors, which swivel lever closing device is formed of a door plate which has a base plate with a swivel lever serving as a handle and with protuberances serving to engage in cut outs in the door, wherein a first protuberance is formed at one end of the door plate in the region of a locking arrangement for the swivel lever and another or second protuberance is formed at the other end of the door plate and is arranged at the door plate symmetrically with respect to rotation so as to be offset by 180.degree. with reference to the actuating axis of the swivel lever, wherein a locking bar is provided which is in a working connection, via a latch, with the swivel lever and an articulated spindle pinion and with receptacles in the cabinet for locking elements formed in the region of the locking bar. In another embodiment, the door plate has a first door plate region and a second door plate region, wherein the first door plate region is formed by the base plate whose protuberance(s), as retaining block or retaining blocks, can be secured in the cut outs in the door leaf or the like, while the second door plate region is formed by a lateral shoulder which is connected with the base plate so as to form one or more parts, a push plate which is adjustable parallel to the axis of the locking bar being supported at the inside of the lateral shoulder.

Swivel lever closing device for doors of housing or cabinets


Methods and apparatus provide for an orthopedic device, including: a base element having a plurality of apertures extending therethrough for receiving a respective bone fixation element; a retaining mechanism operating to prevent withdrawal of the fixation element; and a blocker operating to overlie the bone fixation element within the one of the apertures such that the bone fixation element is prevented from withdrawing from one or more bones of the patient.

The present invention relates to the surgical field of orthopedics and providing an additional safety aspect to orthopedic implants to further ensure patient safety. For example, the present invention is directed to a bone fastener retainer for orthopedic implants, such as spinal plates, spinal cages, etc.
Back pain is one of the most common and often debilitating conditions affecting millions of people in all walks of life. Today, it is estimated that over ten million people in the United States alone suffer from persistent back pain. Approximately half of those suffering from persistent back pain are afflicted with chronic disabling pain, which seriously compromises a person's quality of life and is the second most common cause of worker absenteeism. Further, the cost of treating chronic back pain is very high, even though the majority of sufferers do not receive treatment due to health risks, limited treatment options and inadequate therapeutic results. Thus, chronic back pain has a significantly adverse effect on a person's quality of life, on industrial productivity, and on health care expenditures.
Degenerative spinal column diseases, such as disc degenerative diseases (DDD), spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, and so on, need surgical operation if they do not take a turn for the better by conservative management. Typically, spinal decompression is the first surgical procedure that is performed. The primary purpose of decompression is to reduce pressure in the spinal canal and on nerve roots located therein by removing a certain tissue of the spinal column to reduce or eliminate the pressure and pain caused by the pressure. If the tissue of the spinal column is removed the pain is reduced but the spinal column is weakened. Therefore, fusion surgery (e.g., ALIF, PLIF or posterolateral fusion) is often necessary for spinal stability following the decompression procedure. However, following the surgical procedure, fusion takes additional time to achieve maximum stability and a spinal fixation device is typically used to support the spinal column until a desired level of fusion is achieved. Depending on a patient's particular circumstances and condition, a spinal fixation surgery can sometimes be performed immediately following decompression, without performing the fusion procedure. The fixation surgery is performed in most cases because it provides immediate postoperative stability and, if fusion surgery has also been performed, it provides support of the spine until sufficient fusion and stability has been achieved.
Conventional methods of spinal fixation utilize a rigid orthopedic device to support an injured spinal part and prevent movement of the injured part. Among these conventional orthopedic devices (often referred to as spinal fixation devices) are cervical plates, cervical stand-alone cages, lateral lumbar plates, stand-alone lumbar anterior cages, etc.
An accepted procedure for treating spinal disorders involves using an orthopedic device, such as the aforementioned types, to hold vertebrae in desired spatial relationships and orientations relative to each other. The patient's spine can be approached anteriorly or posteriorly, and in either case, holes are drilled (and often tapped) in at least two adjacent vertebrae, which holes are accurately positioned with reference to openings formed through the orthopedic device. Screws or other fasteners are used to secure the orthopedic device to the vertebrae. In some cases the screws may be self-tapping.
One of the problems associated with the aforementioned technique is the tendency of the bone screws or other fasteners to gradually work loose after implantation. Slight shock or vibration of the vertebrae over time, due to walking, climbing stairs or more vigorous activity by the patient following treatment increases this tendency, jeopardizing the integrity of the fixation via the orthopedic device. Moreover, as the fasteners work loose, the outward protrusion of the heads over other components of the orthopedic device can be a source of discomfort and present the risk of trauma to adjacent and surrounding soft tissue.
There have been attempts to solve the above problem. Indeed, there are requirements to employ a blocking mechanism in connection with the orthopedic device to ensure that bone fixation screws do not back out of the device while in-situ. In particular it has become a standard requirement to have a blocking means in most cervical plates, cervical stand-alone cages, lateral lumbar plates and stand-alone lumbar anterior cages that use bone screws for fixation.
Several popular product designs are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,550, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,550 generally entail the use of a rotary activated screw head or cam plate blocker to cover the head of the bone fixation screws. Depending on design and tolerance these devices may provide some measure of usefulness; however there has been discussion about the need for some assurance that the disclosed blockers themselves do not loosen and rotate while in-situ.
As conventional devices for screw retention have not provided a comprehensive solution to the tendency of the bone screws (and blockers) to work loose in-situ, there is a need for a secondary blocking mechanism to ensure that the blocker does not itself loosen in-situ.


A method and apparatus for fabricating high density monolithic metal and oy billets. The process requires preheating precursor materials of metal or alloy billets by means of a combustion synthesis called Self-Propagating High-Temperature Synthesis (SHS). The reaction takes place in an insulated reaction vessel where the precursors, in a powder form, are heated to high temperatures. The precursors are then compacted to high density by means of pressure waves generated by detonation of an explosive. The method is capable of producing high purity tungsten and tungsten-based alloys of greater than 90% theoretical density.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the fabricating of high-density monolithic refractory metal and alloy billets, and more particularly to a two step process referred to as Combustion Synthesis Assisted Hot Explosive Compaction, and a vessel for containing and withstanding said reaction.
2. Discussion of Related Art
The development of improved refractory alloys comprised of tungsten, molybdenum, and tantalum is an ongoing research project. In general, the development of these alloys requires a continuous matrix phase of one of the components, good intergrain bonding between the primary and matrix phases, and good machinability. The metallurgy of the improved composition of the alloy requires that no intermetallics are formed.
Tungsten heavy alloys are most effectively produced by liquid phase sintering. Most of the existing liquid phase sintering technology for fabricating tungsten heavy alloys has been focussed on developing two phase composites, consisting of spheroidal tungsten particles embedded in a nickel--iron, or a copper--nickel matrix. Recently, there has been a renewed interest for extending the liquid phase sintering method to incorporate other matrix materials, such as titanium,(Ti-6Al-4V), zirconium, hafnium, and other steel alloys. However, it has been determined, when using zirconium, hafnium or iron with this method, undesirable intermetallic phases may form if a critical temperature is exceeded.
Powder metallurgy methods are often considered when conventional forming routes, such as melting, casting and forging, are not appropriate. Such methods are more economical due to the fact that there is a reduced need for machining. Powder metallurgy methods produce products with near net-shape and practically finished dimensions. Recent developments in the preparation of powder precursors allow for greater control over the grain size and improved component distribution, resulting in a more homogeneous structure.
For the fabrication of a new class of tungsten heavy alloys, a method similar to liquid phase sintering is desired. In addition to conventional powder metallurgy fabrication techniques, such as liquid phase sintering, other processes have been considered. Examples of such processes include solid state sintering and coextrusion through a die, and the use of explosive compaction to consolidate and sinter the powdered precursors into full density products.
In consideration of alternative methods of fabricating tungsten heavy alloys, the explosive compaction method has the capability of producing not only consolidation of metal and ceramic powder, but equilibrium and non-equilibrium structures as well. Such tungsten heavy alloys are produced through exposure to and passage of a shock wave. The shock wave is generated by an impact of a projectile or a flyer plate, produced by compressed gas or detonation of an explosive. In producing the conventional compaction geometries, the application of the shock wave can be in either a planar or cylindrical configuration. As the shock wave propagates through the metal or ceramic powder, it densities the powder and produces bonding between adjacent articles.
The rapid densification rate produced by the shock wave, can result in low nonuniform densities, poor interparticle bonding and severe cracking of the structures. Furthermore, a rise in temperature of the powders occurs as a result of irreversible work occurring during the consolidation of distended solids. This rise in temperature has frequently been found to be insufficient in the development of bonding of the particles.
There has been an attempt to address the problem associated with the sudden rise in temperature associated with the shock wave in a report "Hot Explosive Pressing of Powders," by Gorobtsov and Roman. This report suggests a method known as Hot Explosive Compaction (HEC) which includes preheating the powder prior to exposure to the shock wave. The advantage of preheating the powder is to decrease its yield strength. This results in increasing ductility and allows for greater thermal softening.
A variation of the HEC method for consolidating tungsten-based alloys is the Combustion Synthesis Assisted HEC (CSA-HEC). This technique requires a self-propagating high-temperature synthesis reaction (SHS), thereby producing a chemical furnace, for preheating the powder sample prior to compaction. The SHS involves the synthesis of ceramic and intermetallic materials directly from their elemental precursors, by means of propagation of a solid--solid combustion front, through a green powder compact. Following initiation of the SHS process, the heat of the reaction is sufficient to sustain the reaction until all of the reactants have been consumed. Such reactions are characterized by rapid reaction rates, temperatures of approximately 3000 degrees C., and at times violent evolution of impurities trapped on the reactants.
An advantage of a combustion synthesis process, such as SHS, is that it requires a relatively small energy input, and the processing time is reduced to seconds, as opposed to hours. In addition, temperatures much higher than those of conventional furnaces can be achieved by such a process. Furthermore, the CSA-HEC method eliminates the remotely controlled transfer system used in the conventional HEC process for moving the heated powders from the furnace to the explosive assembly. Placing the heating source around the sample allows for heating and consolidation of the powder in the same fixture.
There are significant differences between liquid phase sintering techniques, HEC and CSA-HEC processes. Liquid phase sintering allows for the tungsten to dissolve either partially or completely into the matrix, thereby making the initial metal powder morphology to be of less importance. In the past, application of the HEC process was limited to homogeneous systems, such as pure and prealloyed metals and ceramic powders. The long preheating cycle is likely to cause the dissolution of the tungsten into the matrix to form an extensive solid solution. However, in the CSA-HEC process, the length of the heating cycle is reduced. Therefore, it is likely that the solid solution formation would be limited to interfacial regions leaving the original tungsten grain morphology intact. The heating cycle characteristic is critical if the desirable properties are to be retained, such as size distribution and morphology of the refractory precursor. It should be noted that the rapid temperature quench may reduce impurity segregation at interfaces or grain boundaries. Adjustment of available heat and peak temperatures during the preheating cycles can be made to limit sintering, dissolution and melting in each phase in order to maintain the precursor structure and morphology. Thus, melting of the matrix metal can occur while preventing complete dissolution of the primary component.
In "Hot Explosive Pressing of Powders," by Gorobstov and Roman, the basic issues associated with HEC are defined. The powders are preheated in a furnace, while an explosive, a plane wave generator and a base plate are mounted and assembled. Following arming of the detonator, the furnace is opened and a container holding the hot-powder is pushed along a guidance system until it is placed beneath the explosive charge. The time lapse between transfer of the container from the furnace until detonation of the explosive was less than 20 seconds. This technique consolidated large 10 mm .times.100 mm .times.180 mm flat plates. Tensile and Charpy impact strength tests of the HEC samples resulted in high ductility and toughness. This implies that the HEC compacts were strong enough for machining and mechanical working, without a need for sintering. The authors concluded that the HEC above recrystalization temperature of the material resulted in full density compacts. In addition, they speculated that in the course of extensive plastic deformation, the underlying mechanism responsible for this structure was dynamic recrystalization caused by high pressures and high temperatures.
The HEC process has also been addressed in "Hot Explosive Compaction of Metal Powders," by Bhalla. However, in place of the planar compaction used by Gorobtsov and Roman, Bhalla uses a cylindrical compaction configuration. The precursor powder mixture is placed in a sealed tube. The tube is then preheated in a furnace, quickly removed, transferred and dropped into the compaction apparatus, and consolidated to full-density. As a result, above recrystalization temperature HEC was controlled by the impact of the energy input, and that the temperature had a small influence on the density of the sample. Due to high temperature malleability and plasticity of powder, it was determined that the energy requirements were found to be substantially lower than when explosive compaction was performed at room temperature. Again, it was concluded that the compacts produced by the HEC method have superior mechanical properties and did not require additional sintering.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,830 to Akashi et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,720 to Takeda also disclose the application of a chemical furnace for enhancing the properties of SHS synthesized ceramics. The Akashi et al. patent further discloses an explosive compaction fixture designed to hold multiple sample capsules. The fixture is fitted with an external heating unit. Shock induced damage is reduced by positioning capsules off high-symmetry axes and attaching a momentum trap to the base of the fixture. After the heating element elevates the temperature of the entire steel fixture, the explosive container is allowed to slide onto the steel fixture, and is then remotely detonated. Among the unique features of this design, is the ability to synthesize twelve samples simultaneously. However, compaction of all twelve samples to full density is not likely to be achieved due to mechanical constraints imposed by the plurality of capsules. Results of the procedure were compared to compactions of different particle size, initial powders, and admixtures with graphite, silicon and Ti+C at temperatures of 600.degree. C. and 700.degree. C. The samples compacted at higher temperatures had less cracking, improved bonding, and increased hardness. It was found that cracking was associated with increase in grain size.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,645 to Niiler et al. discloses a two step process for producing fully dense ceramics. This method involves synthesis of the samples followed by compaction after their formation. In relation to the CSA-HEC method, this method uses preheating followed by compaction.
The following disclosure relates to the two-step process of Niiler et al. in combination with the chemical furnace disclosure of Akashi et al. and Takeda. This combination results in a unique two-step explosive compaction process. The SHS synthesized material is used only as a heat source and functions to provide the heat necessary to increase the temperature of an enclosed metal or alloy sample.

Hot explosive consolidation of refractory metal and alloys

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army

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Apparatuses, methods, and systems for coordinated beamforming in a wireless mesh network, are disclosed. One system includes a network that includes a plurality of nodes connected through wireless links, and a controller. The wireless links including aggressor links and victim links wherein the aggressor links interfere with the victim links. The controller is operative to identify aggressor links and victim links of a group of nodes of the plurality of nodes, coordinate beam scans of the one or more victim receive nodes associated with the victim links of the group, coordinate transmission of one or more aggressor transmit nodes associated with the aggressor links of the group, characterize or receive characterizations of measured interference at the one or more victim receive nodes during the coordinated beam scans, and select beamforming coefficients for the victim receive nodes based at least on the characterizations of the measured interference.

Wireless mesh networks include a collection of wireless nodes that connect and wirelessly communicate with each other. The nodes are proximately located, and accordingly, at least some of wireless links between the wireless nodes suffer from interference due to wireless communication of other wireless links. In a wireless mesh network where multiple point-to-point links transmit and receive simultaneously, interference between links can degrade the performance of the wireless mesh network.
It is desirable to have methods, apparatuses, and systems for coordinated beamforming in a wireless mesh network.

Coordinated beamforming of nodes in a wireless mesh network


Methods and apparatus for accessing licensable items unique to a geographic area via a wireless device are provided. The method and apparatus may include obtaining access to licensable items available in a first location of the wireless device. The methods and apparatus may further include downloading a licensable item. The licensable item is associated with a license providing the wireless device with a right to distribute the licensable item. The methods and apparatus may also include leaving a virtual copy of the licensable item in a second location of the wireless device different from the first location using the right to distribute.

In today's world, wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of content, including voice, video, music, text, and data, for example. Wireless devices, such as cellular telephones or handheld devices having wireless connection capability are deployed leveraging the wireless communication system by users for communicating and interacting with each other.
Publishers and owners of licensable items, such as digital content or services, may want to create promotions, discounts, or other distribution campaigns to users of wireless devices to promote and generate interest in the licensable items of the publisher. However, the publishers may not want the promotion to apply to all users of a system. Therefore there is a need to license items based on, for example, location. Licensing items based on location could be a powerful promotional tool for owners of licensable items. By limiting the license to a particular area, the publishers may target the promotional campaign to users more likely to use the licensable item. For example, if the publishers created a new sports application, the promotional campaign may be limited to users at a sporting event. Moreover, providing special access to a licensable item based on location may generate an element of fun and exclusivity to the licensable item. In addition, owners of licensable items may want to provide users with the right to distribute the licensable items. Therefore, there is a need in the art to license a licensable item with a right of distribution, and thus, allowing the licensable item to be re-distributed quickly to multiple users across various locations.

Methods and systems for accessing licensable items in a geographic area


A hammer has a claw assembly that is linearly moveable relative to the head of the hammer so as to improve leverage and range of prying for nail removal. A locking mechanism secures the claw assembly in a position. The locking mechanism may be automatic or manual, and may comprise a ratcheting mechanism with a pawl and rack, or a clamping mechanism with a deflectable sleeve and engaged bar, or a biased pin lock mechanism.

As is well known, a conventional claw hammer is a tool primarily used for pounding nails into or extracting nails from some other object. Generally, a claw hammer is associated with woodworking but is not limited to use with wood products.
A conventional claw hammer 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1. From a profile, it roughly resembles the letter "T". The handle 15 is the long vertical part. The head assembly 20 includes a striking head 25 and a curved two-prong claw 30 opposite the striking head. The claw 30 curves downward (i.e., towards the handle) and splits in the middle forming a "V" shape gap 35. The claw increases in thickness from the free end to the intersection with the handle 15. This gap 35 is the part of the claw 30 of the hammer 10 that is commonly used for extracting nails from wood. The curved claw 30 in conjunction with the handle 15 is used to gain leverage when extracting a nail.
The curvature and length of the claw 30 varies among hammers. By way of example, the claw of a framing hammer may feature less curvature than the claw curvature of a finishing hammer and therefore does not have as much leverage for removing nails. While claws are useful for fully extracting short nails in one fluid motion, long nails pose challenges. A claw may not have sufficient length and range of motion to fully extract the nail. The claw may be adequate to partially remove the nail. A user must then struggle to extract the remaining embedded portion of the nail, such as by applying another tool, e.g., pliers, and considerable pulling force or by applying a board, such as a 2×4, to raise the height of the fulcrum point. Although a hammer could be provided with an extremely long curved claw sufficient to extract even the longest nail, such a hammer would be extremely cumbersome to wield.
The invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems and solving one or more of the needs as set forth above.


An electronic video camera temporarily records and saves motion video in a relatively high-resolution form in a frame aging buffer. While video frames are saved in high-resolution form, it is possible to extract a relatively high-resolution still image from the buffer. The camera holds the video data in high-resolution form a limited time, eventually “aging” it as more frames are captured. The motion video is stored in persistent storage in a lower resolution form. At the user's option, relatively higher resolution frames from the buffer can also be saved.

In the latter half of the twentieth century, there began a phenomenon known as the information revolution. While the information revolution is a historical development broader in scope than any one event or machine, no single device has come to represent the information revolution more than the digital electronic computer. The development of computer systems has surely been a revolution. Each year, computer systems grow faster, store more data, and provide more applications to their users.
The declining prices and expanding capabilities of modem digital technology has caused it to be used in an ever increasing variety of applications. One of these applications has been the capturing of optical images electronically. Optical imaging technology generally uses a digital sensor array, such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) array, having a large number of photo-sensitive elements arranged in a regular pattern, and appropriate supporting hardware which scans the output of the elements and constructs therefrom a digital image. The digital image can then be stored in any digital data storage medium, displayed on a digital display device, printed on paper or other medium, manipulated using editing tools, or transmitted to remote locations using any transmission medium appropriate for digital data.
Optical imaging has been used in a variety of settings, including fax machines, document scanners, bar code readers, and so forth. In particular, electronic optical imaging is also used as a substitute for older film-based media in high-resolution still and motion picture cameras. Indeed, as electronic optical technology improves in quality and declines in price, many foresee the day when it will completely supplant the older film-based media in these fields.
A typical electronic camera, whether used for still or motion video, has an on-board digital data processor and is in effect a small, special purpose computer. These cameras are therefore often referred to as "digital" camera, and will be so referred to herein, although in fact data may sometimes be sensed, stored, or temporarily held or transmitted in an analog electronic mode. The optical sensor array used for capturing images can be used for either still or motion video images, provided that appropriate supporting hardware, programming and recording media is available. This fact has been used to advantage in various commercially available video cameras, which also have the optional capability to capture still images. Since a still image is normally saved in a different format than a motion video image, these cameras typically offer the user the option of a motion video or a still video mode. The common optical sensor array is used to capture the image in either case, but the captured image may be saved differently, depending on the operational mode.
Most digital cameras to date make limited use of digital technologies beyond straightforward optical scanning and recording. Such an approach fails to recognize the vast potential of the information age to provide improved integration of digital technology and enhanced function of digital cameras not yet conceived, a potential which is bounded only by human imagination. In particular, it fails to recognize the potential to obtain relatively high-resolution still images while recording in a relatively low-resolution motion video mode.

Method and apparatus for producing still video images using electronic motion video apparatus

International Business Machines Corporation


A sensor is provided at the end of a mounting assembly to receive a mounting piece attached to a child's seat thereby to disable the air bag targeted for the location of the child's seat in an automobile.

The use of air bag safety systems is now widespread throughout the automotive industry. Generally, the conventional air bag systems have been effective in limiting damage to vehicular occupants and drivers in most instances of their deployment. Tragically, there have been a few cases where injuries and deaths of children have been caused by the deployment of air bags. There has been a long felt need to eliminate the possibility of these occurrences.
Some conventional air bag systems include occupant sensing circuits. These circuits can be used to inhibit the deployment of a corresponding air bag, or air bags, when a driver or passenger seat is unoccupied. This capability is useful because conventional air bag systems provide for each air bag within a vehicle to be targeted to protect the occupant of a particular and predesignated seat.


A system and method for verifying the consistency of mirrored data sets is provided. A verification module executed on a destination storage system transmits a list of desired persistent consistency point images (PCPIs) to a source destination storage system. The source destination storage system identifies a common subset of PCPIs and returns a list of the common subset to the destination. The destination initiates a separate connection for each PCPI in the common subset. The source then generates a data stream which is transmitted to the destination for use in verifying the PCPIs.

A storage system typically comprises one or more storage devices into which information may be entered, and from which information may be obtained, as desired. The storage system includes a storage operating system that functionally organizes the system by, inter alia, invoking storage operations in support of a storage service implemented by the system. The storage system may be implemented in accordance with a variety of storage architectures including, but not limited to, a network-attached storage environment, a storage area network and a disk assembly directly attached to a client or host computer. The storage devices are typically disk drives organized as a disk array, wherein the term "disk" commonly describes a self-contained rotating magnetic media storage device. The term disk in this context is synonymous with hard disk drive (HDD) or direct access storage device (DASD).
Storage of information on the disk array is preferably implemented as one or more storage "volumes" of physical disks, defining an overall logical arrangement of disk space. The disks within a volume are typically organized as one or more groups, wherein each group may be operated as a Redundant Array of Independent (or Inexpensive) Disks (RAID). Most RAID implementations enhance the reliability/integrity of data storage through the redundant writing of data "stripes" across a given number of physical disks in the RAID group, and the appropriate storing of redundant information (parity) with respect to the striped data. The physical disks of each RAID group may include disks configured to store striped data (i.e., data disks) and disks configured to store parity for the data (i.e., parity disks). The parity may thereafter be retrieved to enable recovery of data lost when a disk fails. The term "RAID" and its various implementations are well-known and disclosed in A Case for Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID), by D. A. Patterson, G. A. Gibson and R. H. Katz, Proceedings of the International Conference on Management of Data (SIGMOD), June 1988.
The storage operating system of the storage system may implement a high-level module, such as a file system, to logically organize the information stored on the disks as a hierarchical structure of directories, files and blocks. For example, each "on-disk" file may be implemented as set of data structures, i.e., disk blocks, configured to store information, such as the actual data for the file. These data blocks are organized within a volume block number (vbn) space that is maintained by the file system. The file system organizes the data blocks within the vbn space as a "logical volume"; each logical volume may be, although is not necessarily, associated with its own file system. The file system typically consists of a contiguous range of vbns from zero to n, for a file system of size n+1 blocks.
A known type of file system is a write-anywhere file system that does not overwrite data on disks. If a data block is retrieved (read) from disk into a memory of the storage system and "dirtied" (i.e., updated or modified) with new data, the data block is thereafter stored (written) to a new location on disk to optimize write performance. A write-anywhere file system may initially assume an optimal layout such that the data is substantially contiguously arranged on disks. The optimal disk layout results in efficient access operations, particularly for sequential read operations, directed to the disks. An is example of a write-anywhere file system that is configured to operate on a storage system is the Write Anywhere File Layout (WAFL®) file system available from Network Appliance, Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif.
The storage operating system may further implement a storage module, such as a RAID system, that manages the storage and retrieval of the information to and from the disks in accordance with input/output (I/O) operations. The RAID system is also responsible for parity operations in the storage system. Note that the file system only "sees" the data disks within its vbn space; the parity disks are "hidden" from the file system and, thus, are only visible to the RAID system. The RAID system typically organizes the RAID groups into one large "physical" disk (i.e., a physical volume), such that the disk blocks are concatenated across all disks of all RAID groups. The logical volume maintained by the file system is then "disposed over" (spread over) the physical volume maintained by the RAID system.
The storage system may be configured to operate according to a client/server model of information delivery to thereby allow many clients to access the directories, files and blocks stored on the system. In this model, the client may comprise an application, such as a database application, executing on a computer that "connects" to the storage system over a computer network, such as a point-to-point link, shared local area network, wide area network or virtual private network implemented over a public network, such as the Internet. Each client may request the services of the file system by issuing file system protocol messages (in the form of packets) to the storage system over the network. By supporting a plurality of file system protocols, such as the conventional Common Internet File System (CIFS) and the Network File System (NFS) protocols, the utility of the storage system is enhanced.
In order to improve reliability and facilitate disaster recovery in the event of a failure of a storage system, its associated disks or some portion of the storage infrastructure, it is common to "minor" or replicate a data set comprising of some or all of the underlying data and/or the file system that organizes the data. A data set comprises an area of defined storage which may have a mirroring relationship associated therewith. Examples of data sets include, e.g., a file system, a volume or a persistent consistency point image (PCPI), described further below.
In one example, a minor is established and stored at a destination, making it more likely that recovery is possible in the event of a true disaster that may physically damage the source storage location or its infrastructure (e.g. a flood, power outage, act of war, etc.). The mirror is updated at regular intervals, typically set by an administrator, in an effort to maintain the most recent changes to the file system on the destination. The storage systems attempt to ensure that the minor is consistent, that is that the mirror contains identical data to that of the source.
One common form of update involves the use of a "snapshot" process in which the active file system at the source storage site, consisting of inodes and blocks, is captured and the changes between two snapshots are transmitted, over a network (such as the well-known Internet) to the remote destination storage site. Such mirroring techniques are described in the above-incorporated U.S. Patent Applications. By "active file system" it is meant the file system to which current input/output operations are being directed.
Note that the term "snapshot" is a trademark of Network Appliance, Inc. It is used for purposes of this patent to designate a persistent consistency point image (PCPI). A persistent consistency point image is a point in time representation of the storage system, and more particularly, of the active file system, stored on a storage device or in other persistent memory and having a name or other unique identifier that distinguishes it from other PCPIs taken at other points in time. A PCPI can also include other information (metadata) about the active file system at the particular point in time for which the image is taken. The terms PCPI and snapshot may be used interchangeably through out this patent without derogation of Network Appliance's is trademark rights. The PCPI process is described in further detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/932,578, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,454,445 on Nov. 18, 2008, entitled INSTANT SNAPSHOT by Blake Lewis et al., TR3002 File System Design for an NFS File Server Appliance by David Hitz et al., published by Network Appliance, Inc., and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,292 entitled METHOD FOR MAINTAINING CONSISTENT STATES OF A FILE SYSTEM AND FOR CREATING USERACCESSIBLE READ-ONLY COPIES OF A FILE SYSTEM by David Hitz et al., which are hereby incorporated by reference.
An exemplary PCPI-based mirroring technique typically provides for remote asynchronous replication or mirroring of changes made to a source file system PCPI in a destination replica file system. The mirroring technique typically scans (via a scanner) the blocks that make up two versions of a PCPI of the source file system, to identify latent divergence, i.e., changed blocks in the respective PCPI files based upon differences in vbns further identified in a scan of a logical file block index of each PCPI. Trees (e.g., buffer trees) of blocks associated with the files are traversed, bypassing unchanged pointers between versions, to identify the changes in the hierarchy of the trees. These changes are transmitted to the destination replica or "mirror." This technique allows regular files, directories, inodes and any other hierarchical structure of trees to be efficiently scanned to determine differences (latent divergence) between versions thereof. A set number of PCPIs may be retained both on the source and the destination depending upon various time-based and other criteria.
Conventional mirroring and archival backup systems typically include processes to ensure that the data set is correctly mirrored, to thereby reduce the divergence of the minor from the original source. However, errors may occur in the archival backup or minor due to, e.g., network errors, software errors and/or physical media errors of the storage devices. As a result of such errors, the mirror/backup is not identical to the source, which may cause data loss should an error condition occur on the source system. Additionally, the file systems on either the source or destination storage systems may experience an error condition. Such a file system error may be corrected by conventional file system error correction techniques; however, such correction may exacerbate mirror divergence. To ensure that a correct mirror is on the destination, a new mirroring relationship may need to be established and an initial baseline backup operation may need to be performed of the data set. This is computationally, I/O resource and network intensive to perform and also does not guarantee that the administrator has a point in time mirror of a previous point in time. That is, the new minor may be up to date, but does not reflect the contents of the mirrored source at a previous point in time, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the mirror.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for verifying the consistency of mirrored data sets


Apparatus (12) for transferring fluid between floating vessels (10, 11) is described, comprising a submerged rigid transfer arm (13) carrying a fluid pipeline (16). The apparatus (12) is provided with thrusters (21) and positioning monitoring means (24). A control system (25) operates the thrusters (21) to move the arm (13) if the position monitoring means (24) shows the arm (13) and the second vessel (11) is outside a given range, to restore the separation to within the range. The pipeline (16) may be located in a tunnel (30) on the arm (13) which opens above the waterline at each end to allow personnel access therein for inspection and maintenance of the pipeline (16).

The present invention relates to apparatus for transferring fluid between two structures, for example two floating vessels, or a fixed offshore structure and a vessel.
Transferring fluid, particularly of a cryogenic product, between two floating vessels, or a fixed offshore structure and a vessel, is a difficult and hazardous operation when performed in open sea. Various systems for transferring fluid have been proposed. For example, UK patent 2328196 describes a system which employs a rigid arm, one end of which is fixed in an articulated fashion to a storage vessel. The other end is supported by means of a flotation tank. A receiving vessel can be moored to this end of the rigid arm to receive fluid transferred from the storage vessel. The fluid transfer system between the rigid arm and the receiving vessel may be handled by articulated rigid pipes, for example of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,556,148.
One disadvantage of such a system is that when the rigid arm is connected to the floating vessel, the action of wind and waves may cause sudden changes in the separation of the arm and vessel. This may impose unacceptable loads on the fluid transfer system or even cause the arm and vessel to collide. Therefore, there is a need to improve the relative motion behaviour between the rigid arm and the recipient vessel.
A further disadvantage is that because the rigid arm is submerged, inspection, maintenance and repair operation are more difficult to carry out.

Offshore fluid transfer system and method


The present invention relates to an EMF-screened plastic-organic sheet hybrid structural component, preferably a battery housing, and to its use in motor vehicles, preferably in electrically powered motor vehicles or hybrid motor vehicles, the abbreviation EMF meaning electromagnetic field(s).

Low-frequency electric and magnetic fields (greater than 0 Hz to 100 kHz) are primarily caused by industrial applications. Each electric conductor in which current flows is surrounded by a magnetic field and an electric field. Of everyday importance are mainly the electric and magnetic fields which are produced by the power supply (50 Hz) and electrified traffic systems such as railways (16 ⅔ Hz). Because of their physical characteristics, electric and magnetic fields are present in decoupled form in the low-frequency range.
High-frequency electromagnetic fields (>100 kHz-300 GHz) (HF-EMF) in our everyday life primarily occur in applications which are used for wire-free information transmission in broadcasting, television, mobile radio and other communication technologies. Other important areas of application are medicine and numerous industrial processes. In HF-EMF, the electric and magnetic components are very closely coupled with one another at a distance from the source that depends on the wavelength. In the case of very short wavelengths, it is therefore barely possible to attribute effects and actions which, for example, occur when they strike the human body, to the action of only one of the two components.
The higher and higher power of batteries required recently and also in the future, in particular in the motor vehicle sector, leads to these batteries, owing to their electromagnetic fields, increasingly being able to exert an influence on the on-board electronics of vehicles, in particular motor vehicles, or being able to exert an influence on the wire-free transmission of information, and being able to quite considerably disrupt those on-board electronics or information transmission electronics. Other areas of application such as medical appliances or telecommunication or navigation devices can also be affected.
JP 2004-082141 A discloses an injection-moulded structural component for screening electromagnetic fields (EMF), for example for use as a housing part for batteries in motor vehicles, composed of a thermoplastic material, namely polypropylene, which has a high electrical conductivity as a result of the addition of metal fibres.
JP 2005-264097 A describes an injection-moulded article composed of a coated resin composition made of metal fibres A, a fibrous or cylindrical metal B with a lower melting point than A without any lead being present therein, and a thermoplastic resin C.
The object of the present invention was to elaborate a concept for an EMF-screened structural component which is able both to screen an electro-technical component with respect to external EMF and also to damp the EMF emitted by this component, without having to accept any losses in terms of the mechanical properties.
However, since each structural component has to simultaneously take into account the weight restrictions required in current automobile construction, the lightest possible construction of the same is required.

EMF-shielded plastic prepreg hybrid structural component


A hand support device for use with a computer pointing device relieves repetitive motion stress and includes a top surface, a bottom surface, and a perimeter surface connecting the top surface and the bottom surface. The top surface includes: a palm support region, that is an inclined planar surface; a little finger support portion extending from the palm support region; a thumb support region extending from the palm support region; a front index positioned on a side of the palm support region, and between the little finger and thumb support regions; and a side index adjacent to and extending from the palm support and thumb support regions. The bottom surface facilitates sliding of the hand support device on a work surface. The hand support device reduces stress and risk of injuries resulted from repetitive motions by encouraging the user of a computer pointing device to employ two fields of motion to control the pointing device. The user engages the fingers, the hand, and the wrist to make fine movements while holding the hand support device stationary. The user moves the computer pointing device and the hand support device in unison with the arm and shoulder when making coarse movements.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to devices for minimizing work-related injuries caused by the use of computers and particularly to a hand support for use with a computer pointing device such as a computer mouse.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well known that the extended use of a computer pointing device, such as a computer mouse, can cause a computer user to suffer from cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) or repetitive strain injuries (RSI). Computer users can often be afflicted with pains in the hands and the wrists caused by excessive wrist movements such as flexion and hyper-extension of the wrist. Computer users can also suffer from soreness and fatigue in the shoulders and the necks due to excessive arm and shoulder motions associated with use of computer pointing devices.
Long period of repetitive motion associated with the use of the computer mouse coupled with incorrect hand posture while using the mouse may cause disorders in the hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, and neck, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome is the numbness, tingling and loss of strength of the hand and wrist, and is caused by stress on the wrist induced by repetitive wrist and finger motions. Repetitive stress injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, can be disabling and are costly, both in terms of medical expenses and in lost of work time.
The prior art includes several support devices that were used in conjunction with the computer pointing device, such as a computer mouse, to reduce the stress and risk of injury associated with the frequent and repetitive motion necessary in the use of the computer mouse. As described more completely below, typical support devices include stationary or movable apparatus supporting the hand, the wrist or the palm.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,020 to Smith et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,655 to Garcia et al. disclose examples of stationary wrist support devices, also called wrist rests. Wrist rests are typically pads placed in front of the keyboard or the mouse. The height of the pad is selected to support the wrist so as to elevate the hand to be level with the forearm. Wrist rests alleviate the stress on the wrist by avoiding prolonged bending up and down of the wrist.
Stationary wrist rests as those disclosed in Smith et al. and Garcia et al. have a number of disadvantages. Studies have shown that pressure on the underside of the wrist can irritate wrist tissue and increase the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. Furthermore, wrist rests do not protect the wrist from excessive side to side bending which can cause injuries to the tendons in the wrist. Thus, stationary wrist rests are not a satisfactory means to protect computer users from repetitive stress injuries.
Other types of stationary support devices include the palm rest disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,407 to Rice. The stationary palm rest disclosed by Rice involves resting the palm on a raised support where a recess underneath the support permits the mouse to be slid in and under the support. The stationary palm rest disclosed by Rice has several disadvantages. The stationary palm rest raises the hand slightly above the mouse, making it more difficult for the user to control the mouse for fine movements. Typically, a stationary palm rest such as that disclosed by Rice requires the use of only the wrist to move the mouse. The arm and shoulder cannot be effectively used.
Since users often times have limited desktop space, another disadvantage of the stationary wrist rest or palm rest devices disclosed above is that these devices tend to require large amount of desktop space.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,845 to Moore discloses a computer mouse support having an upwardly inclined orientation. The mouse support attempts to complement the normal angle of a user's arm during the operation of the mouse. One disadvantage of the mouse support device disclosed by Moore is that the mouse support comprises a wrist/palm support member which can irritate the wrist and injure wrist tissue. As discussed above, a wrist support, that applies pressure to the wrist, is now deemed an invalid way of preventing repetitive stress injuries.
Besides the stationary support devices described above, prior art support devices include movable apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,647 to Rice discloses an example of a movable hand support also called a palm rest. Movable palm rests such as that disclosed by the Rice '647 patent tend to fall over easily during use. In addition, existing movable palm rests are particularly inconvenient when the user needs to move between the keyboard and the mouse frequently. Because the movable palm rest tends to be bulky, the user usually cannot locate the palm rest without stopping and visually searching for the device. The need to visually search for the palm rest whenever the user reaches for the mouse and the palm rest is cumbersome and impedes productivity. Also, the movable palm rest such as that disclosed by the Rice '647 patent has other disadvantages. This type of palm rests position the user's hand above the mouse. Because the hand is raised above the mouse with this type of movable palm rests, it is more difficult for the user to control the mouse to make minute and precise mouse movements. Therefore, movable palm rests as those disclosed by the Rice '647 patent are not suitable for users who perform graphics intensive work. Moreover, the height of the movable palm rest makes it difficult for the user to control the mouse with the fingers and the hand; therefore, the user tends to depend on the arm and shoulder to make the mouse movement, much like the device disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,067 to Martin et al. that is described more completely below.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,067 to Martin et al. discloses a movable hand and wrist support 110 for computer mouse 112 as shown in FIG. 1. Support 110 holds mouse 112 within a retainer 114. The user rests hand 113 on support 110 such that hand 113 is on the same plane as mouse 112.
Movable hand and wrist support 110 disclosed by Martin et al. has several disadvantages. First, support 110 has a raised area 116 near the center of support 110 intended to apply gentle pressure on the palm of hand 113. As mentioned previously in reference to palm rests, applying pressure to the center of the palm can cause carpal tunnel syndrome and is highly undesirable. Second, fine mouse movements are made more difficult because the user must move mouse 112 and support together 110. Third, support 110 does not maintain hand 113 in a neutral position because the user has to twist his/her wrist to place hand 113 on the flat surface of support 110.
In addition to the disadvantages described above, prior art support devices are not satisfactory because such devices tend to force the user to focus movement of the user's hand and shoulder in one field of motion only. Stationary palm rests restrict arm and shoulder movement and force the user to move the wrist only in manipulating the mouse. The movable wrist/hand support disclosed by Martin et al. completely eliminates wrist motion, thereby forcing the user to move the arm and shoulder exclusively in manipulating the mouse. Extended and repetitive motions focused on either the wrist or the shoulder can cause cumulative trauma disorders.
Accordingly, there is a need for a support device for use with computer pointing devices, such as a computer mouse, which can reduce stress and helps to prevent injuries while not impeding the productivity of the computer users.

Method for guiding placement of a user's hand on a hand support device for a computer pointing device


A patient-specific dental implant abutment may comprise an abutment base that attaches to a dental implant, the abutment base comprising a base top, a base bottom, and a base side, the base side continuously connecting the base top and base bottom together, the abutment base constructed to removably attach to a dental implant. The device may further comprise a set of abutment caps, each abutment cap comprising a cap top connected to the cap bottom, the cap bottom removably attaching to the top of an abutment base in a manner that the cap top does not contact an emergent sulcus, wherein each abutment cap has a different cap top that is constructed to handle at least one function relating to a phase of a dental implant surgery.

As a person continues to age, tooth loss inevitably occurs and tooth replacement, as provided by the dental profession, is often employed to make up for the tooth loss. One of the more important aspects of this tooth replacement procedure could be a sulcus (e.g., soft tissue complex that is impacted by hard tissue/bone structure of the mouth) as attached to the cortical occlusal bone that generally results in free gingival margin (e.g. the gum line surrounding the cavity formed when the tooth was lost or formed around the lost tooth's replacement crown) changes once the natural tooth is removed. In some dental cases, the bone portion (or hard tissue) of the mouth where the tooth was formerly anchored through the normal healing process can compact upon itself and as a result change the bone line, while the gum tissue from that portion of mouth can also recede or become thinner, thus changing the overall profile of cortical plate or jaw shape. These changes may make the establishment of an implant surgical site (with a corresponding placement of a dental crown upon a dental implant at the implant surgical site) more difficult, especially in those areas such as the front of the mouth where the bone and tissue are much thinner structures with correspondingly less material in which to anchor the dental implant. This change in profile may effect a tooth replacement telemetry and other implant orientations for proper implant placement and anchorage. If these changes are not properly undertaken or otherwise properly corrected, the changes to the dental implant surgical site may ultimately place the affixed dental crown in a position within the mouth that would appear to be out of alignment or otherwise appear to be in an unnatural placement in relation to the surrounding teeth. As such, the newly attached crown may properly support the bite of the patient but may appear to have an unnatural orientation, calling attention to the crown, and thus defeating one of the cosmetic purposes of tooth replacement: that persons observing the patient's smile should not notice the occurrence of dental implant/tooth replacement.
What dentistry has attempted in the past is generally to use a healing abutment to manually rectify these changes in bone and sulcus and otherwise substantially improve the operation site for the placement of the implant. Such healing abutments substantially have a circular lateral cross section and a generic construction. These healing abutments are not patient-specific, much less tooth-specific. These generic healing abutments generally do not provide for proper encouragement and support of a sulcus whose resulting profile could match the base of the dental crown or match the overall presentation of the remaining teeth in a manner that is both healthy and esthetically pleasing.
In a dental operation to provide for implant-based tooth replacement the soft tissue is often cut and removed to designate the dental implant surgical site. The dental implant could then be secured to the implant surgical site with the bottom of the implant being substantially embedded into the bone. A healing abutment could then be attached to the exposed top portion of the dental implant. Once the tissue healing (and bone solidification/osseointegration around the buried/artificial root portion of the implant) has finalized, the healing abutment could be removed from the implant and be discarded. The final abutment could be attached to the implant in place of the healing abutment; the final abutment providing the structural support for the attachment of the crown. Procedures could then be utilized as needed to place and permanently secure the dental crown to the final abutment/dental implant combination.
However, if the sulcus did not heal properly or grew away from the abutment or dental implant and does not provide an appropriate or adequate free gingival margin (e.g., gum line) and the like, then additional surgical procedures may be implemented to manually sculpt the soft tissue (and possibly bone) as required to generally bring the sulcus into a proper orientation and profile to provide the required contact with the placed dental crown. These additional post-operative procedures could be costly, painful, and time-consuming.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure may be used prior to the dental surgery itself to alleviate the frequency and severity of these issues, for example a pre-surgical digital method and associated apparatus. A pre-surgical digital method and associated apparatus may include computer virtual modeling that utilizes and merges DICOM data sets taken from the patient's mouth—such as a CBCT scan (for the bone structure, root trajectory, and alike); optical scan data; scanned physical impressions/castings (for tissue structure); digital impression; and the like—to create a virtual, patient-specific model or map of a profile for the desired emergent sulcus for the dental implant surgical site. Using this patient-specific digital data, a temporary (e.g., disposable) patient-specific healing abutment can be virtually designed to meet a desired emergent sulcus profile. By virtually modeling such a virtual healing abutment upon a virtual implant body at a virtual implant operation site, the dimensions of the proposed actual patient-specific healing abutment can be confirmed to ensure that such a patient-specific healing abutment could: properly encourage the actual development of the projected desired emergent sulcus profile; properly support the developed sulcus profile once emerged; and help ensure that the resulting emergent sulcus profile could properly accommodate a placed crown. In this manner virtual modelling can be used to ensure that the crown's final appearance, placement, and support complement the patient's natural overall sulcus profile and gingival harmony by confirming the overall use of the implant, the design of the patient-specific healing abutment configured to bring about a planned emergent sulcus profile, and the design and placement of the final abutment.
Additionally, some embodiments of the present disclosure may eliminate the need for a final abutment—separate from the healing abutment—by providing for a multiple-piece abutment comprising a base and a cap that removably attaches to a top of the base. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a base could be patient-specific, digitally designed, and manufactured to substantially encourage the development of and support of the emergence of a sulcus with a desired profile to receive a bottom portion of a replacement crown. A cap, in some embodiments, could be selected from a set of interchangeable caps, each cap further providing a separate and different function needed during the dental implant surgery. The various cap functions may include, alone or in any combination thereof: acting as an implant driver attachment, protecting the spacing over a dental implant surgical site as defined by the teeth on each side of the dental implant surgical site, providing an attachment support for a restorative crown, serving as an angled attachment support to support a restorative crown where sufficient bone tissue is limited, and performing other functions that may relate to dental implant surgery or other tooth replacement processes. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a base could be affixed to an implant and then a cap could be selected and attached to the base to provide the desired function. As the tooth-replacement process moves to a different surgical stage, an attached cap could be exchanged with another cap, providing a different function as needed or desired in that particular surgical stage. This swapping of caps could generally alleviate the need to remove the patient-specific sulcus healing base that otherwise continuously encourages the formation of a specific emergent sulcus profile.

Multi-piece abutment and digital method for preparation of a dental implant surgical site for the promotion of a desired emergent sulcus


A fiber optic link is provided that uses a relatively low-cost transceiver that incorporates relatively inexpensive low bandwidth optical and electrical components to achieve high data rate operations. The data rate of the fiber optic link can be greater than the data rate of the laser of the transceiver provided the laser meets certain noise requirements; in particular, the relative intensity noise (RIN) of the laser must be low enough to ensure low bit error rate (BER) operation of the link.

Traditionally, non-equalized, multimode fiber, laser-based, fiber optic links are designed with high bandwidth optical transmitters and receivers. This ensures that the dominant cause of inter-symbol interference (ISI) is the optical fiber used for connecting the transmitter and receiver, and not the receivers or transmitters. Usually, the longest link length for proper operation is then determined based on a target maximum ISI penalty. In standards-based fiber optic links, the maximum ISI penalty is usually in the range 3 to 4 optical decibels (dB).
At high data rates such as, for example, 10 Gigabits per second (Gb/s), it is difficult to manufacture, with high yield and low cost, laser-based transceivers using the traditional design methodology. There are many reasons for this, some of which are (1) the difficulty and precision required to ensure high quality signal paths within the transceiver, (2) the difficulty in yielding high data rate optical components of the transceiver, and (3) the high cost associated with testing the components of the transceiver.
Recently, newly specified equalization-based, multimode fiber links have been designed to operate on low bandwidth fiber that creates deep frequency notches or nulls in the Nyquist frequency interval. These links are required to be capable of operating over the maximum distances possible. Therefore, the length of the fiber is a limiting factor on the bandwidth of the link. However, because low bandwidth fiber is used for these links, in order to ensure proper operation, these transceivers incorporate very complex equalizers and high bandwidth optical components, which increase the cost of the transceiver. Although these transceivers are expected to be generally cost effective for their intended applications, they are still relatively expensive compared to lower bandwidth transceivers and are difficult to manufacture, yield and test.
There is a growing need for low cost transceivers and fiber optic links that are capable of operating at high data rates, without the length of the fiber being a limiting factor on the bandwidth of the links. To address this need, new methods of designing laser-based links must be developed.

Fiber optic link, a transceiver for use in the link, and methods for designing and constructing fiber optic links and transceivers

Avago Technologies Fiber IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


A data processing system, circuit arrangement, integrated circuit device, program product, and method implement value prediction in a data cache miss lookaside buffer that maintains predicted values only for load instructions that miss a data cache. As a result, whenever a load instruction misses a cache, the predicted value therefor may be retrieved from the buffer concurrently with servicing of the cache miss so that subsequent instructions can be speculatively executed while the actual value is retrieved. By limiting the buffer to storing only predicted values for load instructions that miss the data cache, the size of the buffer can be reduced compared to conventional designs, thereby providing more effective value prediction for a given size of buffer.

The invention is generally related to data processing systems and processors therefor, and in particular to retrieval of data from a data cache in a multi-level memory architecture.
Computer technology continues to advance at a remarkable pace, with numerous improvements being made to the performance of both microprocessorsxe2x80x94the xe2x80x9cbrainsxe2x80x9d of a computerxe2x80x94and the memory that stores the information processed by a computer.
In general, a microprocessor operates by executing a sequence of instructions that form a computer program. The instructions are typically stored in a memory system having a plurality of storage locations identified by unique memory addresses. The memory addresses collectively define a xe2x80x9cmemory address space,xe2x80x9d representing the addressable range of memory addresses that can be accessed by a microprocessor.
Both the instructions forming a computer program and the data operated upon by those instructions are often stored in a memory system and retrieved as necessary by the microprocessor when executing the computer program. The speed of microprocessors, however, has increased relative to that of memory devices to the extent that retrieving instructions and data from a memory can often become a significant bottleneck on performance. To decrease this bottleneck, it is desirable to use the fastest available memory devices possible. However, both memory speed and memory capacity are typically directly related to cost, and as a result, many computer designs must balance memory speed and capacity with cost.
A predominant manner of obtaining such a balance is to use multiple xe2x80x9clevelsxe2x80x9d of memories in a memory architecture to attempt to decrease costs with minimal impact on system performance. Often, a computer relies on a relatively large, slow and inexpensive mass storage system such as a hard disk drive or other external storage device, an intermediate main memory that uses dynamic random access memory devices (DRAM""s) or other volatile memory storage devices, and one or more high speed, limited capacity cache memories, or caches, implemented with static random access memory devices (SRAM""s) or the like. In some instances, instructions and data are stored in separate instruction and data cache memories to permit instructions and data to be accessed in parallel. One or more memory controllers are then used to swap the information from segments of memory addresses, often known as xe2x80x9ccache linesxe2x80x9d, between the various memory levels to attempt to maximize the frequency that requested memory addresses are stored in the fastest cache memory accessible by the microprocessor. Whenever a memory access request attempts to access a memory address that is not cached in a cache memory, a xe2x80x9ccache missxe2x80x9d occurs. As a result of a cache miss, the cache line for a memory address typically must be retrieved from a relatively slow, lower level memory, often with a significant performance penalty.
Data cache misses in particular have been found to significantly limit processor performance. In some designs, for example, it has been found that over 25% of a microprocessor""s time is spent waiting for data cache misses to complete. Therefore, any mechanism that can reduce the frequency and/or latency of data cache misses can have a significant impact on overall performance.
One conventional approach for reducing the impact of data cache misses is to increase the size of the data cache to in effect reduce the frequency of misses. However, increasing the size of a data cache can add significant cost. Furthermore, oftentimes the size of the data cache is limited by the amount of space available on an integrated circuit device. Particularly when the data cache is integrated onto the same integrated circuit device as a microprocessor to improve performance, the amount of space available for the data cache is significantly restricted.
Other conventional approaches include decreasing the miss rate by increasing the associativity of a cache, and/or using cache indexing to reduce conflicts. While each approach can reduce the frequency of data cache misses, however, each approach still incurs an often substantial performance hit whenever data cache misses occur.
Yet another conventional approach for reducing the impact of data cache misses incorporates value prediction to attempt to predict what data will be returned in response to a data cache miss prior to actual receipt of such data. In particular, it has been found that the result of practically any instruction can be predicted approximately 50% of the time based upon the result of the last execution of the instruction.
To implement value prediction, it has been proposed to store the result of each instruction in a lookup table after the instruction is executed. The result would be indexed by the memory address of the instruction. Subsequently, whenever the same instruction was executed again, the lookup table would be accessed to attempt to locate the result at the same time that the data cache was accessed. If the data cache access missed, the predicted result would be used, and subsequent instructions would be executed speculatively using the predicted result while the data cache miss was processed. Then, when the data in the data cache was returned, it would be compared to the predicted result to verify the prediction. If the prediction was correct, a performance benefit would be obtained since the subsequent instructions were executed sooner than would otherwise occur if the processor waited for the data from the data cache to be returned. On the other hand, if the prediction was incorrect, the processor would need to be xe2x80x9crolled backxe2x80x9d to essentially undo the results of the speculatively-executed instructions. Assuming a relatively reliable prediction, however, the benefits of prediction would exceed the penalties of misprediction, resulting in an overall performance improvement.
One problem associated with proposed value prediction implementations is that a relatively large lookup table would be required to achieve a significant performance improvement. Specifically, with proposed implementations, predicted values are stored for either all static instructions or all static load instructions. However, it has been found that most commercial workloads have a relatively large instruction working setsxe2x80x94that is, a relatively large number of instructions are typically executed before any particular instruction is repeated. Since value prediction relies on the results from previous executions of instructions, a lookup table would need to be relatively large to ensure that predicted data was available on a relatively frequent basis.
However, given that space on a processor integrated circuit device is often at a premium, it is often desirable to minimize the space occupied by all components on the device, including any lookup tables. Consequently, the size of a value prediction lookup table is often constrained, which by necessity limits its effectiveness. Increasing the size of a lookup table often increases costs and/or requires other compromises to be made in other areas of a processor design. Therefore, a need still exists in the art for improving the effectiveness of value prediction in a more compact and cost effective manner.
The invention addresses these and other problems associated with the prior art by providing a data processing system, circuit arrangement, integrated circuit device, program product, and method that implement value prediction in a data cache miss lookaside buffer that maintains predicted values only for load instructions that miss the data cache. It has been found that a large proportion of data cache misses, e.g., as many as 80-90% or more, are caused by a relatively few number of instructions. Moreover, it has been found that the predictability of load instructions that miss a data cache is often greater than other instructions. As a result of both of these factors, limiting value prediction to load instructions that miss the data cache enables significantly more effective value prediction for a given size buffer or lookup table.
A circuit arrangement consistent with the invention includes a control circuit and a buffer coupled to an execution circuit. The execution circuit processes a load instruction by initiating retrieval of a value requested by the load instruction from a memory having a cache. The buffer stores a predicted value for the load instruction, and a control circuit provides the predicted value to the execution circuit when retrieval of the value requested by the load instruction misses the cache.
One method for executing instructions in a computer consistent with the invention includes determining whether a value requested by a load instruction being executed is stored in a cache, and in response to determining that the value is not stored in the cache, predicting the value requested by the load instruction. Another method for executing instructions in a computer consistent with the invention includes storing a value requested by a load instruction in response to a cache miss for the value, and retrieving the value during a subsequent execution of the load instruction.
These and other advantages and features, which characterize the invention, are set forth in the claims annexed hereto and forming a further part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, and of the advantages and objectives attained through its use, reference should be made to the Drawings, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is described exemplary embodiments of the invention.

Data cache miss lookaside buffer and method thereof

International Business Machines Corporation


A method is provided for generating unique content using information received from a user. The method includes receiving, from a user, data. The data includes restrictions for content and information associated with a business entity. Further, the method includes analyzing the data to identify a subject matter of the content. The method also includes obtaining a content template that corresponds with the subject matter. The content template comprises a block of text with a plurality of blanks. The method further includes accessing and analyzing a terminology library to identify a required data item. Moreover, the method includes generating search terms based on the required data item, and searching the Internet using the search terms to obtain the required data item. Still yet, the method includes identifying a subset of additional terminology, which is used to generate raw content. Furthermore, the method includes obtaining unique content by modifying the raw content.

Most commercial websites include a homepage. The homepage of the website often includes content such as descriptive text that provides detailed information on the business entity that owns the website. This content may include, for example, a description of the business entity, a history of the business entity, awards and accomplishments of the business entity, and information on the industry of the business entity. This content is typically a web user's first introduction to the business entity. Thus having accessible, quality content describing a business entity is commercially important, and generating appropriate, unique content is necessary to establish an online presence.

Method and system for generating unique content based on business entity information received from a user


A divide-by-N clock frequency divider producing N non-overlapping clocks each with precise 1/N duty ratio is implemented by a counter, a token generator and N-bit shift register. Every N clock cycles, a pulse is generated as a token from a logical combination of signals from the counter. The pulse is passed along a shift register having balanced load capacitances under control of the clock edge, ensuring a precise 1/N duty ratio that is unaffected by load capacitances from the fault state detection and/or reset circuitry. In this manner, a higher operating frequency may be achieved with low power consumption.

N phases of divide-by-N clocks with a 1/N duty ratio may be utilized to serialize N bits of parallel data into a serial data stream using a multiplexer. One method of generating N phases of divide-by-N clocks with a 1/N duty ratio is to use a counter and a decoder, as illustrated in FIG. 5. The clock divider circuit 500 depicted in FIG. 5 includes an input 501 receiving a clock signal CK at frequency f at an n-bit counter 502, which counts from 0 to N−1. Counter 502 may be implemented, for example, by an n-bit series of flip-flops, where 3≦N≦2n. A decoder 503 receives the n-bit output of counter 502 and generates N phases of the clock signal CK each at a frequency f/N at outputs 504.
FIG. 6 depicts in greater detail an exemplary implementation of a divide-by-five clock divider 600 utilizing a counter 502 and a decoder 503. The counter 502 is implemented by a series of three flip-flops clocked by the clock signal CK at frequency f, with the inverted outputs of the second and third logically combined by an AND gate, the output of which is passed to the input of the first flip-flop in the series. A three bit output signal is taken from the inverted output of the first flip-flop and the non-inverted outputs of the second and third, then passed to the decoder 503. Decoder 503 includes logical gates (AND gates with selective inputs inverted in the example shown) generating the N clock signal each having non-overlapping asserted phases with a 1/N duty cycle at a frequency f/5.
One disadvantage of the approach depicted and described is that the large load capacitances from the decoding logic 503 decreases the maximum operating frequency. To increase the operating frequency, large buffers that consume substantial power are often inserted in between the counter and the decoder. Another disadvantage is that the unbalanced load capacitances from the counter reset circuit (not shown) and the decoder causes the phases to overlap and/or the duty ration to deviate from the desired value of 1/N at high operating frequencies.
There is, therefore, a need in the art for clock divider dividing a clock signal into N non-overlapping phases with a precise 1/N duty ratio at high operating frequencies.

Method for generating non-overlapping N-phases of divide-by-N clocks with precise 1/N duty ratio using a shift register


A magnetic memory according to an embodiment includes: a multilayer structure including a semiconductor layer and a first ferromagnetic layer; a first wiring line electrically connected to the semiconductor layer; a second wiring line electrically connected to the first ferromagnetic layer; and a voltage applying unit electrically connected between the first wiring line and the second wiring line to apply a first voltage between the semiconductor layer and the first ferromagnetic layer during a write operation, a magnetization direction of the first ferromagnetic layer being switchable by applying the first voltage.

Recently, attempts are actively made to use a magnetoresistive element with a tunnel magnetoresistance effect as a storage element in a magnetic random access memory. Such a magnetic random access memory using a magnetoresistive element as a storage element can store data in a nonvolatile manner, can perform write/read operations in a period of 10 ns or less, and can perform write operations 1015 times or more.
The writing to the magnetoresistive element is usually performed by a spin transfer torque magnetization switching method, in which the magnetization of a magnetic storage layer of the magnetoresistive element is switched by injecting spin-polarized electrons (spin-polarized current) into the magnetic storage layer. Since the amount of current needed for the writing decreases as the magnetic storage layer decreases in size, this is greatly expected as a writing method for magnetic random access memories.
However, the spin transfer torque magnetization switching is basically a current-controlled writing, and at present requires a large amount of current density, about 0.5 MA/cm2. For this reason, several problems arise such as an increase in power consumption, an increase in size of periphery circuits, and an increase in area of cell selection transistors.
In order to solve these problems, recently, voltage-controlled magnetization switching writing (hereinafter also referred to as "voltage-controlled writing") is proposed. The voltage-controlled writing applies a voltage to the magnetization storage layer of the magnetoresistive element via an insulating film to change the number of electrons in the magnetization storage layer near the interface with the insulating film, thereby switching the magnetization direction of the magnetization storage layer. The aforementioned problems in conventional spin transfer torque magnetization switching methods can be solved by this writing method. Accordingly, magnetic random access memories with lower power consumption can be produced.
However, as described above, a memory employing the voltage-controlled writing should include an insulating film on the magnetic storage layer of the magnetoresistive element. This prevents a current from flowing through the magnetoresistive element. Therefore, the resistance of the magnetoresistive element cannot be read. Thus, it is not possible to produce magnetic random access memories by simply using the aforementioned method.
As described above, a magnetic random access memory employing the voltage-controlled writing method, which is recently receiving attention, preferably has an element structure that is different from the element structure of a spin transfer torque magnetization switching magnetic random access memory, simply because a resistance value cannot be read from a structure in which an insulating film and a write electrode are disposed on a magnetoresistive element.

Magnetic memory, spin element, and spin MOS transistor


A method is designed for feeding karaoke data representative of karaoke performance to a karaoke apparatus having an audio section and a video section. The method is conducted by the following steps. The initial step is formatting the karaoke data containing various kinds of data items including music control data and word control data into a plurality of packets such that each packet is formed of a body containing a segment of the karaoke data and a header containing identification information indicating the kind of the karaoke data contained in the body of each packet. The next step is delivering the plurality of the packets in a stream to the karaoke apparatus according to a predetermined order by which the karaoke apparatus time-sequentially processes the stream of the packets. The further step is selectively distributing the music control data contained in the processed packets to the audio section in accordance with the identification information to thereby enable the audio section to generate music tones of the karaoke performance. The last step is selectively distributing the word control data contained in the processed packets to the video section in accordance with the identification information to thereby enable the video section to display lyric words of the karaoke performance in synchronization with the music tones.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method of transporting karaoke data, a karaoke apparatus, and a medium for recording karaoke data.
2. Description of Related Art
A karaoke system of communication type is called a communication karaoke in which karaoke data is distributed through a communication line to a karaoke terminal having a sound source for karaoke performance. In such a communication karaoke system, karaoke data including music control data, word control data, and picture data is handled as one or more files. The distributed karaoke data is temporarily stored in a recording medium such as a hard disk. When a karaoke song is specified, the karaoke data corresponding to the specified song is all loaded into a memory before karaoke performance of the song starts.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional method, the song data handled as a file is loaded into the memory before the karaoke performance starts. It takes much time in loading one set of song data files into the memory and expanding the loaded data into a format ready for the karaoke performance. At the same time, the conventional method requires a large capacity of the memory for loading the song data files.

Transporting method of karaoke data by packets