A coextrusion head for manufacturing a bicomponent polymer fiber, comprising a first inlet for receiving a core polymer component, a second inlet for receiving a cladding polymer component, and a dual-channel nozzle comprising an inner channel and an outer channel encompassing the inner channel. The inner and outer channel are in hydraulic connection with the first and second inlet, respectively. The dual-channel nozzle further comprises a joining path establishing a hydraulic connection between the inner channel, the outer channel, and a nozzle outlet of the dual-channel nozzle. The joining path is adapted for bringing the core polymer component and the cladding polymer component into contact with each other such that a contact layer comprising a mixture of the core polymer component and the cladding polymer component is formed between the core polymer component and the cladding polymer component.

Extrusion is a widespread method for manufacturing polymer fibers. In the simplest case, fluid polymer melt is pressed through a microscopic circular opening to form a circular-cylindrical fiber. However, applications exist where polymer fibers with a non-circular cross section are preferable. The straightforward approach of changing the shape of the extrusion opening is known to work as long as the flow through the extrusion opening is laminar. The shape of the coextrusion opening is a factor which influences laminarity. Especially if the shape has a large gradient in thickness, i.e. a transition between a thick and a thin region on a short distance, turbulent instability may form in the polymer flow and result in discontinuities and/or defects of the product.
Bicomponent polymer fibers can be formed by simultaneous extrusion of two polymer components (coextrusion). In the joint fiber, the two components are separated by an interfacial surface. This surface is subject to wear due to ageing and external influences. Eventually, the two components may delaminate, such that the bicomponent fiber may get separated with negligible effort. This effect is especially pronounced if the two components are based on polymers of different polarity, such as polar polyamide and non-polar polyethylene.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a coextrusion device which is adapted for producing a bicomponent polymer fiber with a reduced risk of delamination. Preferably, the coextrusion device were also adapted for producing such bicomponent fiber with a reduced number of discontinuities.
German patent application DE 10 2013 011 956 A1 discloses a spinneret device for producing bicomponent polymer filaments, wherein the core polymer component is conveyed through a central tube and the cladding polymer component is conveyed through hydraulic throttle joints.

Polymer coextrusion head with a dual-channel nozzle


An electrical connector assembly includes an insulative housing having an interconnection end, an opposed contact receiving end and at least one contact member supported within the housing. The contact member is insertably positioned in the housing through said contact receiving end. The electrical connector assembly further includes a conductive shield which is positioned in partial circumscribing relation about the housing. The shield includes at least one cooperating interlocking engagement members located on the insulative housing and shield to positively latch the shield to the housing. The positively latched shield prevents the shield from lifting off the housing during interconnection and disconnection with the mating connector and provides greater alignment of the shield with respect to the housing. The shield is preferably a one-piece construction thus providing enhanced EMI shield protection.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly relates to an electrical connector having a conductive shield positively latched to an insulative housing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electrical connectors having an insulative housing for supporting a plurality of contacts and a conductive shield surrounding the housing are currently being used on all universal serial bus (USB) connector receptacles. However, manufacturers of these receptacles have encountered difficulty in positively latching the conductive shield to the insulative housing.
For example, one currently available USB receptacle includes an insulative housing substantially surrounded by a conductive shield. The conductive shield consists of two separate pieces which are latched together to form the outer shield. This connector receptacle construction suffers from the shield lifting off the housing during interconnection and disconnection with a mating plug and poor shield electrical continuity.
Likewise, another currently available USB receptacle suffers similar disadvantages. The shield and housing are easily separated and the shield tends to lift off the housing during interconnection and disconnection with a mating plug. Movement between the shield and housing also causes alignment problems with respect to the contacts supported by the housing and the conductive shield.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to design an electrical connector assembly including an insulative housing and a conductive shield substantially surrounding the housing which is positively locked to the housing. Thus, separation and misalignment of the housing and shield could be avoided.


A multicomputer chip has a common bus and up to ten microcomputers connected in parallel to the common bus via routers contained in the microcomputers. The common bus can be connected to an external bus by means of a router mounted on or off the chip. Any defective computer found during testing can be rendered inactive by assigning it an unused address and, in this way, the remaining computers are unaffected. Instead of providing each multicomputer on a separate chip, a complete wafer may be manufactured so that it contains many of the multicomputers. A hierarchical bus system interconnects the multicomputers so as to permit efficient routing of data between the various computers.

This invention relates to a multicomputer architecture of the type in which a massive number of computers are connected together in parallel. More particularly, the invention relates to a building block for a multicomputer machine, which building block is in the form of a semiconductor die having formed thereon a plurality of individual microcomputers connected in parallel to a first bus on the die, each microcomputer comprising an internal bus to which are connected a microprocessor, a memory and a switch device which interconnects the internal bus to the first bus, wherein the microcomputers can be interconnected to additional components.
Multicomputers using a parallel arrangement of microcomputers have been proposed in which each microcomputer is provided on a separate semiconductor chip and all of the chips are mounted on one or more printed circuit boards and interconnected by means of a common bus provided on the printed circuit boards. Yet other arrangements have been proposed in which massive numbers of microcomputers mounted on several printed circuit boards are interconnected by various forms of sophisticated interconnection networks such as a hypercube implemented by means of numerous cables. Yet other arrangements have been proposed where a moderate number of processors sharing a common control in a single instruction multiple data mode are mounted on one physical die. These latter processor would not qualify as microprocessor since they lack some essential functionality such as autonomous instruction decoding and memory addressing.
One drawback of these prior proposal is that the physical size reduction of the multicomputers is limited. Furthermore, the cost of packaging and interconnecting multiple chips is high.
An article entitled "Hypernet: A Communication-Efficient Architecture for Constructing Massively parallel Computers" by Messrs. Hwang and Ghosh published in IEEE Transactions on Computers, Vol. C-36, No. 12, December 1987 describes a multicomputer machine which is constructed of a number of basic modules each consisting of a set of interconnected nodes which is an abstraction for a processor/memory/switch element. In one embodiment described with reference to FIG. 1(d) of the article the nodes are connected to other nodes in the same module through a common bus. Each node can also be connected to a node of another module or, in the case of a special node, directly with the outside world. As each node can, according to one interpretation, be considered a microcomputer, Hwang and Ghosh therefore discloses a building block as set down in the preamble of this application.
In the Hwang and Ghosh proposal each node has dual ports, one port for connection to the common bus and another port for communicating or linking directly with a node of another module. Moreover a special node has to be provided which, in addition to providing a port for connection to the common bus, provides a port for connection to the outside world. Thus, the Hwang and Ghosh proposal involves a great number of communication links and, moreover, different types of links (one type for node to node, another type for node to external world).
Hwang and Ghosh refer to an algorithm for message routing but this is not described in detail. However, it seems clear that such an algorithm would have to be executed as a complex software program because of the complex arrangement of communication links.
Another problem with the Hwang and Ghosh proposal is that, because communication is directly through a module, a defective processor destroys the link with another module.
The Hwang and Ghosh article states that large networked machines "may be constructed with WSI technology in the future". WSI (Wafer Scale lntegration) implies the use of a single chip. However, it is clear from the geometry of FIG. 3(b) of Hwang and Ghosh that this would not be easily accomplished.


Disclosed in embodiments of the present disclosure are a display panel, a preparation method thereof and a display apparatus. The display panel includes: a first blocking dam located in the blocking area and surrounding the hole area, a second blocking dam located on one side of the first blocking dam close to the hole area and surrounding the hole area, a heightening layer located between the first blocking dam and the second blocking dam, a crack detect wire located on one side of the second blocking dam close to the hole area, at least two connection leading wires leading the crack detect wire out to the display area through the blocking area; in a direction perpendicular to a plane where the display panel is located, an orthographic projection of an area between the connection leading wires has an overlap area with an orthographic projection of the heightening layer.

At present, on the market, most of mobile phone cameras are arranged on upper portion of screens. As each of the cameras has a certain size and usually occupies a large area of a frame of a whole phone, which severely affects a screen occupying ratio. With more attention of the mobile phone market to a full screen phone, a product with a camera in an AA hole of a hole area formed in a display area emerges and is of great interest in recent years.

Display panel and preparation method thereof and display apparatus


A method of communication between or among a plurality of devices in a communication system using one or more frames to transmit a plurality of bits includes encoding the plurality of bits in accordance with a first puncture code in a first device of the plurality of devices, transmitting the plurality of encoded bits to a second device of the plurality of devices, and determining in the first device an error condition indicated in a received acknowledgement from the second device. When the error condition indicates a first error code, retransmitting the encoded bits in accordance with the first puncture code, and when the error condition indicates another error condition, different from the first error code, encoding the plurality of bits in accordance with a second puncture code, different from the first puncture code and transmitting the plurality of encoded bits to the second device.

Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology uses base-band pulses of very short duration to spread energy of transmitted signals very thinly from near zero to several GHz. This technology is presently in use in military applications. Commercial applications will soon become possible due to a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision that permits the marketing and operation of consumer products incorporating UWB technology.
Presently, UWB is under consideration by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) as an alternative physical layer technology. See IEEE Standard 802.15.3a, which is designed for home wireless audio/video systems. This standard sets forth that UWB systems should operate well in an environment of uncoordinated piconets. Piconets, sometimes referred to as personal area networks (PANs), are formed when at least two devices, such as a portable PC and a cellular phone, connect.
A common technique in communication systems, with unreliable channel conditions is to correct errors based on a combination of Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) schemes and Forward Error Correction (FEC) techniques. Such a combination is generally known as hybrid ARQ (HARQ) techniques and may include error detection, FEC and retransmission. Convolutional codes are widely used in wireless systems to correct errors. Moreover, puncture codes are known in the communications art to generate codes of various data rates.

Packet transmission apparatus and method using optimized punctured convolution codes


Devices and methods for keeping an internal cavity of an implant or specifically an internal cavity provided in a fixture constituting an implant in a clean state by a simple operation without injuring the gingiva around the fixture is provided. A brush for cleaning the inside of an implant provided with a twisted brush part in which helical brush bristles are formed around the wire rod by arranging a large number of resin fibers in parallel in a direction perpendicular to a wire rod and then, by twisting the wire rod, an intermediate columnar part to which the twisted brush part is fixed, and a main columnar part to which the intermediate columnar part is fixed, where a length in a major axis direction of the intermediate columnar part is within a range of 0.8 to 2.0, assuming that a length in a major axis direction of the twisted brush part is 1.

Some of patients having problems relating to teeth have their teeth which should have been present lost due to the reasons such as removal by an operation for decayed tooth, periodontal disease or the like, natural loss and the like.
If all the teeth are present, an individual tooth is usually supported by adjacent teeth and can fully exert its function.
However, if even one of the teeth which should have been present is missing, supporting bodies of the teeth located on both ends of the missing portion decrease and thus, a force for chewing things in mastication cannot be fully exerted. Moreover, if an individual interdental space is expanded by loss of a tooth, food residues and the like can easily remain in the interdental space and thus, further occurrence of periodontal diseases or decayed teeth progresses.
As a measure against such problems occurring due to missing of a tooth, an operation of an implant on a portion where a missing tooth used to be is widely employed.
An implant is a type of an artificial dental root and is usually formed of a fixture to be embedded in a bone and an abutment which is connected to the fixture and serves as a supporting base. By attaching an artificial tooth on the abutment, the artificial tooth can be installed on a portion where a tooth is missing.
FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a fixture used in a prior-art implant for reference.
A usual method of operation for installing an implant will be described below.
First, gingiva covering a portion where a missing tooth used to be present is separated, a drill hole is drilled in the bone and then, a fixture 300 illustrated in FIG. 8 is embedded in the drill hole.
At a stage when the fixture 300 is installed in the bone, the gingiva of the patient is injured and swollen and thus, return to a healthy state of the gingiva is waited for and then, the abutment and the artificial tooth are mounted on the fixture 300.
An internal cavity 310 is provided in the fixture 300, and by screwing the abutment in this internal cavity 310, the abutment can be fixed to the fixture 300.
However, a certain period is required until the state of the gingiva of the patient becomes stable after the fixture 300 is installed in the bone. Thus, it is likely that a bone fragment, a gingival fragment, blood or the like remains in the internal cavity 310 of the fixture 300 or food residues generated during daily meals and the like collect in the internal cavity 310 of the fixture 300.
In order to eliminate the possibility that the bone fragment, gingival fragment, blood or the like and food residues collect in the internal cavity 310 of the fixture 300, such a measure can be proposed that a professional operator such as a dentist performs cleaning so as to keep the internal cavity 310 in a clean state.
However, a diameter of the internal cavity 310 of the fixture 300 used in an implant is usually very small at approximately 3 mm or less, and there is limitation in keeping the internal cavity 310 in a clean state during an operation of an implant, attachment of a healing cap and an abutment and the like.
On the other hand, there can be a method of embedding the fixture 300 of a type having a lid from the beginning on the internal cavity 310 in the bone.
However, if a lid is provided on the internal cavity 310 having a diameter of approximately 3 mm or less, a work of taking off the lid becomes extremely complicated and the operation takes time and in addition, there is a concern that the gingiva around the fixture 300 of the patient is injured during the work of removing the lid.
Moreover, if a prior-art brush used for polishing of teeth is attached to a high-speed rotating device called a micro-motor having been used for polishing of teeth in order to clean the internal cavity 310 of the fixture 300, it is extremely difficult to insert the prior-art brush into only the internal cavity 310 of the fixture 300, and it is also likely that the gingiva in the vicinity of the fixture 300 of the patient is injured.
On the other hand, a small-diameter resin twisted brush with the purpose of interdental cleaning has been proposed.
However, this small-diameter resin twisted brush is a twisted brush in which helical brush bristles are formed around a shaft member and can be used in the perpendicular direction to the surface of a tooth, but it is difficult to use it in the vertical direction to the bone serving as a base of a tooth, that is, in the vertical direction along the surface of the tooth (Patent Literature 1).
The interdental brush represented by the small-diameter resin twisted brush should be used in the perpendicular direction to the surface of a tooth and its working mechanism is totally different from a brush for cleaning the inside of an implant used in the horizontal direction to the surface of a tooth and cannot be referred to in development of a brush for cleaning the inside of an implant.


An explosion-proof and flameproof pullout safety surge-absorbing module includes a surge-absorbing unit, a protective unit, a function member, and a hot melt component. The unit has a body defining an electrode side. The middle section of electrode side defines a partially exposed electrode side further connected to a first pin. The protective component includes a base and a top cover conjoint to the base. The body is between the base and the top cover. The function member includes a recovery component and a function part. The recovery component is flexible, of which one terminal connects the base and the other terminal connects the function part pivoting onto the base and working in a first state and a second state. In the first state, one terminal of the function part is connected to the partially exposed electrode side; in the second state, the hot melt component is heated and melt.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an explosion-proof and flameproof pullout safety surge-absorbing module.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, in order to prevent a surge (pulse voltage or pulse current) suddenly caused in daily life from impacting electrical equipment, a surge absorber is provided in the circuit of an electrical appliance for protection. In a conventional circuit, a thermal fuse is further added in the circuit so that the surge absorber, when detecting a surge or a higher temperature, can make the circuit to be open for protection of the equipment or surge absorber.
However, although the thermal fuse is capable of making the circuit of surge absorber to be open, the circuit could not be open and broken for trip in a short time. Thus, the surge absorber could cause explosion or start a fire to damage the equipment or bring a fire accident. Thus, it is necessary to improve the surge absorber.
Further, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,430,019, it is disclosed that a metal spring plate and a voltage sensor component (same as the body according to the present invention) are connected and, when the temperature of voltage sensor component exceeds a default setting, the metal spring plate breaks; however, the electrical connection caused by the electric arc cannot be effectively isolated, thereby the effect of open circuit being not achieved. Likewise, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,430,019, it is disclosed that a damper is provided between the metal spring plate and the voltage sensor component to solve the issue as described above. Although the damper may be used in the structure to solve the issue, the cost of production increases and the physical volume is comparatively higher; the improvement is necessarily made.
Consequently, because of the technical defects of described above, the applicant keeps on carving unflaggingly through wholehearted experience and research to develop the present invention, which can effectively improve the defects described above.

Explosion-roof and flameproof pullout safety surge absorbing module


The present invention relates to a novel human peroxisome proliferator activated receptor, hPPARγ. hPPARγ differs from the mouse peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ in the nucleotide sequence and the amino acid sequence. The invention provides isolated, purified, enriched or recombinant nucleic acid encoding hPPARγ polypeptides and vectors containing thereof, cells transformed with such vectors, and methods of screening for agonists and antagonists of hPPARγ polypeptides. The invention also provides isolated, purified, enriched, or recombinant hPPARγ polypeptides, antibodies having specific binding affinity to hPPARγ polypeptides, and hybridomas producing such antibodies.

Peroxisomes are subcellular organelles found in animals and plants. Peroxisomes contain enzymes for cholesterol and lipid metabolism and respiration.
A variety of chemical agents called peroxisome proliferators induce the proliferation of peroxisomes and increase the capacity of peroxisomes to metabolize fatty acids via increased expression of the enzymes required for the β-oxidation cycle. Peroxisome proliferators include unsaturated fatty acids, hypolipidemic drugs (Reddy, J. K., and Azarnoff, D. L., Nature 283:397–398, 1980), herbicides, leukotriene antagonists, and plasticizers (for a review, see Green, S., Biochem. Pharmacol. 43:393–400, 1992). Hypolipidemic drugs such as clofibrates have been found to lower triglycerides and cholesterol levels in plasma and to be beneficial in the prevention of ischemic heart disease in individuals with elevated levels of cholesterol (Havel, R. J. and Kane, J. P., Ann. Rev. Pharmac. 13:287–308, 1973). However, fibrate hypolipidemic drugs are also rodent hepatocarcinogens (Reddy, J. K., et al., Br. J. Cancer 40:476–482, 1979; Reddy, J. K., et al., Nature 283:397–398, 1980).
There are two hypotheses for peroxisome proliferation. The "lipid overload hypothesis" suggests that an increase in the intracellular concentration of fatty acids is the main stimulus for peroxisome proliferation (Nestel, P. J., Ann. Rev. Nutr. 10:149–167, 1990, and Phillipson, B. E., et al., N. Engld. J. Med. 312:1210–1216, 1985).
Another hypothesis postulates a receptor mediated mechanism. Peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) have been isolated and cloned from various species (Isseman, I., and Green, S., Nature 347:645–650, 1990; Dreyer, C., et al., Cell 68:879–887, 1992; Gottlicher, M., et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 89:4653–4657, 1992; Sher, T., et al., Biochemistry 32:5598–5604, 1993; and Schmidt, A., et al., Mol. Endocrinol. 6:1634–16414–8, 1992). The ligand for PPARs is still unidentified.
PPARs belong to the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. Some members of the superfamily are receptors for the classical steroid hormones; and others bind thyroid hormones, vitamin D3 and retinoic acid. However, the putative ligands for many remain to be identified, and such receptors have been termed orphan receptors. Nuclear hormone receptors are intracellular proteins that are ligand-dependent transcription modulators. They usually have a ligand binding domain that binds the cognate ligand with high affinity and specificity. They usually also have a DNA binding domain that recognizes short DNA motifs generally termed Hormone Response Elements (HREs).
Issemann and Green, Nature 347:645–650, 1990, cloned a mouse peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (mPPARα) gene from a mouse liver complementary DNA (cDNA) library. Chimeric receptors constructed using the DNA binding domain of either the estrogen or glucocorticoid receptor and the putative ligand binding domain of mPPAR are able to activate, respectively, an estrogen- or glucocorticoid-responsive gene in the presence of peroxisome proliferators. mPPARα protein binds to a specific peroxisome proliferator response element (PPRE) located 570 bp upstream of the rat acyl-CoA oxidase gene, which is a key marker of peroxisome proliferator action (Tugwood, J. D., et al. EMBO J. 11:433–439, 1992).
Göttlicher et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 89:4653–4657, 1992, cloned a rat peroxisome proliferator activated receptor (rPPAR) gene from a rat liver cDNA library. PPARs from mouse and rat share 97% homology in amino acid sequence and a particularly well-conserved putative ligand-binding domain. Three members of the Xenopus nuclear hormone receptor superfamily (i.e., XPPARα, XPPARβ and XPPARγ) have also been found to be structurally and functionally related to the mPPARα (Dreyer et al., Cell 68:879–887, 1992). Schmidt et al., Molecular Endocrinology 6:1634–1641, 1992, cloned a steroid hormone receptor gene, hNUC1 (also known as hPPARβ), from a human osteosarcoma cell cDNA library. The homology between amino acid sequence of hNUC1 and that of mPPARα is 62%.
Chen et al., Biochem. Biophy. Res. Com. 196:671–677, 1993, cloned two mouse PPAR genes, mNUC1 and mPPARγ, from a neonatal mouse brain cDNA library and an adult mouse heart cDNA library, respectively.
Zhu et al., J. Biological Chemistry 268:26817–26820, 1993, cloned a mPPARγ gene from mouse liver cDNA library encoding a 475-amino acid protein with 75% amino acid similarity to XPPARγ, and 55% identity with mPPARα.
Tontonoz et al., Genes &Development 8:1224–34, 1994, not admitted to be prior art, cloned a mPPARγ2 gene from a mouse adipocyte cDNA library. mPPARγ2 protein is an adipocyte-specific transcription factor. It is highly expressed in white adipose tissue and is dramatically induced during differentiation of preadipocytes into adipocytes.
Kliewer et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91:7355–59, 1994, not admitted to be prior art, cloned mPPARγ and mPPARδ genes from a mouse liver cDNA library.
Two subtypes of PPAR receptors, α and β, have been characterized from humans (see, Sher et al., Biochemistry 32:5598–5604, 1993, and Schmidt et al., Molecular Endocrinology 6:1634–1641, 1992).

Human peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ


A control system for an internal combustion engine, which is capable of estimating a property of fuel accurately even when the engine is in an operating condition other than idling. An in-cylinder pressure sensor detects an amount of change in pressure in a cylinder #1 of the engine as a pressure change amount. An ECU calculates an amount of heat released in the cylinder #1 as a heat release amount, according to the pressure change amount. A vehicle speed sensor, a crank angle sensor, and an accelerator pedal opening sensor detect load on the engine. The ECU estimates a cetane number of fuel based on the calculated heat release amount and the detected load on the engine.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a control system for an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been proposed a control system of this kind e.g. in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2005-344550. This control system is applied to a diesel engine for an automotive vehicle, and when the engine is idling, the control system estimates a cetane number of fuel during execution of a pilot injection and a main injection. The estimation of the cetane number is carried out, based on a heat release amount parameter calculated according to pressure in a combustion chamber detected by an in-cylinder pressure sensor and the volume of the combustion chamber calculated from a detection value of the crank angle sensor, in the following manner:
First, by controlling the amount of fuel injected by pilot injection, the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the heat release amount parameter assumed during a time period until main injection is adjusted to a predetermined amount. Next, the main injection is carried out under predetermined conditions, and a rate of rise in the heat release amount parameter calculated during a predetermined crank angle section from a time point at which the heat release amount parameter started to rise by the main injection is calculated a plurality of times. An estimated value of the cetane number is calculated according to the average of a plurality of calculated values of the rate of rise in the heat release amount.
In the above-mentioned control system, the cetane number is calculated based on the heat release amount parameter calculated according to the pressure in the combustion chamber. However, in engine operating conditions other than idling, the pressure in the combustion chamber varies depending on load on the engine etc., and the heat release amount parameter also varies accordingly. As a consequence, the estimated value of the cetane number deviates from a proper value, which makes is impossible to estimate the cetane number with accuracy.
To overcome the problem, assuming that the estimation of the cetane number is carried out only during idling of the engine, if the vehicle is started almost without executing idling immediately after refueling, the cetane number cannot be estimated until idling of the engine is executed next time. Therefore, if the cetane number of replenished fuel is different from fuel used before refueling, the control of the engine is carried out based on an estimated value of the cetane number different from the actual cetane number. As a consequence, actual ignition timing of fuel varies to increase noise and vibrations, or increase exhaust emissions.

Control system for internal combustion engine


A scheduler at a base station may schedule packet data traffic based on a ranking metric that varies directly with the mobile station's scheduling downlink transmission rate and a delay factor indicative of the staleness of the corresponding queued data. The ranking metric may advantageously vary in a direct non-linear fashion with the delay factor to allow for delay sensitive data, such as VoIP data, to be scheduled with increased urgency when quality of service is about to be compromised. The scheduler may attempt to pack a multi-user downlink physical layer packet by selecting a tentative rate and determining if an aggregate amount of data in the packet may be increased by transmitting the packet at a lower rate. If so, additional queued data is added to the packet and the transmission rate for the packet is lowered. Such an approach allows for greater link efficiency to be achieved.

The present invention relates to mobile communication systems; and, more particularly, to methods of scheduling a time shared downlink packet data channel.
The demand for wireless data services, such as mobile Internet, video streaming, and voice over IP (VoIP), have led to the development of high speed packet data channels to provide high data rates needed for such services. High speed packet data channels are employed on the forward link in IS-2000 (also known as 1xEV-DV), IS-856 (also known as 1xEV-DO), and Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) systems. The high speed packet data channel is a time shared channel. Downlink transmissions, e.g., from a base station to the mobile stations, are time-multiplexed and transmitted at full power.
At any given time, the base station may transmit a packet to one or more mobile stations on the physical layer channel known as the downlink high speed packet data channel. Deciding which mobile station(s) to serve with the packet at a given time is the function of a "scheduler." A number of different scheduling strategies can be used, each with a different implication for system throughput and fairness. Typical scheduling strategies employed include round-robin, maximum throughput, and proportional fairness. In addition, quality of service requirements frequently add scheduling complexities. For example, VoIP packet data, due to its conversational characteristic, typically has a relatively short maximum allowed transmission delay before service is considered to have unacceptably degraded. Thus, it is commonly necessary to schedule VoIP packet data for transmission more frequently than other packet data in order to maintain acceptable service.
However, simply scheduling VoIP packet data more frequently, without more, may result in inefficient use of available resources. This is because VoIP data is typically supplied at relatively low rate. As a result, VoIP data queued for transmission to a particular mobile station is typically less than a full packet's worth of data. Thus, if only that VoIP packet data is transmitted in a given physical layer packet, the packet is likely less than full, and typically significantly less than full. Transmitting less than full packets, particularly relatively lightly loaded packets, unnecessarily consumes available system resources, and may result in a degradation to the service provided to the other mobile stations being served by a given base station.
Thus, there remains a need for alternative scheduling and/or packet filling techniques, advantageously techniques that are better adapted to the downlink transmissions of VoIP data on high speed packet data channels.

Scheduling method for wireless packet data channel


A method and apparatus for use by a buyer for a store includes a software application computer that is provided to the buyer at a buyer show. The application displays product features and pricing information and receives product order information from the buyer. The application displays information regarding sales of the products by the store. After completing an order, the application submits the order, and prints or transmits confirmation copies. The buyer leaves the computer at the show prior to departing. A virtual shopping cart is displayed on the computer into which goods are placed prior to submittal of the order. Multiple shopping carts can be opened by the user with differing shipping priorities and different shipping destinations for each cart. Multiple shopping carts can be used while the user is browsing an on-line catalog of products to be ordered.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method for generating an order to be purchased, such as by a purchasing agent for a store, and to an apparatus for carrying out the method. The present method and apparatus also relates to a software application for generating an order for purchase by a purchasing agent.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many shoppers are familiar with co-operatives or co-op stores, in which several stores, often in different areas or different cities, have the same store name, or the store has the name of the co-op organization along with an owner name or other store identifier, and the stores have common or similar merchandise. Examples of co-operative stores known to many shoppers include several of the well-known regional and national hardware stores currently located in many cities. Member stores (stores who are members of the co-operative) are generally independently owned and the acquisition of the merchandise carried in the store is the responsibility of the store owner. The co-operative, who owns the name under which the stores operate, typically has control over at least some aspects of the merchandise line carried at the stores and may identify, for example, approved providers for the merchandise. Buyers or purchasing agents for the stores purchase merchandise from the approved providers, and possibly from other providers, to stock the shelves and storage rooms of the store. Some co-operative stores are owned by a common owner and so a buyer may make purchase decisions for each of the stores owned by that owner, rather than limiting the buying decisions to a single store.
The buyers should know something about the products that they are buying and should also know the sales history of the store or stores for which they are buying, such as whether a particular item or line of items sells well in their store or not. The buyers should also have an idea of the sales of the product by the store over different time periods so that the buyer can acquire items that are likely to sell at a particular time and so that they don't buy as many items when they are slow sellers or for which the current inventory is adequate.
Some co-operatives host buying shows for the buyers for their member stores. Such co-operative member shows are similar to trade shows except that the show is not open to the public but may only be attended by the buyers and representatives for the member stores. The buyers browse vendor booths at the buying show looking for items to purchase for their stores and make purchase decisions based on information available at the buying show.
A co-operative store differs from a chain store, where rather than being individually owned as in a co-operative, each store location of the chain store is owned by and operated by the parent company. Buying decisions for chain stores are generally made by a centralized group of buyers who buy merchandise for all of the stores. The purchased merchandise is distributed to the stores of the chain from the buyer's order.
When a buyer for a store is preparing an order, whether while attending a buying show or when preparing orders in the regular course of business, the buyers are often called on to prepare orders with different shipping requirements, different shipping destinations, or other different requirements. Customers of the store may ask for products on an expedited basis or may ask that large items or items not in stock be shipped directly to the customer. Preparing and organizing these different order requirements presents a challenge to the buyers.

Method and apparatus for generating an order for purchase


The presently disclosed subject matter provides for in vitro methods of inducing differentiation of stem cells (e.g., human stem cells) into proprioceptors, proprioceptors generated by such methods, and compositions comprising such proprioceptors. The presently disclosed subject matter also provides for uses of such proprioceptors for preventing and/or treating disorders of proprioceptor neurons and/or neurodegenerative disorders (e.g., Friedreich's Ataxia).

Peripheral sensory neurons are the afferent nervous system cells that respond to external stimuli, and transmit the information to the central nervous system (Pavan et al., Dev Biol. (2012 Jun. 1); 366(1):55-63). Sensory neurons can be divided into the following categories based on the type of stimulus they are responsive to: mechanoreceptors that respond to mechanical touch; proprioceptors that respond to limb and muscle movement; and nociceptors that respond to pain (Pavan et al., 2012). Protocols have been established to derive nociceptors from human stem cells, e.g., International Patent Publication No. WO 2011/149762 and Chambers et al., Nat Biotechnol (2012); 30:715-720. However, methods to derive proprioceptors from stem cells (e.g., human stem cells) have not been developed in the field. Therefore, there remains a need for an in vitro method and protocol for generating proprioceptors directly from stem cells (e.g., human stem cells.)

Methods of differentiating stem cell-derived proprioceptors


Method and system for obtaining a potential distribution image of a specimen using two probes having two probes contacted with a patterned surface of the specimen, a scanning unit for scanning a beam of electrons or ions over the specimen, a potential detection unit for detecting the electric potential at an arbitrary position on the specimen using the probes, and an acquisition unit for obtaining a potential distribution image of the specimen while synchronizing the output from the potential detection unit with the scanning of the beam.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for inspecting a specimen using at least one probe.
2. Description of Related Art
Known specimen inspection systems for measuring the physical properties of a specimen in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) include an inspection system using an electron beam-induced current (EBIC) method and an inspection system using an electron beam LSI tester or cathodoluminescence. Of these systems, inspection systems using cathodoluminescence measure physical properties of specimens by a technique utilizing optical physical properties. On the other hand, in inspection systems using EBIC, a lead wire or interconnect line connected with a probe in contact with a wide-area electrode (usually known as a pad) or an interconnect line bonded to the pad is brought to the outside of the SEM specimen chamber, and the EBIC is measured outside the SEM.
One conventional system of this kind has a control means for irradiating a specimen with a focused electron beam and controlling the beam position on the specimen, a secondary electron detector, plural probes each having a sharp tip, a voltage source for applying a voltage between the probes, an ammeter for measuring the electrical current flowing between the probes, and a means for storing the value of the current flowing between the probes in a corresponding manner to the beam position on the specimen (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-185593 (pages 4 and 5; FIG. 1)).
Another conventional system of this kind consists basically of an SEM. Two or more metallic microprobes are mounted in the SEM. The probes are operated at high accuracy to precisely detect the electrical characteristics of microscopic areas of ceramics (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. H10-214584 (pages 3 and 4; FIG. 1)).
A further available method is used to inspect for defects in a specimen using an electron microscope or FIB (focused ion beam) system. In this method, an electrical potential produced on the specimen when it is scanned with an electron beam or ion beam is observed as a contrast difference. This potential difference imaging method visualizes abnormal potentials caused by charge-up as variations in brightness of secondary electrons when a specimen surface is irradiated with an electron beam or ion beam.
In the prior art potential difference imaging method, the difference in secondary electron emission efficiency between positively and negatively charged portions of a specimen is recognized as an image and so it has been impossible to detect minute variations in voltage.

Method and system for inspecting specimen


An automotive jack in which an upright leg is provided with a U-shaped cross-section and has a foot connected to an end of that leg. A supporting arm is connected to the leg at a pivot with a horizontal axis, whereby the supporting arm is pivotable about the horizontal axis. The jack is actuated through a thread and nut device which is pivotally connected to the leg and the supporting arm. The U-shaped cross-section of the leg has an open end and two sides connected by a convex base portion in the cross-section of the leg and throughout substantially the length of the leg when viewed from outside the leg.

Such jacks are needed preferably to lift automobiles in the event of a breakdown in order to replace a defective wheel with a spare.
German AS 2 444 132 discloses such a jack. It has an upright leg and a supporting arm that pivots around a horizontal axis. The leg and the arm pivot toward each other subject to an activating mechanism that attaches directly to each. The leg and supporting arm in this jack are lengths of structural metal U section. The sides of both the leg and the arm section are secured to its base at a right angle, leaving a rather sharp edge.


An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet has a first conveyance path for guiding the sheet, and a second conveyance path arranged in continuation from the first conveyance path to guide the sheet conveyed from the first conveyance path. A conveyor drum, which may be an image transfer drum, retains the sheet on its surface and conveys the sheet such that the sheet moves along said second conveyance path. The drum and the second conveyance path are supported such that they can be moved in a direction which intersects the direction of sheet conveyance, so as to be drawn out of the main part of the apparatus. A sheet jam detector is provided for detecting a sheet jam at a predetermined position which is on the drum and which is spaced from the inlet of the second conveyance path by a distance greater than the length of the sheet which has the greatest length among the sheets which are to be handled by the apparatus, as measured along the second path. A plurality of conveying rollers located within the first and second conveyance paths are selectively rotated to ensure that a trailing end of the sheet passes the inlet of the second conveyance path. A space is provided within the second conveyance path for accommodating bulging of the sheet during that process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, etc., employing electrophotography, ink jet recording, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various image forming apparatuses, such as copying machines, facsimiles and the like, form images by electrophotography, ink jet recording, etc., while conveying recording members, such as sheets of paper.
A conventional electrophotographic copying machine will be described with reference to FIG. 16.
This image forming apparatus is essentially composed of an image input section 90R and an image output section 90P. The image input section 90R inputs image information to be recorded, processes the information in various manners, and then transmits the image signals generated from the information to the image output section 90P.
The image output section 90P is essentially composed of: an image forming unit (photosensitive drum) 91 for forming an image to be recorded; a sheet feeder unit 92 for housing sheets S and feeding a sheet S one at a time; a transfer/conveyance unit 93 for receiving a sheet S from the sheet feeder unit 92, and conveying the sheet S to the image forming unit 91 while retaining the sheet S on the surface of a transfer drum, and transferring the image from the image forming unit 91 onto the sheet S; a fuser unit for fixing the image recorded on the sheet S; and a control unit 95 for controlling the operation of the entire apparatus.
The procedure of recording operation of the image forming apparatus will be described in detail.
When the recording operation is initiated, the sheet feeder unit 92 feeds one sheet S at a time. After the sheet is conveyed to a pair of register rollers 96 provided immediately upstream from the transfer/conveyance unit 93, the register rollers 96 start to rotate.
The register rollers 96 start to rotate synchronously with an image recording initiation signal, thus conveying the sheet S to the transfer/conveyance unit 93. In the transfer/conveyance unit 93, when the sheet S is further conveyed through a guide portion 93A to a transfer drum 93B, the sheet S is attached to the surface of the transfer drum 93B. While the transfer drum 93B rotates, the sheet S is conveyed to an image transfer region T, where the image formed by toner on the image forming portion is transferred onto the sheet S.
Conventional image forming apparatuses employ various methods to retain a sheet S on the surface of a transfer drum, for example: an electrostatic method in which a sheet S is electrostatically attached to a conveying medium formed of a thin dielectric film, a suction method in which a sheet S is drawn to the surface of the drum by air suction, or a combined method in which edges of a sheet S are clamped by a gripper while the sheet is electrostatically attached or drawn by air suction to the drum.
After recording has been thus performed on the sheet S, the sheet S is conveyed, as the transfer drum 93B rotates, to the vicinity of a fuser unit 94. Then, the sheet S is peeled off from the transfer drum 93. The peeling is started from the leading edge of the sheet S. While the sheet is being peeled from the transfer drum 93, the sheet S is continuously conveyed toward the fuser unit 94. The fuser unit 94 applies heat or pressure to the sheet S, thereby fixing the toner image thereon. Finally, the sheet S is ejected by a pair of ejection rollers 97 onto a tray 98 provided on the outside wall of the apparatus.
If a conveyance failure (sheet jam) occurs during the recording operation, the image forming apparatus stops the operation and indicates the conveyance failure on a display (not shown) to instruct the user to perform jam recovery, for example, by removal of the stuck sheet S.
Therefore, one of major requirements for an image forming apparatus is that the apparatus is constructed so as to facilitate jam recovery, thereby substantially eliminating the possibility that during jam recovery the user tear the stuck sheet S and leave a fragment of the sheet S in the apparatus or mistakingly damage a component part of the apparatus.
During the recording operation to the above-described image forming apparatus, conveyance failure is most likely to occur in the transfer/conveyance unit 93, because the unit 93 has a complex structure. To facilitate safe jam recovery without a failure, the transfer/conveyance unit (a portion indicated by a dotted-line box) 93 has a construction that allows the unit 93 to be drawn out from the image forming apparatus 99. A sheet S can be easily removed from the transfer drum 93B after the transfer/conveyance unit 93 has been drawn out.
When the transfer/conveyance unit 93 is drawn out, a user can more easily see a jammed sheet S and perform the sheet jam recovery than in a construction where the unit 93 cannot be drawn out and in which a user must put his/her hand into the image forming apparatus 99 to perform the sheet jam recovery. Further, the above-described construction will substantially eliminate a danger that while performing the sheet jam recovery, a user may mistakingly deform or break the conveyance medium, such as a thin film, that is retaining the sheet S.
However, even in the conventional construction that allows the transfer/conveyance unit 93 to be drawn out, it is not easy to remove a jammed sheet S if the sheet S is held by both the sheet feeder unit 92 and the transfer/conveyance unit 93.
For example, if a leading edge portion of a sheet S fails to completely attach to the attachment film of the transfer drum 93B when the sheet S is being conveyed from the register rollers 96, the leading portion of the sheet S may go into the image forming unit 91. When such a malfunction is detected, the conveyance of the sheet S must be stopped immediately in order to prevent the sheet S from damaging the image forming unit 91. When the conveyance of the sheet S is thus stopped, a rear portion of the sheet S is, often, still clamped between the register rollers 96, thus impeding sheet jam recovery as follows. If the transfer/conveyance unit 93 is drawn out of the image forming apparatus, the sheet S held by both the attachment film and the register rollers 96 will be torn, or the attachment film will be deformed or broken.
To avoid such problems, the register rollers 96 are manually rotated in the reverse direction to move back the sheet S before the sheet jam recovery is performed. However, when the register rollers 96 are rotated backward, the attachment film is pulled back along with the sheet S and receives a considerably large load because the transfer drum 93B is in contact with attaching means and cleaning means (not shown) and thereby opposes a large rotational load.
The image forming apparatus can be stopped with a sheet S held by both the register rollers 96 and the transfer/conveyance unit 93, not only when a conveyance failure is caused by the sheet S in the transfer/conveyance unit 93 but also, for example, when a conveyance failure is caused by the preceding sheet S downstream from the transfer/conveyance unit 93. Although the incidence of such a stoppage of the image forming apparatus is quite high, the conventional image forming apparatus having the above-described construction that allows the transfer/conveyance unit 93 to be drawn out lacks means for facilitating sheet jam recovery in such a stoppage. On the other hand, it is impractical to provide sheet jam recovery mechanisms respectively adapted to the individual types of sheet jams. It would increase the size and costs of the apparatus and complicate sheet jam recovery operations.

Image forming apparatus with sheet conveying apparatus that facilitates jam recovery


A method for memory write-back provides a memory access controller and then generates a write-back pattern in the memory access controller. The write-back pattern is then written back into a memory starting at a predetermined address location and continuing for a predetermined length of the addressing space of the memory.

The present invention relates generally to computer memory management, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for DMA-generated memory write-back.
With each new generation of computer hardware and each new generation of computer software, more and more data needs to be processed in less and less time. This is particularly true of image data and graphics systems, in which the continuing increases in data size and data rates place additional burdens on graphics memory management systems. Attempts to improve graphics system performance to meet these needs are running up against the limitations of memory systems in general, and of memory device limitations in particular.
In graphics applications, it is often desirable or necessary to read data (or a stream of data) from a source, to transfer the data to a destination, and to clear blocks of the source memory after the read operation has completed. The source memory blocks are often cleared (e.g., written with a background data pattern) in anticipation of future operations. This two-step sequential process of reading followed by source clearing/writing is inefficient.
Similar memory operation limitations restrict and retard improvements in the performance of contemporary printers. Printers have become very popular in recent times due to their greatly improved ability to print clear images. Generally, printers are available as monochrome only printers, such as printers that print only in gray and black, or color printers that print in color as well as monochrome. These printers operate by converting an image on a host device such as a personal computer into data that is received in the printer by a printer circuitry board that stores the data in the printer. The printer circuitry board generates coded data representing the image, which is then transmitted by the printer circuitry board to a print engine that drives the mechanisms of the printer to convert the data back into an image that is printed on a print medium, such as paper. Similar procedures can be followed for generating images for other purposes, such as displaying on devices like computer monitors or cell phones.
In many printer products and applications, some of the image information is modified or "corrected" by a computer microprocessor. This processing of the image information can improve the overall quality of the printed image from the printer. For example, the processing can be used to calibrate the image information to adjust for particular printer characteristics, so that the final printed image faithfully reproduces the original image. The processing can also be used to enhance the printed image to improve it over the original image, for example, by the removal of "red eye" in a photograph.
To accomplish these printing objectives, a great deal of information must be stored in the printer memory. In addition to image information, the stored information also includes printer instructions for controlling and directing the processing of the printer image data, and program routines for controlling and directing the printing operation of the printer.
Many modern electronic devices have multiple processors. This is certainly true of printers, which may, for example, have a central processing unit ("CPU") that has overall responsibility for controlling all of the printer operations, and additional processors with specialized duties and functions, such as video controllers, image processors, print engine drivers, and so forth.
In advanced printers, for any given printing operation or print job, the CPU will typically store a set of instructions in the memory to control the processing that is to be done by the other processors. As long as those instructions are stored in memory, the processors that are reading those instructions continue to read the instructions, until the instructions are cleared out of the memory. Sometimes this is desired, such as when the same process needs to be repeated several times. At other times the instructions need to be executed only once. Either way, those instructions need to be cleared from the memory after the instructions have been used, so that the instructions do not continue to be read and repeated over and over.
In other implementations, the CPU will typically initialize a new buffer before operating on the buffer. When implementing a printer language such as Postscript or PCL6, the CPU will add images to a buffer. For example, the letter 'A' needs to be placed at a specified location. The routine that places the 'A' does not know what data is in and around this location, so it uses read-modify writes to update the data in the buffer and not disturb the surrounding image information. This requires that each buffer be initialized to a known value prior to processing the printer language commands.
To clear this memory, it has been necessary for the CPU to clear each memory location individually. For example, the CPU would generate or copy a set of new memory values. The CPU would then either write that set directly into the memory or transfer the set to a memory management device, such as a direct memory access controller ("DMA"), to transfer the set into the memory in order to clear the memory of the now-obsolete instructions.
However, having the CPU go out and clear each memory location independently ties up a lot of the computational capacity of the printing system. That is, this type of memory clearing process compromises much of the bandwidth, speed, and ability of the main CPU, thereby delaying or preventing it from performing other, more important tasks that it needs to perform. Thus, the whole printing system is slowed and does not perform as needed.
One solution is to use a more expensive, more powerful CPU. However, the historical trend in the industry has been the opposite, namely, to reduce costs and simplify systems while finding alternate ways to increase performance.
Thus, a need still remains for faster, more efficient, more effective, and less expensive methods and mechanisms for optimizing memory management. There is a particular need for improvements for use in devices that look to specific areas of memory for instructions, such as in systems used for image processing.
In view of the continuing increases in performance, capabilities, and customer expectations, accompanied by ever-increasing competition and declining prices, it is ever more and more critical that answers be found to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.

Method and apparatus for DMA-generated memory write-back


Clock recovery of a multi-level (ML) signal can be performed in a two-step process. First, the transitions within the ML signal can be detected by a novel transition detector (TD). And second, the output of the TD circuit can comprise a pseudo-non-return-to-zero (pNRZ) signal that can drive a conventional OOK clock recovery (CR) IC. The TD circuit can convert the edges of the ML signal into the pseudo-NRZ (pNRZ) signal. The TD circuit can capture as many transitions as possible to allow the conventional NRZ clock recovery (CR) chip to optimally perform. The TD circuit can differentiate the ML signal in order to detect the ML signal's transitions.

In order to obtain increase spectral efficiency and therefore increased data throughput for both optical and electrical data transport systems, complex modulation schemes, such as multilevel (ML) signaling, are desired by the communications industry for both electrical and optical domain applications. Clock recovery of the resulting complex waveforms can be difficult, but is critical for data recovery.
Conventional telecommunication clock-recovery (CR) integrated circuits (IC's) are generally only designed for use with binary non-return-to-zero (NRZ) (or equivalently On-Off-Keyed, OOK, waveforms). Conventional CR IC's may employ comparators to determine the clock signal from the multi-level signal. Such an approach usually does not detect a high percentage of the transitions of a multilevel signal that are important to determine the clock signal.
Other conventional clock recovery units directly process multilevel signals to recover the clock signals. However, such units are not useful in the high speed communications environment because of the processing time needed by these conventional units to extract the clock signals from the multi-level signals.
In yet another conventional approach, processing of the multi-level signal is focused on the middle of the multi-level signal and not the edges of the signal. More precisely, the slopes and amplitudes at the temporal decision points of the multilevel signals are examined to align the recovered clock so as to minimize an estimated sampling error. Such an approach focuses on minute signal amplitude variations, where the signal is expected to be flat, rather than major signal transitions, where the signal amplitude should generally experience major changes. The latter property is more indicative of the underlying clock. Also, usually in this conventional approach, the method involves decoding signal values prior to clock recovery. Such decoding is subject to decoding errors.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need in the art for efficiently detecting clock signals in a multilevel signal. There is a further need in the art for a system and method to determine clock signals from a multilevel signal in high speed communication applications.

Multi-level signal clock recovery technique


A method of managing and delivering manufacturer-specified consumer product information to consumers in the marketplace. For a plurality of UPN-labeled consumer products offered for sale within a the marketplace, the manufacturer of the plurality of UPN-labeled consumer products or an agent thereof, accesses an Internet-enabled relational database and store therein, information elements representative of (1) a plurality of universal product numbers (UPNs) assigned to the plurality of UPN-labeled consumer products manufactured by the manufacturer and registered with the relational database, and (2A) a trademark (TM) symbolically linked to each the UPN, (2B) a product description (PD) symbolically linked to each the UPN, and (2C) one or more uniform resource locators (URLs) symbolically linked to each the UPN, wherein each the URL specifies the location of an information resource located on the Internet and related to one of the plurality of UPN-labeled consumer products registered with the relational database by the manufacturer, and wherein a UPN/TM/PD/URL data link is created and maintained in the relational database for each the UPN-labeled consumer product registered with the relational database by the manufacturer. A consumer within the marketplace transmits a request to the relational database from the Internet-enabled client computer. The UPN, TM and/or PD contained in the request enabled the consumer to access the URLs symbolically linked to the UPN, TM and/or PD, and the URLS are then transmitted to the Internet-enabled client computer for display to and use by a consumer in accessing information resources stored in the Internet-based product information servers, at the URLs.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention generally relates to a novel system and method for collecting consumer-product related information and transmitting and delivering the same along the consumer-product supply and demand chain using the National Information Infrastructure (e.g. the Internet), and more particularly to a novel system and method for delivering consumer product related information to consumers within retail environments using Internet-based information servers and sales agents.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Dissemination of consumer-product information between manufacturers and their retail trading partners must be accurate and timely. The traditional methods of phone calls and faxes are time consuming and resource intensive. An electronic Universal Product Code (UPC) Catalog (i.e. database system), accessible 24 hours a day, is a solution. In 1988, QuickResponse Services (QRS), Inc. Of Richmond, Calif., introduced the first independent product information database, using the retail industry standard UPC numbering system. Today the QRSolutions™ Catalog contains information on over 52 million products from over 1500 manufacturers. The QRSolutions Catalog is a Windows-based application providing a critical information flow link between the retailers and the manufacturers along the supply and demand chain.
After assigning a UPC number to each item, the manufacturer organizes and sends the data, via an electronic data interchange (i.e. EDI) transmission, or a tape, to QRS, Inc. to be loaded into the UPC Catalog database. Changes to the data can be made on a daily basis. Retailers with access to a manufacturer's data can view and download the data once it has been added or updated. Automatic update capabilities ensure the most recent UPC data will be in the EDI mailbox of each retailer customer quickly.
The effect of a centralized database such as QRS's UPC Catalog improves the flow of merchandise from the manufacturer to the retailer's selling floor and ultimately to the consumer. With the UPC Catalog, accurate, up-to-date product information is available when the retailer needs it, eliminating weeks from the order cycle time.
In addition to the electronic UPC-based product information subsystem (i.e. UPC Catalog) described above, a number of other information subsystems have been developed for the purpose of providing solutions to problems relating to electronic commerce (EC) merchandising and logistics within the global supply chain. Such ancillary information subsystems include, for example: Sales and Analysis and Forecasting Subsystems for producing and providing retailers with information about what products consumers are buying; Collaborative Replenishment Subsystems for determining what products retailer can be buying in order to satisfy consumer demand at any given point of time; and Transportation and Logistics Information Subsystems for producing and providing retailers with information about when products purchased by them (at wholesale) will be delivered to the their stores. Typically, such information subsystems are connected to various value added information networks in order to efficiently offer such information services to retailers on a global basis.
While the above-described information systems collectively cooperate to optimize the process of moving raw materials into finished products and into the hands of consumers, such information systems simply fail to address the information needs of the consumers of retail products who either require or desire product-related information prior to as well as after the purchase of consumer-products.
Presently, an enormous amount of time, money and effort is being expended by companies in order to advertise and sell their products and services, and after product purchase has taken place, to provide product related information, product warranty service and the like. For decades, various types of media have been used to realize such fundamental business functions.
In recent times, there has have been a number of significant developments in connection with the global information network called the "Internet", which has greatly influenced many companies to create multi-media Internet Websites in order to advertise, sell and maintain their products and services. Examples of such developments include, for example: the World Wide Web (WWW) based on the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and the Hypertext Transmission Protocol (HTTP) by Tim Berners-Lee, et al.; easy to use GUI-based Internet navigation tools, such as the Netscape® browser from Netscape Communications, Inc., the Internet Explorer™ browser from MicroSoft Corporation and the Mosaic™ browser from Spyglass Corporation; and the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) by Mark Pecse. Such developments in recent times have made it very easy for businesses to create 2-D Hypermedia-based Home Pages and 3-D VR Worlds (i.e. 3-D Websites) for the purpose of projecting a desired "corporate image" and providing a backdrop for financial investment solicitation as well as product advertising, sales and maintenance operations.
Presently, a person desiring to acquire information about any particular product has a number of available search options. In particular, he or she may attempt to directly contact the manufacturer, wholesaler or reseller by telephone, US mail, e-mail, or through the company's World Wide Website (WWW), if they have one. In the event one decides to acquire product information through the seller's WWW site, he or she must first determine the location of its WWW site (i.e. Internet address) which oftentimes can involve using Internet Search engines such as Yahoo®, AltaVista™, WebCrawler™, Lycos™, Excite™, or the like. This can be a very time consuming process and sometimes leads to a dead end. Once the Internet address is obtained, one must then review the home page of the company's Website in order to find where, if at all, information about a particular product resides on the Website. This search process can be both time consuming and expensive (in terms of Internet time) and may not turn up desired information on the product of interest.
In some instances, product brochures bear a preprinted Internet address designed to direct or point prospective customers to a particular Website where more detailed product information can be found. A recent example of this "preprinted Web Address" pointing technique is the 1996 product brochure published by the Sony Corporation for its Sony® PCV-70 Personal Computer, which refers prospective customers to the Sony Web Address "http://www.sony.com/pc". While this approach provides a direct way of finding product related information on the Internet, it is not without its shortcomings and drawbacks.
In particular, when a company improves, changes or modifies an existing Website which publishes product and/or service advertisements and related information, it is difficult (if not impossible) not to change the Internet locations (e.g. Web addresses) at which such product and/or service advertisements and related information appear. Whenever a company decides or is forced to change any of its advertising, marketing and/or public relations firms, there is a substantial likelihood that new Websites will be created and launched for particular products and services, and that the Web addresses of such new Websites will no longer correspond with the Web addresses on preprinted product brochures currently in circulation at the time. This can result in pointing a consumer to erroneous or vacant Websites, that present either old or otherwise outdated product and/or service information, possibly adversely influencing the consumer's purchasing decision.
Moreover, when a company launches a new Website as part of a new advertising and marketing campaign for a particular product, any preprinted advertising or marketing material relating to such products will not reflect the new Website addresses which the campaign is attempting to get consumers to visit. This fact about preprinted advertising media renders it difficult to unify new and old advertising media currently in circulation into an advertising and marketing campaign having a coherent theme. In short, the inherently static nature of the "preprinted Web address" pointing technique described above is wholly incapable of adjusting to the dynamic needs of advertising, marketing and public relations firms alike.
In addition to the above-described techniques, I-World by Mecklermedia has recently launched a commercial product finding a database on the Internet called "Internet Shopper". Notably, the "Internet Shopper" database is organized by specific types of product categories covering computer and telecommunication related technologies. While this product information finding service may be of help to those looking to buy computer or communication equipment, it fails to provide an easy way to find information on previously purchased products, or on products outside of the field of communication or computer technology. Consequently, the value of this prior art technique is limited to those considering the purchase of products catalogued within the taxonomy of the "Internet Shopper" directory.
In view of the inherent limitations of I-World's "Internet Shopper" and other product finding directories on the Internet, such as "NetBuyer" by Computer Shopper (at "http://www.netbuyer.com"), the National Information Infrastructure Testbed (NIIT) organization has recently formed a "confidential committee of NIIT members" under the title "Universal Product and Service Code Project". The stated problem addressed by this Project is how to locate specific goods and services on the Internet, and compare prices and other critical market information. As publicized in a NIIT Project Abstract, the "Universal Product and Service Code Project seeks to make it easier to electronically locate goods and services on the Internet using universal product and services identifiers and locators. As stated in the Project Abstract, the "NIIT believes that changing the way in which Internet information is organized is fundamental to solving this problem. In the Universal Product and Service Code Project, NIIT members are currently exploring how coding structures can help organize information about products accessible using the Internet. NIT's goal is to inform the development of formalized coding standards that can be used nationally and internationally so that users can locate goods and services through simple searching and browsing methods. In turn, more advanced features, such as comparison shopping, can be added as "intelligent agent" software programs are refined to enable users to search and retrieve products linked to these structures."
While the NIIT's Universal Product and Service Code Project seeks ways of locating specific goods and services on the Internet, all proposals therefor recommend the development of formalized coding standards and searching and browsing methods which are expensive and difficult to develop and implement on a world-wide basis. Moreover, such sought after methods will be virtually useless to consumers who have already purchased products and now seek product related information on the Internet.
In summary, prior art "demand chain management" systems have provided: (i) procurement services consisting of UPC Catalogs accessible through the Internet and EDI networks; (ii) inventory management services consisting of replenishment, sales analysis and forecasting services; and (iii) distribution management services consisting of EDI and logistics management services. However, prior art "demand chain management" systems have failed to address the information needs of the consumers of retail products who either require or desire product-related information prior to as well as after the purchase of consumer-products. Consequently, prior art demand chain management systems operate in an open-loop mode with a "break" in information flow cycle, disabling the manufacturers from communicating with the consumers in an efficient manner to satisfy consumer needs.
Thus, it is clear that there is great need in the art for an improved system and method for collecting product related information and transmitting and delivering the same between the manufacturers and retailers of products to the consumers thereof in various environments, while avoiding the shortcomings and drawbacks of prior art systems and methodologies.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System for and method of managing and delivering manufacturer-specified consumer product information to consumers in the marketplace


A Personal Feedback browser and Personal Profile database is provided for obtaining media files from the internet. A Personal Feedback browser selects media files based on user-specified information stored in the Personal Profile database. The Personal Profile database includes Profile Objects which represent the interests, attitude/aptitude, reading comprehension and tastes of a user. Profile Objects are bundles of key words/key phrases having assigned weight values. Profile Objects can be positioned a specified distance from a Self Object. The distance from the Profile Object to the Self Object represents the effect the Profile Object has in filtering and/or selecting media files for that user. The Personal Feedback browser includes a media evaluation software program for evaluating media files based on a personal profile database. The Personal Profile database is also adjusted based upon user selection and absorption of media files. A sound-to-text software program is provided for translating a sound file to a text file.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to obtaining information and, in particular, searching, retrieving and evaluating information on a computer network such as the internet.
2. Background
The challenge of making the internet more useful for users is quickly and efficiently obtaining information suitable for a particular user. This is challenging due to the large amount of information on the internet and the diverse type of users. Current search engines and web crawlers such as Yahoo|, Alta-Vista, and Excite are used to assist users in locating information or media files based on subject matter. For example, a user enters specific subject key words using selected subject matter categories or data bases in order to hopefully retrieve information or user resource locator ("URL") addresses which have information of interest to the user. The search engines do not take into account other information, other than subject matter, which may be used in retrieving information.
Current search engines do not take into account characteristics of the user that could better customize retrieval and evaluation of information for the user. These may include personal vocabulary, sentence characteristic preferences, descriptor preferences, depth of interest in given topics and user-related knowledge. If a user enters a subject key word or subject matter into a search engine, many retrieved URL addresses may be irrelevant to a particular user. For example, a particular user may be a nine-year-old child wanting to learn about butterflies who has distinguishing characteristics from another user such as a post-graduate entomology student. Both users are interested in the same subject, but each desires different levels of sophistication in information retrieved.
Users typically have a variation of personal characteristics which define who they are and what they enjoy. These personal characteristics include general interests and identity information, attitude and aptitude information, personal heroes and media comprehension. Characteristics regarding a specific user are not used by current search engines in retrieving prospective information.
Further, current search engines only examine text data and ignore other media types such as sound and video files that contain voice information. Current search engines do not convert the voice information into text and evaluate the converted sound file. This is a significant shortcoming since a much of the information on the internet is not text data. Users typically find sound and video presentations popular, easy and efficient ways of interacting and obtaining information and, in most cases, probably prefer this media over text.
The current search engines do not collect information generated by the user's selections of retrieved media files to evaluate retrieved media files in the current session as well as later sessions. Every time a user looks through a list of media files and/or a brief description of media files, what the user selects and doesn't select can be used to determine the user's interests. Every time a user interacts with a media file, by choosing to read it, print it, or skip it, the user is identifying a level of interest in the particular media file.
Users search for information on the internet for various reasons. These reasons effect the type of information in which they are interested. For example, a Ph.D. student may search for information used in his thesis and also search for recreation. There is presently no way to capture these personal motivations and use them in searches for information on the internet.
Finally, current search engines do not generally mark up media files such that a user can efficiently locate information of interest.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an apparatus, article of manufacture and method for retrieving and evaluating information on the internet using user-specific characteristics. These characteristics may include general interest information, identity information, attitude and aptitude information, personal heroes, media compatibility and media comprehension ability. The apparatus, article of manufacture and method should also take into account user selections and interest in specific information in retrieving further information. Text, sound and video files should all be evaluated based on user characteristics. Also, the reason or motivation for searching the internet should be used in searching for information. The invention should also mark points of interest in media files such that a user can quickly locate information of interest in lengthy media files.

Personal feedback browser for obtaining media files


The present invention is directed to methods of treating a chronic pelvic pain syndrome comprising the step of administering to a subject suffering from prostatis a chorionic gonadotropin or a pharmaceutically active fragment or derivative thereof in an amount effective to alleviate one or more symptoms of a chronic pelvic pain syndrome.

The present invention relates to treatment of symptoms of chronic pelvic pain syndromes generally inclusive of syndromes such as prostatis.
Prostatitis and prostatodynia are extremely prevalent diseases in men (Collins M M, et al., "How common is prostatitis? A national survey of physician visits," Journal of Urology, 159:1224–1228 (1998)). There are more outpatient visits for prostatitis than for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) or prostate cancer. Although the epidemiologic evidence is limited, it appears that the prevalence of prostatitis is approximately 2–9% in adult men. It has been suggested that 35–50% of men are affected by prostatitis at some time in life. Based on the National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys from 1990–1994, approximately 2 million ambulatory visits are made annually for prostatitis. This accounts for 8% of all visits to urologists and 1% of all visits to primary care physicians. Many men remain symptomatic for much of their lives.
Chronic pelvic pain syndrome encompasses a variety of related syndromes including prostatitis and can be characterized by evidence of prostatic inflammation and by the presence or absence of white blood cells in prostatic fluid and/or pain associated with the prostate. This inflammation of the prostate causes pain in the abdomen, testicles, or tip of the penis, urination problems, and painful ejaculation. Its cause often cannot be determined. Bacteria are usually not detected in the urine. Fever, chills, or other signs of an infection are not present. Within this group of syndromes, the origins of chronic idiopathic prostatitis, asymptomatic prostatitis, and prostatodynia are problematic and are probably the least understood. The origin of these diseases has been attributed to some undefinable bacterial or viral infection, but this has never been proven. These syndromes do not exist prior to puberty but have a peak incidence between the ages of 18 and 50. It is possible that these three specific entities actually represent the same disease process in different phases or forms. Suggestions as to the origins of these conditions have included a chemical imbalance in the prostate, infection undetected by current microbiological methods, and autoimmunity to the prostate gland itself.
The causes of noninflammatory chronic pelvic pain syndrome may be the same as those for inflammatory chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Some doctors think that the prostate may not be involved at all but that a combination of things, including nervous system problems, strained pelvic floor muscles, and emotional factors cause the pain.
Chronic nonbacterial prostatitis is an inflammatory and pain condition of unknown etiology characterized by excessive inflammatory cells in prostatic secretions despite no history of documented urinary tract infection and negative bacterial cultures of urine and prostatic secretions. Chronic nonbacterial prostatitis is even more common than bacterial prostatitis. Symptoms simulate those of chronic bacterial prostatitis and these patients usually show an increase in the number of white blood cells and oval fat bodies in their expressed prostatic secretions. However, they rarely have a history of urinary tract infection, and lower-tract localization cultures fail to reveal a pathogenic organism. Patients with prostatodynia have negative bacterial cultures, normal prostatic secretions, and no history of urinary tract infection. Symptoms of chronic nonbacterial prostatitis and prostatodynia vary but include urinary urgency and frequency, nocturia, dysuria, and pain and discomfort perceived in the pelvic, suprapubic, or genital area. Sometimes postejaculatory pain and discomfort are prominent features. Physical findings for both conditions are nonspecific.
This condition has recently been reclassified into two major subtypes, inflammatory chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPIIIA presence of leucocytes in the post-prostate massage urine sample); and non-inflammatory chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPIIIB formerly termed prostatodynia) a painful prostate in which no infection or inflammation is present.
The etiology of the condition has, to date, not been fully elucidated. Research has focused on finding sub-clinical relationships to several infectious disease pathogens as well as non-infectious disease entities such as neuromuscular dysfunction of the bladder neck or uro-genital diaphragm, allergies, psychological, and autoimmune vectors. To date therapeutic approaches to this condition remains, for the most part, ineffective.
Chronic pelvic pain syndrome which represents about 90% of men with prostatis is distinguished from those caused by bacterial infection which include acute bacterial prostatitis (also known as Category I prostatitis) which is a serious infection in the prostate and which causes severe symptoms. Acute bacterial prostatitis is treatable by antibiotics, pain and fever medication, stool softeners, fluids and rest.
Chronic pelvic pain syndrome is also distinguished from chronic bacterial prostatitis (also known as Category II prostatis) which represents a more resistant infection requiring longer term therapy can occur more often in men who have had repeated urinary tract infections. Infected prostatic caleuli (stones) can make the infection more difficult to cure and may require surgical removal. Surgery may also be required if urinary tract problems such as narrowing of the bladder neck or urethra are causing the problems.
Noninflammatory chronic pelvic pain is extremely difficult to treat because its cause is unknown. The primary goal of treatment is to relieve symptoms. Non-narcotic pain medications, muscle relaxers, and alpha-blockers are used. Physical therapy, medications to reduce anxiety, exercise, massage therapy, biofeedback, or stress reduction may help some men. Home treatment may also be helpful in relieving the symptoms.
Of interest to the present invention is the disclosure of Guess et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,054,455 which is directed to methods for treatment or prevention of chronic nonbacterial prostatitis and prostadyria by administration of tachykinin receptor antagonist is a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist. Also of interest is the disclosure of Gormley, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,629,318 which is directed to a method for treatment of chronic prostatitis with 17.beta.-N-monosubstituted-carbamoyl-4-aza-5.alpha.-androst-1-en-3-one compounds such as testosterone-5.alpha.-reductase inhibitors for the treatment of chronic prostatitis. Despite these and other treatments for chronic pelvic pain syndromes there remains a need in the art for improved treatment methods.
Nevertheless, there are currently no established treatments for chronic nonbacterial prostatitis or prostatodynia. Antibiotics are often prescribed empirically, but with little evidence of efficacy. Alpha blockers are sometimes prescribed for prostatodynia, but their efficacy has not been established. Patients who respond poorly to medical management or have significant emotional problems are referred for psychiatric intervention. Hot sitz baths and anticholinergic drugs are generally employed to provide some symptomatic relief, as is periodic prostatic massage. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for improved methods for treatment of chronic pelvic pain syndromes.
Of interest to the present invention is the disclosure of McMichael, U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,332 which relates to the use of equine chorionic gonadotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in combination with an immune enhancer such as a lysate of Staphylococcus aureus for treatment of malignant neoplasia. The mechanism of action in the treatment of the cancer was proposed to involve chorionic gonadotropin as a signal molecule capable of inducing apoptosis via membrane changes on the transformed cell at the molecular level, or alternatively by altering the electrical charge of the transformed cell to render it more susceptible to immune elimination. This patent further taught the need to stimulate the cell mediated immune response so that necrotic debris associated with tumor reduction could be efficiently phagocytized to prevent a potentially fatal Herxheimer-type reaction. U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,332, however, fails to disclose the use of chorionic gonadotropin for treatment of non-neoplastic states such as benign prostatic hypertrophy.
Also of interest to the present invention is the disclosure of McMichael, U.S. Pat. No. 5,610,136 which discloses methods of treating benign prostatic hypertrophy by administration of a chorionic gonadotropin or a pharmaceutically active fragment or derivative thereof. hCG, a signaling molecule, is thought to induce apoptosis (cellular death) via membrane changes and down regulation of the BCL2 at the genomic level rendering the cell susceptible to apoptosis. This may be likened to a negative feedback signal and be similar to cutaneous immunization for allergic reactions. At optimal concentrations hCG reduces the tendency for uncontrolled cell proliferation which occurs in abnormal accelerated cellular-growth conditions such as benign prostatitic hypertrophy (BPH).

Method of treating chronic pelvic pain syndrome by administration of chorionic gonadotropin