An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body; a printhead to discharge droplets; a sub tank to hold a liquid to be supplied to the printhead for discharge as droplets; a movable carriage for scanning, including the printhead and the sub tank; a main tank to contain the liquid to be supplied to the sub tank; a liquid supply pump, disposed on the carriage, to supply the liquid from the main tank to the sub tank; a first liquid supply tube that connects the main tank to the liquid supply pump; and a second liquid supply tube that connects the liquid supply pump to the sub tank. A fluid resistance of the first liquid supply tube is greater than a fluid resistance of the second liquid supply tube. The liquid supply pump includes a deformable portion that shrinks and expands in a carriage scanning direction, by scanning movement of the carriage, to take the liquid in and pump the liquid out, and the volume of liquid supplied to the sub tank being greater than the volume of liquid supplied to the main tank when the liquid supply pump supplies the liquid to the sub tank.

1. Technical Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus including a printhead to discharge droplets.
2. Background Art
Among various types of image forming apparatuses, including printers, facsimile machines, copiers, plotters, and multifunction peripherals combining the capabilities of several of these devices, an inkjet recording apparatus is known in which a printhead formed of a liquid discharge head (droplet discharge head) to discharge droplets is employed.
In the thus-configured image forming apparatus, a liquid supplying device includes a sub tank to temporarily reserve the liquid to be supplied to the printhead, a main tank to contain the liquid to be supplied to the sub tank, a liquid supply tube communicating from the main tank to the sub tank, and a pump to send the liquid from the main tank to the sub tank.
Conventionally, a liquid driver is disposed at the main tank in the liquid supply tube and is driven by the movement of the printhead, so that the liquid can be supplied without providing a dedicated drive source for the liquid driver.
However, because the liquid driver is disposed at the side of the main tank, the liquid supply tube to the sub tank is long, so that a greater pressure is required to supply liquid from the main tank to the sub tank, thereby increasing the load on the carriage on which the printhead is mounted.


A signal processing circuit for removing a noise component from a detection signal of a yaw-rate sensor for detecting a yaw rate generated in a motor vehicle. The processing circuit detects the magnitude of variation of the detection signal of the yaw-rate sensor so as to compare the magnitude of the detection signal with a predetermined reference value. In accordance with the comparison result, the processing circuit outputs a limitation detection signal to limit the variation to below the predetermined reference value. Further, when the magnitude of variation of the detection signal exceeds the predetermined reference value, the processing circuit outputs as the limitation detection signal the yaw rate detection signal immediately before the exceeding, and the predetermined reference value is corrected on the basis of the steering angular velocity of the steering wheel of the motor vehicle. This arrangement allows effectively eliminating a spear-like noise from the detection signal of the yaw-rate sensor.

The present invention relates to a signal processing circuit which is responsive to a detection signal of a yaw-rate sensor so as to remove a noise component of the detection signal indicative of a yaw rate occurring with respect to a motor vehicle.
A conventionally yaw-rate sensor comprises a piezoelectric element such as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,734 in which a plate-like driving piezoelectric device and a plate-like detecting piezoelectric device are arranged and coupled so as to be parallel to a detection axis and perpendicular to each other. With this arrangement, the plate-like driving piezoelectric device vibrates in response to application of an alternate-current drive voltage thereto. At this time, an angular velocity (rate) can be obtained by detecting a bending state of the plate-like detecting piezoelectric device in a direction perpendicular to the vibrating direction. Further, various yaw-rate sensors are known, such as a gas-rate sensor.
Here, on the detection signal of the yaw-rate sensor there is generally superimposed a noise component (high-frequency component) due to mechanical vibration and electrical noise, and therefore a process is required to eliminate the noise component. The conventional eliminating process of the noise component is effected by using an active filter (low-pass filter) constructed by an operational amplifier or a moving average type or recursive type digital filter (low-pass filter). However, there is the possibility that a noise with a sharp peak (spear-like noise) is superimposed on the detection signal of the yaw-rate sensor or a rapid signal variation occurs at the abnormal time such as a sensor fail. In such a case, difficulty is encountered to sufficiently eliminate the noise component by means of the aforementioned active filter or the aforementioned moving average type or recursive type digital filter. Further, in the case of increasing the order number of the filter, the active filter causes the circuit to becomes complex to increase the cost and the digital filter causes the calculation time to be taken largely to allow the phase lagging of the detection signal.

Signal processing circuit for yaw-rate sensor


A system that determines the total demand for a product for each day over four time periods specified by the user of the system. Within the first time period, from the current date up to a demand fence, the total demand cannot be altered. For the next three periods, called the flex fence periods, the total demand for each day can vary by a percentage amount set by the user. If an order exceeding capacity is received for a date beyond the demand fence, the system will recalculate total demand for all days beyond the demand fence and prior to the order date to attempt to produce the total demand quantity necessary to fulfill the order. In calculating the increased quantities, the system uses a formula that prevents the total demand quantity for any day from exceeding the amount of material that was ordered for that day.

Traditional manufacturing systems use customer orders and marketing forecasts to predict the quantity of product needed at any given time. This process is based upon scheduled batch manufacturing techniques where products are created based upon a weekly or monthly schedule. Usually these products are produced as subassemblies or fabricated parts which are scheduled based upon the monthly requirement of the finished products. These subassemblies are then assembled into the final product to fill the customer orders, or placed into finished goods.
Formalized computer systems have been developed to assist in the traditional scheduling and tracking of these batch subassemblies or fabricated parts, as well as buying the required raw material. These systems are called Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP) systems. The prevailing manufacturing methodology in the Far East, commonly referred to by the adopting Japanese as Kanban Flow Manufacturing, is often called Just-In-Time (JIT) by western manufacturers.
In traditional batch manufacturing, raw material is ordered well in advance and kept in a storeroom. Once the assembly or fabricated part is scheduled, a work order is released, and the parts required to produce the assembly are issued based upon a planned start date and start quantity. Subassembly parts are often produced in the same manner as the final product, thus, after being produced, the subassemblies are stored until they are needed for a final assembly. Because of the length of the process, a large inventory of finished goods is often needed to satisfy a fluctuating customer demand. This schedulized manufacturing makes customer responsiveness very slow.
The number of days that it takes to complete a product from the time the first, lowest-level, manufactured component or subassembly is produced until the final product is shipped is called the manufacturing lead time. A long lead time, caused by the subassembly manufacturing techniques, makes it difficult to react quickly to changing customer demand. The lengthy process of long manufacturing lead times, queues for each subassembly, and frequent trips to the storeroom place a long period of time between the customer's order and manufacturing's completion of that order.
One of the more significant problems caused by this process is that the production schedule is created well in advance, and cannot be altered easily. Because of this, the software used in this process also lacks the ability to easily adjust schedules. If the manufacturing process is to become more flexible, the system software used for scheduling must also become more flexible. In the traditional system, however, the production quantity, or total demand, is manually set by a master scheduler, and cannot easily be adjusted.
It is thus apparent that there is a need in the art for an improved method or apparatus which automatically determines the total demand on a daily basis. There is a further need in the art for such a system that can automatically adjust the demand, within customer supplied limits, to allow the quantity to vary for future dates. The present invention meets these and other needs.

Method for determining flexible demand in a manufacturing process

John Costanza Institute of Technology, Inc.


There is provided an image processing apparatus and an image processing method, the image processing apparatus including: a decoding section configured to decode an encoded stream to generate a decoded image; a determination section configured to determine whether to apply an extended strong filter, which is applied in an extended application range in which an application range of a deblocking filter is extended, to pixels positioned near a block boundary of the decoded image generated by the decoding section, in accordance with a state of pixels included in the extended application range; and a filtering section configured to apply the extended strong filter to pixels for which the determination section determines to apply the extended strong filter.

In H.265/HEVC, one of the standard image coding scheme specifications, to restrain degradations in image quality caused by blocking artifacts that occur during image coding, a deblocking filter is applied to the block boundaries for example (see Non-Patent Literature 1). A deblocking filter includes a strong filter and a weak filter, and a determination formula for each filter is used on a block boundary to determine which filter to apply.
Also, currently, for the purpose of improving the coding efficiency further over H.265/HEVC, the standards work of a next-generation image coding scheme called Future Video Coding (FVC) is being carried out by the Joint Video Exploration Team (JVET), a joint standards body of ITU-T and ISO/IEC (for example, see Non-Patent Literature 2).
In the FVC standards work, Non-Patent Literature 3 below proposes applying a deblocking filter over a wider range of application than the strong filter in H.265/HEVC. With the technique proposed in Non-Patent Literature 3, by setting the range of filter application from 3 pixels to 7 pixels positioned near a block boundary, it is possible to apply a stronger filter.

Image processing apparatus and image processing method


The present invention relates to the microRNA miR-126 and to inhibitors of miR-126 that regulate angiogenesis. The present invention provides compositions and methods for the inhibition of miR-126 and for the inhibition of angiogenesis in vivo.

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, occurs in the healthy body for healing wounds, for restoring blood flow to tissues after injury, and in certain other situations. In the absence of disease, the angiogenic process is normally tightly controlled by various positive and negative regulatory factors. Excessive angiogenesis is a factor in several pathological conditions. For example, abnormal neovascularization is a factor in various eye diseases, where it may result in hemorrhage and functional disorders of the eye, contributing to the loss of vision associated with retinopathy of prematurity, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, age-related macular degeneration, and other eye diseases (see, for example, Yoshida et al., 1999, Histol Histopathol. 14(4):1287-94). These conditions are leading causes of blindness (Aiello, 1997, Ophthalmic Res. 29(5):354-62). Excessive angiogenesis also plays a role in other disease conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis. Furthermore, angiogenesis plays an important role in the growth and metastasis of tumors. Indeed several angiogenesis inhibitors are used clinically in the treatment of cancer. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for new and improved angiogenesis inhibitors.


A battery pack is configured to reduce weight, enhance battery identification, ensure proper placement of a lid retaining the battery, and facilitate battery pack removal. The battery pack has one or more cells that lack an outer coverage except for a polymer sheathing. The battery pack includes a mating notch on a terminal plate and may include a fingernail notch and/or one or more guide rails. The fingernail notch may be a single depression formed to allow a fingernail to slip onto the battery pack, may be a single depression and a ledge that are side-by-side, or may be formed of multiple ledges and/or depressions. There may be a single guide rail or multiple guide rails. Each guide rail preferably has a hollow interior section that is crossed by one or more ribs or segments.

Current wireless handheld mobile communication devices perform a variety of functions to enable mobile professionals to stay current with information and communications, such as e-mail, corporate data and organizer information while they are away from their desks. A wireless connection to a server allows a mobile communication device to receive updates to previously received information and communications. The handheld devices optimally are lightweight, compact, and low power to facilitate usage by professionals on the go. It is desirous that the battery pack powering a handheld device be made small and compact to achieve an overall lightweight device. At the same time, it is important that the handheld device be supplied with the correct battery pack for optimal performance and to prevent damage through a physical and/or electrical mismatch. Furthermore, a battery pack needs to be properly mountable for secure placement, easy removal, and reliable contact between the battery pack power and data terminals and the handheld mobile communication device contacts. The lid covering the battery pack should be sufficiently positioned with respect to the battery pack to sufficiently retain the battery pack terminals in contact with the terminals of the mobile communication device and, optionally, spaced to avoid shocks on the lid to be transferred to the battery pack.
Therefore, it would be desirable for a battery in a mobile handheld communication device to safeguard against the placement of an improper battery and the potential resultant damage to the device; to provide a mechanical guide mechanism for a cover or door to ensure proper placement of the door when secured to the device; to provide a mechanism on the battery body to facilitate removal of the battery; to provide a thinner battery package to provide greater ease of use; and to have the connector pins properly contact the battery terminals.


The stacked semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a multi-layered insulation layer pattern having at least two insulation layer patterns and an opening, an active layer pattern formed on each of the insulation layer patterns, a first plug including single crystalline silicon-germanium, a second plug including single crystalline silicon, and a wiring electrically connected to the first plug and sufficiently filling up the opening. The insulation layer patterns are vertically stacked on the semiconductor substrate and the opening exposes an upper face of the semiconductor substrate. A side portion of the active layer pattern is exposed by the opening. The first plug is formed on the upper face of the semiconductor substrate to partially fill the opening. The second plug is partially formed on the first plug, and has substantially the same interface as that of the first plug.

1. Field of the Invention
Example embodiments of the present invention relate to a stacked semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the stacked semiconductor device. More particularly, example embodiments of the present invention relate to a stacked semiconductor device, in which semiconductor structures such as transistors including a gate pattern and a source/drain region are vertically stacked, and a method of manufacturing the stacked semiconductor device having the vertically stacked semiconductor structures.
2. Description of the Related Art
As design rules of semiconductor devices have been recently decreased, sizes of semiconductor structures formed on substrates and distances between the semiconductor structures have been decreased. However, when the sizes and the distances of the semiconductor structures are continuously decreased on the same plane, resistances of the semiconductor structures may be increased, and thus electrical reliabilities of the semiconductor devices including the semiconductor structures may be degraded.
In order to solve the above problem, stacked semiconductor devices in which semiconductor structures are vertically stacked have been developed. Examples of the stacked semiconductor structures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,538,330. The stacked semiconductor devices are mainly employed in a static random access memory (SRAM) device, a system-on-chip (SOC), etc.
The semiconductor structures in the stacked semiconductor device are formed in a plurality of insulation layers that are vertically stacked, and active layers that serve as channel regions are formed on the insulation layers. The active layers are mainly formed by a selective epitaxial growth (SEG) process using a semiconductor substrate, which may be partially exposed by a first opening formed through the insulation layer, as a seed layer. A plug is also formed in the first opening to fill up the first opening when the active layers are formed.
The vertically stacked insulation layers are patterned to form a second opening partially exposing the semiconductor substrate, and a conductive material is formed in the second opening so that the semiconductor structures in the stacked semiconductor device are electrically connected to one another. The second opening partially exposes not only an upper face of the semiconductor substrate but also side portions of the active layers, which are formed on the insulation layers.
However, as shown in FIG. 1, when the second opening is formed to expose the plug disposed on the semiconductor substrate but to leave the upper face of the semiconductor substrate intact, a resistance between the vertically stacked semiconductor structures may be increased because the plug does not include impurities so that the plug may have a relatively higher resistance compared to that of the semiconductor substrate having doped impurities.
Additionally, as shown in FIG. 2, the second opening may be formed to expose some portions of the semiconductor substrate in addition to the upper face of the semiconductor substrate because an etching degree of the insulation layers may be controlled only by a processing time when the second opening is formed. When the conductive material is formed in the second opening exposing the above portions of the semiconductor substrate, a leakage current may be generated in the semiconductor substrate.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a stacked semiconductor device is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0655664.
The stacked semiconductor device in the above Korean patent includes a first plug having impurities doped thereto and a second plug not having impurities. Thus, the etching degree of the insulation layers may be controlled by detecting the first plug having the impurities instead of measuring the processing time when the second opening is formed. The conductive material is formed in the second opening to be electrically connected to the first plug.
However, an additional process for doping impurities into the first plug is further performed in the above Korean patent so that time and cost of the process may be increased. Additionally, the semiconductor substrate may be damaged when an implantation process for doping the impurities into the first plug is performed. Furthermore, the first and second plugs have etching rates that are very similar to each other so that the etching degree of the insulation layers is not easily controlled by detecting the first plug.

Stacked semiconductor devices and methods of manufacturing the same


An earth formation tool measures pressure from within a borehole. A portion of the borehole wall is isolated from surrounding borehole fluids by placing a chamber of a borehole tool against the borehole wall. The chamber comprises a recess in an exterior surface of a borehole tool. Mudcake present on the isolated portion of the borehole wall is disintegrated by an ultrasonic transducer within the chamber. In this manner, there is no resistance to fluid flow from the chamber to the formation. A pressure gauge measures pressure of the chamber to indicate pressure of the earth formation. This approach can be used to make moving or stationary measurements of earth formation pressure.

Currently, pressure of an earth formation is measured from within a borehole by using a tool such as the RFT (Mark of Schlumberger; Repeat Formation Tester) or the MDT (Mark of Schlumberger; Modular Dynamic Tester), for example. A tool of the MDT type is generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,581 to Zimmerman et al. Briefly, the tool is lowered into a borehole and a packer of the tool is placed against a portion of the borehole wall to isolate that portion of the formation from borehole fluids. The packer surrounds a probe. As a "draw-down" pressure is applied at the probe, pressure at the isolated portion of the borehole wall decreases to a pressure substantially below that of the formation. This draw-down pressure effectively cleans the isolated portion of the borehole wall by drawing mudcake from the borehole wall via the probe. This facilitates fluid flow from the formation. The probe then is filled with formation fluid, during the applied draw-down. The pressure inside the probe is lower than the formation pressure as a result. A pressure gauge connected to the chamber then indicates pressure of the earth formation.

Method and apparatus for measuring formation pressure


A dispersion compensation type optical signal receiving apparatus includes: an APD element for converting input signal light inputted from a transmission line into an electric signal; an amplifying device constituted with a preamplifier circuit and a limit amplifier circuit, which amplifies the electric signal converted by the APD element; an EDC IC for compensating the dispersion in the transmission line electrically; and a clock/data reproducing circuit for reproducing the clock and data signal contained in the input signal light, wherein there is provided a VOA for limiting the amplitude of the input signal light inputted to the APD element and an attenuation amount controlling circuit for controlling the attenuation amount of the VOA in accordance with the bias current of the APD element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dispersion compensation type optical signal receiving apparatus used for optical communications and, more specifically, to a dispersion compensation type optical signal receiving apparatus, a receiving circuit, a receiving method, and a receiving program, which are capable of avoiding saturation of a limiter amplifier circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
The refractive index of the core of the optical fibers differs depending on the wavelength, so that light is propagated at a different speed in accordance with its wavelength. This phenomenon is called dispersion, and the reaching time of the light to a receiver differs for each wavelength because of this phenomenon. Thus, the waveform of an optical signal at the input of the receiver is distorted, and the pulse width is widened, thereby deteriorating the receiving quality. In order to compensate the dispersion optically, it is common to offset the dispersion by adding a dispersion compensation fiber that has a reversed characteristic with respect to that of the optical fiber of that transmission line. However, recently, an electronic dispersion compensation (EDC) IC, which performs dispersion processing after converting an optical signal to an electric signal, has been put into practical use, and it has become possible to compensate the dispersion economically.
FIG. 4 shows a circuit block diagram of a conventional optical receiver. Further, FIG. 5 shows a circuit block diagram of an optical receiver that includes a conventional electronic dispersion compensation (referred to as EDC hereinafter) IC. In FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, reference numeral 102 is a photocurrent monitoring circuit, 103 is an APD (Avalanche Photodiode) element, 104A (204A) is an preamplifier circuit, and 104B (204B) is a limit amplifier circuit.
Further, reference numeral 106 (206) indicates an APD module that is constituted with the APD element 103, the preamplifier circuit 104A, and the limit amplifier circuit 104B. Reference numeral 107 is an EDC (electronic dispersion compensation) IC, 108 is a clock/data reproducing circuit (referred to as CDR hereinafter), and 204B is an AGC (Automatic Gain Control) amplifier circuit.
An optical input signal propagated through the optical fiber is photoelectric-converted into a current signal at the APD element 103, which is then converted to a voltage signal at the preamplifier circuit 104A. Then, it is amplified at the limit amplifier circuit 104B, which is then inputted to the CDR (clock/data reproducing circuit) 108 as a differential voltage signal to reproduce a clock and data.
As shown in FIG. 5, the EDC (electronic dispersion compensation) IC 107 is provided between the output of the APD module 206 and the input of the CDR 108. As described above, the EDC (electronic dispersion compensation) IC 107 is an IC for correcting the waveform distortion caused due to the pattern effect that is generated because the signal light transmitted through the optical fiber for a long distance is propagated at different speeds depending on the wavelength thereof. This EDC IC 107 serves a function of correcting the influence of several bits before and after a certain bit. Thus, the information regarding how the waveform is distorted after the long-distance transmission is important.
The limit amplifier circuit 104B has a certain gain and serves a function of amplifying the voltage signal. However, when the input signal light becomes more than a certain power, the output amplitude of the limit amplifier circuit 104B becomes saturated to be a certain amplitude. Thus, in an area where the output amplitude is saturated, the output waveform becomes different from the input waveform and the information of the waveform affected by the pattern effect after the long-distance transmission is lost. Thus, the EDC IC 107 does not function properly. Therefore, the effect of the EDC IC 107 cannot be utilized fully, and the CDR (clock/data reproducing circuit) 108 provided thereafter cannot reproduce the clock and data accurately.
Thus, when using the EDC, as shown in FIG. 5, it is common to use the AGC amplifier circuit 204B instead of the limit amplifier circuit 104B to decrease the gain when the input power is large, so that the output amplitude is not saturated. It is possible with the use of the AGC amplifier circuit 204B to control the gain to be decreased when the input level is high, and to be increased when the input level is low. Therefore, even if the input light level is high, the input waveform can be amplified in that form and the waveform distortion after the long-distance transmission can be maintained. Thus, the EDC can exhibit the effect thereof.
However, it is necessary for the AGC amplifier circuit 204B to be designed in such a manner that there is no change in the band even if there is a change in the gain. Practically, the AGC amplifier circuit 204B that operates at 10 Gbps is still not very common, and it is hard to expect when the circuit of 40 Gbps can be achieved.
Conventionally, there is reported a light receiving circuit that comprises a variable optical attenuator in the middle of an input line of an optical receiver for an optical input signal, in which the attenuation amount of the variable optical attenuator is changed in accordance with the detection result of a bias current of the light receiving circuit (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 04-275468 (Patent Literature 1)).
However, the light receiving circuit disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is for attenuating the input signal light so that the signal light of more than a threshold value (the maximum overload) that can be received by the light receiving circuit cannot be inputted. Thus, in terms of the object and the effect, it is different from the receiver of the present invention which allows the electronic dispersion compensation function to be fully utilized by limiting the signal light power that can be received without any trouble by a conventional receiver whose limit amplifier provided therein is saturated.

Dispersion compensation type optical signal receiving apparatus, receiving circuit, receiving method, and receiving program


An apparatus (1) for continuous treatment of a material (M) of continuous length with a low temperature plasma of a plasma gas (G) under vacuum. The apparatus (1) includes a plasma treatment chamber (3) having a chamber wall (4) and, in the wall (4), an entrance zone (6) and an exit zone (7) for receiving and discharging the continuous material (M). Evacuating means (48) is operable to establish a vacuum in the chamber (3). Support means (9) advances the continuous material (M) along a path (8) through the chamber (3) and also maintains a vacuum seal at the entrance and exit zones (6,7). The support means (9) includes a backing roller (10) mounted adjacent the entrance and exit zones (6,7), an entrance sealing roller (11) positioned adjacent the entrance zone (6) and an exit sealing roller (13) positioned adjacent the exit zone (7). The backing roller (10) forms with each sealing roller (11,13) a respective nip (12,14) at the entrance and exit zones (6,7) through which the continuous material (M) passes into and out of the treatment chamber (3). A plasma generating head (53) is positioned within the treatment chamber (3) adjacent the path (8) for generating a low temperature plasma which contacts the continuous material (M) while it is advanced through the treatment chamber (3).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to plasma treatment of material, and in particular to an apparatus for continuous treatment of continuous material with a plasma of a plasma gas under vacuum. The invention is applicable to the treatment of photographic support material, whereby transient surface modifications induced by plasma treatment are exploited to enable improved adhesion and coatability of photographic emulsions to the support. The support is particularly a polyethylene coated paper photographic support. It will be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention in relation to this exemplary application, although it is to be appreciated that the invention is not limited to that application.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plasma or glow discharge treatment of material surfaces has-been reported in numerous publications including J. R. Hollahan and A. T. Bell, "Techniques and Applications of Plasma Chemistry", Wiley, N.Y. 1974 and H. Yasuda, J. Macromol. Sci. Chem. A10,383 (1976). Such treatment has also been the subject of a variety of patents including U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,057,795, 3,288,638, 3,475,307, 3,526,583, 3,761,299, 3,837,886, 3,944,709, 4,437,324, 4,451,497, 4,457,145 and 4,551,310, and British Patents 997093 and 1579002.
The discharges occuring during treatment may be struck in most gases using voltages from several hundred volts to several kilovolts. Pressures are usually in the range 1.33 to 1333.22 pascal (0.01 to 10 Torr) and discharge frequencies range from DC to 100 MHz. In most cases of interest here, the treatment affects the surface properties of materials by modifying the chemical nature of the surface layer. Plasma treatment may be used to improve the bonding of coatings such as adhesives, dyes, inks, polymers and photographic emulsions, to improve the wettability of hydrophobic materials or to alter mechanical properties such as the coefficient of friction or the cohesiveness of textile fibres. In another variation, thin polymer films may be deposited on most surfaces by plasma polyermization from a discharge in an appropriate gaseous monomer. Apart from their potential use as bonding layers, such thin films find other possible uses including protective and decorative layers, optical coatings, capacitor dielectrics and semipermeable membranes.
Few of the reported applications of plasma treatment have utilized any short-lived properties (lasting for up to several hours) of the treated surfaces in subsequent processes. It has been shown, for example in British patent 997093, that surface radicals are produced by plasma treatment of a wide range of organic materials and can be used to initiate graft polymerization if the treated surface is exposed to monomer vapor a short time after treatment. Studies have also shown that surface hydrocarbon radicals are rapidly destroyed in most cases by exposure to oxygen but allylic, polyenyl and peroxy radicals which can be formed in this process may survive for time periods longer than several minutes. The prior art literature does not appear to contain any reference to the possibility of using such short-lived species to react with coatings or films which are rapidly applied to a treated surface. These applications would appear to be of a different nature than those of graft polymerization in that radicals are not used to initiate polymerization but are merely allowed to react with molecules brought adjacent to the surface.
In the photographic industry, the wetting and adhesive properties of hydrophobic (unsubbed) photographic support such as polyethylene coated paper has traditionally been improved prior to coating by subjecting the support to Corona Discharge Treatment. The corona can be formed in air at atmospheric pressure by subjecting an electrode above a dielectric covered roller to a high voltage (15 KV peak) low frequency (10 KHz) signal.
As well as improving the wetting by, and the adhesion to, aqueous photographic emulsion layers, corona discharge treatment introduces strongly bound polar charge into the surface of the support. This charge can disturb the liquid emulsion at the point of application to create non-uniformities in the coated layer. To reduce the severity of this, discharge equipment is included between the corona treater and the coating station. Conventional electrostatic dischargers, such as stressed wire corona dischargers, multiple point corona bars, air jet ionizers and radio-active dischargers are not wholly effective because the polar charge produces a very small external field and the number of ions produced per unit time is insufficient to meet the demand. As will be shown later, plasma treatment can in fact remove non-uniform polar charge.
The deposition of a uniform layer of polar charge on photographic support is of importance in high speed coating applications. The polar charge attracts the coating bead which would not otherwise wet the support at high coating speeds, thereby eliminating skottle (air entrainment which disturbs coating uniformity). Polar charge layers with potentials up to 3000 V have been deposited by V-channel ionizers or polar charge brushes. These devices essentially create a corona discharge above the web surface and simultaneously transport charge to the surface of the web. The achievement of controlled uniform levels of polar charge requires a considerable level of complexity in these devices. As will be shown later, a uniform polar charge layer may be deposited in a similar but simpler fashion from a glow discharge during plasma treatment of a photographic support.
Most of the applications of plasma treatment disclosed in the above patents utilize a batch process. That is, the material to be treated is placed inside a vacuum chamber which is then evacuated and the treatment carried out. However, where continuous webs or filaments are to be treated it may be more cost effective to transport the material through a vacuum seal into the treatment zone and back out again in a continuous manner. This possibility is addressed in a number of patents. In that regard, moving filaments or rods can generally be sealed in a satisfactory manner using slot seals as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,502,499 and 3,952,568, and British patent 1238450. Moving webs can be sealed by slot seals as discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,057,795, 3,179,482, 3,761,299, 4,026,787 and 4,072,769, liquid seals as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,610, press seals as discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,384,900, 3,867,768 and 4,065,137, roller seals as discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,205,086, 3,246,365, 3,384,900, 3,867,768, 4,048,953, 4,065,137, 4,179,820 and 3,334,908, and belt seals as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,048,953.
Slot seals, liquid seals and press seals have all been utilized in apparatus involving plasma treatment of webs.
However, slot seals are unsatisfactory due to their high leak rates and hence large pumping capacity requirements. Web flutter can also be a problem and may cause web damage. Liquid seals are cumbersome and may produce undesirable contamination of many substrates.
Press seals can provide good vacuum sealing but could cause frictional damage to web surfaces. Webs of high tensile strength are also required to pass satisfactorily through press seals so that they are not suitable for the present exemplary application.
Roller seals have been used in various apparatuses for transport of webs or sheets into and out of a vacuum, although they have not been used for plasma treatment applications. Generally, the roller seals have incorporated non-compliant rollers and have been used to transport webs of high tensile strength (e.g. metal strips and wood veneer) or deformable webs (woven fabrics). Non-compliant rollers allow leakage of air in the gaps defined between the edges of the web and the edges of the rollers. Furthermore, they do not readily allow control of the pressure exerted by the rollers on the web. Control of the roller to web pressure is critical for the avoidance of steering and creasing problems when transporting more fragile webs, such as photographic supports. U.S. Pat. No. 3,334,908 describes apparatus incorporating compliant roller seals for sealing about high tensile strength webs or sheets. However, in that patent a non-compliant backing roller engages with the compliant sealing rollers to define nips, and a series of non-compliant wiper rollers back onto the sealing rollers to seal off leakage that may occur because of the necessary clearance between the sealing rollers and their housing. These multiple wiper rollers again make it difficult to control the sealing roller to web pressure. In addition, lack of appropriate adjustment in the wiper rollers does not permit the maintenance of minimal nip pressure to be applied to the transported web.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,048,953 describes a continuous belt seal for transport of fragile webs (papers) through a vacuum system, although again, not for plasma treatment applications. This apparatus is relatively complex and operates at a maximum web speed of 18 meters per minute, which is much slower than current coating speeds of most photographic products.
In European Patent Application 0,337,369, a continuous vacuum deposition apparatus is described that includes seal devices made of a set of three pinch rolls. The three pinch rolls are arranged in parallel on one plane and a pair of seal bars are positioned on said parallel plane to form one end of the vacuum chamber. For each successive vacuum chamber a set of three pinch rolls is required. In the present invention each successive chamber requires only one additional roll.
French Patent Application 2,485,319 shows a typical vacuum sealing system for treatment of a web with low temperature plasma wherein each sealing chamber is provided with a pair of nip rolls. The present invention reduces the number of rolls required for each sealing chamber.
Finally, in French Patent Application 2,487,696 a vacuum treatment apparatus is described which continuously treats the surface of a plastic molding under vacuum. Each auxiliary vacuum chamber includes a pair of seal rolls. The present invention reduces the amount of seal rolls required for each vacuum chamber.

Apparatus for plasma treatment of continuous material


Disclosed are a keyboard input system and a keyboard input method using finger gesture recognition. The keyboard input system includes: a virtual keyboard display unit configured to overlap and display a virtual keyboard having keys arranged on an image obtained by an image capturing unit; and a virtual keyboard input unit configured to output a key of the virtual keyboard based on a user's finger gesture recognized in the image. The virtual keyboard input unit includes: a finger recognition unit configured to recognize a finger gesture of the user in the image; a click gesture determination unit configured to determine whether the finger gesture corresponds to a set click gesture; and a key output unit configured to determine a key overlapping with a set finger position of the user when the click gesture occurs. The click gesture includes an interaction between at least two fingers of the user.

Recently, due to the development of digital media, augmented reality technology for synthesizing virtual objects or information in a real environment has become popular, and thus, there is a growing demand for an interface technology that can be inputted through a camera. In augmented reality where a real world and a virtual world coexist together, various methods for controlling a user's virtual image or image have been studied. Keyboards and mice used in computer systems are the most common and important input devices, but they are inconvenient in volume for use in portable devices. In order to solve this problem, a virtual keyboard-type input device was developed. For intuitive and natural interaction between people and computers, a lot of researches on the interface method using the user's hand gesture are under development. The conventional hand gesture recognition method recognizes fingertip movements using geometric features through machine learning, and recognizes a click gesture of a fingertip. When this method is applied to an environment such as augmented reality, it is difficult to accurately determine whether a key is clicked because it cannot be touched on the space. The data glove-based input method that recognizes the movement of the markers requires additional equipment such as gloves and markers, which is expensive and makes the user feel inconvenient to wear gloves.

Keyboard input system and keyboard input method using finger gesture recognition

SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY R&DB FOUNDATION


An animal feed additive composition comprises an effective amount of a laidlomycin, a carrier, magnesium sulfate, and silicon dioxide. Other embodiments include methods of making the animal feed additive compositions, and the use of a laidlomycin in the manufacture of an animal feed additive for increasing the efficiency of feed utilization and rate of weight gain in domestic animals.

There are many different species of ruminant animals found around the world. Ruminants include cattle, sheep, goats, buffalo, deer, and elk. These animals have a digestive system uniquely different from other animals (including humans, chickens, and pigs). Instead of having only one compartment to the stomach, ruminants have four compartments. The rumen is the largest section of the stomach and is the main digestive area. The rumen is filled with billions of microorganisms that are able to break down grass and other coarse vegetation that animals having one stomach cannot digest.
Laidlomycin is a known antibiotic that has been shown to inhibit the growth of Gram positive bacteria. Laidlomycin has also been shown to increase the efficiency of feed utilization and rate of weight gain in domestic animals, especially meat-producing and milk-producing animals, such as cattle. Carbohydrates form a large part of these animals' diets, and the efficiency of carbohydrate utilization is desirably increased by treatment which encourages intraruminal production of propionate rather than acetate from carbohydrates. Additionally, laidlomycin suppresses rumen lactic acid production, thereby assisting in the prevention or treatment of bloat in ruminant animals.
Animal feedstuff compositions containing a therapeutic and/or prophylactic level of laidlomycin have been prepared by admixing the drug or a salt thereof with the feedstuff directly or by admixing an additive containing the drug with the desired feedstuff. Feed additives are normally prepared by admixing the drug or salt thereof, or a solution of the drug or a salt thereof with an edible substrate such as corn cob grits, soybean feed, corn meal or the like. Typically, laidlomycin is prepared by fermentation of organisms such as Streptoverticillium eurocidicum.
There remains a need for alternative feed additive compositions comprising laidlomycin.


Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for managing pre-trade activity. In general, a distribution of information about what traders and customers want to do may be known. Users may be made aware of trade ideas that can be proposed to a trading desk's buy-side clients. Relevant information on the trading desk may be brought together, and the information may be processed through a set of rules that extract trading opportunities. On the buy side, trade ideas may be extracted without having to have the intervention of a sell-side salesforce.

This disclosure relates generally to computer-based mechanisms for electronic financial trading, and more particularly to techniques for streamlined pre-trade processes in fixed income securities trading.
In general, the fixed income market is a financial market where participants may buy and sell debt securities usually in the form of bonds. In some markets, trading in the fixed income markets has been largely phone-based but may change, as fixed income transactions may be executed electronically. In the fixed income market, banks and brokers may be on the sell side while asset managers, hedge funds and corporate treasurers may be on the buy side. The sell side may quote tradable bond prices while the buy side may be looking for executable fixed income prices from a wide pool of liquidity providers.

Fixed-income system for managing pre-trade activity


A heat and pressure consolidated laminate, and a method for manufacturing the same, is provided that includes in superimposed relationship a core layer containing a plurality of cellulosic sheets impregnated with a thermosetting resin, and a decorative layer consisting essentially of a leather material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to decorative laminates in general and, more particularly laminates having a leather or leather-like material as a decorative layer. In addition, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing the same.
2. Background Information
Decorative laminates are often used in the construction of cabinetry, furniture, countertops, and other building products. There is considerable consumer demand for decorative laminates in a wide variety of colors, patterns, and textures. Natural leather is another popular material used in the construction of furniture and other applications. Leather is generally perceived as a quality material used in high-end applications. Unfortunately, leather can be difficult to work with because of size limitations, shrinkage, imperfections, etc. It would be useful, therefore, to provide a product that facilitates the incorporation of leather into applications including furniture, cabinetry, countertops, and the like.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A card connector assembly that enables smooth insertion of a card into a card receiving opening, by preventing the front end of the card from striking the card receiving opening during insertion. The card connector assembly includes a frame, and an ejecting mechanism. The frame has a card receiving opening at a first end, and a connector at a second end. The connector electrically connects with a card, which is inserted into the frame. The ejecting mechanism includes a push rod, which is slidable in the insertion/ejection direction of the card. An eject button is provided at the end of the push rod on the side of the card receiving opening. A guide, for guiding the card to be inserted into the card receiving opening, is formed on the eject button.

An ejecting mechanism is generally provided in a card connector assembly that receives PC (Personal Computer) cards according to the PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) standard. The ejecting mechanism ejects cards, which are inserted into the card connector assembly. Normally, the ejecting mechanism is attached to a lateral side portion of a frame that receives the card. The card, which is inserted in the frame, is generally ejected by pressing an eject button of the ejecting mechanism.
A conventional connector ejecting mechanism, is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-110286. That publication (FIG. 2) show an eject button of the ejecting mechanism is provided on a lateral side of the frame, in the vicinity of a card receiving opening. A gap, is located between the eject button and the card receiving opening.
In the above known connector, the gap, is at least equivalent to the plate thickness of the frame. Therefore, during insertion of the card, the front end of the card sometimes undesirably strikes the front end of the frame, preventing smooth insertion of the card. Where the ejecting mechanism and the card receiving opening are separated, a guide, for guiding the card to be inserted, may be provided on a case that houses the card connector assembly. However, along with the miniaturization of the computer these card connector assemblies are also being miniaturized. Therefore, design constraints have led to a tendency for ejecting mechanisms and card receiving openings to be in close proximity to each other, leaving little or no space for providing guides on the cases.


An audio amplifier is provided with: an amplifier circuit; a power supply circuit that generates a plurality of power supply voltages; a power supply relay that selects one of the power supply voltages as the power supply voltage supplied to the amplifier circuit; a switching condition determiner that determines whether the switching condition of the power supply relay is satisfied; a silent section detector that detects a silent section of the audio signal which is equal to or greater than the operation time of the power supply relay; and a switching instruction unit for providing the power supply relay with an instruction for switching the power supply voltage during the silent section when the switching condition is satisfied and the silent section is detected.

Various technologies of switching the power supply voltage supplied to an amplifier circuit have been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1). In the power amplifier circuit of this Patent Document 1, a low voltage is normally supplied as the power supply voltage, the power supply voltage is switched to a high voltage when a large signal is input, and the occurrence of frequent switching is prevented by providing hysteresis for the switching between the high voltage and the low voltage and by making switching to the high voltage only when the number of times the signal input level exceeds a threshold value becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times.

Audio amplifier and power supply voltage switching method


An air-delivered infrared anti-ship missile decoy is delivered from an aiaft to a desired location below sea surface ahead of advancing forces and then activated at a later time by a remotely-transmitted encoded signal to separate a payload assembly from the remainder of the decoy, float the payload assembly on the sea surface and then produce a relatively large infrared plume above the payload assembly and atop the sea surface that provides an infrared signature for decoying and deception purposes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to missile decoys and, more particularly, is concerned with an air-delivered, delayed remotely-activated, infrared anti-ship missile decoy and deployment method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Currently, when a missile launch is detected decoys are launched off the deck of Naval combatants by a decoy launching system. These decoys fool air-to-surface missile guidance control into targeting the decoy instead of the ship. The fleet can launch both infrared (IR) and radio frequency (RF) decoys to counter IR or RF homing missiles. These decoys are launched via mortar or rocket propulsion from the deck of the surface ship. An example of a torpedo decoy round ejected for flight above water from a mortar or missile launcher located onboard a naval surface vessel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,781 to Woodall, Jr. et al.
Surface ship launched decoys have a limited separation range from the ship's launcher. Range is limited by the amount of propulsion that can be provided via mortar or rocket, by the storage confines for shipboard ordnance, and by launcher material strength limits. Storage requirements also limit the time that the decoy can provide deception before ceasing to function by limiting the amount of fuel held in the device.
A drawback of current decoy systems is that they function immediately upon launch. They cannot be placed at a predetermined location and then activated so as to function at some later time by remote means.
Consequently, a need exists for an improved decoy design which will overcome the drawbacks of the prior art without introducing new ones in their place.

Air-delivered remotely-activated infrared anti-ship missile decoy and deployment method

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


A method for setting permissions for a group of users of a computer system. The method includes receiving data that defines a role for a first group of users, the role including one or more permissions each defining a permitted activity of the first group of users with respect to data of users in a second group of users, and setting the one or more permissions based on the defined role.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of computer software and, in particular, to a system and method for assigning permissions to access data and perform actions in a computer system.
2. Description of the Related Art
One commonly-performed task in managing users of a shared computer system, such as employees in a large organization, is setting user permissions. Each user may be provided access, i.e., "permission," to view, edit, or generate certain types of data, or perform certain actions in the system. For example, in a corporate organization, each member of the human resources (HR) department may have access to view the personnel records of the other employees in the corporate organization. However, employees not in the HR department would not have this access. An example of an action would be that each member of the human resources (HR) department may be allowed to reset passwords for employees in the corporate organization. However, employees not in the HR department would not have this access.
Setting permissions for each user in an organization individually can be a very tedious, time-consuming, and error-prone process. For example, if 1000 different users were to be granted permission to view a particular set of files, then each user would need to be individually granted the permission. If the individual users to whom the permission is granted changes, then the change would need to be entered for each affected user. Some conventional techniques allow for an administrator to generate a group of users and assign permissions to the group. In such a case, each member of the group is granted the permission. However, managing group membership can also be tedious, time consuming and error prone. Errors in granting appropriate permissions are common when using such conventional techniques.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a technique that addresses the drawbacks and limitations discussed above.

System and method for assigning permissions to access data and perform actions in a computer system


A “Logging” method and apparatus is provided to protect control unit cached data not yet written to backing storage disk drives. This recording mechanism copies “WRITE DATA” to a log at a target logically external or physically external to storage control units which are connected to a common storage pool and constitute a set. Upon failure of one of the set of control units, the “Log” information is available to insure that pending “write” data is written to the proper location on the disk drives of the storage pool upon a recovery action. One of surviving members of the set assumes control of the storage managed by the failing control unit by utilizing the recorded information to insure that data not written to backing storage (disks) up to the point of failure is then written to the disk backing storage. The surviving member of the set recovering the failing control unit storage (disk set) ownership effects a “flush” of (WRITE) the Journaled WRITE DATA to the backing storage disk drives before allowing normal operations to proceed.

A storage control unit has a role of providing control and connection management of an aggregation of disks to client computing systems. The storage control unit is able to identify and parse out the required amount of storage capacity to a given client computer via some administrative interface.
Client computer systems handle write data at file level via a file system implemented by the client computer systems. Using the file system and structure client computers may employ a cache system for storing write data at file level prior to converting to block level addresses and writing the data to backing storage disks. Such cache systems secure data and are sometimes employed to provide for data comparison and integrity verification and are tightly integrated with client computing systems and file structures of those systems. Such cache systems do not address block level protocol data storage or potential failure and recovery of storage control units operating using address block level protocol.
The storage control unit provides the data transport medium (channels) to the disk drives. In this role, the storage control unit serves as the intermediary between the storage and the client computer systems that store and retrieve data to and from the storage subsystem. The storage control unit (channel) transport connection to the storage devices are commonly physical SCSI, Serial Addressed SCSI (SAS), or Fibre Channel connection, though other physical device connection types do exist.
The storage control unit, in turn, provides client computing systems a similar "channel" connection, such as ESCON, FICON, SCSI, SAS, or Fibre Channel. Again, these examples represent the more common connections of the larger set of channel transport available in computing at the time of the patent submission.
A single or multiple set of control units 1 to "n" provide benefit to host systems by presenting a centralized, robust, intelligent, and programmed interface representing a managed storage pool. This interface simplifies the management of storage for the client computers. The storage control unit(s) often provides a logical representation of storage independent of the topology and geometry of the disk drives. Additionally, it is frequently found that control units also provide data protection via RAID provisions and other storage management functions.

Storage control unit with memory cache protection via recorded log


A frequency converter employs a balanced bridge mixer of switching elements such as field-effect transistors (FETs) with a local oscillator supplying control signals to gate terminals of the transistors. A carrier at intermediate frequency (IF) or at radio frequency (RF) is modulated for communication of data, and is applied to alternate nodes of the bridge. The remaining bridge nodes supply output signals to respective branches of an output circuit. Each branch of the output circuit is provided with a bandpass filter having a spectral characteristic corresponding to the spectral characteristic of a specific one of plural output signals to be outputted via the branch. Each branch may contain an active element, such as an amplifier, which is activated for outputting a signal, and which is deactivated for when node signal is to be outputted. A switchable impedance circuit is included within each of the branches to present a substantially constant impedance characteristic to the bridge, independently of whether the bridge amplifier is activated or deactivated. The local oscillator may provide plural frequencies, as by use of a variable-frequency oscillator or by use of plural oscillators, to place an output signal within the frequency band of a specific one of the output branches.

This invention relates to frequency converters employing a balanced bridge mixer and, more particularly, to a converter having plural output circuit branches connecting to nodes of the bridge mixer, wherein respective ones of the branches have respective filters with differing passband characteristics to pass respective signals of corresponding spectral characteristics while attenuating signals of other spectral characteristics.
Converter circuits are employed in transmitters and receivers of electric signals to provide an up-conversion of frequency and a down-conversion of frequency. The upconversion of frequency is obtained by mixing the signal of a local oscillator (LO) with a signal at intermediate frequency (IF) to obtain a radio frequency (RF) signal, and the down-conversion of frequency is obtained by mixing the RF signal with the LO signal to obtain an IF signal.
A common form of construction of such a converter circuit includes a balanced mixer. The balanced mixer has a bridge with an even number of arms, which are of nonlinear or switching elements, and which are arranged in a ring. Successive ones of the arms are interconnected by circuit nodes. One embodiment of the bridge employs a set of four matched field effect transistors (FETs) wherein the respective gate terminals of the transistors are driven by LO signals to provide alternative states of conduction and nonconduction within the transistors. The LO signal driving one pair of opposed transistors is of opposite phase to the LO signal driving the second pair of opposed transistors. The IF signal in an up-conversion, or the RF signal in a down-conversion, is applied to one pair of opposed nodes, typically by a transformer coupling. In both the case of up-conversion and down conversion, the output signal is obtained from the second pair of opposed nodes, typically by a transformer coupling.
In certain signal processing situations, it is desired to output any one of a plurality of signals wherein the signals are at different frequencies. This may occur, by way of example, wherein individual ones of the output signals are to be transmitted via different signal channels, or with different spectral characteristics and/or signal amplitudes. Alternatively, this may occur, by way of example, wherein received signals are to be processed via different signal channels which may differ in spectral passbands and/or signal power gain.
A problem arises in that, with the previously described construction of a converter, the converter has a single output channel. To accommodate the situation wherein the signal processor circuitry is to output signals in different frequency bands, it is the present practice to employ a plurality of converter circuits, particularly in the situation wherein the signals differ greatly in frequency so as to militate against a single wide band output channel. This is disadvantageous in requiring additional circuitry and additional consumption of direct current (DC) from a power supply. This disadvantage is most notable in the case of portable equipment such as may be carried by a spacecraft or in an electronic device, such as a communication device, carried by a person.


A method for repairing an organic light emitting display having a plurality of unit pixels each including a white subpixel is provided. The method includes detecting a defective white subpixel by checking circuit units of the white subpixels, connecting a circuit unit of a neighboring subpixel positioned adjacent to the defective white subpixel in the unit pixel with a light emitting unit of the defective white subpixel using a repair conductive pattern, storing a repair position to which the repair conductive pattern is connected, and compensating for digital video data that will be input to the repair position.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an active matrix organic light emitting display, and more particularly, to a method for repairing a defective pixel of an organic light emitting display.
Discussion of the Related Art
An active matrix organic light emitting display includes organic light emitting diodes (hereinafter, abbreviated to "OLEDs") capable of emitting light by itself and has advantages of a fast response time, a high light emitting efficiency, a high luminance, a wide viewing angle, and the like.
The OLED serving as a self-emitting element includes an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, and an organic compound layer formed between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode. The organic compound layer includes a hole injection layer HIL, a hole transport layer HTL, a light emitting layer EML, an electron transport layer ETL, and an electron injection layer EIL. When a driving voltage is applied to the anode electrode and the cathode electrode, holes passing through the hole transport layer HTL and electrons passing through the electron transport layer ETL move to the light emitting layer EML and form excitons. As a result, the light emitting layer EML generates visible light.
The organic light emitting display arranges subpixels each including the OLED in a matrix form and adjusts an amount of light emitted by each OLED depending on a gray scale of video data. Each subpixel includes a circuit unit for driving a light emitting unit, i.e., the OLED. The circuit unit includes a driving thin film transistor (TFT) controlling a driving current flowing in the OLED and a plurality of switching TFTs for programming a gate-source voltage of the driving TFT in conformity with a desired gray level.
The number of TFTs and signal lines formed on a display panel of the organic light emitting display is more than other display devices, and the organic light emitting display has more complex configuration than the other display devices. Therefore, a defect is frequently generated in the circuit unit of the organic light emitting display. In the organic light emitting display, the subpixel including the defective circuit unit does not normally emit light and is recognized as a dark spot. However, because a subpixel of a specific color having a relatively high transmittance has the higher visibility of the dark spot than the subpixels of other colors, a countermeasure is required. Hence, a dummy pixel structure shown in FIG. 1 was proposed.
In FIG. 1, "A" demotes a dummy pixel, and "B" demotes a normal pixel. The normal pixel B is formed in a display area, in which an image is implemented, and the dummy pixel A is formed in a non-display area outside the display area. The dummy pixel A is a pixel, which is additionally formed so as to perform a repair process. In the related art dummy pixel structure, when a defect is generated in a circuit unit of the normal pixel B, the repair process is performed to connect a light emitting unit of the normal pixel B to a circuit unit of the dummy pixel A, thereby causing the normal pixel B to emit light. Hence, the problem of the dark spot is removed.
The related art dummy pixel structure requires the separate dummy pixel A on the display panel of the organic light emitting display, so as to remove the defect. However, when the dummy pixel A is formed on the display panel, an occupation ratio (i.e., an aperture ratio) of the display area of the image displayed on the display panel is reduced by a formation area of the dummy pixel A.

Method for repairing organic light emitting display


This novel all-terrain, two-wheeled, riding-board provides a safe operating sport-ride to the user. Two large diameter wheels, one fore and one aft, are provided to improve the safety of this novel riding-board. Each wheel has a resilient elastomeric pneumatic tire mounted on each rim. A dual set of smaller stabilizer wheels are mounted outwardly at the rear of the deck to limit the travel and prevent tipping over. The outboard repositionable stabilizer wheels also serve to function as maneuvering devices, where the rider, by shifting his body weight over one of the stabilizing wheels, can decisively change the direction of his descent, either to the left or to the right. A dual foot operated braking system is provided where the brake on each wheel is individually operated. Alternatively, the riding board is equipped with a dual braking system—a cable driven hand-brake and an automatically operated hill-brake.

There are three related recreational sporting events that appeal initially to a small group of surfers, backcountry enthusiasts, and skateboarders, for year-round participation and enjoyment. In the aquatic sporting events, a surfboard is used, whereas in summer land sporting events, skateboards are used, and in the winter season, the snowboards are primarily used.
The modern surfboards are large boards constructed of a plastic foam core that is shaped by machine or hand-shaped, and covered with a thin shell of fiberglass and resin. Surfboard dimensions vary widely and are governed by the needs of the enthusiast. High performance surfboards used by the top professionals vary typically from about 1.8 to 2 meters (6 ft.) in length and about 47 cm. (18.5 in.) in width; weighing about 2.7 kg (6 lbs.) and less than 6 cm. (2.5 in) thick. This style of board is also known as a "shortboard."
On the other end of the surfboard spectrum is the "longboard," where most longboards are 2.7 m. (9 ft.) long, 51 to 56 cm. (20 to 22 in.) wide, weighing less than 7 kg (15 lb and about the same thickness as the shortboard. The bottom of this board has from one to five fins near the tail, where the three-fin, thruster design is considered to be standard. These fins provide the board with directional stability and enhance performance by providing additional power and forward drive. Either style board can be used in recreational or in professional contexts, however, the shortboard performs better for speed and aerial maneuvers.
Snowboarding, on the other hand, is a sport often described as "surfing on snow." Snowboarders descend a slope by standing sideways on a lightweight board about 150 cm (about 5 ft) long, attached to their feet.
With snowboarding, the board lengths vary according to the size of the rider and the type of riding the rider does. Adult sized snowboards range from about 140 cm. to 180 cm. (about 4 ft. 7 in. to 5 ft. 11 in.). "Freestyle boards" are shortest, for easy maneuverability, whereas, the "freeride boards" are medium in length. "Carving boards" are still longer, so that can perform best at higher speeds. The longest are the "Alpine race boards" that may be as long as 190 cm. (6 ft 3 in.). These boards utilize a variety of bindings to hold the boots to the board, including metal fasteners, plastic straps, and step-in versions. Bindings having high backs behind the heels provide support and added leverage on turns.
Unlike skiers, who shift their weight from one ski to the other, snowboarders shift their weight from heels (heelside) to toes as well as from one end of the board to the other. When snowboarders shift their weight toward the nose (front of the board), the board heads downhill. When snowboarders shift their weight toward the tail (back of the board), they head uphill or slow down. Riders achieve quick turns by pushing the back foot forward or pulling it backward to change direction. They stop the board's motion by pushing heels or toes down hard to dig the edge of the snowboard into the snow.
Most winter resorts now have special areas for snowboarding known as halfpipes—a long, deep trench dug in the snow and shaped like a pipe cut in half along its length, where riders "drop in" the pipe, using the walls of the trench to launch themselves into the air and perform a variety of jumps and spins. Tricks range from riding backwards, called riding fakie, to spectacular spins and flips performed in the halfpipe.
Skateboarding is an athletic activity that involves riding on a specially designed four-wheeled wooden board. The enthusiast most generally rides skateboards on the pavement or any other surface that gives a relatively smooth ride. Originally, the sport was known as "sidewalk surfing" but soon established its own identity.
The earliest skateboards first appeared in the 1940s and 1950s, where many of the early boards were toy scooters whose handlebars had been removed. Other homemade skateboards were steel-wheeled roller skates nailed onto a piece of wood. The first commercially produced skateboards appeared in the early 1960s, when Makaha Skateboards established a successful business.
By the 1970s, skateboard design had advanced, and the models produced were much safer than those of earlier years. This was because companies were making wheels, trucks, and other parts specially designed for skateboards. For many years skateboard construction varied among manufacturers, as plastic, fiberglass, metal, and wood were tested as deck materials, but by the late 1970s wood had won out as the optimum material. Decks constructed of seven-ply laminated wood tended to be lighter and stronger than those made of other materials.
Skateboarding became a competitive sport when curved plywood ramps were designed for use in skateboarding—these ramps were first used in 1975 in Melbourne Beach, Fla.
A skateboard is comprised of four wheels attached to two axles called trucks that are mounted to the bottom of a wooden board called a deck. These decks are typically 79 cm. (31 in.) in length and about 20 cm. (8 in.) in width. Generally, seven layers of Canadian maple veneer, pressed and glued together, comprise the deck. To improve the strength and prevent the deck from splitting along the grain, the skateboard manufacturers alternate the direction of the wood grain of each layer. These decks feature a curved rise at each end—the front end is called a kicknose, and the one in the rear is called a kicktail. To perform the tricks and stunts, the skateboarders use the leverage from the kicked ends. An abrasive grip tape is normally used on the top surface to provide traction and prevent the rider from slipping off.
The trucks are most commonly mounted 33 to 38 cm. (13 to 15 in.) apart. They consist of a base plate that mounts to the deck with screws and a hanger that houses the axle. The wheels attach to each end of the axle. Most trucks are made of lightweight aluminum and allow a slight movement between the base plate and hanger. This flexibility allows riders to turn the skateboard by shifting their weight.
Skateboard wheels are made of a durable material called urethane. Standard wheels are 50 to 65 mm. 0.9 to 2.5 in. in diameter and 65 mm. (2.5 in. wide. Each wheel houses two sealed or shielded precision bearings. Protective equipment worn by skateboarders typically includes kneepads, elbow pads, wrist guards, gloves, and a helmet. The wearing of protective equipment is extremely important, especially for beginning riders.
The following prior art discloses the various aspects in the design and use of riding board apparatuses.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,385, granted Jan. 5, 1999, to S. G. Hambsch, discloses a wheeled board apparatus having a platform with concave sidecuts, where the wheeled board apparatus has a platform with first and second concave portions. At least two primary wheels are located along a central longitudinal axis, with at least three outrigger wheels located generally along each concave sidecut.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,338,494, granted Jan. 15, 2002, to M. Fillian, discloses a two wheel articulated board device which the user can operate on smooth rough or smooth terrain. The device has a rear board member and a front board member, which are connected at a pivot point. Each board member can rotate relative to the other board member around this pivot point. The device is supported by two wheels. A rear wheel, which extends rear of the board and above the level of the board and a front wheel, which extends forward of the board and above the level of the board. The front wheel is connected to the board by a front fork which attaches to the underside of the board. The rear wheel is connected to the board by a rear fork which attaches to the underside of the board. There is a flexible member that connects at one end with the underside of the device rear of the pivot point and at the other end at the underside of the device forward of the pivot point. The user motions the board forward by placing one foot on the rear board member with that foot oriented about 45 degrees off the major axis of the device. Forward motion is achieved by the user pushing against the ground with his/her other foot. Once the user has gained enough speed and begins coasting, the user repositions his/her feet perpendicular to the long axis of the device. While coasting the user can affect a change of direction by changing the relative orientation of his/her feet which arc initially parallel without lifting them off the device. Moving the user's feet by bringing his/her toes closer together causes the rear board member to move relative to the front board member around the pivot point and thus affects a change of direction of the device. A flexible member running under the device along the major axis of the device and connected at one end to the rear board member and at the other end to the front board member applies a force to keep each board member aligned along their respective major axes.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,602, granted Jan. 6, 2004, to F. L. Way, II, et al., discloses a gravity driven steerable vehicle having wheels, or skis or a combination of wheels and skis for recreational use, most particularly on surfaces such as pavement, artificial hardpack turf, mountain slopes, dirt roads, grass and hard-packed or non-packed snow. The vehicle has at least three (3) but preferably four (4) wheels, or skis or a combination of wheels and skis which may or may not be on independent axles one from the other and which may or may not be each independently shock suspended. There is also a steering mechanism for steering the vehicle and a driver compartment portion for containing a driver of the vehicle in a prone face-down and face-forward position. The vehicle is steerable by the driver from the prone face-down and face forward position. The mechanism for suspension of the wheels and/or skis is configured to provide precise control in turns especially the carving of turns, by the skis, while descending on snow covered terrain. The attitude of the skis relative to the snow surface changes upon initiation of a turn and while in the turn to increase the edging of the skis thereby enhancing the turning characteristics of the vehicle. The vehicle may further have a braking system for slowing or stopping the vehicle and a harness apparatus for harnessing the driver onto and into the vehicle.
What is needed is a safe, two-wheeled "riding-board," having an outboard set of repositionable stabilizer wheels to limit a leaning excursion, and having a controllable, individually foot operated, dual actuatable braking system. In this regard, the present invention fulfils this need.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for a two-wheeled "riding-board," having a set of outboard stabilizer wheels to limit a leaning excursion.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for a two-wheeled "riding-board," having a set of outboard stabilizer wheels to control the downward direction by the rider shifting his weight over the appropriate outboard wheel to attain the desired direction.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for a two-wheeled "riding-board," having a set of outboard stabilizer wheels that are obliquely angled forward, where the rider use a side wheel to kick or immediately pivot the board for turning to that side.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide for a two-wheeled "riding-board," having a set of outboard stabilizer wheels that are parallel to the length of the board (the axel is orthogonal to the board) for downhill riding on a severe downgrade hill or when the rider is confronted by a hill that includes various undulations or irregularities.
It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide for a two-wheeled "riding-board," having a set of outboard stabilizer wheels that are angled toward the rear of the board to provide more speed for downhill racing, such as in instances where the rider does not anticipate doing much turning.
It is yet still another object of the present invention to provide a controllable, individually foot operated, dual actuatable, braking system.
It is a final object of the present invention to provide a dual braking system, where the first is a manually operated triggered cable and the second automatically actuated using a tethered pull line.
A better understanding of these and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be best understood from the following description of the specific embodiments when read and understood in connection with the accompanying drawings.


A life-like doll has a soft body to better simulate the characteristics of a human body. The doll has an internal structure, which allows for life-like movement and positioning or posing. The internal structure includes sections or segments connected together by pivot, twist or ball joints. The joints have sufficient resistance to movement, via friction or a detent, to hold the limbs and torso of the doll into given posed positions. The soft body covers and conceals the internal structure, so that the doll has a life-like appearance.

The field of the invention is dolls or small scale replicas of human figures.
Dolls having movable arms, legs and heads have long been known, primarily as children""s toys, but also as collectibles. These types of dolls have typically been manufactured of plastic or other hard material. Many of them have arms, legs or heads capable of limited movement. Due to the construction of the joints between the limbs and torso, or within the limbs themselves, such as an elbow or knee joint, these types of known dolls have limited ranges of movement, positions or poses. Accordingly, they generally cannot simulate many typical action or resting position of real people in day to day living. For example, many dolls cannot simulate the real life human movement of legs crossing, bending at the waist, or moving the arms to cover the face or chest. Accordingly, while these types of dolls have achieved varying degrees of success, disadvantages remain relating to their limited ranges of movement and position.
Another drawback of many existing dolls is that they have visible joints. While various joints or connections between limbs have been used in different dolls to allow the limbs to pivot or rotate relative to the torso, these joints are generally visible. Consequently, when the doll is undressed, or only partially dressed, or even wearing clothing not covering, e.g., the elbow or knee joints, the realism which doll designers strive for, is degraded. Accordingly, disadvantages remain relating to the visible or exposed body joints of the doll.
While a large variety of materials have been used to manufacture doll bodies, hard plastic materials have been most commonly used. While these types of plastic materials have certain advantages, they provide little, if any, simulation of a real human body. Typically, such plastic materials result in relatively hard and rigid doll body components, in contrast to the softer and more pliable characteristics of real human skin and flesh. Consequently, disadvantages remain as well in providing a doll having a more life like body texture or feel to the touch.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved doll. Other and further objects and advantages will appear below. The invention resides as well in subcombinations of the components and assemblies described.
To these ends, a doll includes an internal structure having a plurality of sections, with each section pivotably attached to an adjoining section. A doll body, in the form of a human figure, surrounds the internal structure, substantially on all sides. The doll body is a soft and flexible material, such as silicone rubber. The sections of the internal structure are moveable, relative to each other, to allow the limbs of the doll body to be moved into a wide variety of positions, including positions which real people assume, in every day living. As a result, the enjoinment or entertainment value of the doll, whether as a toy or a collectible, is improved, as the internal structure and doll body provide for a doll more closely simulating a real human.
In a second a separate aspect of the invention, the sections of the internal structure are connected to each other via pivotable, rotatable, twistable or ball-type joints. The doll body surrounds or overlays the joints, on all sides. As a result, the joints between the sections of the internal structure are not visible. This provides for a more life like appearance of the doll, especially at the joint areas, such as the knee or elbow.
In a third and separate aspect of the invention, the soft and flexible material of the doll body more closely simulates the touch characteristics of real human skin and flesh, providing a more life like doll.
In a fourth and separate aspect of the invention, the doll is posed within a container or box. This allows the doll to be placed into a variety of true-life poses or positions, for display (e.g., at a point of sale) or for use by the doll owner. The posability of the doll also allows the doll to interact with, or use, various accessories, or props, within the box or container, to provide a more interesting and attractive display.


Techniques for enabling mobile shared group interaction are described. Members of a group may access, through a user interface, group activities that provide a shared, synchronous, interactive experience. An interface may be provided via a mobile device such as a cellular telephone that enables members who are mobile to participate in group activities with other members who are also mobile or who are logged on via a non-mobile device such as a desktop computer system.

With technological advances have come many changes in the ways that people communicate with one another. For example, affordable home computing systems and the Internet have made instant messaging a popular tool for engaging in one-on-one, real-time electronic communications. Cellular telephones have also emerged as a prevalent fixture in our society, keeping even the most mobile users in touch with others.
These technological advances have led to changes in the way individuals communicate with each other in one-on-one conversations. However, many people, especially teenagers and young adults, frequently participate in group social situations involving more than just one other person. Although cellular telephones can enable conference calls with three or more individuals and instant messaging applications allow additional individuals to be invited to join a particular conversation, there are no existing applications that are designed to enable group social interactions in ways that are consistent with face-to-face group social interactions. Face-to-face group social interactions may include several simultaneous activities such as talking, listening to music, and looking at pictures. For example, if several individuals meet together at a person's house, they may simultaneously listen to a music CD, talk, and look at pictures from a trip that one of the individuals recently took. All of the individuals are able hear the music, view the pictures, and comment on the pictures to one another at the same time.
Most existing communication mechanisms allow for multiple individuals to communicate, for example through instant messaging, but require that the communication application be specifically configured for the group each time. That is, for instant messaging, each individual to be included in a conversation has to be specifically invited to join. Furthermore, existing communication mechanisms are designed to be accessed from either a desktop computer system or from a cellular telephone. There are no existing systems that enable communication between multiple members of a group where some of the group members are using a mobile device (e.g., a cellular telephone) and other group members are using a non-mobile device (e.g., a desktop computer system).
Accordingly, a need exists for a mechanism that facilitates real-time synchronous group interaction that includes mobile group members.


A transition metal complex having 2,2′-bis[bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-methoxyphenyl)phosphino]-1,1′-binaphthyl as a ligand. The presence of the transition metal complex in the reaction system of an asymmetric reaction system allows the preparation of an objective compound having an objective absolute configuration with improved efficiency.

In asymmetric reduction, asymmetric isomerization and the like using a transition metal coordinated with optically active phosphine as a catalyst, 2,2′-bis(diphenylphosphino)-1,1′-binaphthyl (hereinafter, abbreviated as BINAP in some cases) is generally used as the optically active phosphine. However, reactions using BINAP may be poor in reactivity, stereoselectivity, catalyst efficiency or the like depending on the kind of a substrate. Therefore various optically active phosphines have been prepared and reported (e.g., see Handbook of Enantioselective Catalysis with Transition Metal Compounds, published by VCH in 1993). For example, JP-A 61-63690 discloses that a ruthenium complex with 2,2′-bis(di(p-tolyl)phosphino)-1,1′-binaphthyl as a ligand is useful for asymmetric reduction of a carbon-carbon double bond. JP-A 3-255090 discloses that a ruthenium complex with 2,2′-bis(di(3,5-dialkylphenyl)phosphino)-1,1′-binaphthyl as a ligand is useful for asymmetric reduction of β-ketoester.
However, reactions using these transition metal catalysts may be poor in optical selectivity in some cases depending on a reaction substrate.

Transition metal complex having diphosphine compound as ligand


An electric-discharge machining device including an electric-discharge-state determination unit that determines whether an electric discharging state between a machining electrode and a workpiece is either a state of normal electric discharge or of abnormal electric discharge, and a machining-condition switching unit that changes at least one machining condition, further includes a storage unit that stores therein an electric-discharge-state determination indicator, a standard-deviation calculation unit, and a boundary calculation unit that calculates a boundary to be applied to a determination in the electric-discharge-state determination unit based on the electric-discharge-state determination indicator, wherein the machining-condition switching unit changes the machining condition according to a comparison result between the standard deviation calculated by the standard-deviation calculation unit and a standard deviation reference set as a reference of the standard deviation.

In a die-sinking electric-discharge machining device, machining can be made unstable due to electric discharge concentration that occurs earlier than a response time of electrode feed (an arc state), thereby causing arc traces on a workpiece. When arc traces are produced, surface roughness and shape accuracy are degraded. Conventionally, in order to avoid this phenomenon, an electric discharging state between a machining electrode and a workpiece is determined to control machining conditions according to the electric discharging state. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique in which the discharging state is classified into the state of a normal electric discharge and the state of an abnormal electric discharge (hereinafter just referred to as "normal electric discharge and abnormal electric discharge"), and when abnormal electric discharge is detected, machining condition setting is changed.
In order to classify an electric discharging state into normal electric discharge and abnormal electric discharge, it is necessary to obtain a boundary between normal electric discharge and abnormal electric discharge (hereinafter, simply also "boundary") in advance. Conventionally, the boundary is obtained by an operation that requires a worker's technical knowledge. A fluctuation in boundary setting occurs among workers, and therefore there is a problem that a potential degradation of machining performance exists. Furthermore, generally, it is assumed that the boundary is obtained in a state where many abnormal electric discharges are included, and therefore there is also a problem that a possibility of damaging a machining electrode and a workpiece exists.


An apparatus and method for measuring a tactile sensation is provided. The tactile sensation measuring apparatus may include a plurality of pressure measuring units, each to measure a magnitude of an external pressure applied, using a variable resistance material of which a resistance changes when an external pressure is applied, and a tactile sensation measuring unit to measure a three-dimensional (3D) tactile sensation corresponding to the external pressure, based on a position of each of the plurality of pressure measuring units, and the magnitude of the external pressure measured by each of the plurality of pressure measuring units.

1. Field
Embodiments relate to an apparatus and method for measuring a tactile sensation, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method that may measure a tactile sensation using a material of which a resistance changes when a pressure is applied.
2. Description of the Related Art
A technology for measuring a tactile sensation may refer to a technology for measuring physical properties of a target object or surroundings in a contact-type manner, and may be required for stability of a robot or a human, and high-performance and intelligence of the robot.
In order to use a tactile sensor for a medical robot in the technology for measuring the tactile sensation, damage to an organ in contact with the tactile sensor is to be minimized. Accordingly, a surface of the tactile sensor may be formed of a smooth, flexible material to have flexibility similar to human skin. The tactile sensor may need to be able to measure a shear force and a normal force, similar to a user.

Apparatus and method for measuring tactile sensation