The present invention relates to a process for producing a resin particle dispersion, including a step (1) of mixing a polyester resin and a basic aqueous solution to obtain a resin neutralized product; and a step (2) of adding an aqueous medium to the resin neutralized product obtained in the step (1) to emulsify the resin neutralized product, in which a concentration of an ester group in the polyester resin is from 6.3 to 12 mmol/g, a pH of the basic aqueous solution as measured at 25° C. is from 8.5 to 13.5, and a content of an organic solvent in the resin neutralized product is not more than 10% by mass; and a process for producing a toner for development of electrostatic images, including steps of aggregating and coalescing the resin particles in the obtained resin particle dispersion. The present invention provides a process for producing a dispersion of resin particles having a small particle size and a narrow particle size distribution, and a process for producing a toner that has a narrow particle size distribution and is excellent in dot reproducibility and charge stability.

In the field of toners for electrophotography, with the progress of electrophotographic systems, it has been demanded to develop toners adaptable for high image quality and high copying or printing speed.
To meet a high image quality, there are known processes for producing toners having a narrow particle size distribution and a small particle size by an aggregating and coalescing method (emulsification-aggregation method or aggregation-coalescence method) in which fine resin particles, etc., are aggregated and coalesced together in an aqueous medium.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a process for producing a developer which includes a step of adding an aggregating agent to a dispersion containing a binder resin and colorant-containing fine particles to aggregate the fine particles with the binder resin, and a step of coalescing the resulting aggregated particles together to form toner particles, for the purpose of attaining a high image quality and producing a developer having a good particle size distribution. In the production process, a pH value of the dispersion before adding the aggregating agent thereto, a pH value of the dispersion after adding the aggregating agent thereto and a pH value of the dispersion after coalescing the particles are controlled to satisfy a specific relationship with each other.
On the other hand, Patent Literature 2 discloses a process for producing a toner for development of electrostatic images in which an emulsion prepared by emulsifying a shell-forming resin in an aqueous medium containing 25 to 35% by mass of methyl ethyl ketone is added twice or more to a dispersion containing colored resin fine particles, and then an electrolyte aqueous solution is added to the resulting dispersion to form particles having a core/shell structure, for the purpose of producing a toner for development of electrostatic images which contains a less amount of coarse particles, is free from separation of the shell and aggregation of the toner during storage, and has such a core/shell structure as is capable of satisfying both a good low-temperature fusing property and a good heat-resistant storage stability.    Patent Literature 1: JP 2009-122674A    Patent Literature 2: JP 2008-20478A

Method for producing resin particle dispersion, and method for producing toner for electrostatic charge image development use


Self-propelled steerable apparatus for removing material, such as sludge, from the bottom surface of a liquid storage tank for disposition elsewhere comprises a support platform and a reversely rotatable motor-driven auger mounted below the support platform and cooperating therewith to define a space for receiving sludge when the rotatable auger is engaged with the surface. A motor-driven pump mounted on the support platform is operable to receive sludge from the auger and deliver it through a discharge hose to a remote location. Rotation of the auger delivers the sludge to the pump and propels the apparatus across the surface. A remotely controllable steering mechanism on the support platform has a tail wheel which engages the surface and steers the apparatus along a desired path. A winch-controlled back-haul cable is connected to the apparatus to periodically stop forward movement of the apparatus while the auger is still rotating so that the sludge can be more efficiently removed.

1. Field of Use
This invention relates generally to self-propelled steerable apparatus for removing material from the surface of a confined area and for pumping it to another location for disposition.
In particular, it relates to such apparatus which is especially well-adapted, for example, to clean sludge from the bottom of large liquid storage tanks, such as chemical or oil tanks, but could have other applications, such as cleaning any container or confined area having a solid rigid bottom or floor made of metal, concrete, plastic or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
My U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,949, issued Mar. 10, 1992, discloses self-propelled steerable sludge cleaning apparatus for cleaning sludge from the bottom of large liquid storage tanks. That apparatus, which had motor-driven crawler tracks and was able to move across the bottom of the tank along desired paths in accordance with a computer program, employed a horizontally disposed rotatable motor-driven auger for delivering sludge through a horizontal center-feed pipe to a motor-driven pump for subsequent disposal elsewhere. The auger had oppositely-wound helical auger flights at opposite ends and fed the sludge to the center-feed pipe located near the center of the auger. The motor-driven crawler tracks and associated components were relatively large and heavy and required a separate drive motor and associated controls to effect propulsion and steering.
My U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,501, issued Mar. 11, 1986, discloses underwater dredging apparatus of the crater sink type for dredging fluid material such as sand from an underwater area. That apparatus, which was stationary and positioned at a fixed location beneath a body of water by means of a crane, employed a horizontally disposed rotatable motor-driven auger for delivering sand through a vertical pipe to a motor-driven pump for subsequent disposal elsewhere. The auger had oppositely-wound helical auger flights at opposite ends and the vertical pipe was located near the center of the auger. That apparatus was incapable of self-propulsion to other locations.
Each of my prior art machines is well-adapted for its intended purpose but it is desirable to provide an improved apparatus for removing material from a confined area and which employs a horizontally-disposed motor-driven auger for supplying material to a motor-driven pump, such improved apparatus being self-propelled, steerable, more compact and less complex than prior art apparatus.
Heretofore, it was common practice in tank cleaning operations to decant the liquid in the tank into another container, to de-gas the tank to remove noxious vapors, and admit men into the tank through an access opening, such as a man-way in the side of the tank, with buckets and shovels to remove the sludge or sediment accumulated at the bottom of the tank. However, safety requirements aimed at limiting the exposure of working personnel to noxious vapors and liquids contained the tank are becoming more restrictive and expensive as time goes on. Therefore, it is desirable to eliminate the need for personnel to enter the tank and to limit the time clean-up personnel are exposed to the atmosphere within the tank while installing or removing automated cleaning equipment in the tank.
Furthermore, the need to decant the tank to be cleaned, as mentioned above, means that the tank must be taken out of service and this has very expensive consequences. For example, the liquid must be placed in another compatible container and tanks are very expensive. Furthermore, the tank to be cleaned is taken out of service and this is another expense. Also, an out-of-service tank could slow down or even stop an industrial process, resulting in a very expensive production cut-back.

Self-propelled steerable apparatus for removing material from surface of confined area


The invention relates to a tri-surface table tennis table and method of use, the tennis table comprising a configuration achieved placing three regulation tennis table surfaces next to each other to form a symmetrical arrangement, so that two of each surface's vertexes touch another surface's vertex, with each two touching vertexes forming a 120° angle. The invention also comprises a triangular surface that fits in the hole created in the center of the tri-surface configuration to form a smooth surface holding the three tennis table surfaces together, and a trilateral net structure further comprising three pieces of net, each piece of net having an inner end and an outer end, wherein the three inner ends are attached to one another and centered on the tri-surface table tennis table and the outer ends are one hundred twenty degrees apart, running to the three touching vertexes of the three playing surfaces.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to games. More specifically, this invention relates to table games and table tennis games.
2. Description of the Background Art
According to various history sources, games predate written history and are considered a vital part of humans' social evolution. The competition inherent in participating in, or in playing, games has fascinated people since they realized survival was indeed a competition. This basic premise has evolved over time. In today's society, many every day common events, as well as very peculiar manufactured situations have formed the underlying basis for various games. This is demonstrated by the ever-growing popularity of television game shows, including reality-based game programs.
Historical records show Table Tennis began as an after dinner amusement, social hobby for upper class Victorians in the 1880's in England. Initially, the game mimicked its outdoor tennis predecessor in an indoor setting. In the early day development of table tennis, every day objects acted as equipment. For example, a line of books could be a net, a rounded top of a cork or knot of string could be the ball, and a cigar box the paddle. The game was initially played on dining room tables using cork balls. Over the years, the game underwent important changes in England, including the introduction of a celluloid ball which became commercially available in the U.S. at the turn of the century. Another early innovation was the pimpled rubber to cover the wooden paddle. Perhaps as early as 1884, the English sporting goods house of F. H. Ayres Limited—later absorbed by Slazengers—was selling a lawn tennis game "played with miniature rackets." Although that game could be conceivably played on a table, it was designed to be played on a green baize court laid on the floor.
Table tennis has increased in popularity over the decades and was introduced as an Olympic sport in 1988. In 2000, 40 mm balls replaced the old 38 mm balls in order to increase the ball's air resistance and effectively slow down the game. That change will make the game described and claimed in this invention more appealing and easier to play.
Many table tennis-based inventions have been disclosed and marketed. Most commonly, those inventions have disclosed and/or claimed new materials or methods to manufacture table tennis equipment. In contrast, the present invention comprises a new and useful tennis table game, which takes table tennis to an innovative level of skill and entertainment.


A process is provided for preparing polymer compositions which are multimodal in nature. The process involves contacting, under polymerization conditions, a selected addition polymerizable monomer with a metallocene catalyst having two or more distinct and chemically different active sites, and a catalyst activator.

Polymer compositions which are referred to as "multimodal" are typically multimodal with respect to molecular weight, i.e., the compositions contain two or more molecular weight distributions as may be determined, for example, by the appearance of two or more peaks in a gel permeation chromatogram or the like. However, the term "multimodality" can also refer to other characteristics of a polymer composition as well, e.g., compositional distribution (the distribution of comonomers within a copolymer), tacticity distribution (wherein a polymer composition contains at least two segments of differing tacticity, long-chain branching distribution, and the like. Polymeric compositions that are multimodal are frequently more useful than compositions that are not; for example, multimodal polymer compositions can have improved Theological behavior, higher mechanical strength and increased elasticity relative to corresponding compositions which are not multimodal.
Several processes are known for preparing multimodal polymer compositions. As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,032,562 to Lo et al., one process involves the use of tandem reactors operated in series, so that in a first reactor an olefinic monomer is catalytically polymerized in the presence of hydrogen, with the product then transferred to a second reactor wherein polymerization is conducted in the presence of relatively large amounts of hydrogen. In this way, the higher molecular weight polymer is produced in the first reactor, and the lower molecular weight polymer is produced in the second reactor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,678 to Mink et al. provides a supported catalyst composition for producing a polyolefin resin having a high molecular weight component and a low molecular weight component, wherein the catalyst composition contains a first catalyst which is a metallocene and a second catalyst which is a non-metallocene. The ratio of the high molecular weight and low molecular weight components in the polymeric product is determined by the ratio of the concentration of the two metals in the two-component catalyst composition. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,685 to Coleman, III et al. pertains to a two-component catalyst composition for preparing polyolefins having a molecular weight distribution which is multimodal, the catalyst composition comprising a mixture of a supported titanium compound and a separately supported or non-supported organometallic compound.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,032,562 to Lo et al., cited above, also relates to a supported olefin polymerization catalyst composition for producing high density polyethylene ("HDPE") having a multimodal molecular weight distribution. The catalyst composition comprises: (1) a catalyst precursor supported on a porous carrier, and (2) a catalyst activator in the form of a mixture of conventional Ziegler-Natta cocatalysts. Katayama et al., "The Effect of Aluminium Compounds in the Copolymerization of Ethylene/.alpha.-Olefins," in Macromol. Symp. 97:109-118 (1995), provides a similar system for preparing a polymer composition having a bimodal composition using a two-component catalyst comprised of a metallocene (Cp.sub.2 ZrCl.sub.2) and either [Ph.sub.3 C.sup.+ ][B(C.sub.6 F.sub.5).sub.4.sub.- ] or [PhMe.sub.2 NH.sup.+ ][B(C.sub.6 F.sub.5).sub.4.sup.- ].
In addition, certain types of metallocene catalysts have been used to produce polymers having a specific bimodal or multimodal molecular weight distribution.
PCT Publication No. WO92/00333, inventors Canich et al., and EP 416,815 A2, inventors Stevens et al., are also of interest insofar as the references describe metallocene catalysts for preparing polyolefins. Canich et al. describes metallocene catalyst compositions for producing high molecular weight polyolefins having a relatively narrow molecular weight distribution, wherein the catalyst composition is comprised of (1) a metallocene containing a Group IVB transition metal coordinated to a cyclopentadienyl ligand, and (2) a coordination complex such as an anionic complex containing a plurality of boron atoms, which serves as a catalyst activator. The metallocene catalysts described may be mononuclear or binuclear (i.e., containing one or two metal atoms which serve as the active sites); the binuclear compounds dissociate during polymerization. Stevens et al. also pertains to metallocene catalysts to prepare addition polymers, particularly homopolymers and copolymers of olefins, diolefins, "hindered" aliphatic vinyl monomers and vinylidene aromatic monomers. The Stevens et al. catalysts are metal coordination complexes having constrained geometry, and are used in conjunction with a cocatalyst compound to form a complete catalytic system. The constrained geometry of the catalysts is stated to be of key importance insofar as the metal atom in the metallocene presumably is a more "exposed" active site.
Thus, the art provides metallocene catalyst compositions for producing polymers, particular polyolefins, which have a multimodal molecular weight distribution. However, such prior catalysts and catalyst compositions either require two or more components, e.g., two catalysts used in combination, or involve binuclear compounds which break apart into two separate components during the polymerization process (as in the bimetallic catalyst disclosed by Canich et al.), giving rise to potential manufacturing problems, e.g., phase separation or the like, and/or loss of control over the molecular weight distribution of the polymer composition prepared. In addition, the known metallocene catalysts can be relatively difficult and time-consuming to synthesize, requiring expensive equipment, extreme reaction conditions, and multi-step processes which ultimately result in a low yield of the desired product.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a simpler way of catalytically preparing multimodal polymer compositions. Preferably, such a process would involve a single catalyst which does not require the presence of a second catalyst, which retains its structure during the polymerization process, and is relatively simple to synthesize. The present invention is directed to such a process, and is based on the use of such catalysts to prepare multimodal polymers, particularly polyolefins. The novel process calls for multinuclear metallocene catalysts having two or more distinct and chemically different active sites. Use of such catalysts allow for a high degree of control over the multimodality of the final polymer composition, and provide for all of the advantages typically associated with metallocene catalysts, i.e., versatility and use in conjunction with a variety of monomer types, the ability to control the degree of vinyl unsaturation in the polymeric product, the capability of providing isotactic or syndiotactic polymers, and the like. The polymerization process may, if desired, be carried out using supported catalysts.

Preparation of multimodal polymer compositions using multinuclear metallocene catalysts


A fastening for fixing an exposed stent (2) to a graft material (1). At least two spaced apart fastenings (7, 8) are used, each fastening has at least one turn and preferably two turns of an elongate flexible fiber through the graft material and around a portion of the stent. Each fastening has a knot (9) which is at least two thumb knots and preferably four thumb knots.

Stents are used in association with graft material, for instance, to hold open a tube of graft material and to maintain patency of a lumen. In particular where the stents extend from the graft material either proximally or distally, it is desirable that there is some secure method for fastening of the stent to the graft material.
This invention will be particularly discussed in relation to the fastening of self-expanding stents to polyester graft materials, however, it is to be realized that the invention is not limited to this particular application, but may be applicable to other types of stents and other graft materials.
Throughout this specification the term distal with respect to a portion of the aorta, a deployment device or a prosthesis is the end of the aorta, deployment device or prosthesis further away in the direction of blood flow away from the heart and the term proximal means the portion of the aorta, deployment device or end of the prosthesis nearer to the heart. When applied to other vessels corresponding terms such as caudal and cranial should be understood.


A parison is blown into a bottle in a mold at the blow station of an I.S. Machine. Pressurized air is supplied to the mold through a cooling tube which will be displaced downwardly from an up position, where the parison will be blown into a bottle, to a down position following the formation of the bottle. The pressure of the air is decreased as the cooling tube is displaced from the up position to the down position.

Glass bottles are manufactured in an I. S. Machine in a two-step process. A "parison" is first formed in a blank station and the parison is then delivered to a blow station where the parison, located within a blow mold, is blown into a bottle. The blown bottle can be displaced to a dead plate and, when cooled, pushed onto a conveyor for removal from the machine. Heat can be removed from a formed bottle by chilling the outer surface or by flowing air through a blow tube into the bottle interior.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,776,010, discloses a blow station of an I. S. Machine which utilizes a blow tube which is oscillated during the time when a bottle is in the blow mold and U.S. Pat. No. 6,766,665, discloses post blow station structure which utilizes an oscillating tube to continue the flow of cooling air into the bottle following the removal of the bottle from the blow station.

Cooling tube mechanism for an I.S. machine


A tissue culturing method includes following steps: providing a chopped gametophyte, generating calluses by culturing the chopped gametophyte, and performing apogamic regeneration of sporophytes, by culturing the calluses in a culture fluid to develop the sporophytes from the calluses. The present invention also provides a tissue culturing method of ferns and an explant.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a culturing method, and more particularly, to a tissue culturing method of vascular plants and an explant obtained therefrom.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Vascular plants, also known as tracheophytes, are defined as a large group of land plants having lignified tissues for conducting water and minerals throughout the entire plants; vascular plants comprise ferns. Ferns are characterized by reproduction of spores and alternation of generations. Although such vascular plants can spread their spores through various intermedia (such as wind and water) to propagate themselves, the spores are difficult to germinate due to poor competitiveness and environmental resistance in comparison with other fungi and bacteria. These vascular plants are less likely to be used in industries, even for highly valuable species such as ferns in the Davalliaceae and Drynariaceae families which have pharmaceutical properties, since they have poor reproduction systems.
In the conventional arts, tissue culture systems such as spore sterile propagation are used for mass propagation of said vascular plants. In the spore sterile propagation, a sterilized process is first carried out on spores of said vascular plants, followed by culturing the spores in artificial media for germinating. Under such culturing system, however, the spores require a long culturing period to germinate, and also may form disabled sporophytes due to the limitation of the artificial media, which results in poor propagation. This means that said vascular plants cannot be mass reproduced under the conventional tissue culture system.
There is therefore an urgent need for developing a new strategy to culture said vascular plants that is both effective and efficient.

Tissue culturing method, culturing method of ferns and explant obtained therefrom


A tray mounting unit in which it is possible to replace a plurality of types of set trays; a detector capable of detecting the type of set tray mounted on the tray mounting unit in a state where the target textile printing material is set; a determining unit determining whether the type of set tray detected by the detector and the type of set tray recognized in advance are matched or mismatched; and a control unit performing a predetermined operation based on the determining result of the determining unit, are provided. Thus, inconsistencies in the type of set tray may be detected thereby preventing textile printing defects caused by such inconsistencies.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet textile printing apparatus that performs textile ink jet printing on fabric, that is, on target textile printing material.
2. The Relevant Technology
Hitherto, ink jet textile printing apparatuses that eject various colors of ink from a textile printing head to thereby print a desired image on the surface of fabrics (such as T-shirts) have been developed and come into widespread use. In such ink jet textile printing apparatuses, a set tray positions the fabric (such as a T-shirt or the like) and regulates the interval between the fabric and the surface of the textile printing head nozzle opening to be a predetermined distance.
The set trays are structured so that it is possible to replace and use a plurality of types of set trays having different shapes and sizes and the like according to 1) differences in the shape and size of the fabric to be printed; 2) differences in the size of the image to be printed or the direction to be printed; or 3) differences in the form of printing (such as cases in which multiple pieces of fabric are to be simultaneously printed on and cases in which only one piece of fabric is to be printed on. Thus, according to the respective printing objectives, the plurality of types of set trays are appropriately replaced with set trays matching the objectives of the printing and used by the user.
If the set tray actually set by the user was different than the set tray recognized by the ink jet textile printing apparatus, an image is sometimes printed at a position and in a direction different to that which the user was expecting, or ink ejected from the textile printing head sometimes comes out of the set tray and stains the environment around the set tray.
As one technology that improves textile printing defects based on such erroneous recognition of the set tray occurring at the time of replacing the set tray or the like, the technique shown in the following Patent Literature 1 has been provided. In this technique, comparison is made between the stored information of the type of the previous set tray and the designated information of the type of the current set tray. When the previous and current set trays types are different, notification is provided to the user, and the generation of the textile printing defects is often prevented in advance.


A small internal combustion engine including a crankcase, a crankshaft rotatably mounted in an interior of the crankcase by crankshaft bearings of the crankcase, a first oil passage disposed below the crankshaft bearings to extend substantially in parallel with the crankshaft, the first oil passage being configured to feed lubricating oil to the crankshaft bearings, and a second oil passage disposed at a location higher than the first oil passage to extend substantially in parallel with the first oil passage, the second oil passage being configured to feed the lubricating oil to a component other than the crankshaft bearings.

To decrease the weight of a small internal combustion engine mounted in a two-wheeled motor vehicle, a three-wheeled motor vehicle, an all terrain vehicle, a personal watercraft, etc., the recent trend in the manufacture of small internal combustion engines is toward thinning a separating wall of a crankcase to an extent that stiffness of the crankcase is not substantially reduced.
When the internal combustion engine stops from a running state, oil may move downward in an oil passage, and air may flow into the oil passage from above. Therefore, when the engine re-starts, the air may be mixed into a lubricating oil to be fed. To increase lubrication ability or efficiency, it is desirable to avoid entry of the air into the lubricating oil. Such prior art is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Examined Application Publication No. Sho. 61-18166.


Systems, methods, and devices are configured to reduce energy use in a printing or multi-function device. They include monitoring at least one characteristic associated with operation of a multi-function device in a first mode of operation. They further include determining when a value of the at least one characteristic exceeds a threshold value and communicating programming information associated with operation of the multi-function device in a second mode of operation to a programmable network interface device when it is determined that the value of the at least one characteristic exceeds the threshold. The programming information changing the operating conditions associated with network communication by the programmable network interface device. The printing or multi-function device then operates in the second mode of operation based on the conditions associated with the network communication by the reconfigurable network interface device.

Printer systems, such as printers, printer/scanners, and multi-function devices (MFDs) allow users to create and submit a processing job, such as a print job, a copy job, or scan job, from a physical or electronic document and produce an output as a physical printed or electronic ready-to-print document These printer systems are often networked as part of a home or office network configured to allow a user access to any one of the devices. Networked printers also allow the user to access or create an electronic document from a job created as a print job, copy job, or scan job on one MFD or printer device and print the electronic document on any other printer or MFD on the network. Printer systems are an important part of a productive home or office environment.
However, printer systems are often not in use for long periods of time, even in office environments. Printer systems are often complex devices requiring a significant amount of electrical energy or power to operate and keeping the systems in full power mode, even when not in use, is not energy efficient. Most all printer systems have some form of power saving operating mode. Many printer systems include some mechanism to enter a low power or standby mode when an operating characteristic, such as a time period of inactivity, is detected. The low power or standby mode may turn off all the elements of the printer system except for certain low power configurations of the processor or controller and some aspects, such as a touch sensor, on a user interface. The low power or standby mode may be exited by, for instance, a user touch or entry on the user interface on the printing system. After the touch or entry, the user interface communicates with the processor to resume full operational mode which typically further communicates with the remaining elements in the printer system to resume full operational mode as well.
Networked printer systems further complicate operating and configuration of a low power or standby mode. In order to recognize network communication that may include requests for activity or use on networked printer systems, the network communication interface component (e.g., a dedicated integrated circuit) on each of the networked printer systems must remain fully operational. As a result, all network communication traffic identified with a particular printer system is received by its network communication interface component and decoded. The network communication interface component provides the data as a communication signal, along with an indication to wake-up from standby mode (e.g., as an interrupt or request to process message) to the processor. The processor typically enters full operational mode to determine the action necessary to service the communication request. Even if the processor only needs to generate a reply message to a network management request, the processor still consumes additional electrical energy for each one of the communication requests from the network communication interface component as a result of periodically exiting low power mode. In some instances, network management requests may be configured by the network administration to occur many times a day. As a result, in addition to requiring a fully operational network communication interface circuit, the additional time necessary to have the processor in full operational mode further reduces energy efficiency of the printer system in low power or standby mode. Therefore, there is a need to address the issues associated with improving energy efficiency of printer systems operating on a network by reducing electrical energy use during operation of a low power or standby mode.

Apparatus and method for reducing energy use in a multi-function device


Described herein is a computing device for applying merchant promotions to a push payment transaction. The computing device includes a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to receive a promotion request message. The promotion request message includes a merchant ID and an initial push payment transaction amount. The processor retrieves, from the memory, a merchant promotion and applies the retrieved merchant promotion to an initial transaction amount to determine an updated transaction amount. The processor then transmits a promotion response message, receives an authorization message and initiates a transfer of funds. The promotion response message includes the merchant ID and the updated transaction amount. The authorization message authorizes the push payment transaction in the updated transaction amount. The funds are transferred in the updated payment amount from the user account with the originating institution to the merchant account at the receiving institution.

The field of the present disclosure relates generally to processing push payment transactions over a payment processing network and, more particularly, to systems and methods for applying merchant promotions to a push payment transaction.
At least some electronic push payment transactions (e.g., peer-to-peer payments or buyer-initiated payments) differ from traditional payment transactions (e.g., pull payments) in that push payments are made as a credit transfer from a payor's (e.g., consumer) account at an originating institution directly to a receiver's (e.g., merchant or vendor) account at a receiving institution. In a pull payment transaction, a payor's account is debited in the payment transaction amount and funds are pulled from the payor's account to the receiver's account. In both pull and push payments, the payor initiates and approves a payment; however, push payment transactions are processed in real-time (or near real-time), and the funds are directly deposited into the receiver's account. Wire payments and direct deposits are examples of push payments transactions.
At least some known electronic push payment transactions are less risky than pull payment transactions because a push payment is only executed if the payor has sufficient funds in their account at the originating institution. In a pull payment transaction, the receiver has no guarantee that the payor has sufficient funds in their account increasing the risk to the receiver.
Further, at least some known merchants, particularly small businesses and "mobile" merchants (e.g., food trucks) struggle with cash-flow issues. For example, a merchant may incur more expenses (e.g., overhead, payroll, etc.) than actual funds collected from sales over a period of time. Thus, at least some known merchants may benefit from push payment transactions, as funds are deposited into the merchant account at the receiving institution in real time (e.g., hours/days) as opposed to pull payments, which generally take longer for funds to be deposited (e.g., days/weeks). This improved payment timeline may alleviate cash-flow issues.
Push payments allows merchants access to their funds on a much quicker timeline thereby improving cash flow issues and reducing the need for drawing a line of credit. The advantages of push payment transactions are readily apparent for small businesses, mobile merchant, or any other type of merchant. However, the payor may have little incentive to participate in push payment transactions.
Moreover, current card-linked promotions or loyalty programs are generally associated with pull payment systems. In particular, in a pull payment system, transactions eligible for card-linked promotions are initiated in the full amount, and merchants provide instructions to issuers to apply discounts or other promotions as credits on a cardholder's statement. Known push payment systems cannot implement these card-linked promotions, because in a push payment, the full amount of the transaction would be subtracted from the payor's account in real-time, before any merchant discount instruction to the issuer could be applied.

Payment processing system for applying merchant promotions to a push payment transaction


A metering and mixing device is disclosed for multi-component substances, such as multi-component adhesives, which includes at least two associated cartridge accommodating devices for accommodating replaceable cartridges having individual substance components, a discharging device for disclosing (e.g., simultaneously discharging) the substance components from the cartridges through component outlets by discharging pistons that plunge into the cartridge accommodating device or cartridges, and a mixing device, which is connected to the component outlets, mixes the discharged substance components, and outputs the substance components in the mixed state. At least one discharging piston can have a thread such that the discharging piston can be driven forward by the thread when the discharging piston is rotated relative to the cartridge accommodating device.

A metering and mixing device is known, for example, from the document DE 32 33 366 A1, for mixing a dental impression material made of two pasty components. The device described therein for mixing the components of a dental impression material includes a mixer designed as a disposable part and having a base body. The mixer includes a mixing chamber, several feed channels for components of impression material which open separately from each other into the mixing chamber, as well as an outlet opening for the mixed impression material. The mixer includes a mixer part which is rotatably arranged in the mixing chamber and driven by a driving device to which the mixer is secured detachably. The components of the impression material are contained in reservoir cylinders and they are pushed by pistons into the mixing chamber, and pushed out after the mixing via the outlet opening into the impression spoon. By way of a control unit, the rate of advance can be varied by the setting actuators of the pistons, so that both the ratio of the piston advance rate which determines the curing time of the impression material and also the total advance or the duration of the advance, and thus the impression material quantity, can be controlled.
Such metering and mixing devices can have issues with metering accuracy, for example, at high quantitative ratios of the individual components, such as 50:1 or higher, for example.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,396 B1 describes a metering and mixing device for multi-component substances, in particular multi-component adhesives, with a single cartridge accommodating device, for accommodating replaceable cartridges having individual substance components, a discharging device for simultaneously discharging the substance components from the cartridges through the component outlets by way of discharging pistons that plunge into the cartridge accommodation device or cartridges, and a mixing device connected to the component outlets which mixes the discharge substance components and outputs them in the mixed state. For driving the discharging pistons, a threaded bar is used in each case, which is introduced into a thread located in a central position in the discharging piston, and which moves the discharging piston forward by the simultaneous rotation of the threaded bars relative to the respective discharging piston. With this metering and mixing device, the threaded bars have to already be plunged with their full length into the individual components to be mixed, and thus, for example, simple tubular cartridges can no longer be used in a simple manner; instead special cartridges are involved which must already have, within their central inner space, the space needed for the threaded bars extending through the cartridges.

Metering and mixing device for multi-component substances


The disclosure relates to using a control service to control external access to APIs of IoT devices on a private network. An external application can request access to an API, and in response, the control service can monitor broadcasts from the IoT devices indicating what APIs they have available. If a match exists, the control service can request user authorization to allow the requested access. The user can grant or deny the requested access, and place limitations on the authorized access. The control service uses this information to open a connection between the requesting application and the IoT device having the requested API, and via this connection, the requesting application can access and control the device running the requested API.

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computers and computer networks that use a standard Internet protocol suite (e.g., the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP)) to communicate with each other. The Internet of Things (IoT) is based on the idea that everyday objects, not just computers and computer networks, can be readable, recognizable, locatable, addressable, and controllable via an IoT communications network (e.g., an ad-hoc system or the Internet).
A number of market trends are driving development of IoT devices. For example, increasing energy costs are driving governments' strategic investments in smart grids and support for future consumption, such as for electric vehicles and public charging stations. Increasing health care costs and aging populations are driving development for remote/connected health care and fitness services. A technological revolution in the home is driving development for new "smart" services, including consolidation by service providers marketing 'N' play (e.g., data, voice, video, security, energy management, etc.) and expanding home networks. Buildings are getting smarter and more convenient as a means to reduce operational costs for enterprise facilities.
There are a number of key applications for the IoT. For example, in the area of smart grids and energy management, utility companies can optimize delivery of energy to homes and businesses while customers can better manage energy usage. In the area of home and building automation, smart homes and buildings can have centralized control over virtually any device or system in the home or office, from appliances to plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) security systems. In the field of asset tracking, enterprises, hospitals, factories, and other large organizations can accurately track the locations of high-value equipment, patients, vehicles, and so on. In the area of health and wellness, doctors can remotely monitor patients' health while people can track the progress of fitness routines.
Accordingly, in the near future, increasing development in IoT technologies will lead to numerous IoT devices surrounding a user at home, in vehicles, at work, and many other locations. As more and more devices become network-aware, the threat of nefarious access to such devices and to private networks comprising these devices will grow. The IoT makes the functionality of devices within a home accessible from outside the home (and outside a private network). This creates security and privacy implications for users who on the one hand want the convenience of being able to raise the thermostat on the heating system when heading home, access a security camera from work, or check on gas/water leaks while on vacation, but do not want an attacker to be able to do the same. This is because each IoT device presents an access point to the network for nefarious users, and thus each new device creates a further potential chink in a secure network's armor.
Existing systems for interconnecting IoT devices to the Internet require IoT devices and a gateway that are pre-configured for connection to each other. If an IoT device is added to a home that is not pre-configured to talk to the gateway (e.g., adding a WeMo light switch to a typical Wi-Fi enabled home network), then the IoT device will not be able to participate in the private network without manual configuration. While manual configuration may be possible for sophisticated users (and a different configuration may be required for each device having a different manufacturer), as the number of IoT devices in a home or business increases, the burden and complexity of manually adding all these devices to the private network may become overly burdensome if not impossible.
Thus, there is a need for secure systems and methods to allow restricted access to IoT devices from the public Internet or other public networks, and further to enable system-agnostic IoT devices to join and leave a private network without manual configuration of network settings for each device.

Access control lists for private networks of system agnostic connected devices


A precisor plate for an automatic wire bonder having a heat block attachment portion thereon to precisely attach a heat block thereto provides a simple and quickly adjustable precisor plate and method of alignment. The precisor plate includes fixed alignment pins to align the precisor plate relative to a lead frame in an automatic wire bonding machine. In a preferred embodiment, the heat block is integral with the precisor plate and includes internal bores and or passageways for receiving a heating element, a thermocouple, and/or a vacuum source.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to work stations or work holders used in indexing semiconductor lead frames through an automatic wire bonder and, more specifically, to a precisor plate employed in such a work holder or work station adapted to be quickly readjustable to accommodate differently configured lead frames.
2. State of the Art
There are a limited number of companies in the semiconductor industry that manufacture automatic wire bonders used to form wire bonds on semiconductor devices. A leading manufacturer of such wire bonding machines is Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. of Willow Grove, Pa., manufacturer of a work holder designated as model number 2810. These automatic wire bonders typically employ dedicated work holders which are adapted to receive a specifically configured lead frame. The work holders are coupled to or connected to at least three mechanical drives, one for advancing the lead frame, one for positioning the lead frame on the bonding station and one or more drives for clamping the lead frame in the station. Heretofore, changing the work holder required skilled technicians to disassemble and reassemble or partially rebuild the work holder to accommodate each differently configured lead frame and ensure that the new, differently configured lead frames will be precisely aligned with respect to the wire bonder. Such a reconfiguration process typically takes an hour or more with current work holders.
A typical work holder for a Kulicke and Soffa wire bonding machine includes a box-like frame attached to the machine through which lead frames are indexed, the box-like frame forming part of the work station at which lead frames are wire bonded. In addition, a precisor plate is attached to a vertical slider, the slider vertically moving the precisor plate beneath the lead frame. The precisor plate in conjunction with a heat block, typically rectangular in shape, supports the lead frame in the work holder and keeps the lead frame from moving during the wire bonding operation.
An attempt to provide a modular work station or work holder which is easily removed from and replaced in an automatic wire bonder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,531 ('531 patent ) assigned to Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc., the manufacturer of the aforementioned model 2810 wire bonder. While the '531 patent is generally described. with respect to Kulicke and Soffa automatic wire bonder models 1481 and 1482, many of the components and their configurations are similar to the components of the model 2810 wire bonder. In the '531 patent, the problem of precisely aligning the precisor plate and heat block relative to the rest of the work holder is addressed by immobilizing the entire work station while various pins and bolts align and secure these components together and to the wire bonding machine. While the quick change work station described in the '531 patent may have been an improvement over the work holder stations of its time, the '531 patent work holder requires separate alignment of both the precisor plate and the heat block.
The work holder that is provided by Kulicke and Soffa with the 2810 model is as difficult, if not more, to align than the work holder described in the '531 patent. In addition to not providing a work station that can be quickly realigned, the precisor plate provided with the 2810 model wire bonder has moveable pins that must themselves be properly aligned to precisely engage tooling holes in the lead frame. In addition, the heat block must be separately aligned, and the precisor plate itself requires planarity adjustment, both right-to-left and front-to-back.
When a wire bonder as herein described is out of service, production on that machine is lost, resulting in a decrease in manufacturing efficiency. Accordingly, in order to avoid down time for realignment of the work holder, such automatic wire bonders are kept on line as long as possible, wire bonding similarly configured lead frames. In order to accommodate low production items, where only a few parts must be wire bonded, intermittent batch production, where the configuration of the wire bonder is frequently changed, or long production runs, where realignment of the precisor plate must be periodically performed, it would be desirable to provide a quick change precisor plate that can be simply and quickly adjusted.


A two-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit of an MPEG2 video decoder including a one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit, an input switching circuit for receiving input of new data and data already subjected to first one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation and sending one of them to the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit, an input switching control circuit for controlling the input switching circuit so as to alternately and continuously output data output from a first serial-parallel conversion circuit and data output from a second serial-parallel conversion circuit, and a data allocation circuit for switching and controlling an output destination of output data of the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit based on the timing of switching by the input switching control circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a two-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit for use in an MPEG2 (Moving Picture Export Group Phase 2) video decoder.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional two-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuits for use in an MPEG video decoder execute two-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation by conducting first one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation with respect to 64 data as a unit (block) and subsequently conducting second one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation with the data of the same block. One of conventional two-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuits of this kind is disclosed, for example, in the literature "A Single-Chip MPEG1 Audio/Video Decoder" (Y. Katayama, et. al). Structure of the conventional two-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit disclosed in the literature is shown in FIG. 9.
As shown in the figure, the conventional two-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit includes serial-parallel conversion circuits 11 and 16 for conducting 1:8 serial-parallel conversion with respect to input data and outputting converted data, an input switching circuit 12 for receiving input of the outputs of the serial-parallel conversion circuits 11 and 16 and selectively outputting either of them, a one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit 13 for receiving input of the output of the input switching circuit 12 to conduct one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation, a serial-parallel conversion circuit 14 for receiving input of the output of the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit 13 to conduct 2:1 serial-parallel conversion, and a memory 15 for receiving input of the output of the serial-parallel conversion circuit 14 and temporarily storing and then outputting the same to the serial-parallel conversion circuit 16.
One-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation here is transformation expressed by the following equation (1). EQU f(x)=.tau.c(u)F(u)cos{(2x+1)u.pi./16}/2 (1)
In the above expression, x and u represent an integer value of 0 to 7, and C(u) attains 1/.sqroot.2 when u=0 and attains 1 when u=1, . . . , 7. .SIGMA. represents a sum of u=0, . . . , 7, while .pi. represents a circle ratio. According to this expression, eight data after transformation will be calculated from eight data.
In thus structured conventional two-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit, when one data is input at each clock to the serial-parallel conversion circuit 11 through an input pin, the circuit 11 conducts 1:8 serial-parallel conversion with respect to accumulated eight data eight clocks after. Then, the output of the serial-parallel conversion circuit 11 is applied to the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit 13 via the input switching circuit 12, whereby the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit 13 conducts the above-described one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation with respect to the applied eight data as one group. The output data of the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit 13 is serial-parallel-converted by the serial-parallel conversion circuit 14 and stored in memory 15. The memory 15 sequentially stores data row by row at 64 addresses of eight rows by eight columns, for example.
When data of one block, that is, 64 data is written at the memory 15, the input switching circuit 12 switches input to the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit 13 from the serial-parallel conversion circuit 11 to the serial-parallel conversion circuit 16. As a result, the data written at the memory 15 is recursively input to the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit 13 through the serial-parallel conversion circuit 16.
The serial-parallel conversion circuit 16 sequentially reads data on the basis of a column of the addresses of the memory 15 to conduct 1:8 serial-parallel conversion. The data again subjected to serial-parallel conversion is applied to the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit 13 via the input switching circuit 12, so that the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit 13 conducts one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation in the same manner as in the first transformation. The output data thus subjected to the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation twice is output through the serial-parallel conversion circuit 14 as output data of the two-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit.
By thus repeating one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation twice, two-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation is conducted. Two-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation here is transformation expressed by the following equation (2). EQU f(x,y)=.SIGMA..SIGMA.'c(u)c(v)F(u)F(v)cos{(2x+1)u.pi./16} cos{(2y+1)v.pi./16} (2)
In the above expression, x, y, u and v represent an integer value of 0 to 7, and C(u) and C(v) attain 1/.sqroot.2 when u=0 and v=0 and attain 1 when u=1, . . . , 7 or v=1 . . . , 7. .SIGMA. represents a sum of u=0, . . . , 7 and Z' represents a sum of v=0, . . . , 7, while .pi. represents a circle ratio.
Operation of the conventional two-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit will be described with reference to time charts of FIGS. 10 and 11.
In FIG. 10, when data input starts at TO, every time input of eight data is completed, the data is applied to the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit 13 (FIG. 10, L0, L1, . . . ). At this time, since the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit 13 is capable of processing two data at one clock, input to the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit 13 only needs to be conducted at four clocks. At the remaining four clocks before eight subsequent input data is accumulated, the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit 13 is at an input waiting state (FIG. 10, 100). Every time data is applied to the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit 13 at timing L0, L1, . . . , data (FIG. 10, L'0, L'1, . . . ) is calculated whose first one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation is completed after a period of an internal processing time (FIG. 10, 200) of the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit 13.
At the completion of the foregoing processing conducted with respect to 64 input data (FIG. 11, T1), data to be applied to the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit 13 is switched from the data as the output of the serial-parallel conversion circuit 11 to that as the output of the serial-parallel conversion circuit 16 (FIG. 11, 300) to apply eight data each read from the memory 15 to the one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit 13 (FIG. 11, M0) and calculate data subjected to second one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation. At this time, no data input through the 20 input pin is possible during the execution of the second one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation (FIG. 11, 400). Assuming a time from T0 of FIG. 10 to T1 of FIG. 11 to be represented as T, time required for processing data of one block, that is, 64 data, will be therefore represented as 2T.
In other words, the conventional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuits need to conduct first one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation with respect to all the 64 data and then conduct second one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation after switching input. During the execution of the second one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation, no new data input is acceptable. As a result, much time is required for the processing of data of one block, that is, 64 data.
To reduce a time required for the above-described two-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation processing, proposed is a method of eliminating an input waiting state of a one-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit to reduce data processing time for one block by half by inputting two data each at one clock. However, since in an MPEG video decoder, an inverse quantization circuit for conducting inverse quantization processing, which is pre-processing of two-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation processing, is structured to process one data at one clock because of conditions of circuit scale, this method is not desirable in view of a circuit scale of the entire MPEG2 video decoder.

Two-dimensional inverse discrete cosine transformation circuit for MPEG2 video decoder


Exemplary embodiments are provided of apparatus and methods relating to antenna multiplexers and demultiplexers are disclosed. In exemplary embodiments, antenna multiplexers include two or more inputs for receiving a corresponding number of signals from multiple antennas. The antennas may include world cell antennas, AM/FM antennas, SDARS antennas, GPS antennas, and/or antennas combining the preceding. Exemplary antenna multiplexers also include an output for simultaneously outputting the combined signals received by the multiplexer. Demultiplexers for receiving such combined signals and outputting each signal via a separate output are also disclosed.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
There are numerous, varied wireless communication standards, such as Wi-Fi, GPS, PCS/GSM1900, UMTS/AWS, AMPS/GSM850, AM/FM radio, etc., in existence today, many of which operate within different frequency bands. Often, a separate antenna is used to receive each type of signal. Some antennas are operable to receive signals from two or more frequency bands. Each antenna typically is attached to a separate cable, such as a coaxial cable, for coupling a signal received by the antenna to the location at which the signal will be used, such as a radio receiver, GPS navigation device, cellular phone, etc.

Multiple antenna multiplexers, demultiplexers and antenna assemblies


A method of communicating corrections for information related to satellite signals among global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers is described. An ionosphere correction for ionosphere signal path delay is determined for a first satellite. This ionosphere correction is then compared to an ionosphere correction for ionosphere signal path delay for a satellite assumed to be directly over the receiver. The receiver then sends a message which includes only the difference between the ionosphere correction for the actual observation and the ionosphere correction for a satellite assumed to be at the zenith.

This invention relates to the communication of data among global navigation satellite system ("GNSS") receivers, virtual reference stations, data processing centers, rovers, and other apparatus, and in particular to techniques for transmitting that data in a format which conserves use of bandwidth available for the transmission of the data. Herein we describe the invention in terms of use with the US global positioning satellite system ("GPS"), but we use the terms GNSS and GPS interchangeably to refer to any global navigation satellite system, whether based on satellites provided by the United States, or by other countries, e.g. GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (European Union), GAGAN (India) etc. As will be apparent, the technology described herein can be applied to use with any GNSS system, including GPS.
A technique known as real time kinematic (RTK) positioning is now commonly used to determine the position of a roving GNSS receiver relative to a known reference point. This method requires that data from a reference receiver, or from a reference station network, be transmitted to the rover in real time. The RTK technique is routinely used for surveying, mapping, and precise positioning applications in mining, construction, and many other industries. In RTK positioning, a set of GNSS receivers track GNSS signals from a constellation of satellites. In a typical application, a reference station is established at a known location such as a previously surveyed location, a benchmark, or other desired position. That reference station then provides GNSS measurements to a rover station to enable the rover station to calculate its precise location relative to a previously determined reference point. The rover station, often carried by backpack or mounted on a moving machine, is then able to move about the site and use signals from the reference station to precisely locate desired positions on the site. Communication between the reference station and the rover system is provided over a data link, for example, using private licensed radio, unlicensed radio, satellite, cellular, or other communication technology. At the rover the data is received and used for processing and/or display to the user of the system.
Allocation of radio, cellular, or other wireless frequency bands is commonly performed by a government organization. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission determines appropriate allocation of the frequency spectrum, and similar organizations perform that service in other countries. Increasing demands for frequency allocation for new radio, cellular, and satellite applications, however, have made available bandwidth scarce. At the same time, the amount of data to be communicated among GNSS receivers continues to increase. It has therefore become more and more desirable to communicate that data using as little bandwidth as possible.
One prior art technique for communicating data among GNSS receivers was developed by the assignee of this invention, Trimble Navigation, and is commonly known as the "Compact Measurement Record" (CMR). A description of that technique can be found in N. Talbot, "Compact Data Transmission Standard for High-Precision GPS," Proceedings of ION-GPS-96, Kansas City, Mo., 861-871 (1996). Although this format is now in widespread use, the format still requires a minimum data rate that will increase as more satellites are included in the available constellation of satellites desirable for use; to provide the service needed in real time means that more bandwidth will be required, and that bandwidth may not be available via the current crop of communications services. Most communications services have a fixed bandwidth available that cannot be exceeded. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a technique for further reducing the amount of information required to be sent among GNSS receivers when bandwidth is at a premium, cannot be expanded, or in situations such as satellite transponders where expanded bandwidth is available only at higher cost.

Method of compactly communicating ionospheric and tropospheric corrections in a network of global navigation system satellite receivers


An apparatus for photometric measurement of the concentration of a chemical substance in a solution, wherein a cuvette is provided containing the solution The cuvette is transmissive at least in predetermined regions for electromagnetic radiation, wherein a transmitting unit is provided, which produces electromagnetic radiation in at least two wavelength regions and which radiates into the cuvette The electromagnetic radiation in a first wavelength region serves for measurement purposes and the electromagnetic radiation in a second wavelength region is used for reference purposes The electromagnetic radiation in the two wavelength regions takes the same path through the cuvette and through the solution At least one detector unit is provided, which is so arranged that it receives the electromagnetic radiation in the at least two wavelength regions following passage through the solution, and wherein a control/evaluation unit is provided, which determines the concentration of at least one chemical substance in the solution on the basis of the electromagnetic radiation detected in the two wavelength regions.

Known online systems for nitrate measurement or for measuring the content of organic substances are also available from Endress+Hauser under the mark STAMOSENS.
DE 199 02 396 C2 discloses an arrangement for measuring the nitrate content of liquids. In the case of this known arrangement, the radiation from a UV light source is split via two crossed, deflecting mirrors into parts traveling on two measurement branches in a measuring cuvette. One branch is for UV radiation reception and the other branch is for IR radiation reception. By measuring the nitrate concentration in the maximum (preferably at 214 nm) and in the minimum (preferably at 830 nm) of the nitrate absorption curve, a high measuring accuracy is achieved, since the arrangement of the two measuring branches with different wave lengths (two channel system) makes possible, in simple manner, the mathematical compensation of disturbing influences, such as clouding substances, aging effects of the light source and foulings of the cuvette.
In the case of known photometric measuring equipment, depending on the substance to be measured, either a wavelength-specific LED or a broadband light source is used. In the case of the broadband light source, the selection of the required wavelength is accomplished by an interference filter, which is arranged either after the light source or in front of the detector unit. The detector unit can be at least one photodiode, phototransistor or similar photoelectric component.

Device for photometrically measuring the concentration of a chemical substance in a solution to be measured

Endress + Hauser Conducta Gesellschaft fur Mess- u. Regeltechnik mbH + Co. KG


The present invention relates to a method and a device for finding nearest neighbor. In particular, it relates to a sorting, searching and matching multiple dimensional data, such as vectors, in order to find the nearest neighbor. The method is particularly useful as part of a SIFT algorithm.

Lowe, inventor of the U.S. Pat. No. 6,711,293 B1, used a modification of the k-d tree algorithm known as the Best-bin-first search method that can identify the nearest neighbors with high probability using only a limited amount of computation.
US 2010/0067745 discloses a method for object clustering and identification in video. In particular, it concerns the identification of facial images. The method uses clusters of video objects which are likely associated with the same person. A new image is deemed to belong to an existing cluster if the distance to the cluster is smaller than a first predetermined threshold distance. The new image becomes part of the cluster if the distance is larger than a second threshold distance (smaller than the first threshold distance).
Ye, L., et al., "Autocannibalistic and Anyspace Indexing Algorithms with Applications to Sensor Data Mining", Dept. of Computer Science & Eng., University of California, Riverside, USA, 85-96, provides an altered Orchard algorithm. Here, speed is sacrificed in order to reduce memory requirement. It is a design choice how much speed is sacrificed to save memory. However, the algorithm in any case requires a minimum of space. In Orchards algorithm, for each item in a dataset, a sorted list of its neighbors is calculated. This requires large amounts of memory for large dataset. In the altered Orchard algorithm, rows for items which are close to each other are deleted to save space. Thus, the search algorithm sacrifices speed for memory space. Ye et al. further suggests dynamic memory allocation for optimizing the algorithm.
Vidal Ruiz, E., "An algorithm for finding nearest neighbours in (approximately) constant average time", Pattern Recognition Letters 4 (1986), 145-157, relates to an algorithm for finding the Nearest Neighbour of a given sample in approximately constant average time complexity (i.e. independent of the data set size).

Method and device for finding nearest neighbor


A handle is provided for attachment to a medical endoscope for advancing instrumentalities through the instrument channel of the endoscope. The handle is adapted for use with instrumentalities requiring multiple longitudinal strokes to be performed in a predetermined sequence. A detent mechanism is provided to assure that a first stroke is completed before the next succeeding stroke begins. The invention as disclosed is used to operate an endoscopic sewing machine.

Endoscopic surgery provides many advantages over open surgery. The endoscopic procedure typically is less traumatic, can be expected to take less time and may result in a significantly shorter recuperation. The endoscope may be inserted into the patient through a natural body orifice, for example, by inserting an endoscope through the patient's mouth, through the esophagus and into the stomach. The endoscope typically has a channel through which slender instruments (e.g., cutters, biopsy forceps) can be passed to locate the distal end (inside the patient) of the instrument at the intended surgical site. The endoscope typically includes optical fiber bundles arranged to permit the physician to illuminate and view the surgical site within the patient's body. The proximal end (outside the patient) of the instrument typically is provided with controls by which the instrument can be operated to perform its intended function at the distal end.
Among the instruments adapted for endoscopic surgical use are sewing devices described in International Application No. PCT/GB95/00652. The devices are attachable to the distal end of an endoscope and are constructed to pass a suture through tissue so that the ends of the suture can be tied. The sewing devices include an arrangement by which the tissue to be sutured is drawn, by suction, into a cavity of the sewing device and, while so held, the tissue is pierced by a needle that traverses the cavity, carrying the suture through the tissue. The device includes associated mechanisms that function to separate the suture from the needle so that when the needle is withdrawn, the suture remains passed through the tissue. The ends of the suture then may be knotted with endoscopically placeable knotting instruments.
The present invention is directed to a control device, connectible to the proximal end of the endoscope and to proximally extending longitudinally moveable control elements of the sewing machine to facilitate operation of the sewing machine. One of the control elements is an elongate hollow shaft that terminates, at its distal end, in a slotted needle that pierces the tissue. The needle is adapted to carry a retention tag that is attached to one end of the suture, the suture extending out of the needle through the longitudinal slot in the needle. After the needle has been passed through the tissue, the retention tag is driven through the needle and is ejected from the distal tip of the needle by a longitudinally movable ejection wire extending through the needle shaft and needle. The ejected retention tag carries the suture with it. The sewing device includes an arrangement for capturing the retainer tag so that the end of the suture that has been passed through the tissue can be withdrawn proximally from the patient, together with the endoscope and attached sewing machine. The physician then has both ends of the suture proximally exposed to enable the suture thread to be manipulated to knot the suture at the surgical site.


Information retrieval methods and apparatus which involve: 1) the generation of estimates regarding the probability that items included in search results are already known to the user and 2) the use of such knowledge probability estimates to influence the ranking of search results, are described. By discounting the ranking, or adjusting ranking values generated by a known search engine as a function of the knowledge probability estimates, the present invention reduces or eliminates the risk of locating known information near the top of a list of search results. This is advantageous since known information is generally of little interest to a user. In various embodiments the popularity of an item is used to estimate the probability that the item is already known to a user. In addition, in various embodiments one or more user controllable parameters are used in the generation of the knowledge probability estimates and/or the ranking of the search results to give the user an opportunity to have the ranking of the search results accurately reflect the user's knowledge. The present invention is particularly well suited to collaborative filtering based search systems. This is because collaborative filters make recommendations to a user based on historical information relating to, e.g., the popularity of items being considered for recommendation. This same popularity information can be used to estimate a users knowledge of a database item. Such items may include television shows, music, Internet sites, etc.

Frequently people attempting to retrieve information from, e.g., an information database, are confronted with the problem of being provided more information than they need, want and/or are capable of reviewing in a reasonable amount of time. This problem is sometimes referred to as "information overload".
Examples of searches which can result in information overload include, e.g., Internet searches for sites which may include information about a particular topic of interest. Database searches for television shows, songs, or movies that a user might be interested in are additional examples of searches that may result in an excess of information.
Information overload is the result of the ever increasing size of modern databases and the difficulty associated with searching and efficiently retrieving desired information from a database. Desired information may include, e.g., the information that will be the most useful, relevant and/or interesting to a particular individual database user. Generally, information that is already known to the user, although potentially responsive to an information retrieval request, is of little value because it presents the user with no information that is new to the user. Accordingly, known information that is included in a list of search results may be thought of as unwanted "noise" which merely distracts the user from more useful material and/or wastes the user's time.
Various known information retrieval systems attempt to avoid the problem of information overload by performing a ranking, e.g., result prioritization, operation as part of an information retrieval operation. In such systems retrieved information is often ranked in some order which is intended to approximate how useful, interesting, and/or responsive the information is likely to be to the system user. Unfortunately, ranking of search results fails to address the noise problem resulting from the inclusion of known information in the search results.
In order to partially address the problem of including known information in search results, some information retrieval systems conduct searches in a manner that avoids including information in the search results that the user has already explicitly indicated are known to the user. Unfortunately, this approach frequently has little impact on the search results since it is difficult and often impractical for a user to identify, prior to a search, all or most of the database entries which are known to the user.
While the use of ranking of search results and the elimination of items which a user has explicitly indicated as being known to the user has helped to avoid or reduce the problem of information overload to some extent, people searching databases for information continue to be confronted with large amounts of data that can be time consuming to review. Furthermore, as databases continue to grow in size, the problem of a user being provided too much information to review in a reasonable amount of time is becoming an ever increasing problem.
Accordingly, there is a need for methods and apparatus which can be used to improve the results of ranking operations performed by existing information retrieval systems. In addition, there is a need for new systems which are more effective at selecting and/or prioritizing information to be presented to a user in response to an information retrieval request, e.g., a database search request. Furthermore, it is desirable that such methods and apparatus include features for taking into consideration a particular user's existing knowledge to reduce the risk of providing, or assigning a high ranking to, information which is already known to a user and which is therefor of little value.
It is also desirable that such methods and apparatus be capable of being used with a wide variety of existing information retrieval systems and search engines without requiring modifications thereto.

Methods and apparatus for retrieving and/or processing retrieved information as a function of a user's estimated knowledge


A refrigerant flow switching device for alternately conveying refrigerant from a high pressure and a low pressure evaporator to a compressor of a refrigeration system, and a refrigerator using such a refrigeration system, includes a refrigerant flow switching valve for alternately conveying refrigerant from the high and low pressure evaporators to the compressor. Said switching valve is controlled by a pressure switch that utilizes the pressure difference between the refrigerant from the high pressure evaporator and that from the low pressure evaporator to cyclically open or close a switch assembly, moving the switch between low and high pressure positions.

In a typical refrigeration system, refrigerant circulates continuously through a closed circuit. The term "circuit", as used herein, refers to a physical apparatus whereas the term "cycle" as used herein refers to operation of a circuit, e.g., refrigerant cycles in a refrigeration circuit. The term "refrigerant", as used herein, refers to refrigerant in liquid, vapor and/or gas form. Components of the closed circuit cause the refrigerant to undergo temperature/pressure changes which result in energy transfer. Typical components of a refrigeration system include, for example, compressors, condensers, evaporators, control valves, and connecting piping.
Energy efficiency is an important factor in the assessment of refrigeration systems. Increased energy efficiency is typically achieved by utilizing more expensive and more efficient components, by adding extra insulation adjacent to the area to be refrigerated, or by other costly additions. Increasing the energy efficiency of a refrigeration system therefore usually results in an increase in the cost of the system. It is, therefore, desirable to increase the efficiency of a refrigeration system and minimize any increase in the cost of the system.
In some apparatus utilizing refrigeration systems, more than one area needs to be refrigerated, and at least one area requires more refrigeration than another area. A typical household refrigerator, which includes a freezer compartment and a fresh food compartment, is one example of such an apparatus. The freezer compartment is preferably maintained between about -25.degree. and about -10.degree. C., and the fresh food compartment between about +1.degree. and about +8.degree. C.
To meet these temperature requirements, a typical refrigeration system includes a compressor coupled to an evaporator. The terms "coupled" and "connected" are used herein interchangeably. When two components are coupled or connected, this means that the components are linked, directly or indirectly in some manner in refrigerant flow relationship, even though another component or components may be positioned between them.
Referring again to the refrigeration system for a typical household refrigerator, the evaporator is maintained at about -25.degree. C. (an actual range of about -15.degree. to -35.degree. C. is typically used) and air is blown across the coils of the evaporator. The flow of the evaporator-cooled air is controlled, for example, by barriers. A first portion of the evaporator-cooled air is directed to the freezer compartment and a second portion to the fresh food compartment.
To cool a fresh food compartment, it is also possible to utilize an evaporator operating at, for example, about -5.degree. C. (or in a range from about -10.degree. C. to about 0.degree. C.). A typical refrigeration system utilized in household refrigerators, therefore, produces its refrigeration effect by operating the evaporator at a temperature which is appropriate for the freezer compartment but lower than it needs to be for the fresh food compartment. A typical household refrigerator therefore uses more energy to cool the fresh food compartment than is necessary, operating at reduced energy efficiency.
This household refrigerator example is provided for illustrative purposes only. Many apparatus other than household refrigerators utilize refrigeration systems which include an evaporator operating at an unnecessarily low temperature.
A refrigeration system which operates at reduced energy consumption is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,016. It utilizes at least two evaporators and a plurality of compressors or a compressor having a plurality of stages. This device utilizes the pressure difference between the high pressure and the low pressure refrigerant to operate a switching valve having bellows therein. However, for refrigeration systems that operate at 25 kg./cm..sup.2 and are required to be functional without rupture at 100 kg./cm..sup.2 or greater, the cost of such a valve is quite high. A need exists for a less expensive and equally efficient refrigeration system to function under such conditions.

Sensor for pressure controlled switching valve for refrigeration system


A method for reducing yawing motions of an aircraft in-flight, wherein a spoiler adjustment drive of a spoiler and a regulating flap adjustment drive of a regulating flap of the same respective airfoil are adjusted in a time segment in such a way that the motion of the spoiler being adjusted and the motion of the regulating flap of the same airfoil deflect in mutually opposite directions in the time segment. The spoiler and the regulating flap are adjusted on the airfoil, on which the adjusted deflections counteract the respectively occurring yawing motion. Also provided are a computer program product for carrying out this method and an aircraft with a directional stabilization device for carrying out this method.

In order to influence the flight attitude of an aircraft, it is known from the general prior art to utilize conventional control flaps for moderating occurring deviations of the flight attitude from the respective flight attitude that corresponds to the specified control parameters.
WO 2011/009918 A1 discloses a method for generating a pilot warning signal when an induced Dutch roll is detected.

Aircraft with a device for directionally stabilizing the aircraft, computer program product and method for directionally stabilizing the aircraft


Narrow-band interference in spread spectrum systems is eliminated by performing a frequency spectrum transform on N sampling points of the data to obtain N points of data; after M transforms, getting an energy accumulation of individual data to obtain N energy values; removing partial excessive large values from the N energy values, averaging the rest, then calculating the threshold value for interference determination based on the average value; identifying all points that have energy values exceeding the threshold value, and performing interference suppression for the data of corresponding points after frequency spectrum transform and finally outputting the data after frequency spectrum inverse transform.

The spread spectrum communication system is widely used nowadays. The spread spectrum or the pseudo-random (PN) code modulation can decrease the interference from other users and wireless signals. During the cross-correlation process of received signals and PN sequence, when the interference is a narrow-band signal, the interference, signals will spread to the entire band and thus weaken the impact of the interference. As a result, the spread spectrum signals could weaken the narrow-band interference to some extend.
The typical spectrum of a spread spectrum signal (e.g. performing spread spectrum from PN sequence) is submerged in the noise, as shown in FIG. 1. Ideal signal is the signal energy that is actually sent out by the mobile station and noise is the additive interference. Obviously, the ideal signal energy of the spread spectrum is usually less than the noise energy. The "strong interference" generally refers to the blocking signals or the signals that are sent out by TV, wireless station and nearby communication equipments. "Typical interference" refers to the signals sent out by those low-power sources, such as amateur radio. Processing gain represents the level of the interference signals tolerable by the spread signals in mobile station. The spread signals can still be recovered when they are affected by the typical interference, but they will never be recovered when the strong interference shows up. What's more, even with the typical interference, the system performance will degrade thought the signals can be recovered.
Before utilizing CDMA communication system, the frequency band will be swept in order to protect the CDMA signals from the interference of narrow-band signals. However, since some burst signals are hard to be fully forbidden due to their burst characteristics, the narrow-band interference will present disorder and randomicity. The narrow-band interference will increase the congestion rate and call-dropping rate in a CDMA system, overload the radio-frequency power control system, increase the power consumption of mobile station and reduce the base station coverage. Under extreme situation, the high-power interference will even block the entire cell, and thus the normal communication will stop. As a result, a good solution have to be found in order to eliminate the impact of the narrow-band interference signals on the CDMA signals and guarantee good quality of the communication.
Generally, methods for dealing with narrow-band interference are divided into two categories:
The first category is to make the signal (usually under analog processing) pass through a narrow-band notch filter or filter group. This method is usually realized by the surface acoustic technology, in which the estimation for the frequency of interference signals is made and based on the estimation result, a narrow-band notch filter is placed where there are interference signals (the PLL (phase locked loop) can also be used to track the interference signals). However, the analog technology has its own limitations, and usually lacks flexibility.
Another kind of methods is frequency domain elimination which is generally realized through digital processing. Signals are first digitized and then transformed into frequency domain through Fourier Transform. These data will be processed in the frequency domain and finally be transformed back into the time domain to be output through inverse-Fourier Transform. The methods for processing interference signals in the frequency domain can be summarized into two types: the first one is to filter out the interference impact through the filter on the frequency domain data and this method is suitable when the bandwidth and location of the interference are already known, but this method will have a certain limitation when the interference location in the frequency domain, the bandwidth and the number of the interferences are hard to identify, since there is a certain degree of difficulty in designing a fully adaptive filter.
Another type is to compute the signal amplitude on each frequency point and then compares them with the threshold value. Signals exceeding the threshold values are considered as narrow-band interference signals and will be set as zero or be degraded to noise level. This method could adaptively process multiple interference, multiple interference bandwidths and interference frequency changes, but whether the threshold setting in this method is good or not will directly affect its performance. The common way of setting threshold is to calculate the average value of the energies or amplitudes of all the data that are transformed into frequency domain and multiply that average value with a fixed multiple, so the computed average value will be the main criteria in setting up the threshold. This method of setting threshold value will be subject to the impacts of the magnitude and the number of narrow-band interferences, because the obtained average value will have a corresponding increase when the energy and the number of the narrow-band interferences increase. Therefore it can not reflect the real performance of the energy of non-interference data and decrease the performance in interference suppression.

Method and device for removing narrow band interference in spreading frequency system


Disclosed is a fully convolutional genetic neural network method for segmentation of infant brain record images. First, infant brain record image data is input and preprocessed, and genetic coding initialization is performed for parameters according to the length of a DMPGA-FCN network weight. Then, m individuals are randomly grouped into genetic native subpopulations and corresponding twin subpopulations are derived, where respective crossover probability and mutation probability pm of all the subpopulations are determined from disjoint intervals; and an optimal initialization value fa is searched for by using a genetic operator. Afterwards, fa is used as a forward propagation calculation parameter and a weighting operation is performed on the feature address featuremap. Finally, a pixel-by-pixel cross-entropy loss is calculated between predicted infant brain record images and standard segmented images to reversely update the weights, thus finally obtaining optimal weights of a network model for segmentation of the infant brain record images.

Infancy is a critical period for brain development. During this period, the brain not only develops quickly, but also is highly malleable and has a much higher chance of suffering from various encephalopathy than adults or other growth periods. In recent years, the survival rate of high-risk and very-low-weight infants is significantly improved and the incidence of brain disease in infants is on the rise, resulting in great difficulty in early diagnosis. Therefore, active exploration of computer-aided early diagnosis of infant encephalopathy is of great significance to the diagnosis and evaluation of the infant encephalopathy.
With the rapid increase in the amount of annotated data and the huge improvement in the performance of the graphics processing unit in recent years, the research on fully convolutional neural network has risen rapidly, which has good advantages in the field of image segmentation applications. However, due to the features such as low resolution and grayscale non-uniformity of the infant brain record images, significant problems that the gradient descends, the algorithm tends to fall into the locally optimal solution, and the image feature information cannot be effectively retained easily occur during segmentation of the infant brain record images by using the conventional fully convolutional neural network methods, leading to problems such as time consuming, training difficulty, and low accuracy during segmentation of the infant brain record images with these methods, thus failing to acquire high-accuracy segmented infant brain record images.

Fully convolutional genetic neural network method for segmentation of infant brain record images


A high density actuator, comprising a housing assembly composed of a first housing element containing a motor stator and a second housing element containing a gear reduction mechanism, a rotational core positioned at the center of the housing assembly, the rotational core being composed of a motor rotor and a transmission input operatively connected to the motor rotor, a transmission output positioned between the transmission input and the housing assembly, the transmission output forming an actuator output, a torque transfer output operatively connected to the actuator output and a center shaft connected to the torque transfer output in its center and in rotational contact with the first housing element, the center shaft passing through the transmission output, rotational core and second housing element to ensure proper radial and axial alignment.

Typical actuators have poor torque density (by volume or weight) partly because they require extra hardware (bearings, levers, pivots . . . ) to support the main elements (motor, transmission).
For example, a linear actuator (motor and ball-screw) requires a lever and bearings to convert the linear motion into rotational motion. Although highly energy-efficient, this arrangement is typically bulky and heavy.
Another example is the rotational actuator (motor and in-axis transmission) requires an output stage bearing to support loads. This bearing is typically located axially on the actuator or on the outer diameter, which can significantly increase the size and weight of the actuator.
Furthermore, robotic actuators require protection for over torque conditions. The solution to this typically consists in a slip clutch or other similar device. Consequently, commercial versions of such devices are cumbersome and heavy.
Accordingly, there is a need for a lighter and more compact actuator.

High density actuator with minimal lateral torsion