A system is disclosed for preparing a hypodermic injection site comprising a visibility enhancer for an injection site and a post injection hypodermic puncture wound site. The present invention offers a number of significant improvements which advance the efficacy of the art, by: preventing unintentional hypodermic injection of medicines through un-sanitized or under-sanitized skin surfaces, thereby protecting patients from becoming inoculated with pathogenic microorganisms while receiving such injections; significantly improving the visibility of, and, the accurate visual location and bandaging of post-injection needle puncture entry wounds, thereby further reducing the risk of infection of such wounds; and, by reducing bleeding from such wounds, which, in turn, reduces healthcare worker exposure to blood-borne pathogens and reduces the generation of potentially infectious, biohazardous medical waste.

A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to volatile skin sanitizing/sterilizing agents, such as isopropyl alcohol, which are commonly applied to patients' skin surfaces by licensed healthcare professionals and by patients themselves, in order to render such skin surfaces medically safe for the hypodermic administration of injectable medicines. These agents are typically applied to skin surfaces in preparation for the administration of injectable medicines such as vaccines and antibiotics, and in preparation for the self-administration of medicines by patients such as those who self-administer insulin.
The present invention relates, in particular, to the incorporation of one or more non-volatile ingredients into such volatile skin sanitizing/sterilizing agents, thereby enabling such ingredient-enhanced agents to form a uniformly-deposited, post-evaporation layer or coating comprised of the said non-volatile ingredients, on the skin surfaces of the hypodermic injection sites to which the said ingredient-enhanced agents are applied. The present invention offers significantly improved efficacy in comparison to the skin sanitizing/sterilizing agents of the relevant prior art, by virtue of the attributes of the said non-volatile ingredients comprising its said thin, deposited layer or coating.
It is medically obvious that the injection of medicines through any un-sanitized areas of skin always presents the substantial risk of inoculating patients with pathogenic microorganisms and microscopic parasites which may reside in the local environment and/or on patients' skin surfaces at such injection site areas. Such microorganisms have the potential to cause very serious, long-term, debilitating, and even life-threatening systemic infections, especially when introduced in such a direct manner. If some patients are inadvertently inoculated with microorganisms which cause communicable diseases, the spread of such diseases through a population can be significantly accelerated.
In stark contrast to the present invention, the skin sanitizing/sterilizing agents which are disclosed in relevant prior art, when applied to a hypodermic injection site, may unwittingly be unevenly and/or incompletely applied thereto, thereby potentially forming undetectable, inadequately sanitized/sterilized gaps within the skin injection site areas treated with such antiquated agents. This increases the potential for the inadvertent injection of medicines through such undetectable gaps, which significantly increases patients' risk of being systemically inoculated with infectious microorganisms.
Prior art discloses so-called "alcohol wipes" or "alcohol swabs" which are saturated with 70% isopropyl alcohol, or, which may be saturated with one or more other, functionally similar, skin sanitizing/sterilizing agents. The said "alcohol wipes" or "alcohol swabs" are currently the most common and widely used means for skin injection site preparation. Skin sanitizing/sterilizing agents of the prior art, such as 70% isopropyl alcohol, are clear and evaporate without a trace almost immediately after their application to a hypodermic injection site. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, for an administrator of injectable medicines to identify the boundaries of, and to verify the continuity-of-sanitization of the treated site of injection, because the sanitizing/sterilizing reagent has evaporated without a trace and may or may not have been uniformly applied to the injection site prior to the injection of such medicines. Under such circumstances, hypodermic injections may also be inadvertently given through completely untreated areas of skin lying outside of the treated skin areas. This is medically unsafe and unacceptable.
The present invention discloses means for ensuring the continuity-of-sanitization at pre-treated skin injection sites, this being of prime medical importance, because when such sites are treated with the said sanitizing/sterilizing solution/suspension/slurry comprising the present invention, the presence of the said thin, deposited layer or coating prevents any un-sanitized or under-sanitized gaps from escaping visual detection within the confines of such treated skin injection site areas. Use of the present invention prevents the administrators of injectable medicines from unintentionally administering injections through undetected, un-sanitized or under-sanitized gaps which can occur within such treated skin injection site areas, and ensures that such injections are given only through uniformly sanitized/sterilized skin injection site areas. One or more blood coagulants are included in the said sanitizing/sterilizing solution/suspension/slurry comprising the present invention and are deposited as a component of the said thin, deposited layer or coating, in order to: enhance the visibility of hypodermic needle puncture entry wounds; reduce bleeding from such puncture wounds; and, to reduce the generation of infectious medical waste associated with the administration of such injections.
The present invention resolves the very serious medical inadequacies inherent in the use of the antiquated means disclosed in the prior art, by enabling the administrators of injectable medicines to visually locate and identify such treated skin injection site areas with the naked eye, and to qualitatively evaluate them for their continuity-of-sanitization.
This is accomplished by their visual examination of the uniformity of the coloration of the said thin, deposited layer or coating, for either the absence of, or the presence of any untreated or under-treated gaps within the boundary of the said deposited layer or coating. The absence of such gaps indicates that such an injection site has been uniformly sanitized/sterilized, and that an injection may be safely administered through the said deposited layer at such an injection site. The presence of one or more such gaps indicates that: the said injection site was inadequately prepared and has not been uniformly sanitized/sterilized; and, that it must therefore be re-treated and visually re-evaluated before an injection can be safely administered through that injection site. If such gaps are detected, the pigment/tint/dye/colorant-enhanced, body-fluid-reactive, blood coagulant-enhanced, skin injection site sanitizing/sterilizing solution/suspension/slurry of the present invention is easily re-applied until the said deposited layer becomes uniform in its consistency and coloration, thereby ensuring: the continuity-of-sanitization at the said injection site; the uniformity of the said deposited layer; and, the safe injection of medicines through such a uniformly sanitized/sterilized skin injection site area. This enables the administrators of injectable medicines to significantly reduce their patients' risk of acquiring potentially serious infections consequent to the administration of injectable medicines, thereby improving both the safety of administering hypodermic injections and the overall quality of their patients' health.
The exclusive and widespread use of the pigment/tint/dye/colorant-enhanced, body-fluid-reactive, blood coagulant-enhanced, skin injection site sanitizing/sterilizing solution/suspension/slurry comprising the present invention will ensure continuity-of-sanitization at skin injection site areas for all patients receiving hypodermic injections, and will greatly decrease their risk of inadvertently acquiring local and/or systemic infections as a consequence of receiving injectable medicines. The reduction of this risk is highly significant when seen in the context of the many millions of injections and immunizations which are administered annually on a global scale, and the importance of potentially reducing this risk on such a grand scale is exponentially magnified. This is especially true for injections and immunizations which are administered in the field, in remote, rural locations where sanitation is limited or non-existent, both here and abroad.
In one or more of the preferred embodiments of the present invention described below, at least two means are disclosed for precisely locating the entrance wound opening of a post-injection needle puncture wound, even when only miniscule oozing of blood and body fluids occurs. One of these means involves the physical and/or chemical reactions which occur when the said pigment/tint/dye component comprising the said thin, deposited layer or coating becomes progressively exposed to the blood/body fluids as they progressively ooze from the post-injection, needle puncture wound entrance. As the said layer or coating adjacent to the said wound entrance becomes progressively exposed to the said oozing blood/body fluids, it becomes progressively discolored, thereby forming a highly visible, progressively-expanding ring of discoloration which encircles, and identifies the location of, the said wound entrance. Another of these means involves the further enhancement of post-injection, needle puncture wound visibility via blood clot formation at the said needle puncture wound's surface opening. Blood clotting at the said needle puncture wound entrance is induced by the blood coagulant ingredient present in the said deposited layer or coating. As the said layer or coating adjacent to the said wound entrance becomes progressively exposed to the said oozing blood/body fluids, its blood coagulant ingredient also becomes progressively exposed to the said oozing blood/body fluids, thereby initiating blood clot formation at the said needle puncture wound entrance. The coloration and physical appearance of the blood clot thus formed, demarcates the said needle puncture wound entrance in and of itself, and its visible presence simultaneously contributes to the visibility and location of the said wound entrance as stated in the previously-cited means.
The present invention improves on the art by preventing the proliferation of diseases acquired as an unintended consequence of receiving injectable medicines and vaccines, and as an unintended consequence of accidental exposure to infectious medical waste associated with excessive injection site bleeding.
A. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 8,269,058; McCarthy, et al.; The authors disclose an absorbable tissue dressing assembly having a sponge-like, chitosan matrix structure and a woven nano-fiber and/or micro-fiber backing material, possessing different colors, "to facilitate identification by a caregiver". Patches of this dressing assembly are applied internally to achieve hemostasis during surgical operations. Clot formation is achieved by the attraction of the negatively charged red blood cell membranes to the positively-charged surface of the chitosan matrix. In the present invention, blood clot formation also occurs at post-injection hypodermic needle puncture wounds, both by muco-adhesive adsorption of the oozing red blood cells by the chitosan in the said deposited layer, and by physiologically-related clotting mechanisms. However, the present invention utilizes such clot formation to visually identify and locate the said needle puncture wound to facilitate its accurate bandaging. The McCarthy, et al. disclosure does not cite, contemplate or anticipate the utilization of clotting as means to locate a post-injection hypodermic needle puncture wound, and no reference of any kind is made in the authors' text or claims pertaining to any aspect of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,236,781, Laugier, et al.; The authors disclose a hydrogel comprised of chitosan carboxyalkylamide, several forms of which are applied into or (as a protective coating) onto burn wounds of varying degrees of severity. The pH of their chitosan variant is adjusted to approximate the pH of human skin, yet is capable of gel formation and works equally well in a dried form when directly applied onto or into such burn wounds. The addition of "colorants" to the authors' chitosan variant is cited only once, at the bottom of their page 7, in brief reference which does not disclose purpose, nor is the use of "colorants" cited in their claims. No other reference of any kind is made in the authors' text or claims pertaining to any aspect of the present invention. The Laugier, et al. disclosure does not cite or contemplate their chitosan variant's ability to: coagulate blood at a wound site; physically and/or chemically react with the blood/body fluids which ooze from hypodermic needle puncture wounds in order to produce a visually-detectable localized color change at the surface opening of such wounds; or, to mask local skin blemishes (such as freckles) existing beneath a prepared hypodermic injection site in order to facilitate the identification, location and proper bandaging of post-injection hypodermic needle puncture wounds. Laugier, et al. also disclose a hydrogel comprised of chitosan carboxyalkylamide which is dehydrated to form a powder. This form of chitosan is included by reference, as an ingredient in at least one of the said non-volatile components comprising the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,231,893; Carlucci, et al.; The authors disclose a chitosan variant which is utilized to coat an inert, particulate carrier material, which in turn, is then "incorporated into an absorbent structure", such as a disposable diaper or wipe. This coated article performs absorption of liquids and is not involved in transferring chitosan onto a secondary surface, such as a hypodermic skin injection site. No reference of any kind is made in the authors' text or claims pertaining to any aspect of the present invention. Carlucci's chitosan-coated material is cited as performing gelification and absorption of blood and menses, rather than augmenting natural clot formation at a hypodermic needle puncture wound site, thereby further distinguishing Carlucci from the present invention. Carlucci, et al.,'s use of chitosan does not involve inherent physiological clotting mechanisms. The altered form(s) of chitosan disclosed by Carlucci, et al., is not cited as possessing any coagulative properties, and such coagulative properties are not represented in their disclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,304,595; Daniels, et al.; Nov. 6, 2012; The authors recite the formulation of nanostructures comprised of various materials such as chitosan microparticles which are used to coat a variety of substrate materials in order to provide enhanced hemostasis for bandages, etc. These coated substrate materials are applied to various wounds to induce improved hemostasis. The authors do not disclose the use of their substrate materials as means to transfer their coagulant materials from their substrate materials to a secondary surface, such as a skin hypodermic injection site.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,762,336, MacPhee, et al.; disclose a hemostatic sandwich bandage for application to a variety of wounds, including external skin wounds. The authors do not disclose the use of their bandage as means to transfer their coagulant materials to a secondary surface, such as a skin hypodermic injection site.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,644, Saferstein, et al.; The authors disclose an adhesive bandage having a coating of polyethylene oxide which reacts with blood proteins: prothrombin and plasma fibrinogen to increase the rate of hemostasis at a wound site. The authors do not disclose the use of their bandage as means to transfer their coagulant materials to a secondary surface, such as a skin hypodermic injection site.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,976; Barnhart, et al.; 424/401, 514/844; In reference to surfactant cleaners of the prior art, Barnhart states, in his "BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION", that "dyes were needed in the in the surface cleaner to visually determine and insure that a particular surface had been contacted by the cleaner and disinfectant." He states that "U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,965,063, 5,110,492, 5,057,303, and 5,064,635 all describe overcoming this problem by providing a cleaning composition for surfaces having a pH sensitive dye which includes a germicide and disappears upon exposure to air", and that "such a pH sensitive dye might be useful in a surface cleanser, it is not particularly useful in a skin cleansing composition" "since the dye would disappear before it was dispensed." He further states that "if the user did not remove all of the cleaner from the surface however, a colored residue would still remain." Barnhart also states that photosensitive dyes "have commonly been used to determine whether a product has been exposed to light so as to warn the user of a particular hazard." In his "PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION" Barnhart specifically states that "Dyes of the type utilized in the skin cleansing compositions of the present invention are added essentially for the aesthetic effect they create in producing a colored product, not for any cleansing properties associated therewith." Clearly, Barnhart's inclusion of such dyes is not intended for use in the demarcation of a site on the skin intended for the injection of a medicine or vaccine, as is the case in the present invention, nor is any suggestion for such usage mentioned in his text. Photosensitive dyes such as those which are cited as examples in Barnhart, specifically D&C Red No. 28 and Blue No. 1, may be suitable as skin demarcation agents in the present invention, owing to their unique properties as cited in Barnhart. The thin layering of dye utilized in the present invention can also considerably reduce the time intervals required for photo decolorization to take place as opposed to those times cited in Barnhart under his "TABLE II COLOR FADING PROPERTIES OF SAMPLE COMPOSITIONS" section. Barnhart states that non-photosensitive dyes may also be used.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,854; Kuzmanovich; 604/506; 604/116, pertains to marking the skin with a non-sterile "opaque" liquid and then "sterilizing" the skin area prior to injection. Kuzmanovich does not disclose any physical and.or chemical reactions taking place between his marking substance and the blood/body fluids which ooze from a hypodermic needle puncture wound. The use of the term "sterilization" is incorrect, since sterility of injection sites cannot be guaranteed, and since some organisms are not affected by the agents used for such "sterilization", and can therefore be introduced sub-dermally during an injection. The container harboring the said "opaque" liquid is unsanitary, and can become increasingly contaminated by micro organisms after repeated use, thus making this device hazardous to the public health. The application of a dot of the "opaque" liquid does not enable the person giving the injection to accurately determine whether or not the entire affected area of skin has been completely sanitized.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,193,325; Chou, et al.; The authors disclose a processing method for producing nano-particulate chitosan for use in medical applications and other uses. Although Chou, et al. disclose their "nano-miniaturized chitosan" as being "blended to develop antiseptic wound dressing and novel textile as well as cosmetological products such as fiber, non-woven, medical dressing, dress, fabric, cosmetic skin mask and the like, wherein the molecular weight of said nano-miniaturized chitosan is less than 50 k.", and further, that this form of chitosan is "being further introduced into the fiber manufacturing process with Dry-jet Wet Spinning method to manufacture desired fiber fabric having features of enhanced antiseptic, moisture-retentive and deodorizing capabilities", Chou, et al. do not contemplate, disclose, or claim simple adsorption onto their fabric surface for purposes of topical application to, and visual demarcation of skin injection sites. One of Chou's cited references pertains to the "Decolorization of Chitosan by Ozone Treatment" (first reference listed), which is not a desirable attribute within the context of the present invention. In passing, Chou, et al. do refer to the use of their form of chitosan as a "cosmetic skin mask", but this has no relevance in relation to the visual demarcation of skin injection sites, or in relation to the masking of skin blemishes (such as freckles), to prevent the visual occlusion of hypodermic needle puncture wound openings. Curiously, Chou, et al. do not claim the property of coagulation for their form of chitosan, per se., perhaps because this property may have been diminished by their processes. No reference of any kind is made in the author's text or claims pertaining to any aspect of hypodermic injection site preparation.
International Patent Number: AT499923 (T); (issued Mar. 15, 2011), Stengele, et al., International Classification: A01N31/02; A61K8/34; 8/365; 8/46; 8/49; 8/81, A61Q17/00; European Classification: A61K8/34; 8/365; 8/46F, 8/49C6; 8/81R2, A61Q17/00F; and A01N31/02, "Antiseptic Skin Dye"; For additional reference, this patent is also internationally published as patent numbers: DE102007030416 (A1), EP2011475 (A2, A3, and B1), and as ES2361587 (T3).
Stengele, et al. cite on page 9, that: "The invention is suitable for coloring skin colorants, small and large areas of skin before a surgical or medical treatment, such as before surgery, an injection or a puncture". "The staining solutions used here may have a disinfecting effect and additional staining of the skin by the medical staff it is possible to make sure that the entire area was disinfected". Stengele, et al. can clearly be used to demarcate and disinfect a small patch of skin prior to an injection, but its composition is needlessly complex and expensive to mass produce in a form suitable specifically for that purpose. However, their invention does not disclose, nor does it contemplate the use of coagulants in association with the demarcation and disinfection of hypodermic injection sites, or the preparation of skin sites for surgery.
The authors further state that the solution comprising their invention requires at least one additional application in order "to make sure that the entire area was disinfected". Complete "disinfection", amounting to sterilization of such a skin area is not fully attainable using such means. At best, a reasonable sanitization of the area can be achieved using such means. Furthermore, Stengele, et al. do not disclose the use of such colorants as means to enable the administrator of such injections to better distinguish an injection puncture wound from surrounding skin blemishes (such as freckles), especially when there is no visible post-injection bleeding or oozing at the injection wound site, as is often the case during the administration of intramuscular and subcutaneous injections. In addition to the initial demarcation and sanitization of a patient's injection site as offered in Stengele, et al., the present invention additionally improves the visibility of post-injection puncture wounds, thereby allowing for more accurate location and bandaging of such puncture wounds, which in turn reduces the potential for later infection of such wounds, and thereby improves the overall health of such patients. Also, Stengele, et al. does not mention or contemplate the coagulation of blood oozing from a needle puncture wound as a means for making such puncture wounds easier to identify and accurately bandage. Stengele, et al. claims the use of triarylmethane dyes, indigo dyes, xanthine dyes, quinophthalone, anthraquinone dyes, quinoline yellow (E104), patent blue V (E131) and or brilliant green BS (E142).
In contrast to the prior art, the present invention offers a number of significant improvements which advance the efficacy of the art, by: preventing unintentional hypodermic injection of medicines through un-sanitized or under-sanitized skin surfaces, thereby protecting patients from becoming inoculated with pathogenic organisms while receiving such injections; significantly improving the visibility of, and, the accurate visual location and bandaging of post-injection needle puncture wounds, thereby further reducing the risk of infection of such wounds; and, by reducing bleeding from such wounds, which, in turn, reduces healthcare worker exposure to blood-borne pathogens and reduces the generation of potentially infectious, biohazardous medical waste.

System for improving safety and efficacy in the preparation of an injection site


The present application relates to an active radiator with omnidirectional air convection and a stage lighting fixture using the same. The active radiator includes a radiator body provided with heat dissipation channels and a heat transfer assembly which is at least partially transversely arranged inside the radiator body and in form of an integrity therewith. The present application of simple structure and convenient in use can achieve efficient heat dissipation through omnidirectional active heat dissipation of the stage lighting fixture, and can also reduce overall costs and is easy to install.

A stage lighting fixture typically has high power consumption when in use. Particularly, a light source of a stage lighting fixture generates a large amount of heat, which will influence on application effects and lifespan of the lighting fixture. Therefore, it's necessary to cool the light source of the stage lighting fixture in time.
In prior art, a heat pipe radiator is typically used to dissipate heat, however such a radiator must be used in combination with a fan to achieve desired heat dissipation effect. Generally, heat generated by a light source of a lighting fixture is diffused by a heat pipe radiator aforementioned and discharged from the lighting fixture by a fan.
Application CN 201320881828.3 discloses an imaging light including a housing, a light source module within the housing, and a lens through which light from the light source module is emitted. The imaging light further includes a heat pipe connected to the light source module and facing toward the lens, fins connected to the heat pipe, and a fan located inside the housing. Such configuration can achieve to dissipate heat, however hot air flows are compulsively discharged out by the fan, resulting in additional equipment, such as a drive circuit and a motor, which are matched with the fan, and higher manufacturing costs. Additionally, heat dissipation is passive due to being dependent on the fan, and it's easy to produce noise when the fan rotates. Further, the configuration is likely to fail as the radiator is spaced closely to the light source module and ambient temperature of the operating motor and fan is high, and such high temperature will cause partial melting of the housing.
Therefore, an active heat dissipation technology is sought-after, which has better heat dissipation effect without additional external force.

Active radiator with omnidirectional air convection and stage lighting fixture using the same


A system-on-chip (SoC) and a booting method thereof are disclosed. The SoC is coupled to an external memory and includes a read only memory (ROM) and a processor. The ROM stores a first firmware image. The processor is coupled to the ROM. The processor reads the first firmware image from the ROM and verifies the state of the first firmware image. If the first firmware image is damaged, the processor reads a second firmware image from the external memory and verifies whether the second firmware image is legal. If the verification of the second firmware image succeeds, the processor reads and executes the second firmware image to perform a booting process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to a chip, and more particularly, to a system-on-chip (SoC) and a booting method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
A system-on-chip (SoC) or system-level integration (SLI) is a complete computer system integrated into a single chip or integrated circuit (IC). For example, a SoC may includes a central processing unit (CPU), a memory, and some peripheral circuits. The concept of SoC is to minimize and/or modularize circuits in a specific application field and integrate most functions offered by this application field into a single chip or IC, so as to reduce the size of a product and/or increase the portability thereof.
During the booting process of a SoC, the CPU of the SoC obtains a single firmware image from a storage medium and executes the firmware image to boot up. However, if the firmware image is damaged or cannot be completely read, the SoC cannot be boot up properly.

System-on-chip and booting method thereof


A work machine includes a swing hydraulic motor and a swing electric motor for driving an upper swing structure. A capacitor supplies electricity to the swing electric motor and an operating device outputs through one operation, an operating signal for concurrently operating the swing hydraulic motor and the swing electric motor. A main controller switches between a hydraulic-alone drive mode and an electric-alone drive mode, the hydraulic-alone drive mode being a mode to drive only the swing hydraulic motor selected from the swing hydraulic motor and the swing electric motor when the operating device is operated, the electric-alone drive mode being a mode to drive only the swing electric motor selected from the swing hydraulic motor and the swing electric motor when the operating is operated. Therefore, the actuator that malfunctions can easily be specified among the plurality of mounted actuators.

A construction machine such as a hydraulic excavator is an example of a work machine having an actuator for driving a drive object. Such a construction machine burns fuel (gasoline, light oil or the like) in an engine to drive a hydraulic pump. Pressurized fluid thus produced drives a hydraulic actuator (a hydraulic motor, a hydraulic cylinder or the like). Hydraulic actuators are small-sized and light in weight and can produce significant power; therefore, they are widely employed as actuators for construction machines.
On the other hand, hybrid construction machines have recently been proposed which is intended to achieve an improvement in energy efficiency and energy saving, compared with the conventional construction machines using only hydraulic actuators. The hybrid construction machines use electric machinery (an electric motor) and an electrical storage device (a battery, an electric double layer capacitor or the like), which supplies and receives electricity to and from the electric machinery. In comparison with the hydraulic actuator, the electric machinery (the electric actuator) has, in terms of energy, excellent features such as (1) excellent energy efficiency and (2) regeneration of kinetic energy as electric energy during braking (release as heat in the case of a hydraulic actuator).
One of the hybrid work machines of this type is the construction machine as below (JP,A 124381). A hydraulic motor and electric machinery serving as actuators for swingably driving a swing structure and an operating device which outputs, through one operation, operating signals for simultaneously actuating the hydraulic motor and the electric machinery are mounted on the construction machine. In addition, the swing structure is driven by the total torque of the hydraulic motor and the electric machinery. This construction machine is such that the electric machinery is directly connected to the hydraulic motor. Output torque for each of the actuators (the hydraulic motor and the electric machinery) is determined according to the operation amount of the operating device (the swing control lever). For example, at the time of deceleration (braking), the electric machinery regenerates the kinetic energy of the swing structure and stores it as electric energy in the electric storage device. This technology combines the electric machinery and the hydraulic motor as the actuators for driving the swing structure. Therefore, even the operators who are familiar with the conventional hydraulic-actuator-drive construction machine can operate the operating device without a sense of discomfort. In addition, the technology intends to achieve energy saving with the simplified and easily realized configuration.

HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.


A clear garment protector with attached napkin for protecting the clothes of a wearer from soiling. The inventive device includes a generally transparent main sheet having a generally arcuate neck cutout at the top edge of the main sheet. The neck cutout defines a pair of spaced apart shoulder flap portions on the main sheet adjacent the top edge of the main sheet such that the neck cutout is interposed between the shoulder flap portions. A napkin sheet is coupled to the bottom edge of the main sheet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to garment protective covers and more particularly pertains to a new clear garment protector with attached napkin for protecting the clothes of a wearer from soiling.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of garment protective covers is known in the prior art. More specifically, garment protective covers heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art garment protective covers include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,330,888; 5,062,158; 5,552,200; 5,031,241; 3,131,399; and 1,262,136.
Traditional bibs and aprons normally are fastened around the neck of a wearer. This causes a problem of injury to the wearer's neck when the bib or apron is pulled on (which commonly occurs in nursing homes).
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new clear garment protector with attached napkin. The inventive device includes a generally transparent main sheet having a generally arcuate neck cutout at the top edge of the main sheet. The neck cutout defines a pair of spaced apart shoulder flap portions on the main sheet adjacent the top edge of the main sheet such that the neck cutout is interposed between the shoulder flap portions. A napkin sheet is coupled to the bottom edge of the main sheet.
In these respects, the clear garment protector with attached napkin according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of protecting the clothes of a wearer from soiling.

Clear garment protector with attached napkin


A system includes circuitry configured to: read a plurality of character information and a plurality of identifiers that are included in a text file; determine whether a character information among the plurality of character information is included between the at least one pair of identifiers among the plurality of identifiers in the text file; and associate the character information with the at least one pair of identifiers when it is determined that the character information is included between the at least one pair of identifiers.

There are technologies that, in a full-text search on a file group, use a full-text search index indicating the character information making up the files included in the file group, to narrow down search-target files from the file group. By referring to the full-text search index, files that do not include the character information of a search character string are excluded from the search targets, and the search-target files are thereby narrowed down.
In certain technologies, a full-text search is carried out with respect to a file group that has been written in a markup language. The files included in the file group written in the markup language are logically (or physically) divided with tags serving as boundaries, and a full-text search index that indicates the character information making up each data unit obtained by this dividing is created. Furthermore, when a search character string and a tag are input, data units that do not correspond to the input tag and data units that do not include the character information of the search character string are excluded from the search targets, and search-target data units are thereby narrowed down (for example, refer to Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 8-329116 or Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 8-147311).


A relay welding detector is adapted for detecting welding fault of a relay. The relay has a first electrical contact coupled to a neutral terminal of an alternating current (AC) power source through a first power line, and a second electrical contact coupled to a load through a second power line. The relay welding detector includes a signal generator generating a test signal, a current transformer wound with a portion of one of the power lines and generating an induced signal based on the test signal, and a determining unit determining, based on the induced signal, whether the electrical contacts of the relay are welded to each other.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to relay welding detection, and more particularly to a relay welding detector, a relay equipment incorporating the same, and a relay welding detecting method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In Europe, China and Taiwan, an alternating current (AC) power source has a live terminal, a grounded earth terminal and a neutral terminal coupled to the earth terminal. A relay may be coupled between the AC power source and a load so as to enable or disable power transfer from the AC power source to the load.
However, when the relay encounters welding fault, the relay may not be able to disable the power transfer from the AC power source to the load. Therefore, in order to meet safety requirements set up for various regional markets, such as U.S. and Europe, there is a need to detect whether the relay has welding fault. For instance, GE Corporation uses mechanical linkages to detect welding fault of the relay, which results in relatively high costs, hence, it is not competitive enough in the markets.

Relay welding detector, relay equipment incorporating the same, and relay welding detecting method


A hinge assembly includes a claw and a body pivotally connected to the claw and movable to and between a first operative position and a second operative position. A link assembly operably interconnects the claw and the body. The link assembly includes at least one link pivotally connected to the claw and a spring connected between the link and an anchor point. A latch is movably connected to the claw, and the latch is movable to and between a locked position where it is adapted to engage an associated mounting receptacle to prevent separation of the claw from the mounting receptacle, and an unlocked position. Te hinge assembly can be provided as part of a door mounting system that also includes a mating mounting receptacle.

The present development relates to a hinge assembly and door mounting system including same, particularly adapted for use in operatively and releasably connecting an appliance door to an appliance body so that the door is manually movable between opened and closed positions relative to a chamber (e.g., a cooking chamber) defined by the body. The hinge assembly and door mounting system are simplified, more reliable and more cost-effective as compared to conventional arrangements.

Hinge assembly and door mounting system including same


The present invention relates to projection systems, more particularly to a method for visualising test pattern grids in such a projection system.

In multi-channel projection displays, such as used for example in simulation environments, externally generated test pattern grids are generally used as references for the mechanical and geometric (electrical) alignment of the many display channels. These test patterns are designed to represent the location of significant landmarks that may be pre-calculated positions, according to the type of screen (flat, curved, front, rear, etc.), eye-points and position of the projectors.
Many solutions exist to visualize the pre-calculated points to guide display alignment: one can mark "invisible" dots using UV-paint, one can use a slide-projector to project these points, one can install small LED's or fiber optic strands in the screen surface for example. None of these solutions is ideal: they can't be used on all types of screens, they require a complicated setup which may include direct access to the screen surface, several are inaccurate and expensive to correct, and many can only be used in a dark environment.

Bundled light based alignment and maintenance tool for projection systems

Abstract: An array of adjustable, directed light sources is described, which is to be used as a test pattern generator for alignment of at least one projector. Each light source is fixed onto a surface from which it is movable with two degrees of freedom, preferably by putting the surface in plastic deformation. This can preferably be done with help of few tooling aids, and by using one hand only.


A method of testing a fuse element for a memory device is provided. A first test probe is electrically connected to a program terminal of the memory device. A second test probe is electrically connected to a ground terminal. The fuse element is on an electrical circuit path between the program terminal and the ground terminal. The first and second test probes are electrically connected to a testing device. A first voltage is applied with the testing device between the program terminal and the ground terminal. At least part of a first current of the first voltage flows across the fuse element. The first voltage and the at least part of the first current that flows across the fuse element is not large enough to change the conductivity state of the fuse element. The first current is measured and used to evaluated the conductive state of the fuse element.

A memory array, such as a programmable read only memory array (PROM) or a random access memory array (RAM), generally includes an array of binary elements arranged in a matrix of rows and columns having addresses associated therewith and decoders coupled thereto. PROM and RAM devices have been used in electronics, telecommunications, and computer industries for many years.
In a PROM device, the binary elements are permanently, semi-permanently, or temporarily programmed to one of two states so that information programmed in the memory may be read out quickly, but can only be programmed or written into the memory more slowly. Rather than producing a set of custom masks that manufacture a read only memory (ROM) device, a PROM device is typically manufactured instead. A PROM device includes one or more fuses and/or one or more antifuse elements, which allow the PROM to be programmed or written to. By selectively blowing fuses (opening a circuit path) or making antifuses conductive (closing a circuit path) for certain cells in an array of memory cells, a blank PROM can be easily programmed to become a customized ROM for certain applications. This allows PROM devices to be mass produced for a wide array of applications, thereby reducing production cost, increasing profits, and extending the useful life of the equipment used to make the PROM devices (improving return on capital investment).
In a RAM device, the binary elements can be programmed or written to and read out relatively quickly, but the memory must be continuously refreshed to retain the information therein. In the manufacturing of memory devices of all types, processing defects often randomly occur across the memory device. Typically, the memory device is still functional except that one or more rows and/or columns have a defective cell (defective bit). This has led to the development of memory devices having redundant elements (rows, columns, encoders, decoders, etc.) without addresses assigned yet. As needed, such redundant elements may be assigned the address of a defective row or column while the defective row or column is disabled. Such repairs and use of redundant elements are often provided by fuse elements that may be used to repair and reprogram addressing. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,570 discusses some conventional ways to repair memory devices using redundant elements.
It is desirable to test integrated circuit devices to determine whether a chip meets a manufacturing specification for performance, functionality, and reliability. Typically, finished integrated circuit chips are electrically tested prior to being cut from the wafer. Often a probe card having a set of test probes positioned to contact bond pads and/or test pads on the chips are used to perform such electrical tests. Also, devices may be tested after the chips are singulated from the wafer and/or after the chips are packaged (partially or completely). Chip packages may have any of a wide variety of layouts and designs, such as side pins, pin arrays, and ball grid arrays. There is a need to test fuse elements in memory devices. To test a fuse element in a memory device, often the device includes an extra terminal connected to the fuse element specifically for testing the fuse element. However, this extra test terminal is typically not used during normal operation of the device. Thus, it would be highly desirable to have a way to test the fuse elements in a memory device without the need for extra test terminals, which consume valuable chip real estate and require extra wiring in the metallization layers.

Methods of testing fuse elements for memory devices

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


The invention is of a method by which operating mechanical components of an electrical power distribution system may be evaluated to determine whether or not they exhibit operational characteristics which indicate sub-standard performance or imminent mechanical failure. Properly operating machines will produce xe2x80x9csignaturesxe2x80x9d which are apparent from the measuring and depicting (graphically in most cases) of such parameters as decibel production over time, sound production in terms of frequency over time, and amplitude sound at different frequencies over time. A mechanical device which is malfunctioning to a greater than nominal degree will produce such signatures as are recognizably, and, in most cases, perceptively different through mere visual examination and comparison with normal signatures.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to testing methods for evaluation the operation of mechanical devices through acoustical recording and analysis.
2. Background Information
Maintenance of an electrical distribution system is extraordinarily expensive for utilities, and failures in such a system can be equally, if not more expensive, in the aggregate for utility customers (loss of computer data, food spoilage, work interruptions, loss of ability to transact with customers, etc.). It is clear, then, that preventative maintenance, if feasible, is highly desirable. However, presently known and implemented technology and methods do not economically allow the preemptive detection of problems which account for the majority of power interruptions in an electricity distribution system.
Over 80% of all power interruptions in an electrical power distribution system are caused at the power substation level (as opposed to downed peripheral lines and lightening strikes, for example). Of the substation malfunctions which cause power interruptions, over 40% are caused by malfunctioning mechanical electrical power system components. At present, power companies seldom know of a malfunctioning switch, breaker, load tap charger (xe2x80x9cLTCxe2x80x9d), or motor until it fails and a real power interruption has already occurred. Present skill and methods in the field do not provide reliable means of otherwise detecting a malfunctioning, or soon-to-be malfunctioning mechanical components, other than tearing them down for physical inspectionxe2x80x94a cost prohibitive approach to preventative maintenance. A few non-invasive testing methods are known or proposed (ultrasound imaging, for example), but these are not proven, and have very limited application in terms of the components with which they are even arguably useful.
It would well serve utilities and their customers, to a degree which is, perhaps, impossible to fully value, to provide some means by which the utilities could detect sources of likely substation-level malfunctions of mechanical components in an electrical power system (switches, breakers, LTCs and motors) before they occur in order to minimize the incidences of actual power interruptions.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a non-destructive testing and evaluation method by which damaged or malfunctioning mechanical components in an electrical power system in an electrical distribution system may be detected in a cost effective and easily carried out method.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method by which preventative maintenance of mechanical components in an electrical power distribution system may be cost effectively carried out on appropriately targeted units, identified through non-destructive, simple analysis.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel and cost effective method for identifying mechanical components in an electrical power distribution system which are likely to require imminent repair to prevent failure.
In satisfaction of these and related objects, the present invention provides a remarkably simple and cost effective method by which operating mechanical components of an electrical power distribution system may be evaluated to determine whether or not they exhibit operational characteristics which indicate sub-standard performance or imminent mechanical failure. The present method is based on the fact that mechanical devices produce a mix of sound comprised of the individual sounds generated by the actions of various components associated with their operations.
Properly operating machines will produce xe2x80x9csignaturesxe2x80x9d which are apparent from the measuring and depicting (graphically in most cases) of such parameters as decibel production over time (relative amplitude expressed in dB), sound production in terms of frequency over time, and relative amplitude sound at different frequencies over time. A mechanical device which is malfunctioning to a greater than nominal degree will produce such signatures as are recognizably, and, in most cases, perceptively different through mere visual examination and comparison with normal signatures. Even when reference signatures of properly operating mechanical devices are not available, a familiarity with devices in certain families of such devices will often allow an experienced technician to recognize likely malfunctioning components (as has been discovered by the present inventor in his work with electrical power system equipment).
Initial testing and evaluation of the present method has proven remarkably reliable in detecting problems with electrical distribution system switches, breakers, LTC and motorsxe2x80x94problems for detecting which a physical tear down was the only clearly reliable alternative. In every case during tests of the present method (several dozen instances) in which the present inventor has identified a suspect breaker or switching unit through practice of the present invention, physical inspection by the utility revealed conditions which unarguably would have soon resulted in failure of the unit and an actual power interruption in the grid.
If implemented on a nationwide basis, the present method can save utilities millions of dollars by avoiding the more costly repairs as attend a total failure of a unit, and by avoiding needless intervention in units which may be deemed xe2x80x9chealthyxe2x80x9d through use of the method. The savings to utility customers for lack of actual power interruptions will be substantial as well, not to mention the enhanced, over-all safety arising from fewer power losses to medical facilities, traffic lights, etc.

Method for non-destructive analysis of electrical power system equipment


The system dries pasty or powdery products such as sludge from wastewater purifying stations, the drying occurring in a chamber receiving the products to be dried. The system includes a greenhouse with translucent or transparent walls erected on a slab upon which a bed of products to be dried is deposited. At least one wind generator is provided for generating energy which is converted to heat that is delivered to the slab upon which the bed of products to be dried is spread.

This invention applies in particular, without being limited thereby, to the drying of biological sludge from urban and/or industrial wastewater purifying stations.
The present invention is vitally important at a time when, throughout the world, research and applications are being developed on techniques which serve to conserve fossil energy resources and to control global warming due to the greenhouse effect.
A person skilled in the art knows that purification sludge is an inevitable waste produced by water treatment: every individual produces an average of 20 kilograms per year thereof, representing more than 10 million metric tons per year for Europe, expressed as dry matter, representing a 5 times larger figure when applied to so-called wet sludge, which consists of 20% dry matter and 80% water.
At the present time, this sludge can be disposed of in several ways, in particular: dumping, incineration and agricultural spreading. However, owing to numerous constraints (in particular technical, health, regulatory) these sludge disposal systems are increasingly complex, hence increasingly expensive, and even liable to criticism and indeed prohibited locally.
At all events, drying the sludge is an unavoidable step in the wastewater treatment system, because it serves to reduce the volumes to be stored by a factor of 4, facilitating transport and disposal. This drying clearly represents a rapidly growing market today.
The prior art in this field can be summarized as follows:                Thermal drying: this technique uses conventional energy (gas, oil, electricity) as well as specific equipment to transfer energy to the sludge and to evaporate the water present therein. The application of this technique requires large-scale installations, incurring large investments and consuming colossal amounts of energy (1 megawatt per metric ton of water evaporated) which also generate highly polluted condensates which must then be retreated at considerable expense.        Composting: this natural, long-established method, using thermophilic fermentation of the carbonaceous organic matter in the presence of air, causes a heat release that permits partial dehydration of the water present in the sludge. This is a simple method, easy to apply, economical, and capable of yielding a high-grade product. However, it is ineffective for reducing the volume of the sludge, because the drying is only partial and requires the addition of structuring co-products (bark, sawdust, green waste, etc).        Solar drying: this technique is starting to be developed in the field of sludge drying because it is suitable for building simple, economical and ecological installations. However, it presents the major drawback of requiring large greenhouse areas, incurring very large and hence costly investments, as well as problems of layout, thus being limited to rural areas and low-capacity stations.
So far, it has not been possible, on an industrial scale, to build drying installations that make use of wind energy. This is because the generation of energy by wind generator to supply a conventional sludge drying installation is uncompetitive. Furthermore, hybrid solutions (gas compression, heat pumps) have limited capacity and are only feasible for very small installations. A further drawback of wind energy is that it is not constantly available, therefore requiring oversized drying equipment (by a factor of at least 2), which would lead to uncompetitive solutions.

Installation for drying waste, in particular wastewater purifying sludge


A hydraulic control apparatus for a hydraulic torque converter may include a lock-up switch valve and a slip switch valve. The lock-up switch valve may be connected to the first and second hydraulic lines of the hydraulic torque converter to control hydraulic pressure supplied to the disengagement-side oil chamber and the engagement-side oil chamber, and adapted to supply the hydraulic pressure exhausted from the engagement-side oil chamber to a lubricating portion or a cooling portion or to supply hydraulic pressure supplied from an additional hydraulic pressure supply source to the lubricating portion or the cooling portion. The slip switch valve may be disposed between the third hydraulic line of the hydraulic torque converter and the lock-up switch valve and adapted to selectively exhaust or not exhaust the hydraulic pressure supplied to the engagement-side oil chamber to the lock-up switch valve.

Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a hydraulic control apparatus for a hydraulic torque converter applicable to an automatic transmission for a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hydraulic control apparatus for a hydraulic torque converter that can control a damper clutch mounted in the hydraulic torque converter in a similar way to controlling a start clutch.
Description of Related Art
A torque converter applied to a vehicle includes a damper clutch for directly and mechanically transmitting torque. The damper clutch is disposed between a front cover being an input-side rotation member of the torque converter and a turbine being an output-side rotation member of the torque converter. A space between the front cover and the turbine is divided into a disengagement-side oil chamber close to the front cover and an engagement-side oil chamber close to the turbine.
Therefore, whether the damper clutch is operated or not is controlled by the difference between hydraulic pressure of the disengagement-side oil chamber and hydraulic pressure of the engagement-side oil chamber.
That is, if fluid in the disengagement-side oil chamber is drained and fluid is supplied to the engagement-side oil chamber, the hydraulic pressure of the engagement-side oil chamber increases compared with the disengagement-side oil chamber. Therefore, a friction member of the damper clutch is coupled to the front cover by friction.
On the contrary, if fluid in the engagement-side oil chamber is drained and fluid is supplied to the disengagement-side oil chamber, the hydraulic pressure of the disengagement-side oil chamber increases compared with engagement-side oil chamber. Therefore, the friction member of the damper clutch is spaced from the friction cover.
Since engagement/disengagement is simply controlled according to a conventional damper clutch, temperature may rise and durability may be deteriorated if the damper clutch is controlled in similar way to controlling a start clutch where slip occurs frequently.
The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Hydraulic control apparatus for hydraulic torque converter


Communication between a stationary terminal such as an on-road terminal and a mobile terminal mounted on an automotive vehicle is performed under an OFDM system. Before transmitting data signals from the mobile terminal to the stationary terminal, a control signal indicating the number of sub-carries used in the data transmission is sent to the stationary terminal. The number of sub-carriers is decreased in accordance with increase of the moving speed to avoid deterioration in communication quality due to the moving speed increase. A modification formula and/or an error-correction-code coding rate used in the data transmission may be varied according to the moving speed in place of or together with varying the number of sub-carriers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless communication system between a stationary terminal and a mobile terminal under the OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) system, and further relates to a communication device used in that system.
2. Description of Related Art
A DSRC (dedicated short-range communication) system between a stationary terminal and a mobile terminal under the OFDM system is being developed. In this system, a Doppler shift occurs in signals transmitted from the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal moves at a high speed. If the Doppler shift occurs, frequencies received by a receiver shift from frequencies transmitted from a sender because carries are mapped in the frequency axis in the OFDM system. An amount of the frequency shift depends on a speed of the mobile terminal, i.e., the higher the speed, the larger the shift. Communication quality is much damaged by carrier-mixing with a neighboring carrier if a large shift occurs.

Communication system and device under OFDM system


A multipurpose arithmetic functional unit selectively performs planar attribute interpolation, unary function approximation, double-precision arithmetic, and/or arbitrary filtering functions such as texture filtering, bilinear filtering, or anisotropic filtering by iterating through a multi-step multiplication operation with partial products (partial results) accumulated in an accumulation register. Shared multiplier and adder circuits are advantageously used to implement the product and sum operations for unary function approximation and planar interpolation; the same multipliers and adders are also leveraged to implement double-precision multiplication and addition.

The present invention relates in general to microprocessors, and in particular to a multipurpose arithmetic functional unit for a processor core with single-precision and double-precision operations.
Real-time computer animation places extreme demands on processors. To meet these demands, dedicated graphics processing units typically implement a highly parallel architecture in which a number (e.g., 16) of cores operate in parallel, with each core including multiple (e.g., 8) parallel pipelines containing functional units for performing the operations supported by the processing unit. These operations generally include various integer and floating point arithmetic operations such as addition; multiplication; various algebraic, transcendental, and trigonometric functions; and planar attribute interpolation. The pipelines are generally of identical design so that any supported instruction can be processed by any pipeline; accordingly, each pipeline requires a complete set of functional units.
Conventionally, each functional unit is specialized to handle only one or two operations, and the pipelines usually provide sequential arrangements of functional units designed to optimize execution time for an expected sequence of operations (e.g., for vertex or fragment shading operations). For example, the functional units in a pipeline might include an attribute interpolation unit, followed by a texture computation unit, followed by various arithmetic units for computing sums, products, logarithms, exponents, trigonometric functions, and the like. Each of these functional units consumes chip area and power, adding to the design complexity and cost. Further, because it is specialized, a given functional unit is useful only a fraction of the time. It would, therefore, be desirable to provide functional units capable of a greater variety of operations.
Conventional functional units for graphics processors are also designed to operate on "single-precision" (e.g., 32-bit) operands and produce single-precision results. Operating at double precision generally requires wider adders and larger multipliers than single-precision operations. These double-precision circuits can be used for single-precision arithmetic, in some instances at the price of additional complexity. Some processors include separate single-precision and double-precision functional units, but providing two sets of functional units increases chip area and costs.
Graphics applications, at least at present, do not generally use double precision. However, there is interest in leveraging graphics processors for general-purpose computations, which often do require double precision. It would, therefore, be desirable to provide functional units capable of single-precision and double-precision operations at low additional cost, allowing graphics processors to be used for a wider range of computational tasks.

Multipurpose functional unit with double-precision and filtering operations


A camera control system having a plurality of cameras connected to a network, enabling users to be informed of such as status of use of each camera and each user's access right in a real-time manner. The system, where one of cameras controllable via the network is selected and video-display of output from the selected camera and operation of the camera are controlled, has camera-status display device for real-time displaying the statuses of at least two cameras.

Present invention relates to a camera control system and, more particularly to a camera control system that allows a single or plurality of users to remote-operate a plurality of cameras.
A video transmission system which enables video transmission or communication by video and audio transmission between arbitrary two (or more) points, by constructing a network by arranging a number of cameras and computers in a building or the like, has been proposed.
In this system, the user at an arbitrary point can remote-operate an arbitrary camera from the point, and/or display a video image from the camera on the display of a computer at the point.
In the video transmission system enabling this remote-operation of an arbitrary camera, as the number of the cameras to be operated increases, it is necessary to easily know positions of the respective cameras.
Generally, in a video conference using a plurality of computers connected via a network, there are a plurality of video cameras and a plurality of users who remote-operate the video cameras. Only one user can operate one camera at one instant. In this case, operation priority must be exclusively assigned to the user by a control method or standard. The camera to be operated is, e.g., identified by a unique name or numeral.
However, in the conventional art, when a user wants to operate a camera, since there is no means for confirming whether or not the camera is actually in controllable status (i.e., any other user is not currently operating the camera, and the user has the operation right), the user merely has to try to remote-operate the camera.
Further, in the conventional art, there is no function for indicating status of use of each camera and its access right (right to see video images and operate them) by real time. This function is indispensable especially for the system administrator, and is also helpful to the other users.


An improved method of updating parameters stored in memory of mobile telecommunications stations. An object model represents all the parameters that can be modified in an IS-683A mobile station. The details of the physical location of each parameter are defined in this mobile object model. Advantageously, when any parameter is changed or added, it is necessary to provide the computer system, which generates messages to be transmitted to the mobile station, only the identification and value of the parameter to be added or changed. The computer system then generates a message sequence that defines the memory location in the mobile station to be changed, and the new value of the data for that memory location. Advantageously, this arrangement sharply reduces the total number of airwave messages transmitted to the mobile station in order to change or add a parameter.

This invention relates to arrangements for initializing and updating the memory of mobile telecommunications stations.
In order to define the service that is provided to a mobile telecommunications station, usually a mobile telephone station, it is necessary to initialize, and subsequently update the data for defining the service capabilities that is stored in a non-volatile electrically alterable memory of the station. For example, the telephone number of the station is retained in its memory.
Also retained is information for defining the areas where roamer service is provided to the station. Roaming service is service provided by a service provider other than the primary service provider for providing service to the station when the station is not in its own local or home area. Complicated sets of agreements define which carrier, if any, will handle calls when the station is outside its own local area. Each station has a list of system identifiers of systems that will serve that station through roaming agreements. When a station turns on power, when it is outside its own local area, it scans for a sufficiently strong signal from a control channel. It identifies itself to that control channel along with a called telephone number, and the initial message from that control channel will contain the system identifier of that control channel. The system identifier contains information identifying a service provider, (carrier), and the area which the control channel serves. (Thus, for example, ATandT in Texas will have a different system identifier than ATandT in Illinois).
If the system identifier provided by the carrier is on a list of the system identifiers that serve the station, then further messages are exchanged over that control channel in order to register the mobile station. If the mobile station is not in its home area, then a Visitor Location Register, (VLR) entry is created for the registering station based on information received from the Home Location Register, (HLR) information for that station obtained via the IS-41 signaling network. (IS-41 is a signaling standard that overlays the Signaling System 7 signaling standard. IS-41 adds features that support mobile communication such as cellular telephones and Personal Communication Systems (PCS).)
If the system identifier provided over the control channel originally addressed is not on the list of system identifiers stored in the mobile station, then the mobile station will look for another control channel over which it can communicate with another service provider, and will make a similar attempt.
If all attempts to reach a service provider result only in finding service providers whose system identifier is not on the list stored in the mobile station, then normal registration cannot take place. In some cases, the mobile simply cannot make a call. In other cases, the mobile can reach an operator of a service provider and place a call, such as a calling card call, for which the service provider completing the call can be assured of receiving payment even if there is no agreement with the local service provider of the mobile station. Emergency calls, such as E-911 calls, are not blocked by roaming agreements, and will be completed by the carrier of the initial control channel over which the mobile station sends its request
The above description has served as an explanation for the requirement that the mobile station store a list of system identifiers for service providers with which the local service provider has made a roaming agreement. Mobile stations that comply with the IS-683A standard can store hundreds of such agreement entries. (IS-683A is a standard for Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital radio used in cellular telephones. IS-683A is also used in CDMA Personal Communication Systems (PCS).)
It will be appreciated that the contents of that list should be altered whenever new agreements are made. If the new agreements add territory, failure to alter the list provides degraded service to the subscriber, since the subscriber will not be able to take advantage of the increased roaming area. If a change is made in the service provider for an area in which roaming was already possible, then the subscriber will be denied roaming service where the subscriber already had roaming service, and where roaming service would, in fact, would be possible through parameter changes that reflect the changed agreements. Accordingly, it is important that telephone stations be updated whenever the roaming list changes, a phenomenon which, at the present time, may happen as frequently as monthly. Other data which is stored in the memory of the mobile station may also have to be changed. For example, if the area code of a large number of mobile stations is changed, the revised area code must be provided to all affected mobile subscriber stations in a relatively short interval of time.
A problem of the prior art is that the arrangements for updating memory in, for example, an IS-683A mobile subscriber station, require a large number of airwave messages.
These messages are not carrying subscriber traffic, which would produce revenue for the service provider, and consequently, are seen as a cost to the service provider in a given cell. In the IS-683A airwave standard, a cell has a finite number of airwave codes to allocate to subscribers. If a mobile station is using one of these finite resources for receiving parameter update messages, another mobile station in that serving cell may be blocked from service, even if that service could otherwise produce revenue for the service provider. Even if there are sufficient resources to satisfy all subscribers, including those receiving parameter updates, it is also possible that the subscriber can de-register the mobile station, (e.g., powering-off the mobile station), before the parameter updates have completed. In such a case, the entire update sequence must be repeated from the start. In the prior art, where a large number of airwave messages are required to perform parameter update, (sometimes extending over four minutes), de-registration of a mobile station before successful update is a high probability. Another problem of the prior art is that the human interface between the system administrator and the computer system for generating these airwave messages is awkward, requiring extensive interaction between the system administrator and the computer system, and requiring of the system administrator an expert level of detailed knowledge of the internals of IS-683A mobile stations. Service providers are consequently burdened with the additional cost of training and maintaining a high skill level in these administrators.
Applicants have further analyzed the characteristics of the prior art arrangement. Mobile stations complying with the IS-683A airwave standard have parameters that are updated in blocks. For example, the already mentioned roaming list is one parameter block. Likewise, the directory number of the mobile station lies within a different parameter block. The prior art re-initializes all memory within a parameter block, even parameters that do not need to be updated. Thus, the prior art results in larger number of messages than are necessary to update changed parameters in an IS-683A mobile station. Moreover, the prior art requires a detailed knowledge of the memory layout of an IS-683A mobile station in order to create a parameter block that can properly overwrite the one existing in the mobile station. Finally, the prior art requires a detailed knowledge of the protocol procedures required to load the updated parameter block into the mobile station.
The above problems are substantially alleviated, and an advance is made over the teachings of the prior art in accordance with Applicants""invention, wherein an object model represents all of the parameters that can be modified in an IS-683A mobile station. The details of the physical location of each parameter, as well as the necessary protocol procedures, (implemented in the set of airwave messages), are defined within this mobile object model. Hence, when any parameter is added or changed, it is necessary to provide the computer system only the identification of the parameter to be added or changed, and the value of that parameter. The computer system can then prepare a message sequence that defines the memory location in the mobile station to be changed, and the new value of the data for that memory location. Advantageously, this arrangement sharply reduces the total number of airwave messages transmitted to the mobile station, thus reducing the amount of required air time for a change, and reducing the probability that a mobile station will de-register before the updating process is complete. Advantageously, this arrangement greatly simplifies the task of the system administrator in preparing such changes. Advantageously, because of the great simplification of the process, and the reduction of the number of airwave messages sent to the mobile station, it is possible to make more small changes in parameter blocks such as the roaming list, instead of requiring such changes be aggregated into an occasional much larger change.

Over the air parameter administration for mobile telecommunications stations


This invention relates to particulate electroactive materials consisting of a plurality of composite particles, wherein the composite particles comprise: (a) a porous carbon framework including micropores and mesopores having a total volume of 0.5 to 1.5 cm3/g; and (b) silicon located at least within the micropores of the porous carbon framework in a defined amount relative to the volume of the micropores and mesopores. At least 20 wt % of the silicon is characterized as surface silicon by thermogravimetric analysis.

Rechargeable metal-ion batteries are widely used in portable electronic devices such as mobile telephones and laptops and are finding increasing application in electric or hybrid vehicles. Rechargeable metal-ion batteries generally comprise an anode in the form of a metal current collector provided with a layer of an electroactive material, defined herein as a material that is capable of inserting and releasing metal ions during the charging and discharging of a battery. The terms "cathode" and "anode" are used herein in the sense that the battery is placed across a load, such that the anode is the negative electrode. When a metal-ion battery is charged, metal ions are transported from the metal-ion-containing cathode layer via the electrolyte to the anode and are inserted into the anode material. The term "battery" is used herein to refer both to a device containing a single anode and a single cathode and to devices containing a plurality of anodes and/or a plurality of cathodes.
There is interest in improving the gravimetric and/or volumetric capacities of rechargeable metal-ion batteries. To date, commercial lithium-ion batteries have largely been limited to the use of graphite as an anode active material. When a graphite anode is charged, lithium intercalates between the graphite layers to form a material with the empirical formula LixC6 (wherein x is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1). Consequently, graphite has a maximum theoretical capacity of 372 mAh/g in a lithium-ion battery, with a practical capacity that is somewhat lower (ca. 340 to 360 mAh/g). Other materials, such as silicon, tin and germanium, are capable of intercalating lithium with a significantly higher capacity than graphite but have yet to find widespread commercial use due to difficulties in maintaining sufficient capacity over numerous charge/discharge cycles.
Silicon in particular has been identified as a promising alternative to graphite for the manufacture of rechargeable metal-ion batteries having high gravimetric and volumetric capacities because of its very high capacity for lithium (see, for example, Insertion Electrode Materials for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries, Winter, M. et al. in Adv. Mater. 1998, 10, No. 10). At room temperature, silicon has a theoretical maximum specific capacity in a lithium-ion battery of about 3,600 mAh/g (based on Li15Si4). However, the intercalation of lithium into bulk silicon leads to a large increase in the volume of the silicon material of up to 400% of its original volume when silicon is lithiated to its maximum capacity. Repeated charge-discharge cycles cause significant mechanical stress in the silicon material, resulting in fracturing and delamination of the silicon anode material. Volume contraction of silicon particles upon delithiation can result in a loss of electrical contact between the anode material and the current collector. A further difficulty is that the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer that forms on the silicon surface does not have sufficient mechanical tolerance to accommodate the expansion and contraction of the silicon. As a result, newly exposed silicon surfaces lead to further electrolyte decomposition and increased thickness of the SEI layer and irreversible consumption of lithium. These failure mechanisms collectively result in an unacceptable loss of electrochemical capacity over successive charging and discharging cycles.
A number of approaches have been proposed to overcome the problems associated with the volume change observed when charging silicon-containing anodes. It has been reported that fine silicon structures below around 150 nm in cross-section, such as silicon films and silicon nanoparticles are more tolerant of volume changes on charging and discharging when compared to silicon particles in the micron size range. However, neither of these is suitable for commercial scale applications in their unmodified form; nanoscale particles are difficult to prepare and handle and silicon films do not provide sufficient bulk capacity.
WO 2007/083155 discloses that improved capacity retention may be obtained with silicon particles having high aspect ratio, i.e. the ratio of the largest dimension to the smallest dimension of the particle. The small cross-section of such particles reduces the structural stress on the material due to volumetric changes on charging and discharging. However, such particles may be difficult and costly to manufacture and can be fragile. In addition, high surface area may result in excessive SEI formation, resulting in excessive loss of capacity on the first charge-discharge cycle.
It is also known in general terms that electroactive materials such as silicon may be deposited within the pores of a porous carrier material, such as an activated carbon material. These composite materials provide some of the beneficial charge-discharge properties of nanoscale silicon particles while avoiding the handling difficulties of nanoparticles. Guo et al. (Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2013, pp. 14075-14079) discloses a silicon-carbon composite material in which a porous carbon substrate provides an electrically conductive framework with silicon nanoparticles deposited within the pore structure of the substrate with uniform distribution. It is shown that the composite material has improved capacity retention over multiple charging cycles, however the initial capacity of the composite material in mAh/g is significantly lower than for silicon nanoparticles.
JP 2003100284 discloses an active material comprising a carbon-based scaffold with small pores branching off from a few larger pores. An electroactive material (e.g. silicon) is indiscriminately located on the walls of both large and small pores and on the external surface of the carbon-based scaffold.
Silicon sub-oxide materials (e.g. SiOx, wherein 0<x<2) have been used in "hybrid" electrodes that comprise predominantly graphite as the active materials. However, due to expansion of the SiOx on lithiation and a relatively high irreversible lithium loss during the first charge cycle, the maximum loading of SiOx is typically around 10 wt % of the total electroactive materials in the electrode. There is therefore a need for high capacity electrode materials that have comparable lithiation capacity to silicon oxides but reduced expansion and reduced capacity loss during the first charge cycle.

Electroactive materials for metal-ion batteries


The present invention relates to detachment mechanisms for delivering and releasing implantable devices into a body lumen. According to certain aspects, systems of the invention include a junction that couples an implantable device to a delivery member. The junction includes an anodic portion and a cathodic portion galvanically coupled to the anodic portion such that the anodic portion corrodes when exposed to an electrolytic fluid, thereby detaching the implantable device from the delivery member without application of energy from an external power source.

An aneurysm is a sac or balloon-like bulge formed in the wall of a blood vessel. Typically, aneurysms are formed in arteries, the blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart throughout the body and its organs. Formation of aneurysms occur when arteries are unable to withstand the pressure of normal blood flow due to weakened or injured arterial walls, e.g. caused by cardiovascular disease, genetic conditions, and trauma. When an aneurysm grows large, it may rupture or dissect. Rupture causes internal bleeding through the aneurysm into the body, and dissection splits the tissue layers forming the artery and causes bleeding among the layers of the arterial wall.
Most aneurysms occur in the aorta, a vessel running through chest and abdomen, but aneurysms also occur in the brain. Aortic and cerebral aneurysms if allowed to rupture/dissect can cause serious complications and are often fatal, particularly aortic aneurysms which have about 10-25% post-rupture survival rate. Ruptured cerebral aneurysms are frequently associated with hemorrhagic stroke and permanent nerve damage.
Early diagnosis and intervention can help prevent rupture and dissection. While medicinal treatment (i.e. blood pressure medicines) is successful for some aneurysms, surgery is the preferred treatment method. Surgical intervention may involve occluding the vessel upstream from the aneurysm or occluding the aneurysm itself.
There are a variety of vaso-occlusion implants that can be delivered and implanted to occlude the vessel or aneurysm, e.g., microcoils, stents, cages. In order to deliver the vaso-occlusion implant, the implant is usually attached to a wire or other push rod by a sacrificial joint and driven up the artery to the target occlusion site. Once positioned at the target occlusion site, the implant is detached from the wire either by applying energy (i.e. electrical current, radiofrequency energy, heat, laser, etc.) from an external source to sever the sacrificial joint, or by mechanical detachment approach.
There are several drawbacks to using an external energy source to sever the sacrificial joint and detach the vaso-occlusion device. The first drawback is the need for an external energy source itself. The vessel at the location of the aneurysm is already weakened, and the application of external laser, radiofrequency, and electrical energy/current can further weaken or damage the vessel. In addition, the external energy may cause thrombi to form within the bloodstream. Also, external energy sources are unreliable in their ability to timely sever the joint and often require a long period of time and/or multiple detachment efforts. Inconsistent or lengthy detachment events are undesirable because most procedures are conducted under general anesthesia, where time is of the essence. Finally, incomplete or false detachment caused by external energy sources often disrupt the positioning of the vaso-occlusion device at its target implantation site, resulting in inaccurate placement of the device and in some instances a failed procedure.

Detachment mechanisms for implantable devices


A passenger service unit, a passenger seating area, and a vehicle having a passenger service unit are provided, wherein the passenger service unit comprises a carrier element that can be extended in a longitudinal direction and a covering. The covering covers at least a section of the carrier element. At least one electrical and/or electronic element is integrated in the covering.

In public transportation, particularly in aircraft, buses or trains, visible surfaces of interior fittings are readily covered with textiles or films, as this makes for visually appealing surfaces (which therefore have a higher quality appearance) by comparison with traditional plastic surfaces.
EP 3 546 355 A1 describes an interior fitting covered with fabric, wherein the fabric has an integrated display device. For example, the fabric may be made of electrophoretic fibers, or contain such fibers, in order to create a display device. Hence, a passenger seat is described which is covered with a material of this kind, in order to display passenger information.

Passenger service unit having a covering, passenger seating area and vehicle having a passenger service unit


A wideband quasi-optical millimeter-wave resonator achieves a wideband frency operation by using a variable dielectric constant photoconducting lens in a Fabry-Perot resonator. Changing the dielectric constant of the lens creates an associated change in the resonant frequency for a given axial mode.

Quasi-optics describes the application of optical techniques to microwave and millimeter wave frequencies. The term "quasi-optical propagation" is generally defined as propagation of electromagnetic energy in free space by a beam of radiation that is a relatively small number of wavelengths in the transverse dimensions. The conditions for such propagation, which becomes increasingly effective at millimeter wavelengths, can be established by either internally or externally exciting a resonator that consists of two reflecting mirrors. For a quasi-optical resonator of length L, resonance occurs at all frequencies which yield a wavelength, inside the resonator cavity, that satisfies ##EQU1## where m is any positive integer (axial number), .lambda. is the wavelength of the electromagnetic energy inside the resonator and L is the distance between the two reflecting mirrors. Thus, there are discrete spectral lines in the resonator, each having a fairly high quality factor (Q) and, consequently, low bandwidth.

Wideband quasi-optical millimeter-wave resonator

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


A non-invasive method of producing a three-dimensional cardiac electrogram characteristic map for use in catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia includes receiving left ventricle three-dimensional image data of a patient's heart; segmenting a left ventricle image of the patient's heart based on the left ventricle three-dimensional image data into scar tissue, normal myocardium tissue and left ventricle cavity regions; determining scar tissue thickness and normal myocardium tissue thickness for a plurality of portions of the left ventricle image of the patient's heart; receiving predetermined data that associate a value of at least one electrogram characteristic to each scar tissue thickness and each normal myocardium tissue thickness for the plurality of portions of said left ventricle image of said patient's heart; and generating the three-dimensional cardiac electrogram characteristic map of the at least one electrogram characteristic corresponding to the left ventricle image of the patient's heart based on the predetermined data.

1. Field of Invention
The field of the currently claimed embodiments of this invention relates to non-invasive methods and systems of producing cardiac electrogram characteristic maps for use in catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Radiofrequency catheter ablation is increasingly used as an adjunct to implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) and medical therapy for management of scar-related ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients with ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathy.1-9 Due to hemodynamic instability, the majority of scar-related VTs are unmappable during tachycardia. Consequently, significant progress has been made in substrate-guided VT ablation based on electrogram (EGM) characteristics as surrogates of the scar substrate on electroanatomic maps (EAMs) obtained during sinus rhythm or ventricular pacing. The EGM characteristics central to identification of tissues that participate in VT circuits include low bipolar and unipolar EGM voltage and fractionated or isolated potentials. However, creation of invasive EAM significantly prolongs procedural time, and is limited by sampling density.
Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) can accurately characterize the transmural extent, location, and configuration of scar.10-11 Previous reports have shown that scar extent on LGE-CMR is significantly associated with left ventricular dysfunction, VT inducibility, and prognosis in patients with structural heart disease.12,13 Additionally, scar transmurality, defined as the ratio of post-infarct scar thickness (PI-ST) to left ventricular wall thickness (LV-WT), has been associated with EGM characteristics on EAM.14-22 However, the independent association of LV-WT and PI-ST with EGM characteristics has not been investigated, and no models exist for quantitative estimation of local EGM characteristics based on LGE-CMR. Scar maps can be directly imported into the procedure; however, the extent of scar transmurality and surviving muscle fibers (i.e. heterogeneity of tissues) are difficult to display. Accurate methods for extraction of critical image features are mandatory for acceptance of magnetic resonance guided catheter ablation. There thus remains a need for improved non-invasive methods and systems of producing cardiac electrogram characteristic maps for use in catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia.

Non-invasive methods and systems for producing cardiac electrogram characteristic maps for use with catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia


First and second longitudinal body portions are hinged longitudinally together and include adjustable end extensions which adjust the width of the body portion to the width of the stair tread surface and also the riser surface, whereby to form a cutting pattern for cutting out a one-piece tread and riser portion of a stair cover when the template is laid on the cover. The template also has a front depending lip on the first longitudinal body portion for engaging a lip on the cover when forming a marking and cutting pattern for the cover.

This invention relates to a template for laying out a stair step cover of the type that has the tread and riser portions combined in a one-piece unit.
A stair step cover now in common use, made of a tough plastic or rubber composition, is furnished in one-piece blanks that have a front lip and are dimensioned for simultaneously covering the tread surface of a step as well as its rear riser portion. Such blanks are of predetermined dimension from front to rear for fitting on existing steps that are also of selected dimension. These blanks however must be cut to width since there may be width and angular variables of the sides of the steps. Such fitting is very difficult in view of these variables and also in view of the close tolerances required by building specifications of architects.
Devices have heretofore been employed that form a gauge for constructing stair treads and risers. One such device for example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,103. Devices for a similar purpose are also shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,563,229, 1,624,535, 2,536,359 and 3,242,580. The devices of these patents have adjustment means for determining the width and end angles required for stair steps. They are not, however, designed for fitting a one-piece stair cover on an existing stairway and could not function as a template for marking out and cutting such cover, particularly a cover that is supplied in blank form for shaping to the width and contour of both the tread and riser portions of the step.

Template for laying out a one-piece cover for a stair step