A display device comprises a box-shaped casing having an opening for display, and a display unit contained in the casing, the display unit having a display screen exposed to the opening. The casing includes a display cover and a display mask coupled to the display cover and having the opening. The display cover and display mask have outer peripheral edge portions, respectively, which are detachably coupled to each other. The display unit is provided with a plurality of support portions extending toward the outer peripheral edge portions. The support portions is clamped between the outer peripheral edge portion of the display cover and the outer peripheral edge portion of the display mask, whereby the display unit is fixed in the casing.

The present invention relates to a display device having a box-shaped casing and a display unit contained in the box-shaped casing, and a portable apparatus such as a portable computer having the display device, and more particularly to a structure for fixing the display unit to the casing.
A portable apparatus represented by a portable computer comprises a main body having a keyboard, and a liquid crystal display (LCD) device supported on the main body. The LCD device has a box-shaped flat casing containing a display unit.
The casing has a display cover and a display mask coupled to the display cover. A display opening is formed in the front surface of the display mask. The display unit has a frame of a synthetic resin and a liquid crystal (LC) panel supported on the frame. The LC panel has a rectangular display screen for displaying characters and images. The display screen of the LC panel is exposed to the outside of the casing through the display opening.
In a conventional LCD device, the display unit is supported on the display cover of the casing. The display cover comprises a rectangular bottom wall and four peripheral walls continuous with an outer peripheral portion of the bottom wall. The display unit is contained inside the four peripheral walls. A plurality of columnar boss portions are formed on the inner surface of the bottom wall. The boss portions are located at positions corresponding to the four corner portions of the display unit. The display unit has a plurality of flange-like support portions, and these support portions protrude to the lateral sides of the frame at the four corners of the frame. The support portions are screwed down on the upper surfaces of the boss portions and thereby the display unit is fixed on the display cover.
Recently developed portable computers have been applied to multimedia more and more, and various multimedia information such as characters, sounds and images has been easily processed. Under the circumstances, the LCD device is required to have a larger display screen with enhanced resolution.
In the conventional LCD device, the display unit is fixed to the casing by screwing the flange-like support portions down on the boss portions provided on the bottom wall of the display cover. With this structure, however, the fixing portions for fixation between the boss portions and support portions are located between the display unit and the peripheral walls of the display cover. Thus, the space for containing the support portions and boss portions needs to be provided between the display unit and the peripheral walls of the display cover. As a result, the inside of the casing has a dead space extending in the width direction of the display unit.
Since the width dimension of the casing is predetermined, the size of the display unit is limited by the degree corresponding to the dead space. In the conventional LCD device, the space within the casing for mounting the display unit is thus limited, and the size of the display screen cannot be increased any more.

Display device having a casing containing a display panel, and portable apparatus having the display device


Disclosed is a liquid ring pump with one or several stages, each of which comprises a working chamber, an impeller that is eccentrically mounted therein, flat control disks that axially delimit the working chamber on both sides, and ducts or chambers that are located adjacent to the control disks and deliver and discharge the transport gas to and from the working chamber. The inventive liquid ring pump is characterized in that the control disks are embodied in the same manner with identical suction ports and pressure ports while ports that are not needed are covered on the side facing away from the impeller.

The invention relates to a liquid ring gas pump having one or more stages, which each have a working space, an impeller eccentrically mounted therein, control discs that bound the working space axially on both sides, and adjacent ducts or chambers for the supply and discharge of the conveyed gas to and from the working space, the control discs being formed identically to each other with identical suction and pressure openings.
In liquid ring gas pumps, an impeller rotates within an eccentrically circulating liquid ring. During the circulation, the liquid ring penetrates to a greater or lesser extent into the cells formed between the vanes of the impeller. As a result, the free volume in the impeller cells is alternately enlarged and reduced. In that region of the revolution in which the cell volume is enlarged, the suction opening, through which the gas to be conveyed is taken into the cells, is located at the end in a control disc. In the end region of that part of the revolution in which the compression is carried out, there is the pressure opening, through which the compressed gas in the pressure space of the pump is exhausted.
Liquid ring gas pumps are employed both as a vacuum pump, where they convey the gas compressed from a negative pressure to approximately atmospheric pressure, and also as a compressor, in which they convey the gas compressed from atmospheric pressure to a positive pressure. There are liquid ring gas pumps as single-stage and multi-stage designs. Single-stage liquid ring gas pumps can be applied as a vacuum pump in the upper coarse vacuum or as a compressor, on account of the lower compression ratio. Two-stage machines have their preferred range of use as a vacuum pump in the lower pressure range of the vacuum.
The working spaces in which the impeller rotates and in which the liquid ring is built up are bounded axially on one side or on both sides by a control disc. In the case of multi-stage liquid ring pumps, these working spaces with impeller and control discs are arranged one after another axially in an appropriate number.
Traditionally, a liquid ring gas pump comprises a large number of components which are arranged on one another in the axial direction during the pump assembly. The supporting surfaces of the individual components are at the same time sealing surfaces of the machine from the pump interior to the environment. Axially on the outside, the control discs are adjoined by the outer housings, in which the ducts or chambers for the guidance of the gas and liquid streams are contained. Surfaces which in turn have to be sealed off are also present between the control discs and the outer housings.
The control discs have openings which ensure the inflow and outflow of the conveyed gas from the outer compressor housing to and from the working space. Depending on the number of stages and the design of the liquid ring gas pump, one or two openings are provided in these control discs for the inflow (suction opening) and outflow (pressure opening) of the conveyed medium. Because of the compression of the gas in each liquid ring stage, the pressure opening is generally designed to be smaller than the suction opening. The exact position and the geometric contours of the openings have a great influence on the achievable intake volume flow and the efficiency. Therefore, the shape and size of the suction and pressure openings also differ in practice.
In the case of this classical pump design, the control discs are implemented differently in design terms. For example, in the two-stage pump, each of the four control discs has a different geometry. The two axially outer control discs each have a suction and a pressure opening; the central control disc of the first stage has only the pressure opening, and the central control disc of the second stage has only the suction opening. Since, conventionally, the control discs are implemented as cast parts, even the two outer control discs are different in design terms, since the openings and the centering means with respect to the housing are arranged in mirror-image fashion. The disadvantage of this conventional pump design is the large number of different components, which cause a high degree of complexity in production, the purchasing of raw parts, the machining of parts and the stockholding. High unit and processing costs are the result.
Already known are first approaches to configuring the control discs more simply as flat discs with a constant thickness (EP 0 678 674 A2). This makes it possible to design symmetrical control discs as a standard component. In production, these control discs can be punched out of flat metal sheets or machined using laser technology. In addition, it is frequently necessary to adapt the adjacent flow ducts in the adjacent housing parts in such a way that the optimum flow conditions are achieved. For example, in the prior art cited, the outlet from the working space in the pressure slot is of a stepped design, by which means a curved flow duct is approximately modeled.
Entirely standard control discs, which are designed as flat components, have previously been used only in single-stage liquid ring gas pumps, since, with a standard configuration, these always have a suction opening and a pressure opening (DE 10 57 274 B, DE 197 58 340 A1). For instance, for multi-stage pumps in which the central control discs have only one opening in each case, at least three different designs of the control discs would be necessary.
The object of the invention is to provide a liquid ring gas pump of the type in which the number of different control discs is reduced.


A semiconductor body having a first surface is provided. A deep doped region of the semiconductor body is formed using masked ion implantation to implant dopant atoms into a discrete region within the semiconductor body. A structured anti-reflective coating region is formed on a portion of the first surface that is aligned with the deep doped region in a lateral direction of the semiconductor body, the lateral direction being parallel to the first surface. A laser thermal anneal of the deep doped region of the semiconductor body is performed through the anti-reflective coating region thereby activating the implanted dopant atoms in the deep doped region.

Ion implantation is a widely used technique for forming the many doped regions of a semiconductor device, e.g., source regions, drain regions, collector regions, emitter regions, etc. In general, ion implantation refers to a technique whereby ionized dopant atoms are accelerated into a surface of a semiconductor body at high energy, thereby driving the dopant atoms into the semiconductor body. The penetration depth of the dopant atoms depends upon a number of parameters including dopant type, semiconductor material structure and implantation energy. Once the dopant atoms are implanted into the semiconductor substrate, an activation step must be performed to electrically activate the implanted dopant atoms and to repair the crystalline damage in the implanted region. This is done by annealing the substrate (e.g., at temperatures of 700° C. or higher) to cause the implanted dopant atoms to move into substitutional lattice sites within the semiconductor body.
Laser thermal annealing (LTA) has developed as a promising technique for dopant activation. Generally speaking, laser thermal annealing refers to a technique whereby radiation from a beam of a laser source is directed into a selected portion of a semiconductor body. In contrast to a conventional furnace process, laser thermal annealing focuses the energy only on the selected portion. Thus, one particular portion can be annealed while the adjacent regions remain at or close to room temperature. One advantage of laser thermal annealing is a very high ratio of activation of the implanted dopant atoms. In fact, nearly perfect activation of the implanted dopant atoms (e.g., greater than 90%, 95% or even 99% activation) is possible using laser thermal annealing. Moreover, laser thermal annealing is very fast and requires a low thermal budget, as the laser quickly energizes precisely targeted regions while other regions of the semiconductor body are not energized.
One example of laser thermal annealing is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,842,590 to Gutt et al., the content of which is incorporated by reference by its entirety. The Gutt document discloses a high-voltage diode with a structured p-doped region 5 disposed adjacent to an n-type field stop region 4. The structured p-doped region 5, among other things, improves the electrical performance of the device by providing compensating carriers during device commutation. Similar advantages are realized in an IGBT version of the device. The structured p-doped regions 5 are formed by implanting dopant atoms into the second surface 12 of the substrate. A laser thermal anneal is performed to activate the dopant atoms for the structured p-doped regions 5.
One drawback of the laser thermal annealing process described in Gutt is that perfect or near perfect activation of the implanted dopant atoms is only possible if the structured p-doped regions 5 are implanted relatively close to the second surface 12 of the substrate. That is, the laser thermal annealing process limits the implantation depth of the dopant atoms. For example, conventional laser thermal annealing techniques are only able to achieve perfect or near perfect activation of the implanted dopant atoms up to a depth of 400 nm (nanometers). In many cases, it is desirable to form doped regions beyond this depth of 400 nm. For example, in the case of the Gutt patent described above, it would be beneficial to form the at least a part of the structured p-doped regions 5 further than 400 nm second surface 12 so that a more robust emitter layer can be fabricated. Conventionally, this can only be done by some combination of processes that are costly and/or do not fully activate the implanted dopant atoms.

Laser thermal annealing of deep doped region using structured antireflective coating


Techniques for implementing and/or operating a deployment system that includes a vehicle frame of a deployment vehicle, a drive sub-system, which includes wheels secured to the vehicle frame, a swage machine, and a fluid power sub-system. The swage machine includes a grab plate, which interlocks with a grab notch on a pipe fitting to be secured to a pipe segment, which includes tubing that defines a pipe bore and a fluid conduit implemented in an annulus of the tubing, a die plate including a die, and a fluid actuator that actuates the grab plate toward the die plate to facilitate conformally deforming a fitting jacket of the pipe fitting around the tubing of the pipe segment. The fluid power sub-system selectively powers the drive sub-system or the swage machine based on a target operation to be performed by the deployment vehicle.

The present disclosure generally relates to pipeline systems and, more particularly, to a deployment system that may be implemented and/or operated to facilitate securing a pipe fitting (e.g., connector) to a pipe segment in a pipeline system using swaging techniques.
Pipeline systems are often implemented and/or operated to facilitate transporting (e.g., conveying) fluid, such as liquid and/or gas, from a fluid source to a fluid destination. For example, a pipeline system may be used to transport one or more hydrocarbons, such as crude oil, petroleum, natural gas, or any combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, a pipeline system may be used to transport one or more other types of fluid, such as produced water, fresh water, fracturing fluid, flowback fluid, carbon dioxide, or any combination thereof.
To facilitate transporting fluid, a pipeline system may include one or more pipe segments in addition to pipe fittings (e.g., connectors), such as a midline pipe fitting and/or a pipe end fitting. Generally, a pipe segment may include tubing, which defines (e.g., encloses) a bore that provides a primary fluid conveyance (e.g., flow) path through the pipe segment. Additionally, one or more pipe fittings may generally be secured to a pipe segment to facilitate fluidly coupling the pipe segment to another pipe segment, a fluid source, and/or a fluid destination. In particular, in some instances, a pipe fitting may be secured to a pipe segment via swaging techniques that conformally deform at least a portion of the pipe fitting around the tubing of the pipe segment.
To facilitate securing a pipe fitting to a pipe segment using swaging techniques, a deployment system may include a swage machine having one or more dies and one or more fluid (e.g., hydraulic and/or pneumatic) actuators. Additionally, the deployment system may include a fluid (e.g., hydraulic and/or pneumatic) power sub-system, which is implemented and/or operated to selectively supply actuation fluid to and/or extract actuation fluid from the one or more fluid actuators of the swage machine, and a control sub-system, which is implemented and/or operated to generally control operation of the deployment system. However, at least in some instances, implementing a deployment system with multiple discrete components may limit operational efficiency of the deployment system, for example, due at least in part to the swage machine of the deployment system, a fluid power sub-system of the deployment, and a control sub-system of the deployment system being moved separately from one another.

Remotely operated pipe fitting swaging systems and methods


An operator's seat for heavy equipment having optimized switch arrangements for controlling the equipment is provided, in which arrangements of various kinds of switches and components of operating devices that are frequently used by an operator in the seat due to the characteristic of the equipment are integrated within a radius that an operator's hand reaches (i.e. in a hand arm operation zone), and thus physical inconvenience and fatigue that the operator who repeatedly operates working devices for a long time suffers can be reduced. The operator's seat for heavy equipment includes a switch instrument installed within a radius that a hand of an operator sitting in the operator's seat reaches, a control lever mounted on a specified position of the switch instrument to control operations of working devices, and switches arranged on the switch instrument in closest proximity to the control lever so that the operator in the operator's seat can operate the switches in the closest position in which the operator does not invade a control stroke zone of the control lever.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an operator's seat for heavy equipment having optimized switch arrangements for controlling the equipment, in which various kinds of switches that are frequently operated by an operator sitting in the operator's seat are arranged in closest proximity to a control lever within a range in which the switches do not interfere with the control lever in operation, and thus physical inconvenience and fatigue that the operator who operates the corresponding switches for a long time suffers can be reduced.
More particularly, the present invention relates to an operator's seat for heavy equipment having optimized switch arrangements for controlling the equipment, in which arrangements of various kinds of switches and components of operating devices that are frequently used by an operator in the seat due to the characteristic of the equipment are integrated within a radius that an operator's hand reaches (i.e. in a hand arm operation zone), and thus physical inconvenience and fatigue that the operator who repeatedly operates working devices for a long time suffers can be reduced.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As illustrated in FIG. 1, according to a conventional operator's seat for heavy equipment, an ash tray 3 is detachably installed on a front surface of a console box 2 on which a control lever 1, and a cup holder 6 for receiving a beverage container (e.g., a soda can, a water bottle, or the like) is installed on a side panel 5 of a cab.
An engine RPM mode switch 7 and various kinds of operating switches 8 are installed on the side panel 5, and a display mode switch 9 and an instrument cluster 10 are installed on the console box 2.
The cup holder 6, which is arranged in front of the control lever 1, is positioned outside a hand arm operation zone (which is a zone where operator's arm and hand are situated when an operator extends his/her arm to operate the above-described switches).
Accordingly, if the operator who sits in the seat extends his/her arm to pick up a soda can placed in the cup holder 6, a part of the operator's body may touch the control lever 1 and so on through the operator's carelessness, and this may cause a corresponding working device to operate contrary to the operator's intention.
In addition, since the display mode switch 9 and the instrument cluster 10 are arranged in a body on the console box 2, the operator sitting in the seat 4 should lower his/her head to confirm and operate the display mode switch 9 and the instrument cluster 10 whenever he/she changes a working mode of the equipment.
Specifically, due to the conventional switch arrangements and the characteristic of the equipment that repeats the same work for a long time, the operator should repeatedly operate the corresponding switches of the equipment with feeling of physical inconvenience, and this causes the operator fatigue to be increased and the working efficiency to be lowered.

Operator's seat for heavy equipment having optimized switch arrangements for controlling the equipment

Volvo Construction Equipment Holding Sweden AB


The present disclosure generally relates to underwater user interfaces. In some embodiments, a method includes at an electronic device with a display and one or more input devices, receiving a first request to display a user interface for accessing a first function of the electronic device. In response to receiving the first request, and in accordance with a determination that the electronic device is under water, the method includes displaying a first user interface for accessing the first function. In response to receiving the first request, and in accordance with a determination that the electronic device is not under water, the method also includes displaying a second user interface for accessing the first function.

As electronic devices are manufactured to be water resistant or water proof, some users are using their electronic devices while engaging in water based activities or other activities that cause their electronic devices to come in contact with water or other liquids. Users will, in some circumstances, operate their electronic devices while the electronic devices are wet.
Exemplary user interface hierarchies include groups of related user interfaces used for: organizing files and applications; storing and/or displaying digital images, editable documents (e.g., word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation documents), and/or non-editable documents (e.g., secured files and/or .pdf documents); recording and/or playing video and/or music; text-based communication (e.g., e-mail, texts, tweets, and social networking); voice and/or video communication (e.g., phone calls and video conferencing); and web browsing. A user will, in some circumstances, need to perform such user interface navigations within or between a file management program (e.g., Finder from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), an image management application (e.g., Photos from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), a digital content (e.g., videos and music) management application (e.g., iTunes from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), a drawing application, a presentation application (e.g., Keynote from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), a word processing application (e.g., Pages from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), or a spreadsheet application (e.g., Numbers from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.).
But methods for performing these navigations and animating the transition between related user interfaces in a user interface hierarchy are cumbersome and inefficient. In addition, these methods take longer than necessary, thereby wasting energy. This latter consideration is particularly important in battery-operated devices.
Additionally, abrupt transitions between different user interfaces can be distracting and jarring for users, reducing the efficiency and enjoyment of the user when using the device.
It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.


A method for determining the positions of the N array elements of a random rray to an accuracy sufficient to accomplish beam forming is provided where the initial positions of the array elements are known to an accuracy of .lambda..sub.min/2, and where .lambda..sub.min is the wavelength of the highest frequency of any of the M cohering sources which are in the field of the array and where the relative directions are unknown. The method includes the steps of: identifying M cohering sources in the field of the array, each of which emits at least one narrowband frequency, each frequency differing from the adjacent frequency by 1/T, where T is the time period of the measurements; a device for measuring the true bearing of one of the M sources; receiving the M cohering signals at the N array elements; performing a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on each of the N element signals; examining the spectrum of each of the N received signals; and from the N spectra, selecting M (M>3) lowest angular frequencies, .omega..sub.p with the strongest signals.. The method also includes at each .omega..sub.p forming the cross coherence matrix using the formula ##EQU1## where A.sub.pn is the complex Fourier coefficient from element n, the symbol pair indicating time average for each of the M Frequencies, .omega..sub.p ; obtaining the equation EQU .GAMMA.p,mn=exp J p/c[k.sub.p -(r.sub.m -r.sub.n)] (2). where r.sub.i is the vector position of the ith element, c is the speed of propagation and k.sub.p is the unit length direction vector of the pth cohering source; testing and discarding data where Equation (2) is satisfied for all element pairs with the same k.sub.p ; and solving the overdetermined set of Equations (2) for the unknown r.sub.i and k.sub.p.

The invention disclosed and claimed herein pertains generally to the field of acoustic signal source detection by means of a beam-forming array comprising N(N>3) discrete acoustic sensor elements. More particularly, the invention pertains to such detection wherein a self-cohering method is used to locate the respective positions of the elements in an environment, that is, to a method which employs signals sensed by the sensor elements themselves for sensor position location. Even more particularly, the invention pertains to a self-cohering method of sensor position location which relies on the processing of one or more signals present in the background acoustic field of environment.
Arrays of acoustic sensor elements, such as hydrophones or the like, are extensively used in an acoustic environment such as an ocean body to locate the position or bearing of an acoustic signal source contained therein, and to provide signal to noise gain in an acoustic detection system. Such arrays generally comprise a number of sensor elements. The reception capabilities of individual sensor elements together form a beam or search pattern. Beam forming, the processing of signals to determine the direction or bearing of a signal source from a beam-forming array, and the provision of signal-to-noise gain, is generally based on two assumptions. The first is that all of the sensor elements of the array are known or measured with a separate element location system. The second is that acoustic signals generated by the signal source are always plane waves which have minimal phase distortion over the array.
Great mechanical or electrical simplicity is achieved if the elements are allowed to move and no element location system is required.
In order to determine the actual positions of the sensors at present, a high-frequency pinger or the like may be located in proximity to the array, and the time delays in pinger signal detection may be compared for each of the elements. However, the use of such active signal devices may be undesirable in military applications of a beam-forming array, where a hostile observer may be able to determine array location from the pinger signals. The undesirability is magnified if the array is continuously changing shape, requiring continuous operation of the pinger.
The present invention provides a self-cohering method for continuously determining the actual positions of each of the N sensor elements in an arbitrary beam-forming array to within a preselected error, such as to within one tenth of the wavelength of a received acoustic signal. The method is entirely passive, i.e., it does not require an active signal projecting device in proximity to the array. The invention thereby provides a solution for one of the present major problems in the art.

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


A pausable system that processes multi-channel, multimedia content including a multimedia content delivery device having a priority detector for determining priority multimedia content and a decoder that can decode the priority content while the system is in a paused state. The system can also output an indicator if a priority multimedia content becomes disrupted based on a received rate compared to an embedded rate. The priority detector can also determine if the priority content is intended for a particular recipient before processing by the multimedia content delivery device.

Public video distribution systems that allow a delayed display of video or audio such as a pause feature, normally delay all video that is being received. However, in some situations, it is not desirable to pause or delay certain data streams. For example, in the case of 'local content insertion'(LCI) for customers using satellite applications in apartments or planes, additional content can be streamed along with the satellite programs to provide movies and camera feeds. Cable systems also can provide special security streams (high priority data streams) as a service that feeds Set Top Box (STB) Personal Video Recorders (PVR). Even video monitors inside an infant's bedroom in a home can stream MPEG video, and such video might comprise high priority data streams that should not be delayed, paused, or made discontinuous. Internet feeds can also provide remote camera feeds which might be important for security purposes and thus would not be desired to get frozen or delayed along with all of the other data in the event a consumer records/delays or pauses their equipment.
For example, a typical airborne pause system would normally pause or stop the local movies on a plane and all satellite content during pilot announcements. After the announcements, the video would begin to be streamed again in either a real-time or delayed state. If security or safety cameras are included in the LCI content or in a priority satellite channel, pausing these streams or stopping the streams might cause a breach of security or a safety issue, since video would either be lost or not be displayed in real-time. That is, applications such as safety or security video that pass through a system that has a "pause" function activated would be seeing delayed video which would/could be misleading or unsafe.

System and method for displaying priority transport stream data in a paused multi-channel broadcast multimedia system


The present invention is directed to an electrical wiring assembly that includes a wall plate cover, a housing portion and an electro-optical assembly coupled to a plurality of wiring terminations. The assembly includes a circuit configured to provide an output signal in response to an external input signal. The assembly also includes a plurality of lighting elements coupled to the circuit and configured to emit the plurality of light beams in response to the output signal. The electro-optical assembly further includes an ambient light sensor accessible to the ambient space via at least one of the plurality of openings. The ambient light sensor is configured to generate the at least one external input signal in response to an ambient light level in the ambient space, the ambient light sensor being substantially isolated from the plurality of light beams.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical devices, and particularly to electrical lighting devices suitable for commercial and residential applications.
2. Technical Background
The typical layout of a room, whether it is a public space, a living space or a commercial space, provides a wall light switch disposed adjacent to the point of entry. In a scenario that most people are familiar with, a person crossing the threshold of a darkened room will usually attempt to locate the wall switch and turn the wall switch to the ON position before entering. Sometimes the wall switch is not located in this position and the person seeking access to the room must search for the light switch. The person searching for the wall switch is required to navigate around objects such as tables and chairs. Usually, a person entering the room attempts to "feel" their way around the room. If an object is disposed relatively low to the floor surface the person may trip over it and suffer an injury. Accordingly, searching a room in this manner is not recommended because of the aforementioned safety issues. The scenario recounted above is also applicable to (but not limited to) other types of spaces such as corridors, theater aisles, stairways, patios, garages, ingress/egress areas, out-buildings, outdoor pathways and the like.
As noted above, there are situations where a light switch is not available, or is not readily available. There are other situations where the person entering the darkened room is disinclined to turn the lights ON as a matter of courtesy. Several examples immediately come to mind. A person entering a darkened theatre would expect to incur the wrath of his fellow patrons if he turned the theatre lights ON while finding a seat. In another situation, a person may desire to temporarily enter a room occupied by a person who is sleeping. For example, a parent may not want to check on the condition of a sleeping infant, or tend to someone who is ill, without having to turn the lights ON and so disturb their sleep.
In one approach that has been considered, a portable lighting device may be inserted into an electrical receptacle located in the room and function as a temporary lighting device. While this arrangement may provide adequate illumination and temporarily mitigate a potentially unsafe condition, it has certain drawbacks associated with it. Temporary lighting devices are usually aesthetically unappealing and have a makeshift look and feel. On the other hand, a temporary lighting device may be plugged into the receptacle for an extended period of time to meet the recurring lighting need. The user may attempt to address this problem by unplugging the temporary lighting device during daylight hours if the space admits natural light. However, once the temporary lighting device is unplugged from the receptacle there is the possibility that it will become lost, misplaced, or damaged from excessive handling. Of course, the steps of inserting and removing the device in response to the daily cycle are not a solution in internal spaces lacking access to sunlight.
In another approach that has been considered, a light element may be disposed in a wiring device in combination with another functional element such as a receptacle or a light switch. The wiring device is subsequently installed in a wall box or mounted to a panel. While this approach obviates some of the drawbacks described above, there are other drawbacks that come into play. Conventional permanent lighting elements such as incandescent and neon lights have a relatively short life expectancy of only a few years and, therefore, require periodic servicing and/or replacement. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the light is typically hard-wired to power contacts disposed in the wiring device. As such, the light element is permanently ON, further limiting the light elements life expectancy.
In yet another approach that has been considered, the aforementioned drawbacks are addressed by providing a light sensor, and the associated circuitry, to control the light element. When the sensor detects the ambient light level falling past a certain point, the control circuit turns the light element ON. One design problem associated with using a light sensor to selectively actuate the light element relates to providing a proper degree of isolation between the light sensor and the light element. Conventional devices solve the problem by separating the light sensor and the light element by as great a distance as possible. As such, conventional devices are typically arranged such that the lens covering the light element is disposed in one portion of the wiring device cover and the sensor element is disposed in a second portion of the cover, with sufficient space therebetween. If the wiring device includes another functional element such as a receptacle, the sensor may be disposed between the receptacle and the light's lens cover. Because the light sensor must be disposed a sufficient distance away from the light element, it necessarily requires that the lighting assembly be reduced in size to fit the wiring device form factor. Accordingly, conventional devices of this type often fail to provide an adequate amount of illumination for the intended application and, therefore, do not address the safety concern in a satisfactory manner.
What is needed is a light source that is both adapted to a wiring device form factor and configured to address the drawbacks and needs described above. In particular, a light emitting wiring device is needed that provides a sufficient amount of illumination when the ambient light in a given space falls below a safe level. The wiring device must maximize the effective area of illumination without sacrificing sensor isolation. Further, the light source elements must have a sufficient life expectancy, i.e., greater than ten years.


A card shuffler and dealing module shuffles eight decks of cards (or less) and delivers Baccarat hands (or other games) to a dealer. Cards are randomly selected from two pre-shuffle bins and delivered to a connected or integral dealing module. The card shuffler initially selects and delivers four cards (the minimum number needed for a hand of Baccarat) to a dealing area of the dealing module. Two additional cards (the maximum number of additional cards needed for a hand of Baccarat) are then selected and delivered to the dealing module rear of the four initial cards. Accordingly, up to six cards are available to be dealt during the Baccarat hand. The smart card shuffler tracks the rank of the cards and discerns the future outcome of the Baccarat game and adjusts the cards made available to the dealer via an automatic dealing module cover and card transport mechanism.

Automatic card shufflers have been used by casinos for decades and have helped revolutionize the gaming industry. Automatic card shufflers speed up play of casino games and may reduce cheating and advantage play. Automated shufflers may be configured to sit on a casino table or be incorporated therein.
Baccarat is a game dominated by high roller play and often results in a casino's highest table game profit or loss. Thus, speed of play, security and card costs associated with baccarat are significant issues facing every casino offering the game.
It would be advantageous to develop an automatic card shuffler configured to shuffle and deal hands of a card game, namely baccarat, while increasing security and speed of play, and reducing card costs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Multi-deck automatic smart card shuffler and security system configured to shuffle and deliver hands for a casino table game such as Baccarat


The electropneumatic control system for the pressure in the main air pipe (37) of compressed air brakes of rail cars is provided with one inlet and one outlet solenoid valve (3 and 4) to control the pressure in a control chamber (26) of a relay valve (19). The inlet solenoid valve (3) and the relay valve (19) are supplied with compressed air from a main reservoir pipe (34). The relay valve controlled by the pressure in the control chamber (26) against the pressure in the main air pipe (37) controls the compressed air lead-in and lead-out for the main air pipe (37). To avoid the undesired response of the relay valve (19) to pressure changes elsewhere in the main air pipe (37), the two sides of the piston (20) of the relay valve (19) are closed without any throttling by way of the secondary valve parts (13 or 14) of the two solenoid valves (3 and 4) in the unactuated state of the control system (2).

Such a control system is known from DE-PS 1 165 645. The inlet and the outlet solenoid valve are designed as simple, separate solenoid valves, each of which is followed by a restrictor as the releasing or braking nozzle. The relay valve designed separately from these solenoid valves is supplied with compressed air from the main reservoir pipe via a non-return valve, the volume of the control chamber pressurizing the piston is enlarged by a separate air reservoir, and a throttle is arranged as a passage monitoring element in a connection from the main air pipe to this air reservoir. The result of the constantly opened, throttled connection between the main air pipe and the control chamber is that, while controlling the pressure in the control chamber by means of the solenoid valves, the control chamber pressure can be falsified by the air inflow or outflow from or to the main air pipe, so that accurate position control of the desired control chamber pressure, and thus, via the relay valve of the main air pipe pressure, cannot be assured.
Another special feature of this known control device is that, when emergency braking is initiated, with a correspondingly rapid pressure drop in the main air pipe due to the throttled connection in the control chamber, the pressure drop is merely delayed; thus, the relay valve responds in the direction to refeed the main air pipe pressure from the main reservoir pipe, and emergency braking is delayed or even cancelled. The same applies when filling strokes are introduced into the main air pipe, during which the relay valve of the known control system would respond and would bring about undesired venting of the main air pipe.
To eliminate these deficiencies, it could be obvious to bridge the restrictor in the connection from the main air pipe to the control chamber of means of a solenoid valve, which is open in the quiescent state of the control system and is closed only when the inlet or outlet solenoid valve is actuated. As a result, in the quiescent state of the control system the connection between the control chamber and the main air pipe would not be throttled, thus obviating an undesired response of the relay valve during emergency braking or filling strokes. However, owing to the additional solenoid valve the cost of construction and in particular the energy consumption of the control system is significantly increased. For long trains with a plurality of such electropneumatic control systems this would require an acceptably large amount of current fed into the electric control lines, and thus would not be usable precisely in those train formations in which such control systems would be especially necessary and advantageous.
As a consequence of the separate arrangement of the individual elements, the known control system requires a great deal of time to build and assemble.

Electropneumatic control system for compressed air brakes of rail cars


Compounds having proteolytic inhibitory activity useful for treating diseases, particularly as applied to the treatment of sepsis, AIDS or autoimmune diseases, resulting from a decrease in the circulating level of mature protein hormones derived from the proteolytic cleavage of prohormone precursors such as 26 kDProTNF, and methods for identifying compounds having the desired inhibitory activity are provided.

In the United States alone nosocomial bacteremia develops in about 194,000 patients per year, and of these about 75,000 die. Maki, D. G., 1981, Nosocomial Infect., (Dikson, R. E., Ed.), page 183, Yrke Medical Books, U.S.A. Most of these deaths are attributable to six major gram-negative bacilli--Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Proteus, Klebsiella, Enterobacter and Serratia. The current treatment for bacteremia is the administration of antibiotics which, have limited effectiveness in treatment of septic shock.
The precise pathology of bacteremia is not completely elucidated. Nevertheless, it is known that certain bacterial endotoxins called lipopolysaccharides (LPS), are the primary causative agent. LPS consists of at least three significant antigenic regions: lipid A; core polysaccharide; and O-specific polysaccharide. The latter is also referred to as O-specific chain or simply O-antigen. The O-specific chain region is a long-chain polysaccharide built up from repeating polysaccharide units. The number of polysaccharide units differs among different bacterial species and may vary from one to as many as six or seven monosaccharide units. While the O-specific chain varies among different gram-negative bacteria, the lipid A and core polysaccharides are similar if not identical.
Since LPS plays a key role in sepsis, many approaches have been pursued to neutralize its activity. Presently, there is considerable work which suggest that anti- LPS antibody will soon be a valuable clinical adjunct to the standard antibiotic therapy.
LPS initiates a cascade of biochemical events that eventually causes the death of the patient. It is widely believed that an early result of LPS introduction is the stimulation of macrophage cells and the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) as a result of LPS. Thus, considerable effort has been expended to produce neutralizing antibody to TNF, or other molecules that could inhibit its effects. It is likely that antibody to TNF will have valuable clinical applications. Tracey, et al., 1987, Nature, 330:662.
TNF has been shown to exist in both membrane-bound and soluble secreted forms. Decker, et al., 1987, J. of Immunol., 138:957; Kriegler, et al., 1988, Cell, 53:45. Human TNF has been cloned and shown to consist of a 17 kD polypeptide, plus an unusually long 76 amino acid putative signal leader sequence. The 17 kD molecule is a key agent involved in initiating the biochemical cascade responsible for sepsis. It has been proposed by Kriegler, et al., 1988, Cell, 53:45, that TNF may exist as both a membrane bound 26 kD form, and a soluble form corresponding to the 17 kD species. The 26 kD form is the precursor, or prohormone, of the mature 17 kD molecule. It has further been proposed by Kriegler, et al. above, that the two forms of TNF may have different biological effects, primarily as a result of differences in tissue distribution.
It will be appreciated that because TNF plays a key role in causing sepsis and other diseases that there is a need to identify and develop anti-TNF prophylactics/therapeutics. As mentioned above, anti-TNF antibody appears to be promising, and has been shown to be effective in baboons. However, these studies have involved the use of non-human TNF and non-human TNF antibody. From a practical standpoint non-human anti-TNF antibody will have limited therapeutic application because of immunologic rejection of the antibody by a patient's immune system. Consequently, a human antibody, or a genetically engineered antibody consisting of the human constant region and the mouse variable region ("humanized antibody") is preferred.
TNF, in addition to playing a critical role in sepsis, has recently been shown to be involved in initiating the expression of human immunodeficiency virus in human cells that carry latent virus. Folks et al., 1989, PNAS (USA), 86:2365. Thus, preventing or inhibiting the formation of the 17 kD, or lower molecular weight forms of TNF might be a valuable prophylactic for the treatment of AIDS patients by preventing the expression of virus that is latent in the patient.
TNF also plays a role in various autoimmune diseases, particularly rheumatoid arthritis. Duff, et al., 1987, International Conference on Tumor Necrosis Factor and Related Cytotoxins, 175:10. Thus, compounds or methods for inhibiting TNF action will have considerable application for the treatment of a variety of diseases of immunologic origin.
In addition to antibody, other molecules with TNF inhibitory activity are being sought. Non-antibody TNF inhibitors are described by Seckinger, et al., 1988, J. Exp. Med., 167:151, and Seckinger, et al, 1989, J. Biol. Chem,. 264:11966, and in European Patent Application No. 88830365.8, inventors Wallach, et al. The inhibitors are present in the urine of febrile patients, and have been purified and shown to have molecular weights of about 27,000-33,000. These inhibitors are now known to be soluble forms of the TNF receptor. Although these molecules exhibit TNF-inhibitory activity, neither of the inhibitors has yet been shown to be effective in the treatment of sepsis in humans.
From the foregoing discussion it is apparent that there is a need to identify and develop additional anti-TNF inhibitors, both antibody based or otherwise, that are efficacious in the treatment of sepsis.

Compositions for the inhibition of TNF hormone formation and uses thereof


A method and system are disclosed for accessing a collection of images in a database. In accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, each of the images is sorted into one of a plurality of time-based clusters. A weighted quality metric is used to assign to each image a quality number as a function of an image analysis heuristic. A representative image is automatically selected from each time-based cluster based on the quality number.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for accessing a collection of images in a database.
2. Background Information
Automatic image classification has many important applications. Large image databases or collections require good indexing mechanisms so that images can be categorized effectively, browsed efficiently, and retrieved quickly. Conventional systems store and retrieve specific information from a database using, for example, descriptive information regarding the image file, such as file creation date, file name, file extension and the like. This form of image classification is not significantly different from the classification of any other digital information.
By relying on the file information, only cursory information can be obtained about the file and nothing at all specifically related to the image. For example, an image file could have a name that has no relation to the features or content of the image, such as a black and white image could have the file name "color_image". Other systems provide classification based on the content of the images, such as flowers, dogs, and the like. In practice, this is usually done by keyword annotation, which is a laborious task.
The amount of digital image information available today due to the evolution of the Internet, low-cost devices (e.g., digital video cameras, digital cameras, video capture cards, scanners and the like), and low-cost storage (e.g., hard disks, CDs, and the like) increases the need to classify and retrieve relevant digital image data efficiently. Unlike text-based retrieval, where keywords are successfully used to index into documents, digital image data retrieval has no easily accessed indexing feature.
One approach to navigating through a collection of images for the purpose of image retrieval is disclosed by Yossi, R., "Perceptual Metrics for Image Database Navigation," PHD Dissertation, Stanford University May 1999, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The appearance of an image is summarized by distributions of color or texture features, and a metric is defined between any two such distributions. This metric, called the "Earth Mover's Distance" (EMD), represents the least amount of work that is needed to rearrange the images from one distribution to the other. The EMD measures perceptual dissimilarity which is desirable for image retrieval. Multi-Dimensional Scaling (MDS) is employed to embed a group of images as points in a 2- or 3-dimensional (2D or 3D) Euclidean space so that their distances reflect the image dissimilarities. This structure allows the user to better understand the result of a database query and to refine the query. The user can iteratively repeat the process to zoom into the portion of the image space of interest.
It would be desirable to provide a method and system for interactively accessing a large collection of images contained in a database that have been collected over a period of time and that allows for fast browsing and searching of those images.

Method and system for accessing a collection of images in a database

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


The present invention is directed to root active promoter sequences, polynucleotide constructs comprising the root active promoters and methods of identifying the root active promoters, or fragments thereof. The invention further relates to the use of the present root active promoters to modulate transcript levels.

The economic value of roots arise not only from harvested roots, but also from the ability of roots to alter the soil in which they grow and to funnel nutrients to support growth and increase vegetative material, seeds, fruits, etc.
Roots have four main functions. First, they anchor the plant in the soil. Second, they facilitate and regulate the molecular signals and molecular traffic between the plant, soil and soil fauna. Third, the root provides a plant with nutrients gained from the soil or growth medium. Fourth, they condition local soil chemical and physical properties.
Roots arise from meristems cells that are protected by a root cap during root elongation, but as the root grows out, the cap cells abscise and the remaining cells differentiate to the tip. Depending on the plant species, some surface cells of roots can develop into root hairs. Some roots persist for the life of the plant, others gradually shorten as the ends slowly die back and some may cease to function altogether due to external influences.
Because plants are sessile organisms, their survival is critically dependent on rapid adaptation to environmental changes. In the soil, change can arise from alteration of the concentration of oxygen or carbon dioxide, nutrient availability, the presence (or absence) of microorganisms and overall soil humidity. For example, oxygen levels in the rhizosphere decrease rapidly during flooding. Hypoxic or anoxic conditions occur in submerged plant tissues and can have lasting effects on the subsequent growth and/or development of the plant.
Roots are also the sites of intense chemical and biological activities and as a result can strongly modify the soil they contact. For example, roots secrete a wide variety of high and low molecular weight molecules into the rhizosphere in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. They are also capable of absorbing toxic substances from the soil and then storing or modifying the toxins, resulting in soil improvement.
Roots coat themselves with surfactants and mucilage to facilitate these types of activities. Specifically, roots attract and interact with beneficial microfauna and flora that help to mitigate the effects of toxic chemicals, pathogens and stress in addition to facilitating water and nutrient assimilation and mobilization. Nutrients can take the form of ions and organic and inorganic compounds. Uptake of nutrients by roots produces a "source-sink" effect in a plant. The greater the source of nutrients, the larger "sinks" (such as stems, leaves, flowers, seeds, fruits, etc.) can grow.
Some plants, notably the Leguminous species, are capable of forming symbiotic associations in response to soil organisms. The rhizobia bacteria are examples of such a specific association. Here, the interaction between bacteria and the plant root results in the formation of a specific root structure, or nodule, in which nitrogen fixation is carried out. This symbiotic interaction provides a source of nitrogen for the plant that may not have been otherwise available.
Currently there is only limited ability to improve (1) plant nutrient uptake, (2) response to varying water conditions, (3) interaction with the soil environment (4) tolerance to pests that attack roots, including insects, fungi, bacteria, viruses, or nematodes and (5) the nutritional composition of roots for human food or animal feed applications. Thus a need exists for nucleic acid sequences that are able to drive transcription of desired genes in roots.


A land transportation device for compact, sandy and open land, with or without a slope, based on the intersection of two reinforced and identical truncated rings in orthogonal planes with respect to each other. The geometric centers shifted of the rings are shifted over the line of intersection of these planes. The weight of the device is reduced since it is made up of two light truncated rings, while at the same time, the cabin space is increased. The rings present a soft friction surface which gives the device better adherence to the ground, reducing the vibrations and facilitating the movement of the device. The device also possesses a hinge system which makes it possible to fold the ring on two axes, parallel to each other, thereby reducing its size. The disassembled device can be placed in a rectangular box for transportation and storage.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an improved version of a land transportation device for compact, sandy and open land, with or without a slope.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Spherical land transportation devices for open compact sandy soils with or without a slope, where there are winds and slopes, in the field of adventure and recreational sport, present certain usage and transportation disadvantages.
One of the most frequently used land transportation shapes for adventure and recreational sport, among spherical devices, consists of the Olympic wheel, made up of a conventional cylindrical wheel, which requires great effort for use, inasmuch as it is a gymnastic device.
On the other hand, Salvador Dali's pedal sphere has the disadvantage of not being steerable or capable of being disassembled and presents difficulties in horizontal instability.
The invention of the land transportation device according to Chilean Patent Application No. 421-93, based on the merger of a wheel and propeller, presents the disadvantage that its rigid friction surface can produce vibrations, it has a compact cabin and, because of the weight of its structure, in addition to being partially capable of being disassembled, it is difficult to ship.

Universidad Catolica De Valparaiso Av. Brasil


Devices and systems are provided for tracking a position and orientation of a handheld implement, such that the handheld implement may be trackable with an overhead tracking system. A support member secures one or more markers relative to a longitudinal portion of the handheld implement, and a marker plane containing the markers is orientated an angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the longitudinal portion. A marker assembly may include a support member for supporting the markers, and a connector for removably attaching the marker assembly to one or more handheld implements. The marker assembly may be configured to be removably attachable to a plurality of connection adapters, where each connection adapter is further connectable to a handheld implement, optionally at a calibrated position, such that a single connection adapter can be optionally employed to track a plurality of handheld implements. The handheld implement may be a medical instrument.

The present disclosure relates to guidance and tracking systems for tracking handheld implements, such as medical instruments. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to active and passive marker arrangements for surgical guidance and tracking of medical instruments.
Surgical guidance enables surgeons to localize the position of surgical instruments relative to the human body without having full visual access during surgery. Surgical guidance is routinely used in surgeries of the spine, brain, hip or other organs.
In general, surgical guidance consists of two steps: The first step includes the acquisition of a three dimensional (3D) representation of relevant portion of the body. This step may involve a single or multiple imaging modalities such as computer tomography (CT), magnetic resonance tomography (MRT), positron emission tomography (PET) and ultrasound (US). The 3D representation may be acquired before and/or during the surgical procedure. In the second step, the spatial position of the body and the spatial relation of the surgical instruments to the position of the body are tracked during the surgery. The spatial position of the body is correlated to its 3D representation using specific image registration techniques. After registration, the spatial position of the surgical instruments can be displayed with a 3D representation of the body for the surgeon.
Typically, optical-based systems are used for the tracking of the spatial positions during the surgery. These systems are based on two cameras that detect the positions of at least three markers attached to the tracked surgical instruments (for example, mounted with LEDs as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,992, or mounted with reflective probes as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,644).
There are many possible designs for the attachment of these markers to surgical instruments that include a longitudinal shaft (for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,021,343, 7,226,456 B2, 6,556,857 B1, 7,166,114 B2, and U.S. Patent No. 2002/0077540 A1). However, most of these designs include a common characteristic that the cameras of the optical tracking system are oriented to view the side of the shaft of the surgical instruments. The markers are therefore aligned along the instrument shaft.
In other applications, the tracking system may be oriented directly above the surgical incision, such that the tracking system "looks" into the incision. These applications include arrangements for which the tracking system is integrated into the surgical lighting system (for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,224,472), or arrangements for which the tracking system is integrated into a system for performing optical topology imaging of anatomy within the incision (for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,531,520 and 5,999,840 and PCT Patent Application PCT/CA2011/050257).

Attachments for tracking handheld implements


A method for forming an optical fiber includes drawing the optical fiber from a glass supply and treating the fiber by maintaining the optical fiber in a treatment zone wherein the fiber is cooled at a specified cooling rate. The optical fiber treatment reduces the tendency of the optical fiber to increase in attenuation due to Rayleigh scattering, and/or over time following formation of the optical fiber due to heat aging. Methods for producing optical fibers along nonlinear paths incorporating fluid bearings are also provided thereby allowing for increased vertical space for the fiber treatment zone.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for forming optical fiber and more particularly, to methods and apparatus for forming optical fiber having improved characteristics.
2. Technical Background
Attenuation and sensitivity to heat (or thermal) aging may be critical attributes of optical fibers, particularly for high data rate optical fibers. In making optical fibers, it may be necessary or desirable to minimize attenuation loss in the intended window of operation for the fiber. Attenuation in an optical fiber can increase after fabrication of the fiber because of a phenomenon called "heat aging." Heat aging is the tendency of some optical fibers to increase in attenuation over time following formation of the fibers due to temperature fluctuations in the fiber's environment. Typically, the attenuation change from heat aging may be apparent at approximately 1200 nanometers (nm) with increasing effect up to about 1700 nm in a spectral attenuation plot. Furthermore, attenuation may be the result of Rayleigh scattering loss. Therefore, improved methods that reduce fiber attenuation due to effects such as heat aging and Rayleigh scattering are desired.
One method for manufacturing fibers that have reduced attenuation due to effects such as heat aging and Rayleigh scattering involves cooling fiber at a controlled rate while drawing fiber from a draw furnace apparatus. However, cooling fiber at a controlled rate can be difficult to achieve in conventional processes for manufacturing optical fibers. Such processes generally involve the vertical downward draw of fiber along a linear pathway along which there is typically little space available for adding additional equipment, such as equipment for cooling fiber at a controlled rate, without adding height to the overall system. Because adding height to an existing system can add significant cost to the system, processing systems in which space is available for controlled cooling without necessitating an increase in overall system height are desired.

Fiber air turn for low attenuation fiber


This document discusses, among other things, an identification (ID) detection module configured to identify a first ID code in a first detect period within a first attach period and to identify a second ID code in a second detect period within the first attach period.

A universal serial bus (USB) switch can enable multiple accessories to utilize a single USB port on an electronic device (e.g., a mobile communication device, a portable media player, etc.). In certain examples, the type of accessory connected to the USB switch can be identified by detecting a resistance of the accessory. Traditional USB identification (ID) detection can determine an ID resistance in approximately 200 ms, with 1 nF of load capacitance. However, the number of resistance values that can be checked in a given time period (e.g., 200 ms, etc.) can be limited.


A system for orientation assistance and display of an instrument that is inserted or present in the natural or artificially produced hollow cavity (human, animal, object), and that is equipped with one or more sensor units. Multiple measurements of the 3D position of the instrument equipped with one or more sensor units are performed by positioning a measuring system, so that a precise orientation and positioning of the instrument in the body can be computed. The 3D position data are used to compute a virtual image of the instrument synchronously. The virtual images are then either projected directly in exact position onto the body surface of a person or combined in a body surface image (real video camera image of the patient) onto a monitor or superimposed (virtual or augmented reality). The system is especially appropriate for displaying for a user a medical instrument, such as a catheter or a rigid or flexible endoscope, in the body of a person in real time, extracorporeally and in correct position.

There are already various processes and devices in the art that demonstrate the combination of minimally invasive endoscopic procedure methods with augmented reality and image data supported techniques (R. Mösges, Die Methodik computergestützten Operierens. Habilitationsschrift, 1992, Hochschule Ascher).
Thus the three-dimensional display of the organ systems (individual internal patient anatomy), based first on pre-operatively acquired image data of a 3D-CT or MRT scanner, is ascertained and viewed on a monitor. The position and orientation, for instance, of an endoscope are then imaged and displayed in the three-dimensional image of the interior of the body.
Patent WO 2006/116597 A2 describes a system for navigational examination of medical instruments. Here an endoscope, equipped with a position sensor, is followed in the body of a human patient on the basis of its 3D positions. Here, first by means of a computer tomograph, images are taken as a basis for producing a virtual image of the interior of the body. The virtually ascertained image is then displayed on a monitor. Likewise, a symbol of the endoscope is also superimposed on this monitor. The disadvantage, however, is that the entire length of the instrument is not displayed and can only be poorly captured.
The disadvantage of these processes is that in order to be able to construct an augmented-reality application, it is necessary at first, preoperatively, to provide an entire system, which is expensive as well as complex to operate, consisting of video camera, tracking devices, nuclear spin tomographs, support software, and so on. In addition, the aforementioned methods have the great disadvantage that, before and sometime even during a single procedure, a number of x-ray images are required to produce the virtual image of the body interior by means of a computer tomograph (CT). This means a high radiation exposure for the patient as well as for the operating room personnel. In addition, in the event of an emergency intervention, there is often insufficient time to be able to provide the corresponding ED image data from computer tomography preoperatively. The result is that the physician in these procedures is deprived of important information for the spatial orientation.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a system for orientation in an object under examination that reduces radiation exposure before and during a procedure, fulfills real-time requirements as much as possible, is simple to operate and in particular allows an inexperienced physician to have an improved and rapid orientation and display of an instrument inserted into an object under examination.

System for orientation assistance and display of an instrument in an object under examination particularly for use in human body


The present invention discloses an apparatus that comprises a spectrometer, and computer and a dual integrating sphere measurement arrangement comprising a measurement integrating sphere, a sample integrating sphere, a sample platform, a filter, a lens system, a baffle and a light source. The sample integrating sphere encloses a sample to provide a constant environment for simulating the visual color grading environment. The computer controls the spectrometer and provides measurement parameters calculated from physical parameters of the measured sample, including, but not limited to, shape, dimensions, refractive index, intensity of fluorescence and cut grade. The computer then calculates spectral reflectance and colorimetric data, and determines an average color grade by checking a look-up-table that represents the relationship between the CIELAB coordinate and the average color grade. The computer also determines a true color grade based upon the average color grade and the physical parameters, using mathematical analytic algorithms.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for color measurement and color grading of diamonds, gemstones and the like, and more particularly, an apparatus and method for measuring the spectral reflectance, for calculating the calorimetric data, and for determining the average color grade and the true color grade of a sample.
2. Description of the Related Art
Although color measurement is constant and accurate in general, color measurement and color grading of diamonds, gemstones and the like is difficult and often inaccurate for gemological researchers and jewelers because visual color grading involves many human factors and because faceted diamonds and gemstones are usually in irregular shapes and sizes. At best, all of the previous inventions and commercial instruments for color measurement of gemstones can only measure particular colors without determining the true meaning of the color.
An early invention for color grading of colorless to light yellow diamonds was disclosed by Shipley in U.S. Pat. No. 2,960,909. This invention passes a concentrated light beam through a diamond and onto a photocell connected to a microammeter. Based upon the ratio between a blue beam and a minus-blue beam, a microammeter determines the color (grade) of the measured diamond.
Eickhorst (U.S. Pat. No. 3,794,424) uses a light conductor to directly illuminate the table of a gemstone and an optical transmitter to collect reflect light for the photocell to measure. Makabe (U.S. Pat. No. 4,482,245) describes an apparatus for measuring diamond color with an integrating sphere. The integrating sphere provides uniform light for illuminating the diamond and collects all reflect light. Okazaki (U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,449) improves the previous inventions and discloses an apparatus comprising a monochromator and an integrating sphere with a diamond holder. The light beam directly illuminates the diamond inside the holder, and the integrating sphere collects the reflect light for the monochromator to measure. This device uses a visible spectral curve to determine the color grade. However, each of these inventions had a low color measurement accuracy below the requirement of the gem trade.
Hohberg et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,164,586) discloses an arrangement for color measurement of gemstones. This arrangement includes an integrating sphere and a dual channel spectrometer. The integrating sphere provides a uniform lighting for the gemstone, and transmitted light is measured. However, because transmitted light from pavilion to table is significantly different from the transmitted light through the side and the reflected light of faceted diamonds, this invention is neither practical nor useful.
Valente et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,005) discloses a gemstone evaluation system, with an integrating sphere, a band pass filter and a detector array. This system obtains the spectral reflectance of a complete image, and can provide a color image, a spectral measurement and calorimetric data for each individual pixel of the image. However, a band pass filter is not accurate or stable enough for the color measurement of gemstones. Practically, the system is also not accurate enough for color grading purposes.
De Jong and Geurts (U.S. Pat. No. 7,004,624) disclose an apparatus for diamond color measurement and analysis. This apparatus simulates the human visual color grading method and environment for the D-Z color grading of diamonds. However, the detector of the apparatus is only a simple collimator without any of the functions of a human visual system. Thus, this apparatus has no practical application.
Furthermore, two inventions previously disclosed by applicant are considered relevant to date by applicant, but do not anticipate nor teach the present invention. First, Liu (U.S. PTO No. 11/129,703) discloses optical filters for a CIE daylight simulator. The optical filters consist of two or more layers of colored glasses designed by optimization algorithms. When combined with a high color temperature incandescent, the filters can simulate a CIE standard daylight illuminant with a metamerism index B or better in the visible wavelength range. The calorimetric quality of the CIE daylight simulators at different color temperatures meets the CIE, ISO and ASTM standards for calorimetric and critical applications. In addition, Liu (U.S. PTO No. 11/322,431) also discloses a method and system for visual color grading of gemstones. The system can accurately generate a reference color to match the color of a gemstone under a standard viewing environment. Based on the matched color, the gemstone is assigned a color grade by a look-up-table representing the relationship between the color grades and the CIELAB coordinates.
Therefore, there remains a need for an apparatus capable of accurate color measurement of gemstones, diamonds and the like, and more importantly, of precise color grading of same.

Apparatus and method for color measurement and color grading of diamonds, gemstones and the like


Alkenylaromatics are produced by catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of alkylaromatics employing a redox catalyst which is bismuth oxide, in combination with an additive compound of an alkali metal and/or an alkaline earth metal, on a titanium diooxide carrier. In a first reaction step, an alkylaromatic starting material is oxidatively dehydrogenated with the redox catalyst in the absence of molecular oxygen with attending reduction of the redox catalyst. In a second reaction step, the reduced redox catalyst is reoxidized with an oxygen-containing gas.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process and a catalyst for the catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of alkylaromatics and paraffin hydrocarbons to give the corresponding alkenylaromatics and olefins, preferably of ethylbenzene to give styrene, water being formed and the dehydrogenation taking place in the absence of free oxidizing agent (ie. oxidizing agent added continuously to the stream of starting materials), such as molecular oxygen or oxygen-containing gases and the redox catalyst consisting of at least one reducible metal oxide being the sole oxygen source and performing the function of an oxygen store or oxygen carrier.
Olefins and alkenylbenzenes, in particular styrene and divinylbenzene, are important monomers for engineering plastics and are produced in large amounts. Styrene is prepared predominantly by nonoxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene over a modified iron oxide catalyst, one mole of hydrogen being formed per mole of styrene. Unfortunately, this is an equilibrium reaction which is carried out at high temperatures of, typically, from 600 to 700.degree. C. and takes place with the conversion of about 60% at a styrene selectivity of about 90%.
The equilibrium can be overcome and a virtually quantitative conversion achieved by oxidative dehydrogenation in which an oxidizing agent, such as molecular oxygen or an oxygen-containing as, is introduced into the stream of starting materials, since water is now formed as an accompanying product. Furthermore, lower reaction temperatures are required for this reaction. However, the disadvantage of this process is the loss of selectivity with respect to the desired product owing to the presence of oxygen, since the high oxygen concentration in the reaction zone promotes total oxidation as a secondary reaction.
It is therefore being proposed to use, as the oxygen carrier, a catalyst consisting of a reducible metal oxide instead of free oxidizing agent (oxygen). The catalyst (simultaneously an oxygen carrier) is gradually consumed and must be regenerated in a second step, restoring the initial activity. In the regeneration phase, for example, coke deposits can also be burnt off. The regeneration is highly exothermic so that the waste heat liberated can be used, for example, for generating steam.
By decoupling the reduction step and oxidation step, the selectivity can be substantially increased.
Two variants are available for the technical realization of this proposal, ie. the separation of the two steps in terms of space and in terms of time.
In the former, a moving bed or a circulating fluidized bed is used so that, after the resulting reaction products have been separated off, the catalyst particles are transported from the dehydrogenation zone to a separate regeneration reactor, in which the reoxidation is carried out. The regenerated catalyst is recycled to the dehydrogenation zone. The catalyst is exposed to high mechanical stresses and must therefore have sufficient hardness.
2. Description of the Related Art
The embodiment using a fixed bed involves periodic switching between the starting material feed and, if necessary after a flushing phase, the regeneration gas.
This principle of separation of the two steps of the redox reaction using a reducible and regeneratable catalyst was first described for the oxidation or ammoxidation of propene to acrolein and acrylic acid or acrylonitrile, respectively (GB 885422; GB 999629; K. Aykan, J. Catal. 12 (1968), 281-190), arsenate and molybdate catalysts being used. The use of the process in the oxidative dehydrogenation of aliphatic alkanes to mono- and diolefins using ferrite catalysts (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,440,299, DE 21 18 344, DE 17 93 499) is likewise known, as is the use for the oxidative coupling of methane to give higher hydrocarbons, different catalyst classes being used (eg. U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,849, DE 3 586 769 with Mn/Mg/Si oxides; U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,789 with Ru oxide; EP 254 423 with Mn/B oxides on MgO; GB 2 156 842 with Mn.sub.3 O.sub.4 spinels). The dehydrodimerization of toluene to stilbene in the absence of free oxygen by means of reducible catalysts, such as Bi/In/Ag oxides (EP 30 837) is also known. Finally, the principle is also applied to the dehydrogenation, dehydrocyclization and dehydroaromatization of paraffin hydrocarbons for gasoline refinement (U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,537 with Co/P oxide catalysts).
EP 397 637 and 403 462 disclose using the principle of the process for the oxidative dehydrogenation of paraffin hydrocarbons and alkylaromatics. According to these publications, reducible metal oxides selected from the group consisting of V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Pb, Bi, Mo, U and Sn are applied to carriers comprising clays, zeolites and oxides of Ti, Zr, Zn, Th, Mg, Ca, Ba, Si and Al and used. V/MgO is particularly preferred.
Although a high yield can be obtained with these catalysts, very pronounced gasification (total combustion) occurs in the initial phase of the dehydrogenation when the hydrocarbon comes into contact with the freshly regenerated and therefore particularly active catalyst. Apart from the loss of raw materials, in addition the amount of oxygen consumed is considerably more than for the straightforward dehydrogenation, so that a large part of the oxygen carrier is prematurely exhausted and the cycle times unnecessarily become shorter.

Catalyst and catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of alkylaromatics and paraffins


A lure depth analyzer includes a digital processor, a lure analyzer data structure, a user interface having a display and user inputs to input and display variables relating to fishing lures. The database relates specific lures to running depth, length of line, and other variables such as line type, speed, and addition weights added to the line. The angler is interactively led through the user interface to provide known information and angler selections. The display returns information necessary for the angler to cast or troll a lure at a particular depth.

The invention relates to improved equipment and methods for aiding anglers in selecting lures and lengths of line to position lures at a particular depth in the water column.
Over time anglers have used a variety of methods to determine how much line would be needed to be let out while trolling or casting in order for a lure to reach a particular running depth. In the past, the only method available to anglers to know how deep a lure was running was instinct. Angle marked fishing line at increments of length and let lures out until they felt the lures hitting bottom. In this case, there were a number of variables (e.g. line diameter, trolling speed) that caused inaccuracies.
In the mid 1980's, line counter reels were developed by fishing reel manufacturers that fairly accurately and repeatedly allowed anglers to let out the same amount of line time after time. The invention of line counter reels allowed the average angler to easily know how much line had been let out. Around the same time period, many anglers began trolling arid casting for fish that were not bottom oriented. Anglers found that placing lures at a particular depth somewhere in the water column required, at minimum, a knowledge of an amount of line out and the running depth of a particular lure at that amount of line out. This knowledge was more difficult to ascertain than simply letting line out until a lure bounced bottom. Some anglers set about recording information regarding amount of line out and a related depth for a particular lure. This information was manually collected by running lures into the bottom and recording the variables involved, specifically line out.
By the early 1990's, the need for accurate data on lure running depths became apparent. Professional angler Mike McClelland, from Pierre, S. Dak., measured lure running depths by a method of tying two boats together with a 120 foot rope. The first boat held one person with a fishing rod and linecounter reel and various lures. The second boat was equipped with a sonar unit. The method of measurement involved the first boat (containing the rod and reel with a fishing lure) towing the second boat with someone operating the sonar unit. The person in the first boat would let out 120 feet of fishing line and allow the lure to achieve its natural running depth, while the sonar operator in the second boat recorded actual running depths of the lure in question based on the sonar reading. The information collected was then compiled on a circular wheel-like laminated paper disc with lure types serving as the spokes of the wheel and a running depth at the ends of the spokes. This was the first commercially produced system available for anglers that gave pertinent information about running depths of lures based on a particular line out length.
The product available from McClelland did not include information beyond a running depth at one length of line, only covered a small portion of commercially produced lure types, and lacked information about running depth based on other variables (e.g. speed).
In the mid 1990's another commercial product, Precision Trolling, was produced with more lure types and in the format of a book. This book contained data presented one lure per page. Each page contained a diagram containing an X axis and Y axis and a corresponding "dive curve" algorithm for the lure on the page. The data had been collected by trolling lures past a pole placed in the water and marked at various depths. A diver recorded depths relative to different amounts of line out. This level of data was an improvement on the prior product from McClelland. The Precision Trolling book also contained written information addressing other variables associated with lure running depths, including line diameter, weights systems and speed. Over the next ten years, as new lures were developed and manufactured, the Precision Trolling book went through several updates to include information on these new lures. Currently the book is in its 7th edition.
In 2002, the makers of precision Trolling created similar data for lures based on casting of lures as opposed to trolling. The data is presented in a similar book format including algorithms displayed for a particular lure on each page.
Over time various methods for determining lure depth based on line length and other variables have been developed ranging from instinct, casual recording, and commercially produced products that have displayed print data as either one lure with one line length and corresponding depth (McClelland) or as an algorithm on a graph displaying line out on one axis and running depth on the other.
All of the methods used to date have been either incomplete in the variables accounted for or cumbersome for the angler to use. As an example, when using the current best and most accurate method of determining lure depths (Precision Trolling), the angler must first retrieve the book from some waterproof compartment in the boat. The book is something the angler is not currently using in the angling process. Second, the angler must know which lure to look for in the book and flip through the book until the lure is found. Finally, the angler is required to read and interpret the algorithm to determine how much line should be let out for the lure to achieve the desired depth. In addition, while data is available in diagram form regarding the effect of other variables (speed, line diameters, weight systems) the angler is required to take yet another step to determine lure depth based on the variables affecting the angler's lure choice.
There is a need for a product that simplifies the process by which data is received by anglers, while minimizing the problem of variables involved in each unique angling situation.

Marine electronics with lure depth analyzer


A converter device that changes the wavelength of optical signals originated by an OTDR to supervise optical networks, in a manner that eliminates the traffic signal interference in the supervision signal, is provided. A method for increasing the OTDR supervision distance range, wherein the converters are placed at route points where the optical signal from the OTDR reaches its useful attenuation limit and needs to be recovered, reducing the number of OTDRs utilized in the supervision system, is also provided.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention refers to a converter utilized to change the wavelength of optical signals generated by an OTDR to supervise optical networks, and a method for increasing the OTDR supervision distance range.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of optical fibers for short or long-distance digital signal transmission offers many advantages. The use of fiber is quite advantageous in relation to other transmission means such as radio, satellite, coaxial cable and twisted pairs. However, some physical effects limit optical fiber signal transmission such as, for example, the attenuation suffered by optical signals as they pass over the optical fiber. This well-known effect is mainly due to the light-scattering phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering. The attenuation resulting from Rayleigh scattering depends mainly on the wavelength of the signal transmitted in the fiber and increases proportionally to the length of the fiber that the signal passes over.
The wavelength that least suffers attenuation when propagated over the optical fiber occurs in the optical spectrum region near 1550 nm. For this reason, this wavelength is one of the most utilized for measuring optical fiber attenuation characteristics.
The equipment utilized to supervise optical cables consists of an OTDR (Optical Time Domain Reflectometer), represented in FIG. 1, which is based on the analysis of the parcel of light backscattered by Rayleigh scattering. In the supervision process, the OTDR 1 transmits narrow pulse trains (10 μs to 10 ns), with a repetition interval on the order of a few kHz. This optical signal is generated by a semiconductor laser and transmitted to fiber 2 by means of an optical coupler 3. As the light is propagated along fiber 2, a parcel of it is being backscattered by the Rayleigh effect. This backscattering is captured by the OTDR 1, synchronized and displayed on the oscilloscope screen by means of curve A, as shown in FIG. 2, which represents the attenuation (dB) of the transmitted signal, according to the length of fiber (km) over which the signal passes. The OTDR 1 also measures the punctual reflections along the fiber. This characteristic is of fundamental importance for fault detection such as, for example, fiber break, bad splices, defective connections, etc.
OTDRs have been utilized frequently to examine the attenuation characteristics of the fiber before and after its installation as well as for quality control of fiber and optical cable at the manufacturer.
OTDRs are valuable tools for the carriers to assure preventive maintenance of installed links. The most updated optical communication systems reserve one fiber of the optical cable to be utilized by the OTDR. In this way, if a cable break occurs, it will be promptly detected and located by means of an automated supervision system that alerts maintenance teams of a defect occurrence. A limitation to this supervision method consists of the fact that there is not always a fiber available to be used exclusively by the OTDR. In such cases, the same fiber must be utilized for transmission of both normal traffic and supervision signals. However, this solution is not applicable to all optical communications systems since, in many cases, the communication signal interferes with the OTDR signal. When this happens, they must be separated by a filtering process and, in many cases, the OTDR signal must be changed to another emission spectrum band (wavelength), upper or lower to the communication signal, to allow more precise filtering.
Another limitation is related to the useful distance range of the optical supervision signal generated by the OTDR, limited to approximately 160 km of optical fiber, as shown in FIG. 2. This limitation requires one OTDR for every 160 km of supervised fiber. The supervision information is collected by the OTDRs and forwarded to the supervision center by means of the copper data network. This impedes the application of this solution in localities not serviced by the copper data network or implies in the necessity of taking the copper data network to these OTDRs. This solution significantly increases the price of the supervision system due to the need for additional OTDRs and to the expansion of the copper data network to service them.
Another issue related to the OTDRs is their elevated electric power consumption, making them unsuitable for regions without electric power supply.

Active wavelength converter for use with an optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) and method for increasing OTDR supervision distance range

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