A call processing method and a mobile terminal are provided. The mobile terminal includes a Radio Frequency (RF) receiver including a first input terminal connected to a first incoming signal line and a second input terminal connected to a second incoming signal line, a first RF switch arranged on the first incoming signal line for switching the first incoming line between the first input terminal and an inter-switch line, a second RF switch arranged on the second incoming signal line for switching the second input terminal between the second incoming signal line and the inter-switch line, and a controller for controlling, in a data call session, the first RF switch and the second RF switch to establish a connection of the first incoming signal line and the second incoming signal line during a first period and during a second period.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a call processing method and apparatus for a mobile terminal for effectively detecting an incoming call while the mobile terminal operates in a data call mode.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) mobile communication system, as voice communication-focused, has evolved into 3rd Generation (3G) technologies supporting high speed data communication that are developed under the International Mobile Telecommunication 2000 (IMT-2000).
In the CDMA system, a transmitter sends modulated signals to a receiver through a radio channel. The receiver receives transmission signals through more than one propagation path and experience distortion as the signals travel in frequency selective multipath fading channels. In order to solve the distortion problems, various diversity technologies are adopted. The diversity technologies include a method for improving reliability of a radio signal by combining different versions of the signal received through two antennas.
However, conventional diversity methods adopted for mobile terminals have a drawback in that the mobile terminal consumes excessive energy while processing an incoming call in a data call mode, resulting in reduction of standby time and active time.
Therefore, a need exists for a mobile terminal and an incoming call processing method for the mobile terminal for reducing power consumption while processing an incoming call.

Call processing method and apparatus for mobile terminal in data call mode


An electrode is composed of a carbon carrying a metal and a binder polymer, and it is used as a counter electrode of a dye-sensitized solar cell. The metal carried by carbon is at least one kind of metal selected from the group consisting of Pt, Ru, Co, Ti, Ni, Al and Au. The carbon is needle-like carbon, fullerene, carbon nanotube, conductive carbon black, or the like, and its specific surface area is equal to or larger than 100 m2/g.

Heretofore, solar cells of various materials have been examined. Among them, a number of solar cells made by using silicon have been commercially available. They are roughly classified to crystalline silicon solar cells using single crystal silicon or polycrystal silicon and amorphous silicon solar cells.
In crystalline silicon solar cells, photoelectric transfer efficiency, which is the performance of converting light (sun) energy to electrical energy, is higher than that of amorphous silicon solar cells. However, since crystalline silicon solar cells need much energy and time for crystal growth, they are disadvantageous in terms of the cost because of the low productivity.
Amorphous silicon solar cells are advantageous in higher light absorption, wider selectable range of substrates and easier enlargement of the scale. However, photoelectric transfer efficiency of amorphous silicon solar cells is lower than that of crystalline silicon solar cells. Furthermore, although amorphous silicon solar cells are higher in productivity than crystalline silicon solar cells, they need an evacuation process for the manufacture similarly to crystalline silicon solar cells and still impose a load to the manufacturing process in terms of equipment.
On the other hand, there have been long researches of solar cells using organic materials to solve the above problems. However, many of them have poor photoelectric transfer coefficient as low as 1% and have not be turned into practical use.
Among them, dye-sensitized solar cells introduced on Nature 353, 737, (1991) are remarked because they have been proved enable to realize photoelectric transfer efficiency as high as 10% and are considered manufacturable economically. The general structure of dye-sensitized solar cells is shown in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. JP-H01-220380.
As counter electrodes of dye-sensitized solar cells, platinum (Pt) exhibiting small oxidation-reduction overvoltage of redox pairs has been mainly used conventionally. However, there are other reports on a method of using simplex carbon (The Electrochemical Society of Japan, Papers for 2002 Spring Symposium, Imoto et al., 3I19) and a method of using electrically conductive polymers (The Electrochemical Society of Japan, Papers for 2002 Autumn Symposium, Yanagida et al., 2E30) as well.
Iodine is known as specifically adheres onto platinum (Pt) and enabling realization of quick charge transfer (Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. (1985) 121, 285)
Further known is a method of preparing TiO2 paste in which titanium oxide (TiO2) particles are dispersed ("Latest Technology of Dye-sensitized Solar Cells" by Hironori Arakawa, CMC, pp. 45-47 (2001))
Furthermore, a method of preparing carbon carrying Pt is known as well (Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. JP-H05-174838).
As referred to above, Pt has been mainly used as the counter electrode. However, charge transfer velocity on Pt electrodes is not always satisfactory. In addition, although the foregoing documents report the use of simplex carbon or electrically conductive polymers, charge transfer velocity in these methods is still insufficient.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an electrode higher in electron transfer velocity than Pt, simplex carbon, electrically conductive polymers, and so on, a method of manufacturing same, a photoelectric transfer element using this electrode, a method of manufacturing same, an electronic device using the same electrode and a method of manufacturing same.

Electrode, method of making same, photoelectric transfer element, method of manufacturing same, electronic device and method of manufacturing same


A method for effective vehicle identification and communication between riders of transportation network companies (TNC), and the vehicles that are being designated to the riders. Accordingly, a system used to execute the method of the present invention conveys the information of the rider on a display device on the designated vehicle of the rider, so as to notify the rider before getting into the designated vehicle. Additionally, the present invention also helps assist blind people by conveying audio messages, such as pipe messages or announcing their names. Further, the present invention provides riders the ability to send an emergency alert, thereby ensuring a safer ride. Furthermore, the present invention enables TNCs to utilize the display device as a trade dress and as an optional platform for other media advertisements.

A ridesharing company (also known as a transportation network company, ride-hailing service, or a mobility service provider) is a company that matches passengers with vehicles via websites and mobile apps. In present days, the increasing number of TNC vehicles have been a major cause for congestion and traffic in busy city roads, airports etc. This is because, riders on smart app ride match and TNCs get confused about their designated vehicles and it takes a long time to search the vehicle by color and number plate, leading to traffic congestion in busy areas like Airports, downtowns etc. Further, incidents such as passengers getting kidnapped as they get into the wrong vehicle, people pretending to be riders and getting into TNC vehicles etc., pose a threat to the life and belongings of both drivers and passengers. Thus, increased crime rates, safety issues, and time issues related to TNC vehicles are problems that need to be addressed. In other words, a reliable, and easy vehicle identification method for TNC vehicles is a need of the hour.
An objective of the present invention is to address these problems by providing an effective vehicle identification and communication method. It is an aim of the present invention to help TNC vehicle riders to find their vehicle/ride accurately and quickly. In order to accomplish that, the present invention, with the help of a system used to execute the method of the present invention, conveys the information of the rider through a display device mounted on the designated vehicle of the rider, so as to notify the rider before getting into the designated vehicle. Additionally, the present invention also helps assist blind people by conveying audio messages, such as pipe messages or announcing their names. Further, the method of the present invention employs a network platform that provides a clear point-to-point communications channel, wherein all communications between users of the method are identified and generated through the remote server. Additionally, the present invention provides riders the ability to send an emergency alert, thereby ensuring a safer ride. Furthermore, the present invention enables TNCs to utilize the display device as a trade dress and as an optional platform for other media advertisements.

Method for vehicle identification and communication between transportation network company (TNC) service users


A new and distinct cultivar of Echinacea plant named ‘Hot Papaya’, characterized by it upright plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit; strong and thick flowering stems; freely basal branching habit; and large anemone-type inflorescences with orange red-colored ray and disc florets.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Echinacea plant, botanically known as Echinacea hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the name 'Hot Papaya'.
The new Echinacea plant originated from an open-pollination in 2005 in Vleuten, The Netherlands of a proprietary selection of Echinacea hybrida identified as code number Ec 512-17, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknown selection of Echinacea hybrida as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Echinacea was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated open-pollination grown in an outdoor nursery environment in Zuidwolde, The Netherlands in July, 2007.
Asexual reproduction of the new Echinacea plant by micropropagation a controlled greenhouse environment in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands since November, 2007, has shown that the unique features of this new Echinacea plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.


A disclosed method of depositing a silicon film on a substrate mounted on a turntable and can pass by rotation through a first process area and a second process area, which are separately arranged along a peripheral direction in a cylindrical chamber set to have a first temperature capable of cutting a Si—H bond includes a molecular layer deposition step of supplying a Si2H6 gas set to have a second temperature less than the first temperature when the substrate passes through the first process area thereby forming a SiH3 molecular layer on a surface of the substrate, and a hydrogen desorption step of causing the substrate, on a surface of which the SiH3 molecular layer is formed, to pass through the second process area maintained to have the first temperature thereby cutting the Si—H bond and leaving only a silicon atomic layer on the surface of the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method of depositing a film and a film deposition apparatus, specifically to a method of depositing a film and a film deposition apparatus, with which a silicon film is formed on a substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
An Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) method of forming a film in a level of atomic layers and a Molecular Layer Deposition (MLD) method of forming a film in a level of molecular layers are known. With these ALD method and MLD method, it is possible to form a layer having a predetermined thickness. Therefore, it is possible to form a film having a good coverage property where a uniform thickness is obtainable by depositing the atomic or molecular layers.
According to "Research-Atomic Layer Deposition", [online], Tufts Plasma Engineering Laboratory, Internet URL: www.ece.tufts.edu/˜hopwood/lab/PEALD.htm, Search date: Jul. 27, 2012, and Jun-ichi Nishizawa, et. al, "Journal of the Electrochemical Society", 149 (7), G399-G402, 2002, methods of depositing films using the ALD method and the MLD method are disclosed as methods of depositing films. According to the methods of depositing films, at first, under an atmosphere of 450° C., disilane (Si2H6) is supplied onto a wafer using disilane (Si2H6) as reactive species (precursor) to thereby form a molecular layer of SiH3 on the wafer by adsorption. Thereafter, the atmosphere is increased to 550° C. to thereby break a Si—H bond. Thus, a bare silicon atomic layer is left on the wafer.

Method of depositing a film and film deposition apparatus


Protective layers, according to the prior art, achieve their protective function b depletion of a defined element that forms a protective oxide layer or that is exhausted as a sacrificial material. Once said material is exhausted, the protective function cannot be maintained. The invention is characterized by using particles (1) that contain a sustained-release depot of the exhaustible material. For this purpose, the material is present in a superstoichiometric form.

Components for high temperature applications, for example turbine blades and combustion chamber walls of gas turbines, have protective layers against oxidation and corrosion. Such layers consist, for example, of an alloy of the MCrAlX type, a protective aluminum oxide layer being formed on this MCrAlX layer. In this case, the aluminum of the MCrAlX alloy diffuses onto the surface of the MCrAlX layer, so that the MCrAlX alloy undergoes a depletion of the element aluminum.
However, a preventatively enhanced fraction of aluminum in the MCrAlX alloy from the outset, in order to counteract depletion, leads to poorer mechanical properties of the MCrAlX layer.
Moreover, compressor blades are known which are provided with protective layers against corrosion and erosion. In production, these have an inorganic binder with a metal, the metal serving as a galvanic sacrificial element therefore being connected electrically conductively to the substrate of the component. A suitable composition of such a protective layer is known from EP 0 142 418 B1.
Even here, there is the problem that the metal is in time consumed, so that the protective function is no longer performed.
Encased powder particles which consist of Al are known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,635,362.
EP 0 933 448 B1 discloses oxide particles in a layer consisting of an aluminide.
WO 2002/066706 A2 shows a matrix with encased particles which consist of stoichiometric alloys.

Matrix and layer system comprising non-stoichiometric particles


The present invention relates to a battery separator including: a porous substrate; and a layer of a crosslinked polymer supported on at least one surface of the porous substrate, in which the crosslinked polymer is obtained by reacting (a) a reactive polymer having, in the molecule thereof, a reactive group containing active hydrogen with (b) a polycarbonate urethane prepolymer terminated by an isocyanate group.

Lithium ion secondary batteries having a high energy density are extensively used in recent years as power sources for small portable electronic appliances such as cell phones and notebook type personal computers. Such a lithium secondary battery is produced through the steps of stacking or winding sheet-form positive and negative electrodes together with, for example, a porous polyolefin resin film, introducing the resultant stack into a battery container constituted of, for example, a metallic can, subsequently pouring an electrolyte solution into the battery container, and tightly sealing the opening of the battery container.
Recently, however, such small portable electronic appliances are exceedingly strongly desired to be further reduced in size and weight. Under these circumstances, lithium ion secondary batteries also are desired to be further reduced in thickness and weight. Battery containers of the laminated-film type have also come to be used in place of conventional metallic can cases.
Compared with the conventional metallic can cases, battery containers of the laminated-film type have a drawback that an areal pressure for maintaining electrical connection between the separator and each electrode cannot be sufficiently applied to electrode surfaces. Because of this, these battery containers have a problem that the distance between the electrodes partly increases with the lapse of time due to the expansion/contraction of the electrode active materials during battery charge/discharge, resulting in an increase in the internal resistance of the battery and hence in a decrease in battery characteristics. In addition, there is a problem that unevenness of resistance occurs in the battery and this also reduces battery characteristics.
In the case of producing a sheet-form battery having a large area, there has been a problem that the distance between the electrodes cannot be kept constant and the internal resistance of the battery becomes uneven, making it impossible to obtain sufficient battery characteristics.
In order to overcome such problems, it has been proposed to bond electrodes to a separator with an adhesive resin layer constituted of a mixed phase including an electrolyte-solution phase, a polymer gel layer containing the electrolyte solution, and a solid polymer phase (see, for example, patent document 1). Furthermore, a method has been proposed which includes coating a separator with a binder resin solution containing a poly(vinylidene fluoride) resin as a main component, subsequently stacking electrodes on the coated separator, drying the binder resin solution to form an electrode stack, introducing the electrode stack into a battery container, and then pouring an electrolyte solution into the battery container to obtain a battery in which the separator has been adhered to the electrodes (see, for example, patent document 2).
It has also been proposed to obtain a battery containing electrodes adhered to a separator, by bonding a separator impregnated with an electrolyte solution to positive and negative electrodes with a porous adhesive resin layer to bring the separator into close contact with the electrodes and cause the adhesive resin layer to hold the electrolyte solution in the through-holes thereof (see, for example, patent document 3).
However, those processes have had the following problem. The thickness of the adhesive resin layer must be increased in order to obtain sufficient adhesive force between the separator and each electrode. Because of this and because the amount of the electrolyte solution relative to that of the adhesive resin cannot be increased, the resultant battery has increased internal resistance. Consequently, sufficient cycle characteristics and sufficient high-rate discharge characteristics cannot be obtained.
Furthermore, in the battery in which the separator has been adhered to the electrodes with an adhesive resin as described above, the adhesive strength between the separator and each electrode decreases when the battery is placed in a high-temperature environment. As a result, there is a concern that the separator might thermally contract to cause short-circuiting between the electrodes. In addition, although the adhesive resin in the battery is in the state of being swollen with the electrolyte solution, the adhesive resin layer has high internal resistance because electrolyte ions are less apt to diffuse in the adhesive resin than in the electrolyte solution, and exerts adverse influences on battery characteristics.
On the other hand, with respect to porous substrates for use as battery separators, various production processes have been known hitherto. One known process is to produce a sheet made of, for example, a polyolefin resin and stretch the sheet at a high ratio (see, for example, patent document 4). However, the battery separator constituted of such a porous film obtained through high-ratio stretching has a problem that the separator considerably contracts in high-temperature environments, such as the case where a battery has undergone abnormal heating due to internal short-circuiting, etc., and in some cases, comes not to function as a partition between the electrodes.
Consequently, to reduce the degree of heat shrinkage of battery separators which occurs in such a high-temperature environment is regarded as an important subject for improving the safety of batteries. In this respect, a process for producing a porous film for use as a battery separator in order to inhibit the heat shrinkage of battery separators occurring in high-temperature environments is, for example, known. This process includes melt-kneading ultrahigh-molecular polyethylene together with a plasticizer, extruding the mixture through a die into a sheet form, and then extracting and removing the plasticizer to produce the porous film (see patent document 5). However, this process, in contrast to the method described above, has a problem that the porous film obtained has insufficient strength because this film has not undergone stretching.
Moreover, an attempt is recently being made to heighten the charge voltage of batteries as one measure in increasing the capacity of batteries. However, to thus heighten the charge voltage, on the other hand, poses a problem that a large amount of lithium is deintercalated from composite oxides of lithium and cobalt or nickel, which are generally used as positive-electrode active materials, to bring these composite oxides into a higher degree of oxidized state having higher reactivity. As a result, the separator, in particular, deteriorates considerably, resulting in battery performance deterioration.
In order to overcome such a problem, it has been proposed to form a porous layer of a fluororesin such as a polytetrafluoroethylene resin between a separator and a positive electrode (see patent document 6). For example, there is a statement therein to the effect that a preferred method for forming a porous polytetrafluoroethylene resin layer is to spray a suspension of a polytetrafluoroethylene resin on a separator and dry the suspension. However, the layer obtained using this method has an increased thickness to sacrifice battery capacity although rich in porosity. In addition, use of this separator necessitates a large amount of an electrolyte solution.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-09-161814
Patent Document 2: JP-A-11-329439
Patent Document 3: JP-A-10-172606
Patent Document 4: JP-A-09-012756
Patent Document 5: JP-A-05-310989
Patent Document 6: JP-A-2007-157459

Battery separator and battery using the same


A chiller system including an evaporator for evaporating a refrigerant and a water pipe in fluid communication with the evaporator. The water pipe is configured to allow water to pass through at a flow rate and to circulate the water with the evaporator to exchange heat with the refrigerant in the evaporator. The chiller system includes a flow restrictor tube within the water pipe that is configured to allow the water to flow through the flow restrictor tube at a reduced flow rate relative to the flow rate. The chiller system also includes a measuring probe that passes through walls of the water pipe and the flow restrictor tube and includes an accuracy range of flow rates less than the flow rate. The measuring probe is configured to measure the reduced flow rate within the flow restrictor tube where the reduced flow rate is within the accuracy range.

The present invention relates to fluid flow rate measurement devices, and more particularly to fluid flow rate measurement devices for water pipes in chiller systems.
Fluid flow rate measurement devices typically include a measuring probe that measures fluid flow in a water pipe. The fluid flow rate measurement device is used to measure actual fluid flow in the water pipe.
In chiller systems, a sufficient amount of water flow through the evaporator is important to inhibit the water from freezing in the evaporator. Extraneous factors such as pump malfunction, clogs in the water lines, or partial freezing of the water in the water lines can decrease the water flow rate to a rate insufficient to prevent freezing of the water in the evaporator. To ensure that the chiller does not continue to operate when water flow is insufficient to prevent freezing, the chiller system monitors the water flow rate using the input from the measuring probe and compares the measured flow rate to a water flow trip point. When the measured flow rate is at or below the water flow trip point, the chiller system is shut off in order to prevent water from freezing. A service technician is required to address the low water flow issue prior to restarting the chiller system.
In some cases, due to turbulence or a water flow sensor with high variability, an inaccurate water flow measurement resulting in a water flow measurement above the intended water flow trip point may cause the chiller system to be shut off unnecessarily. This is referred to as a "nuisance trip".


A sealed F-connector, with a threaded section and a recessed section adjacent the threaded section, has a ring-shaped elastomeric sealing member formed within the recessed section and affixed to the surface of the recessed section. When a connector shell from a mating connector is screwed on, the sealing member deforms as the connector shell screws on over the sealing member, thereby lining at least a portion of the internal thread of the connector shell and at least a portion of the recessed section of the F-connector. The deformed sealing member thereby establishes a barrier to the penetration of moisture between the F-connector and the mating connector.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to coaxial cable connectors.
2. Introduction to the Invention
A connector commonly used in coaxial cable systems is known as the F-connector. The F-connector is typically found on cables and devices from a cable tap at a distribution cable to equipment at a subscriber's premises. A male F-connector is typically used to terminate a coaxial cable. An F-connector having a female F-port may be used to connect a coaxial cable to a device, e.g. to a cable tap, splitter, etc. An F-connector having two female ports may be used to join two coaxial cables together. Because F-connectors are used in such large quantities, it has been necessary to develop F-connectors which are easily assembled and inexpensive. As used herein, the terms female connector, female F-port and F-port are considered synonymous.
A wire connecting the distribution cable to a subscriber's premises is commonly referred to as a dropwire. The dropwire is typically terminated with male F-connectors at both ends and connects to a female F-port at the cable tap and a female F-port at the subscriber's premises. In residential installations, it is common for the dropwire to connect to an F-port on a ground block which may be mounted to an outside wall of the subscriber's residence. Additional F-ports and male F-connectors may also be employed, e.g., with splitters, wall plates, and other devices, and associated cabling used to condition and distribute the cable signals to equipment located within the subscriber's premises.
The connections between the cable tap F-ports and the dropwire F-connectors, as well as connectors on other cabling and equipment situated outside, are all subject to attack from the elements, particularly ingress by moisture from rain and conditions of high relative humidity. In areas where this has posed a problem, attempts have been made to seal such connections. One means of sealing employs an elastic sealing sleeve which is first slipped over the end of the cable, and then, after the connectors are joined, the sleeve is repositioned over the connectors. Another means employs a ring-shaped compression gasket which fits around the female connector, and, upon screwing the male connector shell on the female connector, the compression washer forms a seal between the leading edge of the connector shell and an opposing face of the female connector. However, such compression washers can turn with the connector shell as the connector shell is screwed on, and provide a leak path through the center hole in the washer, between the washer and the outer surface of the connector. These approaches have provided some measure of protection for connections used in cable systems to date. However, they only provide a very modest sealing capability, and, in particular, do not adequately seal the threaded sections of the mating connectors. Moreover, with distribution cables and cable taps typically carried high above ground, it can be cumbersome for the craft person to install such sealing devices.
In another approach, a sealant element is contained within the connector shell. The sealant element deforms when the connector shell is screwed onto the threaded female connector. However, connector shells made by different manufacturers vary in certain dimensions, particularly with respect to the depth of the connector shell and the number of threads. Thus the effectiveness of the sealant may vary depending on the compatibility of the female connector with the connector shell on the male connector, and whether the craft person adequately tightens the connector shell on the female connector. In another approach, the sealant element may be a cylindrical sleeve which is compressed between the mating threads of the two connectors. However, such sleeves can require replacement upon reentry, which may also be a cumbersome task for the craft person.
It is also known to apply a liquid or strand-like sealing material to one or both of the threads of the mating parts prior to screwing on the connector shell. However, the integrity of the resulting seal is dependent upon the care with which the sealing material is applied, and is often neglected by craft persons under stressful or poor climate conditions.
With higher bandwidth and digital signals being introduced, and with cable systems beginning to carry power to the subscriber, there is a need in the cable television industry to provide an effective means of sealing coaxial cable connectors to resist signal degradation. There is likewise a need to provide a means of sealing such connectors which means is not cumbersome or dependent on the skill of the craft person. There is also a need to provide such a sealing means which is integral to the coaxial cable connectors to simplify the installation of the sealing means.


Described herein is a method of setting-up a range-based tracking system utilising a tracking coordinate system that uses a plurality of spaced apart stationary nodes for tracking objects within a tracking environment. The method includes the step of transmitting signals between the stationary nodes to obtain range information between at least a subset of pairs of the nodes and determining coordinates for all of the stationary nodes in a node coordinate system using these range information. The method also includes the step of obtaining spatial information related to at least one of the nodes, the spatial information being indicative of one or more features or locations within the tracking environment and determining the location of all stationary nodes in the tracking coordinate system, wherein some or all of the coordinates of the stationary nodes are used for tracking objects in the tracking system.

Any discussion of the background art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Wireless tracking systems generally refer to systems that track or locate a transceiver using wireless technologies, including transmission and reception of electromagnetic signals. Wireless tracking is beneficial in many practical applications to enhance worker safety and/or productivity, to allow for consumer location based services and to facilitate the delivery of sporting or entertainment services. More particularly, the knowledge of the location of people and mobile equipment over a period of time may be used to enhance the safety of people on a work site. Knowing the location of patients within a hospital or care facility enables assistance to rapidly reach them if they should go missing, fall or press a panic button. Tracking the location of people within a building may allow security staff to be alerted if a person enters an area to which they are not authorised. Tracking the location of emergency services personnel enhances their safety by enabling assistance to be rapidly dispatched via a known route to the correct location if required. Tracking athletes during sporting events or training provides valuable information for coaches for training and rehabilitation, and well as for use by the electronic media.
Many of the aforementioned applications require accurate tracking in indoor environments where satellite based tracking systems, such as GPS do not operate, hence a local positioning system (LPS) needs to be used. This must be tolerant to substantial multipath interference due to reflection of radio signals in the local environment. A number of wireless tracking techniques are well known in LPS systems to measure the position of mobile transceivers (or nodes). These techniques include multilateration which uses range measurements between nodes, triangulation which uses angle measurements between nodes, received signal strength (RSS) fingerprinting which compare RSS measurements to a database of previous measurements at known locations, and hyperbolic navigation which uses time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements. Multilateration is known to be most suitable for accurate tracking for sports applications. Range is typically computed based on measurement of time of arrival (TOA) of radio signals. It is also known that there are other methods to measure range that include but are not limited to the use of optical or acoustic signals, and measurement of the RSS of radio signals.
A typical range based tracking system consists of stationary reference nodes installed at fixed and known locations, and mobile nodes attached to the objects being tracked. The distance between each mobile node and local reference nodes is measured using wireless signals, and from this the location of each mobile node can be determined using well known principles such as multilateration.
A major impediment to the use of such systems is the skill and time required, and hence the relatively high cost involved, to initially setup the network. This usually requires manually determining the location of reference nodes, and can include generating a map of interest where a suitable map is not available. For example, to gain the required accuracy for tracking player movements on a sporting field it is usual to fix a plurality of spaced apart reference nodes at precisely defined locations. To gain the required precision in the location of those nodes it is usual to first undertake a survey of the tracking environment to gain the coordinates for each of the fixed reference nodes and coordinates of features of interest to provide a context for mobile node locations while they are being tracked. This survey typically involves skilled operators using specialised equipment.
Techniques are known for the self-calibration of sensors in tracking systems. For example, see "A Bilinear Approach to the Position Self-Calibration of Multiple Sensors", Crocco, M. et al., IEEE Transactions on signal processing, Vol. 60, No. 2, February 2012. However, these techniques involve applying anchorless localisation to reference nodes, which generates an arbitrary coordinate system that has no relation to the environment or application. Various other anchorless localisation techniques are known. Exemplary publications including anchorless localisation techniques include:    Popescu, D. C., et al., "A manifold flattening approach for anchorless localization" Wireless networks 18, No. 3, 2012. pages 319-333.    Chinese Patent Publication 102231911 B to Nanjing University of Technology entitled "Method for carrying out multidirectional scaling positioning on wireless sensor network by distance sensing".    US Patent Application Publication 2011/0140969 A1 to Ergen and Jalil entitled "Method and system for hybrid positioning using partial distance information".    W. S. Torgerson, "Multidimensional Scaling: I. Theory and Method", Psychometrika, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 401-419, December 1952.
The above techniques utilising anchorless localisation all make a contribution towards improving the efficiency of setting up a wireless tracking system. However, like Crocco et al., the coordinate systems generated by the techniques in the above references bear no relation to the environment or application in which the tracking is to be performed.
The inventors have realised that, by contrast, it is important to make use of feature nodes so that the mobile node locations computed by the tracking system have a known relationship to the environment. For example the use of feature nodes allows a map of the environment to be generated, updated, or an existing map aligned to the tracking system without requiring a skilled operator to conduct a survey.
Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.

Method of setting-up a range-based tracking system utilizing a tracking coordinate system

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation


A PET bottle forming machine used to mold clear plastic bottles of the type now widely used for mayonaise jars, cosmetic jars, perfume jars and the like, is modified to reduce the potential damage to such jars or containers at the time they are released from the machine. The machine includes an ejector pad, which enters into the open end of the container to center the container at the time a lip spreader operates to part the lip forming portion to release the container. The ejector pad is mounted on the end of a hollow rod, which extends through the pad. When the ejector pad is inserted into the open end of the container at the time of release, a vacuum is applied through the hollow rod to cause the container to be secured to the ejector pad. The hollow rod, with the ejector pad and container releaseably secured to it, then is lowered to place the bottom of the container on a support surface, at which time the vacuum is removed to release the container from the ejector pad. The support rod and ejector pad then are raised to an initial starting position for a repeat of the cycle.

Containers for a wide variety of products typically have been made of glass, steel or aluminum. In the beverage industry today, the smaller containers usually are made of aluminum, while PET plastic containers currently are used for larger sizes (1 and 2 liters, for example). While many applications for steel, aluminum or paperboard containers exist, these containers are not suited for applications where it is desirable for the contents to be visible through the container. In this latter case, glass containers have been in widespread use for many years.
A major disadvantage of glass containers, however, is that the containers necessarily are quite heavy if they are manufactured to be sufficiently strong to resist breakage. Even so, breakage is a common occurrence with glass containers; and the weight of glass containers significantly increases the shipping costs of whatever product is packaged within them.
Because of the inherent disadvantages of glass containers, the use of strong distortion-free lightweight plastic PET containers for products such as condiments, cosmetics, perfumes and the like has increased.
Machines for manufacturing clear PET plastic bottles or jars of the type widely used for mayonnaise, mustard, vegetables, pickles, cosmetics, perfumes and the like, typically are multi-stage molding machines. Frequently, the bottles or containers which are formed by these machines are clear, colorless plastic. In many applications, the bottle or container must be flawless (that is it must be without scratches or other imperfections) or it will be rejected by the packer who uses the container for packaging its product.
In prior art multi-stage PET bottle making machines, the bottles formed by the machine are released from the final stage, and are permitted to drop into a bin or container located beneath the machine, or are dropped onto a slide which directs them to a bin or container located adjacent the machine. Whichever of these prior art techniques are used, the bottles or containers fall against one another in random positions and must be removed from the containers by some means, typically manually, and packed for shipping. Alternatively, the bottles or containers are removed from the bins into which they are dropped; and they are placed on a conveyor or other apparatus for transport to a filling machine. All of this handling and the dropping of newly formed bottles into the container on top of bottles already in the container, results in scratches and damage to the bottles. Consequently, additional inspection is required; and containers are rejected as a result of damage caused by dropping them from the molding machine.
Various types of lifting and transporting mechanisms using vacuum pickup heads have been devised for various applications for moving articles from one point to another with minimum mechanical contact to the article being transported or moved by the mechanism. The patent to Ammon U.S. Pat. No. 3,033,604 is directed to a vacuum device for lifting and transporting cylindrical articles. The device of Ammon includes a centering ring surrounding the vacuum pickup heads; so that the articles are accurately located in the device. Nothing is inserted into the interior or open end of an article being moved; but the device makes contact with the closed end of a cylinder.
The patents to Hawkswell U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,473; Mang U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,233; Ragard U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,311; and Stannek U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,954 all are directed to different types of vacuum pickup devices, many of them used in the electronics industry for transporting integrated circuit parts from one position to another. None of these patents, however, are directed to a mechanism for transporting or handling open-ended containers such as plastic PET bottles.
It is desirable to provide a mechanism for use with a molding machine, particularly a PET molding machine, which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art mentioned above, which is simple and effective in operation, and which eliminates the dropping and random orientation of bottles delivered from the final stage of such machines.


A drinking vessel with retractable straw is provided having a container sealed by an upper lid. A straw linearly actuated within said upper lid such as to extend in a vertical, linearly actuated manner between an extended position and a retracted position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to drinking vessels with attachable or integrated drinking straws and, more particularly, to an otherwise conventional drinking vessel having a button actuated, retractable straw.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well-known in the art, drinking vessels such as cans, cups and, particularly, bottles are well known. As a particular example, bottled water is generally conventionally available in 16 or 20 ounce bottles, and carbonated beverages are also conventionally available in the same bottles or in 12 ounce cans. However, as purchased from retailers, such drinking vessels are unable to include an integrated drinking spout such as a straw and, as such, the fluid contained therein must either be consumed either by drinking directly from the nozzle of the vessel, placing of a separate straw within the beverage container, or by pouring the beverage out into a separate cup.
Numerous attempts have been made to correct for the foregoing. By way of example, the conventional method for attaching a straw to a beverage container has been by connecting a pivoting straw into the lid or cap of the container.
Consequently, a need has been felt for providing an apparatus and method which allows a user to access an attached straw to a drinking vessel with one hand.


A method of assembling a hermetically sealed printed circuit board includes: securing a flange of a cap against an electrical contact region on a first side of a substrate, the flange extending across a first end portion of a wall of the cap, the wall extending around the electrical contact region and including a second end portion disposed in an open configuration; and closing the second end portion of the wall to form a hermetically sealed chamber around the electrical contact region.

Powered surgical devices include electronic components, such as printed circuit boards, switches, sensors, etc., to enhance the control of functions of the surgical devices. The intelligence of such surgical devices result in a higher product cost compared to currently available disposable units. Accordingly, it would be beneficial if such intelligent devices are reusable.
Reusable surgical devices must be cleaned and sterilized prior to subsequent uses. Cleaning and sterilization procedures, however, are aggressive in nature. Cleaning (e.g., washing and/or disinfecting) utilizes alkaline solutions having high pH values (e.g., a pH of 11). Autoclaving (a common method of sterilization) utilizes high pressure superheated steam (e.g., 30 PSI @ 160° C. for 20 minutes). Such environments are known to damage various electronic components. For example, surgical devices may suffer from moisture ingress during cleaning and/or sterilizing procedures which, in turn, may corrode and/or degrade the electronic components.
The electronic components of reusable surgical devices may be protected from high temperatures, steam, and/or moisture by utilizing, for example, conformal coatings, potting, sealed enclosures, and/or overmolding. The electronic components, however, may still suffer from moisture ingress during cleaning and/or sterilizing procedures (e.g., cracking or delamination of conformal coatings), and/or may be damaged during application of the protective materials (e.g., heat damage during sealing of enclosures).
Thus, it would be beneficial if the durability of the electronic components is enhanced to improve the reliability of the electronic components and/or extend the effective cycle life of the surgical devices.

Hermetically sealed printed circuit boards


A toolholder (50) with a controllable critical angle, such as a lead, trailing, rake or clearance angles, includes a tool spindle (42a) for retaining the toolholder in a tool rest (42) of a machine tool. The machine tool (10) includes at least one linear axis, for example, three mutually perpendicular axes, a rotary axis and a rotation axis. The rotary axis and/or rotation axis is controllable to move to a specified position in synchronization with a movement of one of the linear axes. An adaptor (54) supports a cutting tool (56) that is retained in the adaptor by a clamp (58). The cutting tool (56) defines a critical angle, such as a lead angle, a trailing angle, a rake angle and a flank clearance angle, wherein the critical angle is corrected as a vector of movement of at least one of the linear axis is changed. In addition, the cutting tool (56) can be positioned on opposite side of a centerline of rotation of the workpiece to effectively double the life of the cutting tool. A method of controlling a toolholder (50) is also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tool holder with selectable critical angles, such as a lead angle, a trailing angle, a rake angle, and a flank clearance angle. More particularly, this invention relates to machine tool for turning and threading operations, such as a lathe or a machining center, that allows a specified relationship between the insert geometry and the work piece to be selectively determined by a software program of a numerically controlled machine tool to maintain a critical angle between the insert and the work piece as the geometry of the work piece changes.
2. Description of the Related Art
In most advanced machine tools, movement and control of the machine and its components are actuated by computer numerical controls (CNC). These machine tools are usually equipped with one or more turrets. Each turret can be equipped with a variety of tools and performs several operations on different surfaces of the work piece.
Typically, a turning operation is performed in two linear axes, such as the X- and Z-axes. A third linear axis, such as the Y-axis, can be added to a turning machine tool to support milling operations in that axis, but not turning operations. As a result, a dedicated tool holder has been required for each desired unique lead angle, thereby increasing the costs associated with the machining operation.
In addition, the rake face of the cutting insert in conventional threading tools is in the X- and Z-axes. As pitch angles increase, the angle between the rake face and the thread becomes significant. Likewise, the clearance angles must be changed, in particular on the leading edge where the angle of the thread may exceed the typical clearance angles, resulting in interference. Therefore, cutting inserts are frequently ground specifically for threads of a specific pitch angle. Manufacturers of such products with various pitch angles must therefore purchase and inventory cutting inserts specifically for each pitch angle.


The invention relates to a tumble disc bearing (100) to provide an efficient axial bearing for a rotating anode (216) of an X-ray source (212) having a tumble disc (102) for axially bearing the rotating anode (216), and a mounting component (120) for supporting the tumble disc (102). The mounting component (120) comprises an inner mounting face (122) for attaching to a supporting structure (194, 204). The mounting component (120) is supported in the tumble disc (102) at a tumble position (140) in which an inner supporting face (104) of the tumble disc (102) matches an outer supporting face (124) of the mounting component (120) such that the tumble disc (102) is enabled to perform a tumble motion in all directions in relation to the mounting component (120). The mounting component (120) is adapted to be inserted in an inserting position (142) traverse to the tumble position (140) into the tumble disc (102). At least one recess (110, 610) at the tumble disc (102) is provided for inserting at least one catch (150, 650) in an axial direction (160) of an anode rotation axis (162) and for engaging with the at least one catch (150, 650) to fixate the tumble disc (102) against a rotational movement (164) in relation to the support structure (194, 204) while maintaining the tumble motion of the tumble disc (102).

For example, X-ray tubes with a rotating anode have a bearing system for bearing the rotating anode, in particular a fluid metal lubricated system with radial and axial bearings, supported on both sides of the bearing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,064,719 relates to a rotary-anode X-ray tube having an axial tumble disc bearing system to reduce the friction losses in a hydrodynamic bearing system. The tumble disc bearing system comprises an inner bearing member and an outer bearing member, the inner bearing member having three bearing portions, wherein the first or the second bearing portion can perform a swinging motion about the axis of rotation during the rotation of the two bearing members. The tumble disc may be to connect to a still standing shaft with a pin engaging with a recess of the shaft.


Disclosed is an organic light emitting display device. The organic light emitting display device includes a white organic light emitting diode (OLED) formed in an emission area of each of a plurality of sub-pixels, a driving thin film transistor (TFT) configured to supply a driving current to the white OLED, a storage capacitor configured to include a first terminal coupled to the driving TFT and a second terminal coupled to an anode electrode of the white OLED, and a color filter formed in the emission area. At least one of a top metal of the storage capacitor and a top metal of the driving TFT is formed to not overlap the color filter.

Field
The present disclosure relates to an organic light emitting display device in which a color filter and a top metal of a driving thin film transistor (TFT) are formed to not overlap each other in a structure where a plurality of the color filters are formed on a lower substrate, thereby preventing short-circuit between the driving TFT and a storage capacitor.
Discussion of the Related Art
With the spread of various portable electronic devices such as mobile terminals and notebook computers, the demand for display devices applied to portable electronic devices is increasing.
Examples of display devices include liquid crystal display (LCD) devices, plasma display panels (PDPs), field emission display (FED) devices, organic light emitting display devices, and others.
Display devices are easily manufactured due to advances in manufacturing technology and have benefits that include low power consumption, a high-quality image, and a large screen. Thus, the diversity of applications of these display devices is expanding.
Among such display devices, organic light emitting display devices self-emit light from an organic light emitting diode (OLED), and thus have a broader viewing angle, a better contrast, and better luminance than LCD devices. Also, it is easy to lighten and thin the organic light emitting display device. In addition, the organic light emitting display devices have a fast response time and low power consumption, and thus are attracting much attention as next-generation display devices.
Hereinafter, among various display devices, an organic light emitting display device will be described as an example.
FIG. 1 is a view schematically illustrating a pixel structure of a related art organic light emitting display device, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A2 of FIG. 1 and a cross-sectional view taken along line A3-A4 of FIG. 1. In FIGS. 1 and 2, one green pixel among a plurality of red, green, and blue pixels is illustrated as an example.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of pixels are formed in a matrix type on a display panel, and one unit pixel is composed of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) sub-pixels (sub-pixels of three colors) or R, G, B, and white (W) sub-pixels (sub-pixels of four colors).
Each of the sub-pixels includes a driving circuit that drives the white OLED. The driving circuit includes a driving TFT 10 and a storage capacitor 20, which control emission of light from the white OLED, and a plurality of switching TFTs (not shown).
The driving TFT 10 and the plurality of switching TFTs (not shown) are formed in a dual-gate structure. In FIG. 2, a drain of the driving TFT 10 and the storage capacitor 20 are illustrated, but an active layer and a source electrode are not illustrated.
An overcoat layer for planarizing a substrate is formed on the driving TFT 10, the storage capacitor 20, and the color filter 30, and a bank defining an emission area is formed on the overcoat layer. An anode electrode 50 and the white OLED (not shown) are formed in the emission area of each sub-pixel, and a cathode electrode (not shown) is formed all over the substrate.
The white OLED emits white light from an organic material layer. In order to display a full-color image, a red color filter, a green color filter, and a blue color filter 30 are formed in each sub-pixel of a lower substrate (a TFT array substrate).
Here, a pigment of the color filter 30 contains a conductive material, and thus, an electrical resistance of the color filter 30 is low. Particularly, a pigment of the green color filter is a copper-containing compound (Cu-Phthalocyanine), and thus, a permittivity of the green color filter is high, causing a leakage current to electrically flow.
The drain of the driving TFT 10 and the storage capacitor 20 are formed adjacent to the color filter 30, a top metal 12 of the drain and a top metal 22 of the storage capacitor 20 are formed to overlap the color filter 30.
Therefore, the drain of the driving TFT 10 is short-circuited with the storage capacitor 20 by the green color filter.
FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram for describing a problem that the drain of the driving TFT 10 is short-circuited with the storage capacitor 20 by the color filter.
Referring to FIG. 3, even when the driving TFT 10 is floated, a leakage current flows from the storage capacitor 20 to the driving TFT 10 due to the color filter 30. For this reason, the OLED of the green sub-pixel emits light even during a non-emission period.
In an experiment in which the leakage current of the driving TFT 10 and the storage capacitor 20 caused by the color filter was measured, it was determined that the OLED excessively emits light due to the leakage current when a resistance of the color filter is equal to or less than 1 TΩ.
When the leakage current flows due to the green color filter having a low resistance, a gate-source voltage Vgs of the driving TFT 10 of the green sub-pixel is changed to 0 V with time. Under a condition in which a threshold voltage (Vth) of the driving TFT 10 is equal to or less than 0 V, when the gate-source voltage Vgs of the driving TFT 10 is 0 V, a current of several hundreds nA flows, and due to this, the OLED excessively emits light at luminance of several Nit or more.

Organic light emitting display device with short-circuit prevention


A semiconductor nanocrystal heterostructure has a core of a first semiconductor material surrounded by an overcoating of a second semiconductor material. Upon excitation, one carrier can be substantially confined to the core and the other carrier can be substantially confined to the overcoating.

Semiconductor nanocrystals have been a subject of great interest, promising extensive applications including display devices, information storage, biological tagging materials, photovoltaics, sensors and catalysts. Nanocrystals having small diameters can have properties intermediate between molecular and bulk forms of matter. For example, nanocrystals based on semiconductor materials having small diameters can exhibit quantum confinement of both the electron and hole in all three dimensions, which leads to an increase in the effective band gap of the material with decreasing crystallite size. Consequently, both the optical absorption and emission of nanocrystals shift to the blue (i.e., to higher energies) as the size of the crystallites decreases.
The quantum efficiency of emission from nanocrystals having a core of a first semiconductor material can be enhanced by applying an overcoating of a second semiconductor material such that the conduction band of the second semiconductor material is of higher energy than that of the first semiconductor material, and the valence band of the second semiconductor material is of lower energy than that of the first semiconductor material. As a result, both carriers, i.e., electrons and holes, are confined in the core of the nanocrystal.

Semiconductor nanocrystal heterostructures having specific charge carrier confinement


A support structure includes a column having multiple sides. A first side and a second side of the column are disposed at a first angle with respect to another. The second side and a third side of the column are disposed at a second angle with respect to another. The third side and a fourth side of the column are disposed at a third angle with respect to another. The fourth side and a fifth side of the column are disposed at a fourth angle with respect to another. The fifth side may be disposed at a fifth angle with respect to a sixth side and/or the first side of the column, in which the sixth side and the first side of the column may be disposed at a sixth angle with respect to another.

In oilfield exploration and production operations, floating vessels, such as semi-submersibles ("semis"), are commonly used for various offshore tasks, including, but not limited to, drilling rigs, safety platforms, and heavy lift cranes. For example, in an offshore environment with water depth greater than 120 meters, semis are used in because a fixed structure is not practical to build, maintain, or support in such great water depths. Furthermore, semis are advantageous over other floating vessels, such as drillships, as drillships are unstable in rough offshore conditions having large waves and strong tidal forces. As would be understood by one having ordinary skill, offshore semis are not limited to the aforementioned water depths described in the above example.
Referring to FIG. 1, a side view of a semi-submersible 113 in a typical marine environment is shown. A deck 101 sits above the surface of water 111. The deck 101 is typically used for drilling, production, or other operations and therefore operating equipment, personnel, and operation gear may be disposed thereon. The deck 101 may be supported by one or more support columns. As shown in this example, the deck 101 is disposed on support columns 103A and 103B and is therefore kept away from any large waves at the surface of the water 111. Support columns 103A and 103B are used to support the deck 101, but may also serve as storage. In addition, support columns 103A and 103B may be ballasted. A pontoon base 105 has the support columns 103A and 103B disposed thereon. The pontoon base 105 may be substantially rectangular in shape from a side view perspective, a plan view perspective, or both.
The semi-submersible 113 obtains buoyancy from ballasted pontoons or ballasted columns. As such, the ballasted structure(s) (ballasted pontoons or ballasted columns or both) may be filled with water or any other ballasting material (ballasting) or may release water or any other ballasting material (deballasting) to stabilize the semi-submersible 113. As shown, the semi-submersible 113 is anchored to the seabed 109 by anchor lines 107A and 107B. The anchor lines 107A and 107B may be wires, chains, or any other anchoring device known in the art that would keep the semi-submersible in a proper position with respect to the seabed 109. Furthermore, anchor lines may not be limited to only two lines as shown in this example. The semi-submersible 113 may be anchored by any number of anchor lines.
Alternatively, for use in marine environments with a shallower water depth, the semi-submersible 113 may be adapted to be disposed on seabed 109 without the use of anchor lines 107A and 107B. In this case, pontoon base 105 may be disposed on the seabed 109 and may be affixed to the seabed 109 using an affixing unit (not shown) to affix the pontoon base 105 and ultimately, the semi-submersible 113, to the seabed 109.

Multi-sided column design for semisubmersible


Sparsely distributed prefixes within a bitmapped multi-bit trie are compressed by one or more of: replacing a single entry table string terminating with a single prefix end node with a parent table entry explicitly encoding a prefix portion; replacing a table with only two end nodes or only an end node and an internal node with a single parent table entry explicitly encoding prefix portions; replacing two end nodes with a single compressed child entry at a table location normally occupied by an internal node and explicitly encoding prefix portions; and replacing a plurality of end nodes with a prefix-only entry located at the table end explicitly encoding portions of a plurality of prefixes. The compressed child entry and the prefix-only entry, if present, are read by default each time the table is searched. Run length encoding allows variable length prefix portions to be encoded.

A trie (from the middle four letters of "retrieve") is a hierarchical data storage structure for storing and retrieving information items. The stored items consist of an address-prefix (normally referred to as just "prefix") plus data, where the prefix is employed as a tag for identifying the associated data (i.e., the prefix is similar to a file name, and the data is like the file contents). An item's data is retrieved by searching for the associated prefix with the value of the prefix as the search key (similar to finding a file based on knowledge of the filename and then retrieving the file's contents).
Prefixes in trie structures are hierarchically organized according to numeric value into an easily searchable tree structure. In single bit (or unibit) tries, each bit within the prefix defines which branch is to be followed at the corresponding level of the data structure hierarchy, and is constrained in access speed by the need to read each bit. Multi-bit (or expanded) tries use several bits, referred to as the stride length, at a time during searching to improve access speed, requiring that prefixes of a size less than an exact multiple of the stride length be expanded to the next stride length boundary.
Bitmapped multi-bit tries employ bitmaps to eliminate redundant information, and thus reduce the amount of memory and operations required to hold and update the trie. While compact and easily modifiable, further reduction in the amount of memory required to represent a trie holding a given number of prefixes are possible.
There is, therefore, a need in the art for improving bitmapped multi-bit tries and the use of such structures.

Method for increasing average storage capacity in a bit-mapped tree-based storage engine by using remappable prefix representations and a run-length encoding scheme that defines multi-length fields to compactly store IP prefixes


An apparatus and method for slicing an RF signal and compensating for the slice level of an RF signal reproduced from a disk, which minimizes a block error rate by optimizing the slice level of the RF signal according to variations in symmetry of the RF signal when slicing the RF signal. A comparator converts the RF signal reproduced from the disk into a digital signal by comparing the RF signal with a slice level, a low-pass filter low-pass filters the digital signal and provides the result to the comparator as the slice level, and a slice level compensator compensates for the slice level provided to the comparator by the low-pass filter according to variations in symmetry of the RF signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for slicing a radio frequency (RF) signal in a disk drive, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for slicing a disk drive RF signal and compensating for the slice level of the RF signal, which is capable of optimizing the slice level of the RF signal in accordance with variation in the symmetry of the RF signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disk drives are devices for reproducing data recorded on a disk, such as CD-DA/ROM/R/RW or DVD-ROM/R/RW/RAM, or recording data on the disk. Such disk drives include an apparatus for slicing an RF signal, which converts an RF signal reproduced from a disk into a digital signal. FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a conventional apparatus for slicing an RF signal. Hereinafter, conventional processes for slicing an RF signal will be described with reference to FIG. 1.
When an RF signal reproduced from a disk (not shown) is applied to a positive terminal (+) of a comparator 101, the comparator 101, which is comprised of a Schmitt's trigger, slices the RF signal. In other words, the comparator 101 compares a level of a digital RF signal, which is fed back to a negative terminal (−) of the comparator 101 via a low pass filter 102, with a level of the RF signal, which is currently being applied to the positive terminal (+) of the comparator 101, and outputs a digitalized RF signal. The digitalized RF signal is called an "eight to fourteen modulation (EFM) signal."
As described above, the conventional apparatus for slicing an RF signal simply uses the result of low-pass filtering and the output of the comparator 101 as a reference level (slice level) required to slice an RF signal. Accordingly, if the degree of symmetry of an RF signal recorded on a disk is too high or the beta value of the RF signal is very low due to errors in disk mastering or recording, the information on the disk may not be normally reproduced and various errors may be caused that increase a block error rate.

Apparatus and method for slicing RF signal and compensating for the slice level of RF signal in disk drive


A method for reserving recording and viewing a broadcast program on a display screen includes the steps of extracting a broadcast program timetable; simultaneously displaying the broadcast program timetable and a viewing reservation timetable; waiting for a selection input to select a broadcast program on the display screen; waiting for an allocation input to allocate a selected program into the viewing reservation timetable; and generating recording instruction to instruct recording of the selected program and reproduction reservation instruction to instruct reproduction of the selected program at a time corresponding to a position at which the selected program is allocated in the viewing reservation timetable.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a program recording and viewing reservation system for performing recording and viewing reservation of a broadcast program on a display screen and a method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order for a user to select a TV program to be viewed, it is usual to view a TV program listing page on a newspaper or a TV program information magazine. Alternatively, there is a site for servicing a TV program listing on a WEB page of Internet in recent years, so that the user may see the TV program listing by a terminal device such as a personal computer or the like. Further, an electronic program guide referred to as EPG (Electronic Program Guide) is broadcasted in the digital TV broadcasting together with a TV program, so that, if the user employs a digital broadcasting-compatible TV receiving set, it is also possible to fetch out the electronic program guide from a broadcast wave by the remote control and display it on a TV screen. In the case that the electronic program guide and the TV program listing are displayed on a monitor screen such as a TV screen or the like, the TV program listing constituted in the same manner as that of the TV program listing which is shown in the TV program listing page of the newspaper is employed.
However, conventionally, the user reserved recording of a program which was selected from the electronic program guide (EPG) and viewed the recorded program (content) which was selected from a content list or the like. Accordingly, there was no means to easily realize a series of reservation operation from recording of the program till viewing it by the user friendly operation, for example, automatically recording a program which was broadcasted at a time when the user could not view it and automatically reproducing it at a time when the user wished to view it.

Program recording and viewing reservation system and method thereof


Packaging for tobacco industry products is disclosed. The packaging comprises a pack (2) for holding tobacco industry products, and an outer wrapper (3) enveloping the pack. The outer wrapper comprises a removable portion (17) arranged to prevent opening of the pack until the removable portion has been removed. One of the pack and the removable portion comprises a tamper evident feature that remains attached to the other of the pack or the removable portion after the removable portion is removed from the pack. A method of packaging tobacco industry products is also disclosed.

Known hinged-lid cigarette packs include a tax stamp that is adhered to the pack overlying a closure line between the hinged-lid and the body of the pack. The tax stamp includes a line of perforations aligned with the lid closure line, such that on opening the hinged-lid the tax stamp is broken, providing tamper evidence.

BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO (INVESTMENTS) LIMITED


A connector housing is provide and includes a single sheet of material, a plurality of first connection members, and a plurality of second connection members. The single sheet of material includes a top wall, a pair of side walls, a bottom wall having a first bottom wall portion and a second bottom wall portion connected to the pair of side walls, and a partition member disposed between the top wall and the bottom wall to partition an inner space defined by the top wall, the pair of side walls and the bottom wall. The plurality of first connection members are disposed along one of the pair of longitudinal edge portions, while the plurality of second connection members are disposed along the other of the pair of longitudinal edge portions. The plurality of first connection members are keyed with the plurality of second connection members, respectively.

A known connector housing is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and generally includes an upper housing 10, a lower housing 20 and a partition member 30. As shown, the upper housing 10, the lower housing 20 and the partition member 30 are individual pieces separated from one another. Accordingly, the known connector housing require at least individual pieces. This known connector housing is generally provided with multi-ports configuration. As shown, an inner receiving space of the connector housing is divided into two insertion ports, which are disposed side by side in the same layer, by the partition member 30.
These known connector housings (also named as a connector cage or a shielding housing of a connector), which have the upper housing 10, the lower housing 20 and the partition member 30 separated from one another, generally have poor structural strength that may lead to structural cracks. Furthermore, if the insertion port has a parallelogram configuration, and four side walls forming the parallelogram constitute separate four-part configuration, connector housing exhibits a parallelogram effect, i.e., the ports of the connector housing swing towards two sides of the connector housing. Also, it is hard to control the dimension of each member with respect to assembling the connector housing. In addition, a rubber shield ring may be scratched due to sharp protrusions apt to be formed on the ports of the connector housing.
Furthermore, complex steps are required to assemble the upper housing 10, the lower housing 20 and the partition member 30, which are separated from one another, which results in poor manufacturing efficiency and difficulty in achieving efficient automatic machining process.


In a network in which devices are classified into a plurality of layers, a physical first line is connected to an outdoor unit and a first indoor unit, which are first-layer devices, and a physical second line is connected to a second indoor unit, which is a second-layer device. A first intermediary unit, which is a first intermediary device, includes a first filter always connected to the first line and the second line. The first intermediary unit communicates with the outdoor unit and the second indoor unit via a first signal. The first filter is installed so as not to attenuate a high-frequency first signal used for communication among the outdoor unit, the first indoor unit, the first intermediary unit, and the second indoor unit and so as to attenuate a low-frequency second signal used for communication between the first intermediary unit and the second indoor unit.

In the related art, there are known network systems for performing information transmission between devices, examples of which include, as described in PTL 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-219983), a network system for performing information transmission between a plurality of air-conditioning indoor units and a plurality of air-conditioning outdoor units. In such a network system, a plurality of devices such as a plurality of air-conditioning indoor units and a plurality of air-conditioning outdoor units are connected by physical lines, and information is transmitted via a communication signal carried over the physical lines.
In a network in which a plurality of devices are connected by a communication line, the plurality of devices may be divided into a plurality of layers, for example, a first layer and a second layer, with an intermediary device therebetween, the intermediary device being disposed in the middle of the network. In such a network, in some cases, it is desired to perform overall communication using a common line without distinguishing between devices belonging to the first layer and devices belonging to the second layer. In such a network, furthermore, in some cases, it is desired to perform communication among only devices belonging to the first layer using the line described above. In such a network, furthermore, in some cases, it is desired to perform communication among only devices belonging to the second layer using the line described above.


A pulse light source device for creating fs output pulses, includes a driver source device including a ps laser pulse source for creating a ps laser pulse output, a first beam splitting device for splitting the ps laser pulse output to first and second ps driver pulses, a first spectral broadening device for creating first fs driver pulses by spectrally broadening the first ps driver pulses, an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) device for creating CEP stabilized second fs driver pulses, and for seeding on the basis of the first fs driver pulses and pumping with the second ps driver pulses, wherein the second fs driver pulses include idler pulses of the OPA device, and a second spectral broadening device for creating the fs output pulses, and arranged to be driven on the basis of the second fs driver pulses. Furthermore, a method of creating fs output pulses is described.

For describing the background of the invention, particular reference is made to the following publications:    [1] G. Cirmi et al. in "J. Opt. Soc. Am. B" vol. 25, no. 7, p. B62 (2008);    [2] G. M. Rossi et al. in CLEO 2014 conference, San Jose, USA, (Optical Society of America, Washington, D C, 2014), SF1E.3;    [3] S.-W. Huang et al in "Nature Photonics" vol. 5, p. 475 (2011);    [4] 0. D. Mücke et al. in CLEO 2013 conference, San Jose, USA, (Optical Society of America, Washington, D C, 2013);    [5] A. Harth et al. in "Opt. Express" vol. 20, p. 3076 (2012);    [6] 0. Mücke et al. in "Optics Letters" vol. 34, p. 118 (2009);    [7] Hanieh Fattahi et al. in "Optica" vol. 1, p. 45-63 (2014);    [8] US 2014/0139921 A1;    [9] WO 2011/157284 A1;    [10] CN 101764341;    [11] CN 201252335;    [12] CN 201054063;    [13] CN 101320191;    [14] WO 2007/149956 A2; and    [15] A.-L. Calendron in "Opt. Express" vol. 21, p. 26174 (2013).
In strong field physics, there is a need for high-energy light pulses with multi-octave bandwidth, e. g. for initiating events occurring within one optical cycle or for creating as (attoseconds) pulses. It is generally known that such high-energy pulses with multi-octave bandwidth cannot be generated by regular laser gain media, but by optical frequency synthesis techniques and nonlinear pulse broadening (e. g. [3]). Multiple amplifiers operated in different spectral regions and pulse shaping (e. g. [8]) are used for creating broadband spectra, wherein frequency synthesis is flexible in spectral shaping allowing tuning of the pulse shape (e. g. [7]). Because of a broad and tunable amplification bandwidth, optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs) or optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers (OPCPAs) are typical used in frequency synthesizers. OPAs and OPCPAs require broadband seed pulses and high-energy pump pulses. Due to the direct electric field driven processes e. g. in high-harmonics generation or tip emission processes, carrier envelope phase (CEP) stability of the seed pulses is required. The front-end has thus to be CEP stable before the amplification with follow-on OPAs, typically at kHz repetition rates.
The main methods to achieve CEP stability are either active or passive CEP stabilization techniques. Actively CEP stabilized systems (e. g. [14]) are based on fast feedback loops controlling the intracavity pulse dynamics of a laser oscillator, which will be used as a seed pulse source for further amplification. These systems are very complex and subject to failure and instabilities. In addition, they would be sensitive to timing jitter of the pump lasers in follow on amplification stages.
In passively CEP stabilized systems (e. g. [1], [2], [4], [7], [9]-[13]), the same pulses are used to generate e. g. the CEP-stable seed-pulses for the signal channel and the seed-pulses for the pump pulse channel in OPAs and/or OPCPAs. For example, according to [9], a driver pump source with three outputs is used, the first and second one for generating CEP stable broadband pulses and the third one seeding the pump line for OPA or OPCPA based amplification. For obtaining a CEP-stable seed source, difference frequency generation was employed. The passive systems are more reliable because they do not rely on broadband oscillators and elaborate electronics and they are immune to timing jitter of the oscillator pulses.
A first group of conventional passively CEP stabilized systems is based on either Ti:Sapphire (e. g. [1], [2], or [4]) or fiber based pump technologies, which provide sub-500 fs pulses. Ti:Sapphire pump lasers have an inherent and fundamental limitation on average power due to the high heat load inside the crystals. Even if Ti:Sapphire pump technology sustains high-pulse energy, it is limited in average power because of the high quantum defect causing thermal problems. The current fiber technology provides high average power at the expense of pulse energy due to nonlinear effects inside the fiber gain medium. Due to the above limitations, the conventionally used pump sources have general disadvantages in terms of non-scalability of the achievable spectrum and pump energy.
Another group of conventional passively CEP stabilized systems uses Yb-based driver lasers (e. g. [6] or [7]). According to [6], a system is described, which relies on passive CEP stability, an Yb-based driver laser and white-light continuum generation (WLG) in bulk at 515 nm. The driver of the WLG process is the second harmonic of the Yb-based driver laser, resulting in disadvantages in terms of stability and complexity of the set-up. White-light generated at 515 nm is less stable and requires more complicated setup because of multi-photon absorption. The band-gap of suitable materials is typically 5-7 eV and third harmonic generation can contribute to the WLG process. Usually, for WLG at 515 nm, the material needs to be constantly moved or rotated for avoiding degradation and damage. This movement introduces further instabilities, which are incompatible with CEP stabilization. As a further disadvantage of [6], there is no multi-octave WLG from a CEP stable idler.

Pulse light source device and method for creating fs pulses


A head is moved in a lateral direction on the boundary between a separation track and a recording track on a recording medium. The separation track isolates the adjacent recording tracks from each other. A variation is detected in the output supplied from the head based on the recording track. Positional information indicating the position of the head is generated based on the variation. The output supplied from the head varies in response to the movement in the lateral direction, namely the elapsed time. The positional information can thus be generated based on the variation in the output. The generated positional information contributes to an accurate positioning in a facilitated manner. Moreover, information required to position the head can be omitted from the recording medium. The processes can be simplified in the production of the recording medium. The operation time can thus be shortened.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording medium drive allowing a head to be positioned on a recording track on a recording medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A so-called discrete track medium is well known. The medium of this type includes separation tracks each isolating the adjacent recording tracks. Data sectors and servo sectors are alternately arranged on the recording track in the circumferential direction. The information is read out of the servo sector for positioning the head on the recording track.
A method of making the aforementioned medium includes forming the recording tracks and the separation tracks on a substrate. The magnetic information is written into the servo sectors on the recording medium. However, it is difficult to position the magnetic information on the recording tracks. The working time gets increased in positioning the magnetic information with a higher accuracy. The production cost thus increases.

Method of detecting position of head for recording medium


An audience rating system for digital television and radio, using identification codes in control streams of time-multiplexed digital transmissions. When a television set or radio, that is being monitored pursuant to the system, is turned on and tuned into a channel, and each time that the channel is changed, an identification code for each audio, video or auxiliary digital stream of the channel is extracted from the control stream, and recorded along with the time. The time is also recorded when the television set or radio is turned off. This data makes it possible to determine what stations, channels, and programs members of the audience being monitored are watching or listening to at any particular time. In the first preferred embodiment, the multiplexed digital transmission is received separately by the television set or radio (or an attached IRD) and a meter connected to it. The meter compares digital streams of the channel being received by the television set or radio with digital streams of each of the channels in the multiplexed digital transmission, until it finds a match. In the second preferred embodiment, the meter does not receive the multiplexed digital transmission separately, but has access to elementary streams extracted from the transmission by an IRD, and extracts identification codes for the channels being received from their elementary streams. The elementary stream may be accessed through an auxiliary connector in a digital decoder, through an access control card connector, or through soldering electrical connections to internal points in the IRD.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for audience rating systems for digital television and radio.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The television and radio industries and commercial advertisers have an obvious interest in knowing how many people are watching or listening to particular stations and programs. Various systems of audience rating have been developed for analog television and radio, of which the most accurate use a meter that is connected to the television set or radio, that records when the receiver is turned on and off, and what channels or frequencies it is tuned to. Digital television and radio are now being introduced, and are expected to eventually completely replace analog television and radio. The existing rating devices for analog televison and radio either will not work at all with digital television and radio, or will work only poorly. The present invention is a method of audience rating for digital television and radio, that uses an apparatus that can be connected to a digital televison set or radio. It makes use of identification codes in the control stream of multiplexed digital transmissions to record the channel being received.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,804, issued on Oct. 15, 1985, Burton L. Greenberg, discloses a method and apparatus for the automatic identification and verification of commercial broadcast programs. A digital encoded identifying number is embedded in the programs, by which they can be automatically monitored, to verify that they have been broadcast as and when intended. However, the digital number is embedded in what is otherwise an analog program. This method is usable only during the transition period from analog to digital broadcasting technology, when some digital equipment or connection is in use together with older analog equipment or connections. It will not work when the broadcasting stations have fully digital operations, e.g., recording a program in digital form, storing it digitally on tape or disk, performing nonlinear digital edits and digital commercial insertions, and transmitting digitally in the air, or delivering a digital stream to a cable or satellite operator to multiplex with other digital streams. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it is fully digital and will work with broadcasting that is fully digital, and it is designed for audience ratings, rather than broadcast verification.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,974, issued on Mar. 3, 1987, to Robert J. Butler and Ronald G. Schlameuss, discloses a system for the automatic insertion of auxiliary video information into an analog television signal. The system may be used by a local station to insert its call letters or logo into network programming. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it uses digital signals in digital broadcasts, and is designed to monitor receivers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,209, issued on Sep. 29, 1987, to David Kiewit and Daozheng Lu, discloses a method and apparatus for identifying television programs, by detecting the occurrence of events such as scene changes in a video signal, and extracting a signature from the signal. Signatures and their times of occurrence are stored and compared with reference signatures to identify the program. As the system is independent of the format used to transmit the signal, it will work with both analog and digital television. It has the disadvantage of requiring that a large volume of reference data be collected for every possible station and program being transmitted, and for every site monitored, which will require a large computing capacity and a long computing time to correlate the two sets of data to determine which station or program is being received at each monitored site at each instant that each receiver is turned on. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it is designed to monitor the reception of digital transmissions only, and will work efficiently with such transmissions, by using identification codes in their control streams.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,503, issued on Nov. 20, 1990, to Everett V. Zurlinden, discloses a method and apparatus for determining the channel to which a remotely controlled television receiver is tuned. While it is independent of the format (analog or digital) used to transmit the signal, its implementation on a mass scale for audience ratings will not be practical, as it requires an individual hardware or software adaptation to each remote control used in the monitored sites to determine what function is activated when a key pressing is detected. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that requires no such adaptation to remote controls, and may be implemented even if a remote control is not used.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,019,899, issued on May 28, 1991, to Glenn M. Boles et al., discloses an electronic data encoding and recognition system for creating digital signatures from frames of selected video segments such as television commercials by a digitalizing, compression and selection process which produces a multi-digit signature from each frame. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it uses digital signals in digital broadcasts, and may be used to monitor receivers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,988, issued on Jan. 11, 1994, to Jean P. Dejean, Enrico Massetti, Ken Straub and Everett Zurlinden, discloses a method and apparatus for determining the transmitting station from which analog program signals are received and translated by a monitored receiver within a test area. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it is designed to detect and. record the reception of digital transmissions by digital receivers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,100, issued on Jun. 13, 1995, to William L. Thomas, Paul C. Kempter and David H. Harkness, discloses a multi-level encoded signal monitoring system and a universal broadcast code for identifying programs, commercial, networks, stations, etc. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it is designed for and will work with fully digital programming, and does not require multiple levels of encoding.
U.S. Pat No. 5,450,122, issued on Sep. 12, 1995, to Leonard D. Keene, discloses an in-station method and apparatus for encoding analog television programs, including commercials, with a digital identification code recorded on a selected video scan line which is not normally visible to the television viewer, and for verifying the proper airing of such programs by television broadcast stations. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it is designed for determining audience ratings for digital television and radio.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,490, issued on Sep. 12, 1995, to James M. Jensen et al., discloses apparatus and methods for including an inaudible code in an analog audio signal, and for decoding it. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it uses identification codes in the control streams of multiplexed digital transmissions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,512,933, issued on Apr. 30, 1996, to Mark A. Wheatley and Peter Wilcox, discloses a system for identifying a program stream being displayed at a receiver location, by measuring the relative luminance of a plurality of predetermined areas in each frame of a television transmission, at both the transmitting station and the receiver. As the system is independent of the format used to transmit the signal, it will work with both analog and digital television. But, as with Kiewit et al., supra, it has the disadvantage of requiring that a large volume of reference data be collected for every possible station and program being transmitted, and for every site monitored, as well as requiring a large computing capacity and a long computing time to correlate the two sets of data to determine which station or program has been received at each monitored site at each instant that the receiver was turned on. As before, the instant invention is distinguishable, in that it is designed to monitor the reception of digital transmissions only, and will work efficiently with such transmissions, by using identification codes in their control streams.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,962, issued on Nov. 12, 1996, to Michel Fardeau et al., discloses a method and apparatus for automatically identifying a program, by adding an inaudible encoded message to the audio signal. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that it is designed for multiplexed digital transmissions, and uses identification codes already present in their control streams.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,646,675, issued on Jul. 8, 1997, to Robert C. Copriviza et al., discloses a system and method for monitoring the reception of video program material, using codes inserted on scan lines. Again, the instant invention is distinguishable, in that it is designed for multiplexed digital transmissions, and uses identification codes already present in their control streams.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.

Audience rating system for digital television and radio