A method and system for automatically generating reference height data for use in a 3D inspection system are provided wherein local reference areas on an object are initially determined and then the height of these local reference areas are determined to generate the reference height data. When the object is a printed circuit board, the local reference areas are located relative to predetermined interconnect sites where solder paste is to be deposited or components placed and from which the relative height of the solder paste or components is to be determined using the reference height data during the subsequent inspection process.

This invention relates to methods and systems for automatically generating reference height data for use in a three-dimensional inspection system. The invention is particularly well adapted for use in 3D inspection systems for solder paste and component inspection where 3D data is to be obtained from at least one reference region of the circuit. A baseline (zero) reference height data is used to calculate the height of paste, leads, or components. Other applicable calculations and measurements include area, volume, x and y position and orientation.
Over the past several years, the use of 3D inspection for solder paste, components, microelectronic assemblies etc. has proven to be beneficial for both process control and random defect detection. In particular, 3D systems have shown capability of correlating defects at the end of line (i.e., electrical test) with solder paste volume. Hence, 3D process control can be used to maximize yield. Unfortunately, because board warpage is on the order of the inspection tolerance, and additional stackups include tilt and positioning of the board, some method of finding a baseline local reference plane or surface is needed.
The data to provide such a reference may be obtained from bare or covered conductor traces, pads, 3D fiducials, board fiducials, ground planes, or fiberglass backgrounds. Specially fabricated opaque 3D fiducials which have built-in contrast and predetermined locations, would perhaps be ideal but are not practical in many cases due to retooling cost. Therefore, data from the circuit boards, the configurations of which vary greatly, is needed.
SMT boards are being produced with increasing density and, when vision systems are utilized for inspection, time-consuming setup procedures are often required to xe2x80x9cteachxe2x80x9d the inspection locations and criteria for 3D inspection. In contract manufacturing environments, where changeover is frequent, time-consuming setup reduces the value of the vision system in the overall process. In contract manufacturing environments changeover is so frequent that use of CAD data and supplementary data like Gerber files becomes unwieldy due in part to limited availability of such information.
Although the use of CAD download to specify interconnect locations (i.e., chip pad sites) has mitigated the problem to some degree, the CAD data often lack specific, or at least the best, information needed for 3D inspection. 3D inspection and measurement systems require a height reference for accurately determining the height, area, and volume of solder paste and/or lead or component height, presence/absence, and position (x,y, and orientation). For example, it is desirable to place inspection windows on bare conductor pad regions in close proximity to a paste deposit, but this is rarely possible because available pad areas will be covered by paste. In order to define an accurate height reference plane at the feature to be inspected, numerous reference sites surrounding the feature need to be defined. Special board designs to place fiducials at predetermined locations are possible, but rarely practical because of board re-tooling and design costs. As a result, traces on the board, which may be covered by solder mask, are often manually specified by the user to provide reference height information. Manually identifying reference points to do 100% inspection of a large (18xe2x80x3xc3x9718xe2x80x3) board can take several hours. Contract manufacturers require the programming of such a board to be less than 30 minutes, and preferably much less.
A system which provides the benefit of three-dimensional inspection, which is preferably 100% of every board, yet provides a method for fast, automatic learning, is advantageous. Built-in error detection is particularly advantageous in contract PCB manufacturing environments where frequent changeover is required and many board designs are produced in relatively low volume.
Mengel, P., xe2x80x9cAutomated Inspection of Solder Joints on PC Boards By Supplementary Processing of 3D and Gray-Level Imagesxe2x80x9d, IECON 1990, November 1990 discloses the use of 3D and gray-level information for PCB inspection, including the use of CAD/CAM data for specifying the geometric positions and tolerances of components. In the absence of CAD data, a xe2x80x9cteach-inxe2x80x9d on a sample PCB is performed. xe2x80x9cAn interactive interfacexe2x80x9d is disclosed which permits correction or optimization of testing instructions for special format devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,828, Doemens et al., discloses the use of evaluation windows on a PCB for recognizing defects of interconnects and defines zero datum. A triangulation-based 3D sensor is used for measurement. Also disclosed is the use of a detector for fluorescent light arising upon incidence of the laser beam on the insulating material. The invention includes a step of comparing the dimensions of the interconnect with stored spacing criteria by identifying the width or areas having a height of zero. Scan fields offset with respect to one another are used to determine warping.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,204, Shigeyama et al., discloses a 3D inspection machine for measuring the position, area, and thickness of amount of creamed solder and comparing with stored reference data. The sensor is effectively a phased shifted 3D Moire system. An inspection file is produced by downloading CAD data for a screen mask.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,449, Kobayashi et al., discloses a method for teaching without exclusively using the inspection machine. Data about pictures and decision criteria are stored and composed, and by being externally obtained, avoids manual entry operation. An adjustment step is provided for parameters including the positions of components, data of lands, bridge detection, and mounting qualities. Also, step ST17 is teaching modification to modify data which results if the xe2x80x9cimproper portion is found as the results of the automatic inspectionxe2x80x9d.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,152, Bilodeau et al., discloses the use of opaque fiducials as index pads (reference points) xe2x80x9cdesigned inxe2x80x9d at predetermined locations of a substrate for coplanarity and warpage determination. This approach generally must be included at the board design stage which would incur substantial tooling costs and delays.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,973, Wasserman, combines video camera inspection with structured light for solder paste detect detection and statistical process control.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,353, Raymond, discloses relative height measurement of components where xe2x80x9ckey pointsxe2x80x9d, which may be points on the board under test or on components, are used and the height measurement compared with a reference to determine faulty placement. The preferred height detection system disclosed is a triangulation-based PSD point detection system. Component-bycomponent programming, automatic or manual, can include parts list, component and board geometries, machine instructions, and solder paste stencil information. The use of a miniature video camera is suggested for manual fiducial alignment and for manually specifying key points for each component. The set of key points for component measurement preferably includes at least one reference.
None of the prior art references teach or disclose a method and system for automatic learning of reference points in a 3D inspection machine, wherein a machine vision subsystem automatically locates and analyzes image data for establishing a baseline height reference.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for automatically generating reference height data for use in a three-dimensional inspection system.
In carrying out the above object and other objects of the present invention, a method is provided for automatically generating reference height data for use in a 3D inspection system. The method includes automatically determining positional location of at least one local reference area on an object separate from but relative to a predetermined site on the object.
Preferably, the step of automatically determining includes the steps of imaging the object to obtain image data and processing the image data to obtain the location of the at least one local reference area.
The object may be a printed circuit board and the predetermined site may be an interconnect site. The step of processing the image data may include the step of processing the image data with conductor coordinate information which represents location and/or connectivity of conductor runs separated from the interconnect site.
The step of sensing may include the step of imaging.
The predetermined site may be substantially coplanar to the at least one local reference area. Also, the step of sensing may include the step of sensing height of a plurality of portions of the at least one local reference area to obtain data and processing the data to obtain the corresponding signal.
Also, the step of automatically determining may automatically determine locations of a plurality of substantially planar local reference areas wherein the step of sensing senses height of at least a portion of the plurality of local reference areas and generates corresponding signals and wherein the step of processing processes the signals to obtain the reference height data.
Further in carrying out the above object and other objects of the present invention, a system is provided for automatically generating reference height data for use in a 3D inspection system. The system includes a machine vision subsystem for automatically determining location of at least one local reference area on an object separate from but relative to a predetermined site on the object. The system includes a 3D sensor for sensing height of at least a portion of the at least one local reference area on the object and generating a corresponding signal. Still further, the system includes a signal processor for processing the signal to obtain the reference height data.
The machine vision subsystem typically includes an imaging section to image the object to obtain image data and a data processing section for processing the image data to obtain the location of the at least one reference area. The imaging section may include a video camera.
The 3D sensor may be a triangulation sensor and preferably the triangulation sensor includes a laser scanner.
The object may be a printed circuit board and the predetermined site may be an interconnect site.
The predetermined site is preferably substantially coplanar to the at least one local reference area.
The 3D sensor may be part of the machine vision subsystem.
The 3D sensor may include a projector for projecting a point, line grid, or other pattern onto the local reference area.
Still further in carrying out the invention, a method and system are provided in which a height sensor acquires location information for establishing a height reference. The height reference is located relative to predetermined interconnect sites where paste is to be deposited or components placed, and from which the relative height of solder paste or components is to be determined using the reference heights during the subsequent inspection process. An algorithm determines the location of an appropriate set of reference point locations and designates at least the x,y coordinate information for later use by the inspection program.
The algorithm automatically determines from image data, acquired prior to executing an inspection algorithm, the position relative to the interconnect for placement of at least one reference box or areas from which the relative height of solder paste or components is to be determined.
A plurality of reference boxes may be for a reference surface, such as a plane, which substantially intersects the interconnect location in three dimensions.
The learning algorithm may be executed using a bare circuit board, a board with solder paste deposits, a board with components attached, and may be supplemented with CAD information.
The locations where the reference boxes are to be placed may generally be distant and disjoint from image regions where the interconnects are located.
In a preferred method and system, all the height reference locations on the circuit board are found automatically, but an alternative semi-automatic embodiment in which interaction with the operator through a user interface to guide the learning process is within the scope of the invention provided a subset of all height reference point locations are found without operator supervision.
Alternatively, a xe2x80x9clearn on the flyxe2x80x9d algorithm automatically determines from image data, acquired during the execution of the inspection program, the position relative to the interconnect for placement of reference boxes from which the relative height of solder paste or components is to be determined.
The xe2x80x9con the flyxe2x80x9d approach may avoid archival storage of the reference locations prior to an initial inspection. The reference data may be recalculated during the inspection process, or stored in memory.
The imaging system and/or computer used for the automatic learning phase may be physically separated from that of the inspection system, resulting in an xe2x80x9coff-linexe2x80x9d learning environment.
The algorithm may search a region in the proximity of an interconnect, for a conductor in close proximity to the interconnect, or a conductor connected to the interconnect.
Conductor surfaces are preferred for reference points, or traces covered with dielectric.
However, the algorithm may elect to use surfaces other than the conductors, for example, the fiberglass board surface if the corresponding height data is accurate.
The algorithm may store the height data from a reference box for later use and comparison with specifications.
The stored height data may be the average height obtained from height data in the reference box.
In contrast to the average height from the entire reference box, the calculated height may be from data points from a portion of the box, where the data points are obtained from a segmentation algorithm.
The algorithm may search the perimeter of the image for conductor traces; the conductor traces may run in the horizontal, vertical or diagonal directions.
The algorithm may include regions other than conductor traces, including, for example, ground planes, fiberglass, silk-screened areas, patterns which are laser marked or etched, or a suitable combination thereof.
The algorithm may perform an automatic thresholding operation which locates a reference surface in a reference box comprising image data from both the reference surface and the background.
The algorithm may perform an automatic thresholding operation which locates a reference surface in an image where the solder paste is deposited on the interconnect sites, and the resulting information may be stored.
The algorithm may perform xe2x80x9cblobxe2x80x9d or region analysis on the data resulting from the automatic thresholding operation, where the blob is formed by a segmentation operation to distinguish the background region from the reference data.
The blob analysis may include area, length, width, perimeter, aspect ratio or similar measures.
The blob may correspond to a portion of a conductor trace bounded by a reference box.
The blob may correspond to a region having substantially homogeneous grey-scale or height data, as often found for fiberglass and ground plane materials.
The image data may be supplemented with conductor coordinate information describing the location and/or connectivity of conductor runs separated from the interconnect. The algorithm automatically determines from image data, acquired prior to inspection, the position relative to the interconnect for placement of reference boxes from which the relative height of solder paste or components is to be determined. For instance, this may be provided as a xe2x80x9cGerber file, xe2x80x9d where the coordinate information is used to distinguish conductor image data from other circuit board materials (i.e. a xe2x80x9cknowledge basedxe2x80x9d segmentation algorithm).
At least one channel of height information is required in the inspection system but the image data for automatic learning and determination of box locations can be 3D, color or grey-scale information alone, or any combination thereof. The grey-scale information can be obtained from a standard video camera or from xe2x80x9cnon-conventionalxe2x80x9d imaging systems such as X-ray.
The preferred imaging system and method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,529 where a laser scanner rapidly acquires both full field grey-scale and height (3D) information in perfect temporal and spatial registration. Also, the teachings of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,546,189 and 5,617,209 can be used advantageously.
Prior art segmentation techniques as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,313 to Leonard et al. can be used for image processing.
The image data may be acquired by a laser system, but a video camera can be used for automatic determination of box locations from which height data is to be obtained during inspection.
Height data may be acquired as part of the learning process to improve reliability and robustness.
The video camera used for automatic determination of box (height reference) locations may also be used to obtain the height information.
The imaging system may comprise a plurality of sensors which are packaged as a single unit or separately, and which may acquire data either sequentially or in parallel.
The height data may be acquired using a triangulation sensor or alternatively, defocus or focus information, phase detection (Moire), or color encoding.
The 3D sensor may include a projector providing a point, line, grid, or other pattern onto the surface which is processed and decoded to provide height data.
The reliability of reference boxes may be qualified with the use of a consistency measure with other reference boxes in the proximity of an interconnect site. The reliability qualification may include analysis regarding the distribution of the reference boxes to verify that the reference surface computation at the position of the feature to be inspected is stable.
In determining the reliability of the reference data, a repeatability analysis may be performed wherein a best fit surface is calculated and the corresponding error distribution is analyzed.
During the learning process, and subsequent to the reliability analysis, instructions may be provided to the operator regarding preferred locations for the reference points so as to improve the stability and repeatability of the data
The results of the reliability qualification may be reported to the operator and interactively modified prior to inspection.
The learning algorithm may include steps where unsuitable reference locations are rejected, for instance by an xe2x80x9coutlierxe2x80x9d analysis which identifies locations which are not consistent with other data describing the reference surfaces.
The consistency measure may be deviations from a reference plane computed over at least three reference box locations containing height data.
Based upon consistency stability measurement, the system can automatically search in critical areas to identify alternate sites to automatically improve computational stability and/or consistency.

Method and system for automatically generating reference height data for use in a three-dimensional inspection system


A control apparatus detects a control signal that controls a movable portion of a device, and selects, from a plurality of transmitter stations, a transmitter station that transmits data a plurality of times to a movable station moving in accordance with movement of the movable portion, based on the detected control signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to techniques for controlling communication between a movable station that is provided in a device and that moves and a fixed station.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of industrial devices, the development of cell-production robots, in which a single robot is capable of performing multiple types of operations, has been advancing. Such robots are comprised of an arm that is used for all tasks and an end effector that corresponds to an area from the wrist down. Multiple types of end effectors are prepared based on the type of each task, and the robot automatically exchanges end effectors depending on the type of the task, such as welding, gripping, tightening screws, and so on. There are some end effectors capable of executing advanced processes, such as capturing a processing target using a mounted camera, performing image processing on the captured image, and selecting and gripping a single component from among mixed components using the result of the image processing. In the case where control is carried out based on image processing, the processor that performs that processing is required to have high processing capabilities, and such processors can be large, and can also act as heat sources. For example, in precision machining applications, the expansion and contraction of processing targets, end effector components, and so on due to heat can quickly become problematic; thus such processors are often disposed in locations distanced from the robot, and remotely control the robot using a communication cable.
Meanwhile, in addition to being detachable as mentioned earlier, it is generally required that end effectors are capable of changing angle, orientation, and so on relative to the arm. Accordingly, it is necessary for a communication cable used to acquire images from and control an end effector to have a special mechanism for accommodating detachment, deformation, and so on. Such mechanisms have high costs, and also carry a risk of degradation and disconnection due to the cable repeatedly deforming; there is consequently an increased need to control end effectors through wireless communication.
However, wireless communication techniques widely used in the field of mobile information terminals, such as wireless LAN (local area network) and the like, are generally difficult to employ in the aforementioned applications. This is because industrial devices are required to transmit uncompressed images, transmit control data with extremely low latency, and so on. Wireless LAN and the like were not designed with such applications in mind, and thus do not meet the demands of industrial devices.
Meanwhile, high-frequency wireless communication systems such as 60 GHz-band millimeter waves can be used for wireless communication systems for the aforementioned applications. Such wireless communication systems are capable of ensuring bandwidths of 1 Gbps or more, and are thus capable of transmitting uncompressed images. Furthermore, by using appropriate communication protocols, such systems are also capable of transmitting control data at low latency. However, even in the case where it is necessary to transmit uncompressed image data but it is not necessary to transmit control data at low latency, there are cases, due to issues such as device size and heat, where it is difficult to use separate communication systems, such as using millimeter wave communication to transmit image data and wireless LAN to transmit control data.
It is typically more difficult to ensure reliability in wireless communication than in wired communication. One reason for this is that wireless communication is susceptible to shielding of and reflections from obstacles, noise from surrounding sources, and so on. End effectors not only constantly change position, orientation, and so on as the arm moves, but also operate in environments where other apparatuses are moving in the periphery, and thus ensuring reliability when employing wireless communication to control robots is an issue.
A system that uses a plurality of fixed stations is known as a technique for improving the reliability of wireless communication. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-135982 discloses a technique that improves the reliability of communication by switching among a plurality of fixed stations in time-division and communicating with a movable station to obtain a spatial diversity effect. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-307507, meanwhile, discloses a technique that improves the reliability of communication by acquiring location information detected by a movable station and using the fixed station that is closest to that location.
If an end effector is thought of as a movable station and a remote control apparatus is thought of as a fixed station, a system that controls a cell-production robot by providing a plurality of fixed stations in the vicinity of an arm and communicating wirelessly with a movable station installed in the end effector at the end of the arm can be considered. Because communications with high capacity and low-latency are carried out, it is assumed here that millimeter wave wireless communication is used. High-frequency electromagnetic waves such as millimeter waves, submillimeter waves, and so on have a high degree of straightness, and have a property in which communication is difficult, even at short distances, in a non line-of-sight environment. Typically, a large number of components, platforms on which the components are placed, and so on are present in environments in which cell-production robots operate, and thus transmission paths between each fixed station and the movable station frequently fall into the non line-of-sight condition.
Meanwhile, even if the line-of-sight can be ensured, there are cases where communication fails due to reflections from nearby objects, noise, and so on. In order to prevent such communication failures, performing redundant communication by using a plurality of fixed stations that can ensure lines of sight can be considered. However, with conventional techniques, it has not been possible to automatically perform such communication control in accordance with arm operations. As a result, there has been a problem in that in some cases, the communication reliability necessary for robot control cannot be ensured, and it is thus necessary to carry out hard-wired control, incurring high costs as a result.
Having been achieved in light of the aforementioned problem, the present invention provides a technique for improving the reliability of communication in a wireless communication system using a simple configuration.

Control apparatus, control method and storage medium


A wireless communication system transmits data on multiple carriers simultaneously to provide frequency diversity. Orthogonality is provided by carrier interference, which causes a narrow pulse in the time domain corresponding to each transmitted data symbol. Selection of the frequency separation and phases of the carriers controls the timing of the pulses. Equivalently, pulse waveforms may be generated from an appropriate selection of polyphase sub-carrier codes. Time division of the pulses and frequency division of the carriers may be employed for multiple access. Received signals are processed by combining frequency-domain components corresponding to a desired user's allocated carriers. Individual data symbols are processed by providing polyphase decoding, matched filtering, or time-domain shifting the received carriers. Carrier Interferometry components may be used to build various signals corresponding to other transmission protocols.

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) has a high spectral efficiency (the spectrum of the subcarriers overlap) and combats frequency-selective fading. However, the amplitude of each carrier is affected by the Rayleigh law, hence flat fading occurs. Therefore, good channel estimation with an appropriate detection algorithm and channel coding is essential to compensate for fading.
The performance of OFDM frequency diversity is comparable to the performance of an optimal direct-sequence CDMA (DS-CDMA) system's multipath diversity (which requires a Rake receiver). Because diversity is inherent in OFDM, it is much simpler to achieve than in an optimal DS-CDMA system. An OFDM system benefits from a lower-speed parallel type of signal processing. A Rake receiver in an optimal DS-CDMA system uses a fast serial type of signal processing, which results in greater power consumption. In addition, the OFDM technique simplifies the channel estimation problem, thus simplifying the receiver design.
In multicarrier CDMA (MC-CDMA), a spreading sequence is converted from serial to parallel. Each chip in the sequence modulates a different carrier frequency. Thus, the resulting signal has a PN-coded structure in the frequency domain, and the processing gain is equal to the number of carriers. Some implementations of MC-CDMA employ frequency division multiple access. In multi-tone CDMA, the available spectrum is divided into a number of equal-width frequency bands that are used to transmit a narrowband direct-sequence waveform.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,519,692 and 5,563,906 describe geometric harmonic modulation (GHM) in which preamble and traffic waveforms are created from multiple carrier frequencies (tones) that are geometric harmonics of a fundamental tone. The waveforms incorporate binary-phase spreading codes, which are applied to the tones.
A preamble carrier waveform is constructed by summing binary-coded tones. Therefore, the preamble signals are similar to MC-CDMA signals. However, unlike MC-CDMA signals, the coded preamble tones do not carry data. Furthermore, due to the binary-phase coding, no tone phase alignment is provided that is capable of conveying data symbols on orthogonal tone superpositions. The inability of binary-phase (e.g., MC-CDMA) coding to produce orthogonal pulse waveforms is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,992. In GHM, each receiver monitors the preamble signals for its assigned phase code and then decodes the appended traffic waveforms.
The traffic waveforms are products, rather than sums, of the binary phase coded tones. Thus, even when the tones are phase aligned, such as illustrated in FIGS. 1a, 1b, and 1c in the '906 patent, the resulting waveforms are not orthogonal pulse waveforms. The receiver generates a reference waveform from a product of tones having phase offsets corresponding to the receiver's phase code. The reference waveform is correlated with the received signals to produce a correlation result that is integrated over the data-bit duration and over all tones.
GHM does not employ polyphase codes. Thus, GHM does not provide carriers with phase relationships that enable precise time-domain control of the carrier superpositions. GHM does not produce pulse waveforms. Accordingly, GHM is not capable of expressing orthogonality in the time domain or reducing peak-to-average-power ratio (PAPR) problems associated with other multi-carrier protocols. Similarly, GHM is not capable of forming waveforms that are backwards compatibility with single-carrier protocols or other multi-carrier protocols.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,517 shows a radio system that modulates an information signal onto multiple carrier frequencies. No spreading codes are applied to the information signal or the carriers. Received carriers are each converted to the same intermediate frequency using a bank of conversion oscillators. The received signals are then summed to achieve the benefits of frequency diversity. In this case, frequency diversity is achieved at the expense of reduced bandwidth efficiency.
Each communications protocol presents different benefits and disadvantages. Benefits can be increased by merging different protocols, but only to a limited degree. There is a need for a protocol that solves all or most problems, and is adaptable to all conventional multicarrier and single carrier transmission protocols.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Unified multi-carrier framework for multiple-access technologies


The present invention relates to methods and compositions for the delivery of cosmetics and medicants. In some embodiments, the invention relates to compositions comprising both hydrophobic and hydrophilic polymers. In preferred embodiments, the invention relates to the delivery of peptides, small molecules and other bioactive compounds using the compositions and methods disclosed herein.

Cosmetics and skin care compositions are among the world's most widely researched and commercialized commodities. The significant cost of many of these compositions necessitates that they be delivered to a subject in an effective manner. However, the physical and/or chemical limitations as well as the ease and safety of many traditional delivery systems obviates their use in the administration of many dermally applied entities, particularly in view of their rapid development and improvement as well as their ever-increasing demand worldwide. Thus, there is a need to identify compositions that effectively facilitate the delivery of cosmetics and skin care compositions.

Compositions and methods for the delivery of agents


The invention provides blends comprising an ethylene copolymer formed from ethylene with at least one comonomer selected from (a) the group comprising compounds represented by the formula H2C═CHR wherein R represents a C1-C20 linear, branched or cyclic alkyl group or a C6-C20 aryl group, and (b) a C4-C20 linear, branched or cyclic diene. Each copolymer has a specific density, a specific molecular weight distribution, and a specific comonomer content distribution characteristic.

Ethylene copolymers are widely used in various application fields, such as the production of films, blow-molded products, pipes and coating materials for electric transmission cables. With respect to any of these applications, it is required that an ethylene copolymer not only contain few impurities, such as wax, gels, but also exhibit excellent properties, such as high impact strength and high environmental stress cracking resistance (hereinafter, frequently referred to as "ESCR properties"). However attempts to vary the molecular structure of a polymer to cause an improvement in one such property often results in a loss of performance in another. For instance polymers exhibiting high stiffness and heat resistance should have high crystallinity and low comonomer content, however this can cause a loss of toughness, ESCR, low optical properties and poor heat seal performance. Similarly for improved polymer processability (low extrusion amp and back pressure and no melt fracture) it is desirable to use polymers having a low molecular weight, and a broad molecular weight distribution with significant levels of long chain branching. However broad molecular weight distribution, especially at low polymer molecular weight, often causes wax buildup on the die, smoke generation on the extruder, and taste and odor problems in the resulting fabricated articles.
It is known that improvement in impact and environmental stress crack resistance of an ethylene copolymer, can be achieved by decreasing the comonomer content of the low molecular weight fraction of the ethylene copolymer to a level as low as possible while increasing the comonomer content of the high molecular weight fraction of the ethylene copolymer to a level as high as possible. It has also been demonstrated (as for example by Zhou et al, Polymer, Vol. 24, p. 2520 (1993)) that large strain properties such as toughness, tear, impact and ESCR can also be improved by the presence of "tie molecules" in the resin. High molecular weight molecules with the highest comonomer content (that is the highest degree of short chain branching) are responsible for the formation of most of the tie molecules upon crystallization.
Thus it would be highly desirable for a copolymer to have a specific comonomer content distribution characteristic, wherein, in one aspect, the lower the molecular weight of a copolymer fraction in a molecular weight distribution of a said copolymer, the lower the comonomer content of the copolymer fraction; and, in the other aspect, the higher the molecular weight of a fraction of said copolymer, the higher the comonomer content of the copolymer fraction.
However, in ethylene copolymers which are produced using a conventional Ziegler-Natta catalyst, it is likely that the lower the molecular weight of a copolymer fraction, the higher its comonomer content. Thus, such conventional ethylene copolymers have a comonomer content distribution which is completely contrary to the above-mentioned desired comonomer content distribution. Therefore, such conventional ethylene copolymers are at a disadvantage with respect to desirable properties, such as improved impact strength and ESCR.
Attempts to maximize toughness, modulus, impact strength and ESCR of ethylene copolymers has resulted in the preparation and use of blend compositions made out of two or more ethylene copolymer components of differing molecular structures. In addition to separately blending selected individual polymer components after their manufacture and isolation (so called "off-line" blending), such compositions can also be prepared by a method in which a copolymerization of ethylene with a comonomer is conducted by a multi-stage polymerization, using a plurality of different polymerization reactors, capable of providing different copolymerization conditions. This allows so called "in reactor" or "in process" production of ethylene copolymers comprising a mixture of a low molecular weight copolymer component, having a low comonomer content, and a high molecular weight copolymer component having a high comonomer content.
Such blend compositions containing solely Ziegler catalyst products are described in a number of patents. For example, Nelson (U.S. Pat. No. 3,280,220, Phillips Petroleum) teaches that a blend of an ethylene homopolymer of low molecular weight (formed in a solution process) and an ethylene/butene-1 copolymer of high molecular weight (formed in a particle forming process) provides higher ESCR and is more advantageous for containers and pipe than other such blends.
Hoblitt et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,660,530, the Dow Chemical Company) teaches a method where part of a homopolymer produced after a first reaction step is subjected to 1-butene. The still active catalyst then produces a block copolymer of polyethylene and polymerized butene-1. Both components are then admixed. The resultant blend has improved ESCR properties.
Fukushima et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,238) disclose blends consisting of components with densities between 0.910 and 0.940 g/cm3 and broad molecular weight distributions with the polymers having substantially no long chain branches. These blends were found to have processability similar to that of high pressure polyethylene
Bailey et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,551) teach that ethylene polymer blends of a high molecular weight ethylene polymer, preferably an ethylene/α-olefin copolymer, and a low molecular weight ethylene polymer, preferably an ethylene homopolymer, both preferentially having a narrow molecular weight distribution and low levels of long chain branching, exhibit excellent film properties and a better balance of stiffness and impact and ESCR, than expected for polyethylene of comparable density and flow.
Morimoto et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,189,106, and 5,260,384) disclose blends consisting of a high molecular weight copolymer in combination with a low molecular weight homopolymer having good processability and excellent low temperature mechanical properties.
Boehm et al., (Advanced Materials 4 (1992) no 3, p 237), disclose the cascade polymerization process in which the comonomer is introduced in the high molecular weight fraction of the polymer resulting in a larger amount of comonomer being present at the same overall density. This in turn results in a polymer composition having improved rigidity-lifetime (failure time) compared to conventional unimodal copolymers. Several patents have also appeared teaching the process to produce such materials in such cascade processes including EP 0 022 376 (Morita et al).
Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Specification Nos. 61-221245 and 61-57638, disclose attempts to increase the comonomer content of high molecular weight copolymer fractions by a method in which a low molecular weight polymer having a low comonomer content and a high molecular weight polymer having a high comonomer content are separately produced and blended by means of a kneader, or a method in which a copolymerization of ethylene with a comonomer is conducted by multi-stage polymerization, thereby producing an ethylene copolymer comprising a mixture of a low molecular weight polymer component having a low comonomer content and a high molecular weight polymer component having a high comonomer content.
Finally, Sakurai et al (U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,831) disclose that it is beneficial to mix low density polyethylene with various blend compositions to improve polymer die swell or melt tension.
In single component ethylene copolymers produced by employing a Ziegler catalyst, some improvement is achieved with respect to impact resistance and ESCR properties. Such ethylene copolymers, however, inherently exhibit not only a broad molecular weight distribution but also a broad tail on both the low and high molecular weight side of the molecular weight distribution. The presence of the low molecular weight material can disadvantageously lead to wax formation. On the other hand, the high molecular weight material can disadvantageously lead to gel formation.
In addition, blend compositions which are a mixture of such ethylene copolymers produced by a Ziegler catalyst, may comprise component copolymers which are completely different from each other in properties, that is, a low molecular weight polymer component having a low comonomer content and a high molecular weight polymer component having a high comonomer content. This can lead to the component polymers undergoing phase separation such that the dispersion of the component polymers becomes non-uniform, and thus not only does the ethylene copolymer become non-uniform in properties but also gel formation occurs.
As an alternative to the use of Ziegler-Natta catalysts, the use of metallocene catalysts has recently been proposed (DE 31271332 ) and commercialized. As disclosed in, for example, Worldwide Metallocene Conference (Metcon) '93 May 26-28, Houston Tex., p. 171-172 and p. 235-244 (1993) and Proceedings of 5th International Business Forum on Specialty Polyolefins '95, September 20-22, Houston Tex., p. 341-352 (1995), an ethylene copolymer produced using such a metallocene catalyst has characteristics such that both a low molecular weight fraction and a high molecular weight fraction have approximately the same comonomer content, and that the comonomer content distribution is almost uniform across the molecular weight distribution of the copolymer. That is, an ethylene copolymer produced using a metallocene catalyst has a more uniform comonomer content distribution than that of an ethylene copolymer produced using a Ziegler-Natta catalyst. On the other hand, however, ethylene copolymers produced using a metallocene catalyst are still unsatisfactory with respect to desired improvements in impact resistance and ESCR properties of products of such copolymers.
Again, as was the case with Ziegler catalyst products, attempts to improve properties such as ESCR and impact resistance of products of metallocene catalysts have included their incorporation into blend compositions. A number of techniques have been proposed to prepare such blends, including a method in which two or more different ethylene copolymers having different comonomer contents are separately produced and blended by means of a kneader or a method in which an ethylene copolymer comprised of a mixture of two or more different ethylene copolymer components having different comonomer contents is produced by multi-stage polymerization (see, for example, EP 0 447 035). Further, it has also been proposed to use a method in which a mixture of two or more different types of metallocene catalysts is used to produce an ethylene copolymer comprised of a mixture of two or more different ethylene copolymer components having different comonomer contents (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,937,299 and 4,530,914).
However, an ethylene copolymer produced using a metallocene catalyst typically has a very narrow molecular weight distribution (Mw/Mn) of approximately 2. Therefore, when two different types of copolymers, namely a low molecular weight copolymer and a high molecular weight copolymer which are extremely different in molecular weight from each other, are produced using different metallocene catalysts, the respective amounts of copolymer chains having common molecular weights is very small in the two different copolymers, so that the compatibility between these two different copolymers is very poor.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a method in which an ethylene copolymer produced using a metallocene catalyst is blended with an ethylene copolymer produced using a Ziegler-Natta catalyst has been proposed, for example, in EP 0 439 964 and EP 0 435 514. Further, a method in which an ethylene copolymer produced using a metallocene catalyst is blended with an ethylene copolymer produced by a high pressure polymerization process has been disclosed, for example, in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Specification Nos. 6-207059 and 6-329848.
However there remains a requirement to produce an ethylene copolymer which not only contains few impurities such as wax, gels, but also has excellent properties, including high impact strength and excellent ESCR. There also remains a requirement to develop an ethylene copolymer which contains no impurities such as a wax, a gel while simultaneously exhibiting the above-mentioned desired comonomer content distribution, namely, in one aspect, the lower the molecular weight of a copolymer fraction, the lower the comonomer content of the copolymer fraction; and, in the other aspect, the higher the molecular weight of a copolymer fraction, the higher the comonomer content of the copolymer fraction.
There also remains a requirement to produce blend compositions comprising said ethylene copolymers which also have excellent properties, such as high impact strength and excellent ESCR properties. Finally there also remains a requirement for producing blend compositions with good compatibility between the two components and exhibiting improved uniformity and balance in properties while having low wax content and low tendency for gel formation.

Ethylene copolymers and blend compositions


A feed device for a sewing machine incorporates an upper feed dog above a throat plate and a lower feed dog below the throat plate and conveys material fabrics to a needle drop point by way of sandwiching the material fabrics between the upper and lower feed dogs. The feed device incorporates an energizing member for energizing the upper feed dog in the direction of the throat plate and controls the sandwiching force between the upper and lower feed dogs by constraining the energizing force generated by the energizing member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a feed device for a sewing machine. The feeding device related to the invention incorporates an upper feed dog which executes fabric-feeding operations above a throat plate in association with a lower feed dog installed below the throat plate to enable the upper and lower feed dogs to properly deliver feeding force onto and below material fabrics so that material fabrics can smoothly be delivered to a needle drop point. In particular, the invention relates to the upper feed dog provided for the feed device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, delivery of material fabrics is executed by exerting feeding force to material fabrics inserted between a presser foot provided for a sewing machine extending to the front and the back of the needle drop point and a throat plate provided for a bed, by the use of a lower feed dog installed below the throat plate. Using a conventional feed device, the lower feed dog performs predetermined feeding operations in association with the operation of the sewing machine. Concretely, the lower feed dog performs elliptic movement in substantially vertical surface along the feeding direction. The lower feed dog projects itself above the throat plate at the upper domain of the locus of the elliptic movement. Simultaneous with the projecting movement of the lower feed dog, material fabrics are sandwiched between the lower feed dog and the bottom surface of the presser foot.
Nevertheless, when operating the conventional feed device cited above, the lower feed dog exerts its feed force only to the bottom of material fabrics. In consequence, when, for example, plural material fabrics are sewn together, a gap is easily generated between the bottom fabric receiving the feed force and the top fabric slipping itself along the presser foot. Therefore, in order to securely yield quality goods from a sewing operation without incurring sewing slippage at all, operator of any conventional sewing machine needs to manually perform delicate adjustment of fabric feeding mechanism in front of the feed device.
When operating any of above mentioned sewing machines like an interlock chainstitch sewing machine, or a one-needle double chainstitch sewing machine, or a multi-needle double chainstitch sewing machine for example, in addition to a proper lower feed dog provided below the throat plate, an upper feed apparatus may be provided. The upper feed apparatus is of such a structure having an upper feed dog which is disposed above the throat plate in front of the needle drop point in order that fabric-feeding operation identical to that is performed by the lower feed dog can be executed in association with this lower feed dog. Material fabric transferred onto the throat plate is sandwiched between the upper and lower feed dogs before affecting feed force to the top and bottom surfaces of the sandwiched fabric.
Concretely, the conventional upper feed apparatus has an operating rod which is set to a predetermined position close to the needle drop point by way of projecting itself in the downward direction from the interior of the sewing machine and a feed body which is secured to the tip domain of the operating rod. The upper feed dog is provided at an end of the feed body which extends itself to the front of the needle drop point by way of facing the top surface of the throat plate. The operating rod is connected to the drive unit of the sewing machine via predetermined transmission mechanism. The operating rod swings itself back and forth in the feeding direction simultaneously with its linear movement being performed in the vertical direction in association with mechanical operation of the sewing machine.
In correspondence with those movements performed by the operating rod, the upper feed dog executes elliptic movements in association with the mechanical operation of the sewing machine and in synchronization with the operation of the lower feed dog installed below the throat plate. While the upper feed dog moves downward, it closely approaches the lower feed dog which moves upward, and then, both the upper and lower feed dogs conjunctionally shift themselves to the rear domain of the feeding direction. As a result, a pair of material fabrics transferred onto the throat plate are tightly inserted between the upper and lower feed dogs before eventually being delivered to the needle drop point by effect of feed force transmitted from the upper and lower feed dogs, thus enabling sewing operators to solve those technical problems cited earlier.
When operating any conventional sewing machine incorporating such an upper feed apparatus based on the structure described above, in order to generate an adequate amount of feed force between the upper and lower feed dogs, fixing position of the feed body of the operating rod is variable. This in turn permits adjustment of clearance between the upper and lower feed dogs being close to each other. In other words, initial adjustment of the feed gap is performed for the material fabrics in proportion to the thickness of the inserted material fabrics before eventually starting off the sewing operation.
Nevertheless, when operating any of those conventional sewing machines requiring provision of the upper feed dog like an interlock chainstitch sewing machine or a one-needle double chainstitch sewing machine for example, in particular, when changing condition of double fabrics or folding condition of these material fabrics on the way of sewing operation, an operator often performs such an operation in order that the thickness of those material fabrics can continuously be varied or on the stepwise basis. In this case, when a sewing operation is executed against thicker domain of the material fabrics, these material fabrics are tightly inserted between the upper and lower feed dogs, thus easily incurring damage to the material fabrics. Conversely, when a sewing operation is executed against those relatively thin domains of those material fabrics, the upper feed dog remains inoperative to merely result in the insufficient feed force, thus unavoidable generating sewing slippage. In consequence, quality goods cannot securely be yielded from a sewing machine provided with the conventional feed device.


Methods and apparatus for authenticating a user equipment device (UE) requesting services through a session border controller (SBC) are described. In some embodiments the SBC stores the challenge and response for a successfully authenticated UE and uses this information to authenticate the UE when the UE seeks access to a service, e.g., establishing a new TCP connection. In some other embodiments, in response to receiving an Invite request from a UE requesting service the SBC generates and sends a Registration request to an authentication entity on behalf of the UE to trigger an authentication process. If the UE is authenticated the SBC allows service access, e.g., allows a call to proceed, otherwise denies service to the UE.

In communication networks which support Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), user equipment devices (UEs) register with the network before they can place or receive calls. When Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is used as the transport protocol, there are cases where the TCP connection established during the registration process is not used for calls initiated by the UE at a later time. In many cases a UE device establishes a new TCP connection for each call. There are also scenarios, where a session border controller (SBC) failover causes similar behavior thus causing the establishment of a new TCP connection for a new call as TCP connections are not preserved after a SBC failover. After the detection by a UE device that its TCP connection toward the SBC is lost such as for example during a SBC failover event, when the UE device attempts to place a new call it initiates a new TCP connection. This results in the signaling for the new call being sent over the new TCP connection. In such cases, the SBC receives a new call request over a new TCP connection.
While in many cases it is possible that the UE that has been previously authenticated establishes a new TCP connection for placing a new call, still there is no guarantee that a UE attempting to place a call over a new TCP connection is actually a legitimate device that has been previously authenticated. It is possible that an attacker with malicious intent may attempt to place a call over a new TCP connection. Thus there is a need to take steps to ensure that the new TCP connection is indeed initiated by a legitimate user and/or UE rather than an attacker.
In many communications systems, such as for example many systems using SIP based signaling, to authenticate a new TCP connection, the SBC relies on a Registrar challenging the INVITE requests of registered initiators. See for example, Request For Comment 2617 by the Internet Engineering Task Force entitled: "HTTP Authentication: Basic and Digest Access Authentication" which discusses authentication processes. If the authentication process involving this INVITE-Challenge-Response is successful, the SBC concludes that the initiator is who it claims to be. However, not all Registrars challenge INVITE requests. Some Registrars only challenge REGISTER requests and not INVITE requests. In such systems, once the initiator is registered INVITE requests are not challenged.
From the above discussion it should be appreciated that there is a need for methods and apparatus for authenticating a device and/or user attempting to access a service, such as for example, establish a call, over a new TCP connection, and/or for authenticating a new TCP connection/call when the Registrar does not challenge INVITE requests. It should be further appreciated that there is also a need for new methods and apparatus wherein a device such as a session border controller which does not have access or possession of an authentication secret or key used by an authentication entity which normally performs the authentication operations to be able to provide device and/or connection authentication.


An apparatus, method, and system for searching for images and image-related information are described in which the image information search system includes: an image reproducing apparatus reproducing or capturing an image; and an image/information search server searching for image/information associated with the captured image. In the image and image-information search apparatus and method, a user can easily acquire his or her desired image file or image-related information while he or she is watching images, even when he or she does not know any detailed identification information associated with his or her desired image.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to searching for an image and image-related information, and more particularly, to a method, apparatus, and system for searching for an image and image-related information using an image which is captured by an image reproducing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to the increase of video recording and reproducing apparatuses, a large amount of various still and moving image data files have been created. A representative example of a video recording and reproducing apparatus is a digital TV, and video recording and reproducing apparatuses provide a variety of services (for example, Video On Demand (VOD), etc.) through Internet moving-image providing sites (for example, YouTube). Accordingly, users can experience a huge variety of still and moving images. In some instances, users want to obtain image files or information related to the images, while watching the images.
In this case, however, the users cannot obtain their desired image file or image-related information unless they possess information (or, identification information), such as the name of a title or director, time of manufacture, distribution company, etc., which are required to search the desired image file or the image-related information.

Method, apparatus, and system for searching for image and image-related information using a fingerprint of a captured image


A loop distribution group detection program for causing a computer to execute a process including, converting a loop distribution target program into a test program having a cache miss measurement instruction, by dividing a loop in the loop distribution target program into plural distribution loops based on a loop distribution specification parameter, sequentially executing the test program while varying the loop distribution specification parameter, extracting loop distribution candidates, for which the number of cache misses exceeds a reference value, as a first loop distribution candidate group, and extracting loop distribution candidates with not exceeding the reference value, as a second loop distribution candidate group, and excluding loop distributions from execution target candidates for the test program, by comparing a loop distribution based on the loop distribution specification parameter with loop distributions of the loop distribution candidates in the first loop distribution candidate group.

Loop distribution is to distribute a loop of a greater size present in an application program into a plurality of loops. For example, high performance computing (HPC) application programs executed by supercomputers have loops of a greater size. Most of the execution time is often spent by such a loop. A loop of a greater size generally has a greater number of cache misses. The reasons are as follows. First, the loop of a greater size has many instructions and thus tends to suffer cache misses in instruction caches. Second, the loop of a greater size often has many variables, and in that case, tends to suffer many cache misses in data caches.
Thus, cache misses and the execution time of the program may be reduced by performing optimum loop distribution on the loop of a greater size. However, the execution of the loop distribution may result in more cache misses than when the loop distribution is not performed.
On the other hand, a compiler has a function to optimize application programs. The optimization is known to include, for example, parallelization of instructions, a single instruction multiple data (SIMD) function to change a plurality of the same instructions into a single instruction, software pipelining in which instructions are reordered so as to be pipelined by a plurality of computing units, and loop unrolling in which a plurality of loops is changed into a single loop to eliminate overhead processing time associated with the plurality of loops.
The optimization enables reduction in the execution time of the program. However, the loop distribution may allow each of the distributed loops to be more appropriately optimized. Furthermore, the optimization enables reduction in program execution time, but the program execution time may further be reduced by optimizing the program with cache misses reduced as a result of the loop distribution.
Thus, the loop distribution only cannot minimize the execution time of the program. Finding the optimization only cannot find a solution for the minimization of the program execution time.
The loop distribution is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2009-104422, WO 98/19249, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H6-250846, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-5792, and Ikuo Nakano, Structure of Compiler and Optimization (second edition), Asakura Publishing Co., Ltd., 2009.

Loop distribution detection program and loop distribution detection method


A trailer apparatus is for use with a portable bleacher of the type having a lower framework supporting and interconnecting a plurality of generally parallel longitudinally extending bleacher seat assemblies. The framework includes longitudinally spaced laterally extending base members. The trailer apparatus includes a torque tube rotatably attached to a lower part of the bleacher framework and above the base members to extend beneath and generally perpendicular to the seat assemblies. A torque arm is rigidly attached to one end of the torque tube. A first wheel assembly is rotatably coupled to the torque arm on an axis of rotation parallel to the torque tube axis. A generally vertically or horizontally extendable lift jack is coupled at a lower end to the torque arm and operatively coupled at its upper end to the framework. A lift jack operator moves the lift jack between an extended position to rotate the torque tube in one direction to move the first wheel assembly to a lower trailering position and a retracted position to rotate the torque tube in the opposite direction to move the first wheel assembly to a raised position.

There are various instances where indoor or outdoor events require seating for a viewing audience. Permanent seating, such as bleachers, is often provided for recurring events that are frequently held in the same place. Permanent bleachers typically employ a lower framework that supports and interconnects a plurality of generally parallel longitudinally extending bleacher seats. The framework typically includes longitudinally spaced laterally extending base members which provide ground support for the framework and seats.
Alternatively, for many one-time events or events that are less frequent, temporary seating such as portable bleachers are often employed. Portable bleachers are also often used to supplement existing permanent seating to increase seating capacity, if desired, for larger events. A desirable characteristic of such portable seating is that the mobile framework carrying the seating be user friendly and that the framework limit the effort involved in moving and positioning the bleacher.
Mobile frameworks, or portable bleacher apparatus, are known in which one section of the seating is permanently fixed to a wheeled framework and at least one other section of seating is pivotably mounted thereto. The apparatus forms a trailer which is pulled by, for example, a truck or utility vehicle. Hydraulic cylinders or other mechanical devices are often used to pivot the movable section between a nested, travel position and an operative, seating position. In order to stabilize and level the bleacher prior to use, a plurality of individually operated jacks are installed along each side of the framework. In operation, the operator must swivel each jack into a storage mode, and then each jack must be manually cranked from a squatting or kneeling position to adjust for the particular terrain. This necessitates that an operator expend a great deal of time and energy adjusting the jacks on each side of the framework.
It is therefore desirable to provide a means for transporting bleacher framework which does not require separate individual lifting means on each side of the bleacher framework. It is desirable to provide a bleacher transporting system, or trailer apparatus, which is simple to install and operate and which may be operated by a single person, thus limiting the labor intensive efforts required to maneuver and set up the bleacher framework. In addition, it is desirable to provide a trailer apparatus which employs a single lifting unit, such that the bleacher may be lifted and transported from one side of the bleacher by a single operator. Further, it is desirable to provide a trailer apparatus which may be used with a variety of stationary existing bleacher framework configurations.

Apparatus for supporting and transporting a bleacher


The present invention is drawn to methods of preventing and treating diseases wherein the involvement of apoptosis has been indicated.

Fas is a cell surface antigen which transmits an apoptosis signal to the cell, and Fas is recognized by Fas antibody (Yonehara, S. et al., J. Exp. Med. vol. 169, 1747–1756, 1989), which is a monoclonal antibody produced by immunizing a mouse with human fibroblast. Fas gene was recently cloned by Itoh, N. et al., and it was then found out that Fas is a cell membrane protein of about 45 kD, and from the amino acid sequence, it was revealed that Fas is a member of the TNF receptor family (Cell, vol. 66, pages 233–243, 1991). The mouse Fas gene was also cloned (Watanabe-Fukunaga, R. et al., J. Immunol., vol. 148, pages 1274–1279, 1992), and its expression in thymus, liver, lung, heart, ovary was confirmed.
Human Fas ligand is a polypeptide which has been reported by Nagata et al. to be a biological molecule which induces apoptosis of Fas-expressing cells (Tomohiro Takahashi et al., International Immunology, vol. 6, pages 1567–1574, 1994). Human Fas ligand is a Type II membrane protein of the TNF family with a molecular weight of about 40 kD. As in the case of TNF, human Fas ligand in the human body is estimated to be in the form of a trimer (Masato Tanaka et al., EMBO Journal, vol. 14, pages 1129–1135, 1995). The extracellular domain of human Fas ligand is highly homologous with the extracellular domain of rat Fas ligand (Takashi Suda et al., Cell, vol. 75, pages 1169–1178, 1993) and mouse Fas ligand (Tomohiro Takahashi et al., Cell, vol. 76, pages 969–976, 1994). Human Fas ligand recognizes not only human Fas but also mouse Fas to induce apoptosis; and vice versa, rat Fas ligand and mouse Fas ligand also recognize human Fas to induce apoptosis.
Considerable researches have also been done on the mechanism of signal transduction in the cell upon Fas-mediated apoptosis, and identification and cloning of the factor which interacts with the intracellular domain of Fas, in particular, the region called "death domain" to transmit or block the signal has been reported. Possibility of the involvement of interleukin-1-converting enzyme (ICE)-related thiol proteases in Fas-mediated apoptosis has also been indicated.
A relationship between apoptosis, in particular, Fas-mediated apoptosis with various diseases and physiological phenomena has been recently indicated. For example, possibility has been indicated for involvement of abnormal Fas-mediated apoptosis in the decline of the T cell count in patients suffering from AIDS, in the death of hepatocytes in viral fulminant hepatitis, in some types of autoimmune diseases, and the like.
Involvement of the Fas/Fas ligand system in functions other than apoptosis has also been indicated. For example, the possibility has been indicated for the Fas/Fas ligand system to react with neutrophils to develop a proinflammatory action (Kayagaki, N. et al., Rinshou Meneki (Clinical Immunology), vol. 28, pages 667–675, 1996).
The condition wherein neutrophils and other immunocompetent cells are activated by various stimuli, such as endotoxins or by invasion, and humoral factors, such as cytokines are released into the blood and the tissues to induce systemic inflammatory responses is referred as systemic inflammatory response syndrome (hereinafter abbreviated as SIRS). SIRS is often associated with various organ failures, and when such organ failures are serious, SIRS may result in multiple organ failure syndrome (MODS) (Wakabayashi et al., Rinsho Kensa (Laboratory test), vol. 38, pages 349–352, 1994). Various factors are said to be involved in the process of organ failure, and the role in such organ failure of the invasion and accumulation of neutrophils by the action of IL-8 produced in macrophages and of other cells by IL-1 locally produced in response to invasion is of current interest. As described above, the Fas/Fas ligand system (hereinafter referred to as Fas/FasL system) is also reported for the possibility of its involvement in the activation of the neutrophils.
Ischemic reperfusion injury is found in practically all tissues and organs, and is involved in various diseases. Ischemic reperfusion injury is also a problem in preservation and transplantation of organs. Among such ischemic reperfusion injuries, those associated with infarction of liver, heart or kidney and those associated with surgery or transplantation, and in particular, tissue injury (such as cell necrosis) and dysfunction (such as cardiac arrhythmia) in the particular organ may lead to the death of the individual when they are serious, and therefore, such cases are a serious social problem. Various organ failures and ischemic reperfusion injuries from the early stage to the late stage are known to be associated with production and secretion of IL-8. It is also known that organ preservation and reperfusion in the course of organ transplantation is associated with the occurrence of the apoptosis. In addition, observation of apoptosis and fluctuation in the expression of Fas or FasL have been reported for some experimental models. There have also been reported a marked increase in the number of neutrophils at 24 hours after the reperfusion of liver after ischemia, and improvement of ischemic reperfusion injury by a neutralizing antibody of neutrophils (Jaeschke, H. et al., FASEB Journal, vol. 4, pages 3355–3359, 1990), and a marked increase of IL-8, neutrophils and macrophages at 3 hours after the reperfusion of the lung after ischemia, and improvement of ischemic reperfusion injury by a neutralizing antibody of the IL-8 (Sekido, N. et al., Nature, vol. 365, pages 654–657, 1993). These findings suggest significant roles of neutrophils and IL-8 in organ failures and ischemic reperfusion injuries of from the early stage to the late stage. On the other hand, it is not yet found how Fas/FasL is involved in such failures and injuries.
In infection by bacteria, endotoxin induces production of various cytokines in the body resulting in, for example, endotoxin shock in endotoxemia and sepsis as well as various organ damages including liver damage (Dinarello, C. A. et al., J. American Medical Association, vol. 269, page 1829, 1993), and serious conditions are more than often induced. Observation of apoptosis in such processes and the possibility of some involvement in such processes of Fas/FasL have been reported in experimental studies. However, it is not yet found how Fas/FasL is involved in such failures.
Death of cardiomyocytes in the case of a heart disease has been believed to occur mainly through necrosis. However, possibility of some involvement of apoptosis, and in particular, involvement of Fas-mediated apoptosis in such heart disease is now reported for clinical practices and in experiments. For example, it has been reported that the level of Fas expression increases when neonatal rat cardiomyocytes are placed in in vitro ischemic conditions (Tanaka, M. et al., Circ. Res., 75, 426–433, 1994); and that NO may have some relation to the remodeling of plaques in arteriosclerosis since IL-1 induces not only the synthesis of nitrogen monoxide (NO) of vascular smooth muscle cells but also apoptosis, apoptosis by IL-1 is inhibited by an inhibitor of NO synthesis, and Fas expression is induced by NO (Fukuo, K. et al., Hypertension, 27, 823–826, 1996). It has also been reported that apoptosis of cardiomyocytes is found in a canine heart failure model and such apoptosis is associated with an increased Fas expression (Lab. Invest., 73, 771–787, 1995), and that most of the cardiomyocyte death in canine the myocardial infarction model occurs through apoptosis, and such cardiomyocyte death is associated with a 100-fold increase in Fas expression (Lab. Invest., 74, 86–107, 1996). Furthermore, Fukuda et al. examined Fas expression in cardiomyocytes of cardiomyocardial disease patients, and found no Fas expression in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy but some Fas expression in at least a part of cardiomyocytes in cases of myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy (Idiopathic Cardiomyopathy Investigation Group, 1994 Business Year Research Report, 152–155, 1995). However, it is yet to be found out how Fas is involved in such heart diseases. Accordingly, the reports as described above have provided no data with regard to whether Fas acts to promote the apoptosis of the cardiomyocytes or to suppress the apoptosis of the cardiomyocytes in heart diseases, and it was still unclear whether Fas is directly involved in cytotoxicity or death of the cardiomyocytes of the patients suffering from heart diseases. As a consequence, no therapeutic agent and no therapy for heart disease wherein the disease, is treated by inhibiting the Fas-mediated apoptosis is known to date.
Involvement of apoptosis is also indicated for renal diseases, and increase in Fas mRNA expression is reported in an experimental model of renal ischemic reperfusion injury (Haruno, N. et al., Endocrinology, vol. 137, 1938–1948, 1996). However, it is yet to be found out how the Fas/FasL system is involved in such renal diseases.
Graft versus host disease (hereinafter referred to as GVHD) is a disease caused by graft versus host reaction (GVH reaction), which is an immunoreaction that may occur upon transplantation of lymphocytes of a donor or a graft, against the tissue antigens of the host. Exemplary GVHDs are GVHD after bone marrow transplantation, such as with incompatible bone marrow transplantation or with bone marrow transplantation in congenital immune deficiency syndrome; GVHD after organ transplantation; GVHD after blood transfusion, in which a large amount of blood is transfused to a patient of hypoimmunity; and the like. GVHD is associated with organ or tissue failure based on GVH reaction, and diarrhea, exhaustion such as weight loss and thinning, exanthem, splenomegaly, and liver dysfunction are clinically observed. GVHD is also associated with histological symptoms such as disorganization of bone marrow and lymphoid tissue and atrophy of intestinal villi.
Death of the cells constituting the host tissue in various GVHD has been believed to occur mainly through necrosis. However, the possibility of some involvement of apoptosis, and in particular, Fas-mediated apoptosis in such GVHD is now reported from experiments. For example, it has been reported that death of epithelial cells in intestine, skin and tongue in a mouse GVHD model occurs mainly through apoptosis (Aniti C. Gilliam et al., J. Invest. Dermatol., vol. 107, pages 377–383, 1996). With regard to the involvement of Fas-mediated apoptosis, it has been reported that no difference was found in survival time between cases when the donor was spleen lymphocytes from a control mouse with normal Fas ligand and cases when the donor was spleen lymphocytes from a gld mouse, which is a Fas ligand-mutated mouse, and practically no damage in skin and liver was induced (Matthew, B., Barker, B. et al., J. Exp. Med., vol. 183, 2645–2659, 1996). In spite of the indication of the involvement of Fas-mediated apoptosis in GVHD, there is no conclusion with regard to whether the Fas-mediated apoptosis is related to mortality with the GVHD. Furthermore, the report as described above utilizes spleen lymphocytes from a gld mouse for the material, and it is likely that the GVHD reaction is influenced by alteration in the amount of the expression of factors other than Fas ligand (such as perforin and TNF) as a substitute for the lack of Fas ligand, and the results obtained may not necessarily reflect the genuine effect of the lack of Fas ligand. Therefore, it is yet to be found out how Fas-mediated apoptosis is involved in GVHD, and whether a substance which specifically inhibits Fas-mediated apoptosis can be used as a therapeutic agent for GVHD.
Nonspecific immunosuppressives, such as cyclosporin, that have been used as a prophylactic or therapeutic agent of the GVHD generate nonspecific immunosuppression, and therefore, suffer from adverse side effects such as infections. No therapeutic agent and no therapy for GVHD wherein the GVHD is treated by inhibiting Fas-mediated apoptosis are known to date. In addition, no therapeutic agent and no therapy for GVHD wherein the GVHD is treated by utilizing selective immunosuppression are known to date.
With regard to diseases based on ischemic reperfusion injury, commercially available drugs mainly aim at thrombolysis and improvement of circulation, and no drug is available that directly prevents or treats the damage. With regard to the endotoxemia and sepsis, steroid and proteolytic enzyme inhibitor, for example, are used in the case of shock, and no drug is currently available that directly prevents or treats the organ damage. The drugs used for the diseases based on organ damage mainly aim at palliative treatment, and no drug is available that prevents or radically treats the diseases based on organ damage. In addition, no prophylactic or therapeutic agent which is widely effective for various tissues and organs is available.
In view of such situation, there is a demand for a pharmaceutical which is effective in preventing or treating diseases based on damage of the tissue or the organ in a wide variety of tissues or organs, which is effective in vivo, and which is less toxic to humans. However, no pharmaceutical is so far available that meets such requirements.
An object of the present invention is to provide a pharmaceutical and a therapy in the form of a prophylactic/therapeutic agent or an organ preservative agent which contains a Fas antagonist and which works through a new mechanism. More particularly, the present invention provides a prophylactic/therapeutic agent, an organ preservative agent, which contains a Fas antagonist, and a therapy, in which a Fas antagonist are used for diseases wherein Fas is involved.

Method of treating graft versus host disease by administration of a Fas antagonist


An apparatus for fishing through ice has a first cylinder. A second cylinder is attached to the first cylinder forming a nesting lip. At least one anchoring device is connected to the first cylinder. A reel, rotatively attached to the first cylinder, has a line spooling shaft, a camming surface on the line spooling shaft, at least one end plate attached to the line spooling shaft, an audio-indicator activator attached to the end plate and a reeling handle attached to the line spooling shaft. An audio-indicator is attached to the first cylinder and slidingly abuts the audio-indicator activator. A visual indicating means is attached to the first cylinder and slidingly abuts the reel. The audio-indicator has a flexible tab attached to the first cylinder. The visual indicating means has a base attached to the first cylinder, an eccentric arm pivotally attached to the base and an indicator ball attached to the eccentric arm.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ice fishing apparatus and more particularly to an apparatus having a reel within an anchored container having an audio and visual indicator to alert a fisherman of a fish taking his bait and becoming hooked on his line.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several ice fishing devices have been developed to assist the fisherman in this winter sport. A hole is usually drilled or augured into the ice to gain access to the water. Many have had a tip-up flag to indicate a strike on the line. Although these previous devices have assisted the user in various ways. Some previous indicators have a whiplike action that could be unsettling if the user is too close. None have really gained for the user the advantages of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 282,272 to A. H. Eli on Jan. 21, 1986 for Conically Shaped Ice Fishing Box having an Indicator Mounted on a Removable Reel Assembly displays a rather simple bucket and rotatable shaft having a handle that can indicate the shaft turning.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,878 to R. L. Hackel on Jul. 11, 1989 for an Ice Fishing Hole Cover and Tip Up shows a reel in a container. The container has a transparent top cover and the reel has a handle that tips up a flag into a vertical position when turned.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,263 to W. A. Werner on Jun. 4, 1991 for a Fish Actuated Ice Fishing Signaling Device and Method of Using It describes a reel in a container. The reel has a line thereon the pulls up a flag into a vertical position when a fish pulls on the line.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,108 to J. R. Rinehart on Sep. 3, 1991 for a Tip-Up Fishing Rig for Ice and Open Water shows a combination ice and open water fishing rig having an inverted dish-like body of a floating material. The rig includes a reel, a heater to keep the water under the body above freezing and a flag that is tripped and raises to a vertical position.
None of the above devices constantly vies for the attention of the user as does the present invention in both an audio and an oscillating visual manner.

Ice fishing apparatus with catch indicating means


A system and method which enables teleconference members to share files during a teleconference. An endpoint including a processor with a memory coupled thereto. The memory stores a teleconferencing application. A file sharing mechanism is associated with the application at run time. The file sharing mechanism generates a window on the local display in which the local member of the teleconference may post advertisements for files thereby making the file sharable. The local endpoint sends the advertisement to a remote endpoint. A corresponding accessory receives the advertisement and posts it in the remote window. A local member can copy remotely posted files by manipulating the corresponding advertisement.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to teleconferencing systems. More specifically, the invention relates to an accessory to allow file sharing during a teleconference.
(2) Background Information
Teleconferencing is increasingly becoming a popular application in personal computer systems. Such applications typically allow the transfer of audio and video data between users so that they can speak and otherwise communicate with one another. Such applications sometimes also include data sharing wherein various types of data such as documents, spreadsheets, graphic data, or other types of data, can be shared and manipulated by all participants in the teleconference. Different teleconference applications perhaps residing on different hardware platforms have different capabilities. Moreover, a wide variety of features has been implemented in different teleconference applications, and the proliferation of different types of computer systems with different capacities, and different networking media has created challenges for teleconferencing.
For example, for most teleconferencing applications, it is assumed that the sender and the receiver have certain minimum capabilities. However, with the wide diversity of systems having different computation capacities, and in addition, the wide variety of networking media, that certain systems may not have certain capabilities. Prior art systems have typically required that the application provide support for all capabilities used within the teleconference. This fact has substantially complicated teleconferencing applications, and made expansion of capabilities difficult or impossible. It would be desirable to be able to relieve the application of the burden of supporting all capabilities by providing accessories which interface logically between the application and a base teleconference component to provide additional and expandable capabilities. It would also be desirable if an accessory supported file sharing during a teleconference without jeopardizing the integrity and security of any participating endpoint.

File sharing in a teleconference application


A fastener for use with a sliding sash window. The fastener has a body (11) with a handle (14) mounted with the body for pivotal movement about a pivot axle (17). A latch tongue (18) is operatively coupled to the handle (14). A latch plate (21) has a latching surface (23) which is engageable in face to face contact with the end of the latch tongue (18). The latching surface (23) is spaced from the pivot axle (17) in the direction in which a sash (S) of a window is movable from a closed position relative to the frame (F) of the window. The handle (14) is movable about the pivot axle (17) to move the end of the latch tongue (18) away from its latching contact with the latching surface (23) of latch plate (21) to permit the window sash (S) to move from the closed position.

1. Discussion of the Background
The present invention relates to a window fastener and more particularly relates to a window fastener which has application with a sliding sash window.
2. Description of the Related Art
A window fastener is used to fasten or latch a window in the closed position. Thus a person wishing to open the window must firstly release the fastener after which the window can be slid to an open position. When the window is moved to the closed position the user relatches the fastener so as to prevent the window from being opened from the exterior. This need to relatch the fastener when the window is moved to the closed position can present a security problem especially if the window can be moved to the closed position and appear to be latched even though the fastener is not latched into the locking position.
A further problem which can arise with a window fastener for a sliding window is that the application of a force to the outside of the window by, say, someone wishing to gain unauthorised entry could be used to force the window fastener to unlatch and thereby permit unauthorised entry to take place.


A hypoid gear tooth surface design method, wherein normal lines and helical angles of two tooth surfaces are properly selected so as to position action limit curves (L3Acc) on the outer of the areas (R2t to R2h) where the tooth surfaces are formed, whereby undercut to a gear small end side can be prevented and, by setting the involute helicoids of two tooth surfaces on a pinion side to an equal lead, a pinion top land and a gear top land (z2h=0) can be made generally equal to each other in tooth lengthwise direction, such that sharpening of the top land can be prevented.

The applicant of the application concerned has proposed a method for uniformly describing a tooth surface of a pair of gears in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 9-53702. That is, a method for describing a tooth surface, which can uniformly be used in various situations including for a pair of parallel axes gears, which is the most widely used configuration, and a pair of gears whose axes do not intersect and are not parallel with each other (skew position), has been shown. Furthermore, it has been shown that, in power transmission gearing, it is necessary that the path of contact of the tooth surfaces should be a straight line in order to reduce a fluctuation of a load applied to bearings supporting shafts of gears. In addition, it has been clarified that a configuration wherein at least one tooth surface is an involute helicoid and the other tooth surface is a conjugate surface satisfies the condition that a path of contact of the tooth surfaces should be a straight line. In the case of parallel axes gears, such as spur gears, helical gears, this conclusion is identical with a conclusion of a conventional design method.
Furthermore, conventional gear design methods for non-parallel axes gears have been empirically obtained.
In the case of non-parallel axes gears, it has not yet been clarified that there actually exists a pair of gears wherein one gear has an involute helicoidal tooth surface and the other gear has a conjugate tooth surface for the involute helicoidal tooth surface and, further, an efficient method for obtaining such a pair of tooth surfaces was unknown.


An optical signal processing apparatus includes: an optical frequency comb generation unit configured to generate an optical frequency comb; an extraction unit configured to extract a plurality of optical components having a certain frequency interval between the optical components from the optical frequency comb; and an optical carrier generation unit configured to multiplex the plurality of optical components with reference light to thereby generate an optical carrier having a center frequency away from the center frequency of the reference light by an integer multiple of the frequency interval.

With increasing demand for telecommunications, there is a demand for an efficient optical multiplexing transmission technology for efficiently transmitting a large volume of data through an optical communications system in an optical network. Optical multiplexing transmission is a technology to superimpose data signals by modulation onto multiple optical carriers (multi-carrier) of different wavelengths output from multiple light sources and multiplexing and transmitting optical signals resulting from the modulation, for example.
Optical multiplexing transmission schemes include dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM), Nyquist WDM, and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), for example.
In the DWDM scheme, a transmission rate of 10 to 100 Gbps is achieved by arranging the center frequencies of subcarriers' spectra at certain intervals (50 GHz, for example) in a frequency grid. Between the spectra, a protective area called guard band having a certain width (20 GHz, for example) is inserted in order to avoid crosstalk. The DWDM is thus limited in reduction of the channel spacing, but efficiency may be increased such as by improving transmission rate of channels and/or adoption of multilevel-modulated signals, for example.
Unlike the DWDM scheme, Nyquist WDM may form an ideal spectrum with sidelobe components removed through adoption of a Nyquist filter with small roll-off. The Nyquist WDM thus may achieve high efficiency because it may reduce the interval between the center frequencies of spectra down to the symbol rate frequency such that the spectra of neighboring channels adjoin without causing crosstalk.
The OFDM scheme achieves high efficiency by overlapping neighboring spectra so as to satisfy the orthogonality condition, thereby reducing the interval between the center frequencies of spectra down to the symbol rate frequency. Although OFDM involves a complicated synchronization process during modulation for satisfying the orthogonality condition between neighboring spectra, it advantageously enables flexible setting of signal band and modulation scheme.
In relation to optical multiplexing transmission techniques, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2011-215603 and International Publication Pamphlet No. WO 2011/052075 describe optical frequency division multiplexing (FDM) techniques for modulating multiple optical signals of different frequencies based on different electrical signals and multiplexing and transmitting them on common carrier light.
For realizing highly efficient optical transmission using the optical multiplexing transmission techniques outlined above, stabilization of the center frequencies of subcarriers is further desired so that no crosstalk occurs between neighboring channels. For example, when a typical semiconductor laser (laser diode or LD) is employed as a subcarrier light source, a temperature adjusting unit having a precision to 1/100 degrees or less and an automatic frequency controller (AFC) unit are used for center frequency stabilization.
Even with such measures, however, fluctuations in center frequency of, for example, about ±1 to 2 GHz occur. In DWDM, such fluctuations are likely to have little effect because a guard band of 20 GHz or more is secured when assuming that each signal has a bandwidth of 10 Gbps and the center frequency interval is 50 GHz.
However, influence of fluctuations is not negligible in the case of optical multiplexing transmission with its spectral efficiency close to 1. This may be the case when 25 GBd-quaternary phase shift keying (QPSK) signals are turned into 100-Gbps signals through polarization-division multiplexing and wavelength-division multiplexed at intervals of 50 GHz, for example.
Influence of crosstalk is noticeable especially when signals that take a large number of levels, such as 16-quadrature amplitude modulation (16-QAM) signals, are wavelength-multiplexed using the Nyquist WDM or OFDM scheme. For avoiding crosstalk effects, center frequency fluctuations are desirably stabilized at about 1/100 to 1/10 for example, though there is no advanced stabilizing technique that is able to achieve it.
Light sources with high frequency stability are available, such as stabilizing light sources for use as frequency standard or in measurement that have a narrow spectral width and use a mechanism to synchronize with a stable frequency such as a cesium atomic clock, for example. As such light sources are expensive and a large number of them are used in the case of optical communication, use of generic light sources is desirable for cost saving.

Optical signal processing apparatus, transmission apparatus, and optical signal processing method