Provided are a method and apparatus for starting up a blockchain system and a non-transitory computer-readable a storage medium. The method includes operating a main program of a blockchain system to initialize a kernel engine and a kernel component, wherein the main program of the blockchain system comprises an initialization method of the kernel engine and an initialization method of at least one kernel component; obtaining operation configuration information of the blockchain system through a program configuration file to instantiate the kernel engine and the kernel component, wherein the operation configuration information of the blockchain system comprises specification selection information of the kernel engine and specification selection information of the at least one kernel component; starting up and operating the kernel engine and the main program of the blockchain system; and starting up a port monitoring service to operate the blockchain system.

The blockchain industry continues to develop rapidly, and main application scenarios of the blockchain technology in the early stages of development are digital currencies and games. At present, the blockchain technology has entered a new stage of comprehensively exploring enabling the industry from serving as the underlying technology that supports the digital currencies.
At present, the mainstream solutions for blockchain basically correspond to specific application scenarios. Most of the conventional solutions are oriented to application scenarios of the digital currencies and thus more suitable for applications of the digital currencies. Therefore, in actual business scenarios, the conventional solutions will encounter problems in applicability, and thus the in-depth reconstruction of the framework is required; however, both the costs and technical thresholds of the reconstruction are very high.
The manner of in-depth reconstruction on the framework is difficult and costly, and after the reconstruction, the latest update corresponding to the framework cannot be automatically followed up.

Method and apparatus for starting up blockchain system, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

Beijing Baidu Netcom Science Technology Co., Ltd.


A docking station configured to mate to an electronic device enables methods of interacting with the electronic device by impacting (e.g., knocking) on a table on which the device and/or the docking station are disposed and by means of contactless gestures. The electronic device may remain in a powered off state while the docking station continuously monitors for user input. The docking station may have a processor that is capable of detecting a user's impact and contactless gesture inputs.

Docking stations are used for a wide variety of electronic devices, facilitating the supply of electrical power to the electronic device and providing other features such as a sound system, a radio and/or data communication with another electronic device.
As portable media players, smart-phones, tablets and other electronic devices become more popular, they have become a more integral part of everyday life for the user. The increased utilization and dependence on such devices by users results in a high level of daily interaction with the device. Thus, electronic devices having intuitive methods of commanding the device will be of benefit to the user, simplifying their interaction with the device and making the process more seamless.
New docking stations may require new features to enable a user to simplify their interaction with electronic devices.

Impact and contactless gesture inputs for docking stations


The event data recorder contains a mirror set and a camera member. The mirror set contains two curved mirrors, each for capturing an outside view to a lateral side of a vehicle. The camera member contains a camera facing towards the windshield of the vehicle and the curved mirrors. As such, the camera is able to capture views in front of the vehicle and reflected from the curved mirrors simultaneously.

(a) Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to event data recording, and more particular to an event data recorder capable of recording video from a front side and two lateral sides of a vehicle with a single camera.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Recently most vehicles have an event data recorder installed inside. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a conventional event data recorder 30 according to R.O.C. Taiwan Patent No. M415078 contains a front camera 31 and a rear camera 32. The front camera 31 is configured in a tubular body in front of the event data recorder 30 that can be rotated to adjust the front camera 31's angle. A screen 33 can be flipped down from a bottom side of the event data recorder 30, where the front and rear images captured by the front and rear cameras 31 and 32 are presented in a split-screen manner.
The above-describe event data recorder uses two cameras so as to cover events in front of and behind a vehicle. However, to cover what happens to the lateral sides of the vehicle, usually at least a separate recorder is required.


Systems, devices, and techniques for manufacturing a crystalline material (e.g., large crystal material) through the solid state conversion of a polycrystalline material are described. A device may be configured to concurrently heat a volume of ribbon, such as an alumina ribbon, using multiple heat sources. For example, a first heat source may heat a first volume of the ribbon and a second heat source may concurrently heat a second volume, for example, within the first volume, where the ribbon may comprise polycrystalline material. The concurrent heating may drive grain growth in the polycrystalline material in at least the second volume, which may convert the polycrystalline material to crystalline material having one or more grains that are larger than one or more grains of the polycrystalline material. The processed ribbon may include a large crystal material or a single crystal material.

Crystalline materials having large grains (e.g., as compared to the grains of polycrystalline materials) may have physical, optical, and chemical properties that provide benefits across a range of industries and products. For example, single crystal materials, such as sapphire (e.g., single crystal alpha-alumina), may have high thermal conductivity, a wide transmission wavelength range, increased electrical insulation, and high strength and wear resistance, particularly at high temperatures. Accordingly, sapphire and other similar materials may be highly useful in various products and applications, such as optics (e.g., laser crystals, waveguides), electrical components (e.g., semiconductor devices, substrates for electronics), and ceramics (e.g., scratch-resistant electronics covers, wristwatch crystals), among others.

Solid state conversion of polycrystalline material


A liquid crystal display device is provided with: a light-emitting diode LED; a liquid crystal panel; a light guide plate having an end surface that is disposed in such a manner as to face the LED, and having edge portions that are disposed further to the outside than the ends of the liquid crystal panel; holding members comprising a frame and a chassis that hold the liquid crystal panel and the light guide plate in a form in which the liquid crystal panel and the light guide plate are sandwiched between a display surface and the opposite side thereof, and accommodating the LED therebetween; panel pressing sections provided to the frame; second screw attachment sections provided to the frame; second screw members that are attached to the second screw attachment sections, and secure the frame and chassis in an assembled state by sandwiching at least the chassis between the second screw attachment sections; and hole-like sections that are provided to the edge portions of the light guide plate, and through which either the second screw attachment sections or the second screw members are inserted.

In recent years, flat panel display devices that use flat panel display elements such as liquid crystal panels and plasma display panels are increasingly used as display elements for image display devices such as television receivers instead of conventional cathode-ray tube displays, allowing image display devices to be made thinner. In the liquid crystal display device, a liquid crystal panel used therein does not emit light, and therefore, it is necessary to separately provide a backlight device as an illumination device. Backlight devices are largely categorized into a direct-lighting type and an edge-lighting type depending on the mechanism thereof. In order to make the liquid crystal display device even thinner, it is preferable to use an edge-lighting type backlight device, and a known example thereof is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A method for real time recording and playback of data to and from an optical recording medium, and a method for managing a file thereof is disclosed. In the present invention, the host controls real time data writing by providing a signal requesting for information on a defective area to the device for recording/playback of data to/from an optical disk before providing a write command. Accordingly, the write command is generated such that data is not written on the defective areas, based upon the returned information on the defective area. Alternatively, the host may first provide a write command to the device for recording/playback of data to/from an optical disk, upon which information on defective areas is returned. Thus, the host generates and provides a new write command such that data is not written on a defective area based upon the returned information on the defective area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rewritable optical recording medium and more particularly, to a method for real time recording/playback of data to/from an optical recording medium and a method for managing a file thereof.
2. Background of the Related Art
An optical recording medium includes a Read Only memory (ROM), a Write Once Read Many (WORM) time memory, and a rewritable memory which allows repeated writing. The ROM type of optical recording medium further includes a Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) and a Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory (DVD-ROM). The WORM type of optical recording medium further includes a Recordable Compact Disc (CD-R) and a Recordable Digital Versatile Disc (DVD-R). The rewritable type further includes a Rewritable Compact Disc (CD-RW) and a Rewritable Digital Versatile Disc (DVD-RW, DVD-RAM and DVD+RW).
For the rewritable optical recording mediums, the repeated recording and playback (R/P) of information to and from the rewritable optical recording medium changes an initial mixture ratio of a recording layer formed to write data on the optical disk. This change degrades performance of the optical recording medium, causing errors in R/P of the data information. A degraded region of an optical disk creates a defective area for formatting, writing to and playback from the optical recording medium. Moreover, a defective area in a rewritable optical recording medium can also be caused by scratches on the surface, dusts and defects in production.
To prevent R/P of data to/from a defective area formed by any of the above causes, management of the defective area is required. Thus, Defect Management Areas (DMAs) are provided in lead-in areas and in lead-out areas of the optical recording medium for managing defective regions of the optical recording medium, as shown in FIG. 1. Also, a data area is managed in groups, each having a user area for actual recording of data and a spare area for use in a case of defect in the user area.
Typically, one disc (e.g. DVD-RAM) has four DMAs, two in the lead-in area and two in the lead-out area. Since managing defect areas is important, the same data are held in all four DMAs, for data protection. Each DMA includes two blocks of 32 sectors, wherein one block consists of 16 sectors. The first block (DDS/PDL block) of each DMA includes a disc definition structure (DDS) and a primary defect list (PDL), and the second block (SDL block) includes a secondary defect list (SDL).
More specifically, the PDL represents a primary defect data storage area, and the SDL represents a secondary defect data storage area. The PDL stores entries of all defective sectors generated during manufacture and identified during formatting such as initialization or re-initialization. Each entry includes a sector number corresponding to a defective sector and an entry type.
On the other hand, the SDL is arranged by blocks and stores entries of either defective areas which may be generated after initialization, or defective areas which cannot be entered in the PDL during initialization. Each entry of the SDL includes an area storing the sector number of a first sector of the block having a defective sector, and an area holding the sector number of a first sector of an alternate block. Defective areas in the data area (i.e. defective sectors or defective blocks) are replaced with new sectors or blocks, respectively by slipping replacement or linear replacement.
The slipping replacement is utilized when a defective area or sector is listed in the PDL. As shown in FIG. 2A, if defective sectors m and n, corresponding to sectors in the user area, are recorded in the PDL, such defective sectors are replaced by the next available sector. By replacing the defective sectors by subsequent sectors, data is written to a normal sector. As a result, the user area into which data is written slips and occupies the spare area in the amount equivalent to the defective sectors.
The linear replacement is utilized when a defective area or block is recorded in the SDL. As shown in FIG. 2B, if defective sectors m and n, corresponding to sectors in either the user or spare area, are recorded on the SDL, such defective blocks are replaced by normal blocks in the spare area and the data to be recorded in the defective block are recorded in an assigned spare area. To achieve the replacement, a physical sector number (PSN) assigned to a defective block remains, while a logical sector number (LSN) is moved to the replacement block along with the data to be recorded. Linear replacement is effective for non real-time processing of data.
FIG. 3 is partial diagram of an optical disc recording/playback device relating to the write operation. The optical disc R/P device includes an optical pickup to write data into and playback data from the optical disc; a pickup controller transferring or moving the optical pickup; a data processor either processing and transferring the input data to the optical pickup, or receiving and processing the data reproduced through the optical pickup; an interface and a micro processor (micom) controlling the components.
Also, a host may be connected to the interface of the optical disc R/P device to transfer commands and data to and from the host and R/P device. Such a host can be any kind of personal computer, and would manage the optical disc R/P device.
Referring to FIG. 3, when data to be written is provided, the host provides a write command to the device for R/P of the data to/from an optical recording medium. The write command is inclusive of a Logical Block Address (LBA) which designates a writing position and a transfer length providing the size of the data. The host then provides the data to be written to the device for R/P of data to/from an optical recording medium. Upon reception of the data, the device for R/P of data writes the data starting from the designated LBA. At this time, the R/P device does not write data on defective areas, utilizing the PDL and the SDL which indicate defects on the optical recording medium.
Namely, the physical sectors listed on the PDL are skipped during the writing. As shown in FIG. 4A, physical blocks sblkA and sblkB listed on the SDL are replaced with replacement blocks sblkC and sblkD assigned to the spared area in the writing. Also, during the writing or playback of data, if a defective block not listed on the SDL or a block with a high possibility of error occurrence is present, the block is regarded as a defective block. Thus, a replacement block is located in the spare area, data of the defective block is written again into the replacement block, and a first sector number of the defective block and a first sector number of the replacement block are listed on the SDL entry.
Referring to FIG. 4A, for file 1, a conceptual expression of a portion representing a starting position and a size of file in an Information Control Block (ICB) having the file information written thereon in an Universal Disc Format (UDF) file may be shown as in FIG. 4B. As file 1 starts from position 'A', a defective block sblkB in file 1 is replaced with a spare block sblkD in the spare area. Thus, the number of logical sectors remains and a size of sector for file 1 is 'N'.
In order to write data by replacing defective blocks listed on the SDL with a replacement block assigned in the spare area, the optical pickup must be shifted to the spare area and returned back to the user area. However, the time period required for shifting and returning back interferes with a real time recording. Accordingly, many defective area management methods for real time recording are suggested. One of such methods is a skipping method in which the linear replacement is not performed when using the SDL, but data of an encountered defective block is written on a good block subsequent to the defective block as in the slipping replacement. As a result, the shifting time of the optical pickup in a real time recording can be reduced because the optical pickup is not required to shift to the spare area every time the optical pickup encounters a defective block.
At this time, the defective block retains the LSN and PSN. However, from the viewpoint of the host, the number of logical sectors in an optical disc is fixed. Thus, skipping causes losses of LSN in view of the host, equivalent to the number of skipped blocks, because LSNs are allocated to the skipped defective blocks even if data is not written on the defective block. For example, even if data of 100 sectors are transmitted for writing from the host and if there is one defective block in the area, only 84 sectors (1 block=16 sectors) are written.
Therefore, for file 1 in FIG. 4C, the size can be represented as N or N-L, shown in FIG. 4D, in an ICB of a UDF file system. The 'L' denotes a number of defective sectors skipped in an area on which file 1 is written. As shown in FIG. 4C, data of file 1 is written from position 'A' for 'M' sectors until a defective block is encountered. The defective block is skipped, and the writing of file 1 is continued. However, since the defective block sblkB retains the LSN without writing data on the defective block sblkB, the optical disk R/P device writes data only on N-L sectors when the host provides a command to write data on N sectors, because the LSN of the defective block sblkB cannot be used.
Consequently, if file 1 size is represented with 'N' as in the first case of FIG. 4D, an actual file size and a written file size differs, causing a problem in management of the file by a file manager. On the other hand, if the size of file 1 is represented with 'N-L' as in the second case, an inconsistency of the LSNs occurs. For example, if file 3 is newly written after file 2 in FIG. 4C has been erased, the file manager of the host would generate a command to write the data of file 3 starting from C-L position, where L is the number of sectors with defects. As a result, data of file 1, previously written, would be damaged. Thus, when a real time data is written according to the aforementioned method, the file manager can make mistakes in the management of the files.
Also, the LSNs retained by the defective areas during a real time recording cannot be utilized and an amount of data corresponding to such LSNs cannot be recorded. Therefore, effectively, a reduction of the disk size occurs. This is because data is written in fixed units in response to write command from the host regardless of whether defective blocks or defective sectors exists in an area in which the data is written.

Method for real time recording/playback of data to/from an optical recording medium and method for managing files thereof


A method of adjusting the N components of an N component color signal (such as the 3 components of an RGB color signal) with respect to color temperature of illuminating light when imaging a colored subject, comprising the step of computing the difference between each of the components of the color signal for different temperatures of illuminating light, using an algorithm based on the spectral sensitivity of the imaging means and Planck's equation defining black body illumination to obtain N components whose values are independent of the color temperature of the illuminating light. Normalisation of the adjusted values renders the values independent of intensity of illumination and can also reduce the processing time for further processing of the signals. A technique for compensating for gamma correction which is commonly built in cameras, is disclosed.

The foregoing can be summarised as follows:
The image formed by light reflected from an object inter alia depends upon two factors: (a) the intensity of illumination incident upon the object (and hence the intensity of reflected light), and (b) the wavelength(s) of illumination incident upon the object, (more usually identified as the "colour temperature" (T) of the illumination). Factor (b) determines the wavelengths of the reflected light, and therefore the colours in the image formed, while factor (a) determines the brightness of the image.
Clearly therefore, the same object may form different images when viewed by cameras or other image-forming devices, under different intensities, and/or wavelengths of illumination. In the case of daylight these factors (a) and (b) will tend to alter, for example, with the time of day, or season. If artificial light is employed, even greater variations can arise. This represents a problem for any object and/or image analysing and/or recognition system which relies on processing colour signals for analysis from a camera such as the RGB signals from a three sensor camera.
It is possible to allow for variations in intensity of illumination, and various techniques are known and described in the art. As is well known colour can be described mathematically by a three component vector R, G, B. The output of a three sensor camera viewing an object provides these three components, the magnitude of each of which is indicative of the quantity of light reflected by the object at the red, green and blue wavelengths.
Although the nomenclature suggests single wavelength resolution, in fact most camera sensors are responsive to a broad band of wavelengths in each of the red, green and blue regions of the visible spectrum, and such sensors are referred to as broad band sensors. However, cameras have been developed with a very limited response band width to wavelengths in the red, green and blue regions of the spectrum, by utilising in such cameras narrow band sensors, i.e. sensors that only respond to a narrow band of wavelengths in each of three regions of the spectrum.
Under different intensities of light the RGB signal varies in magnitude. Thus if the intensity scales by a factor k, then the camera signal equals (kR, kG, kB). By normalising the RGB vector in relation to intensity, the dependency due to intensity (k), can be removed.
Various techniques exist in the literature for removing k. For instance one may divide the RGB vector by (R+G+B). This results in chromaticity normalisation. Equally, one may divide by the square root of the sum of the squares of the RGB signal i.e. (R2+G2+B2). If R+G+B=1, then B=1−(R+G) (i.e. given R and G it is possible to calculate B, so the third parameter can be written in terms of the other two parameters). In general, any magnitude normalised RGB vector can be encoded by two parameters.
Whilst various such methods are able to remove variations in an image arising from fluctuations in intensity of illumination, it has not generally been possible to correct for variations in colour temperature of the illumination.
One object of the present invention is to provide a method to provide for such colour temperature correction.
It is a further object of the present invention to bridge the gap between the classical colour constancy computation and the invariant approach referred to in the Introduction section.
The invention has an additional object to provide a method of producing from colour corrected (and preferably also intensity corrected) colour image signals, signals which will produce a grey scale image which is substantially the same in terms of grey scale and brightness irrespective of the illumination of the original object producing the image.


A horizontal spool pin supporting device for a sewing machine comprising a spool pin having a spool mounting portion and a swingingly guided portion. An upper cover for covering the upper portion of the sewing machine body has a recess which has an opening on one of the vertical side walls and is capable of receiving the spool mounting portion of the spool pin together with the spool while it is mounted thereon. A spool pin guiding portion is defined b the opposing side surfaces of vertically extending two projections disposed on the back side of the side wall and is integrally formed with the upper cover. The swingingly guided portion of the spool pin, when it is inserted into the opening, is swingable and is guided by the spool pin guiding portion while the upper edge portion of the opening serves as a fulcrum for the turning of the spool pin.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a horizontal spool pin supporting device for a sewing machine and, more particularly relates to a sewing machine in which a spool pin mounted on the upper cover of the machine is in parallel with the clamp face of the upper cover.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional horizontal spool pin supporting device is incorporated in desk sewing machines for home use is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Provisional Publication No. 56-69366. A recess for accommodating a spool therein is formed in an upper cover of the sewing machine. The cover is constructed to be very small and yet accommodate the spool pin. The spool pin is raised up at a predetermined angle in the cover only when a spool is detached from or attached to the pin. The spool pin is fixedly held by the upper cover to be substantially horizontal when the spool pin on which a spool is mounted is turned down at a predetermined angle.
The conventional horizontal spool pin supporting device comprises a spool pin having a base plate which is swingably supported on the inside of the upper cover. A click mechanism of a spring member releases the base plate when the spool pin is raised up. Additional members such as the base for supporting the spool pin, a supporting member having a fulcrum for swingably supporting the base plate are required. The resulting structure is complicated and the assembly of these components is troublesome. It is the object of the present device to provide a horizontal spool pin supporting device for a sewing machine which uses a simple structure for swingably supporting the spool pin and does not us a base plate separated from the spool pin or supporting members separated from the upper cover.

Horizontal spool pin supporting device for a sewing machine


A multi-chamber inflatable mattress includes a main air chamber, upper and lower peripheral air chambers, and an upper air chamber. The main air chamber includes internal tensioning structures which cooperate with a bottom mattress panel and a lower intermediate panel to provide a generally box-shaped, mattress-sized inflatable structure upon pressurization. A second, upper intermediate panel cooperates with a top mattress panel to define an upper air chamber which defines the sleeping surface. The main air chamber receives pressurized fluid directly from a valve, while the lower and upper peripheral air chambers are in direct fluid communication with the main air chamber but not the valve. The upper air chamber is in direct fluid communication with the upper peripheral air chamber, but not the main chamber or valve.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an inflatable product structure and, in particular, to an inflatable mattress with multiple air chambers served from a single inflation valve.
2. Description of the Related Art
Inflatable products are lightweight, easy to transport and require minimal space for storage. Inflatable product technologies have been used for various outdoor items, household goods, and toys, including inflatable mattresses.
A traditional inflatable mattress includes bottom and top panels forming the top and bottom surfaces of the mattress respectively, joined by a peripheral mattress panel to form a substantially air tight internal cavity which can be inflated into the shape of a mattress. In order to maintain generally flat upper and lower surfaces similar to a regular mattress, the upper and lower mattress panels may be joined to one another within the air cavity, such as by tension bands or other internal structures.
Some air mattress designs utilize multiple air chambers which, when pressurized, define additional shapes and features of the mattress. For example, some inflatable mattress designs feature a "double-chamber" construction including lower and upper chambers, in which the upper chamber provides a sleeping surface while the lower chamber provides a ground engaging surface. In some cases, the upper and lower chambers are in fluid communication with one another such that both chambers are inflatable and deflatable via a single valve.


A traction system for use on conventional flexible footwear is provided that includes both toe and heel sections that are independently attached to a wearer's footwear and are connected with a flexible linkage. The flexible linkage allows the traction system to move with the normal movement of the flexible footwear so as to provide a natural walking and running movement. The traction system provides numerous benefits over previously available crampon and other spiked traction systems, including flexibility, light weight, practical usability with a wide variety of footwear types—including highly flexible footwear such as running shoes, compactability, and ready adjustability between different sizes and types of footwear.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices, such as crampons, adapted to be worn over footwear to provide improved traction.
2. Description of Related Art
There are a variety of devices available today for attachment to footwear to improve traction. It is very common for hikers in snowy or icy environments to employ crampons that attach to bottom of their stiff-soled hiking boots. These heavy-duty devices typically provide series of 1 to 2 inch long spikes across the forefoot and heel of the boot. The spikes are adapted to penetrate ice, snow, and/or loose dirt to provide improved sure-footed hiking or climbing.
A typical crampon is constructed with 8 to 12 spikes attached around the footbed of a relatively inflexible frame. The spikes may be oriented downward and at various outward-facing angles to address traction needs in climbing or descending extreme terrain. Since these devices are adapted to be attached to hiking boots that have soles that may readily flex only 5 to 10 degrees from normal plane, a conventional crampon is constructed from a coherent material, such an inflexible polymer or metal, that can be easily flexed by hand only about 0 to 5–7 degrees off its normal plane. In fact, for extreme climbing conditions, it is desirable to provide a crampon that provides virtually no flexibility so that proper foothold can be maintained under intense pressure.
While conventional crampons work well for their intended hiking and climbing applications, they have numerous deficiencies. First, due to their inflexible nature, most crampons must be worn with boots having very stiff soles. This makes use with common shoes (such as street shoes and boots, running and other athletic shoes, flexible soled hiking boots and shoes, or flexible soled winter boots) quite uncomfortable since the wearer will not be adequately protected from the uneven nature of the crampon bed. Second, the strapping systems for conventional crampons are normally adapted only to attach to large stiff boots. These straps generally do not easily attach to smaller and more flexible common shoes. In fact, since a typical street shoe is quite flexible, flexing readily 45 degrees or more off normal plane, such shoes may slide out of a conventional crampon strapping system.
In order to provide improved traction for more conventional footwear, a number of other solutions have been suggested. A number of manufacturers sell crampon-like devices that are adapted to be attached to only the front (that is, forefoot region) of a shoe or boot. One such device is sold under the trademark SNOWTRACKER by Atlas Co., of San Francisco, Calif. Another commercially available system comprises a two-part device that has a first portion that attaches to the forefoot region on a shoe and a separate second portion that attaches to the heel region of the shoe. While these device do provide improved traction on snow and ice, they are believed to be lacking in attachment ease and security. For example, none of these devices provides a sufficiently secure attachment to withstand the rigors of running.
There are several commercial devices that comprise one or more rubber straps with metal nubs that attach over shoes for improved traction. One such device is sold under the trademark YAKTRAX by Yaktrax Inc. of Washington. These devices are deficient in that they are often shoe size-specific and typically provide only marginally improved traction. Additionally, these devices have a tendency to slip out of position when worn, particularly when encountering stress and strain. Finally, these devices are not designed or constructed for extended wear and intense use that might be required for extended walking, hiking, or running.
A number of patents have been issued related to crampons and similar traction devices. U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,238 describes a traction device that is adaptable to a variety of footwear, but has a strap system that is believed to be inadequate for vigorous activity. Other traction systems are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,795,993, 4,910,883, 5,359,789, and 5,787,612. None of these previous systems is believed to be entirely suitable in one or more of the following design criteria: compaction for storage; light weight; secure attachment and flexibility for active walking and running activities; and/or ready adjustability for use on a wide variety of footwear.

Flexible traction system for common shoes


A fixture for positioning an ATD relative to a vehicle includes a housing attached to the vehicle having a first end and a second end. A locator is mounted on the housing and is movable along the housing between the first end and the second end to identify a position of the ATD relative to the housing. A target is disposed on the ATD and is spaced apart from the housing for alignment with the locator. A first measurement device outputs an angle of the housing that identifies an angular position of the target relative to a plane extending through the first end of the housing.

Automotive test dummies (ATDs) are commonly used in automotive testing to validate automotive vehicles and vehicle designs. To ensure repeatability of automotive tests, test fixtures are commonly used to properly position an ATD relative to the vehicle. Conventional test fixtures are typically attached to a reference point of a vehicle such as a door opening to position the ATD relative to the vehicle. Because the test fixture is mounted to a particular reference point of a particular vehicle, the test fixture is commonly a dedicated test fixture that can only be used with a particular vehicle.
One such prior art test fixture is shown in FIG. 1. The prior art test fixture A of FIG. 1 is matingly received within a door opening B of a vehicle C. The test fixture A is fixedly attached to the door opening B and properly locates a head D, hip E, and knee F of an ATD G relative to the vehicle C. While the test fixture of FIG. 1 adequately positions the ATD G relative to the vehicle C, the test fixture A is dedicated to the particular vehicle C and can only be used with that particular vehicle C. Such dedicated test fixtures necessitate a plurality of dedicated test fixtures for use with various vehicles and therefore increase the costs associated with automotive testing and validation.


An organic light-emitting device (OLED) display is disclosed. In one aspect, the display includes a substrate, a plurality of first electrodes separated from each other over the substrate and a second electrode facing and formed across the first electrodes. The display also includes an intermediate layer interposed between the first electrodes and the second electrode, wherein the intermediate layer comprises an emission layer. The display further includes a plurality of encapsulation layer portions patterned to be separated from each other in an island form over the second electrode.

1. Field
The described technology generally relates to an organic light-emitting device (OLED) display and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Recently, OLED display devices have been used in various applications and their scope of use has grown wider due to reduced thickness and weight. In particular, as demand for wearable devices rapidly increases, the development of a flexible OLED display actively proceeds.
A flexible display is formed to be bent or curved to increase user convenience, and thus, features of a substrate and thin films, which are included in the flexible display, need to be controlled to ensure flexibility.

Organic light-emitting device (OLED) display and method of manufacturing the same


A method, system and apparatus are provided for portable evaluation of metamophopsia. The method, system and apparatus includes a computer application capable of making any handset or portable display terminal into a portable electronic eye evaluation unit, including clinician's and/or automated assistance, test evaluation and re-test if required.

Disorders of the central retina (known as the macula) such as age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) and diabetic retinopathy are the leading cause of severe visual loss among older adults in the Western world. In their early stages these diseases might cause mild changes in the macula with minimal loss of vision. In some patients the disease can advance to a more visually debilitating stage characterized by the development of abnormal new vessels in the macula, a process known as neovascularization. If left untreated, these abnormal vessels leak plasma leading to edema of the macula and later can bleed causing permanent loss of central vision. If some of these pathological changes are detected in early stages, laser photocoagulation of neovascular nets can slow or prevent the development of advanced disease.
One of the early symptoms of disease progression is distortion of central vision known as Metamorphopsia. Metamorphopsia is a geometric distortion of the central visual field. A patient with metamorphopsia often complains that edges that should be straight (such as the edge of a door or window) instead appear bent in the affected regions of the visual field. As this is an early symptom of disease progression, being able to detect it as early as possible can be critical in the early diagnosis and treatment of these sight threatening conditions.
A common clinical approach for detecting and documenting metamorphopsia is to use an Amsler grid, which is a printed square grid, usually 10 cm wide and 10 cm high, containing equally spaced, parallel horizontal and vertical lines. Typical embodiments of the printed grid include individual 5 mm×5 mm squares of equal area, arranged around a fixation point (such as a dot) at the center of the grid. In use, the grid is held at arm's length, e.g. a distance of about 28-30 cm, while one eye is occluded, and the open eye fixes on the central fixation point. Areas of distortion or wavy lines are then noted by the subject, who may draw a circle around the areas of grid distortion. The subject is usually given a smaller, credit card sized, version of the Amsler grid (known as a pocket Amsler card) so that he or she may self-perform the test at home at regular intervals or whenever he or she suspects changes in vision. The subjects are instructed to immediately report any changes in the severity or distribution of the distortion, as these may indicate progression of the disease that requires immediate treatment.
A need exists in the art for an easy to use, hand-held, portable electronic version of the Amsler test (in all applicable sizes, including the full, pocket-card and any intermediate sizes) that would allow people suffering from diseases that affect the macula to be reminded automatically or remotely of the need to perform the Amsler test, in a simple and cost-conscious way, at a time and place of their choosing, with the ability to record and transmit the results in electronic format, perhaps even tailor the test to their already known clinical condition.
This information could then be sent electronically to a printer, storage and/or another electronic device, making the results available to doctors, physicians, nurses, technicians or other health providers (collectively called clinicians here) to review, asses and determine corrective treatment actions. In addition, the results could be made automatically part of the patients Electronic Medical Records (EMR), or electronically processed to display not only test results, but also test statistics to clinicians.


A method and apparatus observes a mode register (102) in a synchronous memory device. A multiplexer (306) selects the value of the mode register (102) or the conventional data path of the memory array (302) through the output buffer. The invention outputs the stored value of the control register (102) on output pins, such as address pins when no signal is expected. The multiplexer (306) maybe responsive to a variety of control signals.

Computer systems and communication systems require various memories to store and retrieve information associated with any given operating system, or database. Presently, a variety of memories are used over a wide range of applications. For example, nonvolatile memories are used in cellular telephone applications, while volatile memories are used as cache memory and main memory in personal computers.
Traditionally, memory has been the bottleneck of communication systems and computer systems due to its slower access speed with respect to the processing speed of the associated microprocessor or microcontroller. Synchronous memories have been developed to temporarily alleviate this memory bottleneck. Synchronous dynamic random access memory ("SDRAM", hereafter) has been introduced with processing speeds of 85 megahertz and more.
SDRAMs offer a different concept in memory architecture with respect to traditional dynamic random access memory ("DRAM", hereafter). Traditional DRAMs include fast page mode (FPM) and extended data out (EDO) modes. SDRAMs have many features to improve their performance. For instance, SDRAMs have the ability to interleave between multiple banks of memory. SDRAMs also contain logic to operate as a state machine based on an externally supply system clock. A11 address, command, data and input/output ("I/O") signals are synchronized on the positive edge of an externally supplied system clock. The complexity of the SDRAM with the state machine and the higher operating speeds increases the difficulty of testing it. For example, as an SDRAM changes states, it is difficult to predict what the output will be without knowing the particular state. Also, an invalid state can be entered and the ability to escape from the state may be difficult. Presently, SDRAMs do not offer a reset feature.
Embedded memories are also used to alleviate the memory bottleneck. Various DRAM and SRAM memories are now embedded on microprocessors and microcontrollers. Embedded memories reduce layout, increase the access speed, and decrease the overall manufacturing costs of the systems in which they are incorporated. However, embedded memories do not have external pins. Therefore, testing embedded memories is also difficult. In these case, the microprocessor or microcontroller controls the memory testing by sending and receiving address and data information to and from the embedded memory.
Various test philosophies have been developed to test embedded memories; including built in self test and boundary scan. However, these test methodologies increase silicon area and overall cost. Also, they test the part to determine if it functions properly instead of observing what state the part is in.

Apparatus and method for observing the mode of a memory device


Disclosed is a laser-driven photon source comprising drive optics which focus drive radiation so as to maintain a plasma. The point spread function of the drive optics has a point spread function (75) which is configured such that a spectral position of a peak output wavelength of a black body portion of output radiation emitted by said plasma within a desired wavelength band.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a laser-driven photon source. The present invention further relates to an inspection apparatus usable, for example, to perform metrology in the manufacture of devices by lithographic techniques and comprising such a laser-driven photon source.
Background Art
A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g., including part of, one, or several dies) on a substrate (e.g., a silicon wafer). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate. In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively patterned.
In lithographic processes, it is desirable frequently to make measurements of the structures created, e.g., for process control and verification. Various tools for making such measurements are known, including scanning electron microscopes, which are often used to measure critical dimension (CD), and specialized tools to measure overlay, the accuracy of alignment of two layers in a device. Recently, various forms of scatterometers have been developed for use in the lithographic field. These devices direct a beam of radiation onto a target and measure one or more properties of the scattered radiation—e.g., intensity at a single angle of reflection as a function of wavelength; intensity at one or more wavelengths as a function of reflected angle; or polarization as a function of reflected angle—to obtain a diffraction "spectrum" from which a property of interest of the target can be determined.
Examples of known scatterometers include angle-resolved scatterometers of the type described in US2006033921A1 and US2010201963A1. The targets used by such scatterometers are relatively large, e.g., 40 μm by 40 μm, gratings and the measurement beam generates a spot that is smaller than the grating (i.e., the grating is underfilled). In addition to measurement of feature shapes by reconstruction, diffraction based overlay can be measured using such apparatus, as described in published patent application US2006066855A1. Diffraction-based overlay metrology using dark-field imaging of the diffraction orders enables overlay measurements on smaller targets. Examples of dark field imaging metrology can be found in patent applications US20100328655A1 and US2011069292A1 which documents are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Inspection apparatuses may use plasma-based photon sources, for example laser-driven photon sources (LDPS), otherwise known as laser-driven light sources, as these offer high brightness. Plasmas are generated in a gaseous medium by the application of energy through electric discharge, and laser energy. The spectral distribution of the radiation may be broadband or narrowband in nature, and wavelengths may be in the near infrared, visible and/or ultraviolet (UV) bands. Published patent application US 2011204265A1 discloses plasma-based light sources including laser-driven photon sources.
The amount of output radiation provided by an LDPS apparatus is dependent upon inter alia the output power of the laser energy. The higher the laser energy, the higher the plasma temperature which, in turn, results in more output radiation.
In applications using LDPS sources, the source in use may emit radiation of different wavelengths, including ultraviolet radiation. However, for a number of applications such as inspection applications described herein, it may be that only wavelengths within a desired wavelength band are useful. The desired wavelength band may comprise wavelengths longer than UV radiation wavelengths. In many such applications, the UV radiation wavelengths will be blocked and therefore the generation of radiation at these wavelengths is inefficient and wasteful. In addition, the UV radiation can have an adverse effect on the operation of the LDPS, resulting in solarization of LDPS components.

Laser-driven photon source and inspection apparatus including such a laser-driven photon source

Ralph Jozef Johannes Gerardus Anna Maria


Methods and apparatus for enhanced radio resource control (RRC) reestablishment in a communication system include addressing repeated radio link failures (RLFs). For example, the methods and apparatus include incrementing a counter value associated with a first cell based on a detection of a RLF by a user equipment (UE) in a RRC connected state with the first cell. The methods and apparatus further include determining that the counter value meets or exceeds a first barring threshold value within a cell barring evaluation time duration. Additionally, the methods and apparatus include prohibiting the UE from performing an RRC reestablishment procedure with the first cell for a first barring time duration.

The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly, to addressing repeated radio link failures in wireless communication systems.
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power). Examples of such multiple-access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.
These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate on a municipal, national, regional, and even global level. An example of an emerging telecommunication standard is Long Term Evolution (LTE). LTE is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). It is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectral efficiency, lower costs, improve services, make use of new spectrum, and better integrate with other open standards using OFDMA on the downlink (DL), SC-FDMA on the uplink (UL), and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology. However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, there exists a need for further improvements in LTE technology. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multi-access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies.
In some wireless communication networks, failures in establishing or maintaining network connection may result in significant degradations in wireless communication performance and quality. Further, in such scenarios, limitations may exist in remedying the degradations. Thus, improvements in reselection procedures are desired.

Addressing radio link failures in wireless communication systems


The present invention relates to an improved process for the selective alkylation of phenols using heteropolyacid catalyst supported onto zirconia under mild conditions. The process is economically viable since the catalyst regenerated after the initial reaction on further use gives the product in high yield.

It is known in the art that the alkylation of phenol is an industrially important reaction. The products obtained are either used directly or as chemical intermediates for bulk industries like petrochemicals, fine chemicals, agrochemical etc. The reaction is usually carried out by using liquid Friedel-Crafts catalysts such as AlCl3, BF3, FeCl3 and ZnCl2. The same reaction can also be carried out by making use of a number of catalysts under different conditions and using different alkylating agent in order to get ortho and para alkylphenols.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,267,394 discloses a process involving a reaction of phenol with iso-propanol in the presence of diethyl ether complex of BF3 in phosphoric acid diluent at a temperature range of 70° C. to 90° C. to produce the ortho-isomer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,368 discloses a process for the production of meta and para-alkylphenols from phenol and olefins in the presence of silicalites and ZSM-5 as catalyst at a temperature of 200° C. to 500° C.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,786 discloses a process for the preparation tert butyl-p-phenol by the reaction of phenol with alkyl tert-butyl ether in the presence of a protonated strong acid type catalyst in the temperature range of 60° C. to 130° C. and pressure ranging between atmospheric pressure to 5 kg/cm.sup.2.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,178 discloses a process for the alkylation of phenol with olefins using phosphotungsticacid supported on MCM-41 at a temperature range of 0° C. to 500° C. degree C. and at a pressure ranging from 0.2 to 250 atmosphere. In the prior art, stress is given to the preparation of the catalyst. MCM-41 is used as a support. For alkylation reaction, olefin is used as an alkylating agent and the reaction is carried out under pressure. Further the process does not claim regeneration of the catalyst. In the present invention, hydrous zirconia is used as a support. The present invention describes the alkylation of phenol with alcohol under atmospheric pressure. Also the present invention describes a simple process for the regeneration of the catalyst. The increased yield, selectivity and catalyst regeneration in the present invention is attributed to the novel reaction conditions, alkylating agent as well as nature of the catalyst support.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,703 discloses a process for the selective synthesis of p-nonyl phenol by reacting phenol with olefins in the presence of catalysts selected from the group of 12-tungstophosphoric acid, 12-tungstosilicic acid, 12-molybdosilicic acid supported on an inert oxide such as titanium dioxide, aluminium oxide and silicon oxide. The reaction is carried out at 90° C. under pressure of 100 psi. The maximum % conversion is 91 and the para-nonyl phenol to ortho-nonyl phenol weight ratio is 10.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,424 discloses a process for the alkylation of phenol with tertiary-butyl ether and benzyl chloride in the presence of solid acid catalysts such as sulphated oxides of different metals such as Zr, Ti, Fe, Al, Sn and Bi. The catalysts are also reused.
Japanese patents 61251633 and 61200934 disclose the production of highly pure para-tertiary-butylphenol by the reaction of phenol with isobutylene and butene in the presence of activated clay at 10-120° C. and production of the same mentioned product by the reaction of phenol with butene in the presence of aluminium phenoxide and a nitrogen containing base at 30-200° C. respectively.
The prior art processes do not have the advantage of 100% conversion with respect to reaction yield. The present invention has its surprising effect in 100% conversion with respect to reaction yield and 97.2% selectivity with respect to p-tert butylphenol formation.
A number of research papers have been published on the synthesis of alkyl phenol in vapour phase. Selvam and co workers (Catal. Lett. 65, 153, 2000) have reported vapour phase reaction of phenol with tert-butyl alcohol using Fe—MCM-41 at 175° C. They have found 87% selectivity for p-tert-butyl phenol with 21.1% conversion. The same reaction was carried out in presence of sulphated Zirconia (Catal. Lett. 72, 3, 2001) and Al—MCM-41 (Micro. Meso. Mater. 39, 457, 2000) at the same temperature by the same authors.
Sulphated Zirconia and Al—MCM-41 gave 57.8% and 35.9% conversion and 86.5 and 83.4% selectivity for p-tert-butyl phenol respectively.
HY and Hβ were used for the vapour phase reaction of phenol with tert-butyl alcohol at 105° C. and 145° C. respectively by Zhang and Co workers (Appl. Catal. A. 207, 183, 2001; 166, 89, 1998). They have reported 90.4% and 76.3% selectivity for p-tert-butyl phenol with 46.2% and 95.8% conversion for HY and Hβ respectively.
Anand and co workers (J. Mol. Catal. A. 193, 251, 2003) have reported 62.6% selectivity for p-tert-butyl phenol with 45.5% conversion by the vapour phase reaction of phenol with tert-butyl alcohol using Zeolites HY at 170° C.
A number of procedures have also been reported under liquid phase. Samant and co-workers have reported (Appl. Catal. A 276, 5, 2004) liquid phase tert-butylation of phenol in presence of k-10 clay and FeCl3/k-10 clay. The process gives 100% conversion with 62.0% and 66.8% selectivity for p-tert-butylphenol respectively.
V. Hules reported( J. Catal, 218, 249, 2003,) 52.7% conversion with 23.0% selectivity for p-tert-butylphenol using USY catalyst, 54.2% conversion with 80.3% selectivity for p-tert-butylphenol using Zeolite-β, 28.8% conversion with 49.1% selectivity for p-tert-butylphenol using Mordenite, 12.6% conversion with 79.5% selectivity for p-tert-butylphenol using HZSM-5, and 31.5% conversion with 99.3% selectivity for p-tert-butylphenol using H-β as the solid acid catalyst in presence of ionic liquids such as [bmim]PF6, [omim]BF4 and [hmim]BF4.
Y. Shen and co-workers have reported (J. Mol. Catal. A 212, 301, 2004) 44.8% conversion with 49.0% selectivity for p-tert-butylphenol with tungstophosphoricacid supported onto MCM-41 as catalyst.
Of all the reactions described in the art, there is no reaction reported with more than 80% selectivity for p-tert-butylphenol in liquid phase under mild conditions. Although the heteropolyacids are active for alkylation reaction, it is known that deactivation during these reactions is significant.
Especially in alkylation reactions, the catalysts get deactivated due to the coke formation. Traditionally removal of coke from the catalysts was carried out by heating the catalyst at 500° C. The traditional method cannot be applied to the heteropolyacids as they decompose at that temperature.
The present invention describes a novel catalyst regeneration method. The present inventors have for the first time developed a method for regenerating the heteropolyacid by heating at 300° C.
It is known in art that Kozhevnikov has reported (Appl, Catal. A: General 256, 3, 2003) that the recycling of heteropolyacid catalysts is the key issue to their applications. Subsequent regeneration of the same is quite difficult.
The present inventors have surprisingly found that heteropolyacid catalysts can be regenerated and also reused for the same alkylation reaction. The present invention affords a process which is very high yielding and also economically viable as the catalyst can be reused after a simple workup.

Secretary, Department of Science & Technology


In a cryogenic workbench, a cryogenic laser peening system and a control method, a tapered surface gap d is adjusted, based on the electromagnetic principle, to control the gasification volume of liquid nitrogen, then the temperatures of the copious cooling workbench and the surface of a sample are precisely controlled by means of the adjustment of the heat absorption amount of liquid nitrogen gasification, the temperature adjustment range and the temperature rising/lowering rate of the cryogenic laser peening system are effectively extended, and the precision of the control of the surface temperature of the sample is increased in combination with a closed-loop control. Additionally, an intelligent control of a cryogenic laser peening process is realized by means of a computer and a PLC control unit, whereby the usage amount of liquid nitrogen in the experiment process is reduced and the processing efficiency is improved.

The cryogenic laser shock strengthening technology combines the multiple advantages of laser shock strengthening, high-energy, ultra-fast and ultra-low temperature deformation technology, which can induce a higher dislocation density to increase the hardness of the surface of the metal material significantly; and has broad application prospect in aerospace, marine engineering and transportation field and other fields. However, cryogenic laser shock strengthening technology has extremely high requirements on the temperature, and the optimal cryogenic temperature of different materials also has significant differences, which requires the cryogenic laser shock strengthening equipment has large temperature adjustment range and higher temperature control precision.
At present, liquid nitrogen is commonly used in cryogenic laser shock strengthening equipment as a cooling medium for refrigeration, such as the issued patent No. CN102492805B provides a method and a device for strengthening metal material by cryogenic laser shock; whereby the liquid nitrogen is used as a cooling medium for cooling the whole cryogenic treatment chamber as well as controlling the surface temperature of the sample by using the principle of heat conduction. Although this method can accomplish the cryogenic laser shock strengthening to a certain extent, there are still some shortcomings such as: 1. the cooling and heating rate is still slow due to the effect of the volume of the cryogenic treatment chamber; 2. the temperature distribution in the cryogenic treatment chamber is uneven and the response speed of the temperature regulation is slow, so the controlled precision of the surface temperature of the sample is not high, and the error is large; 3. the liquid nitrogen is used in a large amount and comes at a higher cost. The patent No. CN105063284A provides a high-light-transmittance cryogenic laser shock head and laser shock system suitable for cryogenic laser shock technology by immersing the sample in the liquid nitrogen to realize the ultra-low temperature, but the following disadvantages still exists: 1. the method and the device can only accomplish a single temperature, and cannot realize any temperature adjustment; 2. the controlled precision of the invention is closely related to the sample size, the volume of the cryogenic case and the room temperature, but the controlled temperature precision is not high; 3. the liquid nitrogen is used in a large amount, and it comes at a higher cost.
In order to improve the temperature adjustment range, the rising/lowering temperature response speed and the temperature control precision in the cryogenic laser shock strengthening equipment, the method of the present invention proposes a high precision temperature controlled cryogenic laser shock strengthening experimental system for cooling the cryogenic workbench and the sample by using the electromagnetic suction force to adjust the conical surface gap to precisely control the volume of liquid nitrogen gasification, and then precisely control the surface temperature of the sample by adjusting the heat absorption of liquid nitrogen gasification. Upon searching domestic and foreign literatures, no related device has been found to adjust the gap of the conical surface through electromagnetic suction force to control the temperature of the cryogenic workbench, and no related report has been found on the application of related method in the field of cryogenic laser shock. The present invention is the first to propose the device.

Cryogenic workbench, cryogenic laser peening experiment system and control method therefor


In an apparatus and method of solving a combinatorial exchange, a plurality of candidate allocations of input bids is determined from input bids and a set of bid vectors is formed from the input bids. A probability value, representing how likely the bids of a bid vector will comprise the bids from which a final allocation is determined, is associated with each bid vector. A mapping is then determined between each bid vector and at least one of the candidate allocations based on a set of objectives and a set of constraints. A candidate allocation is selected as a final allocation based on a comparison of another set of bids that define an exchange event bid vector with at least one of the bid vectors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to exchanges, e.g., forward auctions, reverse auctions and/or pure exchanges, especially combinatorial exchanges, and, more particularly, to a method for discouraging bidders and bid takers from attempting to manipulate the exchange results by pricing one or more bids in a manner that does not reflect (or express) the actual valuation of the item(s) of each bid while improving the obtainment of auction objectives.
2. Description of Related Art
One problem with combinatorial exchanges, e.g., forward auctions, reverse auctions and/or pure exchanges, is that a bidder often bids strategically, namely, he will not reveal his true cost for providing an item in a reverse auction or his true value for acquiring an item in a forward auction. Rather, in a reverse auction, bidders bid the highest price they believe they can sell items for and in a forward auction bidders bid the lowest price they believe they can acquire the items for. As used herein, "exchange" means a forward auction, a reverse auction and/or pure exchange i.e., a combined forward auction and reverse auction.
In a reverse auction, a bid taker may have some knowledge about a bidder's true cost, which could be utilized to reduce total procurement cost, for instance, by bargaining with the bidder. Similarly, in a forward auction the bid taker may have some knowledge about one or more bidders' true values, which could be utilized to increase the total procurement revenue. Unfortunately, a key shortcoming of prior art combinatorial exchanges is that they do not enable bidders and/or bid takers to make any use of this knowledge.
For example, consider a reverse auction where there are only two bidders A and B bidding to supply one item, and bidder A has a much lower cost of production than bidder B, and the bid taker, as well as bidder A, knows this. If this reverse auction is run, bidder A will bid a price only slightly below the best price that bidder B can bid. This may not be satisfactory to the bid taker, and he may choose instead to enter a less systematic bargaining process with the bidders in order to drive bidder A down to a lower price. Alternatively, the bid taker may also run a non-binding auction and enter a less systematic negotiation process with the bidders afterwards, but this will cause the auction and the bids in it to lose credibility and meaning.
The same phenomenon also occurs in the more complex combinatorial exchange setting. Here, any ad-hoc negotiation process is certain not to lead to economically efficient allocations because of the complexities inherent in finding such allocations. Thus, the inability of combinatorial exchanges to let bidders and/or bid takers exploit their knowledge about the respective bid takers and/or bidders prevents adoption of suitable combinatorial market clearing technology and, as a result, leads to economic loss.
What is, therefore, needed, and not heretofore available, is a method for solving exchanges, especially combinatorial exchanges, that enables knowledge or suspicions of preferences of bidders and/or bid takers to be taken in account when determining an allocation. Desirably, the present invention encourages bidders to bid their true valuation and bid takers to obtain more competitive outcomes. Still other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description.

Method of determining an exchange allocation that promotes truthful bidding and improves the obtainment of exchange objectives


A low dropout (LDO) includes voltage inputs to receive input from voltage sources. The LDO voltage regulator includes a regulated voltage output, blocking diodes, and circuitry configured to block leakage from a first voltage input with a first blocking diode when the first voltage input is less than the regulated voltage output, and to provide the regulated voltage output from the first voltage input and a second voltage input.

An LDO voltage regulator may include a direct current (DC) voltage regulator that can regulate output voltage even when the supply voltage is very close to the output voltage.
LDO voltage regulators may be used to avoid switching. LDO voltage regulators dissipate power in order to regulate the output voltage. LDO voltage regulators may be implemented with a power field-effect transistor (FET). Moreover, LDO voltage regulators may be implemented with a differential amplifier to amplify the error. An input of the differential amplifier may monitor a fraction of the output determined by a resistor ratio. An LDO voltage regulator may include an input from a known, stable voltage reference. LDO voltage regulators may operate by driving their transistors to saturation. The voltage drop from an unregulated supply voltage to the regulated voltage can be as low as the saturation voltage across the transistor. Power FETs or bipolar transistors may be used in the LDO voltage regulator.
One characteristic of an LDO voltage regulator is its quiescent current. This current may account for the difference between the input current and the output current of the LDO voltage regulator. This current difference may be drawn by the LDO voltage regulator in order to control its internal circuitry for proper operation. The transient response of an LDO voltage regulator is the maximum allowable output voltage variation for a step change in load current. The response may be a function of output capacitance, equivalent series resistance of such capacitance, the bypass capacitor, and maximum load-current. Applications of LDO voltage regulators may include, for example, voltage, current and temperature monitoring, and diagnostic information gathering. LDO voltage regulators may be controlled with programmable current limits, active output discharges, or control of power supplies related to the LDO voltage regulator.
Inventors of embodiments of the present disclosure have discovered solutions for providing bi-directional, high-voltage power switches that are self-supplied from the switch ports therein. Such power switches may include the UC 53205 power switch, available from Microchip Technology, Inc., the assignee of the present disclosure. As a result, inventors of embodiments of the present disclosure have discovered that a need exists for an internal regulator within such a power switch that is able to provide the regulated voltage independently from its ports while not leaking current from the regulated voltage output back to a voltage source in a port whose voltage is lower than the regulated voltage output. Embodiments of the present disclosure may address one or more of these needs.


A doorbell system can include a remote computing device and a doorbell that has a camera. The doorbell can enter a camera sleep mode wherein the camera is configured not to record. The remote computing device can be used to override a power setting of the doorbell to enable the doorbell to record a video. Then, the remote computing device can receive the video that was recorded by the doorbell.

1. Field
Various embodiments disclosed herein relate to doorbells. Certain embodiments relate to doorbell communication systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Doorbells can enable a person located outside of an entry point, such as a door, to alert a person inside of an entry point that someone outside would like to talk to someone inside. Doorbells sometimes include a button located near a door, such as a front door, side door, or back door of a home, office, dwelling, warehouse, building, or structure. Doorbells are sometimes used near a gate or some other entrance to a partially enclosed area. Pushing the doorbell sometimes causes a chime or other alerting sound to be emitted.

Doorbell communication systems and methods


An electronic device comprises a first casing member, a second casing member and a loudspeaker unit adapted to be mounted to the second casing member. The two casing members are designed to be assembled by moving the first casing member towards the second casing member along a given trajectory into a fixing position and fixing it to the second casing member. The loudspeaker unit is held between the first and second casing members.

When assembling such an electronic device, mounting a loudspeaker enclosure or loudspeakers is more problematic than the mounting of most other components, because the way the enclosure or loudspeaker is mounted has a critical influence on the quality of sound generated by the device. This quality is seriously impaired if the mounting of the enclosure or loudspeaker is not firm enough to prevent the frame of the enclosure or loudspeaker from trembling with respect to the support on which it is mounted, or if the support can be excited to vibrate by the sound produced by the loudspeaker. Conventionally, therefore, loudspeakers have been mounted by screwing to a support.
Furthermore, in a display having for instance a cathode ray tube, vibrations can generate disturbances on the displayed images if the enclosure or loudspeaker is not properly attached.
A TV set in which a loudspeaker is mounted without the use of screws is known from JP 600 43 995 A. According to this document, a loudspeaker can be mounted on a cabinet of a TV by engaging one side of the frame of the loudspeaker behind a pawl provided at an inner surface of a baffle board. A second pawl is connected to an edge of the baffle board by a film hinge. By folding the film hinge, this second pawl can be brought into engagement with the other side of the frame of the loudspeaker, and the pawl is held in position by mounting a rear cover to the cabinet.
With the cabinet design of this document, mounting a loudspeaker is already easier and faster than by the traditional method of screwing. However, mounting the rear cover behind the baffle board may be difficult. Namely, when the film hinge has been bent in order to engage the loudspeaker, care must be taken to prevent it from unbending again, because otherwise, the loudspeaker becomes loose again, and the rear cover cannot be mounted. A further problem is that the baffle board and the loudspeaker frame must be manufactured within narrow tolerance ranges. Namely, if the pawls are too close to each other, it may be impossible to fold the film hinge as far as necessary in order to enable the rear cover to be mounted, and if they are too far apart, the hold of the loudspeaker by the pawls may not be firm enough, so that the loudspeaker may rattle in operation.

Casing for an electronic device and process for assembly of such a casing


An apparatus for accurately positioning a leading edge of a label or detecting a notch in label stock, having, a photosensor with a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and an emitter circuit which uses an oscillating wave form coupled to the light emitting element to control the varying amount of light emitted from the light emitting element.

Optical sensors are commonly used in the field of printers, hand-held, desk-top or otherwise. Functions of sensors within this field usually include label detection, gap detection, skewness indicator, label length or width determination, etc. Advantages of these devices include their small size and durability. However, as with any device, there are also disadvantages, such as the certain level of sensitivity, precision or tolerance associated with each sensor which can vary greatly, ambient lighting can greatly influence the reception of the light emitted by the sensor, and the characteristics of the print media can vary greatly. The higher the sensitivity, or tighter the tolerance, the higher the cost of the sensor, another disadvantage.
In order to maintain reasonable costs on printers and attain considerable accuracy, prior art devices have tried different methods which use lower-cost sensors to achieve consistent repeatable results. However, sensors get dirty, decay over time, manufacturing techniques vary, and in many other ways the characteristics of each sensor are different or can change over time. Thus, prior art designs which did not precisely account for these variations or changing ambient conditions could not provide consistently reliable results. Other prior art designs offer manual adjustability or self-calibration but with heightened design and manufacturing complexity and greatly increased costs.
An early conventional notch sensor circuit 28 is illustrated in FIG. 2. As now known in the art, the light reflectance of the liner 22 will vary considerably between assorted types of label stock due to differences in material composition, color and manufacturing standards. More particularly, the conventional notch sensor circuit 28 includes a photodiode PD1 and phototransistor PQ1 that may be included in a common package, as described above. An anode terminal of the photodiode PD1 and a collector terminal of the phototransistor PQ1 are each coupled to a voltage source PV+ which provides a direct current voltage, through resistors PR1 and PR4, respectively. A cathode terminal of the photodiode PD1, and an emitter terminal of the phototransistor PQ1 are each coupled to ground. The collector terminal of the phototransistor PQ1 is further coupled to an operational amplifier which functions as a voltage comparator. A reference voltage is established by resistors PR2 and PR3 for the operational amplifier PU1C.
In operation of the notch sensor circuit 28, the voltage potential PV+ applied to the photodiode PD1, causing the photodiode to emit a steady, constant quantity of light determined by the fixed current level. The emitted light is reflected off the label stock as described above, a first portion of the light may be absorbed by the label stock and a second portion of the light impinges upon the phototransistor PQ1. The photo-transistor PQ1 becomes conductive in an amount proportional to the magnitude of light impinging thereon.
The light received by phototransistor PQ1 is converted to a voltage by resistor PR4 and directed to operational amplifier PU1C which functions as a voltage comparator. The voltage representing the light received is compared to a reference voltage which is established when the voltage potential PV+0 is applied to the operational amplifier PU1C through a resistor PR2 which is grounded through PR3. The output of the operational amplifier PU1C is either a high or low voltage representing a digital 1 or 0, respectively.
The accuracy of this output, however, will vary considerably depending on the optical environment, sensor characteristics or label stock composition. For example, if a printer with such a sensor was operated in an area of relatively large amounts of light, a notch edge may not be detected. Since the phototransistor receives a larger amount of light than expected, in relation to the reference voltage, the output corresponds to a value which would indicate that the motor should advance one more step, in other words, that there is no notch edge when one may actually be preset. Likewise, erroneous results occur if the label stock absorbs a considerable amount of the light, or the light output is diminished due to decay of the sensor or poor manufacturing standards.
Another device is cited as prior art in U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,931 to Wade in FIG. 2, which incorporates a potentiometer to permit the amount of current conducted through the phototransistor to be adjusted in order to calibrate the photosensor for differences in ambient light, color, and transmissivity of different materials. However, the adjustment of the potentiometer is a somewhat cumbersome task that is prone to error. Furthermore, the light emitted by the diode is of a steady, constant intensity.
Wade '931 claims a self-calibrating sensor circuit as described in FIG. 4 which does not require manual recalibration to increase or decrease the light output of the photosensor. Rather, the circuit automatically and dynamically calibrates itself for the changing operating conditions and for all types of print media.
A closed-loop control scheme is incorporated whereby an analog-to-digital converter communicates a value to the controller which represents the intensity of the light received by the photosensor. This loop includes a current regulator that controls the fixed amount of current drawn by the light emitting element. A summing junction combines the current from the light emitting and receiving elements and provides a combined current value to the current regulator. In other words, the feedback loop is used to monitor the output of the photoemitter, the reception of the photoreceiver and thereby sum their signals to reset the fixed current input. Wade '931 achieves the goals of automatically adjusting for variations in sensor characteristics and the optical environment much like the present invention, but in a much more complicated and expensive manner. Wade '931 uses more components, which also cost more to manufacture, in addition to the quantity, has more complex manufacturing and assembly and requires a more intricate routing required from the controller.
Another prior art reference worth noting is U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,879 to Turvy, Jr., which discloses another closed-loop control scheme. The output is monitored and used to adjust the control input. This interface uses a digital counter, a low-pass filter, and an amplifier to produce a fixed current through the photodiode, which results in a steady, constant light intensity. Additionally, an analog-to-digital converter is used to communicate a value to the controller which represents the intensity of the light received by the phototransistor. Turvy, Jr. '879 therefore achieves the same goals as Wade '931 in a different manner. However, in a manner more similar to Wade '931, Turvy, Jr. '879 uses more components, which in addition to the quantity, cost more to manufacture, has more complex manufacturing and assembly, and requires a more intricate routing required from the controller.
Thus, is it desirable to provide an apparatus for detecting a notch in a label stock that does not require manual or automatic recalibration to change the light intensity output of the photosensor to compensate for variations in sensor characteristics or the optical environment, and improvement in the art is needed. Such an apparatus should independently compensate for the changing ambient and sensor characteristic operating conditions and for all types of label stock, simply and without expensive and complicated feedback schemes.

Pulse width modulated optical sensor interface circuit having an emitter control circuit


A coupler is provided for a railroad rotary dump car. The coupler comprises a coupler housing, a coupler head, a buff loading shim, and as most preferred, a plurality of spring tabs, and spring tab fasteners. The coupler housing defines a coupler cavity with a cavity end. The coupler head has a spindle, is mounted to the coupler housing, and is adapted for rotary movement relative to the housing. The spindle has a spindle end adjacent the cavity end. The shim interposes the spindle end and the cavity end. The spring tabs are spaced one from another. Each includes a spring portion and a fastener portion. The fastener portions provide for removable fastening of the spring tabs to the coupler housing. The spring portions bias the shim against the cavity end and away from the spring tabs. The spring portions are curved relative to the fastener portions. The spring tab fasteners removably fasten the spring tabs along the fastener portions to the coupler housing adjacent the shim. Among other advantages, the shim is positioned and spring biased for abutment by the spindle end and against the cavity end in buff loading and upward and against the cavity end for increased life and reduced wear and damage. Also, the spring tabs may be removed and the shim removed and replaced as necessary due to wear of all components.

This invention relates in general to railroad cars, and in particular, to couplers for rotary dump cars. Rotary dump cars and couplings for such cars are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,109 issued Jun. 17, 1986 to Carl McClurg and originally assigned to Buckeye International, Inc. of Columbus, Ohio. As exemplied by and shown in this patent, rotary dump cars have long been in use as railroad cars. The cars may be positioned over dump sites and rotated about the longitudinal axes of aligned couplers to dump the car contents into sites adjacent and beneath the cars. Also as shown in this patent, a desirable coupler for application in rotary dump cars includes a coupler head with a spindle in a housing. The spindle has external bearing surfaces arranged for rotary contact with the housing during rotation of the car relative to the adjacent cars. The spindle of the coupler also includes an enlarged flange for bearing of the spindle against the housing for draft loads. In buff loading, the free end of the spindle abuts a shim which abuts the housing, thereby carrying the buff load. The general structure of the identified patent has been highly desirable and continues in substantial commercial production.
Experience has revealed that replacement of the shim over time is desirable as wear occurs in the coupler structure. That is, increased thickness shims are appropriate for installation in worn couplings. As a result, while U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,109 reveals a bottom enclosure casting 40 welded to a housing 16, referring to FIG. 3 of the patent, in the area to the left of the enlarged portion 70 of the spindle 14 and at the bottom of the structure, the welded bottom enclosure casting 40 has in the past been replaced with tabs which are releasably held in place by bolts. Use of the bolted tabs has allowed for replacement of shims over time. However, use of the bolted tabs has also resulted in damage to the bolts and loss of the tabs and shims, which is undesirable. To overcome the damage to the bolts and loss of shims, the size 3/8" bolts initially used have been replaced by 1/2" grade 8 bolts and then by 1/2" grade 9 bolts. However, continued damage to the bolts and loss of the tabs and shims has been experienced.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,109 is incorporated by reference.

Spring tab shim support in rotary shank coupler


A system determines the performance of a network within the context of an application using that network. Network data is collected and correlated with an application that uses the network as well as a distributed transaction implemented by the application. The collected network data is culled, and the remaining data is rolled up into one or more metrics. The metrics, selected network data, and other data are reported in the context of the application that implements part of the distributed transaction. In this manner, specific network performance and architecture data is reported along with application context information.

The World Wide Web has expanded to provide numerous web services to consumers. The web services may be provided by a web application which uses multiple services and applications to handle a transaction. The applications may be distributed over several machines, making the topology of the machines that provide the service more difficult to track and monitor.
Monitoring a web application helps to provide insight regarding bottle necks in communication, communication failures and other information regarding performance of the services that provide the web application. Most application monitoring tools provide a standard report regarding application performance. Though the typical report may be helpful for most users, it may not provide the particular information that an administrator wants to know.
In particular, application performance management (APM) systems typically only monitor the performance of an application. The APM systems usually do not provide performance details of a particular network over which an application executes. If network information is provided, it is typically only the time that the transaction spends on the network—there is no context or other data regarding the network. What is needed is an APM system that provides application-specific network performance details.

Application centric network experience monitoring


A method and apparatus are provided for scheduling agents supporting operation of an ACD. The method includes the steps of establishing a scheduling period and identifying a plurality of agents to the ACD for supporting the operation of the ACD during the scheduling period. The method further includes the step of applying a generally periodic deviation schedule of an agent of the plurality of agents to the scheduling period which generally periodic deviation schedule is periodic over a plurality of days of the scheduling period.

Automatic call distribution systems are known. Such systems are typically used in an organizational context as a means of distributing telephone calls among a group of agents of the organization.
Often the organization disseminates a single telephone number to its customers and to the public in general as a means of contacting the organization. As calls are directed to the organization from the public switch telephone network (PSTN), the automatic call distribution system directs the calls to its agents based upon some algorithm, typically based upon availability. For example, where all agents are consider equal, the ACD may distribute the calls based upon which agent position (telephone) has been idle the longest.
In order to ensure the smooth operation of ACDs, an adequate number of agents must be made available to handle customer calls. To this end, work schedules of agents are often established weeks in advance and are automated by the processor of the ACD. Once the work schedule is established, the processor may determine adherence to the work schedule by monitoring the work activity of each agent.
In order to function in his assigned role, an agent must first sign-on to the ACD system. Signing-on may include activating a workstation of the agent and entering an identifier of the agent through the agent's workstation. Often a password is required to complete the sign-on procedure.
Signing-on and signing-off may be required several times per day. In addition to signing-on at the beginning of a work shift an agent may be required to sign-off during lunch and rest breaks. When returning to the workstation, the agent again may be required to sign-on. A processor within the ACD may monitor sign-on and sign-off activity for compliance to the work schedule.
In order to encourage adherence to the work schedules each agent may be allowed to deviate from the work schedule by certain limited time periods. For example, an agent whose workstation is distant from a lunchroom or lavatory facility may be allowed more time to walk from his workstation to central facilities than an agent adjacent such facilities. Agents who must change workstations during a work shift may be allowed a certain amount of time to walk from one workstation to another.
The deviation which a particular agent is allowed from the work schedule is established for each agent and stored in a deviation profile for the agent. The deviation profile may be stored in a database for the ACD along with other agent information such as agent proficiencies used in the call assignment process. Once established, a deviation profile may remain constant for weeks, months or years, or until a need for change arises.
In setting up a work schedule, a supervisor invokes a scheduling routine on a processor of the ACD. Upon determining a number of agents needed for each day, the supervisor may identify the agents to the processor by entering an identifier of each agent. Upon entering an identifier of each agent, the processor may import a set of agent characteristics from the agent file into the scheduling and call assignment programs, including the deviation profile.
While the existing method of scheduling ACD operation is relatively satisfactory, it is also relatively inflexible. Since the deviation profile is directed to structural impediments (e.g., walking distance to a lunchroom or between workstations), it is not easily adapted to the needs of individual agents or their lifestyles. Accordingly, a need exists for a more flexible means of accommodating repetitive scheduling conflicts which is easily adapted for individual agents.


A positional information providing system is provided in which positional information including altitude can be highly accurately acquired even though a user is located outdoors or indoors. A system includes a server device including a map data storage unit, an altitude storage unit, a reference position coordinates receiving unit, a reference point altitude information generating unit locating reference position coordinates and reference point altitude, a map data transmitting unit and a reference point altitude information transmitting unit, and a terminal device including a positional information acquiring unit, a reference point information transmitting unit, a reference point altitude information receiving unit, a map data receiving unit and a reference point altitude detecting unit detecting altitude at a reference point. The terminal device includes a calibration unit for the altitude data acquired at the reference point altitude detecting unit and a map display unit displaying map data and altitude data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a positional information providing system, a navigation system, and a terminal device.
2. Description of the Related Art
For background technologies of the technical field, there is Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-070115. The following is described in the publication. When a user manipulates a cellular telephone 3, the cellular telephone 3 detects latitude, longitude, and height at a present position, and sends latitude and longitude to a geographic information service server. When the geographic information service server receives the latitude and the longitude from the cellular telephone 3, the geographic information service server searches a sea level database for sea level data corresponding to the latitude and the longitude, and generates a map image including the latitude and the longitude on the center. The geographic information service server sends the sea level data and the map image to the cellular telephone 3. The cellular telephone 3 calculates a story number of a building from the detected height, the height of the story, and the sea level data, and displays the story number together with the map image.

Positional information providing system, navigation system, and terminal device


A method is for controlling the metering of fuel in a fuel system (30) of an internal combustion engine (1) which is to be started manually. This control is with a currentless open electromagnetic valve (21). The electromagnetic valve (21) is only switched into the closed state when a supply voltage (Uv) is applied and current flows. Within a blocking time (47), which is pregiven by an engine control (13), a supply voltage (Uv) is switched onto the excitation coil of the electromagnetic valve (21) only and the valve (21) is supplied with current only when an underpressure is present in the intake channel (11) of the fuel system (30); whereas, in the remaining time span (50) of the blocking time (47), wherein no underpressure is present, the control unit (20) switches off the supply voltage (Uv) and the valve (21) is in the currentless open state.

A valve of the above kind is disclosed in United States patent publication US 2005/0168310 A1. This valve is provided for application in a fuel system and is used to control the fuel flow in order to permit a control of the fuel metering in accordance with different operating parameters of the internal combustion engine.
The use of an electromagnetic valve of this kind in a fuel system is not easily possible for internal combustion engines in portable handheld work apparatus. This is so because work apparatus of this kind, as a rule, have internal combustion engines which are manually started and are operated and started without batteries. The electrical energy, which is available, is generated via an ignition generator which comprises an induction coil. The induction coil coacts with a magnet which rotates with the crankshaft. The energy is intermediately stored via a capacitor and is utilized to trigger an ignition spark via an engine control.
The control of a fuel system having an electromagnetic valve therefore requires additional energy which is made available by a corresponding larger design of the generator and energy store.

Method for controlling an electromagnetic valve in a fuel system