The present invention is a purified and isolated epithelial protein, peptide and variants thereof whose increased presence in an epithelial cell is indicative of precancer. One epithelial protein which is an early detection marker for lung cancer was purified from two human lung cancer cell lines, NCI-H720 and NCI-H157. Using a six-step procedure, the epithelial protein was purified using a Western blot detection system under both non-reducing and reducing conditions. Purification steps included anion exchange chromatography, preparative isoelectric focusing, polymer-based C18 HPLC and analytic C4 HPLC. After an approximately 25,000 fold purification the immunostaining protein was  greater than 90% pure as judged by Coomassie blue staining after reducing SDS-PAGE. The primary epithelial protein shares some sequence homology with the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) A2. A minor co-purifying epithelial protein shares some sequence homology with the splice variant hnRNP-B1. Molecular analysis of primary normal bronchial epithelial cell cultures demonstrated low levels of epithelial protein expression, consistent with immunohistochemical staining of clinical samples, and an increased level of expression in most lung cancer cells. The epithelial protein is a marker of epithelial transformation in lung, breast, bone, ovary, prostate, kidney, melanoma and myeloma and may be casual in the process of carcinogenesis. Methods are provided for monitoring the expression of the epithelial protein, peptides and variants using molecular and immunological techniques as a screen for precancer and cancer in mammals.

The present invention relates to the area of cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. More specifically, the invention relates to the isolation and purification of an early cancer detection marker protein of epithelial cells and the cloning of the DNA sequence encoding the protein. The invention further relates to the protein and DNA sequence for detecting and diagnosing individuals predisposed to cancer. The present invention also relates to therapeutic intervention to regulate the expression of the gene product.
Lung cancer is the most frequent cause of cancer death of both males and females in the United States, accounting for one in three cancer deaths(1). In the last thirty years, cancer-related survival of this disease has improved only minimally. Successful treatment of this disease by surgical resection and drug chemotherapy is strongly dependent on identification of early-stage tumors. A conceptually attractive early detection approach is to establish the presence of a cancer by evaluation of shed bronchial epithelial cells. In the late 1960""s Saccomanno et al. proposed the use of sputum cytology to evaluate cytomorphologic changes in the exfoliated bronchial epithelium as a technique to enhance the early detection of lung cancer(2). However, clinical trials using combination chest X-ray and sputum cytology have not shown any decrease in cancer-related mortality(3).
In 1988, Tockman et al. reported a sensitive method for early lung cancer detection by immunostaining cells contained within sputum samples with two lung cancer-associated monocional antibodies(4). The basis for this approach was to identify early pre-neoplastic changes in cells shed from bronchial epithelium. The antibodies used in that study were mouse monoclonal IgG""s designated 703D4, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,788, and 624H12. In an analysis of the contribution of the individual monoclonal antibodies to early detection of lung cancer, 703D4 alone identified 20 of the 21 detected true positive cases (4; U.S. Ser. No. 08/152,881 which issued to U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,159 on Oct. 3, 1995). 624H12 has been shown to detect an oncofetal antigen which is the Lewis""-related portion of a cell-surface glycoprotein (Mulshine/Magnani). The antigen for 703D4 was unknown.
703D4 was developed by immunization using a whole tumor cell extract, coupled to keyhole limpet hemocyanin, and selection was based on discrimination amongst subtypes of lung cancer histological subtypes. Preliminary studies showed the 703D4 antibody recognized a protein expressed by most non-small cell lung cancer cells(5). Immunoprecipitation defined a protein of Mr greater than 31 kDa. Since 703D4 demonstrated the ability to selectively detect changes related to the development of cancer in shed bronchial epithelium from the proximal airways, the antigen recognized by 703D4 was purified in the present invention to determine its identity and explore its relationship to early lung cancer detection. The present invention uses a biochemical approach for identification of the epithelial protein from non-small cell lung tumor cells.
With cigarette smoking the entire human respiratory tract is exposed to potential carcinogens and is at increased risk for cancer development. This phenomenon has been called xe2x80x9cfield cancerizationxe2x80x9d (8). A variety of epithelial changes have been observed throughout the respiratory tract of both smokers and lung cancer patients (8,9), which may be part of the xe2x80x9cfieldxe2x80x9d effect. Saccomanno et al. (6) have demonstrated that centrally located squamous carcinomas of the lung develop through a series of identifiable stages, namely squamous metaplasia, squamous metaplasia with atypia (mild, moderate, marked), carcinoma in situ, and invasive carcinoma (6). These findings were confirmed by later animal and human studies (7). This cytomorphologic classification is useful in defining preneoplastic changes in the proximal region of the lung cancer xe2x80x9cfieldxe2x80x9d. However, comparable events preceding the other major lung cancer histologies, especially those arising in the peripheral lung (terminal and respiratory bronchioles, alveolar epithelium) are not well defined.
The expression of an epithelial protein in both neoplastic and nonneoplastic regions of distal human lung was investigated.
The present invention describes the isolation and identification of an epithelial protein which is an early marker for cancer. It is an object of the present invention to provide an isolated and purified epithelial protein, peptide, or variants thereof which are an early marker for lung cancer.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an isolated, purified DNA molecule or portion thereof comprising the coding sequence for an epithelial protein, peptide or variant thereof which is an early marker for cancer.
It is another object of the invention to utilize the isolated DNA, or RNA molecule or portion thereof encoding the epithelial protein which is an early marker for cancer to detect and diagnose the gene and alterations thereof in tissues and cells.
It is another object of the invention to provide nucleic acid probes for the detection of the gene or protein thereof encoding an epithelial protein which is an early marker for cancer.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a method for diagnosing human preneoplastic and neoplastic cells and tissues. In accordance with the invention, the method comprises isolating cells, tissues or extracts thereof from a human and detecting the gene or portion thereof encoding an epithelial protein which is an early marker for cancer or their expression products from the cells, tissue or extracts thereof, wherein detection of a quantitative increase in the gene or expression products indicates preneoplasia and neoplasia.
Another object of the invention is a method for detecting mutations of a gene encoding the epithelial protein which is an early marker for cancer, contained within clones expressing the gene recovered from cancer cell.
Another method for diagnosing human preneoplastic and neoplastic cells and tissues is by detecting post-translational modifications of the epithelial protein in the preneoplastic and neoplastic cells and tissue by immunoassays such as Western blot or immunoelectrophoresis using an antibody that is reactive with the epithelial protein, by two-dimensional electrophoresis or by reverse-phase HPLC.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a method for monitoring the efficacy of a therapeutic intervention to arrest cancer progression.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a kit comprising oligonucleotides comprising a nucleic acid sequence from DNA, RNA or portion thereof encoding the epithelial protein which is an early marker for cancer, for use in the methods of diagnosis of cancer and early cancer and for use in methods of monitoring the efficacy of cancer treatment.
Still another object of the invention is to provide the epithelial protein, peptides or variants thereof which one substantially homologous to a portion of at least one heterogenous nuclear ribonucleotide protein for use in diagnostic and detection assays, in particular for immunoassays.
One object of the invention is an inhibitory protein analog of the epithelial protein which is capable of binding to the same binding site recognized by the epithelial protein on RNA. Such an analog is capable of competitively inhibiting the function of the epithelial protein, peptide or variant thereof in vitro and in vivo.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a method for detecting susceptibility to cancer and for diagnosing early-onset tumorigenesis in mammalian cells and tissue. In accordance with the invention, the method comprises isolating a mammalian biological sample and detecting a nucleic acid sequence encoding an epithelial protein or portion thereof which is an early marker for cancer.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method of altering or downregulating the expression of the gene or portion thereof encoding an epithelial protein or portion thereof which is an early marker for cancer of epithelial cells which comprises introduction of antisense oligonucleotides which are substantially complementary to the gene in the epithelial cell. The antisense oligonucleotide allows for non-neoplastic growth of the epithelial cell.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method for screening for chemotherapeutic drugs and for monitoring the efficacy of a chemotherapeutic and intervention drugs.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a transgenic animal which has incorporated into its genome one or more copies of a nucleic acid sequence which encodes an epithelial protein which is an early marker for cancer. The incorporation of the nucleic acid sequence results in overexpression or expression of multiple forms or variants of the epithelial protein. The resulting transgenic animal is more prone to develop cancer and may develop cancer at an accelerated rate at one or more locations in the body. Such transgenic animals are useful for screening therapeutic drugs useful for treating or inhibiting cancer.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an antibody reactive to an epithelial protein, peptide or variant thereof. Such antibodies are useful in diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Methods for diagnosing cancer or precancer based upon hnRNP protein expression

The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services


A coupler includes a first hollow sleeve, a plurality of tapered clamps and a second hollow sleeve. The first hollow sleeve is formed with a first inner threaded portion on the inner face of one end while the other end thereof a tapered face. The diameter of tapered face increases toward the first inner threaded portion. The outer face of each tapered clamp is formed with a second tapered face, which contacts the first tapered face. The inner face of each tapered clamp has a plurality of teeth conforming to one end portion of the first bar. One end of the second hollow sleeve is formed with a first outer threaded portion and the first outer threaded portion conforms to the first inner threaded portion. The second hollow sleeve is formed with a second inner threaded portion, which matches a second outer threaded portion of the second bar.

1. Field of the Invention
The instant disclosure relates to a coupler; in particular, to a coupler connecting a first bar and a second bar.
2. Description of Related Art
As economy develops, the average ground area per person occupied is greatly reduced and therefore skyscrapers are a popular type of building. If reinforcement bars are tied by the conventional iron wires, the reinforcement bars rely mainly on the concrete to be held in place. In the case of severe earthquake, the concrete and reinforcement bars are easily driven apart, resulting in fatal danger. On a construction site, the space for bundling reinforcement bars is too narrow to properly carry out such procedure and thus the quality is not easy to control. Hence, reinforcement bar couplers are developed to solve the abovementioned problems in the construction site.
Reinforcement bar couplers are widely used in building construction. The reinforcement bar couplers help to stabilize the elongated reinforcement bars. A great variety of reinforcement bars is available, including hydraulic sleeve coupler, threaded coupler, expanded coupler, friction weld coupler, molting metal filling coupler, concrete filling coupler, and epoxy filling coupler. The abovementioned couplers require further construction on site and the quality is not easy to control.
To address the above issues, the inventor strives via associated experience and research to present the instant disclosure, which can effectively improve the limitation described above.


A friction plate for a vehicle steering system is provided. The friction plate includes a plate body defining a slot for receiving a rake bolt therethrough, the plate body having a planar side. The friction plate also includes a plurality of protrusions extending from the plate body to define a non-planar region of the friction plate.

A vehicle, such as a car, truck, sport utility vehicle, crossover, mini-van, marine craft, aircraft, all-terrain vehicle, recreational vehicle, or other suitable vehicles, include various steering systems, such as steer-by-wire, driver interface and autonomous, for example. These steering system schemes typically include a steering column for translating steering input to an output that interacts with a steering linkage to cause the vehicle wheels (or other elements) to turn the vehicle and/or provide energy absorption. Some steering columns are axially adjustable between positions to provide flexibility in the location of the hand wheel to facilitate comfortable driving positions for different sizes of drivers or autonomous driving capability. Many axially adjustable steering columns further include rake adjustment mechanisms that permit tilt movement around one or more pivot points.
Measures are often necessary to prevent rake movement. For example, rake movement is typically facilitated by a rake actuator that includes a rake adjustment lever that can be moved between a locked position and an unlocked position. In the locked position, the rake adjustment lever is positioned such that rake movement of the steering column assembly is prevented. In the unlocked position, the rake adjustment lever is articulated from the locked position such that rake movement of the steering column assembly is permitted.
In some steering systems, the telescope holding load is generated by: 1) friction between a rake bracket and a compression bracket and/or 2) friction between an upper jacket and a lower jacket. The rake holding load may be generated by: 1) friction between the rake bracket and the compression bracket, 2) friction between the rake bracket and lower jacket, 3) friction between the rake bracket and an inner cam, and 4) friction between the rake bracket and a spacer or thrust bearing. In some cases, it is challenging to meet rake holding hold requirements when considering using friction between the upper and lower jackets as the energy absorption load, since the rake holding load and the energy absorption load are then coupled. Additionally challenging is the distance between the point at the center of the steering wheel ("A point") and the center of the rake adjustment bolt being too long. Finally, manufacturers may require a coating for the column assembly. Addressing these issues would be well received in the various arts.

Rake hold load plate for steering system

Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation


On-line storage devices are migrated to new storage devices in a non-disruptive manner. A host executing multipath I/O software is initially coupled to a source storage device via at least one active path. The target storage device is configured with the source device's device identification information. The target storage device is coupled to the host via a passive path so that the target storage device can return its device identification information to the host but cannot respond to I/O read or I/O write requests from the host. All paths between the host and the source storage device are then disconnected. An on-line data migration session between the source storage device and the target storage device is then activated. The path between the target storage device and the host is then re-configured from passive to active so that the target storage device can respond to I/O read and I/O write requests.

Financial institutions such as National stock exchanges and banks demand that their computing and data storage systems suffer no more down time than a few minutes per year. Retail corporations are willing to pay millions of dollars to minimize the amount of time their computing and data storage systems need to be taken offline for maintenance or upgrade activities. It is important that storage system vendors provide high performance and high availability to satisfy these customers. But, when data storage devices need to be replaced, or swapped, or entire arrays replaced—also referred to as device or array "migration"—applications must suffer some downtime while storage links are disconnected from the original storage devices and reconnected to the new storage devices. It is an as yet unattained and very highly sought goal to provide a storage system wherein currently operating, on-line storage devices, and the data thereon, can be replaced with new storage devices in a non-disruptive manner wherein applications can continue to execute uninterrupted during the device replacement and data migration.

Non-disruptive migration using device identity spoofing and passive/active ORS pull sessions


An actuator assembly (81) for ink jet printheads, both monochromatic and colour, with a large number of nozzles (62), consists of a die (58) stuck on a rigid substrate (166) and divided into two parts lengthwise to permit the flow of ink from the tank to the nozzles (62), and a flat cable (130) with nozzles (62) stuck on the die (58); the actuator assembly (81) is produced by means of the operations of sticking the die (58) on the rigid substrate (166), making a through cut (173) along the entire length of the die (58), sticking the flat cable (130) with nozzles (62) on the die (58) and sealing the ends of the longitudinal cut (173) with glue. The object of the actuator assembly (81) and the relative manufacturing process is to prevent particularly long dice from breaking during manufacture of the head.

1. Background of the Invention
This invention relates to a printhead used in equipment for forming black and colour images, by way of successive scanning passes, on a print medium, normally though not exclusively a sheet of paper, using the thermal type ink jet technology, and more particularly to the actuator assembly of the head, and to the relative manufacturing process.
2. Prior Art
The composition and general mode of operation of a printhead according to the thermal type technology, and of the xe2x80x9ctop-shooterxe2x80x9d type in particular, i.e. those that emit the ink droplets in a director perpendicular to the actuator assembly, are already widely known in the sector art, and will not therefore be discussed in detail herein, this description instead dwelling more fully on only some of the features of the heads and their manufacturing process, or relevance for the purposes of understanding this invention.
FIG. 1 shows an enlarged perspective view of an actuator assembly 80 of a monochromatic ink jet printhead, consisting of a die 51 of a semiconductor material (usually Silicon) on the upper face of which resistors 52 have been made for the emission of the ink droplets, driving circuits 53 for controlling the resistors 52, pads 54 for connecting the head to an electronic controller, not depicted in the figures, a resistive temperature sensor 65, reference marks 69, and which has a pass-through slot 55 along which the ink flows from a tank not shown in the figure. Attached to the upper face of the die is a layer 60 of photopolymer having a thickness less than or equal to 25 mm wherein are made, using known photolithographic techniques, a plurality of ducts 57 and a plurality of chambers 64 positioned in correspondence with the resistors 52.
Stuck above the photopolymer 60 is a nozzles plate 61, usually made from a sheet of gold-plated Nickel or of Kapton, of thickness 50 xcexcm or less, bearing a plurality of nozzles 62, each nozzle 62 being in correspondence with a chamber 64. In the current art, diameter of the nozzles is usually between 10 and 60 xcexcm, while their centers are usually set apart by a step A of {fraction (1/150)} or {fraction (1/300)} of an inch (169 xcexcm or 84.5 xcexcm). Usually, though not always, the nozzles 62 are disposed in two parallel rows, staggered by a distance B=A/2, in order to double the resolution of the image in the head scanning direction, which accordingly becomes {fraction (1/300)} or {fraction (1/600)} or an inch.
Also in FIG. 1 the axes x, y and z giving the three-dimensional references of the die 51 are defined.
The traditional process for manufacture of the actuator assembly will now be described below in brief, with reference to the flow diagram of FIG. 3, starting from a first step 70 in which a wafer 66 is made available whereupon the dice 51 are made (FIG. 2). In a subsequent step 71, the wafer 66 is tested. In a step 72, the wafer 66 is coated with a layer of photopolymer, generally of the dry film type.
In a step 73 the photopolymer is exposed and, in a subsequent step 74, the chambers 64, in line with the resistors 52, and the ducts 57 are made in the layer of photopolymer 60 (FIG. 1), through development using known techniques.
In a step 75 a protection is applied to the entire wafer and, in a subsequent step 76, the slots 55, which bring the ink to the ducts 57, are cut by way of a sandblasting operation. In a step 77, the protection is washed off and a sight check is made that the component is still whole.
In a subsequent step 100, the nozzles plates 61 are positioned in such a way that the nozzles 62 are aligned with the chambers 64, and stuck on the dice 51 belonging to the wafer 66. Subsequently (step 101 ) the wafer 66 is applied to an adhesive tape 113 (FIG. 4), mounted on a frame 114. The individual dice 51 are separated in a step 102 by cutting with a diamond wheel 115, 50÷100 mm thick (FIG. 5), but are kept fast in their original positions by way of the adhesive tape 113 to which they adhere. Washing and drying are then performed (step 103), using an Ultratech machine for example.
In a step 105, a pick and place device of known technology, picks each die 51 off the adhesive tape 113 and places it with precision (error less than xc2x110 xcexcm on the x axis) on an alignment base. In a step 104, in the form of a continuous reel, a multiplicity of flat cables 117 (FIG. 1) is supplied separately, each having a window 122 with fingers 123 that will be soldered to the connecting pads 54 of the dice 51, machine contacts pads 121 and interconnecting tracks 120 which connect the pads 121 to the fingers 123. IN a step 107 the flat cable 117 is aligned with the die 51, with a tolerance of xc2x15 xcexcm on the x and y axes. In a step 110 an ultrasound soldering head comes into position above the connecting pads 54 of the die 51, whereto it solders one by one all the fingers 123 of the flat cable 117 (point-to-point TAB). The operations involved in the steps 105, 107 and 110 are effected using the technique known as Tape Automatic TAB).
In a subsequent step 111 the individual flat cables 117 are separated into distinct actuator assemblies 80.
A variant of the known art consists in making the nozzles directly on the flat cable (U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,584), which accordingly also has the function of nozzles plate, and is illustrated in FIG. 6. The flat cable 180 with nozzles is applied on a die 183 in which the feeding of the ink is effected from both sides. As a result, the windows 181 containing the fingers 123 are disposed perpendicularly to the ends of the rows of nozzles.
As the technology evolves, so the demand grows for heads with an ever greater number of nozzles, in order to reduce the number of scanning passes the head needs to complete a page and improve the printer""s productivity. To increase the number of nozzles, dice must be produced that are longer and longer and have the minimum possible width (4÷5 mm, where the mechanical requirements permit) so as to better exploit the wafer 66.
Accordingly the slots 55 are particularly long (typically though not exclusively greater than 12.5 mm) and are an open invitation for the dice 51 to break. When the nozzles plates (step 100) are assembled conventionally, the risk of the entire wafer 66 breaking when under pressure during soldering is high, with considerable economic damage.
Even when the step 100 is completed without damage, there is still a high risk of the individual dice 51 breaking in the subsequent machining operations, with serious economic damage on account of the notable dimensions of the dice 51 themselves. With a step A (see FIG. 1) of less than {fraction (1/300)} of an inch, in practice the nozzles plate have to be produced in kapton. This further increases the risk of the dice 51 breaking.
The object of this invention is to solve the problem represented by the risk of the dice breaking during the different machining stages of the nozzles assembly of an ink jet printhead, whether monochromatic or colour, by sticking the wafer on a rigid substrate and, instead of cutting the slot in a sandblasting operation, by effecting instead a through cut over the entire length of the dice.
Another object is to handle the individual dice, rendered fragile by the slot, with safety and not expose them to the risks of breaking, keeping them stuck upon a portion of the said base.
A further object is to make resistors underneath said substrate such that the operation of soldering the nozzles plates on the dice may be effected more rapidly, with local heating and a soldering temperature controlled by a sensor.
A further object is to improve the thermal dissipation of said actuator, by using the contribution to heat conduction made by said substrate.
A further object is to lower the time to refill the chamber following emission of the droplet of ink, since the edge of the through cut made with a diamond wheel, is more precise than the edge of the slot made by sandblasting, and can therefore be made at a lesser distance from the resistors.
The above objects are obtained by means of an ink jet printhead with a large-size Silicon wafer and relative manufacturing process, characterized as defined in the main claims.

Ink jet printhead with large size silicon wafer and relative manufacturing process


An adaptive picker for selecting data in disparate information systems is provided. The adaptive picker may be implemented by an application to pick items from one or more data stores, which are associated with other applications. The adaptive picker determines items provided by the data store that are available for picking and the types of data associated with the items. The adaptive picker receives key information provided by a user through the first application and searches for the available items based on the key information. The adaptive picker also filters the items to identify a desired item. The adaptive picker can determine the filtering capabilities associated with the data stores and automatically adapt to these filtering capabilities. The adaptive picker can retrieve a desired item with a key information search that matches the key information with a unique identifier associated with desired item. The key information search enables a user to pick an item without browsing. If the search returns multiple items, the adaptive picker can provide a disambiguation menu for selecting the desired. The search results can also be filtered by context determined by the adaptive filter. The context may include any parameter, such as the identity of a user, the time of day, an application the user is working within, an organizational discipline of the user, or the like.

Applications in today's computing environment enable users to perform more tasks than ever before. To effectively perform a task with a given application, it is often desirable to access and use data that are generated and managed by other applications. Enabling one application to pick data handled by another application is typically not an easy undertaking. Generally, the picker component is tightly bound to the data source's application programming interface (API) and the user interface of the component is tailored to the type of data being picked. This tight binding presents a problem in dynamic applications, such as portal applications, where users want to connect to new data sources and pick new data types without writing code.
An effective solution for providing the ability for picking data from disparate data sources without undue complexity continues to elude those skilled in the art.

Adaptive picker for selecting data in disparate information systems


An optical fiber production method includes: drawing an optical fiber preform in a drawing furnace; and cooling the optical fiber. The optical fiber is passed through a plurality of annealing furnaces while the optical fiber is cooled. While the optical fiber is cooled, temperatures of the annealing furnaces are set such that the temperature difference is within a range between and including an upper limit and a lower limit of a temperature difference between a temperature of the optical fiber and a fictive temperature of glass constituting a core of the optical fiber at which an increase of a transmission loss of the optical fiber when the fictive temperature of the glass is decreased is less than 0.001 dB/km.

In optical fiber communication systems, in order to increase the reach and the rate of optical transmission, the optical signal-to-noise ratio has to be increased. Thus, a decrease in transmission losses in optical fibers is demanded. Nowadays, since an optical fiber production method is highly sophisticated, transmission losses caused by impurities contained in optical fibers are closed to the lower limits. A remaining main cause of transmission losses is scattering losses in association with fluctuations in the structure or composition of glass forming optical fibers. This is inevitable, because optical fibers are formed of glass.
As a method of decreasing fluctuations in the structure of glass, a method is known to cool molten glass slowly. As a method of slowly cooling molten glass, an attempt is made to slowly cool an optical fiber drawn from a drawing furnace immediately. Specifically, it is investigated to decrease the cooling rate of the optical fiber that an optical fiber drawn from a drawing furnace is heated in an annealing furnace, or an optical fiber drawn from a drawing furnace is surrounded by a heat insulator immediately.
Patent Literature 1 below discloses a method of setting the temperature of a heating furnace (an annealing furnace) is ±100° C. or less of the target temperature found by a recurrence formula in 70% or more of a region from a position at which the outer diameter of a silica based optical fiber having a core and a cladding becomes smaller than 500% of the final outer diameter to a position at which the temperature of the optical fiber is 1,400° C. Since the temperature history of the optical fiber is controlled in this manner, the fictive temperature of glass forming the optical fiber is decreased to reduce transmission losses.
[Patent Literature 1] JP2014-62021A

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Provided are an image stabilizing apparatus and method thereof. The image stabilizing apparatus performs image stabilization by using both an image sensor and a motion sensor. Image distortion and movement are stably corrected by using both the position of a feature point, which is extracted by the image sensor and image processing, and the movement position of the feature point, which is predicted by the motion sensor.

1. Field
Apparatuses and methods consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to stabilizing images captured by one or more cameras by using a sensor fusion scheme.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an image stabilization scheme, which corrects image trembling occurring from various causes, uses a method of matching or tracking corresponding points in two images.
However, this image stabilization scheme is very susceptible to an external impact, image quality degradation, or the like. Also, when a moving object exists in a captured image, image correction may not be properly performed with respect to the moving object.
Particularly, in the case of a method of correcting a motion based on image processing, when a motion deviating from a tracking region or a tracking window size occurs, the motion may be difficult to correct.

Image stabilizing apparatus and method based on a predicted movement position


The present invention is a massage chair, having frame body with specific curve, a chair back located by the chair seat, wherein the chair back is adjusted properly by the chair seat for rotating and having a rotation angle; wherein the frame body including back section, buttock section and leg section, the buttock section has a downward curve and the leg section has an upward curve, thus, massage module can provide massage service to human thigh when the rotation angle is more than 110 degrees.

Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a massage chair providing massage to human back and buttock.
Description of Related Art
The muscular endurance and physical strength of human body can be developed by exercise or strength training. Strong muscle is capable of providing well sporting ability, as well as protecting viscous and bone from directly hurt at any emergency situation. Except muscle training, muscle tissue can be relaxed through massage therapy. Only relaxing muscle provides rest effect. Muscle needs rest to provide strength in any circumstance. Athlete has massage mostly after high competitive physical game or training.
Massage therapy reduces sporting injury produced by over exercise or physical sport, as well as painful contractions produced by fixed position. In addition to the athlete, normal people occasionally fix a specific posture for a period for work. This fixed posture might not require high force generated by muscle, after a period, however, muscle has contractions, and uncomfortable pain is fallowed with stuck blood. So that, proper massage is necessary to normal people.
Many massage devices have been developed for convenient massage service, including foot massage device, leg massage device, and massage chair. Massage chair has the most complicated structure with the highest level design. Please refer to FIG. 1, which demonstrates a conventional massage chair. FIG. 1 shows a conventional massage chair, including a chair back P1 and a chair seat P2, wherein the chair back P1 and the chair seat P2 both have massage device respectively. The massage device can process massage service at fixed posture, or process massage service as moving through the chair back P1 and the chair seat P2; the massage device at the chair back P1 can provide massage service to human back, and the massage device at the chair seat P2 can provide massage service to human buttock, or any part between human back and buttock; furthermore, the conventional massage chair might has leg massage device P3, so the human body and leg can process massage service.
Please refer to FIG. 2, which demonstrates an L-type curved track module for conventional massage chair. The L-type curved track module Q1 shown in FIG. 2 can be disposed in conventional massage chair. The L-type curved track module Q1 is formed by left track Q11 and right track Q12 bond with at least one back bending tube Q13, wherein the left track Q11 and right track Q12 are parallel; any mechanical massage device can be disposed between the left track Q11 and right track Q12, and move along the L-type curved track module Q1 from neck, human back, then through caudal to buttock and thigh. The L-type curved track module for conventional massage chair disclosed in FIG. 2 is used to provide massage service like shiatsu and kneading to human body including parts of back, human buttock and thigh. However, the L-type curved track module Q1 has fixed curve, man sitting on the conventional massage chair is forced stay at exactly curve posture to keep certain massage service.
The L-type curved track module of FIG. 2 provides certain massage service and effect, but man sitting on the conventional massage chair must stay at exactly curve posture during massage service. Human muscle is hardly received relax when fixed posture is necessary during massage service, so massage effect is hardly brought out with well quality, especially to the man who already stay at fixed posture in work for long period; human body has partially uncomfortable painful issue after suffering unbalance pressure load on muscle when fixed posture cause muscle strength out of limit; as description, it is clear the L-type curved track module in FIG. 2 has disadvantage need to improve.
Due to uncomfortable painful issue on human body need to be avoided during massage service with fixed posture, another conventional massage chair is also been designed. Please refer to a FIGS. 3A and 3B, which demonstrate another conventional massage chair. A conventional massage chair in FIG. 3A provides a leading track (13), having an upper pin shaft and a lower pin shaft, wherein the upper pin shaft connects to a pin hole of a frame, the lower pin shaft connects to an end of a bar, so the leading track (13) swings around a point in terms of pivot used to connect the frame and the leading track (13); as shown in FIG. 3A, the conventional massage chair has two status, and the posture of man sitting on chair also changes with status, so the uncomfortable painful issue produced by fixed posture can be reduced. In the status of FIG. 3A, massage chair only provides human back massage, human buttock has no massage service; in the status of FIG. 3B, man can lay on chair, human buttock might has massage service by massage device (14). According to the FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the massage chair cannot provide the massage service from human neck to human thigh like the L-type curved track module in FIG. 2, thus, it is clear the massage chair in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B has disadvantage need to improve.
Everyone has different necessities, physical conditions and work environments, so massage service need to adjust as different status, thus, it is clear the massage chair has improvement in many respect. In view of the aforementioned drawbacks of the conventional massage chair, the inventor of the present invention based on years of practice experience in the related industry to conduct extensive researches and experiments, and finally developed a massage chair in accordance with the present invention to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art.

NINGBO COMFORT HEALTH EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.


A method is provided for extracting music data from a compact disc and managing the music data. The method is configured to have the system extract at least a portion of an initial track of music data at an extracting rate that is greater than the listening rate. The system simultaneously writes the extracted portion of the initial track of music data to a storage media at the extracting rate while performing the extracting. Meanwhile, a user may listen to at least a portion of the extracted portion of the initial track of music data from the storage media at the listening rate.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to digital audio equipment and, more particularly, to software for computer systems and digital audio equipment used in audio stereo systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many home and car stereo systems are equipped with devices for playing digitally recorded media. Such devices may include compact disc (CD) players, digital video disc (DVD) players, and mini disc players. In a conventional stereo system, a CD player may be substituted for a compact disc (CD) changer.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional car stereo system. The system includes a head unit 10, a CD changer 14, speakers 16, and a power supply 12. The head unit 10 includes the control display for the system and is typically mounted into the dashboard of a car. The CD changer 14 is typically mounted in the trunk of the car. The speakers 16 are mounted at desired locations, typically two in the front and two in the back of the car""s interior. The system is powered by the power supply 12, which is typically the car battery. The CD changer 14 allows the convenience of loading multiple CD""s in the CD changer 14. The user can thereby listen to several CD""s without the inconvenience of reloading every time a different CD is desired. CD changers in car stereo systems typically allow the user to load between 3 and 10 CD""s.
Unfortunately, the conventional stereo system of FIG. 1 has some disadvantages. Designers of CD changers are, for example, faced with the challenge of designing CD changers that will not xe2x80x9cskipxe2x80x9d during CD playback. Because CD changers use lasers having high precision reading accuracy, skipping may occur during playback due to any jolt to the system caused by adverse road conditions.
Another disadvantage of the conventional stereo system is the inconvenience of unloading an old set of CD""s and loading a new set of CD""s. Many users may not want to replace the CD""s in the CD changer every time a different set of CD""s is desired. Many users may find it more convenient, yet less desirable, to simply keep old CD""s in the CD changer rather than change the old CD""s for a new set.
In view of the foregoing, what is needed is a car stereo system that will allow the storage of more CD""s without the inconvenience of constantly having to unload and load CD""s, like in the conventional car stereo system. There is also a need for providing skip-free playback on such a system.
Broadly speaking, the present invention fills these needs by providing a method for loading music data from a multitude of CD""s into a storage media for future listening, thus, eliminating the need for a conventional CD changer. It should be appreciated that the present invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a process, an apparatus, a system, a device or a method. Several inventive embodiments of the present invention are described below.
In one embodiment, a method is provided for extracting music data from a compact disc and managing the music data. The method is configured to have the system extract at least a portion of an initial track of music data at an extracting rate that is greater than the listening rate. The system simultaneously writes the extracted portion of the initial track of music data: to a storage media at the extracting rate while performing the extracting. Meanwhile, a user may listen to at least a portion of the extracted portion of the initial track of music data from the storage media at the listening rate.
In another embodiment, a computer readable media is disclosed that has program instructions for extracting music data from a compact disc and managing the music data. The program instructions include instructions for extracting at least a portion of an initial track of music data at an extracting rate that is greater than the play back rate. There are also instructions for writing at least the portion of the initial track of music data to a storage media at the extracting rate while performing the extracting. Additionally, there are instructions for playing back at least a portion of the initial track of music data from the storage media at the play back rate.
In still another embodiment, a method for extracting music data from a compact disc and managing the music data is disclosed. The method is configured to have the system extract at least a portion of an initial track of music data at an extracting rate that is greater than a fast forwarding rate. Simultaneously, the system writes the extracted portion of the initial track of music data to a storage media at the extracting rate while performing the extracting. Meanwhile, the system fast forwards at least a portion of the extracted portion of the initial track of music data from the storage media at the fast forwarding rate.
In another embodiment, an automobile audio system is disclosed. The system includes a control panel for displaying audio data and a control unit that is wired to the control panel. The control unit includes: (a) a hard disk; (b) a compact disc playing unit, the compact disc playing unit is capable of playing at least one compact disc; (c) interface circuitry that enables the wiring of the control unit to the control panel; (d) a processor and memory that are connected to the interface circuitry, where the memory is configured to store program instructions for extracting music data from the compact disc of the compact disc playing unit, the extracted data is stored in the hard disk, and the extracted data is capable of being managed by way of the program instructions.
The system has several advantages over conventional car stereo systems. With compressed audio, the system allows storage on a hard disk of about 160 music CD""s, which is the equivalent of about 2000 music tracks. This storage capacity may easily be upgraded by replacing the hard disk with another hard disk that has more storage capacity. In effect, the system replaces a conventional CD changer, which typically can store only between 3 and 10 CD""s.
For CD-R and CD-RW users, the system allows a user to play CD-R and CD-RW audio discs. The system allows playback and caching of CD""s in Adaptec""s CD3(trademark) Format. The system allows synchronization of the music track title database. In addition, the system allows a user to download internet music or content and then play it on the system.
Another advantage of the system is skip-free playback. As mentioned above, conventional CD changers may skip if there is a jolt to the system due to adverse road conditions. Because this system uses hard drive technology, as opposed to CD technology for playback, the system provides more stability than conventional CD changers. Still another advantage is that the system extracts and caches the CD data in near perfect digital quality, with a relatively small amount of data loss due to compression. In other words, the hard disk records practically without any data loss during transmission because the system records from a digital CD to a digital hard disk. The bottom line result of this near perfect extraction and caching is a user being able to listen to music with CD quality playback without having to juggle a multitude of CD""s.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the present invention.

Method and system for audio data collection and management


A coding method and a coder of a D-VHS codec system for recording/reproducing a high-definition picture and a high-fidelity sound is disclosed. In the recording of digital data which is compressed or processed, the coding method and the coder of the D-VHS codec system record digital data with forward error correction addition information in the format of a track for a forward error correction. Consequently, an enormous quantity of computation which cannot be processed by programs, is performed in real time by an optimal data flow operation process method and the compressed or processed digital data is processed at a high speed. Also, a hardware configuration of the codec which conventionally includes two or three pieces of circuit board implements one custom-made semiconductor chip and cuts a unit cost of the manufacturing of the D-VHS codec.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coding method and a coder of a digital-video home system codec system for recording/reproducing a high-definition picture and a high-fidelity sound.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since digital television broadcasts have begun to be on the air using MPEG2 (Moving Picture Experts Group 2) in 1994, many broadcasting companies all over the world are putting the digital broadcasts into operation or plan to put it into operation before long. The reason broadcasting companies participate in the digital broadcasts is that digital data has a trifling loss of information and provides both a high-quality moving picture and a high-fidelity sound, and that digital information has a compatibility which is well-suited for the multimedia age. At this time, many overseas electronics manufacturers anticipate the marketability of a digital data recorder (hereinafter, referred to as "DR") while they intensively invest their money in the development of DR's.
Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC) has finalized the technical specifications of a Digital-Video Home System (hereinafter, referred to as "D-VHS") Standard (STD) mode. Standardization of the specifications was achieved after consultation with Hitachi, Ltd., Matsushida Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. and Philips Electronics N.V. regarding D-VHS, which was announced in April of 1995. This paves the way for D-VHS technology to be incorporated in products, further advancing VHS as a recording medium in the upcoming multimedia age.
D-VHS is a new technology which is based on VHS, the world's most popular home video format. In addition to offering the features of the conventional VHS, to address the needs of multimedia applications, this new VHS technology offerers bit stream recording capability which will allow recording of compressed digital data such as digital broadcasts. By making the most of the advantages of tape media--namely high capacity and low cost--expectations are that D-VHS can be used in new applications, including in an in-home digital data storage device.
The digital broadcast has the video/audio characteristics of multichannel, high picture quality, surround sound, multilingual and so on. Also, in the aspect of information, the digital broadcasts are divided into service information such as program lists and commentaries, and data broadcasts such as PC softwares, shopping catalogs and electronic publishing. Technology which offers both recording and reproducing of a large quantity of diversified information is essential in the rapidly-progressing multimedia age. FIG. 1 is a block diagram for showing a schematic circuit configuration of a system for recording/reproducing digital broadcast data by a conventional D-VHS. As shown in FIG. 1, an audio/video signal which is supplied from a camera 11 is converted into a digital signal by an analog-to-digital converter 12 in a broadcasting station. The audio/video signal which is converted into a digital signal passes through a digital compressor 13 and is processed by a digital picture compression process such as the MPEG2. The compressed signal is QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying)-modulated by a modulator 14 and is propagated via a broadcast satellite 15. The digital broadcast data which is received by a broadcast receiving antenna 16, sequentially passes through a tuner 171 and a demodulator (not shown) and becomes a demultiplexed digital data. The demultiplexed digital data passes through an IEEE1394 digital interface and is provided to an input port of a D-VHS system 18 in the form of bit stream. The bit stream is recorded, in the format of a track, on a tape which is loaded on a deck (not shown) of D-VHS system 18.
In playback, the digital data which is read out from the tape passes through the IEEE1394 digital interface and is processed by a digital expander 172. The digital data from digital expander 172 passes through a digital-to-analog converter 173 and is provided to a television receiver 19.
Namely, bit stream recording is a method of recording compressed or processed, e.g., encrypted, signals such as those of digital broadcasts on a tape directly as digital data, and outputting them in the same state as they were input.
Therefore, a bit stream recording unit does not incorporate functions like analog-to-digital conversion, digital-to-analog conversion, digital compression/decompression or descrambling. Thus, video and audio signals cannot be reproduced using that unit alone. To reproduce the video and audio signals, the bit stream data must pass through a digital broadcast receiver's circuits that convert the digital data to video and audio signals.
Also, the D-VHS has the following characteristics. Firstly, in addition to analog recording of current broadcasting systems such as NTSC or PAL, timeshifting of digital broadcasts by bit stream recording is possible. Secondly, by offering the high-capacity characteristics of tape media, data recording in step with the multimedia age is possible. Thirdly, by maintaining compatibility with the current VHS format, playback of the vast VHS software library existing worldwide is possible. Fourthly, by utilizing most of the conventional VHS technology, parts and production facilities, widespread penetration and development for home use is possible.
The D-VHS has the recording capability of storing digital data for up to 7 hours at the input data rate of 14.1 [Mbps]. In a long play mode, the D-VHS has the recording capability of storing digital data for up to about 14 hours at the input data rate of 7 [Mbps]. Namely, the D-VHS has the recording capability of 44 [gigabytes]. The D-VHS is applicable to video servers, security recorders, data loggers, data storages and so on.
In step with the rapidly-progressing multimedia age, it is required to develop a coding method and a coder of a D-VHS codec system which performs an enormous quantity of computation in real time and has a low unit cost of manufacturing in order to store compressed information such as digital broadcast data in high capacity and to reproduce a high-definition picture and a high-fidelity sound.

Coding method and coder of a D-VHS codec system using forward Reed Solomon error correction


A resource assignment method during a tune-away procedure comprises determining a first instance in time that a tune-away will initiate with respect to an access terminal, determining a second instance in time that corresponds to a latest frame boundary associated with the access terminal prior to the instance in time that the tune-away initiates, and determining resource assignment parameters associated with the access terminal and implementing the resource assignment parameters at the second instance in time. The method can further comprise ceasing communications to the access terminal over a forward link at the second instance in time and discontinuing monitoring reverse link control channels associated with the access terminal at the second instance in time.

I. Field
The following description relates generally to wireless communications, and, amongst other things, to flexible communication schemes for wireless communications systems.
II. Background
In the not too distant past mobile communication devices in general, and mobile telephones in particular, were luxury items only affordable to those with substantial income. Further, these mobile telephones were significant in size, rendering them inconvenient for extended portability. For example, in contrast to today's mobile telephones (and other mobile communication devices), mobile telephones of the recent past could not be placed into a user's pocket or handbag without causing extreme discomfort. In addition to deficiencies associated with mobile telephones, wireless communications networks that provided services for such telephones were unreliable, covered insufficient geographical areas, were associated with inadequate bandwidth, and were associated with various other deficiencies.
In contrast to the above-described mobile telephones, mobile telephones and other devices that utilize wireless networks are now commonplace. Today's mobile telephones are extremely portable and inexpensive. For example, a typical modem mobile telephone can easily be placed in a handbag without a user thereof noticing existence of the telephone. Furthermore, wireless service providers often offer sophisticated mobile telephones at no cost to persons who subscribe to their wireless service. Numerous towers that transmit and/or relay wireless communications have been constructed over the last several years, thus providing wireless coverage to significant portions of the United States (as well as several other countries). Accordingly, millions (if not billions) of individuals own and utilize mobile telephones.
To effectuate continued coverage for mobile stations, access points (base stations, access nodes, etc.) associated with cellular networks are geographically positioned so that as users change location they do not lose services. Thus, mobile stations can be "handed off" from a first base station to a second base station. In other words, a mobile station will be serviced by a first base station while in a geographic region associated with such base station. When the mobile station is transported to a region associated with a second base station, the mobile station will be handed off from the first base station to the second base station. Ideally, the handoff occurs without data loss, loss of service, and the like.
Conventionally, this handoff occurred through a significant amount of messaging between mobile stations and base stations. For instance, as a mobile station was transported toward a base station, various messages were delivered between the mobile station and the base station, as well as between the base station and a base station currently servicing the mobile station. This messaging enables assignment of resources with respect to forward link and reverse link channels to be made between the mobile station and the base stations. To enable a handoff to occur quickly and without loss of a substantial amount of data, a set of base stations can be prepared to provide services to the mobile station. This set of base stations can be updated as the geographic region associated with the mobile station is altered. In more detail, the mobile station can be adapted to monitor for communications or receive communications over a first frequency from a first base station. A second base station can communicate with the mobile station over the same frequency, and the second base station can be added to the set of base stations if particular performance parameters are met. Once the base station is added to the set, it is prepared to service the mobile station once it becomes within a particular geographic range of such base station. The handoff between base stations occurs expediently as well as without loss of any significant amount of data.
Problems arise, however, if base stations associated with disparate technologies or communication protocols are desirably added to the set of base stations, as mobile stations with single receive chains cannot simultaneously communicate between systems and/or over disparate frequencies.


An RF amplifier has multiple DC coupled gain stages which generate an output signal by amplifying an input RF signal. All of the transistors are NPN and directly coupled through filters. The amplifier input and output stages actively match the impedance of the RF source and load.

The need for speed-bandwidth has affected literally all aspects of electronic design. Many designers have responded by taking advantage of the inherent speed of NPN transistors, as compared to PNP transistors. NPN transistors circuit have improved speed and overall gain. However, despite the inherent advantages of NPN transistors, high gain RF amplifiers using them continue to couple amplifier stages with capacitors (AC coupling), decreasing amplifier efficiency by placing an additional load in the output circuits of each stage.
Beyond that, DC coupling in integrated circuits requires the fabrication and connection of capacitors in close proximity to other components on the same substrate, creating so-called parasitic capacitance, which degrades amplified performance and stability in an unpredictable way, complicating circuit layout.


An arrangement for decoding a bar code symbol in which the data resulting from scanning a bar code symbol with a bar code scanner is evaluated to determine if the scanned bar code symbol is within the working range of the scanner. The data acquired by the bar code scanner is evaluated to determine if the detected widths of the bars and spaces of the scanned bar code symbol are too small, less than a threshold value, which indicates that the bar code symbol is too far and outside of the working range of the scanner. Moreover, the working range of the bar code scanner can be selectively changed by changing the threshold value, which can be easily implemented by having the bar code scanner scan a menu bar code which instructs the decoder to change the threshold value to a selected new value which may be pre-established for the particular operation. The arrangement preferably includes software to process the data acquired by the bar code scanner, and if the data indicates that the scanning distance to the bar code is too far, a flag is set in the software which prevents a new decode result from being recorded. However, the intermediate decode result is retained in memory to indicate that the bar code symbol is still in the scanner's field of view. A second evaluation validation to determine if the detected bar code symbol is valid may also be performed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method of bar code decoding and also a bar code decoder in which the data acquired by a bar code scanner is evaluated to determine if a scanned bar code symbol is within an acceptable working range of the bar code scanner. More particularly, the subject invention pertains to a method of bar code decoding and a bar code decoder as described in which the working range of the bar code scanner can be selectively changed. In the method and the bar code decoder of the subject invention, if the scanning distance is determined to be too far, a flag is set in software which prevents a new decode from being counted, but still keeps the intermediate decode result in memory to indicate that the bar code symbol is still in the scanner's field of view.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Prior art bar code scanners and decoders have generally employed a fixed working range, in some products typically from contact to seven or eight inches. Under some operating conditions, a bar code positioned at a critical distance from the scanner near the end of its working range, e.g., at seven or eight inches, can result in an erroneous decoding of the bar code or multiple different decodes of the same bar code, which is obviously not acceptable as it results in erroneous data entries.

Bar code decoder with changeable working ranges


Disclosed herein are novel architectural joints for use in constructing geodesic domes. The joints disclosed are less costly to manufacture and are of increased strength over prior art joints. Through the use of the joints disclosed, construction of novel geodesic domes not found in the prior art is now possible.

1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to geodesic architecture including geodesic domes which are frequently used as permanent dwellings, backyard greenhouses, or portable shelters. This architecture is commonly configured in a semi-spherical framework or shell arrangement and is comprised of a multiplicity of linear structural strut members which are strategically connected to one another by an effective means.
The crux of this invention comprises a novel means by which the structural members are connected to one another. This new connective means allows convenient construction of conventional geodesic structures, as well as some heretofore unavailable.
2) Description of Related Art
Geodesic dome structures have been known for quite some time now. Although the number and type of polyhedra upon which geodesic domes may be based is large, it has heretofore been impossible to construct many of the possible structures owing to spatial constraints in the connecting means. Since increased strength and other utility-enhancing characteristics have been found to result from the use of particular geodesic configurations, it has been deemed desirous by the instant Inventor to provide a means for making possible their construction.
Typically, the structures which have been produced consist of structural support members and a means for connecting the support members to one another. One example of a connecting means so suited is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,998 and comprises a hinge plate. Another connecting means is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,265 which comprises a hub and strut. U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,851 discloses a universal hub for geodesic domes which comprises a wing nut and two metal plates. Other systems for connecting the strut members of geodesic domes to one another are described in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,908,975; 4,531,333; 4,901,483; 4,511,278; 4,236,473; 5,165,207; 4,308,698; 4,365,910; 4,905,443; 4,319,853; and 4,464,073.
Generally speaking, the most preferred prior art devices in the field to which the instant invention relates are of limited use, involve costly manufacturing processes, are time intensive with regards to both manufacture and use, and often comprise exotic shapes requiring special tooling for mass production. Further, prior art connecting means are limited in their use, i.e., they are not universal in capability and are by their spatial constraints limited in use as to the number of spanning links (struts) per connecting hub and to previously used conventional geodesic geometry. The prior art devices do not lend themselves well to rapid disassembly and hence convenient portability. The instant invention is an improvement over prior art rigid connection systems which are subject to breakage and/or bending under stress loads. The present invention discloses a flexible connection joint that provides unexpected rigidity when applied to a geodesic structure.

Geodesic domes and improved joints therefor


Pesticidal compositions that improve soil residual efficacy of sulfoxaflor are disclosed.

Controlling insect population is essential to modern agriculture, food storage, and hygiene. Currently, safe and effective encapsulated insecticidal formulations play a significant role in controlling insect populations. Properties of useful encapsulated insecticidal formulations include good efficacy against targeted pests, including good initial toxicity against targeted insects, ease of handling, stability, advantageous residence times in the environment and, in some instances, a long effective period of insecticidal activity after its application to an area.
Unfortunately, most insecticide formulations, especially liquid based preparations, lose their efficacy relatively soon after application. Such insecticide formulations must, therefore, be reapplied to ensure insect control. Additionally, formulations with a short period of post application activity may result in periods of time during which an area is vulnerable to infestation by pests. This creates a need to periodically apply various insecticidal formulations in order to control continuing pest infestations or to prevent their occurrence, and to increase the amount of insecticides that must be used, which results in increased cost associated with their shipping, handling and application.

Pesticidal compositions and related methods


An apparatus and method for determining an Operation System (OS) of a host device connected through USB in a portable terminal. The apparatus includes a connection port for receiving a descriptor request from the host device, an analysis unit for analyzing the received descriptor request and providing the analyzed result, an OS determining unit for determining the OS of the host device using information received from the analysis unit, and a controller that controls the analysis unit and the OS determining unit to analyze the descriptor request of the host device and determine the OS of the host device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable terminal connected with a host device. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for determining an Operating System (OS) of a host device connected through a Universal Serial Bus (USB) in a portable terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, in accordance with the rapid development of portable terminals, as such devices can now perform wireless voice communication and information exchange via the Internet. As a result, portable terminals have become necessities of modern life. It is recognized that in the beginning of development of portable terminals, there primary appeal was that such portable terminals were simply carried and permitted performance of wireless communication. However, as the technology used in the design and manufacture of such portable terminals has been developed over time, and wireless Internet access has been introduced, modern portable terminals may perform not only a phone call function or a schedule management function but also game functions, a remote controller function using local area communication, and an image photographing function by a mounted digital camera. Therefore, because the useful ranges of functions of the portable terminals are gradually increasing, the portable terminals satisfy the needs of users more than ever.
In addition, the portable terminal may connect to a host device using Universal Serial Bus (USB) communication, and may transmit a previously stored data to the host device or may read a data stored in the host device.
The USB has an interface standard capable of connecting a variety of peripheral devices by a common connector and may connect a maximum of 127 devices. Due to the lack of a requirement to reboot the host device in order to change settings of the portable terminal which supports the USB, the portable terminal may be connected or disconnected when the host device is being used (hot pluggable).
FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C illustrate a process of connecting with a host device using a conventional portable terminal.
Referring now to FIGS. 1A to 1C, as shown in FIG. 1A, a plurality of built-in applications is installed in the host device denoted by 100. Each of the plurality of built-in applications is an application provided from the OS of the host device 100. When the host device is connected with a portable terminal through the USB, each of the built-in applications is executed prior to other applications.
As shown in FIG. 1B, when a portable terminal 104 and a host device 106 are connected through a cable 102, the host device 106 requests a descriptor from the portable terminal 104 and performs a USB enumeration process. The USB enumeration process is a process that verifies whether the portable terminal 104 is connected or disconnected to the host device.
When the OS of the host device 106 prioritizes and executes the built-in applications, if connection of the portable terminal 104 is recognized, the host device 106 executes a built-in application corresponding to a protocol supported by the portable terminal 104. As shown in FIG. 1B, the OS of the host device 106 executes an "A" application.
As shown in FIG. 1C, if a user does not execute the built-in applications, he or she ends the execution of the "A" application. Therefore, the OS of the host device 106 may execute not a built-in application but an "F" application (110) which is not only NOT a built-in application but may also control an operation of a portable terminal 108.
In other words, there is a problem in that the conventional portable terminal may be controlled through a built-in application according to the OS of the host device irrespective of a protocol set in a descriptor of the portable terminal.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an apparatus and method for preventing a portable terminal from being controlled through a built-in application of an OS of a host device.

Apparatus and method for verifying operating system of host device in portable terminal


A label assembly includes a support and a label body. The label body is configured to allow a label to be attached thereto. The support includes an upright post, and a fixing portion formed at a distal end of the post opposite to the label body. The fixing portion is configured to removably attach the label assembly to a circuit board. A circuit board supporting the label assembly is further provided.

1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to a label assembly and a circuit board using the label assembly.
2. Description of Related Art
On a circuit board, such as a computer motherboard, a plurality of labels recording and providing information of the circuit board is attached. However, the plurality of labels, often including bar codes, part numbers, product identities, media access control addresses, and others, occupy a great deal of blank area of the circuit board, which inhibits current trends toward circuit board size reduction and density maximization.

Label assembly and circuit board using the same

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd.


A system which allows the Internet address assigned to a destination equipment to be obtained, starting from its identification name, such as is carried out conventionally with the DNS protocol, and which also allows different information to be obtained on the destination equipment starting from its identification name, as for example can be information contained in databases of mobile telephony networks or in a database belonging to a data network. The system comprises a request administration means which is connected to a means of analysis of at least one parameter of the DNS protocol and at least one database message composition/reception module that is connected to at least one external database and also including means of analysis of the answer of the at least one external database and of an internal database to deliver the information requested by using the DNS protocol.

At the present time, Internet is a network that has extended all over the world, as there is a growing number of users that access the same from any part of the world, for which it is only necessary to have a terminal equipment with connection to this network. If a user that has this terminal equipment (requesting equipment), wants to be connected with another user (destination equipment), it is necessary to know the numerical IP address of said destination equipment. However, instead of using the IP addresses that are more complicated to retain and manage, names are used to identify each one of the user equipments. This makes necessary the use of a mechanism which, starting from an identification name of the destination equipment with which it is desired to communicate, allows the numerical IP address to be obtained. For this a standardised protocol is employed called the domain naming system (DNS), in which the requesting equipment, before setting up a connection with the destination equipment, queries a DNS server to obtain the IP address. If this server does not have the requested data, it queries another DNS server, or else the actual DNS server that was consulted in the first place, returns the necessary information for querying another DNS server to obtain the desired information. This process can be repeated successively until the IP address is obtained, for which reason the requesting equipment should have the address in store of at least one DNS server, starting from which it will be possible to obtain the IP address of the destination equipment with which it is desired to set up a connection.
The identification names of the terminal equipments are represented by labels separated by dots, so that each one of these labels represents a domain in the network. These domains are tree-structured, so that when a DNS server is consulted, and the latter does not have the required information, it knows what DNS server should be consulted by analysing the different domains of the name, since each server possesses information of an area of the network.
The information that the server queries is stored in an internal database called "Master Files", so that these databases are distributed over the different DNS servers, as each one of them has information of an area of the network. The information that these databases contain refers to the identification names and IP addresses of each of the user terminals of the network.
The DNS protocol is formed by a header, a field to make the query, another for the answer, another to request authorization, and a last one to include additional information. In each of these fields a series of standardised parameters is included, among which should be mentioned the parameter QNAME that is part of the query field, and which contains the identification name of the destination equipment of which the information is requested, or the parameter RDATA that contains the information that has been requested.
In a mobile telephony or data network, various databases exist with information regarding different client equipments of said network, and due to the advance of information technologies, there is an increasing tendency toward combining telephony and data networks, for which reason it is becoming necessary to have access, in real time, to information of the terminal equipments of said networks to which presently access is only possible within the particular network in question. At the present time no system exists that allows access to different databases in order for example to be able to acquire information, through Internet, of a subscriber of a mobile telephony network or of a data network.

System of assigning domain names (DNS) providing access to databases


A tubular bottle is formed of a synthetic resin material having a bottom part. A bottom wall part of the bottom part includes a grounding part located at an outer circumferential edge thereof, a standing peripheral wall part which is connected from a radial inner side of the bottle to the grounding part and which extends upward, a movable wall part that protrudes, from an upper end of the standing peripheral wall part, toward the radial inner side, and a depression peripheral wall part that extends upward from an inner end of the movable wall part in a radial direction of the bottle. The movable wall part is arranged so as to be movable upward centering on a portion connected to the standing peripheral wall part. An upward swelling part is formed at an outer end along the radial direction of the bottle of the movable wall part.

Conventionally, as a bottle formed of a synthetic resin material in a shape of a bottomed tube, as set forth in, for instance, Patent Document 1 below, a bottle having a constitution in which a bottom wall part of a bottom part includes a grounding part that is located at an outer circumferential edge, a standing peripheral wall part that is connected from a bottle radial inner side to the grounding part and extends upward, a movable wall part that protrudes from an upper end of the standing peripheral wall part toward the bottle radial inner side, and a depression peripheral wall part that extends upward from a bottle radial inner end of the movable wall part has been known. In the known constitution, the movable wall part rotates about a portion connected to the standing peripheral wall part so as to cause the depression peripheral wall part to move upward, and thereby a pressure reduced in the bottle is absorbed.


Apparatus and systems may include a pair of coupling lenses to send light to, and to receive light from, a pair of light modulators.

For some illumination systems, it has been determined that increasing the number of light modulators may provide a higher level of black light contrast. However, using a greater number of light modulators may also result in an inordinate increase in the number of lenses and other optical components used to transmit the light from the source to the desired destination.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A method and apparatus are described for scheduling traffic in a network. The method comprises (a) dividing a hardware schedule table into N logical schedule tables which are separated by table delimiters; and (b) assigning an identifier corresponding to a connection in the network in a scheduling table which is one of the N logical schedule tables.

Technologies for computer networks have advanced at a fast rate to accommodate the needs for efficient and reliable communication. Designs for computer networks are now becoming complex both in hardware and software. To reduce complexity, most computer networks are organized as a series of layers or protocols, each one built upon the one below it. The function of each layer is to provide certain services to the higher layers, shielding those layers from the specific and detailed implementation of these services.
A network architecture typically follows some reference model to maintain universality and standardization. Examples of important reference models include the broadband Integrated Services Digital Network (B-ISDN) Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), the Open System Interconnection (OSI), and the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) reference models. In general, a network architecture has the following layers: application, transport, network, data link, and physical. In these layers, the actual data transmission takes place in the physical layer.
An ATM wide area network (WAN) typically consists of multiple ATM interfaces. In the outbound direction, the network traffic shaping is performed on a per virtual connection basis. Each ATM interface supports multiple classes of service (COSes), each having its own unique shaping requirements. A typical network system supports multiple ATM interfaces with speeds ranging from 1.5 Magabits per second (Mbps) (e.g., T1) to 155 Mbps (e.g., OC-3).
To support a single ATM interface, many ATM segmentation and reassembly (SAR) processors are commercially available. These SAR processors typically have a fixed number of hardware schedule tables (HSTs) that are used for traffic shaping according to some scheduling algorithm. These HSTs can support a number of COSes.
When the system configuration has service requirements that exceed the number of COSes supported by the HSTs, a single SAR processor cannot be used. Multiple SAR processors can be used to satisfy the service requirements. However, this increases hardware complexity and creates a burden to the system management.

Scheduling network traffic using multiple logical schedule tables


A method for a base station to allocate resources to a mobile station, the resources being included in one or more subbands each including a plurality of resource units, the method including: allocating a part of a first one of the subbands to the mobile station, the part including one or more resource units in the first one of the subbands; and indicating to the mobile station the allocated part of the first one of the subbands by indicating a resource allocation pattern corresponding to the allocated part of the first one of the subbands.

Wideband transmission with high spectral efficiency and high mobility is desirable for future wireless communications. Promising techniques to achieve such wideband transmission include an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) technique.
A traditional OFDM-based communication system uses a plurality of closely-spaced orthogonal subcarriers to carry data. The data may be allocated on a plurality of parallel subchannels, one for each of the subcarriers. Each of the subcarriers may be modulated with a conventional modulation scheme, e.g., quadrature amplitude modulation, at a relatively low symbol rate. In addition, an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) may be performed on OFDM symbols representing the data on a transmitter side, e.g., at a base station, and a fast Fourier transform (FFT) may be performed to recover the OFDM symbols on a receiver side, e.g., at a mobile station.
Traditionally, the base station allocates available resources, e.g., time and frequency resources, for the mobile station to receive data from, or transmit data to, the base station. The base station further uses a control channel to indicate to the mobile station the allocated resources.
The available resources may include a plurality of resource units (RUs). An RU typically comprises a first plurality of consecutive subcarrier frequencies and a second plurality of consecutive times corresponding to respective OFDM symbols, and is a basic unit for resource allocation. For example, in the IEEE 802.16 standard, 24 RUs may be used to perform resource allocation if the communication system has a 5-MHz bandwidth, 48 RUs may be used to perform resource allocation if the communication system has a 10-MHz bandwidth, and 96 RUs may be used to perform resource allocation if the communication system has a 20-MHz bandwidth.
The base station may partition the available resources into a plurality of subbands each including multiple RUs, and a plurality of minibands each including, e.g., one RU, to reduce feedback overhead. Typically, the subbands are suitable for frequency selective allocation as the subbands provide a contiguous allocation of RUs in frequency, and the minibands are suitable for frequency diverse allocation as the minibands are permuted in frequency.
FIG. 1 illustrates a traditional method 100 for the base station to partition available resources into a plurality of subbands 102. Based on the method 100, the base station partitions the available resources into the plurality of subbands 102 each including four contiguous RUs.
FIG. 2 illustrates a traditional method 200 for the base station to perform resource allocation for a plurality of mobile stations, e.g., MS0, MS1, . . . , and MS7. The base station may partition available resources including a plurality of RUs, referred to herein as physical RUs (PRUs) 202, each represented by a small block in FIG. 2, into a plurality of subbands 204 and a plurality of minibands 206. Each of the subbands 204 may comprise multiple contiguous PRUs, e.g., four contiguous PRUs, and each of the minibands 206 may comprise one PRU.
The base station may further group the PRUs 202 in the subbands 204 into a subband group. The PRUs 202 in the subband group are also known as contiguous resource units (CRUs) 208, because they are contiguous across localized resource allocations. The base station may also group the PRUs 202 in the minibands 206 into a miniband group and perform permutation on those PRUs. The permuted PRUs in the miniband group are also known as distributed resource units (DRUs) 210, because they are spread across distributed resource allocations.
The CRUs 208 and the DRUs 210 form logical resource units (LRUs) 212. The base station may perform resource allocation to each of the mobile stations based on individual LRUs, or on a whole subband. For example, the base station may allocate individual LRUs to a mobile station, e.g., MS0, MS1, MS2, MS4, MS5, MS6, or MS7. These LRUs for the corresponding MSs may be indicated by basic assignment A-MAP information elements (IEs). Also for example, the base station may allocate one or more subbands to a mobile station, e.g., MS3. These subbands may be indicated by a subband assignment A-MAP information element (IE). The basic and subband assignment A-MAP IEs are located in an A-MAP region, which typically consists of the first several DRUs.
Further, for example, MS3 may only need to perform data transmission at a relatively low data transmission rate, such as when running a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application or a gaming application. As a result, it may be inefficient for the base station to allocate the whole subband to MS3.

Apparatus and method for resource allocation in wireless communications

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A mass spectrometer adopting a differential pumping system includes an ionization chamber with substantially atmospheric pressure, two intermediate vacuum chambers, and a mass analyzing chamber with a very low pressure (or a very high vacuum), where the pressures of these chambers are in the order of higher to lower. A hole is provided in every wall between two adjoining chambers for allowing ions to be mass analyzed to pass through. An auxiliary electrode with an aperture is placed near the hole, and an AC voltage is applied to the auxiliary electrode. Owing to an AC electric field generated by the AC voltage around the hole, an ion coming near the hole is exerted with such a force that confines the ion to the ion optical axis C. Under these circumstances, even when the ion collides with a residual gas molecule or atom and is deflected away from the ion optical axis, the confining force exerted by the electric field pulls the ion back toward the ion optical axis. This improves the ion passing efficiency of the hole, and increases the number of ions reaching the mass filter and ion detector, which consequently enhances the sensitivity of the mass analysis.

Mass spectrometers are often used in combination with a liquid chromatograph or a gas chromatograph. In the case of a mass spectrometer combined with a liquid chromatograph (LCMS), the mass spectrometer is used as the detector of the liquid chromatograph. In the liquid chromatograph, a sample liquid containing components to be detected is made to flow through a liquid chromatograph column, where the components are separated with respect to time while the sample passes through the column. The liquid (eluate) flowing out of the column is ionized by an interface, and the ionized component atoms or molecules are introduced into the mass spectrometer where the ions are separated by their mass to charge ratios. Ions of the components thus separated in the mass spectrometer are detected by an ion detector.
In a LCMS, the eluate is normally ionized under the atmospheric pressure, so that the interfaces are generally called an atmospheric pressure ionizing (API) interface. The electro-spray ionizing (ESI) interface and atmospheric pressure chemical ionizing (ACPI) interface are typical API interfaces.
In the mass spectrometers using API interfaces, the ionizing chamber is kept at substantially atmospheric pressure, but the mass spectrometer section, which includes a mass filter such as a quadrupole mass filter and the ion detector, must be kept at a very low pressure (or in a very high vacuum). Since the pressure difference is so large, several (usually two) intermediate vacuum chambers are provided between the ionizing chamber and the MS section, and the pressures of the intermediate vacuum chambers are gradually changed in order to keep the mass spectrometer section at very low pressure. The Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-149865 (which has matured to U.S. Pat. No. 3,379,485) describes one of such differential pumping systems.
In differential pumping systems, ions are passed from a chamber of a higher pressure to an adjoining chamber of a lower pressure through a small hole called an orifice. In order to keep the low pressure of the lower pressure chamber, it is preferable to prevent unnecessary gas molecules from passing through the orifice. But, on the other hand, the object component ions should pass through the orifice at as large an amount as possible in order to enhance the detecting sensitivity. Conventionally, an ion lens applied with a DC voltage (an electrostatic lens) is provided before the orifice of an intermediate vacuum chamber, and the rear focal point of the ion lens is set at the orifice, so that object ions are converged and effectively injected into the orifice.
The conventional ion lens has the following drawback. In a mass spectrometer using an API interface, a considerable amount of gas (residual gas) remains in the ionizing chamber and subsequent low-pressure intermediate vacuum chambers, and it often happens that the sample ions contact the molecules of the residual gas. If an ion being converged by the ion lens contacts a residual gas molecule, the ion is deflected and is difficult to converge again to the orifice with the electric field by the ion lens alone. Since the concentration of the ions at the converging point (or near the rear focal point) of the ion lens is very large, the ions are highly probable to collide with the residual gas molecules, and to be prevented from entering the orifice and going to the subsequent chamber. This deteriorates the sensitivity of the sample analysis.


A direct fuel injection engine has a fuel injection valve that injects fuel toward a cavity formed in a top of a piston, and a spark plug that ignites the fuel-air mixture resulting from the fuel injection. The direct fuel injection engine is configured to strengthen the penetration of the fuel streams, to improve the directionality of the fuel streams and to form in the cavity an agglomerate fuel-air mixture that is homogeneous and has uniform concentration. The cavity preferably has a bottom surface, a curved surface, and a flat surface. The fuel injection valve has a plurality of injection vents that spray solid-core fuel streams with angles formed between adjacent injection vents that are less than or equal to the spray angle of the fuel stream sprayed from each injection vent. The fuel streams form a combined fuel stream having a hollow circular cone shape.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a fuel injected internal combustion engine. More specifically, the present invention relates to a fuel injected internal combustion engine with direct fuel injection into the combustion chamber and spark-ignition.
2. Background Information
An example of a fuel injected internal combustion engine with direct fuel injection into the combustion chamber and spark-ignition is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-82028. In this publication, a fuel injection valve is arranged in an upper part of a combustion chamber and a cavity is formed in the top of the piston. The fuel injection valve injects a fuel stream generally shaped as a hollow circular cone toward the cavity of the piston and a spark plug ignites the fuel-air mixture formed by the injected fuel.
The cavity has a generally cylindrical surrounding wall surface, a bottom surface that connects smoothly with the surrounding wall surface, and a central protrusion that is shaped generally like a circular cone and connects smoothly with the bottom surface. The bulk of the generally hollow circular cone shaped fuel stream injected toward the cavity strikes the surrounding wall, proceeds along the bottom surface, and rises upward while following the contour of the protrusion and converging toward the center. As a result, the fuel-air mixture is formed that is concentrated in the area surrounding the spark plug, which is positioned directly above the protrusion. This arrangement allows excellent laminar combustion to be achieved.
The so-called swirl injection valve is sometimes used to inject fuel in such a manner that the fuel stream has the shape of a circular cylinder. The swirl injection valve injects the fuel while imparting a rotating component to the fuel flow inside the injection vent. The rotating component rotates about the axis of the injection vent.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved direct fuel injection engine. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.