This invention makes it possible to produce a high quality synthesized panoramic image when it is difficult to highly precisely shift the image pickup direction. The present invention provides an image pickup apparatus for synthetically generating a first image, or a whole image of an entire object of shooting, the apparatus comprising an image pickup section that sequentially changes the image pickup direction and picks up section of images of the object of shooting to be imaged, a reading section that reads second images, each having a predetermined width and constituting a part of the image picked up on an imaging plane in the image pickup section, a defining section that defines a reading range of each second image to be read by the reading section, a relative position identifying section that identifies the relative position of each second image relative to the first image, and a synthesizing section that generates the first image by sequentially and synthetically combining the second images read out by the reading section, the defining section being adapted to determine the first quantity of movement of each second image by referring to the relative position thereof as identified by the relative position identifying section and define the reading range of the second image to be read out next according to the first quantity of movement.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image pickup apparatus, an image pickup method and an image pickup program for generating a whole panoramic image by gradually and sequentially shifting the image pickup direction and pasting a plurality of picked up images side by side as well as to a recording medium adapted to store such images.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic still cameras have been and being popularly used. They are designed to convert the rays of light that pass through the lens of the camera as the camera shoots the object to be imaged by means of a solid state imaging element such as CCD into video signals, record the video signals on a recording medium and, if required, reproduce the recorded video signals. Many electronic still cameras are provided with a monitor screen so that the user can display a selected one of the still images that have been picked up and recorded. However, known electronic still cameras can shoot only a narrow scenic range that is limited by the view angle of the lens of the camera. In other words, the electronic still cameras cannot shoot a wide scenic range beyond the view angle of the lens.
In view of the above-identified circumstances, camera systems for obtaining a panoramic image have been proposed in recent years. Such camera systems are classified into the multiple lens type adapted to shoot a wide scenic range at a time and the single lens type adapted to gradually shift the image pickup direction and serially and continuously pick up unit images.
While the multiple lens type camera system has an advantage that it can be handled like an ordinary camera to generate a panoramic whole image at a time, it has a drawback that the entire camera system is costly.
On the other hand, the single lens type camera system (see, inter alia, Patent Document 1: Jpn. Pat. Appln. Laid-Open Publication No. 11-46317) is less costly but indispensably requires an image processing technique of generating a single panoramic whole image by bonding the unit images that are serially and continuously picked up together with overlapping areas in such a way that the boundaries of the unit images are not noticeable. However, such overlapping areas can remarkably increase or decrease when the image pickup direction is manually shifted. In the worst case, such overlapping areas can be totally lost to make the attempt of acquiring a whole image a complete failure.
Additionally, since unit images that are picked up at different clock times are pasted together with the single lens type camera system, a displacement or some other discontinuity is caused along the boundary of continuously picked up two images when an object is moving there. Then, the whole image that is ultimately produced can end up as failure.
Techniques of mechanically shifting the image pickup direction by means of a turntable that is equipped with a motor to pick up unit images have been proposed (see, inter alia, Patent Document 2: Jpn. Pat. Appln. Laid-Open Publication No. 6-225202). With the related art, a camera is fitted to a turntable that is securely held on a tripod and the turntable is driven to rotate slowly by means of a motor in order to mechanically shift the image pickup direction and pick up unit images.
The image pickup direction of a camera system can be changed freely when the camera system is securely held on a tripod and the turntable to which the camera is fitted is driven to rotate by means of a high precision motor. However, the obtained unit images can be blurred as a result of shifting the image pickup direction particularly when the user wants to manually adjust the image pickup direction or when the motor does not revolve highly precisely. Then, it may not be possible to produce overlapping areas in the unit images for the purpose of preparing a panoramic whole image by pasting the picked up unit images to make the attempt of acquiring a whole image a complete failure. Therefore, it may be recommendable for such a camera system to be adjusted in advance to produce large overlapping areas.
Image pickup apparatus adapted to pick up a plurality of unit images for a wide scene by means of a single lens for the purpose of obtaining a panoramic whole image have been proposed. However, any of the known image pickup apparatus that have been proposed in the past cannot realize a functional feature of being capable of obtaining a high quality panoramic whole image, while maintaining the economic advantage of commercially available digital cameras.
For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a camera having a functional feature of picking up a panoramic whole image and a rotary adaptor to be attached to the imaging section of the camera. The rotary adaptor takes the role of operating as drive source for driving the imaging section of the camera to turn. However, it gives rise to a number of problems when it is actually operated.
The first problem is that the camera is designed without properly taking the balance of the mass of the camera into consideration. The adaptor of the known camera takes the role of driving the imaging section of the camera to turn and is mounted on the camera to turn the camera main body itself. While it is ideal to turn only the lens and the necessary part of the imaging sensor, the known camera is designed to turn the camera main body itself that carries heavy parts including a battery. As a result, costly components have to be used to bear the rotary motion of the motor. Additionally, when the camera main body is hand-held for shooting, the user of the camera feels it cumbersome to hold the camera because the part held by hand is lightweight and the rotary part of the camera is heavy to make the balance of the mass of the camera inappropriate.
The second problem is that the user cannot operate the buttons of the camera and see the image being displayed on the display screen of the camera with ease. More specifically, various buttons including the shutter button and a display section are arranged on the camera main body that is driven to turn. When the user operates any of the buttons of the camera while he or she is turning the imaging section of the camera, the obtained image can be blurred to make the shooting operation unsuccessful. While such blurs may be avoided by using a release, it is not a general practice to use a release for a commercially available digital camera.
Additionally, since the display section of the camera also turns with the rotary motion of the imaging section of the camera, the user is required to follow the turning motion of the display section in order to visually confirm the shooting operation. Such a motion on the part of the user is also cumbersome to the user.
Furthermore, it is also cumbersome for the user to carry around the rotary adaptor that is not used frequently and only required to use when taking a panoramic picture. The camera system will be far from being compact and easy to carry if the rotary adaptor is constantly fitted to the camera main body.
Thus, rotary adaptors that are designed to be used for taking panoramic images have not been popular at all.
Japanese Patent No. 3348285 (Patent Document 3) describes an apparatus comprising a turntable arranged on a fixed base so that a camera system may be rotated by 360° for taking a panoramic picture by means of the apparatus. The apparatus is designed exclusively for taking panoramic pictures. The apparatus also comprises a photo-coupler for connecting a camera and a downstream processing section when shooting a visual field of 360° in a serial and continuously shooting session and a rotary angle sensor for gauging the rotary angle of the turntable to consequently make the apparatus very bulky and complex.
However, if such an apparatus is fitted to a commercially available digital camera in order to provide the camera with a functional feature of being capable of obtaining a panoramic whole image, the cost will inevitably be prohibitive. Additionally, such a known apparatus is designed to be arranged on a tripod and connected to an external computer for use. Therefore, it adversely affects a commercially available digital camera in terms of portability if it is fitted to the camera. Thus, it is not realistic to provide an ordinary camera with such a large and bulky apparatus.

Image pickup apparatus and image pickup method


A method and system for editing the assignments for a task in a project management software environment. The editing can be preformed in a dropdown grid, which is a grid that includes a name column, including a checkbox, and a total hours column. The dropdown grid further includes cells in the name column and the total work column. The user can select a cell in the dropdown grid by using arrow keys on a keyboard or by clicking a mouse button. The user may assign an individual to an assignment or remove an individual from an assignment by checking or unchecking a checkbox in a name column cell. In addition, the user may edit the amount of total work for an assignment by selecting the total work cell corresponding to the assignment and entering a total work value.

Typically, part of a project manager's job is to track and to report the progress made in completing specific tasks. Project management software has been developed to assist users in this tracking and reporting. Project management software generally allows a user to enter and manipulate tasks, resources, and assignments. A task is a project that needs to be completed. Resources are typically the individuals who complete the tasks. Assignments are the links between tasks and resources. In other words, an assignment is the allocation of a particular resource, or individual, to a particular task. Several resources, or individuals, may be assigned to complete a task. Thus, there may be several assignments for a single task.
Typically, users of project management software need to be able to edit the assignments for a task, such as by adding and removing assignments or editing the amount of total work for an assignment. There are several existing solutions in project management software that allow the user to edit the assignments for a task. One of these solutions is the "split-screen" approach, such as shown in FIG. 1. For the "split-screen" approach, the screen 100 is split into a top half 105 of the screen and a bottom half 110 of the screen.
The top half 105 of the screen shows a particular task 115 that has been selected for editing. The bottom half 110 of the screen shows an editable list 120 of the assignments for the selected task. Each assignment in the editable list 120 of assignments includes a resource name 122 and a work value 124. A user can edit the assignments for the selected task 115 by making changes to the editable list 120 of assignments in the bottom half 110 of the screen.
The "split-screen" approach, shown in FIG. 1, suffers from several drawbacks. One of the drawbacks of the "split-screen" approach is that it is not easily discovered by the user. In other words, many users do not know that the option of splitting a screen is available. Moreover, some users realize that the option of splitting the screen is available, but cannot remember the steps involved in splitting the screen. Splitting the screen typically requires choosing a "split" command from a menu window or by grabbing and dragging a divider in the bottom right comer of the screen.
A second drawback of the "split-screen" approach is that it is awkward to use because the user must switch back and forth between two different screen regions, the top half 105 and the bottom half 110. For instance, to edit assignments for a task, the user selects the particular task 115 that is to be edited in the top half 105 of the screen and then must switch to the bottom half 110 of the screen to make changes to the editable list 120 of assignments.
A third drawback of the "split-screen" approach is the master-slave relationship between the two screen regions 105 and 110. In other words, selecting an item in one screen region controls the contents of the other screen region. For example, editing the editable list 120 of assignments makes changes to the selected task 115 in the top half 105 of the screen. This master-slave relationship can be difficult for users to understand.
Still another drawback of the "split-screen" approach is the problem of focus. The region of the screen with focus is the region of the screen in which keystrokes will be entered. Sometimes, users will type in information that they wish to enter into a first screen region; however, the information is entered into a second screen region because the second screen region has focus. For instance, the user may wish to enter information into the top half 105 of the screen, but it will be entered into the bottom half 110 if the bottom half has focus, or vice versa. It can be difficult for a user to remember which screen region has focus and frustrating when they realize that their keystrokes have been entered into the wrong screen region.
In addition to the "split-screen" approach, project management software provides other solutions that allow a user to edit the assignments for a task. Another solution is a details dialog 200, such as shown in FIG. 2, that lists all of the assignments for a task.
The details dialog 200 suffers from some of the same drawbacks as the "split-screen" approach. First, the details dialog suffers from a lack of discoverability. Typically, the details dialog 200 is entered by either double-clicking a mouse button on a task row, such as task row 115 (FIG. 1), or by choosing a menu item from a menu bar, such as menu bar 125 (FIG. 1). Most users do not discover that a task has a details dialog and, therefore, most users never find the details dialog to make edits. Second, even if users do discover the details dialog, it can be awkward to use because many steps are involved in making simple edits. For example, to add an assignment, the user double-clicks on the task row 115 (FIG. 1), clicks on the "resources" tab 205, scrolls to an empty row 215, clicks in the empty row 215, selects a name from the dropdown in the edit bar 220, and presses the OK button 225. Thus, using the details dialog to make edits is awkward because multiple steps must be performed, even for simple edits.
Still another solution that allows the user to edit assignments is a floating palette, such as floating palette 300 shown in FIG. 3. The floating palette 300 is displayed to the user over the task screen 305 of the project management software. The floating palette 300 lists all the individuals available for assignment in an editable list 320, along with controls for editing the assignments. Similar to the "split-screen" approach, the contents of the floating palette 300 are driven by the selected task 315 in a task list 318 of the task screen 305.
The floating palette 300 suffers from all of the drawbacks of the "split-screen" approach shown in FIG. 1. The floating palette 300 suffers from the problem of discoverability, i.e., the floating palette is not easily discovered by the user. The floating palette 300 is awkward to use because the user must switch back and forth between two different screen regions, the task screen 305 and the floating palette. For instance, to make changes to assignments, the user selects the particular task 315 that is to be edited in the task screen 305 and then switches to the floating palette 300 to make edits to the assignments for the selected task 315.
Another drawback of the floating palette 300 is the master-slave relationship between the floating palette 300 and the task screen 305. Editing the editable list 320 of assignments makes changes to the selected task 315 in the task screen 305. As described above, this master-slave relationship can be difficult for users to understand and can be distracting to the user.
Another drawback of the floating palette 300 is the problem of focus. For instance, the user may wish to enter information in the task screen 305, but it will be entered into the floating palette 300 if the floating palette has focus, or vice versa. It can be difficult for a user to remember which screen region has focus and frustrating when they realize that the keystrokes they have entered have been entered into the wrong screen region.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a project management program module that simplifies the process of editing assignments. There is a further need for a project management program module that provides a solution for editing assignments that is easily discoverable. There is still a further need for a project management program module that provides a solution for editing assignments that does not cause confusion over which screen region has focus. There is a further need for a project management program module that provides a solution for editing assignments that does not involve a master-slave relationship.

Method and system for editing multivalued properties of an object


Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an image processing method and apparatus, an electronic device, and a storage medium; the method includes: collecting a first frame image containing a target object; detecting key points of the target object in the first frame image to obtain first position information of the key points; generating and presenting a cartoon character in the same form as the target object based on the first position information of the key points; collecting a second frame image containing the target object, where the first frame image and the second frame image are consecutive frame images; detecting key points of the target object in the second frame image to obtain second position information of the key points; and updating a form of the presented cartoon character based on a difference between the first position information and the second position information.

With the development of communication technology and terminal devices, various terminal devices such as mobile phones, tablet computers, etc. have become an indispensable part of people's work and life, and with the increasing popularity of terminal devices, interactive applications based on terminals have become a main channel of communication and entertainment. In related technologies, the interactive mode of interactive applications is single, which cannot meet diverse needs of users.

Image processing method and apparatus, electronic device, and storage medium

Beijing Bytedance Network Technology Co., Ltd.


A cover assembly for a body-mounted soft structured baby carrier which provides protection from the elements (such as the sun or other elements) via a hood for the baby being carried which has an outer shell configured in the shape of an animal, fantastical creature, video game character, superhero or princess, and is capable of being removably attached or secured to an existing chest-mounted soft structured baby carrier using upper and lower straps which attach to the upper and lower securing straps on the existing body-mounted soft structured baby carrier.

Baby carriers are convenient for parents, especially for new parents who are trying to adjust to their new life and schedule with a baby. Babies love carriers because it allows them to snuggle up close to the wearer, while parents are still able to get chores done around the house and run errands wherever they need to go. Arms quickly grow sore from carrying around a baby, and carriers help give tired muscles a break.
There are various types of baby carriers including ring-slings, wraps, pouches, soft structured carriers, and structured carriers. There are baby carriers for the back and for the chest.
Baby carriers originated with a chest-mounted version that is both classic and extremely popular today. In these carriers, the baby can face either inward or outward toward an adoring public just waiting to say hello. This style is especially popular with new dads, as it is simple and convenient. They can usually hold babies up to 25 pounds, and are manufactured by a variety of brands such as Ergobaby®, Bjorn®, Infantino®, and Beco®.
Use of a chest-mounted soft structured baby carrier is an ideal way to carry an infant as wearing a baby frees the hands of the wearer for important tasks like checking email or sipping drinks, and eliminates the need for a bulky stroller. It has also been shown to be a boon for the development of the bonding between the baby and the wearer as it allows the baby to be spend time being close to the wearer.
However, none of the chest-mounted soft structured baby carriers on the market today include a removable cover that provides protection for the baby from the elements, such as the sun and other elements. Of the chest-mounted soft structured baby carriers presently on the market that have hoods, the hoods are primarily used to hold the baby's head up when they are sleeping, but are really light and do not provide adequate protection of the baby's fragile skin from the sun or other elements. The present invention, a body-mounted soft structured baby carrier cover, provides a stylish and fun way to provide protection from the elements to the baby being carried, while being able to attach to and removed from many of the body-mounted soft structured baby carriers presently on the market. Further, the present invention does not inhibit functionality of the baby carrier itself, including access to the hoodie or pocket.


An image forming apparatus for calculating a masking coefficient is provides, in which the masking coefficient is calculated by using RGB input image signals obtained by reading a document of which spectral characteristics are known by an image reading part and CMYK output image signals optimal for reproducing a color of the document. The masking coefficient can be also calculated by using difference values between CMYK output image signals obtained from actually read RGB signals and optimal CMYK output image signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer and a FAX and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a color conversion function for handling a color image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, for performing color correction in a digital image forming apparatus, there is a technology in which a pattern image formed on an image carrier is transferred to a transfer material and fixed, and the transferred image is read by a scanner, and, then, a tone correction table is selected/generated on the basis of the read image data, so that tone correction or density correction of a printer part is performed.
Japanese laid-open patent application No. 10-191061 discloses a technology in which the tone correction table is corrected in consideration of variation of spectral characteristics of the scanner so that density values of CMYK and gray balance are corrected.
In a scanner used in an image forming apparatus like a color copying machine, due to change with time in spectral characteristics of an RGB filter in a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) constituting the scanner or due to variations of each machine, even if the same color patch pattern is read, a value read by each scanner may vary from unit to unit.
FIG. 1 is a figure for explaining non-uniformity (variation) of spectral transmission characteristics of a B (Blue) filter in a CCD. In FIG. 1, a) indicates a spectral transmission factor of a blue (B) filter 1 in a CCD, b) indicates a spectral transmission factor of a blue (B) filter 2 in the CCD, c) indicates a spectral reflection factor of yellow (Y) patch, and d) indicates a spectral reflection factor of black (K) patch. The horizontal axis indicates a wavelength, while the vertical axis indicates a spectral transmission factor or a spectral reflection factor of the CCD.
In this figure, it is assumed that the spectral transmission factors a) and b) have been shifted by a rate indicated at h) respectively, but the same consideration is applicable also to a case where the assumption as described above is not made.
Namely, comparing the light transmitted through the blue filter 1 in a) to the light transmitted through the blue filter 2 in b) under the spectral reflection factor d) of black patch, a quantity of light having transmitted through the blue filter 1 is larger by a quantity of light having transmitted through a region e), but is smaller by a quantity of light having transmitted through regions f) and g).
As shown in FIG. 1, since the spectral characteristics of the blue filter 1 in a) and the blue filter 2 in b) have been shifted by a rate in h) respectively, in a case of the light having transmitted through the blue filter 1 in a), the quantity of light having transmitted through the region e) is equal to the quantity of light blocked by the regions f) and g), and for this reason a difference for a blue signal between a) and b) is small as far as the black patch is concerned.
To strictly examine the different above, it is necessary to take into considerations the spectral characteristics of the light source and dependency of sensitivity of a CCD on wavelength, but when calibrating shading of a scanner, by using an achromatic-colored reflection plate with low dependency of a spectral reflection factor for instance in gray on wavelength in a visible light area, the difference between the filter 1 and the filter 2 is calibrated.
However, in a case of yellow (Y) patch, the difference between filters in a) and b) appears as a difference of light having transmitted through or having been blocked by the region g), and the difference is clearly larger than that in a case of black patch. Also the difference can not be calibrated even by a shading calibration using an achromatic-colored reflection plate.
The variations in spectral transmission factors among filters in a CCD can be calibrated in a case of achromatic colors like white or gray by means of shading calibration so that the RGB data become uniform, but in a case of a document with a spectral characteristic dependent on wavelength, the calibration can not be executed appropriately, and sometimes values for R, G, and B may vary unit by unit.
Due to the effect of the variation of the spectral characteristics, in a case where some machines reads the same patch having spectral reflection characteristics similar to the spectral transmission characteristics of the CCD, even if the same RGB output is set when performing shading by using an achromatic color, the outputs are different machine by machine.
The difference becomes a cause of disabling faithful color reproduction in a color calibration process for obtaining record values of cyan, magenta, yellow and black optimal for reproducing the color from RGB values of a document read by the scanner.
It is effective for correcting gray balance of achromatic color to correct the tone correction table as is disclosed in the Japanese laid-open patent application No. 10-191061 in the conventional technology for calibrating variation of the spectral characteristics of the scanner. However, there is a problem in that this technology is not applicable for reproducing chromatic color faithfully.
That is, in the invention disclosed in the Japanese laid-open patent application No. 10-191061, patch data is read by the scanner, and characteristic values of a printer table which is the tone correction table are adjusted on the basis of experiment and the like such that the density of the output of the printer after performing ACC becomes constant even when the machine is changed, so that good tone can be obtained. Therefore, since any calibration of variation of the spectral characteristics of the CCD in the scanner is not performed in the image processing part in the Japanese laid-open patent application No. 10-191061, this variation is not corrected in the input stage of the printer part, but, corrected by the tone correction table in the printer. In addition, since the correction is tone correction, it is effective for gray balance of achromatic color. However, there is a problem in that it is not enough for performing faithful color reproduction for chromatic color.

Image forming apparatus and masking coefficient calculation method


A computer-based system (70) for identifying an unidentified caller (14) includes a database (42) that contains utterance data (162) corresponding to a known caller. A processing system (72) coupled to the database (42) receives utterance information corresponding to the unidentified caller (14) and compares the utterance information with the utterance data (162) to identify the unidentified caller (14) as the known caller. In response, the processing system (72) provides a call routing option (84). The call routing option (84) may include an accept option (86), a transfer option (90), or a disconnect option (89), and may be provided to a called party visually using a personal computer (50).

Many called parties wish to identify callers before speaking to the callers to allow the called parties to make an informed decision regarding whether to accept the calls or take other appropriate action. For example, a called party within a business or other organizational setting, home setting, or any other suitable setting might elect to accept a call, disconnect a call, or route a call to another suitable person or processing device according to the identity of the caller.
As telecommunications services continue to become more advanced to serve various needs, called parties may desire to identify callers using a variety of techniques. A known technique for identifying a caller includes receiving a telephone number associated with an incoming call and comparing the number with previously stored information to identify the caller associated with the incoming call. Such techniques are unsatisfactory if the caller is calling from a telephone, extension, or location having a telephone number different than the number that corresponds to the stored information. Other techniques may even compare a spoken word or phrase identifying the caller with a stored voice print to verify an identification made through a personal interaction with the caller or through digit or voice recognition of a personal identification number (PIN), account number, or other identifier.
Although these techniques may be acceptable to verify the identity of a caller that has already been identified, these techniques do not identify an unidentified caller out of a universe of known callers. Furthermore, techniques that require a personal interaction with the caller to generate information for comparison with stored information are often relatively inefficient and costly. Requiring the caller to provide a PIN, account number, or other number is similarly cumbersome from the perspective of the caller. Moreover, such techniques do not provide the called party with real-time control over the call prior to accepting the call or provide the called party with information to allow the called party to make an informed decision regarding whether to accept the call, transfer the call, disconnect the call, or route the call in some other manner. These and other problems make previous techniques for identifying callers inadequate for many applications.

Computer-based system and method for identifying an unidentified caller


Provided is ad-hoc creation of groups based on contextual information comprising. Two mechanisms are used to restrict valid members of a group. First, to make sure that devices are somehow related, devices provide contextual information that is compared to the contextual information provided by other devices willing to join the group. Only devices providing “similar” contextual information are accepted as possible candidates in the group. Second, to scope the group, a time window is used to limit the duration of the group creation. In other words, access to the group is reserved to the devices that can provide similar context information to existing member of the group in a defined time window. Security properties are ensured by enabling a visual check of the list of group participants. For instance, a member can verify that the displayed pictures indeed represent the attendees of an ongoing meeting.

Due to the fast penetration of wireless technologies, collaborative applications enabling the ad-hoc and dynamic sharing of files or services between devices (for instance, between attendees of a meeting) are becoming more and more attractive for end users. Such collaborative applications are usually based on the dynamic creation of a group of devices. The dynamic formation of a group has to rely on some form of authentication mechanisms in order to control and limit the set of devices able to join the group. Today, the bootstrapping of a collaborative group generally requires some existing trust relationships between devices and involves complex user interactions in order to exchange credentials (e.g., username and password, X.509 certificates, etc.) through out-of-band channels (voice, memory stick, e-mail, etc.). X.509 is a specification for digital certificates published by the International Telecommunications Union—Telecommunication (ITU-T). These solutions are usually cumbersome and too complicated for non technical users.
Generally, dynamic creation of groups with guarantees in terms of confidentiality of exchanged data is important for a large number of collaborative applications ranging from exchange of business information during a meeting (Groove®, sharepoint®) to exchange of pictures with friends (shared folders, MSN Spaces®, etc.). A universal, user-friendly, and secure way to create groups is required. Most existing protocols for the creation of groups assume some pre-existing form of trust relationships between the possible members of the group (either though some form of registration or through some form of credential distribution such as a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)). However these algorithms do not handle the case of ad-hoc group collaboration where members of a group do not have any existing trust relationships. Requiring these users to go through a phase of registration before being able to cooperate is both too complicated and too long in particular if the life time of the group is limited to the duration of a meeting. There is a substantial added value in the quick and secure creation of collaboration groups without requiring complicated user involvement.
In this regard, there is a need for processes and systems that address the shortcomings of the prior art.

Ad-hoc creation of group based on contextual information


A method for meeting both base-load and peak-load demand in a power production facility. By integrating a Fischer-Tropsch (FT) hydrocarbon production facility with an electrical power generating facility, peak-load power demand can be met by reducing the temperature of the FT reactor thereby increasing the quantity of tail gases and using FT tail gases to fuel a gas turbine generator set. The method enables rapid power response and allows the synthesis gas generating units and the FT units to operate with constant flow rates.

One issue confronting electrical power generating utilities is the rapid variability in demand during the day. Also, with the increasing use of alternate power sources by utilities such as wind and solar energy, there can be rapid variability in power generation. Power variances can prove problematic. For example, inability to meet peak demands and alternate source reductions can lead to "brown-outs" and/or "black-outs". Another disadvantage faced by utilities involves paying a premium for electrical power purchased during peak load hours.
Peaking power plants must have a rapid response capability to match a rapidly changing demand and/or interruptions in supply. Although gas turbines have the ability to provide the rapid response required by peaking plants in about 1 to about 3 hours, they generally require a clean fuel. A clean gaseous fuel can be provided by the tail gases from a Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process.
In contrast to the method described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,437 (Benham et al) whereby the FT reactor synthesis gas flow rate, and hence production rate, was varied to accommodate a varying power demand, the instant method permits the FT reactor to operate at a constant synthesis gas flow rate.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,349 (Egan) teaches an integrated process for generating electrical power using gasification of solid carbonaceous material and FT technology. Gases from the gasifier and tail gases from the FT system are used in a power plant to produce base-load power. Liquid hydrocarbons from the FT system are stored and used as fuel in a gas turbine-generator set to provide supplemental power for peak-load demand.
Benham U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,437 contemplates the use of FT processes in combination with electric power generating facilities. When a fuel source for a steam power plant is obtained from coal or natural gas, the '437 patent suggests a variation in power production by changing the firing rate of the boilers. When the fuel source is from gas produced by a coal gasification facility, the '437 patent suggests adding an alternative use for the excess coal gas during off-peak hours. The alternate use can then be "turned down" when most of the gas is required for peak power production. An alternate use is a slurry-phase FT reactor for producing liquid hydrocarbons from the coal gas. Thus, the coal gasification facility supplies sufficient gas to meet peak electric load requirements while a minimum flow of gas is supplied to one or more FT reactors to produce liquid hydrocarbons during off-peak hours. In the change from peak-load operation to off-peak operation, coal gas is diverted from the boiler to the FT reactors and the pressure in the FT reactors is reduced to reduce the density of the coal gas and thereby increase the superficial velocity of the gas in the slurry FT reactor. During peak power production, the liquid hydrocarbon production rate of the slurry FT reactors drops.

Method for providing auxiliary power to an electric power plant using fischer-tropsch technology


A read/write circuit for use in a dynamic RAM includes transistors connected in series between a pair of bit lines. A gate of the second transistor is connected to one bit line, a gate of the third transistor is connected to another bit line. A write control signal is provided to the gate of each of the first and fourth transistors. During a writing cycle, the gate control signal opens the gate circuit, and then the write control signal enables the first and fourth transistors to enable access from the data buses to the pair of bit lines, and during a reading cycle, the write control signal disables the first and fourth transistors to produce an amplified bit line data between the second and third transistors, and then the gate control signal opens the gate circuit to supply the amplified bit line data to the data buses.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a read/write circuit for dynamic RAM devices, and particularly to a technology that is effective with direct bit bus sensing dynamic RAM devices to which the potential of a bit bus pair is input to a MOSFET gate pole to transfer data over a common data bus according to the MOSFET ON resistance resulting from the input potential.
2. Prior Art
The prior art is described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.
A sense amplifier circuit is added to read data from non-addressable multiplex DRAM (c.f., Ref. 1: K. Yanagisawa, et al., 1989 ESSCIRC, pp. 184-187) and low-voltage 64 Mbit DRAM (c.f., Ref. 2: Y. Nakagome, et al., 1990 Symposium on VLSI Circuits, pp. 17-18) devices. The cross-cut flip-flop sense amplifier circuit (T9, T10, T11, and T12 in FIG. 1) is a common conventional DRAM sense amplifier circuit. In another type of sense amplifier circuit that may be used, the bit bus potential is applied to the MOSFET T1, T2 gate pole, and the ground bus (Vss) and common data buses CD and CD are connected by the ON resistance of the MOSFETs T1 and T2 and the MOSFETs T3 and T4 controlled by the column selection bus Yn selected by the column decoding circuit 5, thus enabling the data to be read and keeping the bit buses BL and BL and the common data buses CD and CD electrically separated.
These technologies were introduced because the floating capacity of the common data buses CD, CD increases as the degree of integration of the DRAM device increases, and the current drive power of the sense amplifier transistors T9, T10, T11, T12 decreases as the voltage decreases. As a result, if the bit bus and the common data bus are switch connected before the bit bus is sufficiently amplified, the data on the bit bus will be lost. This insufficient amplification of the bit bus is therefore an impediment to increasing the processing speed of the DRAM device. Bit bus direct sensing technologies were therefore introduced to electrically separate and read the bit bus and common data bus.
When the bit bus and common data bus are electrically separated as described above, however, the common data buses CD, CD cannot be used as both input and output buses, and an input data bus pair CID, CID must be provided in addition to the common data buses CD, CD. Furthermore, two MOSFETs T1 and T2 for bit bus potential sensing, and four MOSFETs T5-T8 separating the input data bus pair CID, CID and the bit bus pair BL, BL must be provided in addition to the conventional bit bus refreshing CMOS sense amplifier circuit composed of four MOSFETs T9-T12. These additional devices necessarily increase the chip size.
The bit bus pair BL, BL is not shown in FIG. 1 because it is not directly related to the present invention, but a bit bus equalizer and precharge circuit as described in Ref. 1 and Ref. 2 is, of course, connected to provide a half precharge.
The circuits shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 that are functionally identical to equivalent circuits in the preferred embodiment described below are next described.
The sense amplifier drive circuits SAD 12 are controlled by the sense amplifier activation signal, and control the sense amplifier driver. The SAD 12 also include a circuit to precharge the common source buses NS and PS of the sense amplifier circuit. The main amplifier circuits MA 13 detect and amplify the signals on the common data buses CD, CD during the read cycle of DRAM operation, and are controlled via the control bus RMA. The main amplifier circuits MA are not activated during the write cycle. The outputs of the write circuit WCKT 9 are connected to the input data bus pair CID, CID provided separately to the common data buses. The write timing signal WG 10.sup.- is generated according to the external write enable signal /WE and the column control bus. Switch control buses TGn 7 are also provided for separating the sense amplifier circuits.
When the bit bus pair BL, BL and common data bus are thus electrically separated, however, the common data buses cannot be used as both input and output buses, and a common input data bus pair CID, CID must be provided in addition to the common data buses CD, CD. Furthermore, two MOSFETs T1 and T2 for bit bus potential sensing, and four MOSFETs T5-T8 separating the input data bus pair CID, CID and the bit bus pair BL, BL must be provided in addition to the conventional bit bus refreshing CMOS sense amplifier circuit composed of four MOSFETs T9-T12. These additional devices necessarily increase the chip size.

Read/write circuit including sense amplifiers for use in a dynamic RAM

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A process comprising: attaching a first end of a chain to the tendon; securing a second end of the chain to the platform. A mechanism comprising: a chain which is attached to the tendon; and a stopper for attaching the chain to the platform. A tension-leg platform (TLP) comprising: a platform for production operations which floats on the surface of the sea; an anchor which attaches to the sea floor; a flexible tendon which connects to the anchor on the sea floor; and a mechanism for attaching the flexible tendon to the platform.

Recently, new mineral reservoirs have been discovered at great ocean depths which are not sufficiently productive to merit use of large scale deep sea tension-leg platform structures. Therefore, smaller, less expensive production platforms have been developed which can be transported from one mineral reservoir to another. These platforms use tension-leg mooring, like conventional tension-leg platforms (TLPs), but comprise smaller floatation structures. An example is disclosed in Monopod TLP Improves Deepwater Economics, PETROLEUM ENGINEER INTERNATIONAL (January 1993), incorporated herein by reference. Single-piece tendons are used which comprise a length of solid metal with buoyancy devices attached at each end. The tendons are towed to the production site and upended by flooding the lower permanent buoyancy tank. The upper permanent buoyancy tank is oversized so the tendons can be left self-standing. Permanently attached buoyancy tanks make premature detachment impossible. The structure of the TLP is then ballasted by a large derrick and lowered to the previously installed tendons and then deballasted to fully tension the tendons.
Single-piece tendon systems, however, are costly to install and remove. All of the tendons for a given TLP must be installed before the TLP can be attached to the tendons. The TLP must then be ballasted so that it sinks down to the depth of the tendons so that it may be attached to all of the tendons at the same time. Because the TLP is free floating and unstable, it becomes difficult to make the connections between the TLP and the tendons. This means that a very large derrick barge must be brought to the operation site each time the TLP is assembled or disassembled.
Therefore, there is a need for a device and process which more easily attaches a TLP to the tendons.

Method and apparatus for employing stopper chain locking mechanism for tension-leg platform tendons


A user interface apparatus for an electronic device. The apparatus comprises: one or more mechanical keys; one or more touch sensitive surfaces, the mechanical keys being adjacent to the touch sensitive surfaces; and a processor for receiving one or more user input operations performed on the mechanical keys and the touch sensitive surfaces, the input operation comprising a combined operation combining touching the touch sensitive surface with pressing at least one mechanical key, in a single stroke.

Electronic devices are commonplace in our life today. They are located in our homes and offices, like PCs, and carried with us, like cellular phones. The need for a simple, intuitive and with rich functionality input methods for user interface is increasing with time. Input method in the computer environment had evolved from using simple mechanical push button keys like in a standard keyboard, to using a pointing device like mouse, track balls and many kinds of touch sensitive pads. In the PDA device environment, a touch screen with a stylus input method is very popular, while in the cellular phone environment, simple numeric keypad with a small number of additional keys and a tiny joystick is commonplace today. Touch sensitive surface, due to technology enhancement, decreased prices and its flexibility, become increasingly popular mean of user input apparatus in electronic devices. However, touch sensitive surfaces are still inferior to mechanical keys in operational feedback provided to the user. Although many devices have both mechanical keys and touch sensitive surfaces, currently those devices do not implement input methods that combine those apparatus to form a natural input method that take the advantages from both. The following invention offers several way of combining mechanical keys and touch sensitive surface together to form a family of new input methods that combine the best features of each type.


A microscope system including a stage on which a specimen is mounted and that can be moved in a direction that intersects with an optical axis of illumination light irradiated on the specimen; an observation optical system that acquires an image of the specimen on which the illumination light is irradiated; a viewing-range setting unit that sets a viewing range of the image acquired by the observation optical system and displayed on a display unit; a ratio calculating unit that calculates a ratio of the viewing range of the image, which is set by the viewing-range setting unit, relative to a maximum image-acquisition area that can be captured by the observation optical system; and a stage controller that controls a moving speed of the stage in accordance with the ratio calculated by the ratio calculating unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microscope system.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-168309, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
In the related art, there is a known controller that controls the drive speed of an electrically powered microscope stage in accordance with switching of the magnification of objective lenses (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. Hei 8-86965). With the controller for an electrically powered microscope stage disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. Hei 8-86965, the drive speed of the electrically powered stage is reduced when the objective lens is switched to one having a higher magnification, and the drive speed of the electrically powered stage is increased when the objective lens is switched to one having a lower magnification; by doing so, even though the electrically powered stage is driven when the objective lens is switched, the moving speed of an observation object on the electrically powered stage is kept constant, which prevents disruption of specimen observation.
In recent years, however, the major method of observation has shifted from one in which an eyepiece is used to one in which a digital camera is used. In the microscope observation employing a digital camera, the display magnification of an image is changed via software by image processing such as digital zooming, etc., and the viewing range of an image displayed on a display, etc. is changed by switching a digital camera connected to the microscope to another digital camera with a different viewing range. In addition, image processing such as partial capturing during live preview, etc. is also performed.
With such a microscope employing digital cameras, if a stage is driven when image processing, such as digital zooming, partial capturing, etc., is performed or when the digital cameras are switched, the moving speed of an observation image relative to the viewing range of an image displayed on a display is suddenly changed, and there is a problem in that observation of the specimen is disrupted.


An ink jet carriage assembly for an off-axis ink delivery ink jet printer including a movable print carriage; a plurality of ink jet printhead cartridges removably supported by the movable print carriage having cartridge septums for accepting respective ink delivery needles; a humidor structure located adjacent the cartridge septums for collecting ink from ink delivery needles when air is purged from ink delivery tubes connected to the ink delivery needles, and for containing or enclosing the ink delivery needles to prevent ink evaporation from the ink delivery tubes. A dummy cartridge collects ink from an ink delivery connector when air is purged from an ink delivery tube connected to the ink delivery connector.

The disclosed invention is generally directed to ink supply systems for ink jet printers and plotters, and more particularly to techniques for purging air from ink supply tubes of an ink jet printer off-axis ink delivery system.
Ink jet printers and plotters are well known, and typically include one or more printhead cartridges, each having an ink emitting ink jet printhead and an ink reservoir. The printhead cartridges are supported by a movable print carriage that is reciprocatingly scanned across print media which is advanced between scans of the print carriage.
Since the capacity of a printhead cartridge ink reservoir must necessarily be limited to avoid an excessively large moving mass, and since the useful life of an ink jet printhead is typically greater than the capacity of the printhead cartridge ink reservoir, off-axis or off-line ink delivery systems have been designed wherein an off-axis ink supply is located remotely from the carriage and the printhead cartridge, and is coupled to the printhead cartridge reservoir by a flexible ink conveying tube.
A consideration with an off-line ink delivery system is whether the flexible ink conveying tube should be filled with ink or air when the off-line ink delivery system is shipped from the place of manufacture, for example as a replacement product or as part of an ink jet printer or plotter. A drawback of filling the ink delivery tube with ink is vapor transmission of ink components through the wall of the tube, which places a time limit on how long the ink delivery system can be stored. Filling the tube with air, on the other hand, allows for longer storage, but raises the problem of purging air from the tubes upon start up. If ink is pumped into the tube while the tube is connected to the printhead cartridge ink reservoir, air will be pumped into the printhead cartridge ink reservoir, which would make the printhead cartridge less reliable and require making the printhead cartridge larger. If ink is pumped into the tube while the tube is not connected to the printhead cartridge ink reservoir, there is a significant risk of ink spillage.

Methods and designs to purge air from ink tubes during initial startup


A media storage container has a body portion, a lid, and an injection valve which enables the injection of a protective atmosphere into the interior of the container from outside the container. A vent enables the escape of atmosphere from within the container when the protective atmosphere is injected into the container at a pressure higher than the ambient atmosphere outside the container. Co-acting first formations on the body portion and lid constitute a cam closure mechanism in which, in a first position, the lid is a loose, unsealed fit on the body portion enabling venting of the container while continuing to inject protective atmosphere to allow the inside of the container to be purged, and in a second position the camming action of the closure mechanism seals the lid to the body portion to enable the cavity to be pressurized.

In recent years, there has been a major expansion in the technology of information storage on recordable media. Principal such media are magnetic tapes and optically readable discs and film. Although magnetic tape recording and more recently optical data storage techniques have been around for some time, it is only in relatively recent years that concern has arisen with respect to the long-term stability of such media during storage which can adversely affect the integrity and readability of the data. This arises in some cases from long-term slow degradation of the polymeric material constituting the tape backing or the matrix in which optically readable bits have been impressed or otherwise provided. In some cases, other components of the recording medium may constitute a source of degradation themselves, but it is widely reckoned that in all cases, a major problem source is interaction with the environment, both with oxygen in the atmosphere and with other components which, although they may be present in very small concentrations, have an effect over long time scales. One example of this is moisture or water vapour.
The classical approach to preserving recorded media, for example adopted widely in the film industry, is to store reels on which the media is wound in tins or similar canisters. These are not airtight, and the atmosphere within the tin corresponds to the ambient atmosphere when it is closed, and thus contains oxygen moisture, pollutants, air borne particulates and proportions of sundry other ambient components. Relative airtightness can be provided by, e.g. placing an adhesive tape around the line between the edge of the lid and the base, but this does not prevent deterioration.
It is known to preserve the properties of internally pressurised balls by storing them in a container which is itself pressurised. The time for which the balls need to be kept under pressure is relatively small, weeks or months, and the containers are not designed for re-use or long-term archival storage. Examples of pressurised tennis ball containers are known from WO93/20901, DE-A-3805008, DE-A-4001610 and DE-A-4106374.
It is also known to preserve ultra-sensitive materials, particularly semiconductor wafers, from deterioration arising from external influences by locating them in a sealed container and placing them under partial vacuum surrounded by an inert atmosphere, see GB-A-2262513. Such containers are not designed for long-term archival storage, but rather merely to enable wafers to be transported without contamination from one processing step to another.
According to a first feature of the present invention, there is provided a method of long-term storage of recorded or recordable media which comprises placing the media in a sealable container, purging the interior of the container of atmosphere by introducing into the interior of the container a preservative atmosphere at a pressure greater than ambient atmospheric pressure while venting the interior of the container to atmosphere, sealing the container, introducing further preservative atmosphere until the container is pressurised to the desired degree, and leaving the media within the container under pressure of the preservative atmosphere for the desired storage period.
While clearly it is possible to use and adapt a variety of known types of storage container for such purposes, it is preferred and substantially more efficient to use for such storage a container which is especially adapted for the purpose. Accordingly, in a second aspect, the present invention provides a media storage container comprising at least two relatively movable parts, the parts being movable from a position in which a medium to be preserved may be put into or extracted from the container and a position in which the parts form a closed sealed container about the medium, an injection valve enabling the injection of a protective atmosphere into the interior of the container under pressure, venting means enabling the escape of atmosphere from within the container when the protective atmosphere is injected into the container at a pressure higher than the ambient atmosphere outside the container, and means for sealing the container while continuing to inject protective atmosphere to allow the inside of the container to be pressurised.
The venting means may be an exhaust valve located on a part of the container or, for example, may be constituted by so configuring the parts of the container that they may be loosely held together without sealing enabling atmosphere to be exhausted from the container, moving past the seal, whereafter the container parts may be finally moved into a sealing position.
The exhaust valve, if present, may be one which opens automatically in response to a given excess of pressure between the interior and exterior of the container when it is closed, which will act automatically to prevent over-pressurisation of the interior, or it may be operable between open and closed positions. Alternatively, over-pressurisation may be avoided by feeding the protective atmosphere into the closed container via a pressure reduction valve of known type, e.g. from such pressure gas cylinder via a valve which, once the back pressure reaches a predetermined level, emits to atmosphere.
Preferably, the container includes means for indicating the pressure inside the container relative to the pressure on the exterior. Such means may be used to check, e.g. that a slightly pressurised container has not become de-pressurised relative to ambient atmosphere. Most preferably, the container has incorporated within it a visually observable indicator giving a clear indication distinguishing between three conditions: the pressure inside the container is substantially equal to the atmospheric pressure outside it; the pressure within the container is within a desired range of pressure above ambient pressure; or the pressure within the container is too high. The advantage of a three-state indicator of this type is that the user of the container can see easily if the container is over-pressurised or has leaked. Over-pressurisation is undesirable since it places excess demands on the seal which can lead to failure of the seal and the return of the pressure within the interior of the container to atmospheric and, because the seal has failed, exchange between the ambient atmosphere and the atmosphere within the container.
The container may be made from any convenient material and may be sealed by any convenient known sealing method or construction. The sealing method is preferably one which provides a seal which is easily broken and easily resealable, so that archived material may be retrieved as necessary, inspected or copied, and then returned to the container which is then purged, resealed and re-pressurised. Most preferably the container is in the form of a two-piece casing having mating surfaces provided with a low pressure resistant seal, e.g. formations on one or both surfaces to provide an integral seal or provision of a separate strip, o-ring or the like of soft elastomeric material. Such containers may be easily produced in very large numbers and to high dimensional tolerances. Both pieces of the casing may be made by moulding from plastics materials or, for example, the casing may consist of a plastics moulding defining the media storage cavity and a metal lid adapted to fit thereon.
Such casings differ from conventional audio or video tape reel or cassette cases in having a seal when closed and having an injection valve (and, if fitted, the pressure indicator). It is possible using the principles of the present invention to provide an archival container which is re-usable, resealable and easy to put media into or remove media from.
In the case of two-part plastics containers according to the present invention, these may consist of two separable portions or may consist, for example, of two portions hinged together via an integral or live hinge formed of the plastics material of the container itself. The interior of the container may be appropriately configured to receive one or more media units such as tape reels, tape cassettes, optically readable discs, films or the like. The media units may be placed directly in the interior of the container or, if desired, an interior tray may be provided for the reception of the media to be stored. Such a tray should not, of course, inhibit the purging of the atmosphere from the container during purging and venting. The configuration of the tray can vary (for use with the same external container) to enable different media to be securely stored therein. This is of particular value in reducing the numbers of shapes and sizes which the outer container needs to be made in relative to the very wide variety of shapes and sizes of media to be stored. For example, the same container may be provided with an interior tray for the reception of a single large size tape cassette or an alternative form of tray for the reception of two or more smaller size tape cassettes.
The exterior of the container may be provided with conventional features, for example an integrally moulded handle or other gripping means enabling easier handling of the container, an area for receipt of an adhesive label, on which an inscription denoting the content of the container may be made, barcoding or a pair of loops for fixing a security tag to render unauthorised opening of the container detectable.
In one preferred construction, the container may be configured to be held in closed condition by a movable catch which, when the container is closed and the catch engaged, covers access to an exhaust valve. This prevents, in the case of a manually operated exhaust valve, inadvertent operation with consequent loss of pressure. Other catches may be provided to enhance holding the container closed. They may be dimensioned so that as they are engaged, they aid the seal between the two parts.
In an alternative preferred construction, the container may consist of two separable portions, the one defining a cavity for the receipt of the medium to be preserved and the other constituting a lid which may itself be hollow to surround, when the container is closed, part of the medium, and which may be engaged with the cavity defining portion in two distinct positions, in one of which it is a loose, i.e. unsealed, fit on the cavity defining portion and in the other of which it is sealed tightly thereto. This may be achieved conveniently by providing that the lid and cavity defining portion have co-acting formations on them constituting a cam closure mechanism. Most preferably, the lid or a part thereof may be slid between a position in which the lid is sealed to the remainder of the container and an intermediate loose fitting position, in both of which positions the camming means are inter-engaged one with another, and an end position in which the camming means are disengaged from one another and the lid member may be removed from the cavity defining member.
The preservative atmosphere injected into the container to purge it and, following its closure and sealing to form the preservative atmosphere may be chosen from a wide variety of possibilities. However, for reasons of safety, simplicity and economy, the preferred atmosphere is of nitrogen. The inlet valve may have an appropriate fitting to enable nitrogen to be injected using suitable apparatus, for example a pressurised canister or conventional gas cylinder, conveniently via a pressure-reduction valve of known type to avoid over-pressurising the container.


The present invention relates to a water-based ink for ink-jet printing which not only satisfies a high optical density but also exhibits excellent high lighter-fastness and gloss; and a water dispersion used for the water-based ink. There are provided a water dispersion for ink-jet printing containing (A) a self-dispersible pigment, (B) self-emulsifiable polymer particles containing a constitutional unit derived from a salt-forming group-containing monomer, and (C) emulsion polymer particles; and a water-based ink containing the water dispersion.

In ink-jet printing methods, droplets of ink are directly projected onto a recording medium from very fine nozzles and allowed to adhere to the recording medium, to form characters and images. The ink-jet printing methods have been rapidly spread because of their various advantages such as easiness of full coloration, low costs, capability of using ordinary paper as the recording medium, non-contact with printed images and characters, etc.
Among such printing methods, in view of enhancing the weather resistance and water resistance of printed images and characters, an ink-jet printing method utilizing an ink containing a pigment as the colorant has now come to dominate. Further, there have been some proposals for improving the water-based inks for ink-jet printing.
For example, there have been disclosed a recording solution to which an emulsion obtained by conducting polymerization in the presence of a reactive surfactant is added to prevent clogging of nozzles with pigments (refer to JP 2002-294105A), and an ink composition that contains polymer particles containing a polyalkoxyalkylene derivative, etc., and a self-dispersible pigment to improve a high lighter-fastness and a rubbing resistance thereof (refer to JP 2001-329199A).
In addition, there have also been disclosed a recording solution containing a pigment and two or more kinds of fine resin particles having the same polarity when dispersed (refer to JP 2001-81366M, and a recording solution containing a self-dispersible pigment containing a hydrophilic group and two or more kinds of fine resin particles containing a hydrophilic group which is the same in kind as that contained in the pigment (refer to JP 2004-189879A).


An improved power tool is provided which can alert a user of any halfway selection of a driving mode of a tool bit. A representative power tool is provided which is capable of switching among driving modes different in driving state of a tool bit. The power tool has a mode switching member that switches among the driving modes, a detecting part that detects a drive prohibited state in which any of the driving modes of the tool bit is not selected, and indicating parts that indicate a result detected by the detecting part.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a power tool switchable among driving modes different in driving state of a tool bit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese non-examined laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-957 discloses a hammer drill which is capable of switching a driving mode of a tool bit in the form of a hammer bit between a hammer drill mode in which the hammer bit is caused to perform linear movement in its axial direction and rotation around its axis and a hammer mode in which the hammer bit is caused to perform linear movement in its axial direction. The known hammer drill has an operating mechanism that converts the rotating output of the motor into linear motion and then causes the hammer bit to linearly move via a striker, and a power transmitting mechanism that transmits the rotating output of the motor at reduced speed and causes the hammer bit to rotate. The power transmitting mechanism is provided with a mechanical claw clutch for switching the driving mode of the hammer bit. In order to switch the driving mode of the hammer bit between hammer drill mode and hammer mode, a mode switching member is operated to switch the claw clutch between a power transmission state and a power transmission interrupted state.
In the known claw clutch, when the driving mode of the hammer bit is switched from hammer mode to hammer drill mode by operating the mode switching member, driving-side clutch teeth and driven-side clutch teeth are engaged with each other, so that the clutch is shifted to the power transmission state.
Therefore, when the mode switching member is not switched to a normal hammer drill mode position and selection of the driving mode of the hammer bit is in a halfway state, the clutch teeth are also in halfway engagement. Driving of the hammer drill in such a halfway clutch engagement may cause acceleration of wear and decrease of durability.


An intravenous (IV) fluid bag hanger is described for use in an ambulance or other emergency vehicle. A handle is configured to pivot or rotate between storage and deployed positions. The fluid bag hanger includes a double-sided carabiner. The double-sided carabiner includes a first holding region and a second holding region to hold one or more intravenous fluid bags. The double-sided carabiner forms a hub between the first holding region and the second holding region. An axle of the handle rotates in the hub.

Prior intravenous fluid bag hangers for ambulances have mounting structures with a depth that requires excessive roof material thickness and consume valuable headspace or protrude too much from the ceiling of the ambulance. Such structures may prove to be an obstacle or annoyance to ambulance workers.
Additionally, prior intravenous bag hangers for ambulances may be difficult to operate or require a two-handed motion by a user in order to hang the intravenous bags.


A processing method uses a processing system which includes an atmosphere replacing chamber having first and second gate valves, and a container that has an inside maintained in a reduced pressure or vacuum atmosphere and provides a predetermined process to an object, wherein the atmosphere replacing chamber is connected to the container through the first gate valve and a space different from the container through the second gate valve. The processing method includes the steps of exhausting the atmosphere replacing chamber while introducing first gas below predetermined humidity to the atmosphere replacing chamber, and vacuum-pumping the atmosphere replacing chamber after said exhausting step, by reducing an amount of the first gas to be introduced into the atmosphere replacing chamber.

The present invention relates generally to a processing method for use with a semiconductor exposure apparatus and the like, and more particularly to environmental control over a load lock chamber that replaces an atmosphere between the air and a reduced pressure or vacuum atmosphere.
The developed exposure technology using synchrotron radiations has recently been sought for finer processing in the semiconductor fabrication, but the synchrotron radiation has a problem of X-ray attenuations in the air. Accordingly, a conventional processing system as one solution for this problem houses principal part of an exposure apparatus in a helium purged process chamber that reduces X-ray attenuations.
This processing system typically includes a load lock chamber that delivers a wafer between a port as a supply part and the process chamber, and exchanges its atmosphere between the air and the reduced pressure or vacuum atmosphere. The load lock chamber includes gate valves between the load lock chamber the port and between the load lock chamber and the process chamber. The gate value between the load lock chamber and the process chamber closes when the wafer is delivered between the port and the load lock chamber, and the load lock chamber is maintained at an the ambient pressure. The gate valve between the load lock chamber and the port closes when the wafer is delivered between the process chamber and the load lock chamber, and the load lock chamber is maintained at the reduced pressure or vacuum atmosphere.
Every wafer is subject to an atmosphere conversion from the air to helium in the load lock chamber, and then delivered to and exposed in the process chamber. It is returned to the load lock chamber after exposure, subject to an atmosphere conversion from helium to the air in the load lock chamber before taken out.
Before the atmosphere of the load lock chamber is replaced with helium, the load lock chamber should be vacuum-pumped once and then filled with helium at the same pressure as the process chamber to maintain the helium purity in the process chamber when the wafer is delivered to the process chamber. In returning the load lock chamber to the ambient pressure to take out the exposed water, the load lock chamber is vacuum-pumped and then filled with nitrogen or purifying air at the ambient pressure when helium is recovered, purified and recycled.
Thus, while the load lock chamber is being vacuum-pumped, an abrupt pressure drop results in adiabatic cooling, lowers the saturated moisture pressure, and forms dew when the load lock chamber is wet. For example, when the temperature of gas with the humidity of 50% drops down to about 12° C., the humidity becomes 100% and forms dew. There have been proposed some anti-condensation means for decontaminating a wafer, such as a method for slowing down the vacuum pumping speed, a method for introducing hot gas before vacuum pumping in order to compensate temperature that has dropped due to the adiabatic cooling (e.g. Japanese Patent publication No. 2000-40669), and a method for heating the inside of the load lock chamber.
However, a slow vacuum-pumping speed of the load lock chamber would disadvantageously lower the throughput in the exposure apparatus. An introduction of the hot gas and heating of the load lock chamber before vacuum pumping would transmit the undesirable heat to the temperature-controlled process chamber and harm its temperature stability, lowering the yield of the exposure apparatus.


The presently disclosed subject matter provides a solid, immediate release, pharmaceutical multi-particulate dosage form containing at least one population of Opioid Particulates comprising one or more opioids; at least one population of Naloxone Particulates; and a population of Triggering Particulates. Each population of particulates is designed for a specific function to accomplish the desired combination of abuse deterrence and overdose protection.

Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. and is a global public health issue (Wermeling et al. (2013) Drug Delivery Transl. Res. 3:63-74). Fatalities from opioid overdose have been increasing steadily over recent years. The majority of drug overdose deaths are unintentional or accidental (74.3%). Among opioid dosage forms, immediate release oxycodone is one of the drugs most prone to overdose.
Drug abuse often involves some physical or mechanical manipulation of a dosage form so that a large amount of immediately available drug can be taken orally, nasally, or by intravenous injection. Further, there are reports of people deliberately or mistakenly swallowing a number of intact dosage units despite instructions not to do so, and suffering serious adverse effects. Hence, there is a need for abuse deterrent opioid dosage forms that can also prevent, inhibit, or delay the adverse effects of an overdose caused by ingesting multiple units of the dosage form, either intentionally or unintentionally.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) describes the science of abuse deterrence as relatively new and rapidly evolving. The need remains for improved formulations that make it difficult, if not impossible, for individuals to abuse or misuse opioids, not only by crushing, grinding, cutting, chewing, snorting and/or extraction of drug, but also by ingesting multiple doses. In particular, new/improved immediate release pharmaceutical formulations and dosage forms are needed to prevent, inhibit, reduce, or delay the effects of overdose by ingesting multiple units of the dosage form, either intentionally or unintentionally. Such formulations should combine overdose protection and abuse deterrence in a single dosage form and thereby address multiple health-related concerns, especially regarding habit-forming opioid compounds, for which there is a high propensity for abuse and overdose. These dosage forms must also allow the opioid pharmaceutical ingredient to be soluble and absorbable in the gastrointestinal tract and have the desired pharmacological activity when ingested as directed. In the case of opioids, the pharmacological activity would be, for example, an analgesic effect.
There have previously been attempts in the art to control the abuse potential associated with opioid analgesics in an oral opioid dosage form, such as those that require the inclusion of an opioid antagonist that is not orally active but substantially blocks the euphoric (and analgesic) effect of the opioid if one attempts to dissolve the opioid and administer it parenterally. Prescription opioids (e.g., oxycodone, hydrocodone, oxymorphone, hydromorphone, codeine, fentanyl, and morphine) and heroin are opioid receptor agonists. They can effectively modify the perception of pain pathways within the brain and spinal cord. With larger doses, respiratory depression can occur, limiting adequate oxygenation of blood, which reduces oxygen availability to the brain and heart, leading to unresponsiveness, anoxia, cyanosis, and death. This respiratory depression is reversible until death occurs; for example, it can be reversed with a pharmacological antidote, e.g., naloxone. Naloxone displaces opioids from the opioid receptors and blocks the binding of opioids for 20-90 minutes (Hawk et al., 2015).
Naloxone has been used for in-hospital opioid reversal for more than 40 years, and although rare side effects have been reported, it has an excellent safety profile (Burris et al., 2001; Davis et al., 2014). Naloxone is readily transported across the blood-brain barrier and has a fast onset of action in reversing the effects of opioids (Nagi et al., 1976). As naloxone is devoid of agonistic activity at the μ-opioid receptor, it is generally regarded as a safe drug.
Naloxone appears to be reasonably well absorbed after oral administration, but its low bioavailability renders naloxone less suitable for this route of administration. Following oral administration, naloxone undergoes extensive hepatic metabolism, indicating high first-pass metabolism greater than about 95%). The elimination half-life of naloxone in plasma is approximately 30 minutes. Naloxone was first approved in the U.S. in 1971 (NARCAN® injection) as a sterile solution for intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), and subcutaneous (SC) administration. In November 2015, NARCAN® Nasal Spray (Adapt Pharma) became the first FDA approved noninjectable naloxone product for the treatment of opioid overdose. The safety profile of intranasal naloxone is comparable that of naloxone injection in the treatment of opioid overdose (Robinson and Wermeling, 2014). The opioid epidemic, along with the risk of blood-borne infections, reinforces the need for further alternative (noninjectable) routes of naloxone administration for the treatment of patients with suspected opioid overdose in the out-of-hospital setting. Even though intranasal administration would be the preferred route for a person unresponsive due to an opioid overdose, in some circumstances this route can be less than optimal.
There is an unmet medical need for user-friendly, needle-free, naloxone delivery systems for medical professionals, first-responders, and at-home family members (Wermeling 2015). There is an unmet need for oral dosage forms containing an opioid combined with an opioid antagonist (e.g., naloxone) that can prevent, inhibit, reduce, or delay the effects of an opioid overdose without any additional assistance required. Furthermore, there is an unmet need for oral opioid dosage forms that can prevent intentional or unintentional opioid overdose by releasing a therapeutically effective amount of naloxone in the event of overdose.
As discussed above, orally administered naloxone exhibits low bioavailability due to its degradation by first-pass metabolism in the liver. After oral administration, drugs pass through the small intestine and enter the portal vein or intestinal lymphatic system. As naloxone undergoes extensive first-pass metabolism, the lymphatic system is a preferred route of transport for naloxone. Naloxone free base has a poor solubility in water of about 1.4 mg/mL at 25° C. It is highly lipophilic and readily transported across the blood-brain barrier and, therefore, has a fast onset of action in reversing or blocking opioid effects and opioid agonist activity. The low solubility of naloxone leads to low dissolution and incomplete absorption, which results in low oral bioavailability. Additionally, the poor solubility of naloxone results in high inter- and intra-subject variability and lack of dose proportionality.
The present application addresses these issues and unmet needs. In certain embodiments, the lipid-based compositions of naloxone and amorphous solid dispersion compositions of naloxone provide enhanced solubility, absorption, and oral bioavailability. These lipid-based naloxone compositions and amorphous solid dispersions of naloxone are converted to solid intermediates, e.g., granules and pellets, by various techniques and combined with at least one opioid (e.g., Opioid Particulates) in hard gelatin capsules, or compressed into tablets after blending with at least one opioid and any suitable tableting excipients. In certain embodiments, oral, lipid-based naloxone formulations and amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) of naloxone reduce food-dependent aspects of bioavailability and enhance oral bioavailability of naloxone. Such oral, lipid-based naloxone formulations and ASDs of naloxone can be used in abuse deterrent opioid formulations to provide multidose protection of oral administration of the opioid. In certain embodiments, crystalline solid dispersions of naloxone can be used in an abuse deterrent opioid formulation to provide multidose protection of the opioid.

Opioid agonist / antagonist combination dosage forms


The disclosed system implements techniques to identify activity in which attendees to a communication session likely have a greater interest. Prior to commencement of a communication session or during the communication session, the techniques enable a list of attendees to a communication session to be designated as a group for which detected activity has a priority with respect to being displayed. The designated list of attendees is a subset of a total number of attendees to the communication session. The system monitors streams associated with individual attendees on the list to detect an occurrence of a preset target event. The system configures a portion of a graphical user interface of the communication session to accentuate the stream that includes the occurrence of the preset target event.

Presently, the use of communication (e.g., video conference, teleconference, broadcast, etc.) systems in personal and commercial settings has increased dramatically so that meetings and presentations can be facilitated across remote locations. In general, communication systems allow users, in two or more remote locations, to communicate with one another via live or recorded video streams, audio streams, or both (e.g., see one another, hear one another, and/or interact with one another). Some communication systems also allow users to share display screens that present, for example, content items such as images, text, video, applications, and any other content items that are rendered on the display screen(s) the user is sharing. Example communication systems include CISCO WEBEX provided by CISCO SYSTEMS, Inc. of San Jose, Calif., GOTOMEETING provided by CITRIX SYSTEMS, INC. of Santa Clara, Calif., ZOOM provided by ZOOM VIDEO COMMUNICATIONS of San Jose, Calif., GOOGLE HANGOUTS by ALPHABET INC. of Mountain View, Calif., and SKYPE FOR BUSINESS or MICROSOFT TEAMS provided by the MICROSOFT CORPORATION, of Redmond, Wash.
Conventional communication systems typically monitor video feeds that are input to a communication session to detect actions (e.g., speech, movement, shared screen content, etc.) performed by people participating in the communication session. Such communication systems then configure a user interface to display the detected actions.
However, conventional communication systems can be ineffective with respect to identifying and displaying activity that is relevant to the people participating in a communication session. That is, as the number of users that are able to participate in a communication session increases, conventional communication systems expend a considerable amount of resources identifying and displaying activity deemed to be relevant to the people participating in the communication session. For example, a conventional communication system implementing a broadcast presentation with hundreds or thousands of people in attendance can expend a considerable amount of resources sorting through and analyzing a large number of video feeds to identify relevant audience activity that attendees are more likely interesting in viewing.

Dynamic configuration of a user interface for bringing focus to target events


A voltage generation circuit is provided, which includes a pumping unit generating a high voltage and a voltage regulation unit controlling the pumping unit to generate a target voltage in a first mode and controlling the pumping unit to generate a reserve voltage and generating the target voltage through down conversion of the reserve voltage in a second mode.

1. Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a voltage generation circuit which generates a high-level voltage through boosting of an input voltage.
2. Description of the Related Art
A semiconductor device includes internal circuits operating with voltages that are supplied from an external power source. However, since operating voltages having various levels are used in the semiconductor device, it is difficult for the external power source to supply all the operating voltages that are used in the internal circuits of the semiconductor device. Accordingly, a semiconductor device includes voltage generation circuits to internally generate operating voltages having different levels.
Particularly, in a device that uses a battery as an external power source, if a level of a power supply voltage supplied from the battery is lower than levels of voltages required to operate internal circuits in the device, it is necessary to internally generate the required voltages whose levels are higher than the power supply voltage supplied from the battery. In order to generate a high-level voltage that is higher than the power supply voltage from the external power source, a charge pump circuit may be used. A method for generating a high-level voltage using the charge pump circuit may include (1) a single-regulation method which directly generates a target voltage through the charge pumping, and (2) a double-regulation method which generates a higher voltage than a target voltage through the charge pumping and then generates the target voltage through regulation of the higher voltage. The single-regulation method may reduce current consumption in generating the target voltage, but may generate voltage ripples in the target voltage. On the other hand, while the double-regulation method may generate a stabilized target voltage, it may increase the current consumption in generating the target voltage.
Accordingly, in generating a higher voltage than an external power supply voltage, there is a need for developing a method that can stabilize a level of the higher voltage and reduce the current consumption, compared to the single-regulation method and the double-regulation method.

Voltage generation circuit using single and double regulation modes


A method of supporting an exhaust pipe for an engine of a motor vehicle, on a vehicle body is disclosed. Initially, the exhaust pipe is formed such that the pipe is flexible at an intermediate point thereof in the vicinity of a rear axle of the vehicle, on which a nodal point of a primary natural vibration mode of the vehicle lies. The exhaust pipe has a rear section which extends rearwards from the intermediate point. Then, the rear section of the exhaust pipe is elastically supported on the vehicle body, such that the rear section is oscillatable about the intermediate point relative to the vehicle body. With a natural frequency of the rear section of the exhaust pipe tuned to a primary natural frequency of the vehicle body, the rear section of the pipe serves as a dynamic damper for the vehicle body. Also disclosed is a support structure for supporting the exhaust pipe in the manner described above.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel technique associated with a support structure for supporting an engine exhaust pipe on a body of a motor vehicle, while reducing vibrations of the vehicle body.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
As is well known in the art, while a motor vehicle is running or in an engine idling condition, a body of the vehicle is subjected to shakes from a drive line including an engine, and/or shakes applied from a road surface through a suspension system, whereby bending or flexural vibrations take place in the vehicle body. The bending or flexural vibrations of the vehicle body cause vibrations of a floor panel, a steering shaft and other members of the vehicle, resulting in reduction in the driving comfort and controllability of the vehicle.
To solve the above problem, the motor vehicle conventionally employs vibration isolating members made of rubber, for example, which are interposed between the vehicle body and the drive line members such as an engine and a muffler, and between the vehicle body and components of the suspension system such as suspension rods and arms. The vibration isolating members are intended to prevent transmission of the vibrations from the drive line and suspension system to the vehicle body, so as to reduce the vibrations of the vehicle body.
However, the above-described vibration isolating members are not satisfactory in their vibration isolating effect. It is known that the transmission of vibrations to the vehicle body may be effectively reduced by lowering the spring constant of such vibration isolating members. However, the vibration isolating members must flexibly support the drive line and suspension system, and are therefore required to have some degree of stiffness. Further, vibration isolating members having an excessively soft spring characteristic are likely to cause the vehicle body to shake or rock, for example, and thereby deteriorate the stability and controllability of the vehicle- Thus, it has been extremely difficult for such vibration isolating members to obtain a sufficiently high vibration isolating effect.

Method of supporting exhaust pipe for motor vehicle and support structure for effecting the method


A flue duct liner comprising a substrate and a fluoroelastomer provides excellent protection against corrosive gases and easy installation.

Flue gases, for example, from oil and coal-fired power generation facilities, typically contain corrosive components. The ductwork for carrying such gases in large power generation facilities can be 50 meters above ground level, so that repair and replacement is difficult and costly.
A wide variety of techniques have previously been proposed for the construction or protection of such flue ducts. For example, in low temperature applications, coatings such as vinyl esters or epoxies have been tested. Calendared rubber sheeting has also been considered for protection of the inner duct surfaces. However, this requires either an adhesive or a large number of mechanical fastenings to keep it in place, and has not provided a satisfactory means of protection.
Ducts have also been constructed of corrosion-resistant metals. Galvanized steel offers some protection against corrosive gases, while chromium-nickel alloys such as Hastalloy provide more effective protection. However, the high cost and difficulty in fabrication make such alloys an unattractive alternative. Still other protective measures that have been explored include the use of fluoroelastomer-based coatings. However, the solvents used in such coatings are difficult to handle, the coatings can only be applied in thin layers, and extensive preparation of the surface to be coated is generally necessary.