An apparatus for enforcing that selected instructions are executed in a correct order, comprising a first content addressable memory for storing load addresses of data read from the memory by the selected instructions. The first content addressable memory comparing the store addresses with the load addresses of data to be written to the memory. The first content addressable memory generating a first signal, if one of the load addresses is identical to a subsequently compared one of the store addresses. The apparatus further including a second content addressable memory for storing and comparing states of the data read and written by the selected instructions. The second content addressable memory generating a second signal, if one of the stored states is identical to one of said compared states. The stored states including a program counter to repeat the execution of the selected instructions upon detecting the first and second signals.

Conventional digital computers process instructions of a program in accordance with fetch and execute cycles in which instructions are fetched from memory and executed by the processor. Each fetch or execute cycle may include a number of intermediate steps. For example, the processing of an instruction manipulating data may require the fetching of additional operands from memory, and the storing of data generated as a result of the execution of the instruction. Or, the processing of an instruction manipulating the control flow of the program may examine the value of the operands and alter the program flow accordingly.
In conventional low speed computers, the fetch and execute cycle are performed for one instruction at the time. That is, the fetch for the next instruction does not occur until the previous instruction has been completely processed. The hardware that is used during the fetching steps remains idle until it is needed for the next instruction.
However, the speed at which computers can process instructions and data has increased much faster than the speed at which memory can supply the instructions and data to the computer. This memory latency can be hidden by processing multiple instructions concurrently. For example, the next instruction is fetched from memory prior to storing the result of the previous instruction. This is a simple form of instruction level parallelism or pipelining.
Also, the size of computer chips has increased faster than the speed of the logic circuits on the chip. Therefore, a further performance advantage can be gained by using the larger available space on the silicon to process multiple instructions in parallel.
The total throughput of the computer can be further increased by pre-processing or accelerating the execution of certain instructions, particularly instructions which require a large number of cycles, or which may be subject to long latencies. For example, a load instruction may attempt to read data which are not stored in a local fast memory such as a cache. In this case a subsequent instruction operating on the data can not be executed until the data are read, possibly from a virtual memory device. It would be an advantage to move such instructions up in the execution sequence so that the data become available earlier.
Pre-processing of instructions is sometimes known as speculative execution. Speculative execution is also known as the condition where all of the dependencies, control and data, for the instruction are not resolvable at the time the instruction is generated.
Various techniques are known for providing speculative execution of instructions executed out of order. That is, subsequently executed instructions may supply data for previously executed instructions. Known techniques of speculative processing of instructions generally do not permit the execution of instructions which may have data dependencies, that is, instructions which consume data before the validity of the data can be determined.
Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism which allows for the speculative execution of instructions without undue restrictions, especially when instructions are executed in different orders.

Mechanism for enforcing the correct order of instruction execution


A device for delivering or withdrawing a substance from a patient includes a support member, a skin penetrating device and an advancing assembly for advancing the skin penetrating device to an operating position. The advancing assembly includes a supply spool for supporting a web having the skin penetrating devices attached thereon and a take up spool for receiving the web with the spent skin penetrating devices. The support has a bottom wall with at least one opening for exposing the skin penetrating device for penetrating the skin of a patient. In one embodiment the skin penetrating devices are micro needles having a length of about 50-2000 microns.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for withdrawing a sample from or delivering a substance transdermally to a patient. More particularly, the invention is directed to a method and apparatus for withdrawing a sample from or delivering a substance to successive patients using a device having a plurality of skin penetrating devices.
Drugs and various pharmaceutical agents are delivered to the body by many known methods. One method that is often used for the subcutaneous delivery uses a needle or other cannula. The use of a cannula is an effective method of delivering a drug. However, the pain typically experienced by the patient has prompted the development of alternative methods for delivering drugs.
Various devices have been proposed for the transdermal delivery of substances to the body and for withdrawing a substance from the body in a manner that is less painful to the patient. Transdermal delivery devices are often used to provide a sustained release of the substance to maintain a desired rate of delivery. Many transdermal delivery devices do not administer the drug at a sufficient rate to be used effectively. Moreover, many drugs can not be delivered transdermally since the drugs are not able to pass through the protective skin layers.
The skin is made up of several layers with the upper composite layer being the epithelial layer. The outermost layer of the skin is the stratum corneum that has well known barrier properties to prevent molecules and various substances from entering the body and analytes from exiting the body. The stratum corneum is a complex structure of compacted keratinized cell remnants having a thickness of about 10-30 microns. The stratum corneum forms a waterproof membrane to protect the body from invasion by various substances and the outward migration of various compounds. The natural impermeability of the stratum corneum prevents the administration of most pharmaceutical agents and other substances through the skin. Numerous methods and devices have been proposed to enhance the permeability of the skin and to increase the diffusion of various drugs through the skin to be utilized by the body.
One type of device that has gained attention in recent times is the micro device that is able to penetrate the outer layers of the skin with less pain or discomfort than a standard cannula. These micro devices typically have needles that are a few microns to several hundred microns in length. The micro devices for delivering drugs through the skin form micro pores or cuts through the stratum corneum. By penetrating the stratum corneum and delivering the drug to the skin in or below the stratum corneum, many drugs can be effectively administered. The devices for penetrating the stratum corneum generally include a plurality of micron size needles or blades having a length to penetrate the stratum corneum without passing completely through the epidermis. Examples of these devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,326 to Godshall et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,250,023 to Lee et al., and WO 97/48440.
Transdermal drug delivery is also known to use pulsed laser light to ablate the stratum corneum without significant ablation or damage to the underlying epidermis. A drug is then applied to the ablated area and allowed to diffuse through the epidermis.
The delivery of drugs through the skin can be enhanced by either increasing the permeability of the skin or increasing the force or energy used to direct the drug through the skin. One example of a method for increasing the delivery of drugs through the skin is iontophoresis. Iontophoresis generally applies an external electrical field to ionize the drug, thereby increasing the diffusion of the drug through the skin. Iontophoresis can be difficult to control the amount and rate of drug delivery. Under some circumstances, iontophoresis can cause skin damage depending on the extent of ionization, the energy applied to ionize the drug and duration of the treatment.
Sonic, and particularly ultrasonic energy using a piezoelectric crystal, has also been used to increase the diffusion of drugs through the skin. Although numerous efforts to enhance drug delivery using sonic energy have been proposed, the results generally show a low rate of drug delivery.
The prior methods and apparatus for the transdermal administration of drugs can be cumbersome to use and have exhibited limited success. Accordingly, a continuing need exists in the industry for an improved device for the administration of various drugs and other substances thought the skin of a patient.
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for withdrawing a substance or delivering a substance to a patient, such as a drug, vaccine or other pharmaceutical agent. In particular, the invention is directed to a method and apparatus for withdrawing a substance though the skin or delivering a substance to the skin to a sufficient depth where the substance can be absorbed and utilized by the body. In embodiments of the invention, the substance to be delivered is a dry drug that can be reconstituted and introduced into the intradermal tissue below the stratum corneum where the substance can be absorbed.
Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for efficiently withdrawing a substance or administering a substance transdermally to several patients without risk of cross contamination between patients.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device having a plurality of skin penetrating devices for penetrating the stratum corneum of the skin and withdrawing a substance from or delivering a substance to the skin.
A further object of the invention is to provide a device for delivering a vaccine where the device has a plurality of skin penetrating devices that can be sequentially presented for successive delivery to several patients.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for transdermally withdrawing a sample from a patient or delivering a substance to a patient using a device having a plurality of spaced apart needle arrays where each needle array can be advanced to an operating position for each patient.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device for delivering a substance to a patient without requiring a separate reconstituting or reformulation step.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a transdermal sampling or delivery device having a web with a plurality of spaced-apart skin penetrating devices and an advancing device to present a clean and sterile skin penetrating device for sampling or delivering a substance to successive patients.
A further object of the invention is to provide a device for the transdermal sampling or delivery of a substance to a patient where the device has a plurality micro needle arrays and a dried substance on the micro needles where the device can deliver the substance to successive patients.
These and other objects of the invention are substantially attained by providing a device for sampling or delivering a substance to a patient where the device has a support with a bottom wall. The support houses a flexible web having a plurality of skin penetrating devices attached to the web. The web is mounted within the support in a manner to supply the web and the skin penetrating devices across an outer face of the bottom wall with the skin penetrating devices facing outwardly from the support in a position to be available for penetrating the skin of a patient. Generally an advancing device is included to advance the web and the skin penetrating devices though the support. The skin penetrating device has a length sufficient to penetrate at least the stratum corneum of the skin. In one embodiment the skin penetrating device pierces the stratum corneum.
The objects and advantages of the invention are further attained by providing a delivery device for administering a substance through the skin of a patient. The device comprises a support having a top end, a bottom end and a bottom wall at the bottom end. A supply member supporting a web with a plurality of skin penetrating devices is mounted within the support. Each of the skin penetrating devices has a substance to be delivered to the patient. An advancing assembly is included to advance the web and the skin penetrating members incrementally across the bottom wall to expose the skin penetrating members and position the skin penetrating members in a position for delivering the substance to the patient. A recovery device is provided to receive the web after the skin penetrating member is used.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of withdrawing or administering a substance through the skin of a patient, the method comprising providing a device having a support with a top end, a bottom end, and a bottom wall, a supply member for supporting a web having a plurality of skin penetrating members, an advancing assembly for incrementally advancing the web from the supply member across the bottom end of the support to a recovery member, wherein each skin penetrating member is available for penetrating the skin of a patient when positioned on the bottom wall of the support, the method comprising advancing the web to expose a penetrating member on the bottom wall, pressing the skin penetrating member against the skin of a patient, and delivering or withdrawing a substance to the patient.
The objects, advantages and other salient features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses preferred embodiments of the invention.

Method and apparatus for transdermally sampling or administering a substance to a patient


An image display method is provided, with which a large number of images to be searched can be displayed quickly in a 3D space, with easy to understand image rendering and little strain on the user's eyes. The method includes a process of reading in image data of a plurality of images and information about the arrangement of the images in the virtual 3D space; a spatial viewpoint setting/shifting process in which setting and shifting of a spatial viewpoint is specified; a process of converting original shapes of the image data by a parallel expansion projection process including a parallel shifting process regarding the directions of the images and a expansion/shrinking process regarding their size, based on a relation between the information about the arrangement of the images and the spatial viewpoint information, and determining a simplified 2D arrangement as a 2D image; a display image creation process of creating displayed images in accordance with the determined simplified 2D arrangement; and a process of displaying the display images. Through multi-resolution synthesized images and cut images and through the guiding display of a background image, an easy to understand image rendering is achieved, and the eye strain is evaluated and minimized on the basis of the optical flow.

As we are approaching the age of multimedia information, images are displayed increasingly often on the display of computers. In the course of the spread of the internet, techniques for retrieving the desired image information easily and accurately are growing more important. To find texts on the internet, keywords are effective for searching, and are used in practice on search sites. However, when searching for multimedia material, as typified by images, the use of keywords and the automatic extraction of raw information is still in the research stage, and in reality, browsing searches in which many candidates are presented as search results and judged by a human being are the rule. Techniques that make such browsing searches more efficient are becoming increasingly important.
On the other hand, the amount of multimedia data stored by individuals but also in office environments on computers grows year by year, increasing the importance of techniques for finding the desired data and viewing it efficiently. The general procedure for searching image data on the internet or the like by conventional techniques is largely as follows.
First, to restrict the desired data, the user uses a search site restricting candidates by keywords or the like, and limits the search scope somewhat with keywords or the like. Next, using image characteristics, such as the distribution of colors, the search scope is limited a little more. Furthermore, the search scope that has been restricted somewhat by the above restrictions is shown on a display, and the user performs a visual browsing search.
Consequently, it seems that browsing searches for images have the following features.
A first feature is that the number of image data sets to be displayed for browsing searches may be very large, and may go well into the hundreds or thousands. Often, the displayed objects are chosen from an enormous population, and which specimen is chosen depends on the restriction operation prior to the display, and often there is not much time for processing prior to the display. A second feature is that to perform the restriction, the population has to be read into the computer once, so that it can be assumed that the displayed objects are stored in a storage device of the computer on which the search is carried out. The displayed objects seem to have these properties not only for browsing searches, but also when viewing a large number of images managed by the user.
Furthermore, the following conditions are necessary when displaying a large number of images.
A first condition is that the displayed images have sufficient viewability. For this, a viewability to the extent that the user can grasp what is being displayed is sufficient, and a precise display of the details can be carried out separately, so that no overly precise display is required for list display.
A second condition is the perspicuity of the displayed images. Ensuring the perspicuity between displayed images has the advantages that it makes it easy to judge up to which of a large number of images have been visually checked, and that it facilitates the comparison of images.
A third condition is the ability to handle displayed images. Since the number of images is large, it is required that operations such as scrolling and zooming of the displayed images can be carried out sufficiently fast. Furthermore, improving the handling abilities also brings the advantage that it is not exhausting to continue the searching operation over a long time.
Typical approaches for display formats during browsing searches that have been used conventionally are as follows.
A first conventional browsing search format is that of displaying shrunk images (JP S62-248376A). Shrunk images (thumbnail images) of a plurality of images to be displayed are produced, and arranged on the display screen. This format has the advantage that it is easy to grasp which images have been viewed. However, as the number of displayed images becomes large, the individual images need to be small, so that there is the disadvantage that the details of an image become hard to see and difficult to grasp.
A second conventional browsing format is that of displaying the images distributed over several pages. With this format, the displayed images are not shrunk, or a certain shrinking ratio is not undercut, ensuring a certain size of the displayed images, and the displayed images are distributed across a plurality of pages, each holding as many images as fit onto one screen of the display. The pages can be displayed successively. This has the advantage that the individual images are easy to grasp, but the perspicuity is deficient, and it is not easy to judge how many images have been viewed, and there is also the disadvantage that the comparison of displayed images is difficult.
A third conventional browsing format is that of a scrolling display. The images are arranged on a large virtual screen allowing list display, and for the actual process of displaying on the display, a scroll function is provided that makes it possible to display a region of the size of the display as a portion of the large virtual screen. With this format, it is easier to compare with other images than with the page splitting format of the second browsing search format, but it still cannot be said to be sufficient.
A fourth conventional browsing format is that of arranging the images in a virtual 3D space for display. This format arranges the displayed images in a virtual 3D space. A function is provided, with which the viewpoint in the virtual 3D space can be shifted. When the viewpoint approaches individual images, the images are zoomed in. Due to our ability to grasp 3D space, it becomes easy to judge how much has been viewed and to compare with other images, and there is further the advantage that the viewability of individual images can be ensured, and that it is comparatively easy to grasp. A publicly known example is JP H09-259130A, which discloses a technique for arranging information hierarchically to perform browsing searches.
In order to obtain a displayed screen on the display (projection screen) with this conventional format of arranging and displaying in a virtual 3D space, 3D objects are projected onto the display by central projection (perspective projection). As shown in FIG. 22, this central projection connects points on the 3D object surface and points on the display by the following relation. Taking the direction of the line of sight as Z, the display is placed at, for example, a position of Z=1, and the points where the line segments connecting the projection center and one point on the 3D object surface intersects with the display are taken as the correspondence points. For Z, any value can be used except 1, which is the value where the display is placed. When (X, Y, Z) are the coordinates of the points on the 3D object surface, then the coordinates (x, y) of the points on the corresponding display are x=X/Z and y=Y/Z. In principle, a 3D display can be achieved by drawing all pixels on the 3D object surface as points on the display. The display is made of pixels, so that the process that is performed is that of allotting colors based on the above-described correspondence relation for all the pixels on the display. With this central projection, a display screen with a sense of realism can be attained, that is close to the appearance perceived by a human being when viewing from the projection center a 3D object that is placed in the virtual 3D space.
With this conventional technology, if images are placed in the virtual 3D space and displayed from a viewpoint that is set within that space using central projection, then the projection center in FIG. 22 becomes the viewpoint, and a display screen with a sense of realism can be attained, that is close to the appearance of the images placed in the virtual 3D space perceived from position of that viewpoint
Consequently, if the number of displayed images is comparatively large, this format is excellent for displaying in 3D for browsing searches, but this format has the following problems.
A first problem is that for 3D displays the calculation amount increases in comparison to 2D displays, and the display processing takes considerable time. In 3D display processing, in particular when displaying large numbers of images on a display, the display speed drops, making this method difficult to use. To perform browsing searches by shifting the viewpoint, a smooth display is necessary when shifting, but when the display speed drops, it is not possible to perform smooth shifting, which severely impedes the convenience.
A second problem is that the content of individual images during viewpoint shifting becomes hard to grasp. If the viewpoint is shifted within the virtual 3D space, then, when the speed with which the viewpoint is shifted accelerates, the content of images shifting at high speeds becomes hard to grasp. Furthermore, since the viewpoint shifts within the 3D virtual space, the image may be warped due to the relation between the visual field angle and the images, and, if this warping changes due to a shifting of the viewpoint, the content of the images may be difficult to grasp intuitively.
A third problem is that even when a large number of small images is arranged in a virtual 3D space, they are difficult to be viewed as three-dimensional. It is difficult to grasp the stereoscopic depth, and the images appear rather as images of different size that are arranged two-dimensionally. In this case, it makes no sense to arrange them in 3D space, as this rather risks some confusion.
A fourth problem is that repeating the process of shifting the viewpoint may strain the user's eyes, making the process less convenient. For the user to grasp the content of an image that shifts in the virtual 3D space, the eye's viewpoint (focus point) needs to be shifted together with the shifting image, and this shifting of the viewpoint is one cause for strain on the eyes.

Image display method and image display device


N-fluoro perfluoroheterocyclic sulfonamides of the following Formula I ##STR1## wherein Het.sub.f represents an aromatic perfluoroheterocyclic radical of valency n and each R independently represents a substituted or unsubstituted C.sub.1 -C.sub.30 alkyl, C.sub.6 -C.sub.14 aryl substituted C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 alkyl, C.sub.6 -C.sub.14 aryl, or C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 alkyl substituted C.sub.6 -C.sub.14 aryl group, are novel electrophilic fluorinating agents. Preferably Het.sub.f is a perfluorinated nitrogen-containing aromatic group, especially pyridyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrazinyl or 1,3,5-triazinyl; n is 1; and R is perfluorinated, especially trifluoromethyl.

There is a demand for fluorinating agents which are site-selective towards organic, especially carbanionic, substrates, especially for use in the preparation of pharmacologically active compounds. A number of such electrophilic fluorinating agents are known but are limited to their commercial utility in that they are expensive, hazardous, inconvenient to handle, lack stability and/or are insufficiently selective for general use.
Fluorine (F.sub.2) solutions in halogenated or other suitable solvents at low temperature (e.g. -78.degree. C.), trifluoromethyl hypofluorite (CF.sub.3 OF), cesium fluoroxysulfate (CsSO.sub.4 F) and perchloryl fluoride (FClO.sub.3) are all active electrophilic fluorinating agents (S. T. Purrington et al, Chem. Rev. 1986, 86, 997 and G. G. Furin in "New Fluorinating Agents in Organic Synthesis", Ed. L. German and S. Zemskov, Springer-Verlag: Berlin, 1989, 35-68) but are either not sufficiently selective or too hazardous for general use. Xenon difluoride (XeF.sub.2) is potentially less hazardous but is too expensive in many applications.
Recently attentiaon has been directed to the use of compounds of the N-F class, i.e. having an N-F bond, as electrophilic fluorinating agents. The prototypical member of this class is perfluoro-N-fluoropiperidine (R. E. Banks and G. E. Williamson, Chem. Ind. (London), 1964, 1864 and R. E. Banks et al, J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. I, 1972, 1098). However, this compound is obtainable only in low yields by electrochemical fluorination of pyridine (about 8% yield) or 2-fluoropyridine (about 13% yield) in anhydrous hydrogen fluoride. Furthermore, it has been found to be inadequately reactive in several applications and, on transfer of fluorine to a carbanionic substrate, liberates the imidoyl fluoride perfluoro-1-azacyclohex-1-ene which then competes for the substrate. Similar problems militate against use of the analogous compounds perfluoro-(N-fluoro-2,6-dimethylpiperidine) and perfluoro-N-fluoromorpholine (R. E. Banks et al, J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. I, 1988, 2805) and of poly[perfluoro-(N-fluoropiperidin-4-ylethylene)] (R. E. Banks & E. Tsiliopoulos, J. Fluorine Chem., 1986, 34, 281) as electrophilic fluorinating agents.
Other members of the N-F class include N-fluoropyridin-2(1H)-one (S. T. Purrington and W. A. Jones, J. Org. Chem. 1983, 43, 761 and J. Fluorine Chem., 1984, 26, 43); N-fluoro-sulfonamides (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,479,901, 4,828,764 and DE 3623184 A); camphor-derived enantioselective N-fluoro-sultams (E. Differding and R. W. Lang, Tetrahedron Lett., 1988, 29, 6087); N-fluoroquinuclidinium salts (R. E. Banks et al, J. Chem. Soc. Perkin Trans. I, 1988, 2805 and R. E. Banks & I. Sharif, J. Fluorine Chem., 1988 41, 297), N-fluoro-N-alkyl-2,2,6,6,-tetramethyl piperidinium chlorate (I. V. Vigalok et al, J. Org. Chem. USSR, 1983, 19, 1203), and N-fluoropyridinium salts (Umemoto et al, Tetrahedron Lett. 1986, 27, 3271 & 4465 and T. Umemoto & G. Tomizawa, Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn., 1986, 59, 3625). N-Fluoroquinuclidinium fluoride and triflate and N-fluoro-N-methyl, -propyl or -neopentyl -p-toluene-sulfonamides are available commercially.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,764 discloses that certain N-fluoro-N-perfluoroalkyl or perfluoroaryl sulfonamides including, inter alia, those of the formula R.sub.f SO.sub.2 NFR are electrophilic fluorinating agents. In said formula R.sub.f represents a perfluorinated C.sub.1 -C.sub.30 alkyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.30 cycloalkyl, C.sub.6 -C.sub.14 aryl substituted C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 alkyl or a C.sub.6 -C.sub.14 aryl group and R represents a C.sub.1 -C.sub.30 alkyl, C.sub.3 -C.sub.30 cycloalkyl, C.sub.6 -C.sub.14 aryl substituted C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 alkyl, or C.sub.6 -C.sub.14 aryl group optionally substituted with one or more inert substituents including, inter alia, fluorine and, when R.sub.f is trifluoromethyl, R alternatively can represent perfluoromethylsulfonamido. The preferred fluorinating agents are stated to be N-fluorobis(trifluoromethanesulfon)imide (R.sub.f =CF.sub.3 and R=CF.sub.3 SO.sub.2) and N-fluoro-N-methyl-trifluoromethanesulfonamide (R.sub.f =CF.sub.3 and R=CH.sub.3). The former compound (also known ad DesMarteau Reagent) is a powerful electrophilic fluorinating agent which is capable of fluorinating benzene to fluorobenzene at room temperature, but is tedious to prepare requiring eight or nine reaction steps from readily available material.


A system for automatically initiating a query of a knowledge portal from within a displayed document includes a word designation module configured to receive a user designation of at least two words of the document; an object identification module configured to automatically identify at least two objects within the knowledge portal corresponding to the at least two designated words; a query formulation module configured to automatically formulate a query for identifying at least one relationship within the knowledge portal linking the at least two objects; and a query initiation module configured to automatically direct the knowledge portal to initiate the query.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to knowledge portals. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for automatically initiating a knowledge portal query from within a document displayed by a document viewer.
2. Identification of Copyright
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
3. Relevant Technology
In recent years, the art of knowledge management has assumed an important role in helping managers to make business decisions. Knowledge management involves the computer-assisted discovery, capture, organization, and sharing of knowledge. A knowledge portal is one of the software tools used in the practice of knowledge management. A variety of knowledge portals are known, one example of which is KnowledgeX(trademark), available from IBM Corporation.
Typically, a knowledge portal organizes knowledge into objects and relationships. Objects correspond to such real-world entities as people, places, things, and documents. Relationships link various objects within the knowledge portal.
Knowledge in the form of objects and relationships is generally stored within a knowledge catalog, also known as a knowledge base. Sources of knowledge may include human experts, company files, web pages, document management systems, databases, data warehouses, datamarts, and the like. Knowledge portals generally operate on dedicated servers. A client program, such as a Web browser or a custom knowledge portal client, may be used to retrieve knowledge from a knowledge portal through constructed questions or queries.
Often, such queries are directed to relationships between the objects stored in the knowledge catalog. For example, a user may pose the query, xe2x80x9cwho are the competitors of ABC company?xe2x80x9d The knowledge portal may respond with a list of objects in the knowledge catalog having a xe2x80x9ccompetitorxe2x80x9d relationship with ABC company.
Additionally, knowledge portals may be used to generate a knowledge map, which is a view of a section of the knowledge catalog. Knowledge maps allow the user to visualize, manipulate, and navigate the objects and relationships described in the knowledge catalog, generally by means of a graphical user interface.
The World Wide Web (hereinafter referred to as the xe2x80x9cWebxe2x80x9d) is a collection of servers within the Internet from which specially formatted documents may be retrieved by means of a Web browser. Typically, Web documents are formatted in the HyperText Markup Language (HTML), which supports hyperlinks between and within documents, as well as a variety of multimedia elements, including graphics, audio and video.
A Web browser is a client application that allows a user to selectively retrieve and display HTML documents, as well as to selectively follow hyperlinks. Currently, two of the most popular Web browsers are Netscape Navigator(trademark) and Microsoft Internet Explorer(trademark).
A hyperlink is an element within an HTML document that directs the Web browser to another place in the same document, or to an entirely different document, when the hyperlink is followed. Hyperlinks may be attached to words, phrases, icons, and other objects displayed within the document. Typically, a user may follow a hyperlink by xe2x80x9cclickingxe2x80x9d on the hyperlink with a pointing device, such as a mouse. Hyperlinks are an essential part of any hypertext system, of which the Web is the most prominent example.
Documents are identified within the Web by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), also commonly referred to as a Web address. A URL identifies the domain name or Internet Protocol (IP) address of the Web server containing the document, as well as the location of the document within the server.
Often, while reading a document displayed by a Web browser or dedicated knowledge portal client, a user may identify a word or phrase corresponding to an object represented in a knowledge portal. For example, the user may read the words, xe2x80x9cABC company,xe2x80x9d and desire to know the competitors of ABC company.
Potentially, the author of the document anticipated the user""s interest and included a hyperlink or other mechanism configured to query a knowledge portal to selectively retrieve and display the competitors of ABC company.
More realistically, however, such a hyperlink or mechanism is not included. As a result, the user is generally required to manually open a knowledge portal client (if not currently open), formulate an appropriate query, and manually initiate the query.
Unfortunately, many users find the above-described process too time-consuming or complicated for casually querying a knowledge portal. Moreover, if the same Web browser or knowledge portal client is used to query the knowledge portal as was used to display the document including the desired word or phrase, the user""s visual and mental context is lost each time the knowledge portal interface replaces the document.
To return to the original document and restore the user""s context, the user must typically click on a xe2x80x9cBackxe2x80x9d button, or the like, introducing yet another step into the process. Moreover, it is frequently impossible to restore the user""s context to the state in which it existed before the query was performed.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for automatically initiating a knowledge portal query from within a document displayed by a document viewer, such as a Web browser or other knowledge portal client. What is also needed is a system and method for preserving the user""s visual and mental context during the query process.
The present invention solves many or all of the foregoing problems by introducing a system and method for automatically initiating an knowledge portal query from within a document displayed by a document viewer, while preserving the user""s visual and mental context throughout the query process.
In one aspect of the invention, a system for automatically initiating a query of a knowledge portal from within a displayed document includes a word designation module configured to receive a user designation of at least two words of the document; an object identification module configured to automatically identify at least two objects within the knowledge portal corresponding to the at least two designated words; a query formulation module configured to automatically formulate a query for identifying at least one relationship within the knowledge portal linking the at least two objects; and a query initiation module configured to automatically direct the knowledge portal to initiate the query.
In another aspect of the invention, a computer-implemented method for automatically initiating a query of a knowledge portal from within a displayed document includes the steps of receiving a user designation of at least two words of the document; automatically identifying at least two objects within the knowledge portal corresponding to the at least two designated words; automatically formulating a query for identifying at least one relationship within the knowledge portal linking the at least two objects; and automatically directing the knowledge portal to initiate the query.
In yet another aspect of the invention, an article of manufacture comprises a program storage medium readable by a processor and embodying one or more instructions executable by the processor to perform the above-described method for automatically initiating a knowledge portal query from within a document displayed by a document viewer.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.

Automatically initiating a knowledge portal query from within a displayed document

International Business Machines Corporation


In a method of making a subframe of a motor vehicle profile elements made of hollow sections of steel are placed in a casting tool. Subsequently, aluminum material is filled into the casting tool to casting around the profile elements so as to form plural cast nodes on the profile elements in spaced-apart relationship.

The present invention relates to a method of making a subframe of a motor vehicle, and to a subframe for a motor vehicle.
Nothing in the following discussion of the state of the art is to be construed as an admission of prior art.
Contemporary motor vehicles have subframes to receive components of the chassis and/or drive unit of the motor vehicle. Subframes are thus also part of the vehicle axle and stiffen the front structure and/or the rear structure. Therefore, subframes are firmly secured to the body of the passenger vehicle.
Stiffness of a subframe is crucial because it is subject to high static and dynamic forces during normal travel. As a result, subframes are complex components which must meet increasingly more stringent standards. On one hand, the deformation behavior must be optimized in the event of a crash, and yet the subframe should be lightweight and at the same time rigid and torsionally stiff.
To address the complexity issue of the geometry in the area of the attachment points, cast nodes of aluminum have been provided in the area of the axle and connected via profile elements made in particular as extruded intermediate pieces. This approach is very expensive in view of the exclusive use of aluminum. Moreover, the need for a welding joint to connect the cast nodes with the extruded profile is problematic in view of the different alloy composition and the substantial difference in the geometry. As hollow and thus lightweight castings are difficult to make and thus expensive, ribbed open structures are used. Such ribbed structures exhibit, however, inadequate torsion stiffness when compared to closed steel pipe or shell structures, especially when correlating the torsion stiffness to the mass of the profile element.
Other shortcomings of aluminum include the small modulus of elasticity of aluminum which translates to a reduced stiffness in particular when small-volume structures are involved. The size of a structure cannot fall below a certain minimum level, despite the tight space available. To still realize the necessary stiffness, extruded profiles would have to be made thicker. This, however, is not an economically viable solution. On the other hand, the outer dimensions of the profile elements cannot be increased in view of space limitations. Ribbed cast nodes thus are inadequate to have the desired torsion stiffness.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to address this problem and to obviate other prior art shortcomings.

Method of making a subframe of a motor vehicle, and subframe for a motor vehicle


An adaptive processor which uses the successive range and Doppler outputs of a conventional matched-filter to improve the signal-to-noise ratio for non white noise/clutter. The adaptive processor minimizes the output for a given range and Doppler cell with the constraint that the response to signals returning with specified range and Doppler offsets, with respect to the center of the range-Doppler cell, each have specified values. Weights are derived which can be applied to range-Doppler outputs in the neighborhood of the range-Doppler cell to minimize its output subject to the constraints. The weights depend on an estimate of the cross-covariance matrix of the various outputs of the range-Doppler cells that are to be weighted. The constraint parameters are specified in terms of the ambiguity function of the transmitted waveform. Synthetically generated covariance matrices or combinations of measured and synthetic matrices can also be used to produce desired modifications to the resulting range-Doppler response of the adapted process.

In radar and active sonar processing the Doppler compressed versions of the transmitted waveform are used as candidate replicas for replica correlation at the receiver. The received signal is convolved with various replicas. The replicas are time compressed (or time dilated) to account for possible Doppler compressions (or dilations) in the signal. A target's relative Doppler is estimated by the Doppler and range-lag of the replica which correlates best with the target's echo. This Doppler compressed replica-correlation process is known as matched-filtering. It is well known that this process produces peak outputs having a maximum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the case of white additive noise. It is also known that in the case of colored noise the process with maximum SNR is that which first whitens the noise then match filters to the whitened version of the waveform. In the general radar and sonar situations, the spectrum of the noise is not known, and is in fact, highly variable. Conventional radar and sonar coherent processors' matched-filters are designed under the white noise assumption.
The detection of low-Doppler targets in the neighborhood of clutter is generally performed using MTI filters which attempt to filter the zero-Doppler clutter. A problem is knowing exactly where zero-Doppler is. Also, fixed MTI filters cannot respond to changing environments, and adaptive MTI filters are generally of a fixed structure applicable to zero-Doppler clutter response only, and not applicable to the general range-Doppler situation (i.e., to any range-Doppler cell in the range-Doppler plane).

Adaptive filtering of matched-filter data


A continuously variable transmission (CVT) has a continuously variable unit (CVU) which has co-axial input and output shafts that are also co-axial with the input and output of the CVT. The CVU includes a toroidal drive having the two input members, two output members and a plurality of transfer members disposed therebetween. The CVT includes a summing differential planetary gear set having one member driven by the CVU input, a second member driven by the CVU output and a third member driving the CVT output. The CVU output is connected through a central compound planetary gear set which is co-axially arranged about the CVU input shaft and positioned between the CVU output members. The CVU input shaft absorbs the normal forces applied through the CVU input members thereby reducing the capacity of some of the rotating bearings.

Toric or toroidal type traction drive continuously variable transmissions have an input disc, an output disc and a plurality of traction rollers that tractionally engage the input and output discs. Power is transferred through the transmission by the traction drive train between the input discs, output discs and the traction rollers. The transmission ratio between the input discs and the output discs is determined by the angle of operation of the traction rollers relative to the input and output discs. The input discs and output discs are preferably arranged in pairs with the input discs being opposite ends and the output discs being in the center. The input power is connected with the input discs by a toric input shaft and the output power is taken from the output discs by a toric output shaft. The toric output shaft passes through the center of at least one of the input discs.
To accommodate the positioning of the toric output shaft a dual axis design is common. These systems employ a countershaft to connect the two input discs to the power output. The counter shaft is located radially outward of the input and output discs which requires that the transmission have a larger barrel size than required by the radius of the discs.
In order to transmit the power tractionally, the input discs are urged toward each other by mechanical or hydraulic means to establish the proper normal force between the input discs, output discs and the traction rollers and the operating angle of the traction rollers. The most recent designs of these transmissions use electro-hydraulic control systems to apply the normal forces required. These systems permit a more accurate control of the forces needed to establish the correct normal force and the force which establishes the positioning of the traction rollers. In the prior art transmissions of the single cavity designs, the forces applied to the input discs are absorbed or reacted by the transmission housing through rotating bearings. While this is a very effective structurally, it does reduce the overall efficiency of the transmission due to the power loss in the relative rotation of the bearing surfaces.
In order to establish a geared neutral condition, a summing planetary is commonly used. The summing planetary has one member connected with the toric input, one member connected with the toric output and a third member connected with the transmission output. Two types of summing planetary gear sets have been used.
The most commonly used is a simple planetary gear set which has a sun gear, a ring gear and a planetary carrier assembly that includes a plurality of pinion gears meshing with both the sun and ring gears. The toric input is connected with the carrier assembly, the toric output is connected with the sun gear and the transmission output is connected with the ring gear. Depending on the tooth ratio between the sun gear and the ring gear, the transmission output can be stationary (in neutral), rotated in a forward direction or rotated in a reverse direction.
One co-axial arrangement that has been used is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,372. The co-axial arrangement shown therein includes two sun gears and a carrier assembly having a plurality or interconnected pinion gears which mesh with both the sun gears. The carrier assembly is connected with the toric input, one sun gear is connected with the toric output and the other sun gear is connected with the transmission output which happens to be a planetary gear arrangement and a summing differential. The toric arrangement shown in the above mentioned patent eliminates the need for a counter shaft to provide the input drive to the toric input.

Co-axial single mode geared neutral traction transmission


An RF transmitter comprises a digital-to-IF circuit block configured to receive a digital in-phase baseband signal and a digital quadrature baseband signal and to up-convert the digital in-phase and quadrature baseband signals to a digital in-phase IF signal and to a digital quadrature IF signal. The wireless RF transmitter further comprises an IF-to-RF circuit block configured to convert the digital in-phase and quadrature IF signals to analog signals and to up-convert the analog in-phase and quadrature IF signals to an RF output signal. The digital-to-IF circuit block comprises pre-compensation circuitry configured to reduce analog impairments associated with the IF-to-RF circuit block.

Conventional analog direct up-converters used in 2.5G/3G transmitters have inherent challenges that degrade output signal quality. Analog IQ mismatches directly contribute to the Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) of the signal, since these up-converters create an image that completely overlaps with that of the desired signal. The analog IQ baseband circuitry also creates DC components at the input of the quadrature direct up-converter, which in turns causes significant local oscillator (LO) feed-through that degrades EVM. Because analog circuits are susceptible to variations in process, voltages, and temperatures, it is difficult to design around such anomalies and it is required to use calibration to minimize these anomalies. Depending on the performance desired, the calibration routine may be a one-time occurrence or a continuous and dynamic process. In addition to the IQ mismatch problems, operating the transmitter LO at the same frequency as the assigned channel of the output signal subjects the synthesizer to "pulling" by the signal that causes frequency error and EVM degradation due to local oscillator (LO) pulling and pushing.
This is detrimental to the ability to isolate between the transmitter LO signal and transmitter output signal from inter-locking, especially since the output signal level after the power amplifier (PA) may easily be as high as 600 mW. As integrated circuit (IC) devices move towards ever smaller line widths, an entirely analog architecture is unable to exploit the advantages of size and power consumption. Smaller line widths also mean lower bias voltages, thereby limiting linearity performance. An entirely analog gain loop limits resolution.
One approach that is now obsolete among wireless terminal application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) is the all analog super-heterodyne architecture, where both up-converter stages are performed in the analog domain. While such an approach benefits from the single sideband (SSB) intermediate frequency-to-radio frequency (IF-RF) up-conversion that separates the carrier LO and the IQ image from the desired signal, it is subject to process, voltage, and temperature variations for both stages of the up-conversion process. This requires a much more complex IQ compensation algorithm for good image rejection. Dynamic IQ calibration is often needed to remove the inter-stage filter. Such an all analog architecture may not be able to benefit from a low line width CMOS process. It requires more silicon than other related solutions and often requires more frequency planning effort than direct up-conversion architectures.
Another architecture that found commercial applications in some narrowband systems (e.g., EDGE) is the Polar Loop architecture. This approach finds several implementations, such as a polar power amplifier (PA) module or an internal polar loop with either a pre-PA driver or a direct up-converter. While such designs offer an elegant technique for achieving a narrowband transmitter and have the original aim of improving efficiency, it is more difficult to use to support broadband signals. One of the difficulties is the timing match-up between the amplitude path and the phase path, both of which are frequency dependent. Techniques have been used to alleviate this issue, but these techniques require a digital pre-PA and introduce spurious images. The tighter the EVM requirement, the more stringent the timing matchup must be. Also, the transmit synthesizer operates at the same frequency as that of the assigned carrier, subjecting it to the same pulling as other designs.
Another type of architecture that is being considered for supporting broadband applications is the Digital-IF architecture using only a single DAC and single channel up-converter. While this architecture takes advantage of digital baseband-to-intermediate frequency (BB-IF) blocks, it requires an inter-stage SAW filter to help suppress the RF image created, because it is unable to provide any image rejection with a single IF-RF up-converter. Given that the image is similar in power to the desired signal, a third-order spurious image is created at the pre-PA driver as well as at the PA if it is not sufficiently suppressed by the inter-stage SAW filter.

Quadrature digital-IF transmitter without inter-stage SAW filter and devices using same


A tubular bird feeder includes a self-contained seed scoop comprising a depending portion of a top cap, which includes a rim for seating about the exterior of the side wall of the tubular body. A bent wire hanger is inserted into a pair of opposed apertures near the top of the bird feeder and a channel in one side wall of the scoop portion and the cut-away portion of the scoop itself allow clearance of the hook portions of the hanger. A bottom cap closes the bottom of the tubular bird feeder. A number of apertures in the side wall of the tubular body of the bird feeder allow birds access to the seed and a number of dowels inserted through apertures lying across a diameter of a section of the tubular body of the bird feeder provide perches for the feeding birds.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an apparatus for feeding birds at a fixed feeding station that protects the bird food from the elements. More particularly, the present invention is related to a tubular bird feeder with a self-contained seed scoop that forms the top of the feeder.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 C.F.R. Sections 1.97-1.99
Tubular bird feeders, typically made from transparent plastic, have become very popular and bird feeding is the second most popular hobby in the country. The tubes typically have aligned holes across a diameter, through which perches comprising wooden dowels or plastic rods are inserted. Other holes above the perches allow the birds to eat seed from inside the feeder. The feeders have a cap on the top and a bottom to keep the seed inside.
A hanger, typically wire, is inserted through apertures toward the top of the hangers and the feeder is suspended from something, such as a tree. Alternatively, the feeder may be supported from below by a pole.
Typically the cap is removed to allow the feeder to be refilled. Filling the feeder often results in spilling a significant amount of bird seed onto the ground because the diameters of the feeders are typically about four inches (10 cm) or less. Commercially available scoops typically do not have a dispenser designed for such small diameter containers and may be difficult to find when needed, that is, they become lost or separated from the seed supply. Spilled seed attracts birds to the ground, where they may not be safe. Much spilled seed is not eaten, and therefore is substantially wasted. Finally, spilled seed often results in undesired or undesirable plants growing in the yard.
Scoops and bird feeders have been the subject of numerous patents, but none has been located that addresses the problems discussed above. Some examples of the prior art are given below.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 337,244, issued to Kilham on Jul. 13, 1993, discloses a "Bird Feeder Scoop" comprising a horn-shaped scoop having a handle comprising a substantially straight handle segment that bridges the concave curve of the scoop body.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 249,999, issued to Burns on Oct. 24, 1978, discloses a "Scoop" comprising a cylinder having ends cut off at a non-perpendicular angle and having a straight rod portion secured over an opening in the top to provide a handle.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 32,387, issued to Baird on Mar. 27, 1900, discloses a "Scoop" comprising a roughly semi-circular portion of a cylinder having a smoothly tapered end.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,934, issued to Blasbalg on May 16, 1989, discloses a "Bird Feeder" comprising a tubular bird feeder with a circular dish and base member which slips onto the bottom end of the tubular body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,877, issued to Riggi on Nov. 12, 1991, discloses a "Bird Feeder Apparatus" comprising a conical top that covers a cylindrical feeder housing. A square base includes a plurality of perches that are inserted into holes around the base of the feeder, thereby securing the base to the feeder housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,094, issued to Zens on Dec. 13, 1994, discloses a "Bird Feeder" comprising a carton, like a half gallon paperboard milk carton, having a pair of holes at the top to suspending the feeder by strings, and a hole at the bottom for allowing bird seed to fall onto a perch and feed holder, or "a prefabricated perch and feed trough assembly." The carton is refilled by opening unfolding the top, refilling the carton with seed or other bird feed, and folding the top closed again.
None of these structures addresses the problem of having a bird feed scoop handy when needed or the problem of spilling the bird seed when filling a bird feeder.
Therefore, a need exists for a bird feeder that makes a bird feed scoop readily available and that reduces or eliminates the likelihood of spilling the bird feed when refilling the feeder.

Tubular bird feeder with a self-contained seed scoop


A direct drive hearing system for providing an ultrasonic signal to a portion of the human ear. The direct drive hearing system includes an ultrasonic direct device. The device includes a housing with at least one coil coupled to the housing. Inside the housing is a magnet, which vibrates at an ultrasonic resonant frequency in direct response to an externally generated electric signal through the at least one coil. A biasing mechanism, which supports the magnet within the housing, is also provided. The magnet is free to move within the housing subject to the retention provided by the biasing mechanism. The hearing system is partially or totally implantable.

The present invention relates to the field of devices and methods for assisting hearing in persons and particularly to the field of transducers for producing vibrations in the inner ear.
The seemingly simple act of hearing can easily be taken for granted. Although it seems to us as humans we exert no effort to hear the sounds around us, from a physiologic standpoint, hearing is an awesome undertaking. The hearing mechanism is a complex system of levers, membranes, fluid reservoirs, neurons and hair cells which must all work together in order to deliver nervous stimuli to the brain where this information is compiled into the higher level perception we think of as sound.
In most standard texts on hearing, it has been generally reported that the upper limit of normal hearing is about 20,000 Hz. Nonetheless, since the 1950s, scientists have studied the use of high frequency applications for use with hearing impaired individuals. Surprisingly, bone-conducted ultrasonic hearing has been found capable of supporting frequency discrimination and speech detection in normal, older hearing impaired, and profoundly deaf human subjects.
Although, the mechanism that allows humans to perceive ultrasonic stimuli is not well known or understood. There are two leading hypotheses relating to how ultrasonic perception of sound may occur. The first theory involves a hair cell region at the base of the cochlea which is believed to be capable of interpreting ultrasonic signals. The second theory involves the vestibular and saccular regions that may also be capable of responding to ultrasonic stimuli. Unfortunately, the anatomy of the ear (the tympanic membrane and ossicles) is unable to deliver acoustic ultrasonic energy, perceived in the environment, to either the cochlear or vestibular regions because of the impedance mismatch of the tympanic membrane.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,434 to Lenhardt et al., herein incorporated by reference for all purposes, Lenhardt et al. describes a sound-bridge for transferring ultrasonic vibratory signals to the saccule via the human skull and independent of the inner ear. Because the ultrasonic vibrations are transmitted directly to the bones of the skull, frequencies are used that are perceived by the saccule and not by the inner ear. The supersonic bone conduction (ssBC) transducer, described in Lenhardt et al., is an electric to vibration type used to apply the ultrasonic signal as ultrasonic vibration to the skull, preferably at the mastoid interface. Piezoelectric transducers are typically used in ultrasonic applications due to their high impedance in the ultrasonic range.
Unfortunately, for an ultrasonic hearing device, such as the one described in Lenhardt et al. to provide acceptable fidelity, the ultrasonic vibratory signal must be placed as close as possible to the regions of the ear which have ultrasonic frequency perception capability. The piezoelectric bone conduction system described in Lenhardt et al. requires that the signal be delivered across the skin to the skull. This type of signal transfer can result in a poor or even a lost signal. Moreover, because the ultrasonic vibration must be translated to the cochlear or vestibular regions from outside the skull, there is a substantial amount of loss of the vibratory signal, and potentially a substantial amount of distortion could be introduced in the perceived signal. Although a piezoelectric vibrator may be sufficient for use with most frequency levels, it does have limitations in the ultrasonic frequency range. For example, piezoelectric devices tend to have outputs that result in highly peaked responses which may hinder speech perception in the ultrasonic condition. Because piezoelectric materials have a crystalline composition, the devices tend to be very stiff and typically resonate at frequencies of 6 kHz or higher.
In view of these limitations, an ultrasonic direct drive hearing system is desired which can be positioned as close to the inner ear fluid as possible to stimulate the inner ear fluid (or vestibule) or as close as possible to the saccule to stimulate the saccular system with an ultrasonic signal.


An electronic control unit having a housing containing a circuit board. The housing includes a base and a cover between which the circuit board is located, and the unit being characterized in that the base and the cover are connected to one another via interference fit interengagement around at least a major part of a peripheral edge of the cover.

Modern motor vehicles are equipped with a vast array of electronic circuitry to manage operation of the vehicle and to ensure the safety of occupants in the case of an accident. For example, the use of airbags is now common and airbag systems require sophisticated electronics to monitor the motion of the motor vehicle to ensure that the airbags are properly deployed, and deployed in an appropriate manner to provide protection in a given accident situation. Furthermore, so called active safety systems such as adaptive cruise control systems, forward collision warning and braking systems, blind spot monitoring systems, and lane departure warning systems are becoming increasingly common and all require sophisticated electronic circuitry. A modern motor vehicle therefore includes a significant number of electronic control units (ECUs).
In the environment of a motor vehicle, it is important for ECUs to be adequately sealed in order to prevent environmental influences (such as the ingress of water, dust etc.) from affecting ECU performance. Additionally, it can be advantageous in many installations to ensure that ECUs provide good heat dissipation from their internal circuit boards, and to ensure that the circuit boards are securely retained in position, noting that there are usually very considerable vibrations occurring during operation of a motor vehicle.
Additionally, motor vehicle manufacturers are continuously striving to reduce the componentry of their vehicles, which means that producers of various electronic systems for installation in motor vehicles are generally striving to reduce the cost involved in their production, and to simplify their production.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved electronic control unit, which may be suitable for use in a motor vehicle.
According to the present invention, there is provided an electronic control unit having a housing containing a circuit board, wherein the housing comprises a base and a cover between which the circuit board is located, the unit being characterised in that the base and the cover are inter-engaged via an interference fit connection extending around at least a major part of a peripheral edge of the cover.
Preferably, the interference fit connection involves elastic deformation of said cover around its peripheral edge.
Advantageously, the cover is resiliently deformable.
Conveniently, the peripheral edge of the cover engages an inwardly directed surface of the base.
Advantageously, the peripheral edge of the cover is received within a groove formed around the base as a snap-fit.
Optionally, the groove is formed around the inwardly directed surface.
Preferably, the circuit board is clampingly engaged between said base and said cover.
Conveniently, a first side of the circuit board contacts the base, and an opposing second side of the circuit board contacts the cover.
Advantageously, the first and second sides of the circuit board respectively contact the base and the cover around a peripheral region of the circuit board.
Preferably, the second side of the circuit board contacts a re-entrant region of the cover which is depressed inwardly of the base.
Conveniently, the re-entrant region of the cover is spaced inwardly of the peripheral edge of the cover.
Advantageously, the unit further comprises a peripheral seal adjacent the interference fit inter-engagement.
Preferably, the seal extends around the circuit board, and is located between the peripheral edge of the cover and the re-entrant region of the cover.
Conveniently, both the base and the cover are formed of heat conductive material.
Advantageously, at least a major part of the peripheral edge of the cover is rounded.
Optionally, the peripheral edge of the cover has a shape comprising rounded corners.


This invention relates to a pleated shade, and a method for the manufacture thereof. The shade has two sections forming each rear projecting pleat secured together to form a rear projecting tab. Cord holes are formed in each of the tabs. The rigidity of the pleats may be substantially enhanced by providing double-weld joints for the tabs or by otherwise providing a multiple or continuous bond between the two fabric layers forming the tab. Furthermore, each section of the shade may be formed from a singly pleated section of fabric. A joint used to form a tab may also be used as a splice joint to secure together two pieces of material either for repair of a defective or damaged material, to achieve a desired aesthetic effect or to customize the length or width of the shade. Pleat reversal problems may be overcome by carefully selecting the relative size of the tab and shade sections, by controlling the size and tab positions of cord holes, and by treating the nose pleat to improve its memory. A second piece of material may be positioned behind the first. The second piece of material may have tabs formed in the same manner as the first piece, the pieces of material being hung with the tabs facing each other, and the tabs may be maintained at a predetermined relative position. If the second piece of material is shorter than the first and tabs are simultaneously formed on the two pieces, a prismatic configuration may be achieved.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pleated shade construction and method for the manufacture thereof and more particularly to a pleated shade construction which results in the cords and cord holes not being visible from the front of the shade and in enhanced durability and energy efficiency.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a standard pleated shade construction, a piece of material is prepleated into a plurality of horizontal sections which stack one on top of the other when the shade is in its raised position. Alternate pleats face toward the front and rear of the shade. Each section has at least one hole punched through the center thereof which holes are aligned when the shade is folded. Normally, there would be two or more aligned rows of holes formed in the shade sections. Cords passing through the aligned holes are utilized to control the raising and lowering of the shade and maintaining the folding configuration.
One problem with this construction is that short segments of cord are visible in each of the forward-facing pleats of the shade when the shade is in its lowered position. In some applications, the appearance of these cords is not aesthetically acceptable. A more serious problem is the holes in the shade sections which pass bright light rays during the day and which permit room light to be seen and reduce privacy at night. Another problem with having cord holes is that they reduce the insulating effect of the shade. Further, while the standard pleated shades, particularly ones having a metalized layer, provide some level of insulation, they are of only limited value as a vapor barrier.
Another limitation with existing pleated shades is that it is virtually impossible to repair a portion of a large shade which is defective or has become damaged by splicing in a replacement section, a capability which is desirable in large shades, and it is virtually impossible to splice together two sections of shade to achieve a shade of a desired length, forcing shades to be cut to custom lengths, or to achieve a desired aesthetic effect.
An ability to easily and inexpensively splice shades would also reduce production costs by permitting flaws to be cut from pieces of material and the cut ends spliced, thereby minimizing material wastage. Finally, it is now difficult to fit a shade to an opening which is wider than standard bolt widths. By pleating along the length of the bolt, a shade of any desired width could be fabricated, with the desired length achieved by splicing.
While some of the problems discussed above are overcome by existing honeycomb shades which are formed by securing together cylinders of the desired material which have opposed creases preformed therein, these shades are relatively complicated and expensive to manufacture and are not adapted to the requirements of certain applications.
Current manufacturing techniques utilize a rotating, rectangular rack around which the cylinders are wound. The base is elongated with respect to its width and of a standard length, such that when the material is stacked about the long sides of the base, lengths of completed material are formed. The material wrapped about short sides of the base is then cut off. This creates significant wastage and also limits the amount of material which can be assembled at a given time on a given base. It also imparts a slight difference in length between each side of the cylinder. This is unacceptable in a one sided product.
Another approach to providing a pleated shade without cord holes and without visible cords is to in some manner provide a tab extending behind each rear pleat with the cord holes being formed in such tabs. This construction, however, results in the cords being positioned behind the center of gravity of the shade. This and other factors result in such shades experiencing a phenomenon known as "pleat reversal" wherein one or more front or nose pleats open and move toward the cord while the rear projected tabs become almost parallel to the cords. This phenomenon can occur whenever, as a result of various forces exerted on the shade and tabs, certain tabs are caused to assume an angle of approximately 45.degree. or greater to the horizontal. Substantial difficulties have been experienced in designing relatively small pleated shades, for example shades having approximately a one inch pleat which do not experience this pleat reversal phenomenon.

Shade and method for the manufacture thereof


Coffee capsule for coupling with multiple group heads has a flange whose proximal end meets a bottom end of the side wall. A raised plateau adjacent a bottom end of the side wall may receive pressure from and form a fluid-tight seal against the group head together with the side wall. A proximal lip more radially distal than the first plateau higher than the first plateau may protrude from the top surface of the flange. The side wall may have a narrowed top section to avoid protrusions from the group head. A curved top may have a circumferential strip of reduced thickness for water inlet formation. A second plateau along the top surface of the flange more radially distal than the proximal lip may form a fluid-tight seal against a different group head. The capsule may be made of polypropylene copolymer TR-50 and preferably about 80% TR-50 to facilitate sealing.

The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods for capsules used in coffee-making making machines and, more particularly to such capsules for espresso designed for optimal extraction rate and usable in a diverse variety of group heads.
In the process of coffee preparation using a coffee-making machine, one step in the process is utilization of a capsule containing coffee granules. The coffee granules in the capsule are subjected to a flow of heated water. As the water flows through the capsule, it is hoped that the water is evenly distributed throughout the capsule. Furthermore, according to coffee baristas, there is an optimal extraction rate for espresso. Achieving the ideal extraction rate is an art. It has been found to be in the ballpark of 0.20, which means about a 20% solubility rate of the solute, namely the granules, in the solvent, namely the water.
There are two ways to make espresso. The first is to use a professional barista who, like a bartender, artfully mixes the ingredients over a relatively long amount of time to create the ideal espresso using a professional espresso-making machine. This is an art. The second way is to use an espresso-making machine that utilizes a coffee capsule. The advantage of making the espresso with a coffee capsule is that it is easier, cleaner and more standardized. The cost of the barista is also saved. The drawbacks include the fact that this method does not achieve as high a quality of espresso, whether measured by taste, flow or other subjective criteria. This outcome may be because when using the coffee capsule to make the espresso, the hot water is applied to the coffee granules for a very short time, as compared to the much longer period of exposure time when the professional barista makes espresso. Furthermore, the artistry and professional skill and experience of the barista is not available when using a coffee capsule.
A further technical problem with making espresso using a coffee capsule is ensuring that the coffee capsule that fits into the group head does not leak water and that the capsule does not get stuck in the group head. If the capsule does leak water, less coffee comes out of the brewing process and into the espresso. Furthermore, control is then lost over the exact percentage of water that should be present as an ingredient of the espresso and the optimal extraction rate cannot be achieved.
A further problem of making espresso using a coffee capsule is that a large manufacturer of coffee-making machines for espresso may have multiple types of group heads for their espresso making machines. For example, Societe Des Produits Nestle S.A. has several different group heads each having different structural characteristics and/or dimensions. Certain large manufacturers of coffee making machines deliberately make it difficult for coffee capsules not made by or for that manufacturer to be usable, for example so as to seal effectively, in the group heads of their machines. Furthermore, these manufacturers may it exceedingly difficult to create a coffee capsule that works in more than one of their group heads, and certainly not in all of them. This makes it impossible for a coffee capsule usable in one type of group head for one espresso making machine to be also usable in the group head of the other machines. Having to create separate coffee capsules for separate group heads significantly increases the manufacturer costs of espresso making.
Another technical problem is that the blades of the group head puncture the top of the coffee capsule. If the top of the coffee capsule is too soft, the puncture will not be easy and simple whereas if the coffee capsule is made from material that is too hard, it will be that much more difficult to achieve an effective seal against water leakage.
There is therefore a compelling need to have a method and/or apparatus for making espresso utilizing a coffee capsule (and hence enjoying all the advantages associated with the use of coffee capsules such as those mentioned above) without suffering from the drawbacks associated with making espresso using coffee capsules, such as the above-mentioned drawbacks and to thereby create espresso of the quality produced by professional baristas.

Optimal extraction rate coffee capsule with effective seal for diverse group heads


The invention relates to an article security label adapted for repeated activation and deactivation using a semiconductor memory element. This label is also deactivatable with the existing deactivator technology. Also, the label can be provided with more than one memory element which can be written and read out again by a read/write device, so that this article security label can fulfil a secondary function as a data carrier.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a deactivatable article security label in which the deactivation function is combined with an electronic data storage function.
2. Description of the Related Art
Deactivatable article security labels are known. Such a label is described, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,573 to Hashimoto. It consists of a metal coil, printed (etched) on a plastic foil, and two capacitor plates on opposite sides of this foil, connected with the two ends of the coil. The coil and the thus formed capacitor constitute a resonance circuit. When the label moves through a magnetic alternating field, for instance between the pillars of a shoplifting detection system arranged at the exit of a shop, the label, if the frequency of that alternating field coincides with the resonance frequency of the label, will return a signal as a result of the resonance effect.
In the capacitor part a weakening is provided where, at a relatively low voltage between the capacitor plates, flash-over occurs between these plates. This gives rise to a permanent short-circuit, so that the label in question exhibits no electric resonance anymore, no longer returns a signal in the magnetic alternating field, and has thus been deactivated.
This category of labels has already been in use for quite some time now. In principle, the shop is the place where the label is affixed to the article to be protected. When the product is being checked out, the label is deactivated so that the passage of the buyer with the product in question through the exit of the shop does not cause an alarm to go off.
Some problems arising with this category of labels are:
1. some labels do not allow of deactivation, so that these labels have to be removed by hand; PA1 2. after deactivation, some labels become active again because the short-circuit between the capacitor plates disappears spontaneously as a result of the handling and deformation of the label; PA1 3. they are not reactivatable. PA1 either the label coming from the factory must be in the non-active state and may only be activated in the shop where a shoplifting system is present; PA1 or all shopkeepers should have a deactivation device available.
There is a development going on in the market whereby the labels are affixed by the manufacturer of the products to be protected, called `source-tagging`. This saves handling costs at the retailer's. A problem involved is that not all retailers who sell the product in question utilize a shoplifting detection system. Those who do not have one, then also do not have the possibility of deactivating a label present on the product when the product is being checked out. As a consequence, products with active labels end up on the street. This can lead to a situation where persons unknowingly carry with them a product with an active label in it. If this person enters a shop which does have a shoplifting detection system, an alarm goes off at that instant. This is in fact a false alarm which cannot be distinguished from an alarm caused by a real shoplifter, and thus gives rise to a most embarrassing situation for the person in question and for the shopkeeper.
As for source-tagging, whereby a label is integrated into the product or into the package thereof, the above means that:
The conclusion is therefore that there is a need for a label that can be activated as well as deactivated with a high degree of reliability.

Deactivatable article security label with data carrier function

N.V. Nederlandsche Apparatenfabriek NEDAP


The problems of latency, flow control and data loss, and data movement within a client system memory are solved in a distributed multimedia system so as to enable real-time transmission of broadcast quality media data over the network. Latency is reduced by an estimation by the server of client needs. Data loss is prevented and flow control is provided by permitting the server to send only as much information as the network interface can reliably receive. Data movement is minimized by copying data directly from the network interface to memory in a display processor or audio processor.

A variety of kinds of digital multimedia computer systems are now available. Multimedia systems typically use digital audio and digital image data, especially digital video. It should be understood that in this context, digital video means a sequence of two-dimensional digital still images without synchronization or other timing information typically associated with a video signal such as a television signal. These systems generally fall into one ore more of three broad categories: capture, authoring, and playback.
Capture involves generating digital media from typically analog media. For example, video signals on a video tape or on film are converted into a sequence of two-dimensional digital still images. These images are typically compressed using known compression systems so as to reduce storage requirements.
Authoring systems, such as the AVID/1 Media Composer, commercially available from Avid Technology, Inc. of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, allow a user to generate multimedia programs, for example by editing source material or by generating information like computerized graphics. Portions of the source material are called clips. For example, multiple takes of a scene in a film could be captured. An authoring system could be used to edit clips from these takes into an appropriate final version of the scene.
Playback systems are used to display a multimedia program to a viewer. The program typically is previously edited by an authoring system using previously captured material. The display medium may be, for example, broadcast television or conversion to video signals to create a video tape or video disk, a computer display, etc. Thus, playback generally involves retrieval and transmission of the digital media from storage to the display location according to the specified program and may involve conversion of the digital media to an analog form. Very often an authoring system includes a form of playback system.
In some industries, all three of these kinds of systems are used in day-to-day operations. For example, in a broadcast or cable television system, media is captured from satellite, cable or another source. A program is then edited from this material. For example, video and audio footage of news events from around the world may be transmitted via satellite and captured by a broadcast station, which then prepares a news program. The final news program is then played back for broadcast. As another example, in the film industry, media may be captured, and then played back by a director to determine whether any more takes of a given scene would be required. Authoring systems are also becoming more commonly used to facilitate the editing process of a film. After a digital version of the film is completed, this version is used to create a final film product.
In facilities where there may be many users of the same multimedia material, using multiple types of multimedia systems, a need has arisen to provide these capabilities in a distributed computing environment which allows real-time access to and viewing of multimedia information. Real-time access signifies data rates which support providing broadcast quality video at a client. That is, real-time access involves the ability to play, cut and paste, view a single frame and provide fast forward (or reverse) access to video information at a server. This also may signify an ability to recover from a worst-case disk access. Generally, data transfer rates of about five (5) megabytes per second (Mbps) are preferable. Real-time audio and video systems also require large amounts of data to be transferred. These transfer rates and amounts should be achieved without loss and with minimal latency.
To this day, no systems are commercially-available to handle adequately the data transfer requirements of such multimedia systems, particularly broadcast quality video. Because such distributed systems are not currently commercially-available, users and television stations or film studios or post-production facilities typically have to transport disks containing the multimedia information among different machines in order to perform the various capture, authoring, and playback activities, which is generally undesirable. Alternatively, all of these activities are performed on a single machine.
For other kinds of applications, there are several conventional methods for transferring large amounts of data between a server and a client in a distributed computer system over a network interconnection. In a first method, a server transmits the data, in bulk, directly to a client. Traditional distributed computing systems utilize a widespread industry practice of a disk server system coupled with an in-memory data cache to provide a mechanism that a client may use to read data. The file system of the underlying operating system performs larger than requested disk reads in an attempt to fill the cache with information that the system estimates the client will need next. One problem with this method is that the client has no control over selection of data, or timing of the transfer.
In a second method, the client periodically and unpredictably makes requests for data from the server. One problem with this method is that a delay (latency) is incurred while the server prepares the data for delivery, for example, by reading it from a local disk into system memory. This class of systems will not provide the minimum latency required by a media data pipeline operating in a variable consumption rate environment within a video and audio processing system.
Another problem with current systems is that they have not accounted for resource limitations along the path from the sender to the receiver. That is, when data, such as audio or video media data, is transmitted over a network, a flow control mechanism is required so that the sender does not transmit the data faster than the receiver can accept it. Otherwise, portions of the data packets may be lost in transmission even though the physical interconnect has not failed in any way. This packet loss is normally handled by retransmission, but the real-time requirements of multimedia playback, especially in a broadcast environment, preclude retransmission as a solution.
The Internet protocol, Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), is an example of current networking industry practice. TCP/IP is an example of the use of an end-to-end window extension technique. The receiver extends a window to the sender. The sender sends until this window is consumed. The window only refers to the amount of protocol data unit (PDU) buffer memory available to the application. Network interface level buffering is not considered. If the buffers in the network interface are overflowed or congested, PDUs will be lost. TCP/IP was designed to operate in the face of a PDU loss on the interconnect between the sender and the receiver. The use of timeouts and sequence number checking on each message allows the sender and receiver to determine that a PDU or acknowledge message has been lost or corrupted while moving across the network from such a loss. Transmission retry is used to recover. The overhead of the retry and timeouts reduces the possible data transfer rate below that needed to support processing broadcast quality video and audio information.
Another common problem in distributed systems is that the receiver typically experiences significant overhead in identifying a final destination in user-level memory into which data is to be copied from an intermediate system buffer and the network interface. This overhead reduces the possible data transfer rate to levels that make impossible the movement of broadcast quality video and audio media data at sufficient speed.

Apparatus and computer-implemented process for providing real-time multimedia data transport in a distributed computing system


The adjustable seat having a plurality of position adjusters, such as a backrest adjuster, a front vertical adjuster, a rear vertical adjuster, and a longitudinal-horizontal adjuster includes a common driving motor which is coupled to individual adjusters by means of a power distributing gear unit including a plurality of driving shafts supporting for free rotation meshing gears which are in permanent engagement with a driving pinion of the driving motor. Each of the driving shafts also supports for joint rotation axially movable coupling discs which are normally disengaged from the assigned gears. The gear unit includes a control unit assembled of a plurality of mechanical control devices, each including cam surfaces linked to the coupling discs and being conservatively activated by a sliding member driven by an additional adjustment motor. The sliding member also controls an indication circuit which indicates the individual operative position of respective driving shafts.

The present invention relates in general to adjustable seats and in particular to motor vehicles seats of the type and which include a seat frame adjustable in longitudinal direction and in vertical direction independently on the front part of the seat and on the rear part of the seat and also having reclinable backrest. Each of these adjusting movements is carried out by a separate adjuster and all adjusters being driven by a single driving motor via a power distributing device. The power distributing device is selectably oscillated by a plurality of couplings controlled by a control device.
Known are power distributing gears for seats of the aforedescribed type in which the control unit for the distributing gears is formed by a solenoid. Such solenoids have an annular configuration and are fixedly arranged in the housing of the distributing gear unit. Each of the solenoids cooperates with an assigned driving shaft of an adjuster in such a manner that when a current flows through the solenoid, the latter shifts a coupling disc which is axially displacable on the shaft but supported for joint resilator, into engagement with a gear supported for free rotation on the driving shaft. In other words, in prior art, power distributing gear units for driving shafts are arranged side by side in such a manner that at least two of the shafts are permanently in mesh with the pinion of the driving motor whereas the gears pertaining to the other driving shafts are in mesh with the first mentioned gears. Since all of the gears are supported for free rotation on respective driving shafts, the transmission of rotary movement takes place only via those driving shafts the solenoids of which are energized to couple the corresponding coupling discs with the opposite gear on the shaft. As soon as the solenoid is deenergized, a pressure spring arranged between the gear and the coupling disc disengages the latter and consequently the rotary movement from the gear is no longer transmitted to the driving shaft. The driving shaft can be connected to the assigned adjuster in the seat frame or in the backrest mount by means of flexible shafts for example. By switching on solenoids assigned to selected driving shafts, each of the adjusters can now be activated by a single driving motor and a separate drive for respective adjusters can now be dispensed with.
Such known electromagnetically controlled means for a power distributing gear unit are however, relatively expensive especially for the mass production as used in contemporary car industry. In addition, due to the heavy duty solenoids, the gear distributing unit has a very high weight. In addition, to install the solenoids in the housing of the unit, the installation room must be increased. In construction of motor vehicle seats however, the cost, weight, and installation space considerations are of substantial importance.

Adjustable seat particularly in motor vehicles