The weight transfer device is for a tractor trailer including a tractor for pulling a trailer. The device comprises a mount having opposite ends provided with attaching elements for attaching transversely the mount between a pair of rearward parallel frame side rails of the tractor behind its fifth wheel. The mount receives the base of a bag unit having an upper surface over the base at an adjustable distance therefrom, and an inflatable air bag between the base and the upper surface for adjusting the distance. A bearing structure is mounted on top of the upper surface for upwardly pushing against the trailer without significantly hindering its pivotal movement around the fifth wheel. The device further comprises a compact guiding mechanism for vertically guiding the upper surface of the bag unit while preventing the bag from drooping when the bearing structure is pushing against the trailer. The guiding mechanism consists of an elongated member having an end connected to the upper surface and an opposite end projecting downwards therefrom inside the bag, and an upright sleeve connected to the mount beneath the bag for slidably receiving the opposite end of the elongated member.

The invention relates to weight transfer devices for tractor trailer vehicles, and more particularly to a weight transfer device placed behind a tractor's fifth wheel for exerting an upward pressure against a trailer underside for forcing down the rear tandem drive wheels of the tractor so as to maintain or enhance their traction for example on uneven ground where the trailer tends to uplift the drive wheels of the tractor.

Compact weight transfer device for tractor trailer vehicles


A Y-Antenna which includes an elongate Y-shaped metal portion and a bottom plate of metal which is mounted beneath and substantially at right angles to the vertical shank of the Y-shaped metal portion and is galvanically connected to this shank. The Y-shaped metal structure includes two preferably parallel notches, quarter wave resonant on different frequencies and preferably open at one short end and which are electromagnetically coupled to one another. The two parallel notches are disposed in the V-shaped shanks of the Y and, in one preferred embodiment, have a common side which consists of the upper edge of the vertical portion of the Y. In one preferred embodiment, only one of the notches is directly fed with energy. The antenna gain and the bandwidth of the antenna can be increased with the aid of an extra metal screen in the form of a shank which is galvanically connected to the short-circuited short end of the directly fed V-shank, whereafter the extra shank is bent so that it covers approximately 70% of the upwardly directed longitudinal aperture of the V-shanks. A further increase of the bandwidth can be obtained in that upper edges of the shanks are provided with rectangular sheet flarings.

The present invention relates to a low, open notch antenna, designated a Y-antenna, preferably intended as a mobile telephone antenna for motor vehicles, or alternatively for portable pocket telephones or personal pagers. The antenna comprises a Y-shaped sheet structure with two open notches quarter wave resonant, at different frequencies, electromagnetically coupled to one another and fed preferably by means of one feed unit at a common feed point. The antenna further includes a rectangular base plate of metal symmetrically mounted beneath and at right angles to the vertical shank of the Y, and galvanically connected thereto.
In certain cases when the antenna is placed on a large sheet metal area as is the case in private cars, the base plate can be secured to the sheet metal of the car by means of a retentive double-adhesive tape via which the antenna will moreover be capacitatively coupled to the subjacent sheet metal of the vehicle. In other cases when the antenna is mounted on a portable table pocket telephone or a personal pager, the base plate is designed so that it is possible, by filter effect, to obtain if necessary a relatively large coupling impedance between the antenna and the apparatus chassis.
Antennas for motor vehicles normally consist of a quarter wave long monopole antenna or a colinear Franklin antenna normally approx. three quarter waves high and, as far as portable telephones are concerned, the quarter wave or half wave long antennae are the most generally prevalent. Antennas with an open slot, so-called notch antennas (FIG. 1) are known in the art and described by Cary and Johnson.
However, it should be observed that, for example, a notch antenna (FIG. 1) described by Cary and Johnson does not give an omnidirectional radiation pattern, but a pattern of the cardioid type in the yz plane, which signifies maximum radiation in the direction of the positive x axis and zero radiation in the opposite direction. In this case, the notch antenna consists of a notch in a large sheet metal, as is apparent from FIG. 1.
If the sheet is cut considerably so that the remaining sheet around the notch, for example the distance between notch and edge, is of the order of magnitude of between 3 and 4 hundredths of a wavelength of that frequency where the open notch has its quarter wave resonance, and if this considerably cut notch sheet is placed at right angles above, and ideally in contact with, an earth plane sheet, there will be obtained an as good as omnidirectional antenna or, in other words, there will be obtained that antenna which is shown in FIG. 2 and whose radiation properties also substantially correspond to a quarter wave high monopole antenna when this, in a corresponding manner, is placed above an earth plane. The height of the notch antenna can be limited to less than a tenth of a wavelength (0.10 lambda) which is to be compared with the height of a monopole antenna which, at resonance, is just beneath a quarter wavelength (0.25 lambda).
The above described version of the notch antenna, which corresponds to the antenna embodiment according to FIG. 2, is known in the art. For many applications where an antenna of slight extent in the vertical direction and good omnidirectional radiation properties is desired, the above-described version of the notch antenna offers a satisfactory solution to the antenna problem as far as these properties are concerned, but it is a solution which, in many cases, can nevertheless not come into question because of the unsatisfactory band width properties of the antenna design and construction.


The invention relates to a method which consists in launching one behind the other on two close orbits two satellites (S1, S2) each equipped with a high-resolution synthetic aperture radar observing the Earth under an angle of incidence of at least 40xc2x0, such that the radars observe independently of each other the same strip of terrain, with time interval not more than 10 seconds, preferably of not more than 4 seconds, and preferably not less than 2 seconds between their respective observations.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a satellite method and system that are simple, reliable, and effective in establishing a digital terrain model (DTM) of all or part of the globe at very high resolution.
2. Background of the Invention
The invention is based on using high resolution radar imaging which presents known advantages (all weather, absolute localization, . . . ) and the technique of interferometry which also presents well-known advantages (very high accuracy, ease of implementation) but which usually suffers from limitations that cannot be overcome: phase noise introduced by microwave propagation through the atmosphere and the ionosphere, loss of coherence on vegetation and on large items in relief.
The invention seeks to eliminate these limitations completely and make it possible to achieve horizontal and vertical resolution of smaller than 5 meters (m), e.g. 2 m horizontally and 0.5 m vertically, or even smaller.
These high resolutions, combined with absolute localization, open the way to advantageous applications in world map-making and in topography.
Satellite systems have already been proposed to use radar interferometry to establish a digital terrain model of all or part of the globe, such a system being constituted by two satellites flying in formation on two close orbits and provided with respective synthetic aperture radars, as described for example in the article xe2x80x9cInterfxc3xa9romxc3xa9trie Radar: Principe, Applications et Limitationsxe2x80x9d [Radar interferometry: principles, applications, and limitations] by Frxc3xa9dxc3xa9ric Adragna (December 1977), and in the article xe2x80x9cMapping the world""s topography using radar interferometry: the Topsar missionxe2x80x9d by Howard A. Zebker et al., (IEEE Proceedings, Vol. 82, No. 12, December 1994).
The present invention seeks to define a satellite method and system using two satellites flying in formation, but not requiring any synchronization between the radar signals of the two satellites.
According to the invention, this is achieved by providing each satellite with a high resolution synthetic aperture radar, and causing the two satellites to orbit one behind the other so that their radars observe the same strip of ground independently of each other at an incidence of at least 40xc2x0, with a time interval between their respective observations of not more than 10 seconds, preferably of not more than 4 seconds and not less than 2 seconds.
The bottom limit of said time interval depends on the wavelength and the resolution of the radars.
Since the earth rotates during said time interval, there exists an (adjustable) lateral orbital offset.
This offset creates a small stereo effect which makes it possible to obtain the relief of the earth using the technique of interferometry.
The two satellites can advantageously include respective radar transceivers.
The two radars are preferably identical.
The angle of incidence of the observation is preferably set to an angle in the range 40xc2x0 to 60xc2x0.
In a typical implementation, each imaging radar (on board a Proteus type platform) is simplified as much as possible: only one angle of incidence, an antenna which is fixed and passive and therefore light in weight (5 mxc3x971 m, 50 kilograms (kg)), a single mode of operation, a simple form of sampling (BAQ2 coding: 2xc3x972 bits per pixel), low power, but high resolution (2 m).
It is necessary to have good on-board memory capacity and an accurate navigation system (possibly self-contained), capable of monitoring orbital position (required accuracy: 50 m), and for fine playback of the orbit (necessary for absolute localization of the product).
The system is effective because the usual limitations of interferometry are eliminated:
the changes that normally take place on the ground are non-existent, except probably in the event of very heavy rain and windy days over a forest (which can be detected by loss of coherence);
the refractive index of the atmosphere does not vary during this very short time period, except under exceptional weather conditions (probability of less than 10 minutes per year); and
the high resolution (wide passband) combined with the high angle of incidence makes it possible to avoid problems of loss of coherence on mountainous zones (slopes).
The ambiguity altitude will depend on the spacing selected between the orbits, and can easily be modified over the lifetime of the system, as a function of requirements in terms of altitude measurement accuracy.
The invention presents advantages that are very great because:
very coherent interferograms of high resolution are obtained that can be converted automatically into elevation;
using acquisition in up orbits and in down orbits makes it possible to locate the final product absolutely in three dimensions without using external reference points (no operators).
Finally, the xe2x80x9ccoherencexe2x80x9d of the interferogram serves to characterize the type of ground being observed (and to detect zones in which interferometric measurement is not reliable):
coherence =0: sea, lake, river (detecting coast lines, . . . );
coherence low: violent wind or various kinds of problem (DTM not reliable: invalidated);
coherence medium: (back-scattering in bulk) forests, . . . ;
coherence good: low density vegetation cover, cities, . . . ;
coherence =100%: bare earth or close-cropped vegetation.
In addition to the conventional strong points of radar interferometry (algorithmically easy to implement, measurement reliability, absolute localization without external reference points, etc. . . . ), the system of the invention presents the following advantages:
The high resolution makes it possible to measure the heights of buildings or isolated trees. If the ambiguity altitude is well chosen (80 m-100 m), there is no need to scroll through fringes.
3D measurements in urban environments would appear to be possible in spite of multiple reflections and geometrical folding.
It suffices to perform acquisition in xe2x80x9cspotlightxe2x80x9d mode (by rocking the platform backwards and forwards) to be in exactly the same configuration as the American airborne IFSARE system having resolution of 2xc3x970.7 m.
The advantage over conventional stereo is that there is no geometrical deformation between the two images.
Pixels can be put immediately into correspondence and altitude is given by phase information only.
Finally, by filtering the interferogram, it is possible to distinguish vertical portions from horizontal portions.

Satellite method for using radar interferometry to establish a digital terrain model


In an example, a method includes, in initialising an operations support system providing a common access point to a plurality of data services, accessing a list of modules, each module relating to at least one of the plurality of data services to be accessed via the common access point. A list of at least one processed modules data file may also be accessed, wherein each processed modules data file comprises bundled modules. The processed modules data files may be requested and a first module from the list of modules which is not part of a processed modules data file may be identified. At least one processed modules data file and the first module may be loaded to provide the operations support system.

In some examples, an interface (e.g. a web interface) may provide a user interface for a plurality of services, which may comprise data services. For example, a Graphical User Interface (GUI) may be provided to assist a user in accessing services provided by an operations support system, for example comprising content management systems.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP


A fitting arrangement for a folding bed, preferably a wall folding bed, includes a first fitting part on the corpus or body of the bed; a second fitting part on the folding bed, supported pivotally on the first fitting part; and a first holder on the corpus of the bed and a second holder on the folding bed to hold devices, especially spring devices, which exert force on the folding bed to push it into its up position. The first holder is provided on the first fitting part and the second holder is provided on the second fitting part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fitting arrangement for a folding bed, preferably a wall folding bed, with a first fitting part on the corpus or body of the bed; a second fitting part on the folding bed, supported pivotally on the first fitting part; and with a first holder on the corpus of the bed and a second holder on the folding bed to hold devices, especially spring devices, which exert force on the folding bed to push it into its up position.
2. Description of the Related Art
In beds which can be folded such as wall folding beds or Murphy beds, the folding bed can be pivoted between its folded-up position and its folded-down position within both sides of a bed frame. To make it easier to fold the bed up, a pneumatic spring on each side acts between the bed and the bed corpus; when the bed is folded down, the spring is tensioned, and thus the amount of force required to fold the bed up is reduced.
In known fitting arrangements, fitting parts for supporting the bed and separate holders for the pneumatic springs are provided on the bed corpus and on the bed. Because the pneumatic spring acts not only between the bed and the corpus but also between the fitting parts and the holders on the bed and the corpus, the bed and the corpus, which are usually made of wood, must be made with sufficient mass to absorb the forces of the pneumatic spring. To ensure the optimum function of the pneumatic spring, the holders should be attached only to specific points on the bed and corpus.


Improved methods for the identification of transgenic plants containing NPTII protein are disclosed. Application of organosilicone surfactant in combination with kanamycin and/or paromomycin facilitates the identification of plants containing NPTII protein.

The invention relates in general to methods for detecting the presence of a selectable marker in a plant. In particular, a simple and efficient method for detecting the presence of the neomycin phosphotransferase II protein in plants is disclosed.
In the production of transgenic plants, a gene encoding a selectable marker that confers resistance to a selective agent is often included in the transformation vector to provide a means for distinguishing plant tissue that has been transformed from that which has not. The selection is typically made by growing the transformed tissue in an environment containing the selective agent and only those tissues expressing the selectable marker gene product are able to survive.
Neomycin phosphotransferase II (NPTII) is a protein of bacterial origin that confers resistance to a number of selective agents, such as kanamycin, paromomycin and genenticin, and when genetically engineered to be expressed in plant tissues, has been used as a selectable marker. Although the use of NPTII as a selectable marker to select for transformed plant tissue in the early stages of producing a transgenic plant has become routine, no efficient method for identifying NPTII-containing plants in the field has been disclosed. Typical methods involve laboratory analysis of harvested tissue from potential transgenic plants through methods including Southern blotting, immunoassays, and enzyme activity assays. These laboratory analyses are labor-intensive and time-consuming endeavors, particularly when large numbers of plants must be tested.
One method for identifying NPTII-containing transgenic tomato plants in the field has been reported. Weide et al. (Theor. Appl. Genet. 78:169-172, 1989) disclosed that young (three-leaf stage) transgenic tomato plants could be phenotypically distinguished from nontransgenic counterparts by spraying the plants with a solution containing kanamycin. In the Weide et al. process, trays of seedlings were sprayed with a kanamycin solution that did not include a surfactant over a three-day period, with a total application of 0.5-2.0 mg kanamycin per plant. Transgenic plants containing the NPTII protein were distinguished from non-transgenic plants in that transgenic plants did not develop bleached spots on the treated tissue within 7 days of treatment. NPTII activity in the putative transgenic plants was subsequently confirmed by a radiolabel transfer assay. This approach is disadvantageous in at least one respect in that it necessitated the use of large amounts of selective agent and a lengthy period of incubation before results were obtained and has not been shown to be an effective method for any plant other than tomato.
Thus, there exists a need for a rapid and more efficient method by which transgenic plants comprising a selectable marker may consistently be identified in the field.
This invention relates to an improved method for identifying plants expressing a selectable marker gene product, such as NPTII, and growing in the absence of a selective agent. More specifically, in one embodiment of the invention there is provided a method for detecting the presence of a selectable marker in a plant comprising contacting a composition comprising a selective agent and an effective amount of an organosilicone surfactant with putative transgenic plants, assessing the physical appearance of the plants for evidence of necrosis and/or bleaching of the treated plant tissue, and assigning the status of transgenic or non-transgenic to such plants based on the physical appearance of such plant tissue. A plant with little or no necrosis or bleaching evidences the presence of a selectable marker gene product in the plant and is determined to be a transgenic plant.
In a further embodiment of the present invention there is provided a method for detecting the presence of a selectable marker in a plant comprising contacting an effective amount of a selective agent with putative transgenic plant tissue and separately contacting an effective amount of an organosilicone surfactant with said putative transgenic plant tissue, assessing the physical appearance of the treated plant tissue for evidence of necrosis and/or bleaching of the treated plant tissue, and assigning the status of transgenic or non-transgenic to such plants based on the physical appearance of such plant tissue.
Among the many objects and advantages of the present invention include the provision of a method that utilizes a significantly reduced amount of the selective agent in the method as a result of the use of an organosilicone surfactant in cooperation with the selective agent; and the provision of a rapid, non-destructive method that may be utilized in field conditions on growing plants.
It has been discovered that existing methods for detecting the presence of a selectable marker gene product in a transgenic plant growing in a non-selective environment may be improved by applying an organosilicone surfactant to the plant in addition to the selective agent or by utilizing a composition comprising a selective agent with an effective amount of an organosilicone surfactant. In accordance with the invention, significantly reduced amounts of the selective agent may be used as compared to other methods. In general, subsequent to treating the putative transgenic plant tissue with the selective agent and organosilicone surfactant (whether together or separately), the physical appearance of the treated tissue is assessed to determine is whether the treated tissue contains a selectable marker gene product or not. Treated plants that contain the selectable marker gene product will exhibit one of two phenotypes:
1) no bleaching or necrosis of the treated plant tissue; or
2) reduced bleaching or necrosis relative to that seen in a similarly treated nontransgenic plant of the same genetic background. Transgenic plants are thereby distinguished from plants that have undergone the same selective agent/organosilicone treatment and do not contain the selectable marker gene product, which display relatively more bleaching and/or necrosis of the treated plant tissue.
The nucleic acid sequence serving as the source of the selectable marker gene product functions to produce a phenotype in cells that facilitates their identification relative to cells not containing the marker. Characteristics of useful selectable markers for plants, both dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous, have been outlined in a report on the use of microorganisms (Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes, July 1994). These characteristics include stringent selection with minimal contaminating nontransformed tissue, high numbers of independent transformation events without interference in subsequent regenerative steps, application to a large number of species, and availability of an assay to detect the marker. Several antibiotic and herbicide resistance markers satisfy these criteria (Dekeyser et al., Plant Physiol., 90: 217-223, 1989; Della-Cioppa et al., Bio/Technology, 5:579-584, 1987). For example, NPTII confers resistance to kanamycin, paromomycin and GENENTICIN; aph IV confers resistance to hygromycin B; aac3 and aacC4 confer resistance to gentamycin; the pat and bar genes confer resistance to phosphinothricin; and the enolpyruvylshikimate-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) and glyphosate oxidoreductase (GOX) genes confer resistance to glyphosate. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the selectable marker confers resistance to an antibiotic and, more preferably, the selectable marker is NPTII.
The detection method of this invention may be utilized with any species compatible with transformation with a nucleic acid sequence of interest and subsequent regeneration to form a transgenic plant. The plant may be a monocotyledonous or dicotyledonous plant. More preferably, it will be monocotyledonous of the Gramineae (Poaceae) family or dicotyledonous of the Leguminosae family. Most preferably, it will be a corn (Zea mays), wheat (Triticum), cotton (Gossypium), or soybean (Glycine max) plant.
The plant may be an Acacia, alfalfa, aneth, apple, apricot, artichoke, arugula, asparagus, avocado, banana, barley, beans, beet, blackberry, blueberry, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, canola, cantaloupe, carrot, cassaya, cauliflower, celery, cherry, chicory, cilantro, citrus, clementines, coffee, cucumber, Douglas fir, eggplant, endive, escarole, eucalyptus, fennel, figs, garlic, gourd, grape, grapefruit, honey dew, jicama, kiwifruit, lettuce, leeks, lemon, lime, Loblolly pine, mango, melon, mushroom, nectarine, nut, oat, oil palm, oil seed rape, okra, onion, orange, an ornamental plant, papaya, parsley, pea, peach, peanut, pear, pepper, persimmon, pine, pineapple, plantain, plum, pomegranate, poplar, potato, pumpkin, quince, radiata pine, radicchio, radish, raspberry, rice, rye, sorghum, Southern pine, spinach, squash, strawberry, sugarbeet, sugarcane, sunflower, sweet potato, sweetgum, tangerine, tea, tobacco, tomato, triticale, turf, turnip, a vine, watermelon, yams, or zucchini.
A selective agent corresponding to the selectable marker gene product may be contacted with leaves of plants suspected of comprising the selectable marker. For example, expression of NPTII protein in plants confers resistance to a variety of selective agents, including kanamycin, paromomycin, ribostamycin, butirosin, geneticin, and combinations thereof. The selective agent may be any compound toxic to plants, wherein the selectable marker gene product reduces or eliminates the toxicity. The selective agent is preferably used in a quantity sufficient to make it possible to distinguish between plants comprising the selectable marker gene product and plants lacking the selectable marker gene product without causing indiscriminate toxicity.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention where NPTII is the selectable marker gene product, kanamycin is preferably used as the selective agent. Kanamycin is preferably applied to the plant in solution but may alternatively be applied in a solid or powdered form. In an alternate embodiment of the invention, paromomycin is preferably used as the selective agent corresponding to NPTII as the selectable marker. Paromomycin is preferably applied to the plant in solution but may alternatively be applied in a solid or powdered form. In a further embodiment of the invention, a combination of kanamycin and paromomycin is preferably used as the selective agent corresponding to NPTII as the selectable marker. Kanamycin and paromomycin are preferably applied to the plant in solution but may alternatively be applied in a solid or powdered form.
An organosilicone surfactant may further be contacted with the plant. Use of such a surfactant enhances the uptake of the selective agent, thereby reducing the total quantity of selective agent necessary for the assay and providing greater consistency of results. Any organosilicone surfactant compatible with the method of the instant invention may be used. The concentration of surfactant used may generally be any concentration suitable and effective to elicit a biological response in the treated plant when applied with a selective agent.
More preferably, a trisiloxane organosilicone surfactant may be used, and most preferably, the trisiloxane organosilicone surfactant SILWET-L77 (SILWET-L-77 is a registered trademark of OSi Specialties, Tarrytown, N.Y.) is used. SILWET L-77 is a nonionic silicone-based spray surfactant concentrate used in conjunction with a number of agricultural chemicals. SILWET L-77 is preferably used at concentrations of about 0.001% (v/v) to about 1.0% (v/v) in solution. More preferably, it is used at concentrations of about 0.01% (v/v) to about 0.08% (v/v) in solution, and most preferably, it is used at a concentration of about 0.04% (v/v) to about 0.07% (v/v) in solution.
Alternatively, other organosilicone surfactants may be used, including SILWET 408, SILWET Y-12808, SILWET L-7607, SILWET L-7602, SILWET L-7210, SILWET L-7002, SILWET L-720, and SILWET L-7200, all of which are registered trademarks of OSi Specialties, Tarrytown, N.Y. The organosilicone surfactants have the structure (CH3)3SiOxe2x80x94[(CH3)SiC3H6(CH2CH2O)y(CH2CH2CH2O)zR]xxe2x80x94OSi(CH3)3, where:
The selective agent and organosilicone solutions described above may be contacted with the plant sequentially in any order, or the selective agent may be combined in solution with the organosilicone surfactant prior to contacting them with the plant to be tested.
The concentration of surfactant and the ratio of surfactant to antibiotic may be varied depending on plant size, plant condition, humidity, temperature, and other environmental conditions. Routine experiments may be performed to optimize the effective concentrations of surfactant and antibiotic necessary for a given plant""s situation.
In particular, the stage of growth of the plant to be tested may be taken into consideration when applying the selective agent/organosilicone surfactant solutions (whether sequentially or as a combination). For example, corn development is divided into two major subdivisions; vegetative stages and reproductive stages. The vegetative stages are defined as V1 through V(n), where (n) represents the last leaf stage before tasseling occurs. The value of (n) may vary depending on hybrid and environmental differences. Each leaf stage is defined according to the uppermost leaf whose leaf collar is visible (i.e., V1=first leaf collar visible, V2=second leaf collar visible, etc.). Tested corn plants are preferably in a vegetative stage, and more preferably in V1, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, or V8. Most preferably, tested corn plants are in vegetative stage V1, V2, V3, V4, V5, or V6. Testing is done at an early stage for convenience not because the efficiency of the test is reduced. Soybean development is measured by the number of trifoliate leaves. The youngest (topmost) leaves appear to be the most sensitive to the selection agents and are therefore the preferred plant tissue to be tested in the assay.
Where the plant to be tested is a V1 or V2 corn plant, preferably about 0.0025 mg kanamycin to about 0.0125 mg kanamycin is contacted with the plant. Most preferably, about 0.01 mg kanamycin is contacted with the plant. Where the plant to be tested is a V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, or V8 corn plant, preferably about 0.005 mg kanamycin to about 0.025 mg kanamycin is contacted with the plant. Most preferably, about 0.02 mg kanamycin is contacted with the V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, or V8 corn plant. With respect to the use of paromomycin as the selective agent, where the plant to be tested is a V1 or V2 corn plant, preferably about 0.0025 mg paromomycin to about 0.0125 mg paromomycin is contacted with the plant. Most preferably, about 0.01 mg paromomycin is contacted with the V1 or V2 plant. Where the plant to be tested is a V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, or V8 corn plant, preferably about 0.005 mg paromomycin to about 0.025 mg paromomycin is contacted with the plant. Most preferably, about 0.02 mg paromomycin is contacted with the V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, or V8 plant.
When a combination of kanamycin and paromomycin is used as the selective agent and where the plant to be tested is a V1 or V2 corn plant, preferably about 0.0025 mg kanamycin to about 0.0125 mg kanamycin and 0.0025 mg paromomycin to about 0.0125 mg paromomycin are contacted with the plant. Most preferably, about 0.01 mg kanamycin and 0.01 mg paromomycin are contacted with the V1 or V2 plant. Where the plant to be tested is a V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, or V8 corn plant, preferably about 0.005 mg kanamycin to about 0.025 mg kanamycin and about 0.005 mg paromomycin to about 0.025 mg paromomycin are contacted with the plant. Most preferably, about 0.02 mg kanamycin and 0.02 mg paromomycin are contacted with the V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, or V8 corn plant.
It will be recognized that the actual concentration of the solution comprising the selective agents to be contacted with the plants in the quantities described above may be varied. Nevertheless, it is important to note that minimizing the total quantity of solution applied to the plant may improve assay sensitivity, as smaller quantities of solution are less likely to run off the plant. Therefore, the use of more concentrated solutions of selective agent is preferred. In the specific examples presented below, the selective agents are used at a concentration of 1000 mg/L in solution.
The selective agent and organosilicone surfactant may preferably be contacted with the whorl of the plant. Alternatively, they may be contacted with individual leaves, stems, or other appropriate surfaces of the plant. Most preferably, small volumes of selective agent and surfactant are contacted with the whorl of a V1, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, or V8 corn plant, from which any standing water has preferably been removed. Alternative application methods include the use of a pipetter to pipet solutions of selective agent and surfactant into the whorl, painting of leaves with solutions of selective agent and surfactant, and attachment of cotton balls soaked in solutions of selective agent and surfactant to the whorl for a period of several days. Sprays could be used, but they are environmentally less desirable. Most preferably, a pipetter will be used to pipet solutions into the whorl. For soybean and other plants without a whorl, the solution is preferably applied to the leaf.
The appearance of the treated plants is assessed following treatment. This assessment is preferably performed from three to seven days after treatment, and most preferably after five days. Treated plants lacking the selectable marker gene product display marked bleaching or necrosis, whereas plants comprising the selectable marker gene product display either reduced or no bleaching and necrosis relative to what is seen in the plants lacking the selectable marker gene product. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention where the selectable marker gene product confers resistance to an antibiotic, treatment of nontransgenic plants with a solution comprising the antibiotic may result in bleaching and/or necrosis. In particular, where the selectable marker gene product is NPTII, treatment of nontransgenic plants with kanamycin may result in bleaching, whereas treatment of nontransgenic plants with a solution comprising paromomycin may result in necrosis. The quantity of selective agent used and the quantity of selectable marker gene product in the transgenic plant may influence the appearance of the plant following treatment with surfactant and selective agent. As a consequence, appropriate selective agent and surfactant titration controls must be performed with each transgenic line of the plant to be tested and its nontransgenic counterpart.
The underlying concept and method of the instant invention may be further applied to the identification of transgenic plants that comprise other selectable markers. In these cases, a suitable quantity of the corresponding selective agent and organosilicone surfactant may be contacted with an appropriate surface of the plant by one of the methods detailed above or by other means known to those of skill in the art, and the results may be similarly assessed. A modification of the disclosed method could reasonably be expected to work for many plants that may be transformed to comprise a selectable marker.
Specific methods for transforming a wide variety of plants and obtaining transgenic plants are well documented in the literature (e.g., Gasser and Fraley, Science 244:1293, 1989; Fisk and Dandekar, Scientia Horticulturae 55: 5, 1993; Christou, Agro Food Industry Hi Tech, p.17, 1994; and the references cited therein). Any vector compatible with expression of a nucleic acid sequence comprising the selectable marker gene product in plants may be used in the generation of potentially transgenic plants to be tested by the method of the instant invention. The nucleic acid sequence may further comprise a gene of interest. The method of the instant invention may therefore be used in the indirect identification of plants comprising a gene of interest in addition to a nucleic acid sequence comprising the selectable marker gene product. Methods by which appropriate vectors may be constructed and used in the transformation of regenerable cell cultures, and by which such transformed cell cultures may be regenerated to form transgenic plants, are well known to those of skill in the art.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, vectors may contain any NPTII-encoding sequences. NPTII proteins may include NPTII fusion proteins (for example, an NPTII/GUS fusion protein). The NPTII-encoding sequence may have altered codon usage to optimize translation in the plant. The codon usage may be modified to reflect monocotyledonous or dicotyledonous codon usage. For example, corn codon usage may be used for NPTII-encoding sequences to be used in transgenic corn.
In accordance with the present invention, one may transform any dicotyledonous or monocotyledonous plant with NPTII, with one of the other suggested selectable markers, or with any other selectable marker known to those of skill in the art, and subsequently use the method of the instant invention in the identification of successfully transformed plants.
The invention further encompasses kits to aid in the detection of transgenic plants containing a selectable marker gene product such as an antibiotic and more particularly an NPTII protein. The kits may comprise a first vessel containing an organosilicone surfactant; and a second vessel containing one or more selective agents to which the selectable marker gene product confers resistance in plants. Alternatively, the kit may comprise a vessel containing an organosilicone surfactant, and one or more selective agents to which the selectable marker gene product protein confers resistance in plants. The organosilicone surfactant may be any surfactant compatible with the selective agent, and preferably is SILWET L-77, SILWET 408, SILWET Y-12808, SILWET L-7607, SILWET L-7602, SILWET L-7210, SILWET L-7002, SILWET L-720, or SILWET L-7200.
The following definitions are provided in order to aid those skilled in the art in understanding the detailed description of the present invention.
xe2x80x9cBleachingxe2x80x9d refers to faded or absent leaf coloration, in spots or over the leaf surface.
xe2x80x9cExpressionxe2x80x9d refers to the transcription of a gene to produce the corresponding mRNA and translation of this mRNA to produce the corresponding gene product, i.e., a peptide, polypeptide, or protein.
xe2x80x9cGenexe2x80x9d refers to chromosomal DNA, plasmid DNA, cDNA, synthetic DNA, or other DNA that encodes a peptide, polypeptide, protein, or RNA molecule, and regions flanking the coding sequence involved in the regulation of its expression.
xe2x80x9cLeaf collarxe2x80x9d refers to the yellow flared band appearing at the point where the upper part of the leaf is attached to the sheath (lower part of the leaf surrounding the stem).
xe2x80x9cNecrosisxe2x80x9d refers to localized death within living tissue.
xe2x80x9cNPTIIxe2x80x9d refers to a protein capable of conferring resistance to kanamycin, paromomycin, ribostamycin, butirosin, genenticin, or a combination thereof.
xe2x80x9cSelectable markerxe2x80x9d refers to a nucleic acid sequence whose expression confers a phenotype facilitating identification of cells containing the nucleic acid sequence. Selectable markers include those that confer resistance to toxic chemicals (e.g., ampicillin resistance, kanamycin resistance), complement a nutritional deficiency (e.g., uracil, histidine, leucine), or impart a visually distinguishing characteristic (e.g., color changes or fluorescence).
xe2x80x9cSelective agentxe2x80x9d refers to a substance toxic upon exposure to cells or organisms lacking a resistance mechanism.
xe2x80x9cSILWET L-77xe2x80x9d refers to the organosilicone surfactant having the structure (CH3)3SiOxe2x80x94[(CH3)RSi]xxe2x80x94OSi(CH3)3, where x=1 and R=xe2x80x94C3H6Oxe2x80x94(C2H4O)8xe2x80x94CH3.
xe2x80x9cSurfactantxe2x80x9d refers to a surface-active agent, i.e., one which lowers surface tension at the plane of contact between phases.
xe2x80x9cTransgenexe2x80x9d refers to a nucleic acid coding sequence of interest and regions flanking the coding sequence involved in the regulation of its expression in the desired host.
xe2x80x9cTransgenicxe2x80x9d refers to organisms into which transgenes are integrated.
xe2x80x9cTrifoliatexe2x80x9d refers to a three-leaf arrangement on a soybean plant.
xe2x80x9cV1, V2xe2x80x9d etc. refer to specific stages within the vegetative period of corn development. These are defined as V1 through V(n), where (n) represents the last leaf stage before tasseling occurs and can fluctuate with environmental and hybrid differences. Each leaf stage is defined according to the uppermost leaf whose leaf collar is visible (i.e., V1=first leaf collar visible, V2=second leaf collar visible, etc.).
xe2x80x9cWhorlxe2x80x9d refers to a circular arrangement of three or more leaves, flowers, or other parts at the same point or level; here, the cluster of youngest leaves at the apex of the seedling.
The following examples are included to demonstrate preferred embodiments of the is invention. It should be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the techniques disclosed in the examples that follow represent techniques discovered by the inventors to function well in the practice of the invention, and thus can be considered to constitute preferred modes for its practice. However, those of skill in the art should, in light of the present disclosure, appreciate that many changes can be made in the specific embodiments that are disclosed, while still obtaining a like or similar result and without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Assay for the detection of selectable marker expression in plants


An improved system and method for reading an upconversion response from nanoparticle inks is provided. A is adapted to direct a near-infrared excitation wavelength at a readable indicia, resulting in a near-infrared emission wavelength created by the upconverting nanoparticle inks. A short pass filter may filter the near-infrared excitation wavelength. A camera is in operable communication with the short pass filter and receives the near-infrared emission wavelength of the readable indicia. The system may further include an integrated circuit adapted to receive the near-infrared emission wavelength from the camera and generate a corresponding signal. A readable application may be in operable communication with the integrated circuit. The readable application receives the corresponding signal, manipulates the signal, decodes the signal into an output, and displays and/or stores the output.

Counterfeiting of goods is a major concern for corporate, federal and state organizations. Counterfeits can compromise the security, identity and value of products, documents, identifications, and currency, thereby exerting a strong negative impact on societal, financial and social wellbeing.
Of particular concern is document and image security. By their very nature, documents arc susceptible to alteration and forgery. In particular, visual indicia printed on the document to establish the authenticity of the same may be modified or deleted by a malfeasant. In other instances, the details of and/or information contained within the document may be improperly
altered to benefit a wrongdoer at the expense of another. Therefore, a need exists in the art to provide invisible taggants that can be read by a device to verify the authenticity of and/or information contained with a document. For example, artwork would benefit from having an associated taggant that is concealed and/or imperceptible to the naked eye, but readable by a device.
Of another particular concern is supply chain security and pharmaceutical packaging. An important component of supply chain security is screening and validating of the contents of cargo being shipped. Doing so often involves scanning and comparing barcodes, two-dimensional codes and/or radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags. Similarly, manufacturers and distributors of pharmaceuticals are increasingly investing in countermeasures, such as traceability and authentication technologies, to minimize the impact of counterfeit medicines deliberately mislabeled to deceive consumers. A savvy counterfeiter, however, may become privy to the location and properties of the identifiers of genuine packaging, products and/or pharmaceuticals and forge those as well. In order to reduce the cases of counterfeiting across supply chain management, pharmaceutical packing, and numerous additional industries, a need exists in the art for a scanning device capable of verifying critical product information encoded on covert and/or invisible taggants applied to packaging and/or products for authentication.
Of yet another particular concern is counterfeiting integrated circuits because of its potential to compromise the performance of a wide range of critical infrastructure ranging from healthcare devices to military equipment to space hardware. The counterfeit integrated circuits are often fraudulent or degraded products that have been either rejected during the quality control or recycled from waste. In operation, the counterfeiting of integrated circuits often
involves removing a label of a casing by sanding, reprinting the label of a more expensive item, then selling it back to the manufacturer and/or a distributor for a profit.
The markings within the integrated circuit packaging can make tampering a difficult task without damaging the component itself or the electronic packaging. Integrated circuits are often enclosed in an epoxy case (or mold compound) and electronic circuit boards are frequently coated with polymer films. Epoxy is very chemically resistant and is insoluble in common solvents, making it difficult to remove in order to reach the embedded code. A system of markings coated below an opaque epoxy layer would be difficult to detect and quite tamper resistant. Therefore, a further need exists in the art to provide a device that can read and decode printed features through opaque, hard polymer or epoxy coatings.
Upconversion phosphors emit light at wavelengths shorter than that of the excitation light. The concentration and combination of lanthanide dopants influence both the wavelength and the intensity of the upconversion emission. The inks are a formulation of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) dispersed in a polymer base. When used to print text or features (e.g., quick response (QR) codes) on paper, the upconversion ink is invisible to the eye under ambient conditions or ultraviolet excitation, but becomes visible upon excitation with NIR light. In particular, lanthanide-ion-doped β-NaYF4 is recognized for exceptionally efficient visible upconversion upon excitation with NIR light with a wavelength of approximately 980 nanometers (nm). An exemplary system and method for creating NIR upconverting inks is disclosed by U.S. Pub. No. 2014/0261031 to Kellar et al., which is herein incorporated in its entirety.
β-NaYF4 UCNPs doped with Yb3+ and Tm3+ are known for NIR-to-blue upconversion emission between wavelengths of 440 and 500 nm. These blue UCNP inks, however, also emit NIR light at a wavelength of 800 nm, which is invisible to the naked eye, but much more intense than the visible blue emission. Moreover, these coatings can be completely opaque as long as the coating transmits both 800 nm and 980 nm wavelengths. Therefore, a further need exists in the art to capture of NIR images of UCNP inks coated with NIR transparent materials that are opaque in the visible range.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Reader apparatus for upconverting nanoparticle ink printed images


Disclosed are silver halide elements that contain an arylhydrazine compound useful in producing high contrast images. The elements can be handled in bright light room conditions for extended periods of time without increasing minimum density of the element.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to silver halide elements that contain an arylhydrazine compound useful in producing high contrast images. More particularly, this invention relates to ultrahigh contrast silver halide elements which can be handled in bright light room conditions and processed at a rapid rate.
2. Description of Related Art
Most conventional photographic materials are sensitive to visible light and, accordingly, must be handled under low intensity red, yellow, or amber lighting, commonly referred to as "darkroom conditions", to prevent undesired exposure of the material. Also known in the art, however, is a type of photographic material which can be handled under bright room conditions for a limited period of time without detrimental effects on the material. Such photographic materials are variously referred to in the art as "bright light films," "white light films," "daylight films," or "room light films".
Photographic materials which can be handled and processed in a bright room are specifically those which can be used in a room having illumination of at least 200 lux from a fluorescent lamp having reduced ultraviolet ray emission, or a filtered light not having the wavelength below about 420 nanometers (nm) as a safelight source. Typically, these photographic materials can be safely handled in bright room conditions on the order of 25 to 60 minutes, without detrimental effects on the film, such as fogging. To obtain such results, these photographic materials have greatly reduced sensitivity to visible light, that is about 1/1,000 to 1/10,000 that of ordinary darkroom photographic materials.
Exposing these photographic materials requires the use of a high intensity light source rich in ultraviolet light, such as, for example a high pressure mercury lamp, a metal halide lamp, a microwave discharge type mercury non-electrode light source, or a xenon lamp. To produce the high intensity required to expose bright light films, the above sources are broader than the point light sources used for conventional darkroom films and consequently emit more diffuse light. In order to obtain sharp character images, line images or dot images, by contact exposure of such bright light silver halide photographic material with a broad high intensity source, the photographic material is required to have a high contrast photographic characteristic, i.e., a contrast value of 10 or more. As is well known in the art, contact exposure is when a film is in contact with a negative during exposure. Various image forming systems for such materials have heretofore been provided.
To obtain the desired high contrast, the emulsion for the photographic material typically contains silver halide grains having a high proportion of silver chloride, which have been chemically sensitized by sulfur, noble metal, or reduction sensitizers or combinations thereof. Sulfur is the most common chemical sensitizer used. However, chemical sensitization, particularly sulfur sensitization, extends the intrinsic light absorption of the photographic emulsion to light wavelengths longer than 420 nm, reducing the room light tolerance of the photographic material.
To compensate for this effect, yellow dyes having a peak absorption in the range of 400 to 550 nm are typically added to the photographic emulsion layer and/or to a layer above the emulsion to reduce sensitivity to light above 420 nm wavelength. However, dyes added for the purpose of enhancing the safelight tolerance of these photographic materials often reduce the contrast enhancement arising from chemical sensitization.
Recently, the use of the lower wattage metal halide light sources and quartz iodide light sources has become increasingly popular because of decreased cost, energy savings and improved convenience of use. These lower wattage light sources, however, have reduced ultraviolet light emission, which means that the bright light films must have a higher sensitivity for use with these light sources. In order to provide typical desired contact exposure times of about 5 to 15 seconds, photographic materials designed for use with these lower wattage light sources require about an order of magnitude higher ultraviolet sensitivity compared to those designed for use with other high intensity light sources.
Furthermore, it is desirable to operate these lower energy light sources in a bright room, preferably in a room where the illumination intensity is fully equivalent to the typical office environment (about 540 lux). A method for preparing photographic silver halide emulsions having high tolerance to such room light conditions is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,449. According to this method, rhodium-containing high chloride emulsions are sensitized by black and white developing agents. In the examples, mid-gradients, identified as contrast values, are limited to about 10.
There are applications, however, such as reverse imaging of very fine characters or the reproduction of images having soft edges, where ultrahigh contrast emulsions are needed to obtain high contrast images. "Ultrahigh contrast" in photographic silver halide elements is defined here as silver halide emulsions providing a contrast value above 15. Although litho development has been used to obtain ultrahigh contrast, development times are long, typically in excess of 1 minute, and the stability of the developer is limited to a few days. Aerial oxidation of the developer which gives rise to the stability problems is caused by the low sulfite content of these developers. Sulfite is generally added as a preservative to developers. Sulfite is low in litho developers because it interferes with the infectious litho development mechanism. To avoid these disadvantages, emulsions containing hydrazine derivatives have been used to produce ultrahigh contrast with developers high in sulfite content. The stability of the developer against aerial oxidation is greatly improved and development times are also reduced, generally to 30 to 45 seconds. However, to obtain rapid development, the pH of these developers has generally been high, often in excess of 11.6.
Methods for obtaining ultrahigh contrast in photographic elements at lower pH, e.g., pH of 10.8, by the use of particular aryl hydrazines described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,937,160, 4,939,067, 5,013,844, and 5,190,847, provide advantages in replenishment rates, disposal of exhausted solutions, and corrosion resistance of the development apparatus over the prior art. However, preferred emulsions for these inventions contain less than 50% chloride and the examples use emulsion containing either rhodium-free bromide or rhodium-free iodobromide grains, (2% mole iodide) developed in the range of 30 to 45 seconds. The application of photographic elements containing the aryl hydrazine is for the preparation of half tone images from continuous tone images, the reproduction of line images and photomasks for printed circuits or other products of photofabrication, and preparation of printing masters by phototypesetting.
The requirements for hydrazine technology are quite different, however, when used to produce ultrahigh contrast photographic silver halide elements designed for contact use under bright room conditions. As mentioned previously, the photographic elements used for these applications contain high chloride, preferably all chloride, grains which are desensitized with rhodium or iridium or other inorganic or organic agents. The desensitizing agents trap photoelectrons during exposure, reducing photographic sensitivity. However, they also can receive electrons donated by the hydrazine derivative during development, inhibiting nucleation of infectious development. While this effect can sometimes be overcome by adding relatively high levels of hydrazine derivative compounds, high levels of derivative compounds degrade safelight tolerance of these films, as well as coatability, sensitometric aging, and certain physical properties. Hence, very effective hydrazine derivatives are needed for room light contact films so that ultrahigh contrast can be obtained with acceptable amounts of the hydrazine compound. Also, it is imperative that any sulfur which may be part of the hydrazine derivative used in these emulsions be structurally bound in such a way that it does not become labile during the sensitization or development processes, resulting in the aforementioned reduction in safelight tolerance associated with sulfur sensitization.
Furthermore, the hydrazine derivatives for room light contact films need to be extremely effective nucleating agents to meet the rapid processing requirements for these systems, where the rapid access development time of at least 20 to 35 seconds is an industry expectation. The development time of hydrazine-containing systems can be accelerated by high pH development, i.e., pH of the developer around 11.6. But there are numerous aforementioned disadvantages of development at such high pH. U.S. Pat. No. 5,384,232 describes development accelerators, such as 1-phenethyl-2-picolinium bromide (PPB) and related derivatives which accelerate development of hydrazine-containing systems. However, the emulsions in the examples of pending application Ser. No. 08/040,247 contain 80% or less chloride and very little or no rhodium or other inorganic or organic desensitizers required for room light films.

Ultrahigh contrast bright light films with rapid processing


A method for differentiating acute myocardial infarction (AMI) from other ECG abnormalities. The method is performed by modeling selected ECG confounders that tend to obscure AMI evidence in the ECG waveform, and by purging a subject's ECG waveform of the effect(s) of these confounders through linking selected confounder models with an appropriate, computer-implementable purge algorithm.

The present invention relates to improving the detection of acute myocardial infarction in the presence of certain ECG confounders, and more specifically to a method for improving such detection effectively by modeling and then removing the effect of a selected confounder on the ST segment of the PQRST ECG waveform.
Detection of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the presence of certain ECG confounders is challenging both for commercial electrocardiograph (ECG) algorithms, and for clinicians. The combined prevalence of Left Bundle Branch Block (LBBB), right Bundle Branch Block (RBBB), Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH), and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy with STT (from the ST-T portion of the ECG waveform) Abnormality (LVH/STT) in populations of patients with documented AMI can be significant, for example, as large as about 25%. The presence of such a confounder presents a significant hurdle to the correct and accurate detection of AMI evidence in an ECG waveform, and typically does this in a variety of ways, including both the masking and mimicking of AMI's ECG "signature", principally in the ST segment of a traditional PQRST ECG waveform. This prevalence, and the obscuring effects of these confounders, highlight the need to aid clinicians in differentially diagnosing these confounding conditions from AMI.
The present invention addresses this need in a simple, practical and effective manner. Proposed according to the invention is a unique modeling and normalization procedure which focuses attention on the characteristics of the ST segment of the PQRST waveform. In particular, practice of the invention involves modeling the respective effects of the above-mentioned, several ECG confounders on this segment of the ECG waveform, thus to create, effectively, an associated reference ECG waveform that relates to each of the named, culprit confounders.
Simply and broadly stated, the method of the invention includes the steps of (a) creating a reference ECG waveform model which possesses the characteristic of an ECG waveform that is influenced by the presence of a particular selected confounder, (b) using that model, linking it relationally with an appropriate ECG purge algorithm which, in cooperation with the model, can be applied to a subject's collected ECG waveform to remove the influence of the confounder, and (c) applying that linked model and purge algorithm to such a collected ECG waveform, thus to produce a purge-processed ECG waveform that lacks the influence of the selected confounder.
These and other features involved in the implementation and practice of the present invention will now become more fully apparent as the detailed description which shortly follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Differentiating acute myocardial infarction from other ECG abnormalities


A computer mouse system and method of using is presented whereby the computer mouse system is used in conjunction with laptop or notebook computers or with external or auxiliary mouse, and with external or auxiliary computer keyboards. Each embodiment having touch pads, glide points, touch screens, or touch panels, integrated into the touch pads, glide points, touch panels, or touch screens by building, molding, manufacturing. The touch pads, glide points, touch screens, or touch panels, can also be placed at alternative locations on any of the mouse systems.

A computer mouse is a device used in conjunction with a computer to manipulate application software and/or a computer operating system to reduce keystrokes and, in general, make computers more user-friendly. A mouse device can be used to move a cursor around a computer text display and/or graphics display. Different types of mouse devices have been integrated into laptop or notebook computers, such as: pointing sticks, glide points, and track balls, to provide the user the convenience of travel without the necessity of multiple attachments. Current mouse designs on laptop computers provide left and right buttons and a separate touch pad, pointing stick, or trackball. Pointing sticks are typically joy sticks which are located in the keys of the keyboard and used to move the cursor. Separate press and hold buttons are provided. A trackball is a ball located in the mouse device which is rotated to move the cursor. The trackball also has separate press and hold buttons. Glide points, touch pads, touch panels, or touch screens are touch sensitive pointing devices used for positioning the cursor. There are separately located touch and hold mouse buttons. One drawback of these mouse designs is that the use of two hands is generally required for manipulating the left and right buttons when used in conjunction with the pointing device to perform operations, such as highlighting a selected portion of a document for printing. In this case, the left mouse button, for example, is depressed and held down with one finger of one hand of the user while another finger on the other hand of the user is used to manipulate the pointing device to direct the cursor to highlight the desired section for printing. Some users of this mouse design are able to use and manipulate the mouse using one finger on a mouse button and a second finger from the same hand on the pointing device to manipulate the cursor or screen selector to highlight the desired text. However, the buttons cannot be manipulated easily by using one hand due to the hand and finger positioning and coordination required of the user. Because of this, problems and errors have and continue to occur whether the user manipulates the mouse with one or two hands. For example, users of the prior art mouse devices, which require the user to hold down the mouse button while using the pointing device to manipulate the cursor or screen selector, may inadvertently release the mouse button being held down which terminates the operation. This can result in files being misplaced or stored in an erroneous location, inserted into other files, or completely deleted. Using such prior art mouse devices is inconvenient and cumbersome. The present invention overcomes the drawbacks noted above.

Mouse printing device with integrated touch pad buttons


An organic light emitting display device comprises a first substrate, an insulation layer having an inclined structure, a first electrode, a pixel defining layer defining a luminescent region and a non-luminescent region, an organic light emitting structure, a second electrode and a second substrate. Lateral portions of the first electrode, the second electrode and/or the pixel defining layer may have an inclination angle for preventing a total reflection of light generated from the organic light emitting structure, so that the organic light emitting display device may ensure a light efficiency substantially larger than that of the conventional organic light emitting display device by about at least 30 percent.

1. Technical Field
Example embodiments of the invention relate to methods of forming inclined structures on insulation layers, organic light emitting display devices and methods of manufacturing organic light emitting display devices. More particularly, example embodiments of the invention relate to methods of forming inclined structures having desired inclination angles on insulation layers, organic light emitting display devices including the insulation layers having the inclined structures, and methods of manufacturing organic light emitting display devices including the insulation layers having the inclined structures.
2. Description of the Related Art
In flat panel display devices, an organic light emitting display (OLED) device may have various desired characteristics such as a high response speed, a lower power consumption and a wide viewing angle even though the organic light emitting display device has a relatively small size. Further, the organic light emitting display device may be manufactured at a relatively low temperature with a simple configuration, so the organic light emitting display device may be noticed as a next generation display device.
The conventional organic light emitting display device may have a configuration in which an anode and a cathode may be successively disposed on an insulation layer covering a thin film transistor (TFT) provided on a substrate, and an organic light emitting layer may be disposed between the anode and the cathode. However, in the conventional organic light emitting display device, a light generated from the organic light emitting layer may be totally reflected between the two electrodes, such that the light efficiency of the conventional organic light emitting display device may be considerably reduced. For example, the conventional organic light emitting display device may have an optical loss of about 30 percent because of the reflection of light among the anode, the organic light emitting layer and the cathode. Considering the optical loss of light, there is proposed an organic light emitting display device including organic light emitting layers having different thicknesses in a red pixel, a green pixel and a blue pixel so as to cause constructive interferences of a red color of light, a green color of light and a blue color of light. The organic light emitting display device including an optical resonance structure may have an increased light efficiency, however, such an organic light emitting display device may have a poor side visibility because of a color shift phenomenon caused by the optical resonance of light.

Methods of forming inclined structures on insulation layers, organic light emitting display devices and methods of manufacturing organic light emitting display devices


A signal current I1 that is output from output terminal of semiconductor position detection element is converted to a signal voltage V1 by a current/voltage conversion unit and a signal current I2 that is output from output terminal is converted to a signal voltage V2 by a current/voltage conversion unit. Signal voltages V1 and V2 are compared in magnitude by a comparison circuit and a comparison signal is output so that maximum signal Vmax and minimum signal Vmin are selected. In A/D conversion circuit, the A/D conversion range is set using maximum signal Vmax, and minimum signal Vmin is converted to a digital signal and output. The position of beam incidence on semiconductor position detection element is found by incidence position calculating unit using the comparison signal and digital signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical position detection device employing a semiconductor position detection element and to a distance measurement device wherein object distance is measured by using an optical position detection device to detect the reflected light of a spot beam or slit beam illuminating this object.
2. Related Background Art
In a semiconductor position detection element, incident light is subjected to photoelectric conversion to generate a photoelectric current (carriers) and, dependent on the position of incidence of the beam, a first signal current I1 is output from a first output terminal and a second signal current I2 is output from a second output terminal. The sum (I1+I2) of the first signal current and second signal current depends on the incident light beam intensity. If the sum (I1+I2) of the first signal current and second signal current is fixed, the difference (I1xe2x88x92I2) of the first signal current and second signal current corresponds to the position of incidence of the beam. An optical position detection device detects the position of beam incidence using such a semiconductor position detection element. Also, a distance measurement device comprises a light-emitting unit in addition to this optical position detection device and the distance to the object is detected by photodetection by the semiconductor position detection element in the optical position detection device of the reflected light of a spot beam illuminating the object by the light-emitting unit.
In a conventional optical position detection device the ratio (V1/V2) of a first signal voltage V1 derived from the first signal current I1 output from the semiconductor position detection element and a second signal voltage V2 derived from the second signal current I2, is found and is used as an output indicating the position of beam incidence. Alternatively, in a conventional optical position detection device, the sum of the first signal voltage V1 and the second signal voltage V2 (V1+V2) and the difference (V1xe2x88x92V2) are found, the difference is divided by the sum, and the result of this division ((V1xe2x88x92V2)/(V1+V2)) is used as an output indicating the position of beam incidence (see for example Laid-open Japanese Patent Publication No. H.2-247504). Thus, in a conventional optical position detection device, in whichever case, division means were considered to be necessary for obtaining an output indicating the position of beam incidence on the semiconductor position detection element. In addition, the foregoing publication discloses a technique for improving resolution of the position of beam incidence wherein the signal voltages that are respectively to constitute the divisor and dividend are multiplied by a suitable multiplication factor before being subjected to A/D conversion, after which division is performed in order to output the result of this division as a digital value in a suitable range.
The division means in a conventional optical position detection device as described above may be realized by either analogue circuitry or digital circuitry but hardware costs are high owing to the difficulty of miniaturization due to the size of this circuitry, or the time required for division processing is long due to the large amount of calculation. Also, miniaturization of the division means disclosed in the above publication is difficult and hardware costs are high owing to the need to provide a large number of amplification circuits and A/D conversion circuits.
Furthermore, if a plurality of semiconductor position detection elements are provided, if only a single set of the processing circuits (including the current/voltage conversion circuit, division circuit, amplification circuit and A/D conversion circuit etc) that find the position of beam incidence from the signal current output from the semiconductor position detection elements is provided, the time required for finding the position of beam incidence is further lengthened. On the other hand, if the same number of the aforesaid processing circuits are provided as the number of semiconductor position detection elements, the size of the circuitry is further increased and hardware costs are further raised.
Conventional distance measurement devices including such optical position detection devices are likewise subject to the problems of large circuit size and long processing time.
The present invention was made in order to solve the problems mentioned above, its object being to provide an optical position detection device wherein the size of the circuitry is small, processing time short, and excellent resolution of the position of beam incidence output as a digital signal is obtained and a distance measurement device employing such an optical position detection device. A first optical position detecting device according to the present invention comprises: (1) a semiconductor position detection element whereby an incident beam is subjected to photoelectric conversion, and that outputs a first signal current from a first output terminal and outputs a second signal current from a second output terminal in response to the position of incidence of this beam; (2) a first current/voltage conversion unit that inputs the first signal current that is output from the first output terminal of the semiconductor position detecting element and outputs a first signal voltage in accordance with this first signal current; (3) a second current/voltage conversion unit that inputs the second signal current that is output from the second output terminal of the semiconductor position detecting element and outputs a second signal voltage in accordance with this second signal current; (4) a selection circuit that compares the magnitude of the respective values of the first signal voltage output from the first current/voltage conversion unit and the second signal voltage output from the second current/voltage conversion unit and that outputs a comparison signal indicating the result of this comparison and, of the first and the second signal voltages, respectively selects and outputs a maximum signal (maximum signal voltage) whose voltage is the larger and a minimum signal (minimum signal voltage) whose voltage is the smaller; (5) an A/D conversion circuit wherein an A/D conversion range is set in accordance with the maximum signal output from the selection circuit and that converts the minimum signal output from the selection circuit into a digital signal and outputs this digital value; and (6) an incidence position calculating unit that finds the incidence position of the beam on the semiconductor position detecting element, using the comparison signal output from the selection circuit and the digital output which is output from the A/D conversion circuit.
With the first optical position detection device according to the present invention, when a beam of light is incident on the semiconductor position detection element, this beam is subjected to photoelectric conversion and, depending on the position of incidence of this beam, a first signal current I1 is output from the first output terminal and a second signal current I2 is output from the second output terminal. The first signal current I1 is input to the first current/voltage conversion unit so that a first signal voltage V1 is output based on this first signal current I1. In the same way, the second signal current I2 is input to the second current/voltage conversion unit so that a second signal voltage V2 is output based on this second signal current I2. The first and second signal voltages V1 and V2 are respectively input to the selection circuit where the magnitudes of their respective values are compared and a comparison signal indicating the comparison result is output and, of the first and second of signal voltages V1 and V2, that of larger voltage is designated as maximum signal Vmax and that of smaller voltage is designated as the minimum signal Vmin, these being respectively selected and output. In the A/D conversion circuit, an A/D conversion range is then set in accordance with the maximum signal Vmax which is output from the selection circuit. Suitably, by setting the A/D conversion range equal to the maximum signal Vmax voltage, the entire A/D conversion range can be effectively utilized. Also, the A/D conversion circuit converts the voltage of the minimum signal Vmin that is output from the selection circuit to a digital signal and outputs its digital value. This digital value indicates the ratio (Vmin/Vmax). The position of beam incidence on the semiconductor position detection element is found by the incidence position calculating unit from the comparison signal that is output from the selection circuit and the digital output that is output from the A/D conversion circuit. Division processing can therefore be implemented substantially concurrently with the A/D conversion in the A/D conversion circuit, making it possible to reduce the circuit size, lowering hardware costs, and to shorten processing time.
Also, a first optical position detection device according to the present invention further comprises a limit detecting unit that monitors the voltage of the maximum signal output from the selection circuit and that outputs a signal indicating the fact, if this voltage is smaller than the threshold value. In this case, the voltage of the maximum signal that is output from the selection circuit is monitored by the limit detecting unit and a signal indicating this fact is output if this voltage is smaller than the threshold value. Spurious detection can therefore been prevented by making a judgment as to whether or not the beam that is to be detected is incident in the photosensitive region of the semiconductor position detection element.
Also, a first optical position detection device according to the present invention may further comprise a plurality of sets of the semiconductor position detecting element, the first current/voltage conversion unit, the second current/voltage conversion unit and the selection circuit wherein the A/D conversion circuit inputs sequentially the maximum signal (maximum signal voltage) and the minimum signal (minimum signal voltage) output from the selection circuits of each set and the incidence position calculating unit sequentially inputs the comparison results (comparison signals) output from the selection circuits of each set. Furthermore, the limit detection unit may sequentially input the maximum signal output from the selection circuit of each set. If a plurality of semiconductor position detection elements are arranged in the form of an array, the position of beam incidence on a two dimensional photosensitive region can be detected. Also, even if the semiconductor optical detection element is constructed in multi-channel form by providing individual first and second current/voltage conversion units and selection circuits for each semiconductor position detection element but providing the A/D conversion circuit, incidence position calculating unit and limit detecting unit in common for each of the semiconductor position detecting elements, circuit size can be reduced and processing time shortened. It should be noted that the maximum signal and minimum signal are found for each set.
A second optical position detecting device according to the present invention comprises: (1) a semiconductor position detection element whereby an incident beam is subjected to photoelectric conversion, and that outputs a first signal current from a first output terminal and outputs a second signal current from a second output terminal in response to the position of incidence of this beam; (2) a first current/voltage conversion unit that inputs the first signal current that is output from the first output terminal of the semiconductor position detecting element and outputs a first signal voltage in accordance with this first signal current; (3) a second current/voltage conversion unit that inputs the second signal current that is output from the second output terminal of the semiconductor position detecting element and outputs a second signal voltage in accordance with this second signal current; (4) an addition circuit that adds the first signal voltage output from the first current/voltage conversion unit and the second signal voltage output from the second current/voltage conversion unit and outputs a sum signal (third signal voltage) indicating the sum obtained by this addition; (5) a selection circuit that selects and outputs the first signal voltage output from the first current/voltage conversion unit or the second signal voltage output from the second current/voltage conversion unit; and (6) an A/D conversion circuit wherein an A/D conversion range is set in accordance with the sum signal output from the addition circuit and that converts the first or the second signal voltage selected and output by the selection circuit into a digital signal, and outputs its digital value.
With the second optical position detection device according to the present invention, when a beam of light is incident on the semiconductor position detection element, this beam is subjected to photoelectric conversion and, depending on the position of incidence of this beam, a first signal current I1 is output from the first output terminal and a second signal current I2 is output from the second output terminal. The first signal current I1 is input to the first current/voltage conversion unit so that a first signal voltage V1 is output based on this first signal current I1. In the same way, the second signal current I2 is input to the second current/voltage conversion unit so that a second signal voltage V2 is output based on this second signal current I2. The first and second signal voltages V1 and V2 are respectively added by the addition circuit to output a sum signal Vsum=V1+V2 indicating the sum obtained by this addition. Also, the first or second signal voltage V1 or V2 is selected and output by the selection circuit. In the A/D conversion circuit, an A/D conversion range is set in accordance with the sum signal Vsum output from the addition circuit. Suitably, by setting the A/D conversion range equal to the sum signal Vsum voltage, the entire A/D conversion range can be effectively utilized. Also, the A/D conversion circuit converts the first or second signal voltage V1 or V2 selected and output by the selection circuit to a digital signal whose digital value is output. This digital output indicates the ratio (V1/Vsum) or the ratio (V2/Vsum). Consequently, division calculation can be implemented substantially concurrently with A/D conversion by the A/D conversion circuit, so circuit size can be reduced, lowering hardware cost, and processing time shortened. It should be noted that the position of incidence of the beam on the semiconductor position detecting element can be found using the digital value indicating the ratio ((V1xe2x88x92V2)/Vsum); in this case, suitably an incidence position calculating unit is provided wherein the selection circuit sequentially selects the first and second signal voltages V1 and V2, and the A/D conversion circuit sequentially outputs digital signals indicating respectively the ratio (V1/Vsum) and the ratio (V2/Vsum), and, by inputting these digital signals, the ratio of these two is calculated and output.
Also, a second optical position detection device according to the present invention may further comprise a limit detecting unit that monitors the value of the sum signal output from the addition circuit and that outputs a signal indicating the fact, if this value is smaller than the threshold value. In this case, as the value of the sum signal that is output from the addition circuit is monitored by the limit detecting unit, a signal indicating this fact is output if this value is smaller than the threshold value. Spurious detection can therefore been prevented by making a judgment as to whether or not the beam that is to be detected is incident in the photosensitive region of the semiconductor position detection element.
Also a second optical position detection device according to the present invention may comprise a plurality of sets of the semiconductor position detecting element, the first current/voltage conversion unit, the second current/voltage conversion unit, the addition circuit and the selection circuit wherein the A/D conversion circuit inputs sequentially the sum signal output from the addition circuits and the first or the second signal voltage selected and output by the selection circuits of each set. Furthermore, the limit detecting unit may sequentially input the sum signals that are output from the addition circuits of each set. If the plurality of semiconductor position detecting elements are arranged in the form of an array, the position of incidence of the beam in a two dimensional photosensitive region can be detected. Also, even if the semiconductor optical detection element is constructed in multi-channel form by providing individual first and second current/voltage conversion units and addition circuits for each semiconductor position detection element but providing the A/D conversion circuit, incidence position calculating unit and limit detecting unit in common for each of the semiconductor position detecting elements, circuit size can be reduced and processing time shortened. It should be noted that the maximum signal and minimum signal are found for each set.
A first or second optical position detection device according to the present invention used with a light-emitting unit that illuminates the object with a spot beam or slit beam (1) the first current/voltage conversion unit may include: (1a) a first integrating circuit that integrates charge in accordance with the first signal current and outputs a signal voltage corresponding to the amount of this integrated charge; and (1b) a first difference calculating circuit that finds the difference of the signal voltage output from the first integrating circuit when no light from the light-emitting unit illuminates the object and the signal voltage output from the first integrating circuit when light from the light-emitting unit illuminates the object and that outputs the first signal voltage in accordance with this difference; and (2) the second current/voltage conversion unit may include: (2a) a second integrating circuit that integrates charge in accordance with the second signal current and outputs a signal voltage corresponding to the amount of this integrated charge; and (2b) a second difference calculating circuit that finds the difference of the signal voltage output from the second integrating circuit when no light from the light-emitting unit illuminates the object and the signal voltage output from the second integrating circuit when light from the light-emitting unit illuminates the object and that outputs the second signal voltage in accordance with this difference. In this case, in the first (second) current/voltage conversion unit, charge is integrated on the first (second) integrating circuit in accordance with the first (second) signal current, with the result that a signal voltage corresponding to the amount of this integrated charge is output from the first (second) integrating circuit. The difference of the signal voltage that is output from the first (second) integrating circuit when no light from the light-emitting unit illuminates the object and the signal voltage that is output from the first (second) integrating circuit when light from the light-emitting unit illuminates the object is found by the first (second) difference calculating circuit and a first (second) signal voltage is output corresponding to this difference. The background light component is thereby canceled, so that the position of incidence of the beam that is to be detected by the semiconductor position detecting element can be accurately found.
Also, in the first or second optical position detecting the device according to present invention, (1) the first current/voltage conversion unit further includes a first mean background component cancel circuit that cancels the mean value of the contribution of background light from the first signal current that is output from the first output terminal of the semiconductor position detecting element and (2) the second current/voltage conversion unit further includes a second mean background component cancel circuit that cancels the mean value of the contribution of background light from the second signal current that is output from the second output terminal of the semiconductor position detecting element. In this case, since the mean value of the contribution of the background light is canceled by the first (second) mean background component cancel circuit from the first (second) signal current that is output from the first (second) output terminal of the semiconductor position detecting element, the beam incidence position on the semiconductor position detecting element can be even more accurately found.
A distance measurement device according to the present invention comprises: (1) a light-emitting unit that illuminates an object with a spot beam or slit beam; (2) an optical position detection device as aforesaid that detects the reflected light of the light from light-emitting unit illuminating the object; and (3) a distance calculating unit that finds the distance to the object using the position of beam incidence on the semiconductor position detecting element found by the optical position detection device. With a distance measurement device according to the present invention, a spot beam or slit beam from the light-emitting unit illuminates the object and the reflected beam therefrom is detected by the optical position detecting device. The distance to the object is then found from the position of incidence of the beam on the semiconductor position detecting element found by the optical position detecting device by the distance calculating unit.

Optical position detection device and distance measurement device

deceasedby Takako Kurahashi, legal representitive


A data transmission system and method employing either a renegotiated variable bit-rate ("RVBR") network or a renegotiated constant bit-rate ("RCBR") network. Within these networks, data transmission rates between a sender and a recipient are rapidly renegotiated as a function of previously stored data transmission rate information and system buffer levels. Such a system and method can be readily implemented within existing CBR and/or VBR network architectures. The RCBR and RVBR networks allow for the implementation of an intelligent data traffic management systems that are responsive to the rate at which new calls or requests for connections enter and leave the network, the frequency and duration of extended peak rate data bursts, as well as the occurrence of short duration data transmission peaks.

With the advent of multimedia data and entertainment services, and the ever increasing popularity of the Internet, the importance of integrated services telecommunication networks ("ISNs") in the future communication infrastructure is fast becoming evident. Current designs for ISNs typically provide for three types of service: constant bit-rate ("CBR"), variable bit-rate ("VBR") and available bit-rate ("ABR"). Present ISN designs provide for CBR service compatible with existing circuit-switched telecommunication networks. Similarly, ABR service is being designed for compatibility with the Internet and Internet-style data transfer applications. However, design considerations with respect to VBR have been dictated by considerations for future telecommunication traffic, with a particular emphasis being placed upon the transmission of compressed video information. This type of video information is generally characterized as having an intrinsic long-term average data rate, punctuated with periods of peak rate data bursts. To facilitate the transmission of such bursty traffic via a standard CBR service network each data burst would have to be smoothed out or reduced via buffering prior to entering the network (causing intolerable delays for real time video signals), or the CBR rate would have to be set at some value that was very close to the peak data rate of the video information being sent (squandering network resources and thereby severely limiting signal multiplexing within the network). Similarly, if such bursty video information is transmitted via an ABR service network, there is no guarantee that the "available" network resources will be sufficient to avoid unacceptable data delays and/or losses. Present designs for VBR network services, such as those discussed by A. E. Eckberg in B-ISDB/ATM Traffic and Congestion Control, IEEE Network, September 1992, pages 28-37, essentially augment standard CBR service with the ability to accommodate moderate data bursts.
To ensure that bursty data transmissions can be carried by a VBR network without unacceptable data delays and/or losses it is essential that the VBR network be provided with an accurate characterization of the data that will be sent. This characterization is communicated to a VBR network via traffic descriptors transmitted along with the data. To maintain data transmission efficiency within a VBR network, it is desirable to provide an accurate characterization of the traffic being sent by using as few traffic descriptors as possible. In practice this has proven to be quite difficult--especially where the data being sent is compressed video.
Compressed video data simply does not conform to the "moderately bursty" traffic model envisaged by designers of VBR service networks. As is well known in the art, compressed video data typically includes fairly long intervals (on the order of tens of seconds) where the data rate is very near what would have been considered the peak rate for the typical VBR model (see E. P. Rathgeb, Policing of Realistic VBR Video Traffic in an ATM Network, International Journal of Digital and Analog Communications Systems, vol. 6, pages 213-26, 1993; M. W. Garrett and W. Willinger, Analysis Modeling and Generation of Self-Similar VBR Video Traffic, ACM Sigcomm '94, pages 269-80, University College London, August 1994). These extended high-rate data bursts are due to scenes depicting considerable motion and/or quickly varying light levels. For such traffic, if a leaky-bucket type of traffic descriptor is used, one is faced with a series of poor choices.
For example, assume that the video data traffic is being routed through the system illustrated in FIG. 1. As shown, video data is sent from network subscriber site 100 to remote user location 101 via VBR network 102. In response to signal from processor 103, data is transmitted from compressed video source 104 to VBR network 102 by way of source buffer 105 and regulator 106. Regulator 106 is a "leaky-bucket" data regulator, a type that is well-known in the art. This type of regulator allows data to be output at a particular rate as a function of the availability of data tokens (107) within token bucket register 108. Tokens are "placed" in token bucket register 108 at a predetermined rate, and depleted as data passes through regulator 106--When token bucket 108 is empty, no additional data is permitted to pass through regulator 106. These tokens are virtual in nature; that is, they only serve to meter data flow through regulator 106, and are not inserted into the outgoing data stream. If the token availability/data rate of regulator 106 is chosen so that the rate of data output from regulator 106 approximates the average data rate at which data leaves compressed video source 104 (a condition that will maximize the statistical multiplexing gain within VBR network 102), and if the size of token bucket register 108 (i.e., the maximum number of tokens that may be held in this register) is fixed at a moderate level (so as to avoid overloading VBR network 102), then source buffer 105 will have to be very large in order to support an extended high-rate data burst from compressed video source 104. Barring the availability of such a large source buffer, data losses will occur. Even if source buffer 105 is made large enough to handle such sustained bursts of peak video transmission, the result is still far from ideal--Data losses will be avoided, but, due to the large source buffer, equipment expenses increase and long delays will be experienced with respect to source output.
Alternatively, if token bucket register 108 is made large enough to allow token regulator 106 to rapidly drain source buffer 105 of data gluts resulting from sustained video data bursts, then large network and remote user location buffers (109, 110) will be needed to avoid data losses and ensure proper delivery of a usable video signal to receiver/viewer 111. Furthermore, by allowing such bursts to be freely drained and launched into VBR network 102 a single network subscriber site is given the ability to disrupt VBR network 102 by flooding it with tens of megabytes of data.
Thus, the phenomenon of sustained peaks of high-rate data will result in either high data losses, large delays between source and recipient, or a disruption-prone unregulated VBR network environment. Given the current framework of VBR network service, there is no clear way to avoid all of these problems simultaneously. This is a simple consequence of the fact that the sustained peaks exhibited in compressed video data violate the basic design assumptions for VBR service.

Renegotiated bit-rate service system and method