Systems and methods for controlling both an existing entertainment device and an aftermarket entertainment device in a vehicle with a user interface are provided. A method comprises adapting the user interface to selectively send control signals to the aftermarket entertainment device, sending control signals from the user interface to the existing entertainment device in response to user manipulation of the user interface, detecting whether the user has selected the aftermarket entertainment device; and sending control signals from the user interface to the aftermarket entertainment device in response to user selection of the aftermarket entertainment device and user manipulation of the user interface. The user interface may store output signals corresponding to the aftermarket entertainment device. Subsequent activation of the user interface may recall an output signal corresponding to the aftermarket entertainment device. The user interface can be adapted for use with a plurality of different types of aftermarket entertainment devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to motor vehicle accessories and, in particular, concerns a remote control interface that is configured to manage, control, and operate a plurality of audio and/or video components.
2. Description of the Related Art
Motor vehicles, such as automobiles, recreational vehicles, boats, and motorcycles, are often equipped with a factory-installed entertainment system prior to shipment. Factory-installed entertainment systems include audio and/or video components, such as stereos, video cassette players, compact disc (CD) players, digital video disc (DVD) players, television receivers, satellite receivers, and traditional radio receivers. Over time, motor vehicles have been equipped with increasingly more sophisticated entertainment systems that tend to provide increased sound performance, increased visual performance, and more operational features, such as ease of access and use.
Typically, the electronic system control (ESC) devices for the above-mentioned entertainment systems are positioned adjacent the driver's seat of the motor vehicle in a manner such that the driver may easily access and operate the control devices while driving the motor vehicle. Unfortunately, even though the control devices are typically positioned somewhat adjacent the driver's seat, the control devices are generally not within the driver's field of view. Often, the driver is required to look at the control devices and remove at least one hand from the steering wheel or steering control mechanism of the motor vehicle to manipulate the control devices. This particular situation may create a potentially dangerous hazard, and, in some respects, numerous accidents have occurred as a result of the driver diverting attention away from safely operating the motor vehicle to accomplish some other task. Additionally, the typical location for the control devices may be relatively inaccessible to some of the passengers. For example, if the control devices are located adjacent the driver in the front seat of a passenger automobile, the passengers in the back seat may not be able to access the control devices to adjust the operation of the entertainment system. Therefore, the passengers usually ask the driver to adjust the electronic system control settings, which may further distract the driver from safely operating the motor vehicle.
To address these particular issues, motor vehicle manufacturers currently offer local electronic system control devices that are positioned in more favorable locations for the driver and/or the passenger(s) to access. For example, many current production automobiles incorporate local controls mounted on the steering wheel of the motor vehicle, wherein the local controls typically comprise push-button switches that allow the user to control a particular setting or operation of the entertainment system, such as volume adjustment, radio channel reception settings, or playing format adjustments. Similarly, motor vehicles may also incorporate local electronic system controls that are easily accessed by the passengers. For example, some larger vehicles incorporate and position electronic system control buttons adjacent the backseat passenger location in a manner such that the passengers may adjust the operation of the entertainment system. As a result, these types of local controls may reduce the likelihood that the driver's attention will be diverted away from the path of travel of the motor vehicle or from the safe operation of the motor vehicle.
Unfortunately, even though the above-mentioned local electronic system control devices may improve the flexibility of adjusting the operation of the entertainment system, the local control devices are generally rendered inoperable when the factory-installed entertainment system is replaced with an after-market entertainment system. In one aspect, the owner of a motor vehicle may become dissatisfied with the factory-installed entertainment system, and the owner may choose to replace the factory-installed entertainment system with a different after-market entertainment system.
Typically, replacement entertainment systems are of higher quality and offer greater and/or different performance characteristics than factory-installed entertainment systems. In addition, after-market entertainment systems are typically less expensive than comparable factory-installed entertainment systems and offer a more economical replacement in case the original entertainment system is stolen or damaged.
Unfortunately, installing an after-market entertainment system may render the local electronic system control buttons inoperable. Typically, the local control devices are connected to the original entertainment system via a hardwired assembly that is specifically designed to connect the local control devices to the particular factory-installed entertainment system. As a result, the replacement entertainment system may not be properly configured to readily connect or easily interface with the hardwired local control devices.
One possible solution to the above-mentioned problem is to provide a handheld wireless remote control device along with the replacement entertainment system. For example, the replacement entertainment system may be adapted to receive wireless control signals from the handheld remote control device in a manner such that the person holding the handheld remote control device may then control the operation of the replacement entertainment system without touching the controls on the front face of the entertainment system. Although a handheld remote control device may allow for people positioned remotely from the entertainment system to control the operation of the replacement entertainment system, the handheld remote control devices are generally unsatisfactory for many motor vehicle drivers and passengers.
In particular, the handheld remote control device may be easily misplaced, lost, or not readily accessible to the occupants of the motor vehicle while the motor vehicle is in operation. Moreover, the handheld remote control device often requires the occupants of the motor vehicle to specifically point the device in the direction of the replacement entertainment system wireless receiver in a manner such that the wireless receiver may receive the appropriate wireless signal to adjust the operation of the entertainment system.
If the driver of the motor vehicle is using the remote control, the driver may have to divert attention away from the path of travel of the vehicle and the operation of the vehicle, locate the appropriate control buttons on the handheld remote control, and then point the handheld remote control in the direction of the entertainment system receiver. Therefore, while the above-described handheld remote control device may allow for the remote control of a replacement entertainment system, the remote control device may not provide the desirable convenience of utilizing local control devices positioned in the motor vehicle that are adapted to be used in conjunction with the factory-installed entertainment system.
Conventional factory-installed control devices are typically configured to only operate and control one factory-installed device. Additional after-market control devices usually require their own remote controller for operation and control. Therefore, the user would have to operate multiple control devices with more than one controller. For the driver, this situation is inconvenient and further diverts attention away from operating the motor vehicle.
Recent advances in voice recognition technology and motor vehicle quieting have made it possible to implement voice activated controls in motor vehicles. In one aspect, the 2000 S Type Jaguar offers such a system as a factory option. A voice recognition system is able to recognize the sound pattern of a spoken word or phrase and enact a corresponding action, such as turning on high beams, locking a door, increasing the volume of a stereo, etc. However, as a factory installed feature, typical voice command systems suffer the same limitations as local electronic system controls, wherein the factory-installed features work well with the factory-supplied components but typically will not readily function with after-market equipment. Some replacement entertainment systems are available with included voice recognition features. However, these entertainment systems tend to be quite expensive and the voice recognition feature only works with that particular entertainment system.
From the foregoing, it should be appreciated that there is a need for an entertainment system that allows for existing local control devices to be utilized in conjunction with a replacement entertainment system. In addition, there is a need for a local electronic system control device that may be adapted to interface with an existing factory-installed hardwired control network. Furthermore, there is also a need for a method to economically retrofit a voice recognition system to effectively control a variety of after-market entertainment systems. Furthermore, there is a need for an ESC device that will allow the user to control multiple entertainment devices with the same set of local controls.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Vehicle remote control interface for controlling multiple electronic devices


A method and system for computerizing learning, response, and evaluation is provided. The computerized system comprises a central processing unit and related memory and storage capacity to operate a learning, response, and evaluation system stored in a computer program. The learning, response, and evaluation system comprises an authoring portion and a presentation portion. Through the use of intuitive interface elements, the authoring portion allows an author to quickly and easily construct a lesson from a pool of relevant data. Due to the design and capabilities provided, the authoring portion reduces the time it takes for an author to learn how to construct a lesson and reduces the time it takes to construct the lesson. Data can be organized into pages which are presented to the user and pages which are hidden from the user. The presentation portion allows a user to view and learn the information contained in a lesson. Learning is enhanced because a user can request testing at virtually any point in the lesson. Unlike prior systems, questions presented to the user are generated by the learning, response, and evaluation system rather than being developed by the author.

1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods and systems for computerized learning, response, and evaluation. More specifically, this invention relates to methods and systems for organizing and presenting information to a student and allowing the student a great deal of flexibility in determining the testing and evaluation procedure.
2. The Relevant Technology
Testing has typically held a central role in the learning process. In educational settings, an individual is first presented with information that is to be learned and, in order to measure the amount of information learned, a test is given. Testing has evolved into a specialized field. Many theories have been developed in order to both develop tests designed to measure a particular level of achievement or mastery and to interpret the results of such a test. Thus, standardized tests have been developed to measure such things as Intelligence Quotient, personality traits, fitness to practice a profession such as law, medicine, contracting or the like, aptitude for success in a specific environment, and mastery of individual skills.
Historically, tests have been administrated on either an individual basis, such an oral or written examination, or on a group basis, such as a test administered in an educational setting where students record their answers on paper which are to be evaluated at a later time. One of the advantages of a written test is the efficiency in testing a large number of individuals. Unfortunately, a written test administered in such a manner lacks the ability to provide immediate feedback on an individual basis. Thus, it is generally recognized that testing in a traditional educational setting represents a tradeoff between efficiency and the ability to provide individual feedback.
It is generally unreasonable to expect that an individual test would be developed for each individual. Thus, in order to preserve the ability of the test to measure an individual's aptitude, care must be taken not to disclose the answers to a test. Likewise, where the test is designed to measure individual performance, care must be taken to insure that each individual takes the test based on his or her own knowledge.
In order to prevent cheating and to minimize the probability of an individual test score being influenced by others, multiple tests may be developed and administered simultaneously so that each individual is, in effect, taking a different test. Problems associated with this methodology, however, generally prevent its implementation. The effort and expense of developing and grading multiple tests generally limits this methodology to very specialized applications.
Many educators believe that measurement of performance and feedback is critical in the learning process. While written tests may be an efficient way to measure performance, they are largely inefficient in providing adequate feedback for learning. Generally there is a large lag time between the time when the test is taken and when the results of the test are returned. During this lag time, new information is usually presented. Thus, when the tests are returned, the focus of both the material and the individual has shifted. Thus, relatively few students will use such a test to evaluate their weaknesses and return to prior material in order to strengthen those weaknesses.
In order to overcome this limitation, some courses of study are structured with many smaller tests interspersed throughout the material. While this generally improves the potential for feedback, still such a method is relatively inefficient. Further, it dramatically increases the workload of an instructor or teacher.
In order to enhance the learning environment, many educators realize that the optimal form of instruction would be a personalized instructor for each student or individual. This, however, is generally impractical in most learning environments. In order to provide a better learning environment that more closely approaches the ideal environment of one instructor for every student, some educators are turning to computers. Through the use of computers, learning programs may be developed which provide instruction and feedback virtually simultaneously. For example, a general course of instruction may be presented to an individual after which the computer can query the individual regarding the principles just learned. The computer can then tally the score and provide the score to the individual. This allows the individual to return to information not learned and again review the material. Another advantage of computers is that they allow the pace of instruction to be varied according to the ability of the individual to learn. Furthermore, computers can be used to enhance personal learning outside the traditional educational environment. Computers thus hold great potential for enhancing the learning environment.
Current utilization of computers as part of the learning environment take their modes and methods of operation from current teaching techniques. Most computer programs designed to aid in the learning process first present a section of information and then test the individual based on the information presented. The structures of these programs are generally organized in a pre-set or pre-defined manner. Thus, like text books generally utilized in educational settings, the program presents a chapter of information and then quizzes the user on the information contained in that chapter. The next chapter is then presented, if any, along with the associated test. Programs which are organized to present information in this manner, are generally very inflexible and do not allow the user to determine in which order the information will be presented. Although this has the advantage of presenting information in an order which has been shown by long experience to be the "best" for learning the information, it forces the user to review information that may already be known.
In order to provide more flexibility, some programs allow the user to select which chapters will be presented. Thus, the user is allowed to determine the basic ordering of the chapters of information. While this allows the user some degree of flexibility in the process, it still deals with information in relatively large units. Thus, the presentation of information still remains relatively fixed and ridged. Concepts from different units or chapters must be tied together in the mind of the user. Similarly, because the tests are presented after each unit, no overview test is provided. It would thus be an advancement in the art to provide a method to allow the user more control not only over the order and sequence of presentation but also the focus and scope of the tests administered.
In an attempt to remedy this shortcoming, some programs are also provided with a global or overview test. These tests allow a user to be tested on the entire subject matter. Because of the general nature of these tests, a user must generally review all material in the program before these tests can be utilized. Thus, there still remains an inability to test only on the information that has been presented to a user.
Another potential problem with these types of programs is the inability of the program to vary its behavior when presenting test questions. Once an individual has worked through a lesson or chapter, the set of questions at the end are generally fixed. Thus, an individual who must review the material several times in order to learn it, may learn the sequence of test questions. The test then becomes less a measure of the actual knowledge possessed by the user and more a measure of the ability of the user to memorize the sequence and order of test questions. In order to prevent this occurrence, many programs have built into them a random component. This component presents the test questions in a random order. Memorization of the test questions by an individual is thus more difficult. While this has the advantage of providing a little different look each time the program is run, it still does not totally solve the problem.
In an attempt to strengthen this part of the program, certain manufactures have created a larger set of questions. The test would then ask a subset of these questions in a random order. In this way, not only is the order of test questions randomized, but also the selection of the test questions themselves. Thus, a user reviewing the same material on two different occasions, may not be presented with the same questions. While this provides an even greater degree of randomness so that the tests are different each time they are taken, care must be utilized to insure that each question is asked only once. Furthermore, the effectiveness of this method depends on the number of questions available for use relative to the number of questions which are asked during each test.
This problem raises one of the limitations of these types of programs. The effectiveness of the test and evaluation section of the program is generally dependent on the number of questions which can be asked of an individual. During development of these programs, it is often very difficult and time consuming for an individual to generate a pool of questions for use during testing. Each question must be authored an then programmed into the computer so that it can be asked at the appropriate time. The larger the number of test questions, the harder the program is to develop. Thus, many of these type of programs utilize relatively simple testing methodologies in order to minimize the total number of test questions that must be developed.
Speed and complexity of development are always paramount considerations when crafting these types of learning programs. Development of these types of programs generally begins by obtaining information. After information is obtained, the information must be sorted into logical categories for presentation. This process can be illustrated by a glance through a typical classroom textbook. In the textbook, information is organized or grouped by chapters to provide a logical and coherent flow for the individual utilizing the textbook. In much the same way, information is organized and structured into chapters or units or lessons to facilitate this logical and orderly flow. For each chapter or lesson, if testing is desired, then a pool of test questions must be drafted and developed. The answers to these questions must also be developed. The programmer or developer then organizes the information so that it can be presented to the user. The test questions and answers are also organized so they can be presented to the user.
The time it takes to develop a learning program can be very significant. In order to minimize the development time, there is a tendency to minimize either the amount of information presented or the number of test questions presented. This, however, is sometimes not acceptable since the resulting product is insufficient to present the depth or breadth of information required. For example, only questions dealing with the narrow range of presented information may be asked. The student is not presented with a broad enough spectrum of information to allow the answering of analogous rather than specific questions. Currently, there does not exist a satisfactory method of reducing development time. While some authoring tools exist, these are generally structured so as to minimize the effort involved in presenting information to the user. Test questions and testing methods must still be developed through a very laborious process. Thus, it would be an advancement in the art to have a method which reduces the effort required to develop test questions.
One advantage of learning systems designed to test individuals on a sequence of materials is the ability to alter the number of questions being asked. For example, if the test is utilized for practice purposes, it would be desirable to ask fewer questions of an individual who clearly has mastered the subject and more questions of an individual who has not attained a high degree of mastery. Computers are capable of dynamically totaling the number of questions asked and determining whether further questions should be asked. Unfortunately, this capability is often limited by the number of questions available for a given chapter or lesson. Because such questions are often hard to develop, the number of questions available for a given chapter or subject is often limited. This is particularly true where a certain number of questions are to be reserved for a general test covering all information in the learning program.
Due to the difficulty in developing comprehensive learning programs, the testing questions are generally designed to cover only the material specifically presented. Because of the relative inflexibility and difficulty in developing broad-based learning programs, testing on information analogous to that which has been presented is generally difficult. In order to develop such a capability, an author must develop questions drawn to information only analogous to that which has been specifically presented. Because of the difficulty in developing analogous questions, such a capability is often not included in learning programs. It would thus be an advancement in the art to develop a simple method for testing on information analogous to that which has been presented.

Method and system for computerized learning, response, and evaluation


A method and system for thermal printing of secure documents. A contact thermal printing system includes: a) thermal print head having at least one heater element; and b) a thermal printer controller. The printer controller is programmed to: 1) move the print head in a predetermined pattern while the print head is in contact with a top coating of a thermal print medium; 2) overdrive the heater element during predetermined parts of the pattern to a temperature sufficient to soften or melt the top coating, thereby forming a pattern of striations in the top coating; and 3) control the heater element to print at least part of an image on the medium. The contact surface of the print head can have a specific pattern of features for forming the striations, whereby a pattern of striations formed can encode information both in the direction of the motion of the print head and transversely to the direction of motion. The pattern of striations can form a bar code. The image can be a postal indicium printed on a document which is a mail piece, or other documents having value, such as tax stamps and tickets, can be printed.

The subject invention relates to a method and system for the printing of documents which are difficult to reproduce without detection. More particularly, it relates to printing of documents which have value using a thermal computer printer.
Documents which represent proof of payment (e.g., mail pieces which have been franked with a postal indicium, tax stamps) or which have a monetary value (e.g., tickets) must be secure, i.e., difficult to counterfeit. Printing such documents with a conventional computer printer is difficult, because methods for precise duplication are widely available using off-the-shelf scanning and printing technologies.
One method for solving this problem is to create complex patterns or images on the document, or to embed information in an image or pattern on a document in a manner such that the images or patterns cannot be reproduced with sufficient precision using widely available technologies. These methods, however, require that very high quality printing technology be used to produce the original documents.
Another method is to use a unique stock as the substrate upon which a document is printed. The unique features of the stock help serve to authenticate the original document; the best-known example being the unique stocks used to print currency. Such unique stocks, however, are expensive and require careful management.
While methods such as these have proven useful, their expense become hard to justify when the inherent value or the number of documents is small. For example, postage metering systems, which are well known systems for franking mail pieces as proof of payment of postage, are frequently used by small mailers who mail from a few to a few tens of mail pieces a day, which will not readily support the expense of high quality printing technologies or unique, controlled stock. Thus, it is desirable to use substantially conventional computer printing technologies for postage meters and similar applications. Yet at the same time cumulative postage, particularly for high volume mailers who may mail thousands of mail pieces daily, provides a significant inducement to fraud. Furthermore, while small mailers do not often mail a large number of mail pieces, in certain cases the total postage associated with those mail pieces may be significant enough (e.g., if all the pieces require special handling, e.g. Express Mail®) to induce the small mailer to commit fraud.
FIG. 1 shows a simplified representation of conventional postage meter 10; including a secure accounting system 12, thermal printer controller 14 and thermal print head 16. (Print head 16 is a contact thermal print head where its surface is in sliding contact with the surface of print stock 20 during the printing process; and as used hereinafter the terms "thermal print head" or "thermal printer" refer to such contact printing systems.) Postal information, including a postage amount that will be incorporated into a postal indicium (not shown), is input to accounting system 12. System 12 records the postage amount to assure payment of postage costs. Typically the postage amount is deducted from a pre-paid sum with which meter 10 is "filled", but in other meters the postage amount is simply recorded for later payment. After the postage amount is recorded, the amount, and possibly other information to be incorporated into a postal indicium, are input to printer controller 14, which formats the indicium, typically including fixed graphical elements, the postage amount, and information such as the date, meter serial number, etc. Controller 14 then controls print head 16 to print the indicium on thermal print stock 20.
Print stock 20 (shown in cross-section) includes a polymer top coating 22, thermal ink layer 24 and substrate 28. In operation conventional mechanisms (not shown) move print head 16 and stock 20 so that print head 16 moves through a predetermined raster pattern with respect to stock 20.
FIG. 2 shows a more detailed illustration of the operation of print head 16. Print head 16 (shown partly broken away in FIG. 2) comprises heater elements 16H-1 through 16H-n. Selected ones of heater elements 16H (here elements 16H-1 and 16H-(n−1)) are energized and heated to a threshold temperature for selected time periods by controller 14 as head 16 moves through the predetermined raster pattern to develop regions PE of ink layer 24; thus forming corresponding printed elements of the postal indicium image. Conventionally selected ones of elements 16H are energized by strobing a pulse of predetermined voltage and duration from a power supply output to a selected element, synchronously with the movement of head 16, according to whether or not a corresponding element of a bitmap representative of the indicium is asserted. Note that top coating 22, which is manufactured with a high degree of polish, is substantially unaffected by the normal printing process. Other aspects of postage meter operation, such as security features to prevent tampering with accounting system 12 and the use of encryption technology to uniquely identify postal indicia, are well known to those skilled in the art and need not be discussed further here for an understanding of the subject invention.
Many recently developed postage meter systems are based on conventional microprocessor based computers (e.g., "PCs") and use conventional computer printers to print postal indicia. Thus, controller 14 and print head 16 typically will comprise, or be substantially similar to, an off-the-shelf computer thermal printer. Thus, as discussed above, readily available scanning technology and off-the-shelf printers easily can be used to produce fraudulent duplicate postal indicia, or other documents of value whose production is controlled. While in principle it is possible to detect the use of duplicates of unique documents such as postal indicia, in practice this has proven difficult.
Thus it is an object of the subject invention to provide a method and system for printing secure documents using substantially off-the-shelf computer printing technology.

Method and system for creation of secure documents using digital embossing of thermal media with thermal print heads


A tone control for string instruments includes a pair of potentiometers each coupled in series relationship with a respective filter capacitor. The pair of potentiometers are mechanically coupled one to the other for concurrent mechanical travel of respective displaceable contacts thereof to provide selective filtering of one or more pick-up sensors of the instrument. Responsive to selective positioning of the displaceable contacts of the pair of potentiometers, signals input thereto are high pass filtered, low pass filtered or unfiltered. The tone control can serve as a master tone control where separate tone controls are connected to series coupled pairs of pickup coils and coupled to the master tone control through a blend configuration control.

This disclosure directs itself to a tone control for string instruments that permits selective filtering of one or more pickup sensors, active or passive, of the instrument. More in particular, the disclosure is directed to a tone control for string instruments that includes a pair of potentiometers each coupled in series relationship with a respective filter capacitor and mechanically coupled one to the other for concurrent mechanical travel of respective displaceable contacts thereof. Still further, the disclosure is directed to a system where responsive to selective positioning of the displaceable contacts of the pair of potentiometers, the signals input thereto are high pass filtered, low pass filtered or unfiltered. The disclosure is also directed to a tone control that operates with two pickup coils coupled in series to provide low pass filtering of one pickup coil and a high frequency boost for the other pickup coil.
Electric string instruments, such as electric guitars, electric bases, electric violins, etc., use one or more pickup sensors to convert the vibration of instrument's strings into electrical impulses. The most commonly used pickups uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction. The signal generated by the pickup is of insufficient strength to directly drive an audio transducer, such as a loudspeaker, so it must be amplified prior to being input to the audio transducer.
Because of their natural inductive qualities, all magnetic pickups tend to pick up ambient electromagnetic interference (EMI) from electrical power wiring in the vicinity, such as the wiring in a building. The EMI from a 50 or 60 Hz power system can result in a noticeable "hum" in the amplified audio by from the audio transducer, particularly with poorly shielded single-coil pickups.
While most single coil pickups are wired in parallel with each other, it is also possible to wire them in series, producing a fuller and stronger sound. Using a multiple pole, multiple through switch, such as a double pole, double through switch (DPDT) or double pole three position switch, it is known in the art to switch the coil configuration between series and parallel, and may also provide or "coil cut" configuration (a single coil output). It is also known to use ganged potentiometers to provide series to parallel blending.
Networks formed by ganged or individual potentiometers with series coupled capacitors for "treble control" and parallel coupled capacitors for "bass control" have been used for many years. However, such controls do not give the musician the option for a natural unfiltered sound without the use of a switch to bypass the tone control network. It is an object of the invention disclosed herein to overcome that and other deficiencies in the prior art


A method, system and electronic device are provided for processing touch inputs on a touchscreen display. A starting touch input is detected on a document displayed at an initial scale on the touchscreen. If the starting touch input is within a disambiguation region for a number of interactive elements in the document, while contact is maintained on the display a further view of the document at an enlarged scale is displayed showing the area of the touch input. When an ending touch input is detected, one interactive element may be selected according to the location of the ending touch input, and an interaction function, such as requesting a resource hyperlinked by the selected interactive element, is automatically initiated.

Web browsers, word processors, e-book readers, file viewers and similar applications are used to present structured documents, webpages, HTML files, and the like, for display by an electronic device. Such documents, and in particular webpages and HTML files, often contain interactive elements such as hyperlinks or controls. When such documents are rendered for display by an electronic device, these elements may be rendered and presented onscreen in a size too small to be considered legible by a user, or too small to be easily manipulated by the user using an input device such as a pointing device or touchscreen interface. This is particularly the case with electronic devices such as tablet computers, smartphones, and some netbooks and laptop computers, which are typically equipped with smaller display screens than desktop computers or similar computing units. When the electronic device's display screen is combined with a touchscreen interface, with a smaller display screen size the interactive elements that the user wishes to select or activate by touch may be obscured by the user's finger, stylus or other implement used to interact with the touchscreen. The result is that the user may not select the intended element, but a nearby one instead, resulting in an incorrect response from the electronic device according to the user's expectations, and additional consumption of overhead processing as the electronic device executes unintended instructions.

Enhanced display of interactive elements in a browser


The object of the present invention is to provide a novel protein having a kinase activity and a gene encoding said protein. According to the present invention, there is provided a GANP protein which is represented by the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID No. 1 or No. 3 of the sequence listing, and is involved in the signal conversion of abnormal B cell differentiation in an autoimmune state, and has a kinase activity, and a polynucleotide which encodes said protein.

Antigen binding to the membrane lgR initiates the activation and maturation of the antigen-specific B cells in the peripheral lymphoid organs (Rajewsky, Nature (Lond.)., 381:751–758, 1996; Sakaguchi et al., Adv. Immunol. 54:337–392, 1993). B cells enter the outer periarterial lymphoid sheath (PALS) (Rajewsky, Nature (Lond.)., 381:751–758, 1996) and initiate costimulus-dependent interactions with specific Th cells and interdigitating dendritic cells within 48 h after immunization (MacLennan, Annu. Rev. Immunol. 12:117–139, 1994; Liu et al., Immunol. Rev. 156:111–126, 1997). Antigen-driven B cells proliferate in the outer PALS and then undergo further activation in the lymphoid follicles to establish the germinal center (herein sometimes abbreviated as GC) (Han et al., J.Immunol. 155:556–567, 1995; Jacob et al., J. Exp. Med. 176:679–687, 1992; Kelsoe, Immunity 4:107–111, 1996). Such B cells mature into large slg− centroblasts that rapidly move through the cell cycle to form the dark zone and further mature into centrocytes that express a unique surface character of PNA+B220+slgM+slgD−CD38− in the light zone of the GC (Kosco-Vilbois et al., 1997. Immunol. Today 18:225–230, 1997; Kelsoe, Immunol. Today 16:324–326, 1995; Oliver et al., J. Immunol. 158:1108–1115, 1997).
Centrocytes presumably undergo the processes of either apoptosis or affinity maturation of immunoglobulin V regions and the change process of class switching toward the lgG class antigen. Some centrocytes survive for a longer period in the lymphoid compartment as memory B cells. The other centrocytes probably migrate to the marginal zone of the GC and receive further antigenic stimulation and costimulatory signals through B cell activation molecules, such as CD40 and CD38, and receptors for various B cell stimulatory cytokines (Gray et al., J. Exp. Med., 180:141–155, 1994; Foy et al., J. Exp. Med., 180:157–163, 1994). Antigen-specific B cells further stimulated in this area probably migrate into the interstitial region of the spleen (called red pulp), where various kinds of other immune-competent cells may interact with antigen-driven B cells. Histochemical analysis in several autoimmune mice identified unique antibody-producing cells in this area which appear as plasma cells or aberrant plasma cells called Mott cells (Tarlinton et al., Eur. J. Immunol. 22:531–539, 1992; Jiang et al., J. Immunol., 158:992–997, 1997).
Autoimmunity is a phenomenon in which the impairment of self/nonself discrimination occurs frequently in the antigen-specific lymphocytes (Theofilopoulos, Immunol. Today, 16:90–98, 1995). The immune systems of various autoimmune diseases show the combinatory mechanism involving T cells and B cells (Theofilopoulos et al., Adv. Immunol., 37:269–290, 1985; Okamoto et al., J. Exp. Med. 175:71–79, 1992; Reininger et al., J. Exp. Med., 184:853–861, 1996; Theofilopoulos, et al., Immunol. Rev. 55:179–216, 1981; Watanabe-Fukunaga et al., Nature (Lond.)., 356:314–317, 1992; Takahashi et al., Cell, 76:969–976, 1994; Shlomchick et al., Nature (Lond.). 328:805–811, 1987).
NZB and NZW are the strains characterized by multiple genetic factors generating the severe autoimmune state of SLE as (NZB×NZW)F1 mice (Theofilopoulos et al., Adv. Immunol., 37:269–290, 1985; Okamoto et al., J. Exp. Med., 175:71–79, 1992; Reininger et al., J. Exp. Med., 184:853–861, 1996; Theofilopoulos et al., Immunol. Rev., 55:179–216, 1981). NZB mice spontaneously generate the state of autoimmunity with the anti-red blood cell antibody that causes an autoimmune hemolytic anemia (Okamoto et al., J. Exp. Med., 175:71–79, 1992). NZW mice show an insidious autoimmune phenomenon (Reininger et al., J. Exp. Med. 184:853–861, 1996). The SLE state of (NZB×NZW)F1 mice is apparently caused by multiple genetic factors associated with T and B cells (Theofilopoulos et al., Immunol. Rev., 55:179–216, 1981). NZB mice show an apparent abnormality of B cells, but the molecular mechanism of the abnormal B cell activation in NZB mice remains to be elucidated.

Kumamoto Technology & Industry Foundation


An integrated circuit includes first and second cores. Each core has a power-switchable portion in a first power domain in which an operating power is turned on or off in response to a power control signal. The first power domain includes a first scan chain, and the first power domain also includes a plurality of outputs. Each core also includes an always-on portion in a second power domain in which the operating power is maintained during testing of the integrated circuit. The second power domain also has a second scan chain. The second power domain further includes respective isolation gates coupled to the plurality of outputs of the first power domain, and the second scan chain includes a respective wrapper cell coupled to some isolation gates. The integrated circuit is configured to power off and isolate the power-switchable portion in the first power domain based on a scan test result.

Many modern integrated circuits include multiple processor cores (also referred to as cores). In design for testability (DFT) applications, integrated circuits are often designed with scan test circuitry that is used during chip manufacturing to test for various internal fault conditions. Scan test circuitry typically comprises scan chains that include multiple scan cells (registers), which are used to gain access to internal nodes of the integrated circuit. The scan cells may be implemented using a series of flip-flops or latches. The scan cells of a given scan chain are configurable to form a serial shift register for shifting in test patterns at inputs to combinational logic of the integrated circuit. The scan cells of the given scan chain are also used to capture outputs from other combinational logic of the integrated circuit. In a scan test mode of operation of the integrated circuit, the scan testing can include a scan shift phase in which the scan cells of a scan chain are configured as a serial shift register for shifting in and out of respective input and output scan data. Scan testing can also include a scan capture phase, in which the scan cells of the scan chain capture scan data from combinational logic. The captured data is subsequently shifted out to compare to expected patterns.

Yield-oriented design-for-test in power-switchable cores


A semiconductor device is provided comprising: a semiconductor element including a plurality of electrodes; a plurality of resin layers; a plurality of wirings; and a plurality of external terminals coupled to the wirings. First wirings of the plural wirings are formed at the bottom of a first resin layer and second wirings are formed at the top of the first resin layer.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same, a circuit substrate and an electronic apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing in which many external terminals can be formed and circuit substrate and an electronic apparatus in which the semiconductor device is installed.
2. Related Art
To mount a semiconductor device with high density, it is preferable to mount a semiconductor chip as it is without packaging such as bare mounting. In bare chip mounting, however, it is insufficient to protect a semiconductor chip and hard to handle it. Hence, a semiconductor device using a chip size package (CSP) is proposed and a wafer level CSP in which a diced wafer becomes a semiconductor device has recently developed. In this wafer level CSP, resin layers and wirings are formed on a surface of a silicon wafer in which tiny transistors are fabricated. This silicon wafer is cut into individual semiconductor devices.
In the conventional method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using a wafer level CSP, when a resin layer is formed on a surface of a silicon wafer, a resin layer is not formed in a portion which is diced so as to avoid loosing a resin layer and cracking an end area of a semiconductor device (See International Patent Publication No. 01-071805 pamphlet (FIG. 1 and FIG. 14)).
In the conventional method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using a wafer level CSP, however, a resin layer and an external terminal are formed close to the center of a semiconductor element and the external terminal is coupled to a wiring extending from an electrode formed in a circumference of the semiconductor device. In this case, wirings are formed only on a surface of a resin layer such that an area of a portion in which wirings and external terminals are formed is small and it is difficult to form many external terminals and it is uneasy to realize highly dense wirings and external terminals.
The present invention is intended to provide a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing in which wirings and external terminals can be formed with high density, a circuit substrate and an electronic apparatus in which the semiconductor device is installed.

Semiconductor device, method of manufacturing thereof, circuit board and electronic apparatus


A sensor device is provided for generating an electrical output signal in dependence on the position of a light source in relation to the sensor device. The sensor device has a three-dimensional switch carrier with several adjacent faces oriented in different directions, on which faces at least two sensors are arranged. On the two sides of a central face, there is arranged in each case a face, with an infrared light (IR) photodetector in each case, oriented at an angle to the central face, whereby the faces on which the IR photodetectors are arranged are not directly adjacent to one another.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sensor device for generating an electrical output signal in dependence on the position of a light source in relation to the sensor device.
2. The Prior Art
A sensor device of the type mentioned at the outset is known from EP 0 350 866 B1. The known sensor device has a photodetector, to which a geometrically specially formed light modulator is assigned. A light diffuser for the diffuse propagation or the dispersion of the incident light is also arranged between the light modulator and the photodetector.

Sensor device with three-dimensional switch carrier having differently oriented infrared photodetectors


The invention provides a novel crystalline form of 4-amino-N-tert-butyl-4,5-dihydro-3-isopropyl-5-oxo-1,2,4-1H-triazole-1-carboxamide and a process for preparation of said crystalline form. The invention also relates to formulations and method for controlling weeds using said formulations.

4-amino-N-tert-butyl-4,5-dihydro-3-isopropyl-5-oxo-1,2,4-1H-triazole-1-carboxamide (Amicarbazone) is a herbicidal active substance of the formula I with a broad spectrum of weed control.

Amicarbazone exists in different crystalline forms. Acta Crystallographica Section E: Structure Reports 2013 discloses a crystalline form of amicarbazone in which three independent molecules comprise the asymmetric unit of the molecule (Z=6). The form is referred to as amicarbazone Form A hereinafter.
WO2017152712 discloses a crystalline form of amicarbazone prepared from amorphous form of amicarbazone.
Different crystalline forms of the same active substance often display different properties. Stability, solubility, suspensibility, dispersibility, crystal density, crystal hardness and dissolution rate are some of the properties that vary with difference in crystalline nature of the active substance.
Stability of a crystalline form is significant in terms of stability on storage, suspension stability, stability to decomposition as well as with respect to conversion of one form to another. Biological activity of different forms of an active substance depends on many of the parameters described above. The stability, dispersibility and solubility of formulations prepared from known crystalline forms of amicarbazone was not satisfactory.
It is surprisingly found by the present inventors that by defined processes, a previously unknown, stable crystalline form of 4-amino-N-tert-butyl-4,5-dihydro-3-isopropyl-5-oxo-1,2,4-1H-triazole-1-carboxamide is obtained that is advantageous for preparing improved formulation products useful in agriculture.

Crystalline form of 4-amino-n-tert-butyl-4,5-dihydro-3-isopropyl-5-oxo-1,2,4-1H-triazole-1-carboxamide and a process for producing thereof


An apparatus is provided that includes a wave generator, plurality of transducers and processing device. The wave generator may be configured to simultaneously generate a plurality of acoustic waves that propagate through a laminate along a plurality of in-plane directions. The transducers may be spaced apart from one another and positionable at one or more known distances from the wave generator along respective in-plane directions. The transducers may be configured to detect acoustic waves propagating through the laminate along the respective in-plane directions. The processing device may be coupled to the transducers and configured to simultaneously calculate a plurality of elastic constants of the laminate as a function of velocities of the acoustic waves detected by the transducers. And the processing device may be configured to calculate the velocities as a function of the known distance(s) and arrival times of the acoustic waves at the transducers.

In a variety of mechanical or structural devices or assemblies including, for example, aircraft, spacecraft and other types of vehicles or vessels; buildings; bridges and other structures, it is frequently desired to be able to determine material properties or changes in material properties of a given part. The design and safe operation of a part depends on having particular properties at particular orientations or locations in the part. Further, any changes in material properties may be indicative of degradation of the part. For example, material stiffness may be an important parameter affecting the performance of a structure. While structures may be designed based on a known initial stiffness of the materials making up the structure, various factors may cause the materials to lose stiffness.
Stress, fatigue and environmental attack such as thermal and/or oxidation processes are just a few of the mechanisms by which a material may be degraded in terms of material stiffness. Fiber/matrix composite materials may be particularly susceptible to stiffness degradation, chiefly through a process known as micro-cracking in which microscopic cracks may develop in the matrix material that binds the fibers together. Such micro-cracking may cause deleterious changes in mechanical properties, stress concentration, and redistribution within the composite material, which in turn may lead to performance degradation, delamination, and fiber damage.
It may be important to quantitatively determine material properties of a plate such as a composite laminate plate along an in-plane direction of the plate, such as to determine its condition at manufacture and/or in-service.
Therefore, it may be desirable to have an apparatus and method that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as possibly other issues.

Apparatus and a method for measuring in-plane elastic constants for a laminate


A method for real time message transmission in a token ring network is provided. The method initializes each node in the network, including setting a maximum message transmission time H.sub.i for node i such that ##EQU1## where C.sub.i is the transmission time of a message in a message stream, P.sub.i is the period length of the message stream, and a is a non-negative constant between zero and one. The messages are then transmitted when a token arrives at a node for the duration of H.sub.i. Using this method with the timed token protocol, the synchronous messages are guaranteed to be transmitted before their deadlines if the utilization of synchronous messages is no more than ##EQU2## of available utilization.

Distributed digital computers and microprocessors have been used for embedded real time applications such as space vehicle systems, image processing and transmission, and integration of expert systems into avionics and industrial process control. Such distributed systems have stringent timing requirements because they often operate in real time. Timing failures in these systems are impermissible since such failures may produce catastrophic results.
The key to success in using a distributed system for these applications is the timely execution of computation tasking by more than one microprocessor node as well as the communication of computed results and information among the nodes. End-to-end deadline guarantees are not possible without a communication network that supports the timely delivery of inter-task messages. Therefore, it is important that messages can be guaranteed to be transmitted to their destinations before their deadlines.
A particular protocol for real time communication between distributed nodes have recently received recognition as the ANSI standard for such systems. The protocol is the FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) token ring media access control, the details of which are available by consulting FDDI Token Ring Media Access Control (MAC). ANSI Standard X3.139, 1987. This protocol is suitable for real time applications not only because of its use in high capacity networks, but also due to the fact that it has the important property of bounded access time. Bounded access time is necessary for real time communications. The timed token protocol has been incorporated into many network standards, including the Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), IEEE 802.4, the High-Speed Data Bus and the High-Speed Ring Bus (HSDB/HSRB), and the Survivable Adaptable Fiber Optic Embedded Network (SAFENET). Many embedded real time applications use them as backbone networks. For example, the FDDI has been selected as a backbone network for NASA's Space Station Freedom.
With the timed token protocol, messages are grouped into two separate classes: synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous messages arrive in the system at regular intervals and may be associated with deadline constraints. Timed token protocol is primarily concerned with the control of the token rotation time, which is defined as the time between two consecutive visits of the token to a particular node. At network initialization time, a protocol parameter called Target Token Rotation Time (TTRT) is determined which indicates the expected token rotation time. Each station is assigned a fraction of the TTRT, known as synchronous bandwidth, which is the maximum time for which a node is permitted to transmit its synchronous messages every time it receives the token. Once a node receives the token, it transmits its synchronous message, if any, for a time no more than its allocated synchronous bandwidth. It can then transmit its asynchronous messages only if the time elapsed since the previous token departure from the same node is less than the value of TTRT, i.e., only if the token arrived earlier than expected.
Guaranteeing a message deadline implies transmitting the message before its deadline. With a token passing protocol, a node can transmit its messages only when it captures the token. This implies that if a message deadline is to be guaranteed, the token should visit the node where the message is waiting before the expiration of the message's deadline. That is, in order to guarantee message deadlines in a token ring network, it is necessary to bound the time between two consecutive visits of the token to a node or the token rotation time. However, merely setting a limit for the token rotation time does not guarantee meeting message deadlines. A node with inadequate synchronous bandwidth may be unable to complete the transmission of a synchronous message before its deadline. On the other hand, allocating excess amounts of synchronous bandwidths to the nodes could increase the token rotation time, which may also cause message deadlines to be missed. Thus, guaranteeing message deadlines is also dependent on the appropriate allocation of synchronous bandwidths to the nodes in the distributed system.
It is widely recognized in the art of real time distributed systems that the allocation of synchronous bandwidth is an open problem with no known solution. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method for synchronous bandwidth allocation in a real time distributed system which guarantees message deadlines are met. Such a bandwidth allocation method should be especially compatible with the timed token protocol in order to adhere to industry standard requirements.
During the allocation of synchronous bandwidth, various types of information may be used such as the message parameters of various stations and the system parameters. Synchronous bandwidth allocation schemes can be categorized based on the type of information they use. An allocation scheme is local if it computes the synchronous bandwidth of a node without using the information of messages on other nodes. On the other hand, a global scheme utilizes system wide information, including the message periods and lengths on different nodes, the total utilization, the total number of message streams, etc., to compute the synchronous bandwidth of a node.
Since the local schemes compute the synchronous bandwidth of a node independently of the message parameters at other nodes, they have an advantage over the global schemes in the run time network management. At run-time, if a parameter of a message stream on some node is changed, with a local allocation scheme only the synchronous bandwidth of the involved node needs to be adjusted accordingly. No other node is disturbed. In other words, the entire network can continue its normal operation without disturbance while an individual node is changing its own message parameters and synchronous bandwidth.

Local synchronous bandwidth allocation in a token ring network


A burn-in correction system including a display unit equipped with a display panel displaying an image according to input image data, and an imaging unit acquiring imaged image data by imaging the display panel from a viewing side, the system correcting burn-in on the display panel. The system further includes: a lighting unit lighting each pixel constituting the display panel in order under a preset lighting condition; a calculation unit calculating a difference value between luminance of the imaged image data of each pixel lighted by the lighting unit, the imaged image data acquired by imaging each lighted pixel with the imaging unit, and luminance preset in the lighting condition; and a correction unit correcting luminance of each pixel based on the input image data, the correcting performed based on the difference value calculated by the calculation unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display apparatus equipped with a burn-in correction function, a burn-in correction system and a burn-in correction method.
2. Related Art
The phenomenon called as burn-in sometimes occurs in a display apparatus equipped with a display panel such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a plasma display panel (PDP). The burn-in is the phenomenon in which the trace of a pattern remains on a display screen when the same image has been displayed over a long time, or when the cumulative display time of the same image becomes a long time. If the burn-in occurs, the light emission state of the burn-in place has changed to make it impossible to perform an adequate display. Accordingly, various techniques have been conventionally proposed for settling the burn-in phenomenon.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a projector which is equipped with a color unevenness correction circuit and can correct the color unevenness on a projection screen by measuring the luminance of each block of a projected image based on an image signal of a fixed luminance level, which is projected on the screen with a luminance meter or a video camera, by acquiring a parameter for color unevenness correction based on a difference between the measured value and a reference value to set the acquired difference in a register of the color unevenness correction circuit, and by performing the color unevenness correction of the image signal based on the parameter in the register with the color unevenness correction circuit.
Moreover, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a projection system capable of generating a proper image in conformity to the situation of a projection plane by acquiring an image by the camera unit's imaging of a pattern which is projected by a projector unit and the luminance of which stepwise changes at regular intervals, by the camera control unit's setting of correction values for gradation property correction so that the stepwise variation quantities of the brightness of the area of the acquired image in which the pattern is projected may be arranged at regular intervals, by the γ correction circuit's correction of the gradation property of a photographed image acquired by the camera unit based on the correction value set by the camera control unit after the camera control unit's setting of the correction values for the gradation property correction, and by the device drive control function's correction of the gradation property of the projected image to be projected on the projection plane from the projector unit.
Furthermore, for example, Patent Document 3 discloses a convergence adjustment system performing the adjustment of the distortion of an image by the digital camera's imaging of the whole image projected by a liquid crystal projector to read the image property of the imaged image by means of a program, and by capturing the misalignment in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction of each color signal, the misalignment of the angle thereof, the misalignment in the depth direction thereof, and the misalignment caused by low angle photographing.
[Patent Document 1] JP-A 2006-003607
[Patent Document 2] JP-A 2004-109246
[Patent Document 3] JP-A 2003-264847
Because burn-in is a deterioration phenomenon occurring by the pixel constituting a screen, it is necessary to perform the detection and the correction of a burn-in place by the pixel in order to perform an accurate correction. However, according to the techniques disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, it is possible to correct color deterioration and the like, but, because both of the techniques correct the parts where color unevenness has occurred by imaging the whole screen with a video camera or the like, both the techniques have the problem of the impossibility of performing accurate detection of a place where color light emission is deteriorated to perform adequate correction. Moreover, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 3 can capture the misalignment quantities, but cannot perform the detection and the correction of burn-in by the pixel, and consequently cannot accurately correct color deterioration owing to the burn-in.

Display apparatus, burn-in correction system and burn-in correction method


Wind sensor devices, systems, and methods are provided in accordance with various embodiments. The wind sensor device may include: a first support ring; a second support ring; a first transducer coupled with the first support ring; a second transducer coupled with the first support ring; a third transducer coupled with the second support ring; and a fourth transducer coupled with the second support ring. A center of a face of the first transducer, a center of a face of the second transducer, a center of a face of the third transducer, and a center of a face of the fourth transducer may form four vertices of a tetrahedron, which may include an equilateral tetrahedron. The first transducer, the second transducer, the third transducer, and the fourth transducer are generally directed away from a center of the tetrahedron.

A variety of different tools and techniques may be utilized for measurement of fluid flow speed and/or flow direction. For example, ultrasonic anemometers may be utilized to determine wind speed and/or wind direction.
There may be a need for new tools and techniques that may allow for the reduction in size of different systems and/or measurement of the Z-axis wind component.


A process for manufacturing extruded and cut products (70) containing a first material (20), resistant to being severed or sensitive to being severed, and an easily severed second material (16). Includes an extruder apparatus (10) with a first conduit (14) disposed to accept the first material, and a second conduit (18) disposed to accept the second material. And diverter cylinders (22) and (24), opening into the conduits to cyclicly extract or inject the materials from the conduits, producing intermittent flows within the conduits (14) and (18) out of phase of each other, next the materials alternately fill a transverse section of a confluence (42) to form a transversely layered extrusion (35). A conventional cutter is timed to transversely sever the transversely layered extrusion when a transverse layer of easily severed material (16) is exiting.

Prior art extrusion methods to isolate a component material from the severing device by including the component material in filling material which is then completely enclosed in a coating material, depend on converging flow terminators to affect the desired intermittent flow of the filling material. These converging flow terminating methods, in the act of terminating the flow of a filling material containing component material not suitable to be severed or resistant to being severed, such as capsules, spheres, or cubed meat, either damage the component material, or become jammed, or do not seal completely when attempting to close on to the component material, thus resulting in an unacceptable high product scrap rate. A prior art method which encloses an easily severed material, within another easily severed material using a converging flow terminator, is taught by Svengren in U.S. Pat. No. 4659580. Apr. 21, 1987
To circumvent the problems associated with including component material that is resistant to being severed or is sensitive to being severed within an extruded and cut product, conventional methods use subsequent methods to add the component material to the exterior of an extruded and cut base of uniform consistency thus suffer from a number of disadvantages:
(a) The subsequent attaching of component material to the exterior of an extruded and cut base, either requires manual labor introducing quality variations, or costly devices that take up considerable space, and are correspondingly expensive to maintain.
(B) Attaching the component material to the surface of an extruded and cut base, does because of its nature, expose the component material to the elements, thus as in the case of a dough product with cubed meat as the component material, precludes subsequent sanitary cooking and packaging of the product.
(C) Attaching the component material to the surface of an extruded and cut base can expose the product to the entrapment air-borne pathogens due to the successive layering of ingredients as the product progresses forward by conveyor from one station to another.
(D) Attaching the component material to the surface of an extruded and cut base usually depends on uniform, dry, and non-sticky component material, thus limiting the materials and products compatible with the process.

Process for manufacturing an extruded and cut product containing material not suited to be severed


A pet tether including a ground fixation device; a base attached to a ground fixation device, the base being disposed above the ground, a coupling on the base, the coupling being disposed above the ground, a leash bracket, the leash bracket having a leash attachment and the leash bracket having a handle, the handle being constructed to couple and uncouple with the coupling, a housing attached to the leash bracket; and a light mounted in the housing.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to devices for controlling or handling an animal and, more particularly, to rotatable tether devices.
2. Related Art
Animal restraint devices are well known and widely used. A simple form of restraint is a leash that can be attached to a collar or harness on the animal. A leash usually includes a handle, a lead, and a clip that attaches to the collar.
Oftentimes it is desired to keep an animal tethered to a fixed point with a restraint. For example, in a yard without a fence, it may be desired to tether the animal to keep it from running off the property. Previously, a simple stake or pole in the ground has been used for this purpose. The combination of the restraint and tether provides the animal with some freedom of movement while still keeping the animal within a defined boundary.
Rotatable tethering devices are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,506 issued to Stubbs discloses a rotatable animal tethering device. The device includes a flat bed having four legs that are driven into the ground. A center stake is centered in the bed and is also driven into the ground. The upper end of the stake is threaded and receives a collar. The stake also receives a tube and cylinder assembly. The cylinder has a lug to which the tether of the animal may be secured.
The device disclosed by Stubbs is not lighted such that passerby may trip on the device. Additionally, the device disclosed by Stubbs does not include a detachable handle. A detachable handle would conveniently allow a user to walk the animal without an additional control harness.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,314,916 issued to Watson, Sr. discloses a rotary tethering system for tethering an animal. The device includes a bar, a detachable above ground shaft portion, and a rotary tethering assembly. The bar is perpendicular to the below ground stake section. The bar supports the upper detachable above ground shaft portion. The rotary tethering assembly is attached to the above ground shaft portion.
The Watson device does not include a handle for a user to grasp nor does it include a light. A handle would allow a user to walk the animal without the need for an additional control harness. A light would provide the benefit of illuminating the tether.
Thus, there remains a need for a tethering device that is lighted and incorporates a detachable handle.


An ink stick shape for use in a printer ink stick feed chute is disclosed wherein the opposing sides of the ink stick are tapered or angled from the horizontal so that at least one area intermediate the top and the bottom of the ink stick is a greater distance from the horizontal than the junction of the side walls and the bottom of the ink stick. The ink stick shape or geometry may be keyed to a particular color.

Solid ink jet printers were first offered commercially in the mid-1980's. One of the first such printers was offered by Howtek Inc. and used pellets of colored cyan, yellow, magenta and black ink that were fed into shape coded openings that fed generally vertically into the heater assembly of the printer where they were melted into a liquid state for jetting onto the receiving medium. The pellets were fed generally vertically downwardly, using gravity feed, into the printer. These pellets were elongated and tapered on their ends with separate rounded, five, six, and seven sided shapes each corresponding to a particular color.
Later more successful solid ink printers, such as the Tektronix Phaser.RTM. III and the Jolt printer offered by Dataproducts Corporation, used differently shaped solid ink sticks that were either gravity fed or spring loaded into a feed chute and pressed against a heater plate to melt the solid ink into its liquid form. These ink sticks were shape coded and of a generally small size. As phase change ink color printers increase their printing speed there is the need to provide larger sized ink sticks so that refill of the ink reservoir in the print head is less frequent and more output or prints can be produced between refills. Also, as the number of phase change ink printers increase it is desirable to use different shaped ink sticks with each model of printer that employs different ink formulations to minimize the potential for the inadvertent use of the incorrect ink in a particular printer since the inks and the printers are customized and made for each to optimize printer output. Current ink sticks employ shapes that have two mirror planes of symmetry.
Also, in printer designs where there is not a steep or generally vertical feed path to the heater plate, some provisions must be made to prevent the solid masses of shaped ink from sticking to the sides of the feed chutes so that regardless of the ink stick shapes employed an unrestricted feed of ink sticks proceeds down into the heater plate for melting. The melted ink then fills the individual colored ink reservoirs that are usually located within the print head. Larger sized ink sticks especially have the tendency to hang up or catch within the feed chutes when there is not a steep feed path to the melt plate, especially because of the sticky nature of the ink sticks' waxy exterior surfaces.
This problem is solved in the design of the ink stick masses of the present invention by the use of a drafted or tapered chiral design that presents only a small surface area for the ink stick to contact the adjacent wall of the feed chute. The opposing sides of the ink sticks extend between the top and the bottom surfaces at an angle.


The present invention provides a modular designed CompactFlash interface for voice and data applications. The present invention provides the advantages of attachments, such as a keypad, that attach to a PDA and give the PDA the ability to provide a wireless voice handset. Other attachments include a small screen attachment that gives pager/PDA-like interfaces for data transmission and/or retrieval.

Personal Digital Assistants
The market for handheld computing devices (also called Personal Digital Assistants, or PDAs) has evolved from the ill-fated Newton MessagePad™ to other very successful handheld device platforms. Further evidence of continued success is seen in that independent market research firms expect the sales of handheld devices to continue to double each year between the years 1999 and 2003. Many PDAs have ports that adhere to a Compact-Flash™ standard.
The Compact-Flash™ standard utilizes a fifty pin format and a passive sleeve connection to provide an ability to connect devices and memory through a relatively small connection. Furthermore, the Compact-Flash standard also supports its predecessor, the PC card format. The success of the Compact-Flash standard is evidenced by the fact that there are numerous digital cameras, handheld PC's, as well as other electronic platforms that utilize Compact-Flash enabled ports (memory storage devices, modems, Ethernet cards, integrate with the Compact-Flash standard).
Wireless Connections
Wireless data availability has grown in concert with the handheld device market. Current trends in wireless data availability include the integration of voice and data capabilities into a single handheld device platform, such as "smart phones." Though powerful, a single voice and data handheld device often provides more functionality than is needed by a user, and are often quite expensive.
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is deployed among several carriers through various technologies in North America, and almost all of the major phone vendors have implemented WAP browser technology on some of their handsets. In addition, many international carriers are implementing WAP as well. This is because the WAP browser (also known as a micro-browser) is very efficient and, thus, may be provided with low cost rate plans (lower than typical packet data rate plans offered for regular Internet access).
A device that uses WAP as a platform provides an array of features that enhance a user's experience. Features like "push" capabilities, alerting, security, data compression, message transmission status information, and graphics support, are some of the features provided in the WAP architecture. For a developer, the WAP development environment addresses many of the hardware dependent factors such as screen size, graphic's display, cache management, and data input which enable the developer to focus on application design and development. Furthermore, WAP platforms provide features which are not inherent to current Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) networks, such as "store and forward" capabilities.
Accordingly, devices have been designed to bring WAP and voice capabilities to portable computers, such as PDAs. Some devices, such as those disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/552,321, entitled "CELLULAR DIGITAL PACKET DATA (CDPD) PUSH TECHNOLOGY MODULE", by Weinzierl, et. al, and which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, address the need for a single platform capable of integrating a wireless network with a PDA device that has a Compact-Flash interface. Other devices addressed in the aforementioned U.S. Patent Application address the need for a Compact-Flash enabled device that provides the ability to place data on and retrieve data from a wireless network in a Compact-Flash size data entry module.
However, no one has addressed providing data entry and retrieval functionality to these and similar devices separate and apart from laptop computers, PDAs, and other "intelligent" portable computing platforms. Accordingly, there exist the need for data and voice entry devices, as well as data and voice retrieval devices that enable a CompactFlash core module to provide independent voice and data use in a wireless network. The invention enables the user to carry small attachments that can turn a CompactFlash core module into a wireless phone or a two-way data access device.


A capacitor for use in integrated circuits comprises a layer of conductive material. The layer of conductive material including at least a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion and the second portion are arranged in a predetermined pattern relative to one another to provide a maximum amount of capacitance per semiconductor die area.

There is a continuing demand for integrated circuits to perform more functions or operations in shorter periods of time. This typically requires additional components to perform the additional functions, store more data and operate more efficiently. At the same time packaging requirements are decreasing. Consumers want smaller, lighter weight products that do more and are more mobile or portable. Accordingly, circuit designers are challenged to provide more components or greater capacity per unit of area on a semiconductor die. Most electronic circuits include basic electrical components such as transistors, resistors, inductors, capacitors and the like. Capacitors are one component that can occupy a lot of area on a semiconductor die depending upon the size of the capacitor. Capacitors are typically made by depositing a first metal plate, depositing a layer of insulation material over the first metal plate and then depositing a second metal plate over the layer of insulation material and parallel to the first metal plate. The size of the capacitance will be a function of the surface area of the two facing parallel plates and other parameters such as the dielectric constant of the insulation material and the spacing between the plates. Accordingly, one primary means of increasing the capacitance, is to increase the size of each of the parallel plates but this will consume more area on the semiconductor die.
Additionally, in some circuits it may be desirable for the capacitor to be independent of voltage and frequency applied across the capacitor once it is charged to a predetermined level. For example, a capacitor may be connected to the non-inverting input of an operational amplifier to reduce or cancel the offset voltage inherent in the operational amplifier. The capacitor may be pre-charged to the opposite polarity of the offset voltage of the amplifier so that the offset voltage is canceled during normal operation of the amplifier. When an input voltage signal is applied to the input of the operational amplifier, the output voltage signal will be stable and uninfluenced by the offset voltage if the capacitor is voltage and frequency independent.
Accordingly, for the reason stated above, and for other reasons that will become apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need for a capacitor that maximizes the amount of capacitance per unit of area of a semiconductor die and that is independent of voltage and frequency.

Integrated circuit memory with offset capacitor


The present invention relates in part to isolated nucleic acid molecules (polynucleotides) which encode Rhipicephalus sanguineus glutamate gated chloride channels. The present invention also relates to recombinant vectors and recombinant hosts which contain a DNA fragment encoding R. sanguineus glutamate gated chloride channels, substantially purified forms of associated R. sanguineus glutamate gated chloride channels and recombinant membrane fractions comprising these proteins, associated mutant proteins, and methods associated with identifying compounds which modulate associated Rhipicephalus sanguineus glutamate gated chloride channels, which will be useful as insecticides.

Glutamate-gated chloride channels, or H-receptors, have been identified in arthropod nerve and muscle (Lingle et al, 1981, Brain Res. 212: 481-488; Horseman et al., 1988, Neurosci. Lett. 85: 65-70; Wafford and Sattelle, 1989, J. Exp. Bio. 144: 449-462; Lea and Usherwood, 1973, Comp. Gen. Parmacol. 4: 333-350; and Cull-Candy, 1976, J. Physiol. 255: 449-464).
Invertebrate glutamate-gated chloride channels are important targets for the widely used avermectin class of anthelmintic and insecticidal compounds. The avermectins are a family of macrocyclic lactones originally isolated from the actinomycete Streptomyces avermitilis. The semisynthetic avermectin derivative, ivermectin (22,23-dihydro-avermectin B1a), is used throughout the world to treat parasitic helminths and insect pests of man and animals. The avermectins remain the most potent broad spectrum endectocides exhibiting low toxicity to the host. After many years of use in the field, there remains little resistance to avermectin in the insect population. The combination of good therapeutic index and low resistance strongly suggests that the glutamate-gated chloride (GluCl) channels remain good targets for insecticide development.
Glutamate-gated chloride channels have been cloned from the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (Cully et al., 1994, Nature 371: 707-711; see also U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,703 and Arena et al., 1992, Molecular Brain Research. 15: 339-348) and Ctenocephalides felis (flea; see WO 99/07828).
In addition, a gene encoding a glutamate-gated chloride channel from Drosophila melanogaster was previously identified (Cully et al., 1996, J. Biol. Chem. 271: 20187-20191; see also U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,492).
Despite the identification of the aforementioned cDNA clones encoding GluCl channels, it would be advantageous to identify additional genes which encode R. sanguineus GluCl channels in order to allow for improved screening to identify novel GluCl channel modulators that may have insecticidal, acaricidal and/or nematocidal activity for animal health, especially as related to treatment of tick and mite infestation in dogs, cats, cattle, sheep and other agriculturally important animals. The present invention addresses and meets these needs by disclosing novel genes which express a R. sanguineus GluGl1 and R. sanguineus GluGl2 channel wherein expression of these R. sanguineus GluCl RNAs in Xenopus oocytes or other appropriate host cells result in an active GluCl channel. Heterologous expression of a GluCl channel of the present invention will allow the pharmacological analysis of compounds active against parasitic invertebrate species relevant to animal and human health, especially in the treatment of tick infestations in dogs and cats. Heterologous cell lines expressing an active GluCl channel can be used to establish functional or binding assays to identify novel GluCl channel modulators that may be useful in control of the aforementioned species groups.

Methods of identifying modulators of L-glutamate-gated chloride channel proteins from


A process migration method comprising                executing a computer program on current computing resources, in a current partition of computations to parallel processes, each parallel process carrying out at least one computation;        communicating current partition data to intermediate computing resources;        using the intermediate computing resources to calculate new partition data including a new allocation of computations to processes for use on changed computing resources; and        migrating the process execution to the changed computing resources by communicating the new partition data to the changed computing resources.

1. Field
The present invention relates to migration of computing processes, in particular to when the processes are running in parallel on a distributed computing system with distributed memory. It also relates to the choice of computing resources (memory and processing capability) used during migration and/or after migration.
2. Description of the Related Art
The invention has practical applications in particular in the area of computer programs which use distributed memory and exchange information dynamically. Many of these programs use distributed processing and memory, such as an interconnected group of CPUs, each with their own memory. The group may be divided to correspond to individual elements, for which some form of computation is required.
One example of such a distributed parallel application is a computer program monitoring a sensor network, or a communications network. Each sensor in a sensor network can be viewed as an individual element requiring computation, for instance to process sensed values and/or to determine characteristics such as overall processing load. The computations can be carried out by a computing program which monitors the sensor network, and can also control the sensor network.
In a communications network, each entity (such as a mobile terminal or user equipment (UE), base station or relay station) can also be viewed as an element requiring computation, for example to determine an overall load. The computations can be carried out by a computing program which monitors and/or controls the communications network.
A further example is in monitoring stock trading, for instance to analyse the data for illegal trading practices. Computation may be required to track the transactions of each trader.
A yet further example is simulation. In many simulations, an iterative computation or iterative sets of computations are carried out, each computation corresponding to a single element in the simulation. Simulation elements may be linked in that a computation for one element of the simulation may require values from other elements of the simulation, so that data transfer between processes carrying out the simulation is considerable. Computer programs carrying out such simulations require the workload associated with the computations to be allocated to suitable computing resource, for example within a distributed system.
In these computer programs and other computer programs with linked computations, there may be a requirement to migrate processes (while they are executing). For example, it may be necessary to move the entire execution to a new computer system or new part of the current computer system to allow for changes in resource utilization by the computer program itself or by other computer programs.
As mentioned previously, there are many computer programs with individual elements requiring individual computation, some also having potential effect on other elements of the simulation. Two examples requiring a high level of communication between elements are use of finite element and finite volume methods to simulate material characteristics, including those of both fluids and solids.
Taking computational fluid dynamics (CFD) as an example, this technique uses numerical methods and algorithms to solve and analyze problems that involve fluid flows. There are many approaches to CFD modeling and other three-dimensional algorithmic modeling, but the same basic three-stage procedure is almost always followed.
During pre-processing, the geometry (physical bounds) of the problem is defined; and the volume occupied by the fluid or other material is divided into discrete cells or nodes (the mesh). The mesh may be uniform or non uniform and its division into cells or nodes may be adaptive, to change the mesh size as appropriate during simulation. The physical modeling is defined using appropriate equations and boundary conditions are defined. In CFD this involves specifying the fluid behavior and properties at the boundaries of the problem. For transient problems, the initial conditions are also defined.
In processing the simulation is started and the equations are solved iteratively on a per cell/per node basis, as a steady-state or transient.
Finally a postprocessor is used for the analysis and visualization of the resulting solution.
The data for each mesh node or discrete cell can be viewed as a single element in the simulation.
Another example of a computer simulation is agent modeling (also referred to as agent-based modeling) in which individuals can be viewed as elements of a simulation.
An agent-based model (ABM) (also sometimes related to the term multi-agent system or multi-agent simulation) is a computational model for simulating the actions and interactions of autonomous agents with a view to assessing their effects on the system as a whole. In many models, each agent is an individual (person, animal or other autonomous element). In order to simulate the individual's behavior, the individual is given attributes, such as a moveable position and rule-based reactions to stimuli, including other individuals.
A further example of simulation is particle simulation, which simulates a dynamic system of particles, usually under the influence of physical forces such as gravity. Each particle may be viewed as a single element in such a simulation.
Computationally intense applications like these are often carried out on high performance computer systems and thus an important application for some invention embodiments is job scheduling and management of such systems. These high performance computer (HPC) systems often provide distributed environments in which there is a plurality of processing units or cores on which processing threads of an executable can run autonomously in parallel.
There are countless configurations of hardware now in use for computing resources, with varying processor powers and amounts of memory, as well as different physical arrangements for memory and processor capability and the interconnect between the two. Many of these different hardware configurations and a large number of different programming models are applicable to high performance computing. A popular approach to high-performance computing currently is the cluster system, in which a plurality of nodes each having one or more multicore processors (or "chips") are interconnected by a high-speed network. Each node (or sometimes each core) is assumed to have its own area of memory. The cluster system can be programmed by a human programmer who writes source code, making use of existing code libraries to carry out generic functions. The source code is then compiled to lower-level executable code, for example code at the ISA (Instruction Set Architecture) level capable of being executed by processor types having a specific instruction set, or to assembly language dedicated to a specific processor. There is often a final stage of assembling or (in the case of a virtual machine, interpreting) the assembly code into executable machine code. The executable form of an application (sometimes simply referred to as an "executable") is run under supervision of an operating system (OS).
Applications for computer systems having multiple cores may be written in a conventional computer language (such as C/C++ or Fortran), augmented by libraries for allowing the programmer to take advantage of the parallel processing abilities of the multiple cores. In this regard, it is usual to refer to "processes" being run on the cores.
In cluster systems and in other distributed memory system, migration of an execution can require synchronization of data.
To assist understanding of the invention to be described, some relevant considerations are set out below, using simulation as an example.
A "fixed number of processors" model assumes that the workload to be distributed, the priority of the job (i.e. how urgently the results are required) and the system on which the job is running will remain constant over the duration of the simulation. However, this may not be the case. Some examples of when the number of processes may change are:                A distributed parallel application may be a computer program monitoring a sensor network or a communications network. Each processor may be responsible for processing the data from a certain part of the network—and be required to do this in real-time. If the volume of data increases (e.g. during peak periods for the communications network) then more resources may be necessary in order to ensure that the application can continue to process the data sufficiently quickly (and fewer resources required at off-peak periods).        As an alternative example, in an adaptive finite element simulation the number of mesh nodes may vary by one or more orders of magnitude over the course of the simulation. In this case, the number of nodes allocated to each processor may become very low compared to the number of halo nodes per processor at some stage of the simulation—leading to a very high communication-to-computation ratio. In this case, it may become faster to run the simulation on a smaller number of processors (reducing the communication).        Or, changed priorities may make it desirable to allocate extra resources to a given job on the HPC system or move the job to an entirely new system. For example, a real-time disaster warning system may be running at low priority on a small subset of the available resources when a sudden event—e.g. an earthquake—perturbs the system that it is simulating, requiring rapid simulation of the consequences using as many resources as can be made available. Simultaneously, other jobs must be scaled down to smaller systems in order to make way for the high priority job.        Further, a response to a failure in one of n processors allocated to a job might be to migrate the execution to run on (n−1) processors (rather than terminating the job entirely).
Thus execution of the computer program itself may require a change in resource within the same system or in a new system, for instance due to development of factors within the program or to external considerations.
It is therefore desirable to provide a way of migrating execution of a computer program that can be used flexibly for different circumstances and that takes into account the difficulty of migration, and optionally also synchronization.

Process migration method, computer system and intermediate computing resources