A method and system for improving a three-dimensional (3D) representation of objects using semantic data. The method comprises receiving an input data generated in response to captured video in a filming area; setting at least one parameter for each region in the input data; and generating a 3D representation based in part on the at least one parameter and semantic data associated with the input data.

The representation of objects in three dimensions, within a computer system, is a growing field with numerous applications in art, science, technology, and other fields. Generally, 3D representation refers to the description of an object in space and time, describing, for example, a moving human being by using a series of meshes which correspond to the human's movements. 3D representations are useful in generating virtual models in medicine, providing environments and virtual resources for videogames, creating compelling films, animations, and artistic renderings in VR and AR environments, and other applications. Current systems for generating 3D representations may be limited by system resources, application constraints, and other factors, limiting the scope and quality of the representations which can be created.
Within the domain of 3D representation, 3D modeling refers to the process of forming the shape of an object, as opposed to the application of textures and animation sequences to the model generated. 3D models may be generated as solid models or shell models, each possessing unique aspects. Solid modeling, wherein the surfaces and the volume of an object are defined, produces 3D models suitable for medical purposes and engineering design and simulation. Shell models represent the surface of an object without representing the object's volume. Shell models may be applied in animation, as in digital filmmaking or video game design.
In addition to the form of the 3D representation, either as a solid or a shell, multiple techniques exist to generate 3D models. The techniques applied, each with unique advantages and disadvantages, provide model creators with flexibility in design, allowing for emphasis of certain, important, features over others. Popular modeling techniques include polygon modeling, curve modeling, and digital sculpting.
Polygon modeling allows for the creation of 3D models by connecting points in a 3D space to form a mesh of polygons. Polygon modeling is popular due to the speed and flexibility with which the models can be generated and manipulated. However, polygon modeling is limited in certain respects, such as the representation of curved surfaces, which may be difficult to approximate using a finite number of angular polygons.
In addition, curve modeling allows for the representation of curved surfaces using weighted points. By defining a curve with respect to a series of points, the geometry of a surface can be modeled without polygon modeling. Curve modeling relies on the assignment of weighting values to the points defining the curve, where points with higher weighting values draw the path of the curve closer to the points. Curve modeling, capable of representing curved surfaces, lacks the advantages of polygon modeling, namely, speed and flexibility in model generation.
Digital sculpting may also be used to generate 3D models. Digital sculpting platforms allow a user to generate a 3D model by manipulating a virtual material as if it were a bulk of clay, metal, or other material.
Popular 3D modeling techniques generally share certain disadvantages. While 3D modeling may be more efficient with certain techniques than with others, the process of generating a 3D model and mapping motion of the model may be resource-intensive. 3D modeling tasks may require significant storage space and processing power. Furthermore, 3D modeling tasks may require resources beyond what a modeling system has available, creating a need for extended processing time to compensate for a lack of processing resources. Where extended processing time is necessary, 3D modeling may not be appropriate for the creation of live or low-delay video, preventing the use of 3D modeling as a preferred tool in certain applications, such as live video.
Recently-developed applications of 3D modeling include the use of model generation in the creation of Free Viewpoint Video (FVV), a technique by which video feeds from one or more cameras are combined to virtualize the captured scene, allowing a viewer to select a viewing angle outside those provided by the cameras used. FVV may be generated by creating models of human actors or other parts or objects in a scene, based on the video captured by the one or more cameras, rendering the scene using the generated models, based on the movement captured by the cameras, and allowing a viewer to add a virtual camera, positioned to view the model-version of the scene from an angle not captured by the original, physical cameras. FVV may be useful in applications such as sports broadcasting, where the addition of virtual cameras allows fans to view a match from various angles not accessible by traditional cameras. Further, the addition of virtual cameras to a sports broadcast may allow referees to review contested plays from multiple angles and may allow for a reduction in the number of physical cameras, and associated hardware, necessary to comprehensively broadcast a match. In addition to sports broadcasts, FVV may be useful in the generation of multiple viewpoints for broadcasts such as plays and concerts, as well as for analysis of moving bodies, such as in automobile design and safety testing, motion capture, and other, like, applications.
FVV systems rely on model-generation technologies, including 3D modeling systems, to create 3D models based on the scene captured by the camera or cameras. As 3D modeling is essential to the creation of FVV, FVV systems may be restricted by the limitations of 3D modeling systems. Further, as a captured scene may include multiple moving bodies, complex motion, rich visual information, and other complicating factors, the conversion of the captured scene into a 3D representation, within which a viewer may place a virtual camera, and other aspects of FVV applications, may require substantial storage and may demand significant processing power. In addition, as FVV applications may include video which a viewer wishes to receive live or in near-real-time, the addition of significant delays between capture and broadcast, due to a system's inability to keep up with the processing demands of FVV generation, may be unacceptable to viewers and broadcasters. These challenges may be addressed by providing additional processing resources for 3D modeling systems, which may be prohibitively expensive, or by reducing the processing load required for a given 3D modeling task by reducing the quality of models, meshes, textures, and other aspects of modeling and broadcasting tasks. While improving the efficiency of 3D modeling by reducing processing loads may allow for live or near-real-time broadcast of 3D-modeled scenes, current improvements to 3D modeling systems are insufficient to allow for live or near-real-time FVV creation using 3D modeling.
The above-noted 3D modeling techniques do not address the current need for rendering free viewpoint video for studio applications or live broadcast. The benefits of a system configured to address the challenges noted may provide for the rendering of free viewpoint video for such applications, allowing rendering of high-quality video from most viewpoints.
It would, therefore, be advantageous to provide a solution that would overcome the deficiencies noted above.

Techniques for improving mesh accuracy using labeled inputs


A method and apparatus for allowing HTTP communication between a first device and a second device, the second device executing an HTTP shell acting as a relay, to relay HTTP requests from the first device to a third device for response. The third device communicates with the second device over SNMP and stores web pages and other information for generating HTTP responses to the first device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field network management and more specifically to managed of devices using the HTML protocol.
2. Description of the Related Art
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) has been the protocol of choice for managing internetworking devices. FIG. 1 illustrates prior art management of a device using SNMP. In FIG. 1, a managed device 101 executes an SNMP agent 102 and communicates over a connection 105 using SNMP with a network management station (NMS) 103 which is also executing an SNMP manager 104.
Despite relatively widespread implementation of SNMP managed devices such as device 101, network management station software (and stations executing such software), e.g. station 103 may be unavailable, difficult to maintain or of limited capabilities.
Thus, it has become desirable to utilize hypertalk markup language (HTML) to facilitate communication between the managed device and the management device. FIG. 1(b) illustrates an implementation of this technique. As is illustrated in FIG. 1(b), a HTTP web browser 115 is used to manage the device 101 over an HTTP network 116. The device 101 includes an HTTP server 113 which communicates with an SNMP agent. In this way, existing SNMP agent code can be utilized while still allowing management using an HTTP browser. Unfortunately, this implementation requires web pages to be constructed and stored at the device 101 for each function to be managed. While this solution may be workable for some devices, other devices may have more limited storage capability. An example, may be cable modems and the like which have relatively limited storage capability.
A third approach is illustrated by FIG. 1(c). In this implementation, a network management system 103 includes an HTTP server 121 which communicates over a HTTP network 116 with a HTTP web browser 115. The network management system also includes a SNMP manager 104 which communicates with an SNMP agent 102 executing on the managed device. Thus, management using HTML web pages is achieved by providing a level of indirection between the managed device 101 and the managing web browser 115. Storage requirements at the managed device are reduced because the web pages themselves are stored at the network management system 103.
While the implementation of FIG. 1(c) overcomes certain of the issues discussed in connection with FIG. 1(b), the level of indirection required by this implementation leads to certain complications.
Thus, what is desired is an improved method and apparatus for allowing management of network devices using HTML.
A method and apparatus for providing communication between a first device and a second device in a network. In the described embodiment, it is desirable to allow communication from the first device using HTTP requests. It is further desirable to limit storage and other operational requirements imposed on the second device. Thus, the second device utilizes an HTTP relay to relay HTTP requests from the first device to a web server where the requests are serviced. Any needed information from the second device, for formulating an HTTP response, is obtained by the web server using SNMP requests.

Method and apparatus providing a cable modem management and provisioning system


One embodiment of the present disclosure provides an external detection see-through door of a cabinet that stores objects. The external detection see-through door includes a transmission window, a sensor configured to detect a specific external condition in front of the transmission window, a light emitting module configured to increase an amount of emitted light according to a signal from the sensor, which has detected the specific external condition, to increase an amount of light that is reflected from inside the cabinet and heads toward the transmission window, and an optical film that is provided on the transmission window and has a light transmittance that prevents the cabinet from being see-through from the outside before the sensor detects the specific condition and allows the cabinet to be see-through from the outside due to light that is reflected from inside the cabinet and transmitted through the transmission window and the optical film due to the light emitting module increasing the amount of emitted light according to the signal from the sensor that has detected the specific external condition.

Generally, clothes or household items such as dishes are stored in storage boxes having a door, such as a closet or a cabinet. Such storage boxes generally have a door through which light is not transmitted to block sunlight or to improve the aesthetics of the interior. For this reason, there is no way to check an internal condition thereof other than a method of opening the door to check the interior, or it is difficult to know the internal condition unless a special device is used, and thus there is a problem in that it is inconvenient. Opaque doors may also be adopted for buildings to ensure security or the like, but, in some cases, it may be necessary to check whether there is a person on the other side of the door without opening the door.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

External detection see-through door and external detection see-through cabinet having same


A building structure includes means to utilize solar radiation to heat the building structure during relatively cold ambient environmental conditions and to cool the building structure during relatively hot ambient environmental conditions. The building structure includes chambered wall and floor constructions having integral heat sink masses. These integral heat sink masses provide for radiation of heat when air temperature in an interior space of the building structure is below a temperature of the heat sink masses and for absorption of heat when the air temperature in the interior space of the building structure is above a temperature of the heat sink masses. A flow of thermally treated air to the heat sink masses serves to regulate the temperature of the heat sink masses.

Traditionally, to maintain the temperature inside a building structure, one has had to rely on costly and sometimes inefficient air conditioning and heating systems. In general, such traditional systems function by heating or cooling air to produce treated air (e.g., heated air relative to indoor ambient air temperature or cooled air relative to indoor ambient air temperature). This treated air is then circulating through the building structure so as to adjust the air temperature within the building structure. While relatively effective, rising energy costs and a growing interest in renewable energy and conservation have served to illustrate the high operating costs associated with this type of traditional heating and cooling systems.
It is known that Adobe and other similar types of composite building materials offer considerable benefits with respect to energy conservation and climate control. Adobe and other similar types of composite building materials serve as a natural heat barrier and thermal heat sink. Accordingly, the use of Adobe and such other similar types of composite building materials are becoming more accepted, if not preferred, types of building materials. Furthermore, with a growing global trend towards environmentally friendly construction methods and materials, Adobe and composite soil building materials are becoming increasingly attractive options for building structures of all types in a wide range of geographic locations.
Therefore, an approach for using geothermal, solar and passive climate control techniques in combination with building materials that are configured for offering natural heat barrier and thermal heat sink functionality would be useful and advantageous.

Method, arrangement and apparatus for facilitating environmental climate control of a building structure


A noise detection and delay receiver circuit includes a circuit input and output and a plurality of individual receiver circuits connected to the input having trip points which range from a low trip point to a high trip point. Edge detect circuitry and delay circuitry are used to prevent the output from changing back to the previous state for a period of time immediately after it has just changed state. Multiple transitions of the input voltage across the trip points of the individual receivers are used to delay the response until noise has settled out of the input signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to digital receivers used at the input of a digital device to detect a digital signal and transmit it without error to the device. More specifically, the present invention relates to the design of digital receivers that may be used to receive noisy digital input signals.
2. Description of Related Art
Digital receivers are used at the input of digital devices, such as digital devices connected to a digital network. The receiver's function is to detect when a digital input signal is high or low, corresponding to digital ones and zeros, and pass that signal through to the digital device. It is of prime importance that the receiver accurately transmit the input signal, without error, and without introducing additional false digital data. This can be difficult when the digital input signal is noisy.
For use in high speed systems, it is desirable for the receiver to have the fastest possible response. However, receiver accuracy cannot be sacrificed to achieve higher speeds. When the digital input signal is guaranteed to be "clean", i.e., where the signal has little or no noise associated with it, the receiver can be designed to be very fast. Real world digital signals, on the other hand, often have a great deal of noise, particularly at the transitions between each low and high. In the presence of such noise, a high speed receiver may not accurately track the input signal as the noise at the transitions between each bit falsely switches the receiver.
The conventional solution to this problem is simply to slow down the receiver sufficiently that it does not respond the rapid voltage swings of noisy and poorly switched digital signals. This type of receiver design makes the devices that produce clean digital signals pay the penalty of slow receiver speed necessary to accommodate devices that do not produce clean signals.
Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a digital receiver that has a rapid response in the presence of clean, noise free, digital input signals and which has a slower delayed response in the presence of noisy signals.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method of reducing the noise sensitivity of a receiver by varying the delay of the receiver according to the noise in the input signal.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.

Noise detection and delay receiver system

International Business Machines Corporation


A method of making a patterned metal oxide film includes jetting a sol-gel solution on a substrate. The sol-gel solution is dried to form a gel layer on the substrate. Portions of the gel layer are irradiated to pattern the gel layer and to form exposed portions. Irradiation causes the exposed portions of the gel layer to become at least one of substantially condensed to an oxide, substantially densified, substantially cured, and combinations thereof. The unexposed portions of the gel layer are removed, thereby forming the patterned metal oxide film.

The present disclosure relates generally to metal oxide films, and more particularly to a method of making a patterned metal oxide film.
Metal oxide structures are often used in devices having electronic circuitry. Current techniques for processing metal oxide structures may include multiple steps, such as, for example, depositing an oxide, masking a pattern, etching the pattern, removing the mask, and cleaning the surface. In some processes, patterning the metal oxide structures includes both vacuum deposition and lithographic processes. Such processes may, in some instances, be time consuming and expensive. Further, many processing techniques use acid or plasma during etching of the patterned material. However, such processing techniques may have a potential to dissolve or etch other materials below or adjacent to the oxide being etched. As such, multiple layered structures may be difficult to manufacture.
Conventional processes for forming patterned metal oxide structures may include multiple, time-consuming steps, costly equipment, and/or substantially difficult etching processes. As such, there is a need for a method of making a patterned film in fewer processing steps that are less time consuming and that use less costly equipment. Further, there is a need for a method of making a patterned film having multiple layers such that the etching step substantially avoids undesirable destruction of the lower layers.

Method of making a patterned metal oxide film

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Provided is a process for producing graphene oxide (GO) product including forming a reaction mixture including graphite-based precursor and an oxidizing effective amount of an oxygenation agent including a complex of hypofluorous acid (HOF) and an organic solvent (HOF.organic solvent) and mixing the reaction mixture for a time sufficient to cause oxidation of the graphite based precursor. Further provided are products including the GO obtainable by the process or graphene products obtainable therefrom, as well as articles of manufacture including the same.

References considered to be relevant as background to the presently disclosed subject matter are listed below:                Hummers W. S. Jr. and Offeman R E "Preparation of graphitic oxide" Journal of the American Chemistry Society 80(6):1339 (1958)        Shlomo Rosen, "HOF.CH3CN: Probably the Best Oxygen Transfer Agent Organic Chemistry Has to Offer" Chem. Res., 47:2378-2389 (2014).        International Patent Application Publication No. WO2009/030928
Acknowledgement of the above references herein is not to be inferred as meaning that these are in any way relevant to the patentability of the presently disclosed subject matter.

Process for producing graphene oxide products and uses thereof

SHENKAR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND DESIGN


The present invention provides a burglar alarm system capable of accurately discriminating an alarm from a disturbance noise approximate to the alarm such as background music, ambient noises, etc. In a burglar alarm system comprising an alarm unit attached to an object to be protected from theft to emit an alarm of a particular frequency and an alarm sensor device for issuing an alarm signal upon sensing an alarm from the alarm unit, the alarm sensor device counts a predetermined number of waveform pulses of a received sound (S2, S5) more than once (S1˜S3, S4˜S6), determines, if it transpires that a differential between counted values falls within a predetermined time range, that the received sound is an alarm and issues an alarm signal (S7).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an anti-theft system intended to protect goods for sale from theft etc., and in particular to a burglar-alarm system utilizing an alarm to be emitted by an alarm unit attached to such goods.
2. Description of the Related Art
An anti-theft system such as that illustrated in FIG. 3 is commonly employed to prevent shop lifting, etc. at a retail store where compact disks, magnetic tapes, clothing garments, etc. are available to customers. The conventional anti-theft system consists of theft prevention gate 30 installed near exit 40 of the store and alarm unit 20 attached to article 50. The theft prevention gate 30 incorporates a circuit board 31 and transmitter antenna (not shown), and the circuit board 31 is provided with a transmitter circuit (not shown) which transmits an alarm activation signal to the alarm unit 20.
As shown in FIG. 4, the alarm unit 20 has a buzzer 22, a circuit board 23, a battery, etc. (not shown) each of which is housed in casing 21, and in the surface of which casing a plurality of alarm emitting holes 24 are provided and an alarm activation switch piece 25 is embedded. The buzzer 22, which is controlled by the circuit board 23, is designed to be activated when the alarm unit 20 is removed from the article 50 or passes through the theft prevention gate 30. As an alternative to providing the alarm unit 20 with the alarm activation switch piece 25, the alarm unit 20 may be attached directly to the article 50 by means of a wire, in which case when the alarm unit 20 senses that the wire has been removed or cut or passed through the theft prevention gate 30, the buzzer 22 is activated.
At a retail store, the article 50 with the alarm unit 20 affixed thereto is displayed on a rack. When a sales clerk sells the article 50 to a customer, he or she first sends a specified reset signal from an alarm deactivation device (not shown) to the circuit board 23 of the alarm unit 20 to set the alarm unit 20 such that the buzzer 22 will not be activated, then removes the alarm unit 20 from the article 50 and hands the article 50 to the customer when payment is made.
On the contrary, when the alarm unit 20 is removed from the article 50 by a customer, the alarm activation switch piece 25 becomes OFF and the buzzer 22 is activated. Further, in a case that a customer leaves a store premises taking away the article 50 with the alarm unit 20 still attached thereto, the circuit board 23 of the alarm unit 20 receives an alarm activation signal from the transmitter antenna of the theft prevention gate 30, in response to which the buzzer 22 is activated.
However, a checkout counter is usually at the back of a store, far away from the exit 40 of the store where the theft prevention gate 30 is installed and therefore, an alarm from the buzzer 22 that goes off at the exit 40 may not be readily audible from the checkout counter, especially in an environment where back ground music is present, or where many customers are present, etc.
With a view to solving the problem of the anti-theft device described above, a burglar alarm system such as illustrated in FIG. 5 is used as a supplementary device in which alarm sensor device 10 provided with microphone 11 is disposed near the theft prevention gate 30 so that the alarm sensor device 10 senses alarm 12 from the alarm unit 20 and issues alarm signal 13, which is sent through a wire or by wireless connection to a speaker 15 or lamp 16 disposed at a checkout counter 14 to alert store personnel at the checkout counter that the alarm has been activated.
Such a system as described above, however, suffers from a problem in that it may not be able to discriminate interference noise similar to that generated by an alarm, such as back ground music, ambient noise, etc. from an unrelated alarm.
Given the aforementioned problem, it is an object of the present invention to provide a burglar alarm system that can accurately sense an alarm.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a burglar alarm system provided with a function of adjusting the accuracy of determination.


A plasma etching device is described which includes a planar coil electrode positioned adjacent to a dielectric structure physically separating the electrode from a reaction chamber in which a plasma is formed. The electrode presents a variable width adjacent to the dielectric structure, with the width of inner coil windings being less than the width of outer coil windings. The electrode is connected to a terminal capacitance, whose value may be varied to present different voltage amplitudes at different locations along the coil electrode. By locating the larger width coil windings near the reaction chamber walls, and by varying the capacitance value of the terminal capacitor during plasma etching processing, improved plasma ignition, etching uniformity, and contamination conditions may result.

Integrated circuits are commonly fabricated on and within a surface region of a semiconductor substrate, such as a wafer of silicon. During such fabrication, various layers are produced within the substrate or deposited thereon. Some of these layers are then sized and dimensioned to form desired geometric patterns by means of various etching techniques. Such etching techniques include "wet" etching techniques, which typically use one or more chemical reagents brought into direct contact with the substrate, or "dry" etching techniques such as plasma etching.
Numerous plasma-based etching techniques are known in the art, including what is commonly called the plasma etching mode, as well as reactive ion etching and reactive ion beam etching. In any of the wide variety of plasma etching techniques, a plasma is created from gas introduced into a reaction chamber. One or more electrodes (commonly driven by an RF generator) generate the plasma by disassociation of the gas molecules into various ions, free radicals, and electrons. The plasma then reacts with material being etched from the semiconductor wafer.
FIG. 1 depicts the major components of a prior art plasma etching system 10, such as the Lam 9100, manufactured by Lam Research, Inc. The etching system 10 includes a reaction chamber 12 having a chamber wall 14, which is typically grounded. An electrode, such as a planar coil electrode 16, is positioned adjacent to a dielectric structure 18 separating the electrode 16 from the interior of the reaction chamber 12. Source gases, from which the plasma is generated, are provided by a gas supply 20. The gas supply 20 is coupled with the reaction chamber 12 by a gas control panel 22, which selects and controls the flow of source gases into the chamber. Volatile reaction products, unreacted plasma species, and other gases are removed from the reaction chamber 12 by a gas removal mechanism, such as a vacuum pump 24 and throttle valve 26.
The dielectric structure 18 depicted in FIG. 1 may serve multiple purposes and have correspondingly multiple structural features, as is well known in the art. For example, the dielectric structure 18 may include features for introducing the source gases into the reaction chamber 12, as well as those structures associated with physically separating the electrode 16 from the interior of the chamber.
Electrical power such as a high voltage signal is applied to the electrode 16 to ignite and sustain a plasma within the reaction chamber 12. The high voltage signal is provided by a power generator, such as an RF generator 28. The RF generator 28 is coupled with one end of the planar coil electrode 16 by a matching network 30, which functions primarily to match impedances, as is well known in the art. The other end of the planar coil electrode 16 is coupled to ground potential by a terminal capacitor 32 or C.sub.T. The terminal capacitor C.sub.T is oftentimes included within the matching network 30, but is depicted separately in FIG. 1 for illustrative purposes.
Ignition of a plasma within the reaction chamber 12 occurs primarily by electrostatic coupling of the electrode 16 with the source gases, due to the large magnitude voltage applied to the electrode and the resulting electric fields produced within the reaction chamber. Once ignited, the plasma is sustained by electromagnetic induction effects associated with a time-varying magnetic fields caused by the alternating currents applied to the electrode 16. A semiconductor wafer 34 is positioned within the reaction chamber 12 and is supported by a wafer platform or chuck 36. The chuck 36 is typically electrically biased to provide ion energies impacting the wafer 34 that are approximately independent of the RF voltage applied to the electrode 16.
Typically, the voltage varies as a function of position along the coil electrode 16, with relatively higher amplitude voltages occurring at certain positions along the electrode 16, and relatively lower amplitude voltages occurring at other positions along the electrode. A large electric field strength is required to ignite plasmas within the reaction chamber 12. To create such a field, it is desirable to provide the relatively higher amplitude voltages at locations along the electrode 16 which are close to the grounded chamber wall 14.
Referring to FIG. 2, a graphical representation depicts the relative amplitudes of the voltages at locations along the electrode 16, with location A representing a position near the center of the coil electrode and location B representing a location near an outer end of the electrode (see FIG. 1). For the coil electrode 16 used in the Lam 9100, selecting a relatively small capacitance value for the terminal capacitor C.sub.T produces the higher amplitude voltages at location B, whereas selecting a relatively large capacitance value produces the higher amplitude voltages at location A. Thus, in this example, selecting a relatively small capacitance value for the terminal capacitor C.sub.T enhances efficient ignition of plasmas within the reaction chamber 12. Of course, voltage amplitudes produced by electrodes of different configurations and/or effective electrical lengths may vary with C.sub.T other than described for the electrode 16.
As is known to those skilled in the art, producing the relatively higher amplitude voltages at positions away from the center of the electrode 16 results in improved etching uniformity, especially improved uniformity of etching depth and profile. However, locating the relatively higher amplitude voltages near the grounded chamber wall 14 also can result in increased sputtering effects on the dielectric structure 18. The electric field between the chamber wall 14 and the dielectric structure 18 causes ion impact on the dielectric structure. This may sputter polymer or other deposits from the dielectric structure, or sputter the dielectric structure itself, and possibly cause contamination of the semiconductor wafer 34. Thus, an unfortunate tradeoff exists in which conditions conducive to plasma ignition and etching uniformity also increase potential contamination effects.

Method and apparatus for controlling electrostatic coupling to plasmas


A terminal plate member on which a terminal of a coil component is mounted including: an annular frame having an inner peripheral edge; a pair of extension members extending from the inner peripheral edge of the annular frame toward an inner space of the annular frame member in a first direction; and a deformable section provided in the annular frame at proximal end of one of the pair of extension members, the deformable section having a more easily deformable property than other sections of the annular frame when force is applied. The deformable section is provided along at least an entire width in a second direction of the one of the pair of extension members. The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

The present invention relates to a terminal plate member (a plate member for a terminal) of a coil component and a method for manufacturing an electronic component.
In Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-201537, there is the description that a magnetic core is formed by covering a circumference of a winding section of a coil component with magnetic powder and pressurizing the magnetic powder. A pair of terminals project from the winding section of the coil component. The formation of the magnetic core is performed in a state in which the coil component is positioned relative to a terminal plate member. The terminal plate member has an annular frame member and a pair of extension members that respectively extend from an inner peripheral edge of the frame member toward an inside of the frame member. In a state in which each terminal of the coil component is located at each of the extension members of the terminal plate member, the winding section of the coil component and tips of the extension members are covered with the magnetic powder and the magnetic powder is pressurized. As a result, the magnetic core is formed. Each of the extension members and each of the terminals project from the magnetic core.
According to inventors' investigation of the present application, when a magnetic core is formed by pressurizing a magnetic powder, a deformation (a strain) of a terminal plate member may occur because a terminal of a coil component is displaced in an extending direction. In this case, with respect to the magnetic core, a stress is locally applied to the portion in which the extension member and the terminal project. Therefore, there is a possibility that a crack is generated at that portion of the magnetic core.

Terminal plate member of coil component and method for manufacturing electronic component


A lifting strut and stabilization system includes a lower outer tubular member in slidable engagement with an upper extendable inner tubular member, a mechanism for receiving and supporting a jack on the outer tubular member, a pin for optionally restraining the upper tubular member from further engagement into the lower tubular member, while allowing unrestrained extension of the upper tubular member from within the lower tubular member, and a removably attached jack having a bracket at its upper end incorporating a saddle or half-hole for engaging a strut lift pin located in a corresponding saddle, half-hole or flat bearing surface located on the upper end of the lower tubular member, the lift pin extending through the saddle holes in the upper tubular member, such that upon actuation of the jack, the upper jack bracket engages the lift pin and extends the upper tubular member from within the lower tubular member.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to the field of portable supports or bracing systems. More particularly, the invention pertains to an adjustable, telescopic lifting strut and stabilization system, suitable for use in stabilizing a vehicle at the scene of an accident or similar emergency situation.
2. Description of Related Art
When an automobile, truck or other motor vehicle is involved in an accident, there are occasions when the vehicle comes to rest on its side or its roof, for example, or against an object, such as a tree, utility pole or another vehicle. In such situations, the vehicle must be stabilized to allow rescue personnel to remove the driver and passengers. Moreover, in order to prevent further injury to the occupants of the vehicle or rescue personnel, or further damage to the vehicle itself, the vehicle usually must be stabilized in the position at which it has come to rest. A roof-resting motor vehicle, for example, can be an especially difficult situation for rescue teams, particularly in terms of vehicle stabilization. Vehicle stabilization is thus the first critical step in securing an accident scene, and quick and simple solutions are desired, as time spent on vehicle stabilization is time not spent on victim extrication and patient care.
Because of the wide variety of positions to which a vehicle involved in an accident may come to rest, it is necessary for rescue teams to have available a stabilization support or bracing system that is adjustable to various positions and heights. In addition, stabilization is a task that typically is performed by rescue personnel, as they prepare to remove the occupants from the vehicle. Therefore, the stabilization support or bracing system should be capable of being assembled quickly and easily. It also is necessary for the stabilization system to be transported easily, so that rescue personnel can quickly bring the stabilization support from an emergency vehicle to the vehicle to be supported. Hence, the weight of the stabilization support or bracing apparatus should be minimized and the components should be compact, since space on rescue vehicles generally is quite limited, due to the large variety of equipment required to handle various rescue operations.
Furthermore, there are instances in which a significant portion of the weight of a vehicle must be supported by the stabilization support or bracing apparatus, necessitating an apparatus or system that can support a large amount of weight (i.e., the weight of a vehicle). Further, since a stabilization support typically is used repeatedly throughout its lifetime, durability also is preferred. It is therefore desirable to develop a vehicle stabilization support that is strong, durable, adjustable and reusable, yet economical and easy to transport and set up, and highly versatile. For example, the ideal stabilization system should be adaptable for use in vehicle rescue, collapse rescue, confined space rescue, trench rescue, as a ram, shore, strut, etc., for stabilizing, lifting, shoring, pushing, ramming, etc.
Stabilization supports of the prior art include wood, such as four-by-four (4×4) beams that are wedged in between a stable surface, such as the ground, and the area of the vehicle to be supported. These primitive shoring supports lack adjustability and are not durable, often being discarded after one use, and suffer from numerous other practical limitations. For example, they are relatively heavy and they cannot be disassembled, collapsed or folded for storage, and thus take up an inordinate amount space in the rescue vehicles, where space is at a premium.
Other stabilization supports of the prior art include various metal strut members, some of which rely on jacks or pneumatic pressure to position and/or stabilize the brace against the vehicle. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,170, assigned to American Rescue Technologies, Inc., discloses an "Adjustable Self Locking Shoring Strut", consisting of a pneumatic/hydraulic shoring strut for bracing walls in various situations. In its preferred embodiment, this strut contains an internal biasing member that urges contraction, when pneumatic pressure is released. More particularly, the pneumatic/hydraulic shoring strut is composed of an inner and outer cylinder, which form an annular recess therebetween. The cylinders are mounted in first and second caps and an annular drive piston is positioned within the annular recess, creating first and second chambers. A port for injecting air into the first chamber is mounted on the outer cylinder and hydraulic fluid is sealed in the second chamber. A channel is provided in one of the caps, providing fluid communication between the second chamber and an interior cavity located within the inner cylinder, where a working piston is reciprocatingly mounted. The channel has a unidirectional flow control valve and a releasable flow restriction control mounted therein, thereby facilitating the self-locking feature of the strut.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,705, assigned to Airshore International Direct Equipment West Ltd., discloses a "Vehicle Stabilization and Support Tool", consisting of a tool for stabilizing and supporting a vehicle by forming a rigid member between a bearing surface and the vehicle, including at least one member having a cylinder and a movable piston that protrudes axially from the cylinder at a cylinder end. The cylinder end is formed with a pair of inclined circumferential surfaces. A collar extends axially from the cylinder and slidably receives the protruding piston. The collar is formed with a pair of internal annular step surfaces corresponding to the cylinder end surfaces. The collar step surfaces and the cylinder circumferential surfaces are engagable to permit rotation and simultaneous axial movement of the collar with respect to the cylinder. A pin is selectively positionable at one of a plurality of holes along the piston for engagement with the collar to prevent movement of the piston with respect to the collar. A locking system is provided for releasably securing the collar against rotation relative to the cylinder. In use, the piston is extended from the cylinder and the pin is inserted through one of the holes along the piston to define an initial extended position. The collar is then rotated to move axially into engagement with the pin and locked in place with respect to the cylinder to define a final fixed extended position of the tool.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,776,383 to Lanka discloses a "Vehicle Bracing Apparatus and Method for Use". The brace includes a main tube including a first end and a second end and defining at least one first set of orifices. An extension tube is disposed in the main tube from the first end and defines at least one second set of orifices. The position of the extension tube is set by selectively aligning at least one set of orifices from the first set and at least one set of orifices from the second set and inserting a fastener through the aligned orifices. A vehicle anchor is removably connected to the extension tube and a footer is removably connected to the second end of the main tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,333, assigned to Curtiss Wright Flight Systems, Inc., discloses a ram device comprising a spreading tool that includes a hollow tube, a first ram member, and a second ram member. The hollow tube has a tubular wall with an axial throughbore and at least one opening extending through the tubular wall. The ram members are slidingly disposed within the throughbore, and at least one ram member is capable of extending beyond the outer edge of the hollow tube. The tool can be adapted for use with a force multiplying device which transmits an output force through a relative displacement between at least two spreadable tips. The first and second ram members are capable of being spaced apart by the force multiplying device such that the tool is capable of extending the expandable distance of the jaws and increasing the distance over which the output force is transmitted.
U.S. Publication No. 2005-0258332A1, assigned to Res-Q-Jack, Inc., discloses a folding telescopic buttress stand that includes a first two-piece telescopic section having an outer tubular member and an inner tubular member in slidable engagement, the outer tubular member being pivotally attached at its lower end to a base plate, and the inner tubular member having attached at its upper end a second two-piece telescopic section having an outer tubular member and an inner tubular member in slidable engagement. One embodiment includes an end fitting or adapter for engagement with a vehicle or other object affixed to the upper end of the inner tubular member. Another embodiment includes a third two-piece telescopic section having an outer tubular member and an inner tubular member in slidable engagement affixed to the upper end of the second two-piece telescopic section.
A wide variety of stabilization struts are known in the art, such as, for example, those manufactured and sold under the names Rescue 42, Inc. (a.k.a. rescue42) Composite Telecribbing Rescue Struts, Hurst Airshore, Paratech Rescue Support Systems (a.k.a. RescueStrut), Genesis Rescue Systems' Kodiak vehicle stabilization system, Junkyard Dog Industries Nightmare and G-Force rescue struts, Prospan Manufacturing Company, ARS, StabFast, Keeble Rescue Systems Marquee strut, and Powerhawk Power Pusher Rams. Although there are many known devices that are intended to aid in stabilizing a vehicle at the scene of an accident, the prior art devices suffer from a number of limitations. For example, one problem with the prior art devices is that the devices are heavy, cumbersome and difficult to transport and set up. Moreover, lifting struts known in the prior art require pin removal and reinsertion to attach a jack. Furthermore, prior art add-on jacks, such as the Rescue 42 jack, are configured to extend from the strut base up to the upper extension tube, which makes for heavy assembly. Thus, there remains a need in the art for an adjustable lifting strut that is lightweight but strong, durable, adjustable and reusable, yet economical and easy to transport and set up.

Adjustable lifting and stabilization rescue strut system


A method and system for coordinated interference suppression in a communication system. The communication system implements at least a first radio access technology via a first base station and a second radio access technology via a second base station. The first and second radio access technologies differ from one another. Information relating to an interference signal received at the first base station via the first radio access technology is received at the second base station from a first device associated with the first base station, At a second device associated with the second base station, an interfering user equipment accessing the second base station via the second radio access technology is identified. The identification is based on the information received from the first device associated with the first base station. Interference caused by the identified interfering user equipment is suppressed by the second base station.

When operators deploy long term evolution, LTE, carriers within the same frequency band as 2G/3G carriers (e.g., code division multiple access, CDMA), interference from a user equipment operating within the 2G/3G radio access technology may interfere with reception of signals by the LTE radio access technology infrastructure. Conversely, interference from a user operating within the LTE radio access technology may interfere with reception of signals by the 2G/3G radio access technology infrastructure. Interference is especially likely when multiple radio technologies co-exist in the same geographical coverage area and have carriers assigned adjacent to each other.
FIG. 1 is a plot of a CDMA signal 2 after despreading and an LTE signal 4 in an adjacent band. As can be seen, a portion 6 of the LTE signal 4 interferes with the CDMA signal 2, and to a lesser extent, a portion 8 the CDMA signal 2 interferes with the LTE signal 4. The problem is more severe on the uplink than the downlink because the user equipment, UE, is often a low cost consumer product and cannot afford to have a transmission filter as sharp as the transmission filter of a base station. The interference problem is exacerbated when an interfering user equipment is far from its serving base station but near the base station receiving the interference and is transmitting at maximum power, while a transmitter of another user equipment of a different technology is in a power limiting situation and is experiencing maximum path loss to its serving base station.
There are existing solutions to address inter-cell interference within a single radio access network, RAN, such as LTE. In such cases, a base station such as an evolved node B eNB, performs interference measurements and reports the measurements to other eNBs, which act to suppress an interference signal. For example, in one solution, a static allocation of a physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, away from an edge of a frequency band may be employed with the disadvantage of fragmenting uplink radio resources without adapting to changing interference conditions. Another solution involves random frequency allocation for physical uplink signal channel, PUSCH, with the disadvantage of not removing interference by the PUCCH. Fractional frequency reuse may be employed, but fractional frequency reuse is not applicable between different co-existing radio access technologies. In third generation partnership project, 3GPP, systems, an X2 interface may be employed to address inter-cell interference, but this is not applicable to interference between two different radio access technologies. Another solution is to rely on a large guard band between two potentially interfering signals, but this is spectrally inefficient.

Inter-radio access technology interference coordination for multi-standard radio access networks


An electronic part such as a ceramic capacitor and a resistor used in various kinds of electric appliances has an apprehension that an electronic part element might be red-heated to be burnt when an abnormal current flows in spite of dielectric covering member, and therefore it has been impossible to supply a nonflammable electronic part having a stabilized performance. In the present invention, an electronic part is constructed such that since an electronic part element 8 such as a condenser or a resistor is put in a case 5 which in turn is nearly sealed to cut off the supply of oxygen, the electronic part is prevented from catching fire even if it generates heat, and since an opening 6 is formed in a portion of the case 5 or a sealing member 7 so as to allow the gas to be let out, when the electronic part generates heat to increase the pressure, the case 5 can be prevented from being ruptured. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a nonflammable electronic part having stabilized characteristics.

This invention relates to an electronic part such as a capacitor, a resistor and the like.
In recent years, in order to make sure of the safety of electric appliances using electronic parts, it is becoming a serious problem to make the electronic parts nonflammable. Current electronic parts are coated with a nonflammable organic or inorganic coating for practical use. However, these are not the truly satisfactory ones from the viewpoint of nonflammability.
For example, a ceramic capacitor is widely used in the electric appliances because of its excellent electrical characteristics and handling ability. A typical ceramic capacitor is covered with a flame deterrent coating such as an epoxy rein family coating and a silicone resin family coating. However, in cases where an extremely high voltage is applied to the electric appliances due to lightning or the like, the ceramic capacitor used in the electric appliances undergoes a dielectric breakdown so that a remarkably large overcurrent flows through the ceramic capacitor to heat it, resulting in an apprehension that the currently used flame deterrent coating material might not stand the heat generated to catch fire if worst comes to worst.
To avoid such problem of safety, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 4-369821 discloses an arrangement in which a lead portion is made of a material for fuse so that it melts to cut off the current when an overcurrent flows through it. Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2048581 discloses an arrangement in which a capacitor is covered with a cap that is not completely stripped off at the time when the capacitor is exploded.
However, according to these arrangements, occurrence of fire is not perfectly suppressed, and therefore it is impossible to completely eliminate the possibility that the electric appliances may catch fire.

Electronic part having communication means

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A modular enclosure including first, second, third, and fourth servers, and a chassis management controller. The first, second, and third servers each have reclaimable power. The fourth server is configured to request a specific amount of power needed to complete a power-on request received at the fourth server. The chassis management controller is in communication with each of the first, second, third, and fourth servers. The chassis management controller is configured to reassign all the reclaimable power of the first server and to reassign a portion of the reclaimable power of the second and third servers to the fourth server.

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements may vary between different applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
In a blade server rack, a priority rating may be assigned to each blade server. As blade servers are added to and/or removed from the rack, an amount of power provided to each blade server may change based on the priority level of the blade server added to or removed from the server rack. If a high priority blade server is added to the server rack, the amount of power provided to one or more lower priority blade servers may be reduced so that the higher priority blade server receives the proper amount of power. The lower priority blade servers have their power correspondingly reduced.
The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.

System and method for smoothing power reclamation of blade servers


A cache device may receive a request for a first segment of an adaptive bitrate stream. The request may identify a particular time interval, of the adaptive bitrate stream, to which the first segment corresponds. The request may further identify a first bitrate at which the first segment is encoded. The cache device may determine a network congestion level of a network associated with the adaptive bitrate stream. The cache device may determine, based on the network congestion level, a second bitrate that is different from the first bitrate. The cache device may obtain a second segment of the adaptive bitrate stream. The second segment may be encoded at the second bitrate. The cache device may store the second segment for delivery to a client device.

Adaptive bitrate streaming is a technique used to efficiently stream media over computer networks. Adaptive bitrate streaming uses an encoder to encode a single source of media (e.g., video, audio, etc.) at multiple different bitrates. A media player on a client device may request segments of the media at different bitrates depending on available resources on the client device.

Retrieving and caching adaptive bitrate stream segments based on network congestion


A method and system to determine if there is an open cell in a battery pack of cells arranged in a lattice. Voltage measurements from each parallel cell group along with information on the battery pack topology are used to estimate the resistance of each cell group. The resistance of each cell group is calculated based on the measured voltage less a nominal open circuit voltage divided by the current level of the battery pack. The average cell group resistance of the battery pack is also calculated. The cell group resistances are analyzed statistically using the resistance of each cell group and the average cell group resistance to reveal outliers which are indicative of open cell groups.

High capacity battery packs are used for both high energy applications, such as electric vehicles or grid storage, as well as high power applications, such as hybrid electric vehicle propulsion or equipment power needs or engine start operations. The electric and hybrid electric vehicles may include automobiles, aircraft, underwater vehicles or any other application in which high energy or power is provided by a high capacity battery pack. Such battery packs are comprised of multiple individual cells, arranged in a lattice. Each row in the lattice is comprised of a group of cells connected in parallel. As each cell has a nominal voltage, the total pack voltage is determined by the number of rows of parallel cell groups. The total energy and power is subsequently established by selecting the number of cells to be connected in parallel.
Proper management of the battery pack requires that the voltage of each parallel cell group is understood. Variability in each cell (and subsequently each cell group) means that the power delivered by each cell group will be different. Each cell may have both capacity and internal resistance differences. This forces each cell group to deliver different power. As the cells are charged or discharged, the voltage across the cell groups will be different. Though each parallel cell group sees the same current as all the other cells groups in the series lattice, the total current through each cell will be slightly different. With proper sizing of the pack, this variability will have little effect of the pack performance or its capacity over time.
Large capacity packs utilize a number of methods to manage the cells and pack. Basic pack-level over-voltage, under-voltage and over-temperature monitors are used to make sure the pack is not operated at warm conditions or to insure the cells are not damaged by improper overcharging or undercharging the cells. Each cell group is typically managed to assess its voltage with respect to the other cells groups. Various schemes are used to balance the voltage of each cell group, keeping them the same. This is used to insure cell-level voltage levels are not too high or too low, thereby extending the life of the battery pack.
In the event of an open connection within a cell, or if a cell is electrically disconnected from the cells in its parallel group e.g., broken weld, etc.), then the remaining cells will carry more current. This means that the remaining cells will experience higher resistive heating and will experience accelerated capacity fade as compared to the other cells. A method to determine such open circuits in parallel cell groups is required to properly manage high-capacity battery packs.
Loss of one or more cells in a battery pack can manifest itself in a number of ways. Loss of a cell means that the total capacity of the pack is decreased. As pack capacity and voltage are typically related, measuring the pack-level voltage after a controlled discharge is performed. In other approaches, the voltage across each cell group is measured when the pack is not under load (the open circuit voltage) and at some predefined time as the pack is charging or discharging. The voltage differences between the open circuit voltage and voltage under load for each cell group is compared to a predefined level. If the difference is greater than the predefined level, then an open cell is declared. Both of these approaches assume a specific load is applied. However, the voltage of each cell group will vary as a function of load and as each cells ages (as cells age, their internal resistance increases). For certain applications, the actual load may vary. For example, the power required to start a very cold engine is different than that for a warm engine. Comparing the voltage change to a fixed value is not useful as loads vary or as the cells age.
Some techniques use voltage and current measurements within the pack to develop state-of-health indicators. These have some ability to determine if there is a problem with pack. However, it is not always practical to provide both voltage and current measurements within a battery pack.

Method and system for determining open connections in a battery pack


A hanger beam assembly is formed from aluminum and includes first and second support brackets, a main beam hanger, a driver beam, a main beam, a main beam support, and a main beam support mounting bracket. The driver beam extends between the first support bracket and the main beam hanger. The main beam extends between the main beam hanger and the second support bracket. The main beam support bracket is secured to a vehicle floor, and the main beam support is secured between the main beam hanger and the main beam support mounting bracket. The resulting hanger beam assembly is light-weight and provides a desired natural frequency at the associated steering wheel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed toward an aluminum hanger beam assembly for a vehicle providing a desired frequency of a steering column assembly.
2. Description of Related Art
Many hanger beam assemblies are known in the art. Such assemblies are structural components that extend between the vehicle A-pillars and serve as a mount for the vehicle dashboard, instrument panels, control panels, and a steering column assembly. Conventionally hanger beam assemblies are formed from a variety of steel components, typically steel tubes and stampings, which are mechanically affixed to one another to form a relatively unitary structure.
Unfortunately, while steel is a durable and reliable material, it is relatively heavy. Naturally, there exists a desire to reduce the weight of the vehicle so as to improve fuel efficiency.
Further, steel has an inherent frequency response which, at a desired spacing between the hanger beam assembly and the steering wheel of the associated steering column assembly, results in an undesirable natural frequency. For example, in some vehicles the natural frequency is about 33 HZ, whereas the desired natural frequency is about 42 Hz. Unfortunately, in conventional steel assemblies such a desired natural frequency cannot be attained without adding even more weight to the system.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a hanger beam assembly that is made from a lighter material while providing the desired natural frequency to the steering column assembly.


There is disclosed a lens barrel including a fixed frame, a rotary frame rotatable with respect to the fixed frame to advance or retract in an optical axis direction, and a rectilinear guide frame rotatable relative to the rotary frame to displace integrally with the rotary frame in the optical axis direction. In this structure, a front end portion of the rectilinear guide frame on a subject side in the optical axis direction is exposed from the rotary frame.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the structure of a lens barrel having a rotary frame and a rectilinear guide frame which advances or retracts together with the rotary frame.
2. Description of the Related Art
A popular retractable lens barrel has such a structure that it is housed inside a camera body when not in operation, popping out of the camera body upon shooting. Further, recent retractable lens barrels typically advance or retract for a zooming operation of an optical system during shooting.
A typical structure of a lens barrel to advance or retract like those mentioned above has a driving frame, a rectilinear guide frame, and a driven frame. The driving frame is provided with a helicoid or cam. The rectilinear guide frame is displaced integrally with the driving frame in an optical axis direction to turn around the optical axis relative to the driving frame. The rectilinear guide frame has a rectilinear guide extending in the optical axis direction. The driven frame is engaged with the helicoid or cam provided in the driving frame. Further, the driven frame is engaged with the rectilinear guide provided in the rectilinear guide frame, so that the driven frame is advanced or retracted by the driving frame in the optical axis direction in such a state that it is guided by the rectilinear guide frame in the optical axis direction.
In addition, conventional lens barrels are also required to be light-tight to prevent an unwanted or stray light flux from entering the lens barrels in order not to cause flare or ghost. To this end, for example, such a structure that only either the driving frame or the rectilinear frame is exposed to the outside of the lens barrel is typically employed to prevent the unwanted light flux from entering the lens barrel.
The aforementioned conventional lens barrel structure is proposed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 8-313788 and 2004-252365.


A product carry-out apparatus for a vending machine is provided which comprises: a chute which is provided below the product housing and is inclined in an upward and forward direction; a pair of left and right drive mechanisms which are provided respectively at left and right both ends of the chute and comprise front and rear sprockets respectively rotatably provided around the front and rear ends of the chute, and each have a chain put and wound on the front and rear sprockets; a drive source, such as a motor, for rotatively driving at least one of the front and rear sprockets; and a product pushing rod which is mounted over a portion between the chains respectively in the pair of drive mechanisms and, in addition, pushes a product, dropped onto the chute, from behind while being moved above the chute along the chute upon the rotation of the chain. By virtue of the above construction, the product carry-out apparatus for a vending machine can quickly and surely carry out a product, which has been delivered and dropped from a product housing, to a product take-out port provided at a relatively high position.

The invention relates to a product carry-out apparatus for a vending machine which, at the time of selling, carries a product, delivered downward from a product housing, in a diagonally upward and forward direction to carry out the product to a product take-out port provided at a relatively high position.
The applicant of the invention has already proposed this type of product carry-out apparatus, for example, in Japanese Patent Application No. 66749/1999. In this product carry-out apparatus, a belt conveyor is applied as an apparatus for conveying a delivered product toward a product take-out port. This belt conveyor is provided below a product housing for housing a large number of products which have been toppled sideways and vertically stacked on top of one another. The belt conveyor comprises: a frame which is extended in a forward and upward inclined state; a conveyor belt which is put and wound on two front and rear rotating shafts rotatably provided respectively on the front and rear ends of the frame and is inclined in a forward and upward direction; a drive mechanism for rotatively driving the conveyor belt through the rotating shafts; and the like. This conveyor belt has a large width according to the width of the product housing, and has, on its surface, a plurality of projections provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the conveyor belt, for supporting the product from behind at the time of carrying the delivered product.
In the above-described product carry-out apparatus provided with a belt conveyor, at the time of selling, a product delivered from the product housing is carried out to a product take-out port as follows. Specifically, the product delivered from the product housing is dropped on the conveyor belt, and is then slightly slid down backward along the conveyor belt. Thereafter, the product is abutted against and supported by one of the projections on the rear side. Upon the rotation of the conveyor belt, the product is carried in a diagonally upward and forward direction, in such a state that the backward movement of the product is stopped by the projection, and is carried out to a product take-out port.
In the above-described product carry-out apparatus, all the projections are protruded at a right angle to the surface of the conveyor belt, that is, in a posture such that the projections are inclined in an upward and backward direction from the surface of the conveyor belt. Therefore, when the product has slid down backward, the product is likely to climb over the projection. For some product, the projection is pushed by the abutted product and is consequently bent backward, and this makes it more easy for the product to climb over the projection. For this reason, in some cases, the delivered product slides down to a projection located behind a projection which should have originally supported the product. In this case, even though the product is delivered from the product housing in its position on the product take-out port side, after the delivery, a lot of time is necessary for carrying out the product, and, in addition, there is a fear of foaming to take place. When the inclination angle, at which the belt conveyor ascends forward, is large, the above problem becomes more significant. Further, in this case, the product cannot be sometimes properly carried in such a state that the product is stopped by the projection. This leads to a fear that a failure of the product to be carried out takes place. Thus, this product carry-out apparatus has room for improvement in the above point.
The invention has been made with a view to solving the above problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the invention to provide a product carry-out apparatus for a vending machine which can quickly and surely carry out a product, which has been delivered downward from a product housing, to a product take-out port provided at a relatively high position.
According to the first feature of the invention, a product carry-out apparatus for a vending machine, adapted for carrying a product, which has been delivered downward from a product housing at the time of selling, in a diagonally upward and forward direction and then carrying out the product to a product take-out port, comprises:
a chute which is provided below the product housing and is inclined in an upward and forward direction;
a pair of left and right drive mechanisms which are provided respectively at left and right both ends of the chute and comprise front and rear sprockets respectively rotatably provided around the front and rear ends of the chute, and each have a chain put and wound on the front and rear sprockets;
a drive source for rotatively driving, at the time of selling, at least one of the front and rear sprockets constituting the pair of drive mechanisms; and
a product pushing rod which is mounted over a portion between the chains respectively in the pair of drive mechanisms and, in addition, at the time of selling, pushes a product, dropped onto the chute, from behind while being moved above the chute along the chute upon the rotation of the chain.
According to this construction, at the time of selling, the product delivered downward from the product housing is dropped on the chute, then slightly slides down in a diagonally downward and backward direction along the chute, and is abutted against and supported by the product pushing rod on the rear side. Upon the drive of the pair of left and right drive mechanisms by means of the drive source, the chains put and wound on the front sprocket and the rear sprocket are rotated in a predetermined direction, and this permits the product pushing rod to be moved along the chute in a diagonally upward and forward direction. As a result, the product, which has been dropped on the chute and supported by the product pushing rod, is moved along the chute in a diagonally upward and forward direction while being pushed from behind by the product pushing rod, and is carried out to the product take-out port. The product pushing rod is mounted over a portion between the chains in the pair of left and right drive mechanisms. That is, both ends of the product pushing rod are mounted respectively on the left and right chains. Therefore, even when the delivered product slides down backward on the chute and is abutted against the product pushing rod, the product pushing rod does not substantially bend. This enables the product to be surely stopped and to be properly supported at the abutted position. As a result, the product can be quickly and surely carried out to a product take-out port provided at a relatively high position.
In this case, preferably, the chute comprises: a forward and upward inclined base; a cushioning member disposed on the upper side of the base; and a chute plate mounted on the base through the cushioning member.
According to this construction, the chute plate, on which the delivered product drops and hits, is mounted on the base through the cushioning member. Therefore, the impact, which the product receives from the chute plate at the time of dropping of the product on the chute plate, can be relaxed through the cushioning member. By virtue of this, the deformation of the product can be prevented, and, in addition, when the product is a carbonated beverage, foaming can be prevented.
In these cases, preferably, the product housing is partitioned into a plurality of product passages which are arranged in the longitudinal direction and each house therein products and each have at its lower end a plurality of delivery ports for delivering a product, and which further comprises rod stop means for stopping, after the completion of selling, the product pushing rod at a predetermined stop position which is above the chute and avoids the plurality of delivery ports.
According to this construction, after the completion of selling, the product pushing rod is stopped by the rod stop means at a predetermined stop position while avoiding a plurality of delivery ports above the chutes, and stands by at the stop position. Therefore, the product delivered from the delivery port at the time of next selling is surely dropped on the chute without hitting against the product pushing rod. This permits the product to be delivered through a product passage located in front of the product pushing rod, and the product, which slides down on the chute, can be surely stopped by the product pushing rod. Further, for example, when the product pushing rod stands by just under the delivery port, the product delivered from the delivery port once hits against the product pushing rod, and then drops on the chute. Therefore, the level of the impact, which the product receives, is large. By contrast, as described above, when the product pushing rod is allowed to stand by at the position other than the delivery port, the impact level can be reduced and, thus, troubles caused by the impact can be reduced.
In this case, preferably, the rod stop means has a stop control switch which, when the product pushing rod has reached a predetermined position, is switchable between ON and OFF to stop the drive source, thereby stopping the product pushing rod at the predetermined stop position.
According to this construction, ON/OFF switching in the stop control switch which, when the product pushing rod has reached a predetermined position, can be switched between ON and OFF to stop the drive source. Therefore, the product pushing rod can be easily and surely stopped at a predetermined stop position. In other words, the product pushing rod can be easily and surely allowed to stand by at a predetermined standby position for next selling.
In these cases, preferably, the product pushing rod comprises a plurality of product pushing rods provided at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the chains, and at least one of the plurality of product pushing rods is stopped at the predetermined stop position.
According to this construction, since the product pushing rod comprises a plurality of product pushing rods, as compared with the case where a product is conveyed and carried out by a single product pushing rod, the carry-out time necessary for the product to be carried out to a product take-out port after the delivery can be shortened. Further, the disposition of the plurality of product pushing rods at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the chain permits at least one of the product pushing rod to be surely allowed to stand by at a predetermined stop position without making the chain one turn.

Product carry-out apparatus for vending machine


A time information coding method is provided, to solve the problem of coded values low calculation efficiency, which is resulted by adopting the existing time information coding schemes. The method comprises: determining time information to be coded; coding the time information to be coded to a first integer with a specified number of bits under a first time scale; coding the first integer into a second integer with a specified number of bits under a second time scale, the second integer being as a coded value under the second time scale of the time information to be coded. A time information coding device, a searching method for coded values, a decoding method and device are also provided.

Currently, the representation of time (time information) can be roughly divided into two kinds: textual representation and numerical representation. In terms of textual representation of time, there are distinct differences between various countries and regions, given the differences between languages, cultures, histories and habits of different countries. There are also different ways of representing in different regions of the world in terms of digital representation of time. The generalized time is divided into two parts: a date portion and a time portion (specifically the specific time within a day). The order in which the hour, minute, and second is displayed in time representation is usually consistent: if H represents the hour, M represents the minute, S represents the second, then the time portion is represented as H:M:S. The biggest differences between time representations are generally embodied in the display of dates, as the year, month, and day may have different arrangements: if Y represents the year, M represents the month, D represents the day, then the possible arrangements for the date portion are as listed below:
YMD: (year, month, day), such as 1996-04-22
DMY: (day, month, year), such as 22.04.96 or 22/04/96
MDY: (month, day, year), such as 04/22/96
The discretization of time information refers to the representation of time information by means of discrete forms. When a time information is represented in such a discrete form, each bit of the time information is a discrete time point rather than a continuous time segment in terms of its representation. For example, "1996-04-22" is a discrete time point, in which the "day" is the time granularity of the representation, as another example, "1996-04-22, 10:22" is also a discrete time point, in which the "minute" is the time granularity of the representation. There are three main categories of time information discretization, i.e. discretization of time within filesystems, programming languages and databases.
Since the filesystems, programming languages and databases are all available for computer operations (such as accessing or running, etc.), as a result, the time information within the filesystems, programming languages and databases, generally refers to the time information which is coded into coded values that can be identified by computers.
The coding of time information is referred as time information coding. In particular, time information coding refers to the procedure in which preset rules are used to convert the time information from texts, numbers, or other forms of representation into the forms that can be identified by computers. The result of time information coding is the time information that is stored as values (also known as coded values) in computers. The time information coding models mentioned in below refer to the models that contain methods used to code time information.
(1) The Discretization of Time in Filesystems
The time information coding models in filesystems are mainly applied to the storage and management of the time attributes of the file (the time attribute of a file is a type of the time information). The time attributes of the file generally include the creation time, modification time, and access time of the file.
In different filesystems, the time attributes of the file are usually coded by means of different methods. However, the basic methods can be categorized into two types: one type divides the binary bits of a byte into different regions, and separately uses these regions to store the information of year, month, day, minute, minute, second etc; the other type uses an integer to record the number of seconds elapsed from a reference time point up to the current time. Moreover, the time coding in filesystems shows a trend in which the range and precision of the represented time can be increased by increasing the storage space.
(2) The Discretization of Time in Programming Languages
Programming languages need to process time. Since there are differences in characteristics of various programming languages, the specific coding methods of time information are also different, however, the basic methods can be summarized as the following four categories:
1) Using a signed integer to record the number of seconds elapsed from a reference time up to the current time, not including the leap seconds that were inserted to adjust the time.
2) Using a signed integer to represent the clock ticks from the start of a program, which is a relative measure of time.
3) Dividing the binary bits of a byte into different regions and storing information about year, month, day, time, minute, second etc.
4) Using a tuple, struct or some other form of composite data type to display and decompose time.
(3) The discretization of time in the databases
SQL: 2011 standard (also known as ISO/IEC 9705:2011) specifies data types for date and time, including the following data types:
DATE: the date, which consists of year, month and day.
TIME: the time, which consists of hour, minute and second.
TIMESTAMP: a timestamp that consists of DATE and TIME.
TIME WITH TIME ZONE: an expansion of TIME that includes timezone information.
TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE: an expansion of TIMESTAMP that includes timezone information.
INTERVAL: the time interval which may be years and months or days. The former includes the YEAR and MONTH fields; while the latter includes DAY, HOUR, MINUTE and SECOND elements.
The database system generally supports the aforementioned data types, but the implementation varies with each type of different database systems.
In the field of computer technology, the existence of time information is of significance, data collection is relevant with time information, data querying and searching or mining analysis is even more closely connected with time information. For example, each data stored in a data warehouse comprises time logs; research on sales, stocks, meteorology, floods, earthquakes and other data changes and knowledge discovery issues are all associated with the time information, etc.
However, in the big data environment, due to massive quantities of data with time information and their complexity and variable time structure, it is difficult for the existing time information coding to accurately and efficiently carry out the data organization and calculation based on the time information. Specifically, for multi-scale time information, according to the existing time information coding method, there will be the following defections. To be specific, "multi-scale time information" described here is a kind of time information which contains at least two time information to be separately represented in different time scales (it is easy to distinguish, and it also can be referred as sub-time information). For example, January 2038 is a kind of multi-scale time information, because, firstly, it is a kind of time information, secondly, it consists of two time information, which can be separately represented in different time scales, respectively, one time information is "Year 2038", which is represented by time scale "Year", and the other time information is "January 2038", which is represented by the time scale "Month"; as another example, "May 1, 15:20" is a multi-scale time information, because, firstly, it is a kind of time information, secondly, it contains of four time information, which can be represented by "Month", "Day", "Hour" or "Minute", i.e. "May", "May 1", "May 1, 15 o'clock" and "May 1, 15:20".
The above-mentioned defections are as follows:
By using the existing time information coding method, the calculation efficiency of the coded value corresponding to the multi-scale time information may be relative low.
For example, current methods for storing and organizing multi-scale time information is to code multi-scale time information into a string and store, for instance, multi-scale time information "9:30 pm at night on Dec. 12, 2015" is coded into a string "2015-12-12 T 21:30:00". Coding the multi-scale time information into a string will record the multi-scale time information in a simple and intuitive manner, but it may cause significant calculation disadvantages of the string as coded value. For example, when the string "2015-12-31" is added 1 day, following steps should be performed: decoding the string at first; extracting year 2015, month 12, and day 31; adding 1 day according to the calendar rule, as the calculation result, the year becomes 2016, the month becomes 1, the day becomes 1; and coding the calculation result into the string "2016-01-01". The process is cumbersome and complex, time-consuming and inefficient.

Time information coding method, coded value searching method, decoding method and device


Gaming systems and methods of operation thereof are disclosed. Such gaming systems and methods allow a player of a gaming device, such as a slot machine or an arcade video game, to access entertainment services, such as broadcast television programming, web sites, pay-per-view services and shared-revenue telephone services, such as 900 or 976 services, for enhanced player retention. In accordance with one or more embodiments, when play is initiated, a predefined establishment-specific criteria is evaluated to determine whether the player should be provided with access to entertainment services. A player entitled to access such services may be presented with a list of available entertainment services. Upon receipt of the player's selection, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a connection may be established between the gaming device and the provider of the selected entertainment service. In accordance with one embodiment, the content that is the entertainment service is store in the memory of the gaming device or a peripheral device and output to the player. The player's level of play may be monitored to ensure that the establishment-specific criteria for maintaining access to such entertainment services is being met.

Gaming devices, such as slot machines, video poker, video keno or video blackjack devices or other electronic gaming devices, such as arcade video games, are an important source of income for the gaming industry and arcades. Accordingly, many casinos and arcades constantly search for marketing strategies and programs to appeal to players and to distinguish their electronic gaming devices from competitors in the industry. For example, as an added incentive to play the slot machines, many casinos offer "slot club" programs to reward slot machine players. Each player in a slot club is generally issued a player tracking card encoded with his identification number. The casino awards "player reward points" for the player as he plays slot machines in that casino. The "player reward points" can generally be redeemed, for merchandise or services at the casino hotel. In many cases, however, these incentives may not be sufficient to attract new players or to retain existing casino players at slot machines.
Thus, a number of programs have been implemented or suggested in an attempt to retain players at slot machines and other electronic gaming devices. For example, many casinos provide players with various forms of entertainment and services directly at the slot machine. U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,613, entitled "Casino Entertainment System", discloses an entertainment system for slot players in a casino which includes audio/video equipment at each slot machine for communicating with a central control station. The operator at the central station selects audio/video programming from a menu of available selections, for presentation at one or more of the slot machines in the casino. The available audio/video programming is obtained from a number of conventional sources, including a VCR, an audio tape deck, a live camera or microphone and commercial television broadcasting sources, including cable television programming. Unfortunately, such conventional casino and arcade entertainment systems have experienced only marginal success in retaining players at slot machines and other electronic gaming devices.
In addition to benefiting from retaining players at gaming devices, establishments in which the gaming devices are located also benefit from certain activities engaged in by players while the players are playing the gaming devices. For example, gaming devices that experience a high rate of play and/or large wager amounts per play are more profitable. In another example, a gaming establishment in which a gaming device is located benefits if a player inputs into a gaming device an amount of money sufficient to pay for a plurality of game plays, rather than inputting an amount of money sufficient to pay for only a single game play, since the former player is more likely to play the gaming device for a longer period of time. However, conventional gaming devices and gaming systems do not sufficiently motivate players to engage in behaviors that are beneficial to the casino.
As apparent from the above-described deficiencies with conventional systems, a need exists for a gaming system that more effectively retains players at gaming devices and more effectively motivates players of gaming devices to engage in behaviors beneficial to the establishments in which the gaming devices are located

Methods and apparatus for providing entertainment content at a gaming device


A foot component of a hand mixer or blender, the hand mixer or blender having a case that houses a motor and the foot component being constructed to be coupled to the case. The foot component is composed of: a tube having a lower end; a bell made of a first material connected to the lower end of the tube, the bell having a lower edge; and a protection element covering the lower edge of the bell and made of a material that is softer than the first material.

The present invention relates to hand held, or immersion, mixers or blenders for household use, and particularly relates to a foot, or base, for such mixer.
Mixers, or blenders, of this type are well known in the art and are currently in wide use. They include a foot that is coupled to a housing, or case, that encloses a motor. The foot is generally composed of a cylindrical tube having a lower part in the form of a bell that encloses a mixing tool, such as a blade. The tool is coupled to an output shaft of the motor. In use, the tool is rotated at a high speed and is immersed within a quantity of food being prepared to perform cutting, mixing, blending, etc.
In the higher quality appliances of this type, the mixing foot is made of a metal, such as stainless steel, which material has the advantages of high rigidity, good heat resistance and an attractive appearance.
However, a stainless steel mixing foot has the drawback that the user must be very careful when using the appliance to mix products in a vessel having a fragile coating, such as a casserole provided with a non-stick coating, in order to avoid damaging the coating. In effect, the material of the bell being very hard, there is a considerable risk that the bell will scratch the coating of the receptacle during use.

Mixer foot and hand held mixer equipped with the foot