An electronic part-connecting structure is used in an electrical equipment including a housing, and bus bars which are mounted on the housing and have a plurality of pairs of opposed press-contacting blades to which electronic parts for circuit-protecting purposes are electrically connected by pressing. Positioning ribs are formed in proximity respectively to the press-contacting blades so as to position lead portions of the electronic parts at the respective press-contacting blades.

1. Filed of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic part-connecting structure used for electrically connecting electronic parts, for example, to a circuit of an illumination unit for illuminating a passenger compartment of an automobile.
2. Related Art
There is known a conventional electronic part-connecting structure in which pressing projections are formed respectively on opposed inner surfaces of an electronic part-holding body (see, for example, JP-A-10-3953).
In the electronic part-connecting structure disclosed in JP-A-10-3953, when the electronic part-holding body 150 holding an electronic part 160 is fitted into an electronic part-receiving chamber 151, the electronic part-holding body 150 is fixed to this electronic part-receiving chamber 151, and each lead wire 161 of the electronic part 160 held by the electronic part-holding body 150 is press-fitted into a U-shaped slot 152, and is held by right and left press-contacting piece portions 153 and 153, as shown in FIG. 6. At the same time, the pressing projections 155 and 155 are fitted respectively in retaining portions 154 and 154 of the press-contacting piece portions 153 and 153, so that right and left walls 156 and 156 respectively urge the two press-contacting piece portions 153 and 153 toward each other through the pressing projections 155 and 155, and therefore the press-contacting piece portions 153 and 153 are pressed against the lead wire 161 to hold the same therebetween.
However, in the conventional electronic part-connecting structure disclosed in JP-A-10-3953, when a covering portion of the electronic part 160 covering an element portion thereof is located in the U-shaped slot 152 between the press-contacting piece portions 153 at the time of mounting the electronic part 160, the press-contacting piece portions 153 grip (that is, bite into) the covering portion, and as a result there is a fear that the electrical connection may be insufficient, so that the reliability is lowered.


A dental floss dispenser having a shape or attaching elements which allows it to be held during flossing. One embodiment has a finger spool which is worn on the finger tip or finger during flossing. The dental floss dispenser may also incorporate a finger grip so that the dispenser can be held by the lower fingers, a contoured shape to better fit the hand of the user, a wide or weighted base for easy pick-up, or a U-shaped indentation for quickly grabbing dental floss at the commencement of flossing. A take up spool is designed to be used during the flossing procedure as an anchor for the dental floss to thereby allow the user to floss without wrapping floss around a take up finger or fingers. The take up spool is incorporated into the handle of a toothbrush. By using the dispenser or the take up spool in the flossing procedure, time is saved and flossing becomes more convenient and efficient. The take up spool includes a plurality of tapered notches, each tapered notch having an associated holding slot, each tapered notch for guiding a previously unattached end portion of a length of dental floss into the associated holding slot and securing the dental floss therein to securely hold and manipulate one end of the length of dental floss during the flossing process.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tools, assemblies, and apparatus that aid in the dental flossing process and more particularly to those tools or devices that require the use of both hands to operate while leaving the thumb and forefingers free to guide the floss between the teeth or to wipe or brush tooth surfaces. This category of device uses the fingers of the person applying the dental floss to guide and provide the "brushing" action of the dental floss.
Specifically, the present invention treats novel dispensers of dental floss where the floss is incrementally dispensed and the rate of dispensing is controlled by one hand, or by a finger or fingers of that hand. Furthermore, once dispensed, the floss is not cut from the dispenser but held in place with respect to the dispenser, so that the dispenser itself becomes part of the flossing process. The present invention also treats novel ways to take up floss as it is used, or soiled.
2. Present State of the Art
Daily flossing has been proven to be an effective and preferred method of oral hygiene when combined with brushing after meals. Some of the benefits that accrue from flossing are healthy teeth and gums, and prevention of tooth decay. Research now indicates that persons who floss may actually live longer and prevent some types of heart and arterial damage.
Dentists continuously and vigorously endorse flossing as an integral part of oral hygiene; yet, there continues to be resistance by the public to floss on a regular basis. The process of flossing requires that a strand of dental floss be considerably tensioned and then forced between the teeth. The tensioned floss is then rubbed along the sides of the teeth beneath the gum line thereby using friction to remove plaque. Additionally, food particles and other debris are quickly and easily removed by this action.
Flossing can be done without the aid of tools. This is accomplished by taking a length of dental floss and wrapping the floss around fingers on both hands leaving approximately two to four inches between the hands. With the floss thus wrapped, a person may tension the dental floss by pulling the hands apart. Using the thumbs and the index, or middle fingers, the user may guide the floss in between the teeth. If teeth are tightly packed together, a fair amount of force is necessary to drive the floss in between them.
The forces of keeping the floss tensioned and driving the floss between the teeth tends to cause uncomfortable or painful tightening on to the fingers around which the floss is wrapped. A user may even find it necessary to interrupt the flossing process entirely in order to loosen the floss from around the fingers to relieve pressure or restore blood flow.
Another common problem is excess waste of dental floss. When wrapping floss around the fingers, a certain excess amount must be used in order to provide enough coils so that the floss will not slip off when tensioned.
Dentists and dental hygienists encourage patients to use a fresh segment of floss in between each new pair of teeth to avoid transferring bacteria from gap to gap. A common problem which is encountered with most dental flossing tools is the awkward nature of advancing the floss so that fresh, unsoiled floss can be used. A fair amount of disruption occurs when floss is advanced from one hand to the other and then retensioned thus making the floss ready for continued flossing. The overall effect is to increase flossing time, waste floss because of lack of control in how much floss gets advanced, and frustrate the user due to general inconvenience.
Various devices and assemblies have been proposed to overcome these problems of flossing. While all of them are effective at reducing the pain involved with winding the floss around the fingers, they have varying degrees of success dealing with the other above-mentioned problems. Furthermore, many are not designed to dispense floss and remain connected to the dental floss to assist in the flossing process itself. These devices include U.S. Pat. No. 3,393,687 to Whitman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,625 to Sanders, U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,821 to Adams, U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,470 to Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,446 to Wiltshire, U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,841 to Levine, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,532 to Gabrovsek.
The Whitman applicator provides for one end of the floss to be connected to the applicator while the other end is held by the hand not holding the applicator. Though this applicator effectively may solve the problem of finger pain, it requires a fair amount of effort to thread and set it up for use. Furthermore, the free end of the floss may have to be wrapped or coiled around the finger in order to allow proper tensioning and guidance. Moreover, it does not allow the user to incrementally move the floss strand to get fresh floss without the burdensome process of unthreading and cutting the existing floss strand and then rethreading the applicator with a new strand of floss. Additionally, another supply of dental floss is needed.
Sanders discloses a disposable hygienic device that acts both as a toothpick as well as a flossing tool. The problem of the pain in the index fingers due to the wrapped floss is solved, but there is no provision for using a continuous strand of floss since the Sanders device is disposable; it is not designed to accommodate new strands of floss. It further fails to incrementally use the floss in a manner that leaves no wasted floss. The effective area of usable floss is relatively small and is likely to become extremely soiled. It also appears that the two pieces that form the handles or the grasping means of the device are very small thereby making it somewhat difficult to grasp. Again, there is no sizeable supply of floss that can be used.
Adams discloses a pair of thimble like devices to fit over the tops of the index fingers. This allows control and proper tensioning of the floss while protecting the index fingers from painful floss winding. However, moving to a fresh piece of floss is an awkward proposition since one must loosen the thimbles in order to move the floss. Furthermore, the amount of tension created by this method may be less than optimal. It would likewise be wasteful, since users would likely prefer to pull enough floss between the thimbles so that soiled floss is not in contact with the fingers. Yet again, another supply source is needed to dispense the floss.
Miller discloses an assembly that is used like the present invention with the exception of fresh floss advancement. Finger pain is eliminated but moving the strand of floss in order to place a fresh, unsoiled piece of floss next to the tooth requires disconnecting one of the two members and reconnecting it elsewhere. This is a clumsy process that would be time consuming and wasteful of floss. As with the other disclosures, a completely difference source for the floss is required.
Wiltshire discloses a floss strand between a pair of handles which are sufficiently long so that they can be inserted inside the user's mouth. For carefully guiding floss between teeth a person's own fingers will always be more dexterous than a long handle.
Levine discloses a device which has a handle portion and a finger like portion. Floss is threaded through a hole at the tip of the finger like portion of the device. Again the device is inserted into the mouth. The more dexterous fingers are not used to manipulate the floss in between the teeth.
Gabrovsek discloses a two-piece device. One piece has an internal spool of floss as well as a finger-like element which is inserted into the mouth. The other piece also has a finger-like element which is inserted into the mouth during flossing. Once again the more dexterous fingers are not used to guide the floss.
None of the previous devices effectively solve the problem in the art of easily transporting a strand of floss such that fresh unsoiled floss can be placed for use in between each new pair of teeth. The various ways of repositioning fresh floss in the above-mentioned patents are all unwieldy and hinders the task of flossing the teeth. Furthermore, most of them do not conveniently store a large quantity of dental floss or conveniently supply the floss as needed. This in turn makes the chore of daily flossing an oppressive and time consuming operation.
In addition, many of the above-mentioned ways of advancing the floss tend to be relatively wasteful of the floss. Most leave significant quantities of the floss in a clean and unused condition. The awkwardness of the advancement mechanisms tends to affect the user negatively in that she will tend to continually floss with soiled floss rather than go to the trouble of advancing the floss to get an unsoiled portion of the floss in contact with the teeth thus compromising the quality and effectiveness of the flossing operation.
The inventions previously disclosed by Winters, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,573,002 and 5,680,875 have addressed these issues. However, various devices and assemblies have now been proposed to overcome additional flossing issues.

Dental floss dispensers, flossing tools, and toothbrush flosser


A distributed database-management system is disclosed in which multiple clients on a network share control over and responsibility for the coherency of a shared database with multiple records. The clients arbitrate between each other for exclusive editing access to each of the fields within each record. The database-management system includes lock fields associated with each field in the multiple records. Each client executes a resident coherency process which is responsive to a request to edit a field. The process grants the request if there is not a field lock on the field. When the request is granted the coherency process asserts exclusive ownership of the field by placing a lock on the field. The coherency process is also responsive to a request to exit editing the field and in response thereto de-asserts exclusive ownership of the field.

1. Copyright Authorization
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document containing material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by any one of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
2. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates in general to a system for, distributed control of shared resources on a computer network. More particularly the field of the invention relates to distributing control between the multiple hosts in a networked environment over resources such as: storage devices, databases, and projects.
3. Background
It is common in computer systems to share file information with multiple computers through a variety of communication means. Some of the common ways computers send file information to other computers is through the use of modems and networks. Modems are very slow compared to networks. Networks require file servers, and for high speed networks, the speed of the file server becomes a bottleneck. This bottleneck is an impediment to applications needing to share the file information at a speed greater than the file server can keep up with. File servers operate under what is called the client/server paradigm. Under this paradigm a client makes requests of a server that then carries out the requests. In the case of a file server, there may be multiple clients making requests of the file server. The file server receives the requests, queues them, and then services them one at a time. In this way file system consistency is maintained because one entity, the file server, is operating upon the data structures that control the file system where the file information resides in a logical and coherent manner on a storage medium.
Some advancements in network technology have allowed various means to attach storage directly on the network, just as one would attach a printer to the network as a network attached peripheral (NAP). The NAP paradigm allows the removal of speed bottlements associated with a file server, but at the price of flexibility. Under the NAP paradigm there is no method to maintain file system consistency. This amounts to limiting the multiple computers to read-only access of the file information thus preventing the modification of the file information. If multiple computers where to modify the file information then the file system would become corrupt because there is no way to maintain the data structures of the file system in a logical and coherent manner on the storage medium because there are multiple entities trying to modify the file system with no means of maintaining the coherency of cached file system data structures. Therefore, these NAP type systems manifest themselves as high speed, read-only, file information sharing systems.
What is needed is an improved system and method for sharing file information. Preferably such a system would remove the file server bottleneck to increase access speed, as is provided by the NAP paradigm, while at the same time maintain the flexibility of the Client/Server paradigm.
It is common in computer systems for calculation intensive processes to take an enormous amount of time to come to completion. In multi-processor systems, the calculation may be expedited by the distribution of the process over the processors present in the computer. This is possible because the processors that are resident in a single machine share the same physical resources (e.g. PCI, Memory, Disk, and CPU busses ) that the processes are based on, in a direct attached manner. The disadvantage to this approach is that it requires very expensive and uncommon hardware equipment, and software has to be written to take advantage of this capability on a particular hardware model. In addition, the processing power is strictly limited to the number of CPU's that can be put in a single computer system. The single machine, multi-processor approach is fiurther limited by the severe bottlenecks that can be created as the physical resources are divided among an increasing number of CPU's.
A second approach is the distribution of the process among multiple processors that are attached through a network system. This approach is attractive since the number of participating processors can be virtually unlimited, and the type of machines used can be inexpensive and common. A number of disadvantages, however, have made this approach extremely inefficient and in many cases, virtually useless. The primary drawback to network process distribution, is that the communication of the information required by each machine to run the process, as well as, the communication of process results can be very slow as it needs to go over a typically slow network connection, through a traditional client/server network (along with the associated bottlenecks of the client/server model). These limitations produce very large processing overheads in cases that require large amounts of data on input and/or output. The efficiency of the distributed process is further degraded by the increased network traffic as more machines are added to the process.
What is needed is an improved system and method for distributed processing over a network. Such a system would remove the bottlenecks and disadvantages associated with current distributed networks, while at the same time maintaining its advantages. Such a system would further allow the distribution of processes to function and be managed in a cross platform environment.

Method and apparatus for distributed control of a database


According to one embodiment of the invention, a system for managing communication in a network line card is provided. The system includes at least two UTOPIA bus controllers. Each UTOPIA bus controller is operable to control a particular one of a plurality of UTOPIA buses. The system also includes at least two sets of UTOPIA physical devices associated with respective ones of the UTOPIA bus controllers. Each set of UTOPIA physical devices is coupled to a respective one of the UTOPIA buses. The system also includes a multiplexer coupled to the UTOPIA bus controllers. The system also includes a same pin coupling each of the UTOPIA buses to the respective UTOPIA bus controllers through the multiplexer.

A communication server provides access to communication facilities. For example, a communication server having a bank of modems may provide subscriber access to the modems for data communication. As communication networks provide greater connectivity and access to information, there is an increasing demand for data communication at higher rates. One solution to providing increased data rates is adopting improved communication techniques using the existing hardware infrastructure. For example, digital subscriber line (DSL) technology provides faster data service over existing twisted pair wiring. Implementation of DSL technology requires a communication server that may operate as an interface between the individual DSL subscribers and the Internet Protocol (IP) network.
The increasing demand for DSL service may be met by communication servers that are capable of accommodating a higher number of subscribers. Such increased capability requires a higher number of modems, which means that more buses and their respective controllers may be added to the communication servers. However, each addition of a bus and a bus controller increases the size and the pin count of the device that implements the bus or the bus controller within the communication servers. Furthermore, a higher number of pins requires more gates within the device. As such, the cost of manufacturing the communication server is increased.

Method and system for controlling UTOPIA buses


A clear shampoo is described which contains a cationic oil-in-water emulsion of an amine functional polydimethyl silicone, and a method of making clear and stable shampoo compositions, in which an emulsion of an amine functional siloxane can be added to a shampoo composition without causing cloudiness, and without contributing instability to the shampoo composition whereby phase separation occurs. In accordance with the method, an emulsion of an amine functional siloxane is added to a shampoo composition without the necessity of requiring that a pearling agent be employed for the purpose of disguising cloudiness.

This invention is directed to a clear shampoo, and clear shampoo products which contain a cationic oil-in-water emulsion of an amine functional polydimethyl silicone.
In the "Encyclopedia of Shampoo Ingredients" by Anthony L. L. Hunting, Micelle Press Inc. Cranford, N.J. 1983, on Pages 40 and 143, there is described a shampoo formulation Number S052 of Avon Products, Inc. New York, N.Y., known as "New Vitality Conditioning Shampoo", which contains a cationic emulsion. The cationic emulsion is said to be a blend of Amodimethicone Tallowtrimonium Chloride, and Nonoxynol-10, which are the adopted names of The Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association of Washington, D.C., (CTFA).
This silicone containing cationic emulsion has been traditionally known in the hair care art to tend towards the formation of precipitates in anionic detergent systems such as shampoo products. While the silicone containing cationic emulsion is an excellent shampoo ingredient from the standpoint of providing conditioning such as improved wet-combing ease, luster and resistance to dry fly-away, shampoo formulators have heretofore marketed products which contain the cationic emulsion in a form which contains a pearling agent in order to mask any turbidity in their product.
Thus, the "New Vitality Conditioning Shampoo" noted above, includes as an ingredient glycol stearate, a known pearling agent.
A need therefore exists in the personal care market for clear shampoos containing cationic silicone emulsions which can be formulated without the necessity of masking by pearling otherwise turbid products or products having high cloud points.


The magazine includes a rail installed on its bottom surface approximately parallel to an insertion/extraction direction, the rail including a plurality of stepped portions formed at a side surface thereof. A device body includes: a lock lever installed rotatably within the same plane as the bottom surface of the magazine, the lock lever including one portion located in a space below the magazine and another portion located beside the magazine; a spring which urges in a direction in which the rail is installed so that a portion of the lock lever located in a space below the magazine is engaged with the stepped portion; and an accessor which moves beside the magazine along the insertion/extraction direction. The lock lever engaged with each stepped portion is released in such a way that the accessor rotates the lock lever in an opposite direction to an urging direction of the spring.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magazine holding structure and a library device having the same in which a degree that a magazine is extracted is stepwise controlled.
2. Description of the Related Art
A tape library device or a disk library device is commonly used to store program or data used in a computer with high reliability.
Typically, a library device includes a member called a magazine which accommodates a plurality of cartridges (for example, a storage medium or one which a magnetic tape and a reel are integrated in case of a tape library device) and a conveyor device called an accessor.
The inside of the magazine is divided into a plurality of cells which each can accommodate one cartridge respectively.
The accessor performs an operation which extracts a cartridge accommodated in a certain cell of a certain magazine and sets the cartridge to a drive device and an operation which accommodates a cartridge extracted from a drive device in a certain cell of a certain magazine.
In such a tape library device, when exchanging or loading cartridges into some cells in a magazine, the cartridges can be taken out of or inserted into the cells by extracting a magazine up to the cells. Also, since the whole magazine can be extracted from the device, a magazine can be taken out of a device or another magazine can be loaded into the device.
A technique for extracting a magazine from a library device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-255372.
In JP-A No. 10-255372, a tray (magazine) is stepwise opened (extracted) by setting a mode for fully opening a tray and a mail slot mode for opening a tray up to a medium position.

Magazine holding structure and library device having the same


A portable filtration device filters water from a body of water within which the device can be buoyantly supported. The device generally comprises an inflatable floatation chamber arranged to support the device to float on the body of water and a filtration housing arranged to be suspended from the floating chamber in the body of water. The filtration housing has an inlet, an outlet, and a filtration medium arranged to filter water passing therethrough from the inlet to the outlet. The inlet is arranged for communication with the body of water and the outlet is arranged for communication with a filtered water reservoir for providing potable water to the reservoir.

The national and international water crisis, the unavailability of clean and safe drinking water in times of disaster as well as in everyday scenarios on smaller local scales in nations in all stages of development are an ongoing problem, for example in the applications of Recreational waterways; Livestock; Algae blooms (lake application); and Disaster mitigation, both developed and developing nations.
In times of crisis such as a flood, where there is ample water, albeit undrinkable, relief organizations have the continuous, cumbersome task of delivering millions of bottles of water, which is the number one need in all disasters.


The present invention provides for a compact, portable POS terminal through the co-location of a magnetic card slot and a smart card entry slot. In one embodiment, the smart card slot is positioned within a portion of the magnetic card slot. The POS terminal also accommodates contactless instrument readers and optionally includes features for electronic signature capture, user display interaction, multi-tasking capabilities, check reading and age and identity verification.

Point of service ("POS") terminals enable convenient electronic payment for many products and services. Consumers holding cards associated with a charge, credit, debit, or loyalty account may pay for a purchase simply by utilizing a magnetic stripe card, a smart card, or a contactless card. A POS terminal reads information from a magnetic stripe card when the magnetic stripe is swiped through a slot in the POS terminal. A POS terminal reads information from smart cards when the smart card is inserted into a separate opening in a POS terminal. In addition, POS terminal may read contactless cards by utilizing a separate antenna device that detects and retrieves information from contactless cards.
Presently known POS terminals typically include, inter alia, a magnetic stripe reader, a keypad for entry of a personal identification number ("PIN"), and a user display. Conventional POS terminals communicate with a central computer to authorize and settle sales transactions. Terminals often include peripheral devices such as printers, bar code readers or PIN entry pads. Use of such known POS terminals typically requires that the user orient the magnetic stripe on a card to correspond to the position of the magnetic stripe reader head within the card track or slot on the terminal. Some POS terminals can read smart cards either instead of, or in addition to, magnetic stripe cards. If the POS terminals supports reading both magnetic stripe cards and smart cards, then an external extraction device may be used to read the smart card. Such an extraction device would connect to the POS terminal via a socket or similar interface. Other POS terminals may have an opening for receiving smart cards that is separate from the magnetic card slot. The smart card would be inserted into the opening. Separate magnetic card slot and smart card openings result in a POS terminal that is too large to be used as a portable, hand-held device.
Accordingly, in order to create a POS terminal that is compact in size and can be utilized as a hand-held, portable POS terminal, it has been necessary to choose to either support magnetic stripe cards or smart cards. Supporting both card formats, would lead to a larger POS terminal that is less portable and not easily utilized as a hand-held POS terminal.
Accordingly, there is a need for a POS terminal that accommodates multiple card formats, such as magnetic stripe and smart cards, and still results in a compact, hand-held POS terminal.


A method for providing communication protocol interoperability may include receiving a request from a first endpoint to establish a communication session with a second endpoint, the request uses a first communication protocol. The method also includes receiving a first response from the second endpoint, the first response uses a second communication protocol different than the first communication protocol. The method may also include initiating a timer for receiving a set of capabilities from the second endpoint and establishing the communication session between the first endpoint and the second endpoint.

Historically, telecommunications have involved the transmission of voice and fax signals over a network dedicated to telecommunications, such as the Public Switch Exchange (PBX). Similarly, data communications between computers have been historically transmitted on a dedicated data network, such as a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN). Currently telecommunications and data transmissions are being merged into an integrated communication network using technology such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). As new technologies emerge that take advantage of the capabilities of this integrated communication network so do the protocols that enable these technologies.
Two such protocols used in facilitating communications between endpoints are the session initiation protocol (SIP) and the H.323 protocol. However, these protocols were developed independently of each other and the way they negotiate media differs in ways that can make interoperability difficult. For example, it may be the case that one feature of one protocol does not have a corresponding feature in the other protocol. Furthermore, differences in the timing and content of information flow in each protocol are such that there does not exist a simple common scheme to map the information flows to each other. For example, when building a SIP to H.323 protocol gateway one particular problem for the gateway is interoperating a SIP delayed offer INVITE to an H.323 non-fast-start flow. This presents a problem because both endpoints are waiting for the other endpoint to transmit its capabilities, causing a deadlock in which neither endpoint does anything.

Method and system for providing communication protocol interoperability


Embodiments of the present invention comprise methods and systems for digital image color balance correction.

Many factors affect the color of a digital image. Image color content can be attributed to shifts in the physical color content of a scene, shifts due to image processing errors, and shifts due to scene illuminant color. When color shifts cause an image to incorrectly represent the color of an image object, color correction can be used to ameliorate the bias in the image. However, color correction should be avoided when the color bias is attributed to the object of the image scene. Current color correction methods do not adequately discern between these color contributors. Accordingly, improper corrections are performed thereby decreasing the accuracy of the image.

Methods and systems for improving robustness of color balance correction


When a paper feed cassette is again mounted, a pressing portion of a pressing member is brought into contact from the front side on a second surface of an extending portion of a contacting member, and the contacting member is pressed by the pressing member to be displaced from the retract position to the contact position. At this time, the pressing portion of the contacting member presses a pressed portion of a disc member to rotate a third cam itself in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing. Accordingly, the lift lever locked by the third cam is released, and an end portion of an arm member is allowed to move upward.

For example, in JP-A-2001-80774, there is disclosed a sheet supply device including: a pick-up roller (delivery roller) which is provided to be movable up and down so as to be brought into contact with sheets stacked on a stacking portion, and a separation mechanism having a paper feed roller (separation roller) and a separation pad (separation unit), which is provided in the more downstream side of the conveying direction than the pick-up roller. The pick-up roller is rotated in a state of being brought into contact with the sheet on the stacking portion, so that the sheet is delivered to the separation mechanism. Further, the sheets are separated one by one by the nip of the separation pad and the separation roller to be delivered to the more downstream side of the conveying direction.
Here, when the pick-up roller always is brought into contact with the sheet, there is a problem in that paper powder or conveying sound are produced or the conveying burden is increased by the friction between the pick-up roller and the sheet. Subsequently, in the sheet supply device of JP-A-2001-80774, when the sheet reaches the nip position between the paper feed roller and the separation roller, a solenoid switch is turned on to separate the pick-up roller from the sheet on the stacking portion.

Sheet supply device and image forming apparatus


A method and apparatus are described for detecting the presence of explosives. The invention utilizes Laser Induced Acoustics (LIA), wherein an area of a substrate surface is irradiated, via deep UV pulsed laser, with laser pulses to generate a detectable audible signal. The invention also provides substantial improvements in the eye-safety of otherwise potentially harmful laser beams. Thus, the invention is particularly well-suited to use in public venues where detection of explosives or improved laser safety may be required.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the detection of explosives in public locations and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for detecting trace amounts of explosives on various surfaces.
Increasingly, public safety and the safety of government and military personnel depends on the detection of hidden explosives in venues such as airports and other transportation terminals, subway entrances, border crossings, sporting events, concerts, and other public gatherings. The presence of an explosive film or explosive particles on a surface is a possible indicator that larger amounts of explosives are nearby. For example, an explosive-laden fingerprint on a car's trunk lid, as may be detected by the present invention, may be an indicator that a large amount of explosives is inside the trunk.
The invention also relates to improvements in the eye-safety of laser emissions, so as to meet U.S. regulatory standards. Such improvements will allow for greater public use of laser-based instruments and techniques including, but not limited to, those disclosed herein for the detection of explosives.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is desirable to be able to detect explosives from a "safe distance." A number of methods for such "stand-off" detection of explosives have been disclosed in the art, including certain methods utilizing lasers.
One laser-based method known in the art involves the use of Raman Spectroscopy, wherein a laser shining on a material excites molecular vibrations in the irradiated molecules. This results in emission of an optical spectrum that is unique to the chemical compounds present in the material. Variations on this method include Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Spectroscopy (CARS), Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS), and Resonance Raman Spectroscopy.
Another method, known as Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), uses a laser to ablate a small amount of a material and excite the ablated mass into a high-temperature plasma. The optical spectrum of the plasma then is used to identify the elemental composition of the ablated mass.
In Photodissociation/Laser Induced Fluorescence, laser light is used to photodissociate any unstable molecules on a surface and subsequently cause the dissociated molecular fragments to fluoresce. The fluorescence spectrum is then analyzed for the presence of telltale markers for fragments of explosive compounds.
A suite of related methods, collectively known as Laser Absorption Spectroscopy, is based on the absorption of laser light at different wavelengths as a laser beam passes through air above a surface containing explosives or explosive residues. Vapor from the explosive compounds absorbs the laser light at characteristic wavelengths that are unique to those compounds. This approach is also known by the acronym "LIDAR" (light detection and ranging), which is a general term often used to describe any kind of stand-off, laser-based vapor detection.
The phenomenon of laser absorption can also be used to detect the solid phase of explosive compounds. This technology exploits the fact that the reflectivity of a surface changes when a trace amount of explosive compound is present on it. The reflectivity is measured, usually in the mid-infrared region of the spectrum, over a range of wavelengths by using a tunable laser, most commonly a quantum cascade laser. As the laser wavelength changes, the magnitude of the reflected light is measured. The resulting spectrum of reflected light reflects the chemical makeup of the compound on the surface. Comparing the collected spectrum to a library of reflectance spectra collected from different explosives allows for identifying trace amounts of unknown compounds. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,894,057 and 7,368,292.
The patent literature is replete with such methods of detection. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,905 discloses a method using resonance fluorescence and resonance absorption (preferably utilizing bremsstrahlung or other continuous-spectrum photon radiation) to detect explosives in a target such as a piece of luggage or other container. The utility of this method generally is limited to detecting explosives characterized by high concentrations of both nitrogen and oxygen, but also having a low concentration of carbon. The method utilizes a detecting apparatus to capture, measure, count, and record the energies of photons scattered from the target. This detecting apparatus requires appropriate filtering and shielding.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,047 discloses a method utilizing Raman Spectroscopy to detect Semtex plastic explosive, the active ingredients of which are RDX (cyclotrimethylene-trinitramine) and PETN (pentaerythritol-tetranitrate), in a sample such as a fingerprint on an aircraft boarding card.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,104,190 discloses a method and apparatus for detecting the presence of a nitramine explosive (such as RDX), wherein a radio frequency (RF) signal is emitted towards a target. If the target contains a chemical compound having a nitro group, excitation of such compound will produce a detectable Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance (NQR) signal.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,860 discloses an explosive detection system in which vapor leaking from luggage is sampled by a sampling probe; negative corona discharge is used to ionize the vapor; and a mass spectrometer is used to detect the ionized vapor, thereby determining whether or not an explosive is present.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,477,907 discloses an apparatus and method for detecting explosive-indicating compounds in subsurface soil. The apparatus has a probe with an adsorbent material on its surface and can be placed into soil beneath the ground surface, where the adsorbent material can adsorb explosive-indicating compounds. The explosive-indicating compounds are then desorbed and transferred as either a liquid or gas sample to a diagnostic tool (such as an ion-mobility spectrometer, a gas chromatograph, a high performance liquid chromatograph, a capillary electrophoresis chromatograph, a mass spectrometer, a Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer or a Raman spectrometer) for analysis.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,828,795 discloses an explosive detection system utilizing an ion mobility spectrometry instrument to detect the presence of trace molecules in air. A directed emission of photons, typically in the form of infrared or visible light, warms a target object, so as to significantly enhance vapor emission therefrom, which improves the sampling efficiency. A cyclone sampling nozzle also improves the sampling efficiency, particularly when the sampling needs to be performed at a distance from the air intake.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,928,131 discloses a method, utilizing X-rays, to detect an explosive in an object, such as inside a piece of luggage or mail. X-ray images of the object are used to detect areas containing a high density of organic materials and/or unidentified articles therein. Any such areas then are further characterized with respect to location, dimensions and supposed mass of any unidentified article therein. The method further includes thermal neutron irradiation of the area containing any such unidentified article; recording the output using gamma-ray detectors; determining a threshold value for the overall gamma-ray intensity based on the supposed mass of explosive being detected; and determining the presence of an explosive in the event the threshold value of overall gamma-ray intensity is exceeded. When checking small-size objects with this method, the neutron irradiation step is preceded by replacing the ambient air by a gaseous medium not containing nitrogen.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,967,103 discloses an explosives detector utilizing an array of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) coated, bifurcated fiber optic cables to form an image of a target molecule source. Individual sensor fiber assemblies, each with a calibrated airflow, are used to expose the fibers to the target molecule. The detector energizes a dedicated excitation light source for each fiber, while simultaneously reading and processing the intensity of the resulting fluorescence that is indicative of the concentration of the target molecule. Processing electronics precisely controls the excitation current, and measures the detected signal from a plurality of narrow band pass filters and photodiodes. A computer then processes the data to form and display an image of the target molecule source.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 7,239,974 discloses a method for monitoring thermal emissivity levels of human traffic in public venues. The method uses an infrared detector such as a quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) equipped camera. Based on differential emissivity calculations, a determination is made whether the monitored emissivity level corresponds to at least one calibrated emissivity level associated with an explosive material. The monitored emissivity levels are calibrated to eliminate the effects of other synthetic objects such as clothing, personal items, and other harmless objects. The monitored emissivity levels also are buffered against changes in environmental factors.
The above-described methods have multiple disadvantages. Typically, such methods involve optical emissions. Detection and analysis of these emissions may require very expensive equipment (e.g., a spectrometer). Moreover, such optical emissions may not be unique to explosives or may be difficult to discern from emissions caused by (a) the particular substrate on which an explosive film is deposited or (b) other compounds also deposited on the substrate (e.g., dirt, grease). Such methods also may require the use of multiple lasers, adding to the cost and complexity of the respective systems. Significantly, the efficacy of the above methods may be limited to detection of nitrogen-based explosives, so that other types of explosives are not identified. Finally, many of these methods are not sufficiently rapid, requiring many seconds or minutes to complete an analysis. Thus, when such prior art methods are used to test luggage or other personal items for explosives, unacceptable delays may arise, especially under circumstances where the respective owners of the luggage or other personal items are required to wait during the test.
Thus, it would be desirable to be able to provide a quicker, more accurate, and less expensive means of detecting a greater variety of explosives, especially in areas having a high volume of human traffic.


A system for spur cancellation comprises an input, an output, a memory, and a summer. A value corresponding to an energy level of a spur is stored in the memory. The summer is configured to receive an input signal from the input, to receive the value from the memory, to subtract the value from the input signal, and to convey an output signal to the output. The output signal is a difference of the value subtracted from the input signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and a method for spur cancellation.
2. Related Art
The operations of clocks, input devices, and output devices are among the most significant sources of spurs in a signal processing system, with the spurs occurring at the operating frequencies of these devices and at the harmonic frequencies of the operating frequencies. Prior techniques to address the problem of spurs include spur suppression and spur avoidance.
Spur suppression involves careful analysis of a circuit to determine an optimal arrangement of devices, traces, and ground attachments in the layout of the circuit to prevent spurs from developing. Unfortunately, if a situation arises that requires an alternative layout, another analysis of the circuit must be performed. Furthermore, an optimal arrangement of the layout does not prevent spurs from developing due to changes in temperature, voltage, or other parameters within the circuit.
Spur avoidance is accomplished by designing the circuit so that spurs occur at frequencies outside a desired band of frequencies. Unfortunately, while this technique works well for narrowband signal processing systems, it has limited applications in broadband signal processing systems.
What is needed is a technique for countering the effects of spurs in a broadband signal processing system. Preferably, such a technique would be flexible enough to accommodate both variations in the layout of the circuit and spurs that develop due to changes in temperature, voltage, or other parameters within the circuit.


A communications technique using spare bit-lanes to communicate changes in interface physical link layer bandwidth and/or active width provides for dynamic adjustment of power consumption of interface links without requiring a separate control path for exchanging the change information. One or more spare bit-lanes are used to communicate an indication of the operating frequency/active width change to the physical link layer of the remote side of the interface and an acknowledgement is sent back to provide complete handshaking of the operating characteristic change. The method can determine whether or not a spare bit-lane is available and prevent making the change if a spare bit-lane is not available until the interface is repaired and a spare bit-lane can then be used for communicating operating changes in operating frequency/active width.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to interconnected processing systems, and more particularly, to processing systems that dynamically control I/O interface performance and power consumption.
2. Description of Related Art
Interfaces within and between present-day integrated circuits have increased in operating frequency and width. In particular, in multiprocessing systems, both wide and fast connections are provided between many processing units. Data width directly affects the speed of data transmission between systems components, as does the data rate, which is limited by the maximum frequency that can be supported by an interface. However, such fast and wide interconnects are significant power consumers in a computer system formed from interconnected processing units.
The data width and/or operating frequency of the interconnects may be scaled in order to reduce power consumption when an interface is expected to be idle or have reduced bandwidth requirements for a period of time. However, in order for both ends of an interface to operate properly without requiring re-initialization, communication of changes to the data width and/or operating frequency of the interconnects need to be communicated across the interface. Additional control lanes may be provided for such communications, but require additional hardware and consequent cost.
It is therefore desirable to provide an interface, computer system and related computer programs that can control the data width and/or operating frequency of interface physical link layers in a multi-processing system without requiring additional control lanes.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System interconnect dynamic scaling handshake using spare bit-lane

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


It is possible to inspect a printed matter precisely because lines are surely and accurately extracted by the present invention. Extraction of lines are the important point for the judgment if a character is correctly printed or not. The printed matter inspection method according to the present invention comprises the following steps: i) an image of a predetermined area including a line is input; ii) a density projection is performed on said input image; iii) a start point and end point of change of density are emphasized in said density projection; iv) the center pixel in each predetermined convolution is substituted by the minimal density pixel in each said convolution; v) a density projection is performed; and vi) said printed matter defective or not is judged according to said density projection in v).

When judging whether a character in a predetermined area surrounded by a line is correctly printed or not, a conventional method extracts the location of the line from density projection diagram of the predetermined area and then judges the location of the printed character according to the location of the line. When thin and short lines and characters are mixed on paper, however, it is difficult to extract the information on the line only. This means that there has been an obstacle to judging the state of the printed character in the area.


An ophthalmic apparatus comprises a projection system in which a pattern member is provided with a predetermined pattern for measuring the shape of the cornea of an eye of a subject, the predetermined pattern is thereby projected on the cornea of the eye of the subject, and an optical observation system in which light flux having a shape of the predetermined pattern emitted from the projection system is reflected at the cornea of the eye of the subject, the eye of the subject is observed by the light reflected by the cornea. A surface at the eye of the subject side of the pattern member is coated with a paint having a filtering property that transmits infrared light and blocks visible light.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an ophthalmic apparatus for measuring the shape of the cornea of the eye of a subject.
2. Background Information
Conventionally, in an ophthalmic apparatus for precisely measuring the shape of the cornea, concentric light transmitting portions, that is, light transmitting ring patterns (a placido pattern) are provided to a flat pattern plate, and plural light sources are arranged along the light transmitting ring pattern on a holding plate behind the pattern plate. The light source emits infrared light. This is because infrared light does not cause pupil contraction of the eye of the subject which would occur if a light transmitting ring pattern were projected in visible light.
A filter is located between the pattern plate and the subject on a base material, such as a resin that transmits infrared light and blocks visible light, so that the subject will not see the light transmitting ring pattern projected on the cornea. This configuration is effective to prevent instrument myopia caused by seeing at the light transmitting ring pattern at a short distance. In addition to the ophthalmic apparatus for measuring the shape of the cornea having a filter to block visible light, an ophthalmic apparatus having a plurality of functions, such as an ophthalmic apparatus for measuring the shape of the cornea and the accommodation ability of the eye, and an ophthalmic apparatus for measuring the shape of the cornea and the aberration of optical properties of the eyeball, may also have a filter for blocking visible light.
A flat pattern plate is modified to have a cup shape or a cone shape so as to reduce the size of the ophthalmic apparatus. In the case of a pattern plate having a cup shape or a cone shape, when a filter having a flat shape is disposed between the pattern plate and a subject and is disposed in the vicinity of the subject, the filter may come into contact with the subject. Therefore, the filter is also formed into a cup shape or a cone shape.
In an ophthalmic apparatus having such a structure, light emitted from a light source is converted to a light flux having a shape of plural concentric light transmitting ring patterns, and the light flux is projected onto the cornea of the eye of a subject. Then, the shape of the reflected light of the cornea of the eye of the subject with the concentric light transmitting ring patterns is compared with a shape of the projected pattern so as to observe the difference, and the shape of the cornea is measured from the differences of the shapes (for example, see Japanese Patent No. 3497006).
In a conventional ophthalmic apparatus, a filter that transmits infrared light but blocks visible light is disposed between a pattern plate and a subject, whereby the pattern plate and the filter are required to have the same shape, and the structure is complicated. Moreover, a filter must be disposed between a pattern plate and a subject, and the working distance of an ophthalmic apparatus is thereby somewhat short.


An apparatus for a safety vest for a portable restraining system designed to protect a child 12 in the back seat of a taxi cab, limousine, or car should a child safety seat not be available or practical. The device 10 provides means for separating a seat belt comprising a lap 18 and shoulder 20 belt for either side of a left or right seated passenger, the means also insuring the continued separation of the belts during use; a first and second closure means comprising a zipper 28 and a hook and loop fastening device 30 that will prevent possible fouling of the zipper 28 due to g-forces at 22 occurring during an accident and a quick release 24 which can be initiated by small children as opposed to mechanical locks that they may be unfamiliar with.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to Vehicle safety equipment for children and, more specifically, to a safety vest, portable restraining system is designed to protect a child in the back seat of a taxi cab, limousine, or car should a child safety seat not be available or practical. The device provides means for separating a seat belt comprising a lap and shoulder belt for either side a left or right seated passenger, said means also insuring the continued separation of the belts during use; a first and second closure means comprising a zipper and a hook and loop fastening device that will prevent possible fouling of the zipper due to g-forces occurring during an accident and a quick release, which can be initiated by small children as opposed to mechanical locks that they may be unfamiliar with.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other child restraining devices designed for the same purpose. Typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,588 issued to Huspen on Dec. 24, 1991.
Another patent was issued to Coltrain on Nov. 10, 1992 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,258. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,371 was issued to Chao on Apr. 12, 1994 and still yet another was issued on Jul. 27, 1999 to Segal as U.S. Pat. No. 5,926,846.
Another patent was issued to Masuda, et al. on Nov. 13, 2001 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,314,578. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. D453,398 was issued to Masuda on Feb. 5, 2002.

Portable restraining child safety vest for vehicles


A self-tapping screw having a boring part and a threaded shaft for fixing a panel-type object to a preferably metallic substructure is provided. The screw is configured in such a way that it produces a through hole in the panel type object, said hole accommodating the shaft with a degree of play and so that it produces a bore in the substructure into which the thread on the shaft cuts a counter-thread. The boring part includes a boring tip that is located eccentrically in relation to the longitudinal axis of the screw. The tip centers the screw during the positioning operation in such a way that the boring part executes a circular displacement about the boring tip, which expands the through hole to the desired size, whereas the bore in the substructure is produced with the diameter of the boring part. The screw replaces self-tapping screws provided with boring flights and is preferably for use with a substructure consisting of thin sheet metal through which the boring flights of conventional screws can inadvertently penetrate.

The invention relates to a self-tapping screw with a boring part and a threaded shaft for fixing a panel-type object to a substructure. The screw is configured so that it produces a through hole in the panel-type object that accommodates the threaded shaft with a degree of play. The screw is also configured so that it produces a bore hole in the substructure, in which the thread of the shaft cuts a counter-thread.
For the production of building paneling, typically panels are attached by screws to a substructure rigidly connected to the building. The panels consist of, e.g., ceramic, asbestos cement, stone, or a similar brittle material. The building paneling typically consists of metal, frequently of profiled sections made from thin sheet metal. The building paneling is exposed to large temperature fluctuations. When the sun is shining, the building paneling expands greatly relative to the substructure, which is covered by the building paneling, and then contracts again as the sunshine diminishes. Thus, the building paneling wanders on the substructure. To reduce thermal stresses in the building paneling, the attachment screws must not hinder the movements of the paneling. For this purpose, through holes, which accommodate the attachment screws with a sufficient degree of play, are provided in the panels. In the substructure itself, threaded bore holes are produced, in which the attachment screws are screwed.
For smaller building panels, the through holes can be produced in the panels and the threaded holes can be produced in the substructure by drilling or pre-drilling and then manually cutting the threads at the construction site. For larger building panels, self-tapping screws are used, which have a boring part and a shaft provided with a cutting thread. The self-tapping screws are configured so that they themselves produce in the panel-type object a through hole, which accommodates the threaded shaft with a degree of play, and so that they themselves produce in the substructure a bore hole, in which the thread of the shaft cuts a counter-thread. A self-tapping screw of the above-mentioned type, like that known from EP 0 949 218 B1, is suitable for this purpose. For this screw, freely projecting wings connect to a panel-type boring part at an axial distance from the boring tip perpendicular to the screw axis. The edge of the blades facing the boring tip is formed as a boring knife. At the connecting point of the wings to the boring part, there is a predetermined breaking notch extending approximately parallel to the screw axis. The boring tip of the boring part first drills a hole in a cover track made from light metal to be attached to a substructure. The hole is then expanded by the boring wings into a through hole accommodating the screw with a degree of play. Then the boring part with the boring tip penetrates into the substructure, wherein, after the passage of the boring part, the wings contact the substructure and break off at the predetermined breaking notches. For further rotation of the screw, the thread part of the shaft is then guided into the bore hole produced in the substructure, so that a thread is cut into the substructure and the final attachment can be realized. For the use of such self-tapping screws for the production of building paneling on a substructure made from thin sheet metal profiled sections, it has been shown that frequently the torque exerted on the wings by the thin sheet metal substructure is not enough to break off the wings. Consequently, the wings also penetrate and expand the bore hole in the substructure, so that the thread of the shaft cannot be held in the substructure.


A method of disrupting a turbulent region of a boundary layer within a fluid flow passing over a surface to decrease momentum transfer, and thus friction drag, between the turbulent flow and the surface. Bending waves are generated on the surface to impose velocity and/or pressure oscillations within the turbulent region and disrupt the normal turbulent process within the boundary layer, thereby decreasing the transfer of momentum from the turbulent flow to the surface. The bending waves are preferably generated in a predominantly spanwise or normal direction relative to the streamwise fluid flow. In another embodiment, the bending waves enhance the turbulent process and increase the transfer of momentum between the turbulent flow and the surface. Bending wave actuators may bend the surface to generate bending waves within the surface itself. In another embodiment, actuators may generate bending waves within a separate material attached to the surface. Bending waves may also be generated within a laminar region of the boundary layer to trip the laminar region to turbulent flow and thereby energize the boundary layer.

Friction drag and pressure drag are persistent problems in aerodynamic and other types of fluid flow design. Friction drag results primarily from the force of friction between a surface such as a wing or a fuselage section and the air or other fluid found within the boundary layer adjacent to that surface. When the fluid flow past the surface is laminar, the effect of friction drag is relatively small. However, when a turbulent fluid flow passes over the surface, the frictional drag force is typically much larger than with the laminar flow. With respect to modern aircraft, the frictional drag component can account for 50% or more of the total drag force experienced by such aircraft. Similarly, other aerodynamic or hydrodynamic structures (e.g., cars, ships, rockets, etc.) may experience large frictional drag forces due to turbulent flow passing over their external surfaces.
A second type of drag occurs when a flow over an aerodynamic or other surface separates from that surface to create a low pressure pocket behind the surface. Such flow separation may be caused when the aerodynamic surface interacts with the flow at a high angle of incidence or "angle of attack." The resulting low pressure pocket creates a retarding force and is commonly referred to as pressure drag. An energized or turbulent flow is less likely to become separated from an aerodynamic surface than a non-energized or laminar flow. Thus, one method of reducing pressure drag is to artificially convert or "trip" the laminar fluid flow over the surface to a turbulent flow. The energy within the turbulent boundary layer helps to maintain the flow attached to the surface, thereby reducing or delaying flow separation until a higher angle of attack so that a reduction in the total amount of pressure drag is achieved. However, the tripped turbulent flow will, in turn, contribute to a higher degree of friction drag, as discussed above.
Many prior methods have been used to reduce both friction and pressure drag. With respect to pressure drag, some of these methods include adding structure to the leading edge of an aerodynamic surface. Such structures may include rough strips extending spanwise along the leading edge of the surface or a plurality of vortex generators spaced along the leading edge. These structures extend into the relatively thin laminar boundary layer to disrupt the laminar flow, thereby prematurely tripping the flow to a turbulent state and energizing the boundary layer so that the flow is less likely to separate from the surface. While these and other similar structures may successfully reduce the pressure drag associated with flow separation, they do not address the resultant increase in friction drag caused by the larger proportion of turbulent flow within the boundary layer.
With respect to friction drag, a turbulent boundary layer has a greater velocity gradient than a laminar boundary layer, and the greater velocity gradient, combined with the inherent instability within the turbulent boundary layer, tends to transfer a relatively high amount of momentum from the boundary layer to the aerodynamic surface. Prior means for reducing friction drag have included both passive and active techniques for reducing the instability or the momentum transfer within the turbulent boundary layer. Examples of the passive control means include riblets formed on the aerodynamic surface or large eddy breakup units (LEBUs). With respect to riblets formed in the streamwise direction on the aerodynamic surface, the streamwise grooves formed by the riblets attempt to redirect the streamwise fluid flow within the boundary layer away from the aerodynamic surface, thereby reducing the momentum transfer between the boundary layer and the surface. However, while such passive devices have demonstrated that they are capable of reducing friction drag, the net effects of such devices are lessened due to offsetting drag increases in other areas. For example, while riblets may decrease the effect of friction drag, they also increase the wetted surface area of the aerodynamic surface so that the total amount of friction drag is not dramatically decreased. Additionally, the parameters of the riblets are not easily changed once they are optimized for a particular flight condition. Similarly, LEBUs contribute extra form or device drag to the total drag of the aerodynamic surface. One example of an active form of friction drag control is a suction system in which a pattern of fine holes is formed in the aerodynamic surface. Suction is applied to the holes to create a pressure gradient that suppresses instability growth within the turbulent boundary layer. However, the obvious drawbacks of such a system include its cost, ongoing maintenance and its susceptibility to adverse weather conditions.
Additionally, in a 1992 article entitled "Suppression of Turbulence in Wall-Bounded Flows by High-Frequency Spanwise Oscillations," Jung et al. utilized computational fluid dynamics simulations to determine whether a reduction in turbulence-induced drag could be realized in a simulated bounded channel flow by rapidly oscillating one of the channel walls in a spanwise direction (orthogonal to the direction of the simulated free stream channel flow). The article notes that the turbulent bursting process was suppressed and significant reductions in the calculated turbulent drag force were realized. However, Jung et al. offered no explanation or suggestion of how the spanwise oscillations could be achieved outside the purely computational realm.
A practical technique is needed for reducing the friction effects of turbulent boundary layers while not simultaneously contributing to other types of drag. Additionally, the technique for reducing friction drag would provide further value if it could reduce pressure drag by energizing laminar boundary layers while simultaneously working to reduce momentum transfer within the turbulent boundary layer.
It is with respect to these and other background considerations, limitations and problems, that the technique of the present invention has evolved.

Active turbulence control technique for drag reduction


A foldable chair frame includes a seat frame, a front leg frame, a backrest frame with two lateral rods mounted pivotally to the seat frame, and an armrest frame with two armrest bars disposed adjacent to opposite lateral sides of the seat frame. Each of the armrest bars has a front section which extends forwardly of the backrest frame, and a rear section which extends downwardly from the front section and which is mounted pivotally to a rear end portion of the seat frame posterior to the backrest frame. A locking unit includes a locking seat fixed to one of the armrest bars and formed with an engaging hole, and a locking member having a ring portion sleeved rotatably and slidably on an adjacent one of the lateral rods, and a radial outward latch projection which is provided with a downwardly extending insert section. The locking member is movable on the lateral rod so as to engage the insert section within the engaging hole in order to position the chair frame in an unfolded state, and so as to disengage the insert section from the engaging hole in order to permit folding of the chair frame.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a foldable chair frame, more particularly to a foldable chair frame which is provided with a locking unit to prevent untimely folding of the chair frame.
2. Description of the Related Art
Foldable chair frames provided with locking devices or positioning devices to prevent untimely folding of the chair frames are known in the art. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,570, there is disclosed a foldable chair frame which is provided with positioning devices to prevent untimely folding of the chair frame. The chair frame disclosed in the aforesaid U.S. patent includes a back frame, a seat frame, front and rear legs, and a pair of armrests. The positioning devices on the chair frame are operable to arrest relative movement between the rear legs and the back frame so as to position the chair frame in an unfolded state for enhanced user safety.


A frequency-mixing method includes a step of generating a first quadrature signal having a predetermined frequency, a second quadrature signal having a phase difference of about 180 degrees with respect to a phase of the first quadrature signal, a third quadrature signal having a phase difference of about 90 degrees with respect to the phase of the first quadrature signal and a fourth quadrature signal having a phase difference of about 90 degrees with respect to a phase of the second quadrature signal; a step of controlling a phase of the third quadrature signal and a phase of the fourth quadrature signal so as to control a linearity of a frequency mixer; and a step of down-converting a radio frequency (RF) signal using the first through the fourth quadrature signals. Accordingly, performance of a direct-conversion receiver (DCR) can be improved by employing a frequency-mixing device capable of enhancing a linearity of a frequency mixer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a frequency-mixing device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a frequency-mixing device and a frequency-mixing method of a direct-conversion receiver (DCR).
2. Description of the Related Art
As known in the art, an intermediate frequency (IF) is a frequency to which a carrier frequency is shifted as an intermediate step in transmission or reception. A zero-IF system directly converts a carrier signal to and from the baseband signal without any IF stages.
The zero-IF receiver-employs a direct-conversion technique, in contrast to that of a superheterodyne receiver which employs a dual-conversion technique. The superheterodyne architecture has been widely employed due to its excellent channel selectivity characteristics.
Because the zero-IF system utilizes one mixer stage to convert the carrier signal directly to and from the baseband without the need for a surface acoustic Wave (SAW) filter, the zero-IF system can save cost, weight, design space, and the system can be implemented on one chip.
There have been various attempts to use the zero-IF technique in a mobile communication system, such as GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication). Mobile communication systems employing the zero-IF technique have become widespread.
In particular, a direct-conversion receiver (hereinafter, referred to as "DCR") adopting the zero-IF technique has the advantages of a simple circuit structure, low cost manufacture and smaller size as compared to those of a superheterodyne receiver. However, in DCRs, the second-order intermodulation distortion (IMD2) is a fundamental problem occurring in a frequency mixer included in the DCR. The IMD2 is due to a non-linearity of the frequency mixer that employs non-linear active elements. When an input signal ei is applied to a non-linear system, an output signal is generated as represented by Expression 1 below.eo=α0+α1ei+α2ei2+α3ei3+  [Expression 1]
where α1, α2, α3 represent first-, second- and third-order harmonic coefficients, respectively.
The output signal eo can be represented as a sum of sine waves. Various frequency signals are mixed with one another and then new frequency signals are generated according to Expression 1 in the non-linear system, which is an important characteristic of the non-linear system.
When input signal ei including two frequency components f1 and f2 or an input signal ei having two-tone are/is applied to a general non-linear circuit, other frequency components such as 2*f1, 2*f2, f1−f2, f1+f2, 3*f1, 3*f2, 2*f1−f2, 2*f2−f1, 2*f1+f2, 2*f2+f1 and so on, as well as the input frequency components f1 and f2, are generated due to a non-linearity of the non-linear circuit.
Typically, the other frequency components generated due to the non-linearity are removed by a filter. However, when the input frequency components f1 and f2 are similar or identical to each other, and a target frequency signal among output frequency signals belongs to the baseband frequency signal, the frequency component f1−f2 close to the baseband frequency signal are hardly removed by the filter. These frequency component signals interfere with one another between channels having a small frequency difference, or distortion effects occur as signals within a particular frequency band interfere with one another.
The frequency component, resulting from a second-order component (or a second power term) such as the f1−f2 component and f1+f2 component, is the so-called IMD2 (second-order intermodulation distortion) component.
In a system such as the DCR, the f1−f2 component is included in a pass band filter for filtering a target frequency signal.
A relationship between a degree of the IMD2 and an amplified degree of an input frequency can represent a linearity of a circuit of the DCR system. The degree of the linearity of the circuit of the DCR system is represented by an IP2 (second-order intercept point).
A power of the initial IMD2 signal increases to a power level of an output IMD2 signal faster than a power of the input frequency signal increases to a power level of a target output frequency signal. Consequently, at first, the power level of the initial IMD2 signal is less than the power level of the output frequency signal; however, ultimately, the power level of the initial IMD2 signal becomes equal to the power level of the target output frequency signal. The power point at which the power level of the IMD2 signal is identical with the power level of the target output frequency signal is called the IP2 (second-order intercept point).
The larger the IP2 is, the better the linearity is, because a high power level of the input frequency signal is required in order that the power level of the initial IMD2 signal is equal to the power level of the target output frequency signal. A receiver second-order intercept point (IIP2), which represents an IP2 in view of an input, is a parameter for zero-IF applications. An output second-order intercept point (OIP2), which represents an IP2 in view of an output, is another parameter for zero-IF applications.
Because the DCR shifts the target frequency signal to the baseband, the IMD2 signal that is generated by the frequency mixer and which is located in the baseband can degrade the performance of the DCR. Therefore, the DCR requires a frequency-mixing device or a frequency mixer having a high IP2 value (or a low IMD2).
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram illustrating a conventional Gilbert cell mixer. The Gilbert cell mixer is a kind of a balanced active mixer (typically, the balanced active mixer has a differential output characteristic). Referring to FIG. 1, the Gilbert cell mixer includes an emitter coupled transistor pair Q1 and Q2 for inputting a radio frequency signal pair RF+ and RF−, degeneration resistors RE1 and RE2, Gilbert cell core transistors Q3, Q4, Q5 and Q6, pull-up resistors R1 and R2, and differential output nodes N01 and N02.
When an identical second-order harmonic component is generated at each of the differential output nodes N01 and N02, the second order harmonic components of both differential output nodes N01 and N02 are counterbalanced with each other by a common-mode removal characteristic. As a result, the second-order harmonic components can be removed.
However, the second-order harmonic components are not completely removed, because the differential output nodes N01 and N02 generate the second-order harmonic components that have mismatches in phases and amplitude of the second-order harmonic components. The phase and amplitude mismatches are caused by: a mismatch between the emitter coupled transistor pair Q1 and Q2, a mismatch between the degeneration resistors RE1 and RE2, a duty ratio characteristic of a local oscillator LO, a mismatch between the pull-up resistors R1 and R2, and a mismatch between input radio frequency signals RF+ and RF−. Unfortunately, it is impossible to match the differential characteristic perfectly by removing all of above-mentioned mismatches.
FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating a conventional sub-harmonic mixer. Operations of the sub-harmonic mixer shown in FIG. 2 are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,587,678.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 6,587,678, the sub-harmonic mixer shown in FIG. 2 can perform a direct conversion using first through fourth quadrature signals. The first through fourth quadrature signals have a phase difference of about 90 degrees with respect to each other and have a local oscillator frequency corresponding to a half radio frequency (RF) signal. In FIG. 2, the reference symbols L00, L090, L0180 and L0270 represent signals corresponding to the first and the fourth quadrature signals, respectively, processed by a pre-processor according to a method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,587,678.
According to a method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,587,678, the direct conversion also can be performed using the local oscillator LO that generates an oscillating frequency lower than the frequency of the radio frequency (RF) signal. However, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,587,678, performance degradation due to the IMD2 was not solved.

Frequency-mixing method and frequency-mixing device using the same


Methods and systems for identifying manufacturer-specific controller-area (CAN) data for a vehicle type are provided. Manufacturer-specific CAN data may be identified by processing defined CAN data having a correlation relationship with the target data and undefined manufacturer-specific CAN data for determining if there is a correlation relationship therebetween. Also provided are methods and systems for identifying and automatically collecting manufacturer-specific CAN data for a vehicle type.

Traffic data collection and analysis are routinely conducted by road agencies, for example, government organizations responsible for traffic management, road maintenance and/or road network planning. Road agencies may obtain measurements of traffic metrics, (e.g., traffic performance), from traffic data, to understand current traffic conditions at a roadway section of interest, such as a portion of a road or a traffic junction—a location where multiple roads intersect, allowing traffic to change from one road to another (e.g., intersection, roundabout, interchange). Traffic metrics are generally used to ascertain an existing, or to predict a future, need of changes to roadway infrastructure and/or traffic control equipment. Examples of traffic metrics include traffic volume, average vehicle speed, vehicle delay, among others.
Controller-area network messages transmitted between nodes on a vehicle CAN bus are often monitored by 3rd party devices for diagnostic purposes and for collection of vehicle operating data, for example, for fleet management. Although standardized CAN messages carrying specific vehicle operating data have been adopted by industry, most vehicle manufacturers also employ non-standardized CAN messages for communication between nodes on a vehicle CAN bus. Such manufacturer-specific CAN messages may carry vehicle operating data that would be useful for fleet management.
Manufacturer-specific CAN messages carrying specific vehicle operating data vary not only between manufacturers, but often between different vehicle models of the same make, and even between different years of the same model. Furthermore, manufacturer-specific CAN messages carrying specific vehicle operating data may even be different for a vehicle of the same make, model and year depending on when or where the vehicle was manufactured.
A common technique currently employed for reverse engineering of manufacturer-specific CAN messages requires a technician to gain access to each vehicle to collect and analyze CAN data. Using such a method to identify specific vehicle operating data carried in manufacturer-specific CAN messages for each of the plethora of unique vehicles is manually intensive, time consuming and prone to human error.

Telematics system for identifying manufacturer-specific controller-area network data


A blend of melamine resin fibers, aramid fibers and/or modacrylic fibers produces compositions and products having superior fire blocking characteristics, as well as superior strength, manufacturing and end-user comfort characteristics.

The present invention relates generally to the field of melamine resin containing compositions. In particular, the present invention is embodied in products that utilize critical blends of melamine resin fibers, aramid fibers and/or modacrylic fibers and that exhibit superior fire blocking characteristics, as well as superior strength, manufacturing and end-user comfort characteristics.
In the event of a residential. workplace or vehicle fire, where humans are confronted with exposure to open flame and flash fire circumstances, there is no blanket-type product currently marketed that offers adequate fire blocking protection. The fireproof fabrics used in professional firefighter gear have historically been far too costly and bulky for use In a consumer safety product like a fire escape blanket (that is, a blanket that can be utilized by a person in a residential, industrial or vehicle setting to buck fire and its harmful effects from the skin of the person).
Professional firefighters"" gear utilize materials such as PBI or Lenzing P-84 that are extremely expensive. Some industrial flame resistant fabrics use glass fiber, which is uncomfortable to the touch. For these reasons, i.e., cost and comfort, such materials do not lend themselves to user friendly applications such as fire escape blankets in residences, workplaces, vehicles and other environments. To date, fire blocking fiber technology has not made such a product viable from a consumer marketing standpoint. This is unfortunate considering the lives lost and injuries suffered due to first, second and third degree burns so common in residential, industrial and vehicle fires.
According to the present invention, economically viable fire blocking products for consumer safety, as well as professional safety, are made from melamine resin compositions. Broadly, the present invention is embodied in fabrics that include a critical combination of melamine resin fibers, aramid fibers and/or modacrylic fibers which result in products that are economically viable fire blocking products having superior strength, manufacturing and end-user comfort characteristics.
The products of the present invention were developed as a primary fire block for protection against extreme heat and open flame in any applicable emergency situation. These products have the potential of saving lives and preventing serious burn injuries in homes, nursing homes, hotels, vehicles, industrial and workplace environments and any other environment where there is a danger from fire or extremely high surface temperatures.
These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more clear after careful consideration is given to the following detailed description of the preferred exemplary embodiments.
The term xe2x80x9cfibersxe2x80x9d as used herein is meant to refer to staple fibers of varying lengths.
The fiber blend compositions of the present invention comprise a melamine resin fiber and effective amounts of an aramid fiber and/or a modacrylic fiber. In general, the fiber blend comprises between about 15 and about 80 parts by weight of melamine resin fibers, up to about 80 parts by weight of aramid fibers, and up to about 80 parts by weight of modacrylic fibers. A preferred embodiment of the present invention consists of a fiber blend wherein the melamine resin fibers are present in an amount between about 20 and about 50 parts by weight, the aramid fibers are present in an amount between about 20 and about 50 parts by weight, and the modacrylic fibers are present in an amount between about 20 and about 50 parts by weight. Another preferred embodiment of the present invention consists of a fiber blend wherein the melamine resin fibers are present in an amount between about 30 and about 36 parts by weight, the aramid fibers are present in an amount between about 30 and about 36 parts by weight, and the modacrylic fibers are present in an amount between about 30 and about 36 parts by weight. A further preferred embodiment of the present invention consists of a fiber blend wherein the melamine resin fibers are present in an amount of about 33⅓ parts by weight, the aramid fibers are present in an amount of about 33⅓ parts by weight, and the modacrylic fibers are present in an amount of about 33⅓ parts by weight.
The fire and flame resistant fabrics of the present invention most preferably have a weight of from about 4.0 to about 20.0 ounces per square yard, advantageously from about 6.0 to about 10.0 ounces per square yard. Fabric weights of from about 7.0 to about 8.0 ounces per square yard are especially useful. Usually, the fire and flame resistant fabrics of this invention will have a thickness of from about {fraction (3/16)} inch to about xc2xd inch.
The fibers comprising the fire and flame resistant fabric, that is the melamine resin fibers, aramid fibers and modacrylic fibers, are generally uniformly distributed throughout the fabric. At least one additional layer may be attached to the fabric. For example, the additional layer attached to the fabric may comprise one or more woven fabric layers, non-woven fabric layers knitted fabric layers, films and combinations thereof. For example, the additional layer may be a fiberglass fabric attached to a layer of needle-punched non-woven fire and flame resistant fabric comprised of a blend of melamine resin fibers, aramid fibers and modacrylic fibers.
According to the present invention, the fiber blend may be utilized so as to yield a composition having superior fire blocking characteristics, as well as superior strength, manufacturing and end-user comfort characteristics. These compositions can be used in blankets (referred to herein as xe2x80x9cfire escape blanketsxe2x80x9d), wall liner materials (for example, wall paper or wall curtains) in nursing homes and other buildings, thermal liner products, welding curtains used in industrial applications and other applications where fire and/or high temperatures are to be blocked.
The melamine resin fibers that may be employed in the present invention are those produced from highly concentrated solutions of melamine-formaldehyde precondensabon products, after addition of an acidic curing agent, by rotospinning, drawing out, extrusion or fibrillation. The fibers obtained are generally predried with or without stretching, and the melamine resin is usually cured at from 120xc2x0 C. to 250xc2x0 C. The fibers are usually from about 0.3 to about 8 denier and from about 0.5 to about 8 inches in length. Particularly, thermally stable fibers are obtained when up to about 30 mole percent, in particular, from about 2 to about 20 mole percent, of the melamine in the melamine resin is replaced by a hydroxyalkylmelamine. Such fibers have a sustained use temperature of up to 200xc2x0 C. preferably up to 220xc2x0 C. In addition, minor amounts of melamine can be replaced by substituted melamines, urea or phenol. A particularly preferred melamine resin fiber for use in the present invention Is commercially available from BASF Corporation under the tradename BASOFIL(copyright).
The aramid fibers that may be employed in the present invention are those produced by spinning solutions of polycondensation products of isophthalic or terephthalic acid with para- or meta-phenylenediamine in solvents such as, for example, a mixture of N-vinylpyrrolidone and hexamethylphosphoriamide. The resulting continuous fibers are then cut into staple fibers, whose denier is usually from about 0.3 to about 8. Preferred aramid fibers are those based on an isomeric poly-(p-phyleneterephthalamide). A particularly preferred aramid fiber for use in the present invention is commercially available from E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company under the tradename KEVLAR(copyright), or from Akzo Nobel under the tradename TWARON(copyright).
As used in this application, the term xe2x80x9cmodacrylic fiberxe2x80x9d is generally meant to refer to a fiber in which the fiber forming substance is any long chain synthetic polymer composed of less than about 85% but at least about 35% by weight of acrylonitrile units [xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CH(CN)xe2x80x94]. Suitable modacrylic fibers that may be employed in the present invention include, but are not limited to, modacrylic fibers produced by Kanebo, Ltd (Tokyo, Japan), self-extinguishing modacrylic fibers from Solutia (Atlanta, Ga.) and INIDEX(copyright) fibers produced by Courtaulds Fibers Ltd. (U.K.). Particularly preferred modacrylic fibers for use in the present invention are commercially available from Kaneka Corporation under the tradename KANECARON(copyright).
The melamine resin fibers, aramid fibers and modacrylic fibers used in the present invention are typically intermixed in a conventional fiber blending apparatus. The starting materials are generally staple fibers of a usual length from about 1 inch to about 6 inches. Customary additives such as, for example, fillers, dyes, pigments, metal powders and/or delusterants may also be added with the fibers. The starting materials are typically fed via a conveying means into a flat card and premixed therein. The intermixing is then generally completed in a worker and stripper card. The wadding, obtained is then typically further processed into yams or webs, for, which the processes common in the textile industry can be used. These yarns, webs or fabrics can then be further processed into various textile or non-textile structures, depending on the field of application.
The fiber blends of the present invention may also be dyed using conventional methods and apparatus, as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the dye process may utilize a continuous pad/steamer, wherein the fiber blends, in fabric form, are dipped in an open width of fabric. The fabric then goes through a steamer at about 120xc2x0 F. for about a twelve (12) minute dwell time. Subsequently, the fabric goes through a rinse. The pH is about 4, and is controlled by acetic acid.
The fiber blends of the present invention can be processed as yarn into fabrics such as, for example, for fire escape blankets, having superior fire blocking characteristics and improved economics when compared with other fabrics made of the individual fiber components alone.
To produce fabric from the fiber blends of the present invention, preferably with an aramid fiber content of from about 20 to about 50 percent by weight, the wadding obtained in the worker and stripper carding process can be cross-lapped and needled. The web obtained can be used, for example, for manufacturing fire blocking products.
In accordance with the present invention, needled nonwoven fabric can be cut to appropriate dimensions and packaged as blankets, or the edges may be hemmed if desired.

Fire escape blanket and other melamine resin containing compositions and products with fire blocking properties


A low-clearance remote control fishing robot is disclosed. A domed device casing is mounted between a pair of floats. The top of the device is fitted with a lightweight probe mounted on a spring. Each float has installed within its rear end a pivotal air jet. The air jets are powered by an onboard compressor. Beneath the device casing is a reel of fishing line. An electric motor drives the reel. Sensors are provided to gauge line length and depth and line tension. Onboard depth-finding and fish-finding sonar are provided, as well as other sensing systems, and an above-surface or below surface camera. Two way data communication occurs wirelessly with a remote control unit. A water-impervious carry case is provided to store the device and remote control. A positioning apparatus may be installed for fishing from a fixed position against a boat, pier, or ice hole.

The invention relates generally to remote control machines and robots and in particular to floating remote control devices for use in fishing. Fishing is generally conducted from a shore, pier, or boat. Different vantage points offer different tradeoffs in terms of convenience, access to different fishing areas, versatility and cost, however some locations where fish may gather are difficult to reach by any of the traditional means. For example, shallow water with thick vegetation or low-hanging branches may be impassable to a boat, even to a small fishing boat. If such locations are far from dry ground and not developed with a pier, they may also be inaccessible to a fisherman on foot. Even when one does reach an out-of-the way area, some fishing tools commonly used with a boat, such as depth and fish-finding sonar systems, may be unavailable. To provide access and convenience to all areas of a body of water, what is needed is a remote control device that can float on the water and travel anywhere requiring only minimal clearance while also providing all of the modern tools and equipment that may be commonly found and installed on a sport fishing boat.