Methods for authenticating a genuine presence of a human involve directing one or more modulated probes towards a body part of the human, receiving a response to the probes from the body part, and analyzing the response to determine whether it contains spectral characteristics that match a class of responses to such probes for the human body part in a human population. Replay attacks are countered by varying the modulation of the probe temporally, spatially, and spectrally each time authentication is performed. The probes may include electromagnetic radiation, acoustic beams, or particle beams that generate a detected reflection, absorption pattern, scintillation, or fluorescence response of the body part. The analysis of the response may be directed to one or more of temporal, spatial, and spectral variations in accordance with the nature of the probes and the modulation.

Services of all kinds are increasingly being delivered on-line via the internet. Many of these services involve transactions which are either financial or involve personal information. If access to these services is compromised, wrongdoers may steal money or personal information from a consumer of such services, causing harm to the consumer and to the service provider. Such service providers may include banks, merchants, medical services, and government benefits agencies.
To prevent unauthorized access to these services, service providers typically require the customer to identify themselves using some sort of user name, and to corroborate this with a password.
In recent years, cyber criminals have devised ways to gain access to these credentials by such methods as eavesdropping the entry of such credentials and phishing attacks. There are also frequent large-scale security breaches in which criminals steal user credentials in bulk by breaking into corporate servers that store such information. To defend against such attacks, service providers have responded by several means, including asking the customer to enter individual characters from their passwords, perhaps using dropdown menus in order to evade key loggers, and requiring verification from a separate device known to be owned by the customer, such as a key-generating token, a mobile phone, or a password generator enabled by a chip-and-pin card. In addition, service providers are aware that passwords can easily be guessed or compromised and are demanding the use of more complex passwords.
However, consumers have a limited ability or desire to create, manage or remember a proliferation of complex passwords, and many consumers therefore use the same password for most or all of their on-line presences. The result is that if this single password—however complex—is compromised in the context of access to one service provider, the consumer's entire cyber life is open to the criminal.
The defenses described above all have the effect of creating greater complexity in the user experience, either requiring more data to remember, requiring more steps in the log-on procedure, or the possession, availability and simultaneous use of a second device. Such complexity reduces the customer's proclivity to engage in or complete transactions.
Many biometric means have been used to verify personal identity. Some of these methods require the use of special hardware to be present in the user device, which hampers widespread adoption. Other biometric authentication methods, including facial recognition methods implemented on mobile devices, have proven vulnerable to spoofing attacks using photographs or video replays. Various attempts to address this have been made by introducing "liveness" tests by making a user perform certain gestures, which reduce the user's convenience and hence user acceptance.
Physical access to premises or to enclosed volumes often require the authentication of unsupervised individuals. Whereas in the past physical items such as keys or contactless cards were required, the use of biometric verification is increasingly being used due to its convenience and its avoidance of the necessity to manage the issuance, tracking, renewal and recovery of access control items. Such biometric physical access control methods have many of the same vulnerabilities as methods to authenticate online users.
There is therefore a need for secure methods of online user authentication and access control that can be implemented on standard, widely available user devices, and that place minimal burden on the user.

Biometric methods for online user authentication


An apparatus includes a first management unit configured to classify and manage feature information of a plurality of objects extracted from image data in units of similar feature information, a second management unit configured to classify and manage the plurality of objects extracted from the image data object by object, an association unit configured to associate the objects in the first management unit with feature information in the second management unit, and an input unit configured to input a correction instruction about classifications of the objects by the second management unit. The second management unit is configured to, if the correction instruction is input, correct and manage a classification to which a target object of the correction instruction belongs and the first management unit is configured to change and manage a classification to which feature information associated with the target object of the correction instruction belongs.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for managing an object extracted from image data.
Description of the Related Art
As digital still cameras (hereinafter, also referred to as DSCs) and multifunctional mobile phones having a camera function become widespread, the number of digital pictures captured by a user is increasing dramatically. Such data is usually stored in a personal computer (PC) the user owns and/or by using storage services provided on the Internet. As the number of stored pictures increases, there arises a problem that a lot of image viewing operations are needed to find out where desired images are stored. In view of such a problem, a method for detecting faces of persons from a large amount of image data stored by a user, performing a face feature amount analysis on face areas, and automatically grouping the faces of persons who are considered to be the same persons has been discussed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2011-516966)).
In the case of automatically grouping the faces of persons considered to be the same persons like Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2011-516966, a challenge has been to improve the accuracy of grouping, or equivalently, the accuracy of individual recognition.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2011-516966 discusses providing a unit that displays a warning mark on face information considered likely to have caused misrecognition in a displayed person group, and from which the user inputs whether to accept or reject the face. If the user rejects the face, the face information is hidden from a user interface (UI). However, if new face information similar to the face information considered likely to have caused misrecognition is input during grouping processing, a warning mark appears again.

Apparatus and method for managing an object extracted from image data


Example embodiments and methods are directed to irradiation target retention devices that may be inserted into conventional nuclear fuel rods and assemblies. Example embodiment devices may hold several irradiation targets for irradiation during operation of a nuclear core containing the assemblies and fuel rods having example embodiment irradiation target retention devices. Irradiation targets may substantially convert to useful radioisotopes upon exposure to neutron flux in the operating nuclear core and be removed and harvested from fuel rods after operation.

1. Field
Example embodiments generally relate to fuel structures and radioisotopes produced therein in nuclear power plants.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, nuclear power plants include a reactor core having fuel arranged therein to produce power by nuclear fission. A common design in U.S. nuclear power plants is to arrange fuel in a plurality of fuel rods bound together as a fuel assembly, or fuel assembly, placed within the reactor core. These fuel rods typically include several elements joining the fuel rods to assembly components at various axial locations throughout the assembly.
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional fuel assembly 10 of a nuclear reactor, such as a BWR, may include an outer channel 12 surrounding an upper tie plate 14 and a lower tie plate 16. A plurality of full-length fuel rods 18 and/or part length fuel rods 19 may be arranged in a matrix within the fuel assembly 10 and pass through a plurality of spacers 20. Fuel rods 18 and 19 generally originate and terminate at upper and lower tie plates 14 and 16, continuously running the length of the fuel assembly 10, with the exception of part length rods 19, which all terminate at a lower vertical position from the full length rods 18.
As shown in FIG. 2, fuel elements 25 may be shaped in pellet-form and placed within the fuel rods 18 or 19. These fuel elements 25 may be "stacked" within the fuel rod continuously to provide fuel through the length of the fuel rod 18 or 19. The stacking of fuel elements 25 may permit expansion or other deformation of the fuel elements 25 during the operation cycle of the reactor core. Further, a gap 21 between the elements 25 and an inner wall 23 of the fuel rod 18 or 19 may accommodate gaseous fission products produced from the fuel elements 25 during operation of the reactor. Spring 24 at ends, typically at least an upper end, of the fuel element stack in the fuel rod may be present to further allow fission product accumulation and fuel element 25 deformation.

Irradiation target retention systems, fuel assemblies having the same, and methods of using the same


A compression sack constituted by non-breathable front and back sheets and having an opening formed in a part of the compression sack. The opening includes an access port for articles and air outlet, and closing means provided therein for tight closing and opening purposes. The access port and air outlet are separated by a separating member at which the front and back sheets are firmly joined together. The separating member extends from a side of the opening inwardly of the compression sack, thereby forming a deaeration passage between the air outlet and the inside of the compression sack. A spot seal is provided more inwardly of the sack than the end at the interior side of deaeration passage, and the separating member is bent at the end of the interior side of the deaeration passage in a direction of the deaeration passage.

The present invention relates to a compression sack for compactly containing articles, such as clothing or bedclothes, which have been compressed by deaerating the sack.
Compression sacks of this type have been disclosed by Japanese Laid Open Patent Application Nos. 7-9592, 8-268441, and 9-48473. These sacks have an article access port and air outlet provided in a part thereof.
In these prior art compression sacks, articles such as clothing are put into the compression sack; then a zipper on the access port is closed, and the air inside the compression sack is discharged from the air outlet to the outside by pressing the compression sack manually or sucking out the air using a vacuum cleaner. The air outlet is then zipped up to close the compression sack tightly.
If the compression sack containing, e.g., clothing or bedclothes, is deaerated, the air inside the contents will be discharged outside of the sack simultaneously, thus resulting in a decrease in the volume of the contents. Consequently, packing can be made more compact due to the reduction in volume.
However, with such conventional compression sacks, some of the contents may be caught in the air outlet due to suction from the air stream created during deaeration. Additionally, in the compression sack disclosed by the JP ""441, the passage area of the air outlet is coated with adhesive matter which serves as a shut-off valve by channeling the flow of air in the passage. The nature of the air stream may also cause the contents to become polluted by the adhesive matter, depending on the position of the contents.
The present invention is intended to solve these problems.
To overcome the above-noted problems, in a first aspect of the present invention, a compression sack is provided which comprises non-breathable sheets 11, 12. An opening 2 formed in a part of the compression sack 1 includes an access port 21 for articles, an air outlet 22, and closing means 3 provided therein for tight closing and opening. The access port 21 and air outlet 22 are separated by a separating member 4, the front and back sheets 11, 12 of which are firmly joined together. The separating member 4 extends from a side 13 of the opening 2 inwardly of the compression sack 1, thereby forming a deaeration passage 5 between the air outlet 22 and the inside of the compression sack 1. A spot seal 6 is provided more inwardly of the sack than an end (a) at the interior side of the deaeration passage 5.
In a second aspect of the present invention, the compression sack of the first embodiment includes an auxiliary deaeration passage 7 provided more inwardly of the sack than a point where the separating member 4 and the closing means 3 cross each other.
In a third aspect of the present invention, the compression sack of the first or second embodiment contains shut-off seals 8, 8, 8 formed within the deaeration passage 5, and act as labyrinth seams for channeling the flow of air as it exits the deaeration passage 5.
In a fourth aspect of the present invention, the compression sack of the first or second embodiment has a liquid sealing portion 9 formed within the deaeration passage 5.
In a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the compression sack of the first or second embodiment, the separating member 4 is bent at the end (a) of the interior side of the deaeration passage 5 in a direction of the deaeration passage 5.


A cellular handset supports non compressed handover for different frequency ranges, and different wireless standards.

Cellular phones (handsets) are increasing in complexity as handsets incorporate more types of service. In most of the world, the trend is for a handset to work with both Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) type signals as well as the older Frequency Modulation (fm) type signals. These different modulation schemes both coexist in the same signal band and exist in different bands. The handset may have to transition from one to the other.
There are four major GSM standards as shown in Table 1. The low band contains two standards: GSM 850 and GSM 900. The high band also contains two standards: GSM 1800 and GSM 1900. GSM 850 operates in the United States, in the cellular band. GSM 900 operates in Europe. GSM 1800, also known as DCS, also operates in Europe. GSM 1900 operates in the United States in the PCS band. The modulation scheme WCDMA operates in most of the world (with the US the major exception), in the UMTS band.
TABLE 1StandardTransmitReceiveGSM 850 824 to 849 MHz 869 to 894 MHzGSM 900 890 to 915 MHz 935 to 960 MHzGSM 18001710 to 1785 MHz1805 to 1880 MHzGSM 19001850 to 1910 MHz1930 to 1990 MHzUMTS1920 to 1980 MHz2110 to 2170 MHz
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) type phones are becoming the defacto global standard. Consequently, handsets that enable the GSM scheme must also support other schemes. To illustrate, 3rd Generation (3G) handsets must support both GSM and WCDMA. Both modes operate simultaneously, communicating in one mode and searching for service in another. Prior art architecture requires timing to avoid self-interference. This timing technique is called "Compressed Mode" (CM). In CM, the UMTS transmitter is temporarily switched into a state of twice the data rate, and thus twice the power. This allows for a following state where this transmitter is not broadcasting. The handset is then set to receive either GSM band, in order to establish a reliable link to a GSM basestation. This allows the handset to hand-over into the GSM network in a reliable manner. There is a price to be paid for this mode, however. First, this requires that the handset double it's output power. This is not possible if the handset is at the far end of it's range. Indeed, the most likely time for such a hand-over is just such a circumstance. Second, this increase in power results in a variable power at the basestation, impacting the network's power control. Loss of power control impacts the network capacity.
FIG. 1 shows a prior art Quad Band Dual Mode (QBDM) handset which requires compressed mode handover. Current 3G front-end circuits consist of two main components: the switch and the filters. The switch toggles between transmission (Tx) and reception (Rx) in either GSM mode or to the duplexer for the WCDMA in the UMTS band. The antenna switch determines which path is connected to the antenna. For GSM, either the transmitter or the receiver is engaged. For WCDMA, both Tx and Rx are on concurrently and must be kept distinct with a duplexer. In most of the world, the handset can operate in three modes: GSM 900, GSM 1800, or WCDMA. In the US, where the UMTS band is not allowed, the handset can operate in either GSM 850 or 1900.
FIG. 2 shows another prior art QBDM handset that supports compressed mode handover. Similar to FIG. 1, the switch toggles between transmission (Tx) and reception (Rx) in either GSM mode or to the duplexer for the WCDMA in the UMTS band. After the antenna receives the signal, the signal path is split into two by the diplexer. Positioned on either side of the diplexer are switches that further determine which path is connected to the antenna. For GSM, either the transmitter or the receiver is engaged. For WCDMA, both Tx and Rx are on concurrently and must be kept distinct with a duplexer. The handset can operate in three modes: GSM 900, GSM 1800, or WCDMA. While supporting non compressed mode in GSM 900, this architecture also supports only CM handover in GSM 1800. Similarly, there is no handover to the US GSM bands.
FIG. 3 shows another prior art QBDM handset with compressed mode handover. This circuit requires careful design as the phase must be right for all of the filters. The handset supports non-compressed mode handover from WCDMA to only GSM 900. Handover to GSM 1800 requires compressed mode. In addition, there are four different states possible, one for each switch state. All present different impedances in the UMTS Rx band. The differing impedances make it difficult to properly tune the receiver, reducing sensitivity in some states, possibly increasing the number of frame errors. The handset itself counts upon the received signal to estimate the distance to the base station. The change in impedance will introduce error into this calculation, impacting the quality of the link.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


In a bar code reading optical apparatus including a semiconductor laser and a prism both mounted on a photodiode IC so that emitted light from a semiconductor laser is reflected by a reflective plane of a prism and signal light from a bar code to be read out enters in and detected by a photodiode, a numerical aperture conversion hologram is provided in a light path of the emitted light reflected by the reflective plane of the prism to adjust the numerical aperture of a converging lens so that the numerical aperture for the emitted light be smaller than the numerical aperture for the signal light. The numerical aperture conversion hologram may be omitted by shaping the reflective plane of the prism into a concave plane to adjust the numerical value for the emitted light smaller than the numerical value for the signal light.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bar code reading optical apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional bar code reading systems have been made by assembling individually prepared parts including a light source (for example, a semiconductor laser) and an optical detector (for example, a photodiode). Therefore, they inevitably had dimensions determined by sizes of the parts, and could not be miniaturized beyond the limit imposed by the parts. Moreover, although assembled parts of conventional bar code reading systems need relative positional adjustment of a high accuracy smaller than 10 .mu.m, the positional relation among respective parts is liable to change with time after assembly, and such a system is not fully reliable.
A proposal to overcome the problem is a bar code reading complex apparatus in form of hybrid integration of a laser chip, a prism and other elements on a photodiode IC as shown in FIG. 1.
In the bar code reading complex optical apparatus shown in FIG. 1, mounted on a photodiode IC 101 are a prism 102 covering its photodiode PD' and a block 103 carrying a semiconductor laser 104 and located adjacent the prism 102. The prism 102 has a slope plane 102b angled by 45.degree. from its bottom place 102a. Formed on the slope plane 102b is a reflective film 105 of a dimension fully covered by a spot made by emitted light L' from a semiconductor laser 104 on the slope plane 102b.
In the bar code reading complex optical apparatus, the emitted light L' from the semiconductor laser 104 is reflected by the reflective film 105 on the slope plane 102b of the prism 102, and then converged by a converging lens (not shown) onto a bar code to be read. The signal light from the bar code returns to the bar code reading complex optical apparatus through the converging lens, then enters the photodiode PD', and is converted into an electrical signal there. Thus, the bar code is read out.
Although the bar code reading complex optical apparatus shown in FIG. 1 permits miniaturization, reduction in weight, omission of the job for positional adjustment, and increases the reliability, it involves some problems shown below.
In order to elevate the level of the signal light from the bar code, the numerical aperture of the converging lens for the signal light is made larger than the numerical aperture of the converging lens for the emitted light L'. In this respect, the bar code reading complex optical apparatus shown in FIG. 1 relies on making the reflective film 105 on the slope plane 102b of the prism 102 sufficiently small than the spot of the emitted light L' on the slope plane 102b. Therefore, part of the emitted light L' not reflected by the reflective film 105 does not contribute to scan beams. That is, the efficiency of use of the emitted light L' was low in the proposed system. In other words, the proposed system required a large amount of power for the semiconductor laser 104 to obtain scan beams of a given intensity. Moreover, not only unuseful is the part of the emitted light L' from the semiconductor laser 104 not reflected by the reflective film 105, but also obstructive is it as producing stray light causing a noise.
Considering that the use of the reflective film 105 needs a high cost to make it on the slope plane 102b of the prism 102 and needs a complicated job for establishing and maintaining relative positional accuracy between the semiconductor laser 104 and the reflective film 105, it may be possible to use a bifocal lens or a hologram having both an aperture for emitted light and another aperture for signal light in lieu of the reflective film 105. Then, the stray light problem can be greatly improved, but the efficiency of use of the emitted light L' from the semiconductor laser 104 still remains low. Moreover, when the bifocal lens or the hologram is used, part of the emitted light L' from the semiconductor laser 104 other than the part contributing to scan beams makes an undesired spot called garbage spot. This is shown in FIG. 2 in which numeral 107 refers to the bifocal lens, 108 to a scan spot, and 109 to a garbage spot.


A drilling fluid additive for controlling solids comprising a carrageenan material, such as iota or kappa carrageenan. The drilling fluid additive may be used with other additives, such as a polyacrylate dispersant. Among other things, the drilling fluid additive may be used to drill deviated or horizontal wells, or wells having large diameter boreholes.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to additives for modifying suspension properties of drilling fluids. More specifically, this invention relates to solids control properties of drilling fluids used in wells drilled under extreme conditions, such as horizontal or deviated wells, or wells with large boreholes. In particular, this invention relates to the use of a carrageenan, such as iota or kappa carrageenan, as a suspending agent in a drilling mud system.
2. Description of Related Art
The control of solids is of vital concern during drilling and workover operations. Such solids typically include fluid weighting agents and formation solids acquired while drilling. For example, drilling mud is typically a mixture of refined clays, such as bentonite, and water. Fluid weighting agents, such as barite, and other chemicals for varying suspension and Theological properties of a fluid are also typically present in drilling mud.
Drilling mud and other drilling fluids are employed to serve many functions. For example, during drilling operations, drilling mud is typically pumped or injected down a drill pipe string and through a drilling bit. The drilling mud is then circulated upward in the annular space between the walls of the borehole and the pipe string. The hydrostatic pressure of drilling mud maintains borehole stability by preventing the collapse of unstable formations into the hole and preventing the intrusion of fluids from exposed formation strata. At the same time, the circulated mud continuously flushes formation cuttings from around the drill bit and removes these cuttings from the borehole by conveying them upwards toward the surface in the annular drilling space. A similar function may be performed using drilling mud or other types of drilling fluids during remedial operations, such as workovers and recompletions. In some cases, a drilling fluid may be reverse circulated by injecting the fluid down a wellbore annulus and circulating the fluid up an inner pipe string.
To ensure adequate removal of solids, a drilling fluid should have a sufficient viscosity and bearing capacity such that formation cuttings or other solids are suspended in the fluid. Moreover, it is often desirable that a drilling mud be capable of suspending solids even when the mud is stationary. During drilling operations, a drilling fluid having inadequate solids control or suspension characteristics will typically result in a poor rate of drilling penetration and/or may result in the buildup or deposition of solids within the borehole.
In the drilling of vertical or near vertical boreholes, upward flow of drilling mud in the annular drilling space typically tends to be uniform and laminar. This type of flow is conducive to removal and transportation of formation cuttings through the annular drilling space to the surface. To further ensure complete removal of cuttings and to prevent particle fallback, the carrying capacity of drilling muds is often increased by increasing the viscosity of the mud to a point that formation cuttings are held in near suspension in the mud when the mud flow rate is at or near stationary.
When drilling or conducting workover operations in highly directional or horizontal wells, upward flow of mud in the wellbore tends to be less uniform than in more vertically oriented wells. As a result, particle fallback is more difficult to control, and a layer of solids may accumulate on the low side (bottom) of deviated or horizontal sections of a wellbore. Accumulation of particles and cuttings within a well may be greatest in regions of inclination changes. During drilling, problems associated with accumulation of solid particles or cuttings include reduction in particle removal and associated increases in friction and decreases in rate of penetration. In extreme cases, accumulations of solid particles may result in sticking of the bit and/or pipe string. Once formed, a layer of solids or cuttings is typically not easily removed by hydraulic or mechanical means. In addition, obtaining zonal isolation with cement in the presence of a layer of drilling solids is difficult because such a layer interferes with formation of a pressure tight structure. This may result in a loss of hydraulic integrity due to fluid movement through the layer of drilling solids deposited underneath the cement sheath of a completed well.
Solids accumulation problems may also be encountered when drilling boreholes of relatively large diameter, such as those having a diameter greater than about 16 inches. These wells usually traverse shallow and poorly consolidated formations and are typically drilled using high rates of penetration. Drilling of large diameter boreholes is further typically complicated by a large volume of cuttings that must be removed from the borehole and by large volumes of drilling fluid and relatively high fluid circulation rates to suspend and remove these cuttings. In some cases, water is used as a drilling fluid to save expense and storage space associated with large volumes of drilling mud containing clays such as bentonite. However use of water in this context requires high circulation rates that may result in leaching of borehole walls. In addition, cuttings and other solids typically settle out when drilling and fluid circulation is stopped, resulting in drilling difficulties when drilling and circulation is reinitiated.
In the past, one solution for addressing solids accumulation and removal problems during operations on highly deviated wells has been to vary the flow conditions of a drilling fluid. For example, fixed volume or "spacers" of drilling mud having viscosities less than or greater than the bulk of a drilling mud may be periodically pumped into a well to create turbulence or plug flow within the drilling space annulus. However, this solution complicates the drilling procedure and may be only partially effective.
In other cases, oil based or oil emulsion drilling fluids have been employed to increase the carrying capacity and lubricity of a drilling system. However, these muds are expensive and typically present environmental problems.


The present invention allows a user to arbitrarily position display screens so that a larger field of view can be presented by a computer system that senses the screen positions and provides appropriate display information. This is in contrast to the typical use of display screens where a single display screen is used and the position of the display screen is assumed to be directly in front of a user's viewpoint. For example, two screens can be placed side-by-side so that their viewing surfaces together form a rectangular plane. This can be useful for viewing movies or other presentations that benefit from a larger horizontal viewing field. More complex arrangements of multiple screens can be set up for more immersive presentations such as virtual reality, simulations, computer games, etc. A mounting bracket for holding screen in a fixed orientation with respect to each other is described. A preferred embodiment of the bracket includes a visual indicator for determining the angle of a screen with respect to another.

Typical display screens occupy a relatively small part of a viewer's, or user's, field of view. A standard computer monitor, television screen, liquid crystal, flat panel, thin-film transistor, or other type of display device might measure 14 to 29 inches diagonal. This requires a user to be relatively close to the display in order for the display to fill up a larger portion of the user's field of view.
Larger displays are possible. For example, a projection display can occupy a much larger area. However, such devices are often expensive and inconvenient. For example, a projector might have to be located at some distance from the screen, or other surface, in order to create a sufficiently large display. Another problem with projection type of displays is that they, in effect, "blow up" a high resolution into a coarser resolution. For example, if a 1024×768 display is projected to create a large image, the image is still at the 1024×768 resolution. The picture elements, or pixels, and spaces between pixels are made larger by projecting. Thus, the pixel density is decreased. This is why projected displays are usually viewed from a larger distance than the display screens mentioned above. A longer viewing distance means that the coarser resolution is not as noticeable.
Another approach is a so-called "wall of video". This approach uses multiple display screens usually arranged in a rectangle, or wall. Portions of an image to be displayed are divided among the separate display screens in the wall so that a much larger display can be obtained. Note that this approach maintains the display density since each screen is still displaying at its native density. For example, if three screens are used in a row, and each screen has a 1024×768 density, then although three times as much area is covered by the combination of three display screens, there are also three times as many pixels in the composite display.
A problem with the wall of video approach is that it is inflexible and expensive. The system must be designed from the outset so that an image source can appropriately generate separate video signals to each of the screens. Typically, a computer is used to divide a single input image into separate images for the sections of the wall of video. For example, if a wall of video uses 9 screens in a 3×3 arrangement, then the computer system is designed to divide an original image into an equal 3×3 grid. Each section of the grid is sent to the associated display screen. The arrangement is hardwired and is typically designed on a customized, per installation, basis. Setting up such a display requires planning of the area to be covered, size and number of screens to use, multiple display output hardware devices, custom software to divide the input images, etc.
Once a wall of video system is set up it is not easily changed. This makes it difficult to adapt the display to different applications. For example, viewing a movie may require that the screens be arranged in a 4:3 aspect ratio for best viewing. Presenting documents or tables of information might best be achieved if an overall display is taller than it is wide. Playing computer games that simulate immersion into a simulated environment warrant a display area that wraps around a user and that can potentially cover large spherical sections around the user.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a multi-screen display system that improves upon one or more of the shortcomings of the prior art.

Computer display system using multiple screens


Operations of electronic gaming devices or other gaming devices or systems may include determining wagering data information representative of a plurality of wagers for a wagering game and calculating, based on the plurality of wagers, a t-based confidence interval that defines a range of expected hold percentages, and a predetermined percentage confidence level that is indicative of a likelihood that a calculated hold percentage for any subset of wagers including a predetermined minimum number of wagers will be within the range of expected hold percentages. Operations may also include determining whether the hold percentage for the subset of wagers is outside of the t-based confidence interval. If the hold percentage is below the lower bound of the t-based confidence interval, an anomaly alert may be transmitted that causes an alert indication to be displayed to an operator.

Embodiments described herein relate to systems, devices, and methods for providing statistical analysis, and in particular for detecting statistical anomalies in electronic gaming devices. Electronic gaming devices include systems that allow users to place a wager on the outcome of a random event, such as the spinning of mechanical or virtual reels or wheels, the playing of virtual cards, the rolling of mechanical or virtual dice, the random placement of tiles on a screen, etc. Manufacturers of EGMs have incorporated a number of enhancements to the electronic gaming devices to allow players to interact with the electronic gaming devices in new and more engaging ways. For example, early slot machines allowed player interaction by pulling a lever or arm on the machine. As mechanical slot machines were replaced by electronic slot machines, a range of new player interface devices became available to electronic gaming device designers and were subsequently incorporated into electronic gaming devices. Examples of such interface devices include electronic buttons, wheels, and, more recently, touchscreens and three-dimensional display screens. Some types of electronic gaming devices, such as electronic table games (ETGs), combine traditional interface elements, such as a live dealer and physical table game elements, with electronic interfaces for managing wagers. As with mechanical gaming devices, cheating remains an ongoing problem with electronic gaming devices as well. There is a need for detecting and preventing cheating by players and operators of the electronic gaming devices.

Detecting statistical anomalies in electronic gaming devices


Described herein are systems and methods for reducing power consumption, latency, and chip complexity in a datacom/telecom multiplexer and demultiplexer. Adding a high frequency analog domain data path around or in place of a standard digital core data path allows the elimination of the demultiplexing and multiplexing stages required to drop the data rate of data streams down to that required for a standard digital core. Latency is also reduced due to the higher operating frequency of sequential elements required for data operations. The digital core can be powered down when not in use, and can be activated when necessary.

Datacom and telecom multiplexers and demultiplexers send and receive many high speed serial data streams. This data is traditionally passed through standard Synthesized and Placed and Routed digital cores. To pass the high speed data through the digital core, the data-rate must be dropped significantly. The multiplexing and demultiplexing stages that drop the data rate use additional power and increase the latency of the data through the design. Designs that use a standard place and route digital core can be non-optimized and inefficient with large layout areas and high parasitics when compared to custom schematic based design.
The above-described deficiencies of datacom and telecom multiplexers and demultiplexers are merely intended to provide an overview of some problems of current technology, and are not intended to be exhaustive. Other problems with the state of the art, and corresponding benefits of some of the various non-limiting implementations described herein may become further apparent upon review of the following detailed description.

Low-power, low-latency architecture for telecom and datacom multiplexers and demultiplexers


A lamp socket is provided that includes slidably engaging body and housing components. Resilient retention members are attached within the body component to grasp the base of a wedge base lamp to attach the lamp to the body component. Contacts extend into the body component to engage lead wires of the lamp. Such contacts extend out of the body component and through respective apertures in the housing component for electrical and mechanical attachment to a mating connector. The contacts are held in place relative to the body component by being inserted into body openings within the body component structured and arranged to hold the contacts in place.

Existing lamp sockets such as, for example, lamp sockets for use with wedge base lamps, utilize dual retention beams that are molded as part of a plastic socket insulator. The retention of the lamp within such a lamp socket is typically limited to retention by such beams. Lamps retained by dual retention beams molded as part of the socket insulator incur a significant amount of lateral lamp movement. Lateral lamp movement adversely affects the contact interface between the lamp lead wires and the contacts of the lamp socket and provides a common point of lamp failure. Existing lamp socket designs typically utilize up to three plastic molded components and seven stamped metal components that require sub-assemblies and secondary assembly operations. The fabrication of such lamp sockets is costly.


Systems and techniques are disclosed relating to wireless communications. The systems and techniques involve wireless communications wherein a process, module or communications terminal schedules communications over a frame having a plurality of time slots. The process, module or communications terminal may be used to assign information to be transmitted between two terminals to a block of the time slots within a frame, and reordering the time slot assignments within the frame using a permutation function, the permutation function being a function of frame count.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically, to various time-hopping systems and techniques for wireless communications.
2. Background
In conventional wireless communications, an access network is generally employed to support communications for a number of mobile devices. These access networks are typically implemented with multiple fixed site base stations dispersed throughout a geographic region. The geographic region is generally subdivided into smaller regions known as cells. Each base station may be configured to serve all mobile devices in its respective cell. As a result, the access network may not be easily reconfigured to account for varying traffic demands across different cellular regions.
In contrast to the conventional access network, ad-hoc networks are dynamic. An ad-hoc network may be formed when a number of wireless communication devices, often referred to as terminals, decide to join together to form a network. Since terminals in ad-hoc networks operate as both hosts and routers, the network may be easily reconfigured to meet existing traffic demands in a more efficient fashion. Moreover, ad-hoc networks do not require the infrastructure required by conventional access networks, making ad-hoc networks an attractive choice for the future.
A completely ad-hoc network consisting of peer-to-peer connections generally result in very inefficient communications. To improve efficiency, the terminals may organize themselves into a collection of piconets. A "piconet" is a group of terminals in close proximity to one another. The piconet may have a master terminal that schedules access to the communications medium for the terminals in its piconet.
Numerous multiple access techniques exist to support communications in an ad-hoc network. A Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) scheme, by way of example, is a very common technique. FDMA typically involves allocating distinct portions of the total bandwidth to individual communications between two terminals in the piconet. While this scheme may be effective for uninterrupted communications, better utilization of the total bandwidth may be achieved when such constant, uninterrupted communication is not required.
Other multiple access schemes include Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA). These TDMA schemes may be particularly effective in allocating limited bandwidth among a number of terminals which do not require uninterrupted communications. TDMA schemes typically dedicate the entire bandwidth to each communication channel between two terminals at designated time intervals.
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) techniques may be used in conjunction with TDMA to support multiple communications during each time interval. This may be achieved by transmitting each communication or signal in a designated time interval with a different code that modulates a carrier, and thereby, spreads the signal. The transmitted signals may be separated in the receiver terminal by a demodulator that uses a corresponding code to de-spread the desired signal. The undesired signals, whose codes do not match, are not de-spread and contribute only to noise.
In TDMA systems that use spread-spectrum communications, each master terminal may schedule transmissions within its own piconet in a way that does not cause excessive mutual interference. However, it may be more difficult to manage interference from other piconets, or "inter-piconet interference". Inter-piconet interference management generally involves the coordination of transmission schedules across multiple piconets. While this approach may be workable between a handful of master terminals, it may be problematic in larger networks due to scheduling delays and excessive overhead. Accordingly, a more robust and efficient scheduling algorithm is needed which addresses the problems of inter-piconet interference.

Time-hopping systems and techniques for wireless communications


A multi-joint synchronous rotary axle structure includes a middle shaft and two parallel side shafts at two sides of the middle shaft. A first synchronous actuating assembly and a second synchronous actuating assembly are provided at two opposite positions of the middle shaft and the side shafts, which are connected in a reverse link relationship. The two side shafts can be rotated about the middle shaft to generate a synchronous reverse turning. A two-way shaft plate is provided between the middle shaft and each of the side shafts to provide the torsion of tuning so as to form a compact multi-joint synchronous rotary axle structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-joint synchronous rotary axle structure, and more particularly to a rotary axle structure which can be mounted to two opposing foldable apparatuses for synchronous rotation and operation and has a more compact structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Nowadays, an electronic apparatus usually comprises a base as a system end and an upper cover as a display. The base and the upper cover are connected through a pivotal device. The upper cover can be opened upward to be in a use state with the pivotal device as the axle of operation, or the upper cover can be closed to the upper surface of the base to be in a closed state. The pivotal device is as the axle of the electronic apparatus, so the design of the structure must consider whether the operation relative to the base is smooth or not. When the upper cover is opened to a desired angle (for example, the screen of the notebook is opened to 135 degrees), the pivotal device must have enough support force to position the screen at the operation angle.
In general, the pivotal device comprises a connection member having a spindle and another connection member having a spindle sleeve. One connection member is mounted to the upper cover, and the other connection member is mounted to the base. The spindle and the spindle sleeve are connected with each other. To consider the support strength and the smoothness of operation, the two connection members having the spindle and the spindle sleeve are disposed at two opposing edges of the upper cover and the base of the electronic apparatus (such as a notebook).
This conventional pivotal device is arranged in the form of one set. When the upper cover of the electronic apparatus is opened, the coordination of two pivotal devices is not perfect because the two pivotal devices don't have the same spindle when being turned. Besides, the rotation degree of the two pivotal devices is also limited, so the electronic apparatus cannot be opened or closed smoothly.
Due to the functional limit of the aforesaid pivotal device and the demand for a larger angle of turning, a pivotal device not having the same spindle is developed and mounted between the upper cover and the base of the electronic apparatus. The coordination of the two spindles of the pivotal device cannot be controlled so the electronic apparatus cannot be closed or opened accurately and smoothly and the demand for a light operation cannot be achieved.
In order to improve the aforesaid shortcomings, a prior invention is developed as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. This device comprises at least one driving joint assembly 1 and at least one driven joint assembly 2. The driving joint assembly 1 comprises two opposing first and second joint plates 11, 12 and a middle link plate assembly 13 between the first and second joint plates 11, 12. The two opposing first and second joint plates 11, 12 have synchronous actuating portion 111, 121 at respective inner ends thereof. The middle link plate assembly 13 has two connecting actuating portions at the two ends thereof to mate with the synchronous actuating portions 111, 121 of the first joint plate 11 and the second joint plate 12. The driven joint assembly 2 is disposed between the first and second joint plates 11, 12 of the driving joint assembly 1. The driven joint assembly 2 comprises at least two driven plates 20, 21 which have synchronous actuating portions at respective inner ends thereof to mate with each other. The inner ends of the opposing joint plates 11, 12 correspond to the outer ends of the driven plates 20, 21 and are connected with axle pins 3. The outer ends of each middle link plate of the middle link plate assembly 13 correspond to the inner ends of the driven plates 20, 21 and are connected with axle pins. Besides, the outer ends of the opposing joint plates 11, 12 have insertion end heads 110, 120 for connecting with a foldable object 4 easily. Furthermore, the driving joint assembly 1 and the driven joint assembly 2 are arranged side by side, and the middle link plate assembly 13 between the opposing joint plates 11, 21 and the driven joint assembly 2 are connected through the axle pins to form a multi-joint synchronous rotary axle structure. Each joint plate of the driving joint assembly can be rotated freely through multiple rotation centers.
However, the aforesaid multi-joint synchronous rotary axle structure is composed of a plurality of toothed plates to achieve better transmission and the required torsion to support the turning angle. Because the parts are too many, the quality of the product can't be controlled easily. It is difficult to control the tightness of the plates. Sometimes, the lubricant may leak out. Accordingly, the inventor of the present invention has devoted himself based on his many years of practical experiences to solve these problems.

Multi-joint synchronous rotary axle structure


The present invention relates to a biological product useful for the control of fungal diseases in plants comprising bacteria of Gluconobacter genus and yeast of Hanseniaspora genus. It also includes a method for preparing the aforementioned biological product and uses thereof to treat, prevent, control or cure fungal diseases in plants.

It has been shown that the main conditions affecting the fruits in pre and post-harvest are caused by fungal genera corresponding to Rhizopus, Botrytis, Aspergillus and Penicillium, which have the potential to produce different types of diseases, including diseases called cluster rot and gray rot [1]. For the control of fungal pathogens in plants, various strategies have been used, including the use of chemical compounds that are potentially harmful to human health, not to mention that they can select resistant pathogenic strains.
Export perishable agricultural products to distant markets represent significant challenges for arriving under suitable conditions and support its commercialization [2, 3]. For example, the grape is mainly affected by two diseases, cluster rot or acid rot and gray rot what cause the greatest crop losses both pre and postharvest.
Main factors influencing the rate of damage caused by cluster rot at harvest, 60 and 120 days post-refrigerated storage, correspond to the incidence of powdery mildew and high nitrogen fertilization, among others. [2]. Powdery mildew is a disease where the fungus Uncinula necator is able to directly enter the berry and produce microcracks in both leaves and fruits during the pre-harvest, and thus allows the entry of other pathogens that only enter through wounds, such as Rhizopus spp., Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp., potentiating the disease that they cause.
To avoid the significant losses that these pathogens can cause, numerous economic resources have been invested to increase the synthetic fungicides applications. However, for 25 years, chemical control of diseases has been hampered by the continuous development of resistance by pathogens to synthetic fungicides, regardless of their way of action or combination.
In Chile there have been cases of specific resistance and other more complex ones such as multidrug resistance [4]. In the field, the specific resistance to active ingredients, such as benzimidazoles, phenylcarbamates and dicarboximides, was detected shortly after its introduction [5].
In 2009, the first report of the isolated of Botrytis cinerea with multidrug resistance in Chile was presented [6]. Such resistance is associated with the repeated use of synthetic fungicides of normal use such as fludioxinil, cyprodinil, pyrimethanil and fenhexamide. [4]. Therefore, in Chile there is not only specific resistance but there are also more complex cases such as multidrug resistance. [4].
Due to the reasons explained above, the emphasis has been placed on the biological control of plant pathogens by using other organisms that prevent or hinder pathogens development, without affecting the crop viability or consumers health.
In this regard, it is now possible to find numerous articles regarding biological control of diseases by plant pathogens, among which the use of filamentous fungi, yeasts or bacteria as bio-control agents is highlighted.
The first biological control of post-harvest diseases was made in 1977 by Tronsmo and Dennis, where it was published that the use of fungus Trichoderma was useful to control gray rot in raspberries[7]. Trichoderma is one of the most commonly used fungi as a bio-controller of fungal diseases. In fact, in the United States and in other countries, a series of isolated and diverse forms of control of different fungal diseases based on this fungus have been patented. [8-16]. According to reports found for bio-control pathogen using yeast, Pichia guilliermondii stands out, a known yeast with biological control effect. Picchia has a bio-control effect on Rhizopus nigricans in tomato fruits in storage. This yeast is able to activate enzymes defense of the fruit and also fights for the site and nutrients [17]. The M8 strain of Picchia guilliermondii was reported as a potential bio-controller of Botrytis cinerea in apples under storage conditions and in apple juice. Yeast induces the fruit defense response, competes for nitrogen, carbon sources and secretes hydrolytic enzymes [18]. The Z1 strain of Picchia guilliermondii is used in citrus mixed with waxes to control blue mold (Penicillium italicum). In orange juice, it is able to inhibit the spores' germination. It acts through competition for nutrients [19].
The Picchia caribbica species is able to control Penicillium expansum in apples. However, oxidative stress tolerance of yeast is improved with the application of ascorbic acid and therefore the effect on Penicillium expansum would be improved [20].
Some acetate esters produced by apples stimulate the germination of conidia of Botrytis cinerea. However, this effect can be suppressed with yeasts such as Cryptococcus laurenthi, Sporobolomyces roseus or Saccharomyces cerevisae, the first two being more effective in suppressing conidia germination [21]. On the other hand, the butyl acetate produced by apples increases adhesion of conidia of Botrytis cinerea, stimulating its germination. However, Cryptococcus laurenthi and Sporobolomyces roseus may reduce this effect, but not Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This fact reinforces the need to perform empirical searches of effective bio-control strains [22].
Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been registered in a series of patents as a biological controller for different diseases. For example a composition and phytosanitary method from such yeast to treat or protect plants from diseases caused by various pathogens [23].
Other important yeasts genera in biological control correspond to Rhodotorula and Metschnikowia. A series of species and isolated in formulations have been registered as a method for controlling pre and post-harvest diseases, especially blue mold, gray rot, mucor and fruit rots. [24]. Strains of Metschnikowia species have been registered in patents for controlling fruit decay caused by Penicillium expansum [1].
As for the biological control of diseases in grapes, we can mention that Candida sake CPA-1 plus Fungicover®, Ulocladium oudemansii and chitosan are able to significantly reduce the severity of acid rot, with 40 to 60% inhibition compared to control. However, the incidence of disease was not significantly reduced by any of the treatments [25].
On the other hand, Candida saitoana, with a composition of other species of this genus plus enzymes, have been registered as biological control for plant diseases, especially for post-harvest diseases. [26].
In addition, 16 isolated of Saccharomyces and 27 isolated corresponding to yeasts other than Saccharomyces showed antagonistic properties on some of the pathogenic fungi at 25° C. [27]. In another work done by the same authors, a total of 225 yeast isolated from grapes, vineyard soil and grape must they were collected in order to be evaluated regarding Botrytis cinerea control. The 65 isolated corresponded to 15 species that inhibited Botrytis cinerea at 25° C. under in vitro conditions. Only one of these isolated Saccharomyces cerevisiae BSc68, inhibited mycelial growth in grapes at 2 and 25° C. All the isolated determined with antifungal activity came from must in fermentation [28].
Furthermore, among the reports found for bio-control pathogen using bacteria, we found Bacillus subtilis, one of the most studied bacteria as bio-control. Bacillus subtillis corresponds to a native strain isolated from the soils of central Mexico and which has been reported as a bio-controller of Sporisorium reilianum in corn in treatments applied to seeds [29]. As in the case of bio-control fungi, a series of patents have been granted for different isolated of Bacillus used to control various diseases in plants. [30-39].
Another very studied genus is the Pseudomonas. CCR04 and CCR80 strains of Pseudomonas corrugata have proved to be very effective in the colonization of pepper roots. Thus they can inhibit infection Phytophthora capsici in the crop [40]. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, meanwhile, produces metabolites with antibiotic activity capable of controlling the diseases caused by Xanthomonas spp., so it could be an alternative to conventional bactericides used for its control [41]. In addition, it has been reported that the bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens, Serratia liquefaciens, Serratia plymuthica, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumilis and Bacillus polymyxa have been registered for controlling Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria brassicola in cabbage. [42].
In Chile Serratia plymuthica CCGG2742 bacteria was isolated from grape berries and registered as US patent for controlling plant diseases, particularly preventing infection of Botrytis cinerea in fruits that can be infected [43].
Acetic acid bacteria (AAB), on the other hand, are of special biotechnological interest in the industrial processes involved in the production of cellulose, sorbose and vinegar. The family is known as Acetobacteraceae and has 12 genera [44]. Gluconobacter genus, one of the most common among the Acetobacteriaceae, includes 14 species of which 5 are used in food manufacture, mainly because they are harmless to human health [45]. These bacteria are strictly aerobic, chemoorganotrophic and Gram-negative. They grow between 4 and 40° C. with an optimum of 30° C. and an optimum pH of 5 to 6 [46]. They live on the surface of vegetables and fruits mainly as symbiotic saprophytes. In bacteria isolated from fruits and flowers in Thailand, 45 isolated of Gluconobacter genus were found. Of these, 17 strains corresponded to Gluconobacter oxydans, 12 strains to Gluconobacter cerinus, 9 strains to Gluconobacter frateurii and 6 strains to Gluconobacter thailandicus. [47]. In harvest from grapes with rot in three vineyards in Adelaide Hills (South Australia), 9 different species of acetic acid bacteria were found, among which, 4 species corresponded to Gluconobacter genus. Gluconobacter cerinus was the main species identified in the above vineyards [48]. In grapes rotted or infected with Botrytis spp., the number of acetic acid bacteria increases drastically, going from a few to around 1×106 [CFU/ml] after infection with Botrytis spp. [49]. When this occurs, AAB species can begin to master.
Currently, there are almost no reports of bacteria of Gluconobacter genus in biological control. However, the use of Gluconobacter oxydans with antifungal and antipatulin activity in apple juice has been reported [45]. The bacterium was isolated from the surface of apple fruits and, under in vitro conditions it was able to reduce the diameter of the mycelial growth of Penicillium expansum by 42.3%. On the other hand, a high level of efficiency and complete prevention was shown in the accumulation of patulin in apple juice.
To avoid the development of diseases in fruits and leaves caused by fungal pathogens, the use of synthetic fungicides or treatments based on natural and/or biological products is frequently resorted to. Synthetic fungicides are effective but difficult to export to demanding markets because of the potentially harmful effects on animals and plants. Biological fungicides, meanwhile, may be safer and more accepted in different markets, but today it has been observed they do not have good levels of efficiency, especially when compared to synthetic fungicides. In light of this background, the need to develop new biological fungicides with improved antifungal activities becomes obvious.
Although numerous antifungal biological control procedures have been developed and patented in several countries, very few are practically used in agriculture today. This is due, firstly, to the high demand for quality and safety of products required by international markets and, secondly, that proposed bio-controllers do not reach the effectiveness required to comply with trade regulations of the various countries. This causes producers and exporters necessarily resorting to synthetic products, which are under strict control by good agricultural practices (GAP) and are subject to stringent examinations in target markets. In addition, public opinion considers them unfriendly to human health and the environment.
For these reasons it is necessary to have a biological and/or natural product able to effectively control the main causative agents of diseases in the pre- and post-harvest of fruits and/or plants, which does not generate problems of marketing restrictions in target markets, which present no resistance, compatible with the storage and refrigerated transport, environmentally friendly and safe for human health.

Gluconobacter cerinus plus hanseniaspora osmophila for controlling fungal infections in plants and fruits

PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATÓLICA DE VALPARAÍSO


A damper spring having a torsion coil spring-like shape is placed on outer peripheries of bosses respectively formed on a rope reel and a cam. The ends of the damper spring are engaged with the rope reel and the cam, respectively, so that the rope reel and the cam are rotatingly coupled with each other. A wire member constituting the damper spring is formed so as to have a section shape in which at least one side is linearly formed, and the damper spring is formed by winding the wire member into a coil-like shape so that the linear portion of the wire member is placed on an inner peripheral side, thereby enabling the inner side face of the damper spring to be tightly wound in a wide area around outer peripheral faces of the bosses.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recoil starter in which a rope reel is rotated by pulling a recoil rope wound around the rope reel, the rotation of the rope reel is transmitted via a one-way clutch mechanism such as a centrifugal ratchet mechanism to a rotary member such as a flywheel magnet coupled to a crankshaft of an engine, to rotate the rotary member, whereby the crankshaft is rotated to start the engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
It has been known to employ the following structure in a recoil starter in which a rope reel is rotated by pulling a recoil rope wound around the rope reel, and the rotation of the rope reel is transmitted via a one-way clutch mechanism such as a centrifugal ratchet mechanism to a rotary member such as a flywheel magnet or a driving pulley coupled to a crankshaft of an engine, to rotate the rotary member, whereby the crankshaft is rotated to start the engine. A cam is rotatably placed between the rope reel around which the recoil rope is wound; and the rotary member which is coupled to the crankshaft, and the one-way clutch mechanism is formed between the cam and the rotary member. A damper spring which is wound into a torsion coil spring-like shape is interposed between the rope reel and the cam to elastically couple the rope reel with the cam, so that the rotation of the rope reel is transmitted to the cam via the damper spring, whereby a shock which is caused by load variation during engine start, and which is transmitted to the hand is absorbed. Moreover, the rotational force of the rope reel is accumulated in the damper spring, and the crankshaft is rotated at a high speed by the accumulated rotational force.
A conventional recoil starter is configured in the following manner (for example, see JP-UM-A-2-149872). A rope reel around which a recoil rope is wound, and a cam which forms a clutch mechanism with respect to a driving pulley coupled to a crankshaft of an engine are rotatably supported by a support shaft formed in a case. Bosses having the same outer diameter are formed on the outer peripheral faces of the rope reel and the cam, respectively. A damper spring which is formed into a torsion coil spring-like shape is mounted on the outer peripheries of the bosses. The both ends of the damper respectively, so that the rope reel and the cam are coupled with each other in the rotation direction via the damper spring. When the recoil rope is pulled, the rope reel is rotated. The rotation of the rope reel is transmitted to the cam via the damper spring. The cam is blocked from rotating by the starting resistance of the engine, and the damper spring is twisted to buffer a shock to the rope reel. At the same time, the rotational force of the rope reel is accumulated in the damper spring as a result of the twisting of the damper spring. When the rotational force of the rope reel exceeds the starting resistance of the engine, the rotational force accumulated in the damper spring is released to rotate the cam, whereby the engine is started.
In a recoil starter in which a torsion coil-like damper spring is placed between a rope reel and a cam as described above, in the case where an engine has a large starting resistance, a phenomenon occurs that, when the damper spring is twisted to accumulate the rotational force, the damper spring is tightly wound around outer peripheral faces of the rope reel and the cam. In the conventional art described above, the damper spring is formed into a torsion coil spring-like shape in which a steel wire member having a circular section shape is spirally wound in a plurality of turns. The damper spring is strongly tightly wound around outer peripheral faces of bosses formed on the rope reel and the cam, and the wire member of the damper spring having a circular section shape enters between joining faces of the bosses of the rope reel and the cam. Therefore, the cam is pressed in the axial direction to increase the rotational resistance, or a part of the damper spring is irregularly deformed, so that the durability of the damper spring is impaired.
Components such as the rope reel and the cam are often made of a plastic material in order to reduce the weight. When the damper spring having a circular section shape is strongly tightly wound around outer peripheral faces of such components, therefore, the outer peripheral faces of the components are deformed because the contact areas between the spring and the components are narrow, thereby causing another problem in that the durabilities of the components are impaired. In order to enhance the capacity for accumulating a rotational force in the damper spring so as to enable the engine to be easily started, the diameter of the wire member constituting the damper spring may be enlarged, and the number of turns may be increased. However, this countermeasure involves a problem in that the total length of the damper spring is prolonged, and the size of the recoil starter is increased, with the result that it is impossible to miniaturize the recoil starter.


A display device equipped with a display unit for displaying information includes a terminal connected to the display unit and adapted to supply a predetermined potential to an electrode in the display unit, an insulator provided outside the display unit and adapted to cover the terminal, and a support structure for supporting the display unit, the display device characterized by having one of the following features                (1) The support structure is equipped with a retaining portion for retaining the insulator independently of the support of the display unit.        (2) It is equipped with a guide for guiding the conductor cable along the conductor cable between the terminal and the power source.        (3) At least a part of the drive circuit is arranged such that the orthogonal projection thereof on a predetermined surface of the display unit overlaps the terminal, and in the portion where the drive circuit and the terminal overlap each other, a conductor to which a reference potential lower than the predetermined potential is imparted is provided between the drive circuit and the terminal such that it is insulated from each of the drive circuit and the terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device equipped with a display unit for displaying information such as characters and images.
2. Related Background Art
As a display device displaying information such as images by utilizing an electron beam, a device of a construction which uses a CRT (Cathode-ray Tube) as the display unit has been widely used. To generate an electron beam, a CRT of this type adopts a structure capable of supplying a high voltage of several tens of kV. Voltage is supplied to the cathode-ray tube by using an anode cap so that electrical discharge or the like may not occur. As shown in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-287851, a round insulating cap is used.
It is desired that the display unit is thin. Further, it is desired that not only its front surface but also its back surface is substantially flat, with the front and back surfaces being substantially parallel to each other. Recently, a thin, flat display device using liquid crystal has come into widespread use in place of the CRT. However, a display device using liquid crystal has a problem in that it has to be equipped with a back light since liquid crystal is not of a so-called self-luminous nature. Thus, there has been a demand for development of a self-luminous type display device.
As self-luminous type display devices, plasma displays have recently been commercialized. They are all thin and of large-screen type, commercially showing great promise. Further, parallel to the plasma displays, there exists a promising technique according to which a plurality of electron-emitting devices are arranged and applied to a flat display device, thereby obtaining a light emission of the same quality as that of the CRT. A number of proposals have been made regarding this technique. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-163833 discloses a flat electron beam display device in which a vacuum panel contains a linear hot cathode and a complicated electrode structure. Known examples of the electron-emitting devices include a field emission device using an emitter cone, and a surface conduction electron-emitting device. Display devices using such electron devices are being studied.
Generally known examples of the construction of such a vacuum panel include one in which an electron source formed by arranging a plurality of electron-emitting devices in a matrix, a rear plate of glass on which drive wiring for driving the electron source is formed in a matrix, and a face plate of glass on which an accelerating electrode and phosphor are formed, are hermetically sealed by a seal bonding material through the intermediation of frames, and one in which hermetic sealing is effected solely by a seal bonding material when the gap between the face plate and the rear plate is small. In such a display device, display is effected by supplying various signal potentials to the display unit.
For example, in a CRT, there are supplied a potential for generating voltage for effecting electron emission from the electron-emitting device (electron gun), an anode potential, etc. In a plasma display panel, there is supplied a potential for generating voltage for generating plasma. In a flat panel display, in which electrons are emitted from electron-emitting devices arranged in a matrix to display an image or the like, there are supplied a potential for driving the matrix, a potential for accelerating electrons, etc.
Here, in a display device, by covering the terminal for supplying potential to the display unit with an insulator, it is possible to restrain the bad effect of the terminal potential on the other portions in the display device.
In a CRT, for example, an arrangement is known in which an anode potential of not less than 10 kV is used. In a display unit of the type in which a plurality of electron-emitting devices are dispersed in a plane and in which each electron-emitting device is independently driven, it is preferable to use an acceleration potential of not less than 700 V in the case of a so-called low-voltage drive type display unit and an acceleration potential of not less than 1 kV, more preferably, not less than 5 kV in the case of a high-voltage drive type display unit.
When using such a high potential, an arrangement is preferably adopted in which the potential supply terminal is covered with an insulator as in the case of a CRT, which uses an anode cap.
In order to realize a preferable insulator retaining construction for the case in which the terminal is covered with an insulator, the present inventor has conducted a study so as to develop a construction in which the insulator is directly attached to the display unit, with the insulator being retained solely by the attachment.
However, in this construction, it is necessary to firmly secure the display unit in position in order to reliably retain the insulator. Further, it is necessary to ensure a sufficient strength for the insulator. As the strength of the insulator increases, the size of the insulator also increases, so that it is rather difficult to achieve a reduction in the size of the entire display device (problem 1).
Further, in order to supply high potential to the terminal, a power source and a conductor cable for electrically connecting the power source and the terminal are used. In this case, in securing the conductor cable in position, fixing the conductor cable only at a predetermined position results in movement of the conductor cable caused on one side of that fixing point causing a movement in the reverse direction on the other side. Then, if a force is applied to the conductor cable as a result of vibration, shock, and interference with other components during transportation, a force is also applied to the terminal, so that there is the danger of the terminal being damaged (problem 2).
In a display device, there is provided not only a display unit but also drive circuits for driving the display unit. The drive circuits include a circuit for generating a signal to be supplied to the display unit, and a circuit for converting a signal input from the exterior of the display device into a signal suited to be supplied to the display unit. A signal for driving the display device is input and/or output to and/or from each of these circuits.
From the viewpoint of safety, reliability, and restraining of electromagnetic interference, these drive circuits must be protected from high voltage (problem 3).


An ultrasonic motor drive device capable of prolong the service life of an ultrasonic motor by preventing the motor from being unstably operated when the motor is driven at a lower speed of at least two speeds. When the ultrasonic motor (3) is driven at a rather low speed in normal driving, the motor can be prevented from being unstably operated by its driving at a rather low speed by driving the motor at a rather high speed for each specified interval. Thus, the service life of the ultrasonic motor can be increased.

An ultrasonic motor generally has a construction such as that described in Patent Reference 1, below. Hereafter, this construction is explained, with reference to the rough cross-sectional diagram shown in FIG. 7. In this example, stator 52 and rotor 53 are constructed such as to be pressurized by spring 54 and appressed. The surface of stator 52 which is in contact with rotor 53 is formed as a pectinate, and piezoelectric ceramic 51 is provided on the surface on the opposite side thereof. In a construction as such, a traveling wave is generated in piezoelectric ceramic 51 when an ultrasonic wave is impressed thereto, and this traveling wave is transmitted to rotor 53 via the pectinate surface and the rotor 53 rotates in the direction of the traveling wave (straight forward movement in the case of a linear motor). Although, the zoom lens of a camera is common as a use of the ultrasonic motor, the rotor 53 is rotationally-driven at a comparatively high speed (for example, 40 rpm) when utilized for such uses.
Patent Reference 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication H2-261077
In conventional three-dimensional ultrasonic diagnostic devices, generally, a three-dimensional image with three directions of the arc direction of a sonic element, the rotational scanning direction and the depth direction are obtained by performing scanning with the arc shaped sonic element rotated in a direction perpendicular to the arc direction. In addition, although, in recent years, the ultrasonic motor has been utilized as a driving means for rotating sonic elements, the rotor 53 is rotationally-driven at a comparatively low speed (for example, 10 rpm or less) when utilized for such uses.
However, when such a conventional ultrasonic motor is driven for a long period of time at a relatively low speed, there occur problems such that roughness occurs on the surface of the pectinate stator 52 at the side which is in contact with the rotor 53, and also, fine particles of the stator 52 are transferred to the contact surface of the rotor 53 so that stable operation will not be obtained, resulting in a short life. Furthermore, in an ultrasonic diagnostic device utilizing this ultrasonic motor, a three-dimensional image cannot be obtained because stable operation can no longer be attained.

Ultrasonic motor driving device and ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A stair chair for use in transporting a patient in a seated position along stairs comprising a base, an upright coupled to the base, and a track assembly extending from the base for traversing stairs. A seat section is operatively attached to the upright and arranged for movement relative to the base between a plurality of vertical configurations including a first vertical configuration where the seat section is spaced from the base at a first distance for supporting the patient in the seated position, and a second vertical configuration where the seat section is spaced from the base at a second distance greater than the first distance. A lift mechanism is interposed between the base and the seat section to move the seat section between the plurality of vertical configurations. The lift mechanism moves the seat section to facilitate transitioning the patient to a standing position from the seated position.

In many instances, a person with limited mobility may have difficulty navigating stairs, which may be the only viable option for exiting a building in certain emergency situations. In order for a caregiver to transport a patient along stairs in a safe and controlled manner, a stair chair may be employed. Stair chairs are adapted to transport patients in a seated position up or down stairs, with two caregivers typically supporting, stabilizing, or otherwise carrying the stair chair with the stair chair. Certain types of conventional stair chairs may include a seat section to provide support to the patient, and a track assembly to help smoothly traverse each stair. Typically, the caregiver will assist the patient with ingress and egress to the stair chair, however some patients may require additional assistance.
A patient transport apparatus designed to overcome one or more of the aforementioned challenges is desired.


A zoom lens substantially consists of, in order from the object side, a positive first lens group, a negative second lens group, a positive third lens group, a positive fourth lens group, and a negative fifth lens group. When varying magnification, the distances between adjacent lens groups) are changed, while all of the lens groups are moved with respect to an image formation position. When focusing, only the fifth lens group is shifted, and the third lens group has a third-a lens group having positive refractive power and a third-b lens group having negative refractive power, which are arranged in this order from the object side, only the third-b lens group is moved in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis to achieve camera shake correction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a zoom lens having a high variable magnification ratio used in electronic cameras such as digital cameras, video cameras, broadcasting cameras, surveillance cameras and the like, to a zoom lens having a camera shake correction function, and to an imaging apparatus including the zoom lens.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a zoom lens substantially consisting of: a first lens group having positive refractive power; a second lens group having negative refractive power; a third lens group having positive refractive power; a fourth lens group having positive refractive power; and a fifth lens group having negative refractive power, which are arranged in this order from the object side, is known as a zoom lens having relatively a high variable magnification ratio. The zoom lens with such a lens construction is known to be appropriate for realizing both a high variable magnification ratio and a reduction in size (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4 (1992)-070707, U.S. Pat. No. 5,872,659, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11 (1999)-064728)
As a zoom lens having "a camera shake correction function (a vibration-proof function)" for preventing image blurring attributed to vibration, camera shake and the like, a zoom lens that substantially consists of a first lens group having positive refractive power, a second lens group having negative refractive power, a third lens group having positive refractive power, and a fourth lens group having positive refractive power, arranged in this order from the object side, the third lens group of which comprises two groups, a partial group having positive refractive power and a partial group having negative refractive power, and that exhibits camera shake correction effects by moving the partial group having negative refractive power in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis, is known (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,462,885).


A bubble separator includes a body with a generally cylindrical shape, an oil induction portion, a gas discharge portion with a generally cylindrical shape, an oil discharge portion, and an upper partition. The oil induction portion is provided on the body, and introduces bubble-containing oil to inside the body. The gas discharge portion is provided extending from a ceiling portion of the body, and discharges separated bubbles to outside the body. The oil discharge portion is provided on the body, and discharges separated oil to outside the body. The upper partition is provided extending from the ceiling portion, and is formed on a periphery of the gas discharge portion. According to the bubble separator of the present invention, the upper partition can prevent bubble-containing oil from directly blowing into the discharge hole of the gas discharge portion and discharging to outside the body together with separated gas.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bubble separator. More specifically, the present invention relates to a bubble separator that is capable of suppressing remixing after bubble separation, and is particularly capable of performing bubble separation with a high bubble separation efficiency for oil used in a lubrication system for an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dry sump and wet sump systems are commonly known as modes for lubricating internal combustion engines. The dry sump system is a type in which engine oil collects in an oil tank and the engine oil is sent under pressure from the oil tank through a feed pump to lubricate respective parts of the engine. Oil that falls into an oil pan is then returned to the oil tank through a scavenger pump. The wet sump system is a type in which engine oil is intaken from the oil pan by a pump and sent under pressure to lubricate respective parts of the engine. Oil that has finished lubricating then falls of its own accord into the oil pan.
However, in the dry sump system a considerable amount of air bubbles are mixed into the oil while it is being returned to the oil tank via the scavenger pump. The bubbles contained in the oil are subsequently separated by an oil filter or the like, but there is a risk of poor lubrication due to incomplete separation.
On the other hand, in the wet sump system only a relatively small amount of air bubbles are mixed into the oil, and some bubbles are further eliminated by the pressure of the pump. As a consequence, there is little risk of poor lubrication. However, there have been calls to reduce the size of the pump in order to improve fuel consumption performance. In such case, there is a risk that poor lubrication may occur because air bubbles have not been sufficiently eliminated.
Thus, the bubble fraction of oil must be decreased regardless of whether the lubrication system of the internal combustion engine is a dry sump system or wet sump system.
Hence, in order to solve the above problem, the use of a gas-liquid separator is proposed for the lubrication system of the internal combustion engine.
Currently known gas-liquid separators include one in which a fluid mixture made of gas and liquid is introduced into a cylindrical body thereof. The fluid mixture is then separated by centrifugation into the liquid and the gas (see Patent Document 1 for an example). According to Patent Document 1, a ceiling portion is provided with a gas discharge port, and a projecting portion is also provided to prevent fluid from penetrating the vicinity thereof And because the inflow of the gas-liquid fluid mixture is delayed, separated gas gathers at the ceiling portion of the gas-liquid separator body and there is no risk of the gas remixing with the inflow of gas-liquid fluid mixture anew.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2003-265984
According to Patent Document 1, however, if the inflow amount of oil is fast, then the gas is remixed by the oil flowing in from the oil induction port and the remixed fluid is discharged from the gas discharge port. Thus, the efficiency of gas-liquid separation may be lowered. Furthermore, the gas discharge port is positioned higher than the induction port, and there is no consideration given to a case where the gas discharge port is positioned lower than the induction port.


A method and system for reducing the time it takes for a trader to place a trade when electronically trading on an exchange, thus increasing the likelihood that the trader will have orders filled at desirable prices and quantities. The “Mercury” display and trading method of the present invention ensure fast and accurate execution of trades by displaying market depth on a vertical or horizontal plane, which fluctuates logically up or down, left or right across the plane as the market prices fluctuate. This allows the trader to trade quickly and efficiently. The price consolidation feature of the present invention, as described herein, enables a trader to consolidate a number of prices in order to condense the display. Such action allows a trader to view a greater range of prices and a greater number of orders in the market at any given time. By consolidating prices, and therefore orders, a trader reduces the risk of a favorable order scrolling from the screen prior to filling a bid or ask on that order at a favorable price.

The present invention is directed to the electronic trading of commodities. Specifically, the invention provides a trader with a versatile and efficient tool for executing trades. It facilitates the display of and the rapid placement of trade orders within the market trading depth of a commodity, where a commodity includes anything that can be traded with quantities and/or prices.
At least 60 exchanges throughout the world utilize electronic trading in varying degrees to trade stocks, bonds, futures, options and other products. These electronic exchanges are based on three components: mainframe computers (host), communications servers, and the exchange participants' computers (client). The host forms the electronic heart of the fully computerized electronic trading system. The system's operations cover order-matching, maintaining order books and positions, price information, and managing and updating the database for the online trading day as well as nightly batch runs. The host is also equipped with external interfaces that maintain uninterrupted online contact to quote vendors and other price information systems.
Traders can link to the host through three types of structures: high speed data lines, high speed communications servers and the Internet. High speed data lines establish direct connections between the client and the host. Another connection can be established by configuring high speed networks or communications servers at strategic access points worldwide in locations where traders physically are located. Data is transmitted in both directions between traders and exchanges via dedicated high speed communication lines. Most exchange participants install two lines between the exchange and the client site or between the communication server and the client site as a safety measure against potential failures. An exchange's internal computer system is also often installed with backups as a redundant measure to secure system availability. The third connection utilizes the Internet. Here, the exchange and the traders communicate back and forth through high speed data lines, which are connected to the Internet. This allows traders to be located anywhere they can establish a connection to the Internet.
Irrespective of the way in which a connection is established, the exchange participants' computers allow traders to participate in the market. They use software that creates specialized interactive trading screens on the traders' desktops. The trading screens enable traders to enter and execute orders, obtain market quotes, and monitor positions. The range and quality of features available to traders on their screens varies according to the specific software application being run. The installation of open interfaces in the development of an exchange's electronic strategy means users can choose, depending on their trading style and internal requirements, the means by which they will access the exchange.
The world's stock, bond, futures and options exchanges have volatile products with prices that move rapidly. To profit in these markets, traders must be able to react quickly. A skilled trader with the quickest software, the fastest communications, and the most sophisticated analytics can significantly improve his own or his firm's bottom line. The slightest speed advantage can generate significant returns in a fast moving market. In today's securities markets, a trader lacking a technologically advanced interface is at a severe competitive disadvantage.
Irrespective of what interface a trader uses to enter orders in the market, each market supplies and requires the same information to and from every trader. The bids and asks in the market make up the market data and everyone logged on to trade can receive this information if the exchange provides it. Similarly, every exchange requires that certain information be included in each order. For example, traders must supply information like the name of the commodity, quantity, restrictions, price and multiple other variables. Without all of this information, the market will not accept the order. This input and output of information is the same for every trader.
With these variables being constant, a competitive speed advantage must come from other aspects of the trading cycle. When analyzing the time it takes to place a trade order for a given commodity, various steps contribute in different amounts to the total time required. Approximately 8% of the total time it takes to enter an order elapses between the moment the host generates the price for the commodity and the moment the client receives the price. The time it takes for the client application to display the price to the trader amounts to approximately 4%. The time it takes for a trade order to be transmitted to the host amounts to approximately 8%. The remainder of the total time it takes to place an order, approximately 80%, is attributable to the time required for the trader to read the prices displayed and to enter a trade order. The present invention provides a significant advantage during the slowest portion of the trading cycle—while the trader manually enters his order. Traders recognize that the value of time savings in this portion may amount to millions of dollars annually.
In existing systems, multiple elements of an order must be entered prior to an order being sent to market, which is time consuming for the trader. Such elements include the commodity symbol, the desired price, the quantity and whether a buy or a sell order is desired. The more time a trader takes entering an order, the more likely the price on which he wanted to bid or offer will change or not be available in the market. The market is fluid as many traders are sending orders to the market simultaneously. It fact, successful markets strive to have such a high volume of trading that any trader who wishes to enter an order will find a match and have the order filled quickly, if not immediately. In such liquid markets, the prices of the commodities fluctuate rapidly. On a trading screen, this results in rapid changes in the price and quantity fields within the market grid. If a trader intends to enter an order at a particular price, but misses the price because the market prices moved before he could enter the order, he may lose hundreds, thousands, even millions of dollars. The faster a trader can trade, the less likely it will be that he will miss his price and the more likely he will make money.
The "Mercury" display and trading method of the present invention ensure fast and accurate execution of trades by displaying market depth on a vertical or horizontal plane, which fluctuates logically up or down, left or right across the plane as the market prices fluctuates, while the display of the corresponding prices remains static. This allows the trader to trade quickly and efficiently.
One advantage of the static price column is that traders are more likely to enter orders at desired prices because the prices don't move on the screen. However, the physical size of a trader's computer screen imposes a limitation on the static price column in that only a finite number of prices can be displayed within that screen area.
Exchanges list the prices of commodities traded in the marketplace in small denominations, like 1/32nd or 1/64th of a dollar, or in decimals like 0.01. The smallest such denomination for each commodity is called a "tick." The static price column of Mercury can display each tick in price rows that make up the static price column. As the ticks become smaller, more price rows are required on the trader's computer screen to list all of them. For example, while only one field would be required to display a tick of one dollar, if that dollar was broken down into 64th's, 64 price rows would now be required to display the same one dollar price range. As such, much of the space on a trader's computer screen might be monopolized to show activity in the marketplace within a small variance in price. Many traders find a small variance in price, like 1/64th of a dollar, to be inconsequential. Those traders are willing to give up a display of the actual ticks available in a market in exchange for a wider range of prices. Similar display problems may occur when the market is volatile. In a volatile market, the difference between the best bid and the best ask (the spread) widens, and a wider spread results in a trader seeing less of the overall market on his computer screen due to the space restrictions.

Click based trading with intuitive grid display of market depth and price consolidation

Trading Technologies International, Inc.