A photographing assisting apparatus is used when a subject is photographed using a photographing apparatus. The photographing assisting apparatus has a planar light source that, while in a state covering a to-be-photographed area on the subject, shines light on the to-be-photographed area on the subject and that is translucent in the direction pointing from the to-be-photographed area on the subject to the photographing apparatus, and a support portion that supports the photographing apparatus such that the distance between the subject and the photographing apparatus is kept fixed. The photographing assisting apparatus permits the subject to be illuminated with more evenly distributed brightness and permits a given illumination condition of the subject to be obtained stably.

1. Technical Field
The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein relate to a photographing assisting apparatus that is used in combination with a photographing apparatus of any kind (for example, a camera of any kind such as a digital camera (including a camera-equipped portable appliance), film camera, or video camera, or an electronic image-sensing device of any kind such as a CCD imager, CMOS imager, or TFT imager) when a subject is photographed using the photographing apparatus, and relates also to a photographing method for photographing a subject using a photographing apparatus of any kind. More particularly, the exemplary embodiments relate to a photographing assisting apparatus and a photographing method that are useful in macro (close-up) photography. The exemplary embodiments relate further to a photographing system provided with a photographing apparatus and a photographing assisting apparatus as mentioned above.
2. Description of Related Art
Today, one common use of a camera is to photograph documents, business cards, and the like instead of copying them. When documents and the like are photographed using a camera, the distance between the subject and the camera is short, and so-called macro (close-up) photography therefore needs to be performed.
Such macro photography presents the following problems.
Typically used as an illumination light source in combination with a camera of any kind such as a digital camera is a built-in flash incorporated in the camera body or an external flash that is detachably attached to the camera body. When a flash is used as an auxiliary light source in macro photography, however, the subject is irradiated with flash light from a very close distance. It is therefore difficult to control the amount of light emitted and to shine light evenly over the entire area to be photographed. This tends to result in uneven exposure in the photographed image (hereinafter referred to as the first problem).
Moreover, macro photography is susceptible to the ambient illumination environment, often resulting in external illumination (such as the light from fluorescent lamps in the room or from the sun) or the shadow of the camera or of the photographer photographed together (hereinafter referred to as the second problem).
Moreover, macro photography not only is susceptible to camera shake, but also requires that the camera always be kept parallel to the subject, which is difficult (hereinafter referred to as the third problem).
Moreover, in macro photography, if the subject, for example a document, has a wrinkle, bend, warp, or fold, this part of the subject is illuminated irregularly. In an extreme case, this makes the corresponding part of the photographed image out of focus and thus unsharp (hereinafter referred to as the fourth problem).
Examples of solutions to the first problem are as follows. One conventionally proposed digital camera incorporates a lamp that emits softer light than a flash. In macro photography, illumination is achieved with the light emitted from this lamp so that light is shone evenly over the entire area to be photographed (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H4-70274). Another conventionally proposed digital camera uses the liquid crystal display incorporated therein as a planar illumination light source so that light is shone evenly over the entire area to be photographed (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-75363).
Examples of solutions to the second and third problems are as follows. One conventionally proposed photographing method uses a close-up photographing apparatus that includes a hood for shielding external light and a holder for holding a camera in a desired position relative to the subject (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H5-158149). Another conventionally proposed photographing method uses a box that shields external light and that has an illumination device housed inside it. The subject is placed inside the box, and is photographed using a camera placed at the top of the box (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H9-133946).
The second and third problems mentioned above can be overcome by the photographing methods proposed in Japanese Patent Applications Laid-Open Nos. H5-158149 and H9-133946 mentioned above, namely by shielding external light and by holding a camera in position. However, the first problem mentioned above cannot be overcome satisfactorily with the digital cameras proposed in Japanese Patent Applications Laid-Open Nos. H4-70274 and 2000-75363 mentioned above.
As far as the applicant of the present invention has investigated, there are no publications that propose solutions to the fourth problem mentioned above.

Photographing assisting apparatus, photographing method, and photographing system


An apparatus is provided for spraying an atomized liquid, which includes a hollow casing including an inlet and an outlet. The inlet is adapted to receive an airflow. The outlet includes a nozzle having an aperture. The apparatus also includes a liquid cartridge associated with the hollow casing and a tube with a tip and a source end attached to the liquid cartridge. The tip of the tube is positioned in a region on a side of the nozzle outside of an interior of the hollow casing and the tube is adapted to draw a liquid out of the liquid cartridge. A method is provided for producing an airbrush, which includes providing two halves of an outlet end of a hollow casing and providing an inlet end of the hollow casing. The method further includes providing a liquid cartridge including anchors for attaching the liquid cartridge to the two halves of the outlet end and providing a nozzle insert adapted to fit between the two halves of the outlet end near an outlet. The method further includes welding the two halves together to form an outlet component, thereby sandwiching between the two halves the liquid cartridge and the nozzle insert.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,886 discusses an apparatus for dispensing a fine spray of liquid particles. The apparatus apparently comprises a hollow tubular housing and a reservoir pen formed with a nib of absorbent material which is retained within and spaced from the inner wall of the housing. The tubular housing includes at one end a nozzle whose interior defines a converging path and at its other end a mouthpiece through which air can be caused to flow through the tubular housing and over the pen to the outlet orifice of the nozzle. An abutment is provided within the housing for locating the pen within the housing with its absorbent nib at least partially within the boundary of the outlet orifice of the nozzle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,300 discusses an apparatus for dispensing a fine spray of liquid particles that apparently comprises a hollow tubular casing whose internal cross section is formed with at least one abutment surface. A tubular liquid source is positioned within the casing with the abutment surface in close contact with the outer surface of the source to provide support thereto. The casing includes a passageway for the flow of air from a mouthpiece positioned at one end of the casing to a nozzle positioned at the other end of the casing into which the discharge end of the liquid source protrudes.
The prior art references include felt tip pens and nibs of absorbent material. The references apparently disclose that the liquid is dispersed from the absorbent material into the flow of air. Additionally, the references apparently disclose the nib of material being within the boundary of the outlet nozzle.
Airbrushes utilizing nibs of material may have the disadvantage that the nib dries easily and may be difficult to operate. Also, nibs may be used in conjunction with a filter which holds the ink in a barrel. The combination of the filter and barrel may limit the amount of ink which may be accessed by the nib.
There is thus a need for an efficient method of drawing liquid and dispersing the liquid into an air stream, and for accessing more liquid ink with an airbrush.

Airbrush and method of making an airbrush


A socket wrench is provided With a lighting device. The socket wrench has a handle, and a grip body which is provided at one end with a fitting hole and at another end with a plugging hole. The grip body is further provided in the underside of one end thereof with a base and a rotary body which is pivoted with the base and provided with two rotary shafts, with each being fastened to a dial button. The rotary body is provided with two through holes in which two light-emitting elements are disposed such that the two light-emitting elements are connected with two battery sets by two elastic bonding wires. The base is provided in the bottom with a transparent cover to shield the light-emitting elements.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a socket wrench, and more particularly to a lighting device of the socket wrench.
2. Description of Related Art
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a prior art socket wrench 10 is provided with a grip body 12 which is in turn provided at one end thereof with a fitting hole 13, and at another end thereof with a plugging hole 14 having outer threads 15 and a press shoulder 16. The grip body 12 is fitted over the handle of the socket wrench 10 through the fitting hole 13. An insulation plug body 17 having two conductive pieces 18, a battery set 19, and a switching element 20 having a protruded shoulder 21, a press button 22 and a connection point spring 23, are received in the plugging hole 14 in conjunction with a cap 24 having a hole 25 and inner threads which are engaged with the outer threads 15 of the plugging hole 14. The grip body 12 is provided in the underside of one end thereof with a receiving slot 30 having the pivoting portions 31 and being in communication with the plugging hole 14. The pivoting portions 31 are provided with a guide slot 32 and a dial member 33 having a shaft rod 34, a light bulb port 35 in which two pins 27 of a light-emitting element 36 are disposed such that the two pins 27 are connected with the dial member 33 by two conductive. pieces 38. Two conductive bodies 39 of the conductive pieces 18 are extended into the receiving slot 30 such that the conductive bodies 39 are in contact with the conductive pieces 38.
The prior art lighting device has drawbacks. In the first place, the pins 37 of the light-emitting element 36, the two conductive pieces 38, and the conductive bodies 39 are vulnerable to moving aside to result in poor contact at the time when the base 40 is impacted on by an external force. Secondly, the light-emitting element 36 is extended out of the dial member 33 and is devoid of a protective shield.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a socket wrench with a lighting device which is free of the drawbacks of the prior art lighting device described above.
The features and the advantages of the present invention will be readily understood upon a thoughtful deliberation of the following detailed description of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

No. 331, Chang Chun St., Chiu Te Village


The present invention relates to charged particle beam devices. The devices comprise an emitter for emitting charged particles; an aperture arrangement with at least two apertures for separating the emitted charged particles into at least two independent charged particle beams; and an objective lens for focusing the at least two independent charged particle beams, whereby the independent charged particle beams are focused onto the same location within the focal plane.

Charged particle beam apparatuses have many functions in a plurality of industrial fields, including, but not limited to, inspection of semiconductor devices during manufacturing, exposure systems for lithography, detecting devices and testing systems. Thus, there is a high demand for structuring and inspecting specimens within the micrometer and nanometer scale.
Micrometer and nanometer scale process control, inspection or structuring, is often done with charged particle beams, e.g. electron beams, which are generated and focused in charged particle beam devices, such as electron microscopes or electron beam pattern generators. Charged particle beams offer superior spatial resolution compared to, e.g. photon beams due to their short wavelengths.
Besides resolution, throughput is an issue of such devices. Since large substrate areas have to be patterned or inspected, throughput of for example larger than 10 cm2/min and, therefore, high probe currents in the range of 100 nA or higher, are desirable.
However, particle-particle interaction (Boersch effect) limits the resolution for high beam currents. Especially for low voltage applications, that are applications with the beam energy around or below 1 keV, particle interaction limits the resolution for high beam currents.
One approach for reducing the particle-particle interaction for a lithography systems was proposed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,635,891. Therein, a hollow-beam apparatus utilizing a ring aperture in a crossover is suggested.
However, the hollow beam is difficult to shape and the charged particle interaction might not be significantly reduced.

High current density particle beam system

ICT Integrated Circuit Testing Gesellschaft für Halbleiterprüftechnik mbH


An electronic apparatus having a structure in which the inside of a cabinet having a speaker unit incorporated therein is effectively cooled, so that the speaker unit satisfactorily plays back a bass sound in which the speaker cabinet has at least two bass-reflex ducts. One bass-reflex duct is used for air-discharge, through which air in the cabinet is discharged by a fan unit, and another bass-reflex duct is used for air-intake. Thus, the inside of the speaker cabinet is effectively cooled while making use of the bass-reflex effect.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus having a speaker unit incorporated therein, such as a speaker apparatus, a monitor receiver or a radio receiver including at least one of a variety of display devices such as a plasma display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A speaker apparatus produces a sound when a cone of a speaker unit thereof vibrates back and forth and generates a compressional wave in a space. When the cone moves forward, air in front of the cone is compressed, and air at the back of the same is quite contrarily rarefied. The speaker unit includes a cone and a magnetic circuit section, and the speaker apparatus means an overall apparatus including a speaker cabinet having the speaker unit incorporated therein.
When the speaker unit is sounded without attaching to a baffle, compressional states of air in front of and at the back of the unit are mixed and cancelled with each other, resulting in producing no sound. Although the-speaker unit may be attached to a large baffle so as to prevent sounds in front of and at the back of the unit, having mutually reverse phases, from being mixed with each other, a baffle effective to a low-frequency sound is enormously large in size and is accordingly unpractical.
In view of this problem, as shown in FIG. 13 by way of example, a bass-reflex speaker cabinet is hitherto used, having a structure in which a sound emitted from the rear of a cone of a speaker unit 901 passes through a bass-reflex duct (port, aperture) 902 disposed in a cabinet 900 so as to have a phase reversed by 180 degrees, in agreement with that of a sound emitted in front of the cone, and is then emitted from the speaker unit. While requiring a severe design, the bass-reflex speaker cabinet has advantages of, for example, a smaller size and much more satisfactorily playing back bass sound than an enclosed one.
FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B are respectively a sectional view and an elevational view of an example bass-reflex speaker apparatus. The bass-reflex speaker apparatus shown in FIG. 13 has an equivalent circuit shown in FIG. 14. In this case, the lowest resonant frequency f0 of the speaker unit 901 and the resonant frequency f0b of the speaker cabinet 900 are respectively given by expressions (1) and (2) shown in FIG. 15.
With respect to references characters shown in FIG. 14, Fv defines a vibromotive force exerted on a speaker vibrating system; Ev defines a voltage applied on a voice coil, B defines a flux density in a gap; l and Rv respectively define a length and a direct current resistance of the voice coil; vd defines a speed of a cone, vp defines a speed of air in a bass-reflex duct; m0, s0, and r0 respectively define an equivalent mass, an equivalent stiffness, and an equivalent resistance of the speaker vibrating system; sc defines an equivalent stiffness of a cabinet, vc defines a speed of air in the cabinet, and ml defines an equivalent mass of the duct.
For example, a bass-reflex speaker apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication NO. 6-233367 has a structure in which, by making use of arrangement of a bass-reflex duct in a cabinet, a ventilation duct usable also as a bass-reflex duct is disposed in the vicinity of a yoke constituting the magnetic circuit of the apparatus so as to cool the magnetic circuit by air flowing in and out the ventilation duct and also to provide an bass-reflex effect.
While an audio amplifier is additionally needed to drive a speaker apparatus and is generally disposed independently from the speaker apparatus, another speaker apparatus having a structure in which an audio amplifier and so forth are built in its speaker cabinet in order to meet the requirements of reducing the size and saving a space of an audio system is also available in the market.
Also, of monitor receivers such as a television receiver including a display device such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display device, or a plasma display device, one having a structure in which a speaker unit is incorporated in its cabinet is also available in the market. With this structure, the speaker apparatus is not required to be disposed together with the monitor receiver and is accordingly useful.
In the meantime, with respect to a speaker apparatus or a monitor receiver having a speaker unit and additionally a variety of electrical circuits, built therein, since heat generated by the built-in electrical circuits remains in its cabinet having the speaker unit incorporated therein, such an electronic apparatus requires an elaborate design effort so as to effectively convey the heat remaining in the cabinet outside the apparatus.
To this end, the apparatus is designed so as to have an example structure in which a heat pipe, a thermally conductive material or the like is connected to a heating section of an amplifier circuit or the like so as to release heat in the cabinet having the speaker unit incorporated therein outside the apparatus. Unfortunately, this structure causes a complicated mechanism and also an increased cost. In addition, since as the greater the output power of an amplifier, the greater amount of generated heat, the maximum power of the amplifier is limited, thereby inhibiting a large sound from being played back.
In order to solve the above problem, disposing a ventilation duct serving as a ventilation path and also a bass-reflex duct in the speaker cabinet as disclosed in the foregoing patent document is conceivable. Unfortunately, only air flowing in and out the same ventilation duct does not effectively cool the inside of the cabinet. Especially, in the case of an electronic apparatus such as a speaker apparatus or a monitor receiver having a variety of electrical circuits incorporated therein, only air flowing in and out in its ventilation duct does not sufficiently cool the inside of the cabinet thereof.

Electronic apparatus having speaker unit incorporated therein


In a method of conveying information regarding an orbit used at a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) base station to a GNSS receiver, a satellite position is determined for a particular time from an orbit of a GNSS satellite. An ambiguity value is extracted from the satellite position. The ambiguity value is extracted based upon a satellite position determination margin of error of a GNSS receiver. The ambiguity value is encoded into an encoded ambiguity value which is assembled into a message. The message also includes a time tag representing the particular time. The message is transmitted from the GNSS base station. The encoded ambiguity value and the time tag convey information regarding the orbit to a GNSS receiver in receipt of the message.

To improve upon the accuracy of positioning and navigation data obtainable using a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, many techniques are employed. These include techniques such as differential corrections and Real Time Kinematics. A common feature of many of these techniques involves sending supplemental information to a GNSS receiver. This supplemental information is in addition to the information, such as broadcast orbits, that is received over-the-air via transmissions from GNSS satellites.
The supplemental information, referred to herein as "refinement information," is used at the GNSS receiver to refine the positioning and navigation data calculated by the GNSS receiver. Refinement information may include information such as: differential corrections (often referred to as correctors) calculated at a location other than the GNSS receiver; precise satellite orbits which are more exact than the contemporaneously valid over-the-air satellite orbits received from GNSS satellites; and raw measurable information (compressed or uncompressed) supplied from a differential or real-time kinematics base station or other source.
In addition to refinement information, handshaking information in the form of an 8-bit Issue of Data Ephemeris (IODE) handle is also often sent from a GNSS base station to a GNSS receiver. At the GNSS receiver, a received IODE handle is compared to an IODE handle associated with a broadcast orbit in use at the GNSS receiver to ensure that the same orbit is being used to perform calculations with refinement information as was used to originally calculate the refinement information. This handshaking, with respect to differential techniques, ensures that orbits are synchronized and thus allows the concept of common mode error rejection to be employed to cancel out certain errors that are common between a GNSS base station and a GNSS receiver. For example, a differential calculation performed using correctors received by a GNSS receiver will generate more accurate positioning and navigation data when the GNSS receiver uses the same orbit as used in originally calculating correctors. This is the case even if the orbit used at the GNSS receiver is more accurate than the orbit used to originally calculate the correctors. With respect to Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites, each GPS satellite transmits a new broadcast orbit for itself every two hours. Thus, in geographically separated GNSS base stations and GNSS receivers there exists a short window, after the beginning of the transmission of a new broadcast orbit, when orbit handshaking between a base station and a receiver takes on an increased importance. This is because either the base station or receiver may have received the new orbit before the other has received it.
To send a precise position or orbit for a single satellite could require 200 or more bits of information. To send an IODE for a single satellite requires 8-bits of information. Often there are as many as 12 visible GPS satellites for which refinement information or orbit handshaking information is supplied. This refinement information and orbit handshaking information may be supplied frequently, such as once per second, for each satellite. This can require a substantial number of bits. Moreover, the bits required to transmit such information increases even further if the information is supplied for other navigation satellites, such as, for example, the GLObal NAvigation Satellite System (GLONASS) satellites, future Galileo (European) satellites, and/or future Compass (Chinese) satellites.
If bandwidth were unlimited, this would not be a problem. However, bandwidth between a GNSS base station and a GNSS receiver is often limited by factors such as costs or transmission rates. For example, in some cases, such as over a cellular connection between a GNSS base station and a GNSS receiver, a user must pay a fee for the total amount of data transmitted or time over which data is transmitted. Thus additional data incurs additional fees. In other cases, transmission distances and power restrictions on transmitters in frequency bands used to support transmission between a GNSS base station and a GNSS receiver often limit transmission rates to very low speeds which are often in the range of 100 to 9600 bits/second.

Conveying orbit information via ambiguous position information


A remote-control device incorporates a remote-control lever for the shifting and throttle operations of a marine propulsion unit. A shift range exists in the central region of lever movement where only shift operations can take place, and once the remote-control lever has passed through the above mentioned specific movement range, it is in a throttle range wherein its movement can control only the throttle. The remote-control device includes a throttle drive control arrangement which opens and closes the throttle valve in relation to the operation of the above mentioned remote-control lever in a manner which depends upon an operator selected operational mode made via a mode select switch.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to an improvement in a remote-control device for marine propulsion units and, more particularly, a remote-control device which simplifies making fine throttle adjustments and finding a neutral shift position.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Most marine outboard or stern drive marine propulsion units known in the art can be operated remotely, by a remote-control device. Such remote-control devices generally consist of one remote-control lever positioned near an operator's seat for both shifting and throttle operations. Such remote-control devices have a shift range (a range on either side of a central position of the lever) corresponding to a position in which a throttle valve of the marine propulsion unit would be maintained in a fully closed (idle state) position. In these arrangements, drive shifting operations can only be performed when the remote-control lever is positioned in this shift range. After the remote-control lever is shifted out of the shift range to a throttle range, the propulsion direction would be established and maintained while only the throttle valve would be opened and closed (controllable from a fully closed to a fully open position).
The compact nature of the remote-control devices of the prior are limits the permissible operating range of the remote-control levers. Therefore, in designing this control, a rather large lever movement range had to be included for both the shift range and the throttle range. However, during trolling and other low speed operations, there is a need for fine throttle adjustments. This need has been met in the prior art by using a broad throttle range. To accomplish this, however, the shift range would have to be made smaller, which makes it difficult to readily locate the neutral position midway where shifting operations can be performed. On the other hand, in order to facilitate locating the neutral position, it is desirable to enlarge the shift range. If the shift range is broadened by decreasing the throttle range, then it becomes more difficult to make fine throttle adjustments while trolling or operating at low speeds. The reason for this is that the throttle must be controlled from a fully closed to a fully open position within a very narrow throttle lever movement range. Thus, a balance must be reached in such prior art remote-control devices between enhancing the ability to find the neutral position and enabling fine throttle adjusments.

Remote-control device for marine propulsion unit


The present invention is directed to pulse protein products, very low in, or substantially free of, pea/vegetable flavour notes characteristic of conventional commercial pulse protein products and useful for the fortification of food and beverage products and prepared without the use of salt in the process. The pulse protein products of the present invention are obtained by extracting pulse protein source with water to form an aqueous pulse protein solution, at least partially separating the aqueous pulse protein solution from residual pulse protein source, adjusting the pH of the aqueous pulse protein solution to a pH of about 1.5 to about 3.4 to solubilize the bulk of the protein and form an acidified pulse protein solution then separating the acidified pulse protein solution from the acid insoluble solid material. The acidified pulse protein solution may be dried following optional concentration and diafiltration to form a pulse protein product, which may be an isolate. The acid insoluble solid material may be washed with acidified water and then dried to form another pulse protein product. These products may be dried at the acidic pH at which they were prepared or may be adjusted in pH before drying. Also described is the preparation of an acid soluble protein product, which may be an isolate, and which provides acidic solutions of improved clarity and is derived from the acidified pulse protein solution.

In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/103,528 filed May 9, 2011 (US Patent Publication No. 2011-0274797 published Nov. 10, 2011), Ser. No. 13/289,264 filed Nov. 4, 2011 (US Patent Publication No. 2012-0135117 published May 31, 2012), Ser. No. 13/556,357 filed Jul. 24, 2012 (US Patent Publication No. 2013-0189408 published Jul. 25, 2013) and Ser. No. 13/642,003 filed Jan. 7, 2013 (US Patent Publication No. 2013-0129901 published May 23, 2013), ("YP701"), assigned to the assignee hereof and the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, there are described procedures for the preparation of pulse protein products with excellent solubility and optionally clarity in low pH solutions as well as a clean flavour without pea/vegetable notes. The clean flavour of these products is a commercially valuable attribute.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/937,266 filed Jul. 9, 2013 (US Patent Publication No. 2014-0017379 published Jan. 16, 2014) ("YP701N2"), assigned to the assignee hereof and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, there is described the provision of near neutral pH forms of the pulse protein products described above. These products, with their clean taste, are useful for use in food compositions having a near neutral pH. Although solubility is still desirable, food applications at near neutral pH are typically not transparent and so complete solubility and clarity in water are not necessarily a requirement.
In the procedures described in the aforementioned U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 13/103,528, 13/289,264, 13/556,357, 13/642,003 and 13/937,266, protein extraction is effected with calcium salt solution. The calcium salt solution assists in solubilisation of protein from the protein source while separating it from phytic acid, which is precipitated and removed from the protein solution. The protein solution is then optionally diluted with water and adjusted in pH to about 1.5 to about 4.4 to provide a preferably clear, acidified protein solution. While not wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is thought that the clean flavour of the pulse protein products obtained by these procedures is promoted by the low pH treatment of the sample, preferably in combination with optional subsequent membrane processing steps.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/203,700 filed Mar. 11, 2014 (US Patent Publication No. 2014-0256914 published Sep. 11, 2014), assigned to the assignee hereof and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, there is described the provision of pulse protein products having a protein content of at least about 50 wt % resulting from the clarification of the protein solution after the calcium salt solution extraction described in the aforementioned U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 13/103,528, 13/289,264, 13/556,357, 13/642,003 and 13/937,266. Such products may be comprised of fine solids captured by a disc stack centrifuge following extraction of pulse protein source with calcium salt solution and separation of the bulk of the residual pulse protein source with a decanter centrifuge. Alternatively, the products may be comprised of fine solids captured by a disc stack centrifuge following extraction of pulse protein source with water, separation of the bulk of the residual pulse protein source with a decanter centrifuge and calcium salt addition to the partially clarified protein solution.
One potential concern with the procedures described in the aforementioned U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 13/103,528, 13/289,264, 13/556,357, 13/642,003, 13/937,266 and 14/203,700 may be the quantity of calcium salt required to effect the protein extraction step and the costs and issues of the quantity of salt entering the process as well as the recovery or disposal of calcium salts in the waste streams of the process. A reduction or elimination of calcium salt could result in significant savings in the cost of processing and production of the protein products.

Preparation of pulse protein products (YP810)


A method and apparatus are provided for monitoring and reporting cable connectivity such as patch panel port-level connectivity on a real-time basis. For patch panel systems, the approach is based upon a distributed architecture that may be modularly scalable and may reduce, if not eliminate, the need for a centralized signal processor and complex cabling between patch panels and the centralized signal processor. Each patch panel may determine port level connectivity independently. Polling delays and polling-related overhead processing may be reduced or eliminated by supporting real-time monitoring of port connectivity at the port level. The approach provides improved real-time reporting of patch panel connectivity with reduced cabling complexity, increased reliability, and decreased maintenance costs. In addition, the approach is compatible with (i.e., may communicate with and be controlled by) a multipurpose network management system (NMS). In addition, a compatible revision system is provided.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention pertains to network cable management.
2. Description of Related Art
Communications networks are growing in number and complexity. Monitoring network connections, including the management of patch panel connections, is an important task in network management. There is a desire for a patch panel management architecture that is reliable and scalable.

Method and apparatus for patch panel patch cord documentation and revision


A method is performed in a network device for accepting or rejecting a request associated with a mobile device wirelessly connecting to a network. The method includes: receiving a request from a mobile device, wherein the request is associated with the mobile device wirelessly connecting to a network; and determining an expected connection duration for the mobile device, which is calculated using collected historical connection data that identifies a plurality of previous wireless connections to the network and identifies a corresponding duration of each previous wireless connection. The method further includes determining whether to accept or reject the request based on the expected connection duration for the mobile device.

Mobile electronic devices, such as smartphones and tablet computers, continue to evolve through increasing levels of performance and functionality as manufacturers design products that offer consumers greater convenience and productivity. One such convenience is a mobile device's capability of automatically connecting wirelessly to a communication network or network, such as the Internet, using a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) including one or more wireless access points (APs). A wireless access point, also referred to herein simply as an access point, typically has a wired connection to the network and facilitates a wireless connection between a mobile device and the network.
With the high rate of wireless access point deployment, e.g., in private WLANs such as in work environments and in public WLANs such as hotspots in retail environments, mobile devices can automatically establish wireless connections in nearly every location that a user might travel. Such increased accessibility to networks by more and more users is generally desired. However, this increased accessibility has its drawbacks, such as the potential to overload network devices due to increased access authentication signaling.
More particularly, many wireless connections are far too short for a user to take advantage of the connection. Nonetheless, as the number of these shorter connections increase, these shorter connections needlessly burden the network and network devices with increased signaling traffic. Such traffic includes, for example, signaling between the mobile device and the network to establish and tear down the connections, signaling to authenticate the mobile device and perhaps the user to the network, signaling for access authorization, and signaling for traffic accounting. Such signaling is generally referred to as authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) signaling.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of disclosed embodiments. In addition, the description and drawings do not necessarily require the order illustrated. It will be further appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

Method and device for accepting or rejecting a request associated with a mobile device wirelessly connecting to a network


A method and system for message passing which weights messages in a queue by urgency of consumption. A timestamp indicating the urgency of consumption may be assigned to a message, and messages may be automatically re-ordered based on their timestamps, following a first-in-weighted-out (FIWO) logic. Such a schedule-driven auto-reordered message passing system may provide increased efficiency, lower latency and is independent of the configuration of memory types.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to message passing, and more particularly to message passing in multimedia systems.
2. Description of Related Art
The need for greater processing power in multimedia systems along with power consumption constraints has led to a new era of parallel computing or multi-core designs. One feature of parallel computer architecture is its inter-process communication (IPC). Message passing is one of the methods used for IPC. A prior art message passing system consists of FIFOs wherein the message buffers are written by one microprocessor (a "producer") and read by another microprocessor (a "consumer") respectively. FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a prior art message passing system consisting of a simple FIFO (First-In-First-Out). A message queue may have a start pointer and an end pointer, and the queue length therebetween is the message queue length. A write pointer and a read pointer are maintained and used to indicate a portion for previously read data, a portion for unread data, and a portion available for new data. When a producer writes a message to the queue, the write pointer is incremented, and when a consumer reads a message from the queue, the read pointer is incremented. FIG. 1A illustrates an un-wrapped state of operation wherein the write pointer is less than the read pointer, and FIG. 1B illustrates a wrapped state of operation in which the previously read data and the data to be written share the same portion.
In the system shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a message can be consumed by one consumer, since once a message is consumed, the read pointer in the FIFO increments, and the message is removed from the FIFO. To have a message from a producer be read by multiple consumers, the message has to be written in multiple queues, which considerably increases memory footprint. In addition, multiple FIFOs have to be read.
Another problem of the prior art system shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is its inefficiency in system latency. The FIFO treats all messages the same way according to the first in first out logic. Since sub-computations involved in different applications in a multimedia system may have variable latencies, different incoming messages may consume varying amounts of time to process, thus leading to unpredictable response time. However, real time responsiveness is important in multimedia applications.

Method and apparatus for weighted message passing


The present invention relates to a mobile terminal displaying an image and a control method of the same. A mobile terminal according to an aspect of the invention may include: a display unit displaying an image; and a controller receiving data according to a user's selection, storing the data to be associated with the image, and displaying an icon on the display unit to indicate that the data is stored.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal displaying an image and a control method of mobile terminal.
2. Background of the Invention
A mobile terminal is a portable electronic device that has at least one of voice and video call function, information input/output function, and data storage function.
In line with the diversification of functions, mobile terminals have been manufactured in the form of multimedia players that have complex functions including capturing images or videos, playing music or video files, games, broadcast reception, and Internet connection.
New, various attempts have been made by hardware or software to implement the complex functions of these multimedia players.
In order to support and increase the functions of mobile terminals, the improvement of the structural and/or software aspect of terminals may be considered.
In addition, when a photo is displayed in a mobile terminal, a method of efficiently searching data stored in association with the displayed photo is needed.

Mobile terminal and control method of mobile terminal


A yield patrolling system, which monitors production yield of a manufacturing line, has at least one product measurement and test device. The product measurement and test device measures yield determining parameters of product at completion of process steps executed by equipment within the manufacturing line. The system further has a test database in communication with the product measurement and test device to receive and retain the measured yield determining parameters. A statistical calculator is in communication with the test database to receive the measured yield determining parameters. The statistical calculator then calculates from the measured yield determining parameters production yield statistics indicating an amount of the product being fabricated on the manufacturing line. A yield-warning device is in communication with the statistical calculator to receive the production yield statistics and to provide a yield warning alert to a responsible person indicating that the manufacturing line is not fabricating product with a sufficient yield. Further, a yield information interface receives a compilation of the production yield statistics for each process step from the statistical calculator.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to measuring product parameters within a manufacturing line such as a semiconductor process line, detecting statistical deviations and faults of various processes within the manufacturing line, and notifying appropriate control personnel of the process variations and faults.
2. Description of Related Art
In manufacturing processes such as fabrication of integrated circuits on a substrate, numerous process steps are necessary to fabricate the product such as wafers containing many integrated circuit chips. In the processing of integrated circuits, the yield is sensitive to the performance of the equipment performing the processes. The yield is detected by measuring the electrical performance of the integrated circuits and examination of the substrate for defects.
Generally, the substrates are fabricated with test structures being placed in the "scribe-line" between each of the integrated circuit chips. The test structures are probed and subjected to appropriate electrical and environmental stress to verify that the performance of the wafer will meet the objectives of the design. Further the wafers are scanned to detect physical defects that indicate a failure in the fabrication of the integrated circuit upon the wafer. These process monitoring and inspection tests generally capture failures and deviations of process equipment. However, it is well known in the art that certain process variations are not detected with process monitoring and inspection described. Certain equipment problems appear only with particular specific product design parameters and then are only evident from examination of long term parametric testing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,923,553 (Yi) describes a method for controlling a semiconductor manufacturing process by failure analysis feedback. The method compares a previous failure analysis result with current real-time process conditions. The method begins by establishing a monitoring data base with abnormal process condition data, the abnormal process condition data being obtained by a correlation between a yield for each manufactured lot and corresponding process conditions for semiconductor equipment when the yield is lowered or semiconductor equipment malfunctions have occurred. An equipment database is then established by obtaining real-time process conditions for on-line semiconductor equipment. The real-time process conditions for the on-line semiconductor equipment are compared with the abnormal process conditions of the monitoring database. The operation of the on-line semiconductor equipment is then stopped when differences between the real-time and abnormal process conditions fall below a predetermined level.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,251 (Atkinson, et al.) teaches a process of establishing valid statistical dimensional tolerance limits for designs of detail parts. The process enables accurate prediction of an economically acceptable degree of non-conformance of a large flexible end item assembly made from the detail parts. The end item assembly has a set of predetermined dimensional tolerances. The detail part tolerances are enlarged substantially compared to tolerances that would be necessary using an arithmetic "worst case" approach to remain within the end assembly tolerances while remaining within preestablished stress limits of the parts. A preferred assembly sequence for assembling the parts into the assembly is selected and validated. Locations, numbers and size of coordination features to be machined in the detail parts are selected, by which the parts are located relative to each other and fastened together to form the assembly. Individual part statistical dimensional tolerances are established as a fabrication requirement for the parts that enable the parts to be economically produced and assembled into assemblies that meet the predetermined assembly dimensional tolerances. The parts are produced to the individual statistical dimensional tolerances in a capable process, having a process capability index equal to at least 1.0, while holding the mean values of the statistically determined dimensions of the individual parts to within a predetermined percentage of the nominal dimension. The end item is assembled in accordance with the preferred assembly sequence by locating the parts relative to each other by reference to the coordination features as the primary determinator of assembly configuration.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,304,791 (Kim) describes a method for controlling semiconductor equipment interlocked with a host computer. The method allows prevention of an operator from accidentally operating a piece of equipment, which is in an interlocked state. A host computer automatically stores information on any interlocked piece of equipment, and rechecks that information before allowing any product to be introduced into a piece of equipment. Optimal process conditions for each process are registered in the host computer. The registered optimal process condition is compared with process data reported from each piece of equipment. If it is determined that the reported data are in the range of the optimal process conditions in view of the comparison, it is then determined whether or not the reported data also satisfy a specific rule registered in the host computer. If it is determined that the reported data satisfy the specific rule, the process continues. Otherwise, if it is determined that the reported data do not satisfy the specific rule, the equipment and a tracking module of the host computer are simultaneously interlocked and the interlocking is automatically saved in the host computer. The process is stopped until the process failure is solved.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,054 (Li) teaches a process monitoring system for real time statistical process control. The method monitors process parameters from multiple process machines to provide real time statistical process control (SPC). The particular implementation was derived from ion implantation of wafers, but has wide applicability where there are a number of process machines having a number of process parameters and close continuous sampling of data is required. The process parameters are collected on a single computer over a single RS 485 network, and each parameter is analyzed and displayed separately for each process and process machine. Statistical variables like capability ratio and process capability index are calculated and presented on the computer screen along with graphs of the various parameters for a particular process machine. Data is aged out of the computer to an archival database under the control of a manufacturing information system and connected to a company wide network.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd.


Methods for using treatment fluids comprising synthetic silicates in subterranean formations are provided. In some embodiments, the methods may comprise introducing a treatment fluid comprising an aqueous base fluid and a synthetic silicate into a wellbore penetrating at least a portion of a subterranean formation comprising a loss zone; allowing the treatment fluid to displace at least a portion of a first fluid present in the wellbore; and allowing the treatment fluid to at least partially plug the loss zone.

The present disclosure relates to methods and compositions for use in subterranean formations.
Treatment fluids are used in a variety of operations that may be performed in subterranean formations. As referred to herein, the term "treatment fluid" will be understood to mean any fluid that may be used in a subterranean application in conjunction with a desired function and/or for a desired purpose. The term "treatment fluid" does not imply any particular action by the fluid. Treatment fluids often are used in, e.g., well drilling, completion, and stimulation operations. Examples of such treatment fluids include, inter alia, drilling fluids, well cleanup fluids, workover fluids, conformance fluids, gravel pack fluids, acidizing fluids, fracturing fluids, spacer fluids, and the like.
Spacer fluids are often used in oil and gas wells to facilitate improved displacement efficiency when displacing multiple fluids in a well bore. For example, spacer fluids may be placed within a subterranean formation to physically separate incompatible fluids. Spacer fluids may also be placed between different drilling fluids during drilling-fluid changeouts, or between a drilling fluid and a completion brine.
Spacer fluids may be used in primary or remedial cementing operations to separate, inter alia, a drilling fluid from a cement composition that may be placed in an annulus between a casing string and the subterranean formation, or in the wellbore or inside a casing string, whether the cement composition is placed in the annulus in either the conventional or reverse-circulation direction. The cement composition often is intended, for example, to set in the annulus, supporting and positioning the casing string, and bonding to both the casing string and the formation to form a substantially impermeable barrier, or cement sheath, which facilitates zonal isolation. The cement composition also may set inside the casing or inside the wellbore. If the spacer fluid does not adequately displace the drilling fluid from the annulus, or the cement slurry does not adequately displace the spacer from the annulus, the cement composition may fail to bond to the casing string and/or the formation to the desired extent, or pockets of drilling fluid and/or spacer fluid may be left which could compromise the hydraulic isolation.
Many treatment techniques may be employed to address fluid loss that occurs during drilling, or other downhole operations such as plugging or bridging loss zones. However, plugged loss zones may be destabilized during casing/liner running or cementing. Current techniques for treating losses that occur after casing/liner has been lowered, such as the use of fluids containing lost circulation materials, may cause damage to tubulars or result in stuck pipe and pack-off problems.
While embodiments of this disclosure have been depicted, such embodiments do not imply a limitation on the disclosure, and no such limitation should be inferred. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those skilled in the pertinent art and having the benefit of this disclosure. The depicted and described embodiments of this disclosure are examples only, and not exhaustive of the scope of the disclosure.

Treatment fluids comprising synthetic silicates and methods for use


Vascular disease including asymptomatic atherosclerosis can be diagnosed by administering a synthetic peptide or peptide analog having an affinity for, and propensity to accumulate at, a site of vascular injury to a patient, and then detecting the location of the peptide or peptide analog within the patient's vascular system. The synthetic peptide or peptide analog may include an amino acid sequence sufficiently duplicative of the amino acid sequence of a region of either the apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein A-I, or elastin proteins such that the peptide or peptide analog accumulates at a site of vascular injury.

The invention relates to methods and means useful for the early detection of vascular disease, such as atherosclerosis, particularly, methods and means employing labelled synthetic peptides to detect arterial injury.
Atherosclerosis is a disease which causes the thickening and hardening of the arteries, particularly the larger artery walls. It is characterized by lesions or raised fibrous plaques which form within the arterial lumen. The plaques are most prevalent in the abdominal aorta, coronary arteries, or carotid arteries, and they increase progressively with age. They commonly present dome-shaped, opaque, glistening surfaces which distort the lumen. A lesion typically will consist of a central core of lipid and necrotic cell debris, capped by a collagen fibromuscular layer. Complicated lesions will also include calcified deposits and exhibit various degrees of necrosis, thrombosis, and ulceration.
The injury at, or deformities of, the arterial lumen presented by the plaque and associated deposits result in occluded blood flow, and ultimately in angina, cerebral ischemia, renal hypertension, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and diseases of other organs, if untreated. At present, coronary atherosclerosis is still the leading cause of death in the United States, claiming the lives of over a half million Americans annually, roughly twice as many as are killed by cancer.
Unfortunately, there are no existing diagnostic methods which can detect the early stages of atherosclerosis and related vascular diseases which often are clinically silent. Since lifestyle changes, drug therapy, and other means exist for delaying or reducing vascular occlusion or the stresses on various body organs which result from atherosclerotic lesions, the early detection of atheromatous plaques in the vascular system would be of considerable value in permitting preventive intervention at a time when it can be most effective.
Arteriography, the conventional approach to diagnosing vascular disease, involves catheterization and the injection of radiopaque substances into the bloodstream in order to image obstructions in the arteries. This procedure involves significant morbidity, in that infection, perforation of the artery, arrhythmia, stroke, infarction, and even death can occur. Because of the risks involved, arteriograms typically are reserved for individuals with advanced or acute atherosclerotic disease.
A variety of less invasive techniques for the diagnosis of vascular injury and disease have been proposed. These techniques include plethysmography, thermography, and ultrasonic scanning (Lees and Myers, Adv. Int. Med. 27:475, 1982).
Other non-invasive approaches to the diagnosis of vascular injury which have been proposed by the present inventor involve the administration of labelled target-seeking biologically active molecules or antibodies which preferentially seek out arterial lesions (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 929,012, entitled "Detection of Vascular Disease", filed Nov. 10, 1986) and the administration of labelled low density lipoproteins (LDLs) to the vascular system of a patient (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,647,445 and 4,660,563). LDLs circulating in the blood are known to bind to atherosclerotic plaques (Lees et al., J. Nucl. Med. 24:154, 1983). This binding most likely occurs via apolipoprotein B-100 (apo B-100), the protein moiety of the LDL molecule, which is responsible for the removal of LDL from the circulation by receptor-mediated uptake in a variety of cell types. LDLs conjugated to a radioactive label can be used to provide information on the location and extent of plaque in the vascular system by imaging them with a radiation detector. Alternatively, LDLs can be labelled with a non-radioactive, paramagnetic contrast agent capable of detection in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems.
One disadvantage to this method is that several days are typically required to isolate LDLs from the patient's blood and to label them. Often, such a delay in diagnosis and subsequent treatment is detrimental for critically ill patients. Further, an additional risk of viral infection is incurred if donor blood is employed as an LDL source.
Consequently, there exists a need for better non-invasive techniques and reagents capable of detecting and mapping early, non-stenosing, non-flow-disturbing atherosclerotic arterial lesions.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide synthetic peptides which are useful for detecting and imaging vascular disease or injury.
It is another object of the invention to provide synthetic peptides useful for imaging which are inexpensive and easy to prepare.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an improved method of detecting and mapping vascular injury, including vascular injury at its early stages.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method, which is non-invasive, of detecting and mapping vascular injury.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide synthetic peptides for the prevention or treatment of vascular damage.

New England Deaconess Hospital Corporation


A method for detecting HTML-modifying malware present in a computer includes providing a server which serves a web page (HTML) to a browser. A determination is made whether a modified string exists in the page received by the browser and if a modifying element is found, determining the malware is present in the computer.

As more users are connected to the Internet and conduct their daily activities electronically, computer users have become the target of an underground economy that infects hosts with malicious software, also known as malware, for financial gain. Unfortunately, even a single visit to an infected web site enables the attacker to detect vulnerabilities in the user's applications and force the download a multitude of malware binaries. Frequently, this malware allows the adversary to gain full control of the compromised systems leading to the ex-filtration of sensitive information or installation of utilities that facilitate remote control of the host.
Internet services are increasingly becoming an essential part of our everyday life. We rely more and more on the convenience and flexibility of Internet-connected devices to shop, communicate and, in general, to perform tasks that would otherwise require our physical presence.
Although very beneficial, Internet transactions can expose user sensitive information. Banking and medical records, authorization passwords and personal communication records can easily become known to an adversary who can successfully compromise any of the devices involved in on-line transactions.
In most cases, a successful exploit results in the automatic installation of a malware binary, also called drive-by download. The installed malware often enables an adversary to gain remote control over the compromised computer system and can be used to steal sensitive information such as banking passwords, to send out spam or to install more malicious executables over time. For instance, FIG. 2 shows a webpage 20 with an original HTML form (i.e., from a machine that is not infected with malware) and FIG. 3 shows a modified HTML form 30 (i.e., the original HTML form with extra malicious parameters, 31 and 32) injected by malware to the login page in order to steal additional user information.
To address this problem and to protect users from being exploited while browsing the web, malware detection tools are required.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a system which is capable of remotely detecting behavior associated with a malware.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.


The present invention provides a system and method for implementing logic control in programmable controllers in distributed control systems using a wired or wireless network. A software application is used to define the configuration of the network. Based on the network configuration, a compiler engine automatically assigns each statement of the control program to at least one programmable logic controller in the network. Each statement is then transmitted over a data transmission medium to the programmable logic controller assigned to the statement.

Distributed Control Systems.
The concept of distributed industrial control systems, which have both a hardware and software component, is known in the art. Distributed control has been used since companies began installing programmable logic controllers ("PLCs") to manage independent parts of a factory floor. PLCs are used in industrial control systems to provide coordinated control of equipment, devices, and processes. PLCs generally comprise a central processing unit ("CPU") and a plurality of input/output ("I/O") modules having I/O connection terminals. PLCs are ordinarily connected to various sensors, switches, or measurement devices that provide inputs to the PLC and to relays or other forms of output to control the field equipment or other controlled elements.
As control technology evolved, the idea of islands of programmable controllers was discarded in favor of larger, centralized controllers. Industry is now moving back to a decentralized approach in which small, intelligent controllers gather data locally and share it across a network.
The move back to a decentralized approach may be explained by describing the disadvantages of using a centralized control system. First, a centralized control system has lower flexibility and scalability. The maximum number of I/O modules and therefore I/O connections that can be controlled is determined during design by the model of controller used. Second, because a single processor (CPU) and a given amount of memory are used for the entire system, any future additional device, or any change in the system's configuration, must consider these limitations. Alternatively, an oversized central controller must be chosen in advance. Third, the wiring requirements for a centralized system, wherein every device must be wired to a central controller, are extensive. Although the use of remote I/O modules can reduce wiring requirements, adding more I/O modules to an existing controller does not add processing power and memory, which are usually fixed.
With reference to FIG. 1, a conventional modern home automation system 20 allows the homeowner to electronically control lighting, air-conditioning and other energy consumption devices, security and alarm systems, home theater systems, irrigation and water systems, hot water supply systems, and other controllable systems. Conventionally, a dedicated device, e.g., a controller 21–27, is used to control each sub-application independently (a distributed approach). However, for a homeowner to make the most out of the overall system, he or she must combine certain conditions and link all the different sub-applications together.
For example, when the rain detector connected to the irrigation controller 22 detects rain, the system 20 should (1) instruct the irrigation controller 22 to skip the irrigation plan for the day and (2) instruct the air condition and climate controller 26 to turn on heating in the baby's room. Similarly, when the alarm system connected to the security controller 25 detects an intrusion, the system 10 should (1) instruct the security controller 25 to sound an alarm signal and dial "911," (2) instruct the lighting controller 27 to turn on lights in the house in a sequence simulating a person walking, and (3) instruct the irrigation controller 22 to turn on the irrigation sprinklers around the house. Or, when no motion is detected for more than 15 minutes in a room by the motion detectors connected to the security controller 25, the system 20 should (1) instruct the home theater controller 21 to turn off working audio systems in that room, (2) instruct the lighting controller 27 to turn off lights in that room after 30 minutes unless instructed otherwise, and (3) instruct the air condition and climate controller 26 to turn off air condition in that room after 60 minutes unless instructed otherwise.
In order to perform these tasks in a typical distributed system, each controller 21–27 must be programmed independently. The linking conditions must be programmed in each controller that triggers a condition and in each controller that should react to the triggered condition. Further, a wiring or networking infrastructure 28 linking the controllers 21–27 must be provided.
Alternatively, a centralized system could be used wherein a single controller controls all the devices in the system. This would allow every condition to be set in one control program, but the wiring requirements in such a system would be much more extensive, and, importantly, the system would suffer from the lack of flexibility and scalability. Were an existing device to need functional expansion, or were any additional device to need control in the future, it would require additional I/O modules to be added to the controller (if technically possible) and would require additional control programming as well, which would increase the workload for the fixed central processor and memory.
For these and other reasons, today's automation world is moving towards distribution of control rather than building centralized systems. In addition, the industry is making use of small (including "micro" and "nano") PLCs and exploiting the latest improvements in communications and network technologies which have allowed companies to migrate from a centralized structure to a true distributed architecture. Such improvements include embedded networking capabilities (especially Ethernet, TCP/IP based solutions), new powerful CPUs that make controllers faster and stronger, enhanced security features for decentralized architectures, the physical downsizing of controllers, and reduced pricing.
Further, today's world automation market is seeing several major trends. First, the demand for programmable logic controllers (PLCs) is growing as end users need more automation and are not able to afford machine downtime. Second, users are taking advantage of commercial networks to connect PLCs in their systems. Third, the future lies in distributed networking of powerful, low cost PLCs.
As described above, some of the factors driving decentralized control include reduced wiring, better reliability, aggregated computing power, scalability, and modularity (right sized solutions). Nonetheless, while the drive towards distributed networking and decentralized control has important advantages, it also has significant drawbacks. Particularly, each controller in a decentralized system typically must be programmed independently (creating islands of control code). Moreover, system designers and programmers must handle the communications, signal sharing, interlocking, and other data transfer requirements between the controllers. Maintenance is more complicated because global changes must be repeated in each component and because a single change requires modifications in more than one controller. Further, although a decentralized control system is scalable, modular, and benefits from aggregated computing power, the workload between the processors typically is not balanced and depends on the way the designer chooses to distribute the code among the various processors.
Thus, the trend toward decentralized control opens new opportunities and creates important challenges. Therefore, a need exists for a system and method that uses the advantages of a distributed control environment, without loosing the power of a centralized system in designing, right-sizing, programming, running, and synchronizing an application.
Wireless Communication.
Another cross industry trend is the use of wireless communication. Wireless technology is used (1) by retailers for mobile shopping, personal shopper applications, merchandising, delivering retail content to wireless devices, and in-store employee applications; (2) by the healthcare industry for physician practice management, pharmaceutical sales force automation, e-clinical trials, and hospital information systems; (3) by the financial services industry for on-line financial services, wealth management, customer loyalty tracking, and insurance claims; (4) by the utilities industry for providing field workers access to information (schematics, alerts), providing customers with account access, providing access to supply chain information from anywhere, and providing machine-to-machine communication; and (5) by the travel and transportation industry for flight confirmations, rapid check-in, airline/airport operations, route track and trace, and rail car management.
Looking carefully into wireless machine-to-machine communication applications reveals notable growth in recent years. For instance, there has been an emergence of (1) after sale services, such as when a commercial supplier of industrial heating and cooling systems remotely monitors usage rates and tracks warranty data; (2) extended operations capabilities, such as where the wireless transmission of production data eliminates the requirement for timely manual data collection across remote areas and reduces the opportunity for error in data entry; (3) cashless payment methods, such as where radio frequency identification ("RFID") transponders facilitate toll collection and monitor highway usage patterns; and (4) secure identification capabilities, such as using "Smart Cards" and embedded "Smart Chips" for access control and the storage of personal records.
With respect to today's world automation market, there are several major trends relating to wireless communication. For example, technological improvements have led to using PLCs as transmitters for remotely communicating with field instrumentation. In addition, the use of peer-to-peer communications and wireless technology has increased as control is distributed to field devices. Specifically, the introduction of Ethernet radio modems is a growing trend in the PLC industry for providing flexibility to system design and reliable wireless communication between PLCs and between a PLC and a PC.
The requirements of the PLC world for reliable communication links results mainly from the need to share data, transfer signals, communicate with sensors, and communicate with host computers (either for remote control or for programming purposes). In a distributed environment, the communication link is a key component for the entire system.
Existing solutions are based mainly on wired communication standards accepted by the industry, ranging from simple 2-wire or 4-wire physical infrastructures such as RS-232 or RS-485, using protocols such as ModBus or others, to Ethernet physical infrastructures using TCP/IP, or other protocols based on TCP/IP. These wired solutions are used both in the field bus level (connecting PLCs to field instrumentation, inputs, and outputs) and in higher levels such as connecting PLCs to each other or to host systems.
The need to reduce or even eliminate expensive wiring requirements, while increasing flexibility and mobility, resulted in several existing wireless solutions, all using external or independent Radio Frequency ("RF") modems as wireless communication adapters. These include, (1) license-free radio modems using ISM (industrial, medical, and scientific) frequency bands such as 433 Mhz, 900 Mhz, 2.4 Ghz, or 5.7 Ghz, which can be used in certain countries without a special license; (2) licensed radio modems, which are usually more powerful devices, are required for longer ranges, and use frequency bands that usually need operating licenses from local authorities; (3) wireless LAN modems, which are a more recent trend, use standards such as IEE802.11 (b, g) developed to provide wireless connectivity especially for mobile computing (notebooks, PDAs, etc.), and usually require one or more central access points to be present; and (4) cellular modems that use the cellular telephony infrastructure (usually nationwide) for data purposes. Cellular modems exist for all type of networks (GSM, GPRS, CDMA, TDMA, iDEN, etc.).
The primary drawbacks of these existing solutions are (1) the need to develop support for the wireless modem (rarely a standard feature in PLCs); (2) the need for radio operation licensing in certain cases (especially for long range operations); (3) the relatively high cost of the devices (required for every PLC that needs to communicated wirelessly); and (4) the high operating costs that are required when using a public wireless network (such as a cellular network), whether such costs are fixed or based on traffic.
With reference again to FIG. 1, in the home automation system 10 described above, a wiring infrastructure 28 is required to connect the controllers 21–27 to the "world" being controlled (inputs such as sensors and outputs such as relays controlling valves, lights, air-condition motors, etc.), as well as to connect the controllers 21–27 to each other in order to allow data and signal interchange or remote programming. Therefore, extensive, and expensive, network wiring is required. Further, any modification or expansion to the system 10 (e.g., when adding a new controller for a new application) requires an addition of network infrastructure 28.
Accordingly, a need exists for a system that eliminates the burden of such cabling requirements.
Internet-Based Communication Platforms.
Instant messaging services, such as those provided by AOL, ICQ, Microsoft, and Yahoo, provide a communication platform using a client program installed on each user's computer, based on prior registration to the service. The client program automatically notifies the service provider's server every time a user (the client program) is connected to the Internet. The server maintains a list of users currently online, their current Internet (IP) addresses, and their user profiles, and serves as a coordinator between users whenever a user initiates a communication with another listed user.
The actual communication is conducted directly between the users after getting all of the required information from the coordinating server. The communication can be a "chat" program, a "messaging" (email-like) program, a file transfer program, a video conferencing application, a shared game, or other application. Such "instant messaging" functionality would be useful in automation systems.
Therefore, a need exists for an automation and control system that provides "instant messaging" functionality between control elements.

System and method for implementing logic control in programmable controllers in distributed control systems


A system of shipping tape drives while they are mounted to a frame uses shipment brackets to retain the drives within the frame in retracted positions during shipment. The brackets allow the drives to be shipped inside the frame. The brackets hold the drives in the retracted position within the frame by clipping into the drives and the shelves above the drives. Tabs on each bracket snap into a drive such that the drive cannot move with respect to the bracket or the shelf. The drive is pushed into position until the bracket is fully engaged with the shelf above the drive and the tabs have prevented the drive from further insertion. Because the bracket is engaged, the drive no longer can move in or out of the shelf.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to an improved shipping apparatus and method and, in particular, to an improved method and apparatus for safely shipping tape drives while they are located inside a frame of an automated tape library.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Protecting and safely handling sensitive electronic components during shipment is a challenge for electronics goods manufacturers. Shipping electronic components that are required to be mounted inside their respective end product carriers or storage devices can be especially difficult, particularly when the components are required to protrude out of their carriers under normal operating conditions. As shown in FIG. 1, one example of this type of problem is encountered with tape drives 11 that are mounted in an automated tape library frame 13 for interaction with a robotic picker (not shown).
There are typically two ways to address the safe handling and shipment of tape drives and their frames. One solution is to ship the drives and the frame separately. Although this first solution has the advantage of being better able to protect the electronics, it has several disadvantages as well. A drawback to this first solution is that when the parts are shipped separately they can get misplaced, lost, or not arrive at their destination at the same time. Another drawback is that a special shipping container must be made in order to ship the drives. Also, the installation time at the destination is increased as the drives must be put into the frame instead of the drives already being located in the frame. Furthermore, if the end user wishes to move the entire frame after the initial installation, all of the shipping containers must be present in order to do this safely. Thus, shipping the drives separately from the frame has many disadvantages which add significant cost to the product.
The other alternative solution for tape drives and their frame is to ship the drives in their normal operating position where they protrude out of the frame while packed inside a large protective cover for the drives. This solution also has several disadvantages, including that such a protective cover is expensive to build. In addition, the bulk of the weight of the drives is located outside the frame. When the frame is moved during shipping, it can tip over due to the center of gravity not being located in the center of the frame. Thus, both prior art solutions still lack the ability to ship the product safely and cost effectively. An improved method and apparatus for facilitating safe and cost effective shipment of tape drives in a frame is needed and would be desirable.

Method and apparatus for safely shipping tape drives while mounted inside a frame of an automated tape library

International Business Machines Corporation


A grafted polyvinyl alcohol polymer includes a polyvinyl alcohol main chain and a plurality of side chains grafted to the polyvinyl alcohol main chain. One or more of the side chains from the plurality of side chains include one or more units selected from: an aliphatic carboxylic acid, an aliphatic amide, an amino alkyl (meth)acrylate, a hydroxylated alkyl (meth)acrylate, or any combinations thereof. The grafted polyvinyl alcohol polymer can be included in a formulation that also includes water, and the formulation can be used as an adhesive in a creping process.

To form a thin paper web from a slurry of water and fiber, the wet web is dewatered, and then the dewatered web is at least partially dried. In the manufacture of tissue and similar paper products, creping is commonly used on such dewatered webs to impart desirable properties, such as softness and bulk. Creping is typically accomplished by conveying or carrying the web on a fabric to a heated rotary drum, sometimes referred to as a Yankee dryer. The web commonly is transferred to an adhesive dryer surface of the dryer and carried around a major circumferential portion of the dryer before the web reaches a zone of web de-contact from the drum. The de-contact zone is equipped with a creping blade against which the web abuts so as to be pushed backwardly or compacted upon itself in a machine direction of the web and attain the well-known tissue crepe paper structure, at which point the resulting creped web is removed from the dryer and collected, usually in rolled up form.
Before the web is transferred to the Yankee dryer, typically an adhesive composition, sometimes referred to as a "coating package" in the industry, is applied directly to the dryer surface of the dryer to form the adhesive dryer surface. The creping action typically requires some adhesion of the web to the outer surface of the dryer to effect a consistent and uniform creping action. Creping adhesives alone or in combination with release agents or other adjuvants have been applied either to the web or to the surface of the dryer in efforts to provide some balance of adhesion and release between the web and the dryer surface for purposes of drying and creping.
Various properties of the creping adhesive can be factors in the creping performance obtained. The level of adhesion of the creping adhesive to the drum dryer surface can be another factor which affects creping performance and results. Inadequate adhesion can result in poor creping, sheet floating, poor sheet handling, or other problems, whereas excessive adhesion may result in crepe blade picking, web plugging behind the crepe blade, web breaks due to excessive tension, or other problems.
Various types of creping adhesives have been used to adhere fibrous webs to rotary dryers such as Yankee dryers. Unmodified polyvinyl alcohols ("PVOH") are known and have been used as the adhesive in creping processes. While widely available and cost-effective, they tend to coat the dryer with a hard and uneven film that builds up as drying and creping proceed, resulting in uneven creping or other problems. Another disadvantage of unmodified PVOH is found in the handling of the PVOH at the mill, where PVOH is often obtained off-site and must be shipped to the mill. Due to its molecular weight and its ability to gel in aqueous solutions, the overall amount of PVOH in water tends to be low, e.g. 8 wt %. Thus, a "concentrated" or bulk amount of PVOH is actually a very low concentration of PVOH, which significantly increases the cost of shipping PVOH to a paper mill.
Another disadvantage of aqueous solutions of PVOH is the tendency of these aqueous solutions to increase in viscosity over time. Aqueous solutions of PVOH can reach viscosities as high as 2,000-100,000 cP·s based on solid content, the degree of hydrolysis, and molecular weight, leading to difficulties in handling the PVOH at the mill. Further, at some point (e.g. a few days to a few months, depending on the molecular weight and degree of hydrolysis of the PVOH), the aqueous solutions of PVOH can irreversibly turn into gels, rendering the PVOH essentially useless as an adhesive composition in the creping process.
Prior graft polymerizations performed with PVOH have mainly involved the graft polymerization of vinylic monomers such as vinyl acetate, vinyl pyrrolidone, ethylene, and vinyl esters. Some acrylic monomers have been included in the monomer mixture, but past graft polymerizations have seen a problem with graft-polymerizing acrylic monomers because the rate of polymerization in the presence of PVOH is too high, leading to very large particles and coagulation.
In view of the foregoing, improved PVOH compositions are needed that address the disadvantages discussed above. Particularly, it would be desirable to provide a formulation that can address the cost and handling disadvantages seen with unmodified PVOH. Further, it is desirable to have a PVOH that is more storage stable over time, reducing the waste associated with PVOH compositions that gel over time and form, irreversibly, highly viscous gels. The present invention provides these solutions including providing methods and formulations to better address these problems. It is further desirable to graft-polymerize acrylic monomers in the presence of a PVOH polymer to form novel grafted polyvinyl alcohol polymers.

Grafted polyvinyl alcohol polymer, formulations containing the same, and creping methods

BUCKMAN LABORATORIES INTERNATIONAL, INC.


Systems and methods for rendering interactive web pages are disclosed. A disclosed method includes receiving a web page request, retrieving web page content for the web page, identifying one or more components that provide interactivity to the web page in the web content, determining whether the one or more components are critical components and communicating the determined one or more critical components in a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) head and communicating the remainder of the web content in an HTML body.

To display a web page or application on a user device, a client browser receives structured documents from a server and processes these structured documents. When a web page or application includes one or more interactive elements or components, the browser receives and downloads scripts for the interactive elements/components and processes these for display. Renderings of such interactive elements/components can cause display of the web page to be slow, which negatively affects user experience.


A light emitting display includes pixel circuits capable of compensating for the threshold voltages of their driving transistors. Each pixel circuit includes a driving transistor, a capacitor having one end coupled to a gate electrode of the driving transistor, a first switch coupled between the gate electrode of the driving transistor and a first main electrode, which is turned on in response to a first level of a first control signal for diode-coupling the driving transistor, and a second switch turned on in response to a second level of a second control signal to transmit current flowing out of the first main electrode of the driving transistor to a light emitting element. The second switch is turned on when the first switch is turned on for a first period longer than 0.05 μs and shorter than 2.5 μs. The second switch is turned on when the first switch is turned off.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light emitting display, and more particularly to a method of compensating for the variance in the threshold voltage of the driving transistor among the pixel circuits of the light emitting display.
(b) Description of the Related Art
In general, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, which is a light emitting display for displaying images using the electroluminescence of an organic material, displays images by driving N×M organic light emission cells arranged in a matrix on a voltage basis or a current basis.
An organic light emission cell, which is also called an organic light emitting diode (OLED) because the cell has diode characteristics, has a multi-layered structure including an anode layer which may be made of indium tin oxide (ITO), an organic thin film layer, and a cathode layer which may be made of metal. The organic thin film also has a multi-layered structure including an emitting layer (EML), an electron transport layer (ETL), and a hole transport layer (HTL). The organic thin film further includes a separate electron injecting layer (EIL) and a separate hole injecting layer (HIL). Therefore in one embodiment, an OLED display panel may be formed by arranging organic light emission cells in an N×M matrix.
Methods for driving the OLED display panel are generally classified as either a passive matrix method or an active matrix method using thin film transistors (TFTs). In the passive matrix method, anodes are perpendicular to cathodes and lines are selected and driven, while in the active matrix method, TFTs are coupled to respective ITO pixel electrodes and are driven by voltages maintained by capacitance of capacitors coupled to gates of the TFTs.
FIG. 1 is an equivalent circuit diagram of a pixel circuit employing a conventional active matrix method.
As shown in FIG. 1, the pixel circuit includes an OLED element (OLED), two transistors including a switching transistor SM and a driving transistor DM, and a capacitor Cst. Each of the two transistors SM and DM is a PMOS transistor.
The switching transistor SM has a gate electrode coupled to a scan line Sn, a source electrode coupled to a data line Dm, and a drain electrode coupled to one end of the capacitor Cst and a gate electrode of the driving transistor DM. The other end of the capacitor Cst is coupled to an operation voltage VDD. The driving transistor DM has a source electrode coupled to the operation voltage VDD and a drain electrode coupled to a pixel electrode of the OLED element (OLED). The OLED element (OLED) has a cathode coupled to a reference voltage Vss and emits light under application of current through the driving transistor DM. In this embodiment, the reference voltage Vss coupled to the cathode of the OLED element (OLED) is a voltage lower than the operation voltage VDD. For example, the reference voltage Vss may be a ground voltage.
In operation of the pixel circuit as configured above, when a select signal is applied to the scan line Sn and the switching transistor SM is then turned on, a data voltage is applied to the one end of the capacitor Cst and the gate electrode of the driving transistor DM. Accordingly, a gate-source voltage VGS of the driving transistor DM is maintained for a certain time by the capacitor Cst. The driving transistor DM applies current IOLED corresponding to the gate-source voltage VGS to the pixel electrode of the OLED element (OLED), causing the OLED element (OLED) to emit light. At this time, the current IOLED flowing through the OLED element (OLED) is expressed by the following Equation 1.
                                                                        I                OLED                            =                                                β                  2                                                                                (                                                                  V                        GS                                            -                                              V                        TH                                                              )                                    2                                                                                =                                                β                  2                                                                                (                                                                  V                        DD                                            -                                              V                        DATA                                            -                                                                                                V                          TH                                                                                                              )                                    2                                                                                [                  Equation                                                              1                ]
As can be seen from Equation 1, when a high data voltage VDATA is applied to the gate electrode of the driving transistor DM, the gate-source voltage VGS of the driving transistor DM is lowered at which point a small amount of current IOLED is applied to the pixel electrode resulting in a low light emission from the OLED element (OLED), and hence low gray scales of the OLED display panel. In contrast, when a low data voltage VDATA is applied to the gate electrode of the driving transistor DM, the gate-source voltage VGS of the driving transistor DM is raised at which point a large amount of current IOLED is applied to the pixel electrode, resulting in a high light emission from the OLED element (OLED), and hence high gray scales of the OLED display panel. In this way, a level of the data voltage applied to the pixel circuit may be determined based on an image data signal to be displayed.
However, as can be seen from Equation 1, in the pixel circuit as mentioned above, the current IOLED depends on a threshold voltage Vth of the driving transistor DM. Therefore, a difficulty may arise in accurately displaying images due to the different threshold voltages of the driving transistor DM for different pixels.

Light emitting display and driving method thereof