Volume of a fluid in a tank is determined by measuring the pressure of fluid proximate to the bottom of the tank. The depth of the fluid is then determined from the pressure and density of the fluid. Fluid volume is then determined mathematically or from charts given the depth as well as the size and shape of a tank. Multiple pressure readings may be taken along the bottom of a tank, and an average pressure determined that may be used to calculate volume. Pressure readings may be taken at different heights to determine fluid density used to calculate volume. Pressure readings may be adjusted for atmospheric pressure. Volume increases or decreases exceeding a respective predetermined threshold may be flagged and alerts generated. Volume calculations may be recorded for comparing against a volume of fluid recorded as being purchased.

It is not uncommon for commercial vehicle operators to use company charge cards for purchasing fuel in large quantities. Unscrupulous vehicle operators have been known to make fuel charges for fuel which was not added to the fuel tank of the approved vehicle, but instead added to the fuel tank of an accomplice vehicle operator's vehicle for which the accomplice may give the unscrupulous vehicle owner a monetary kickback. Other schemes derived by unscrupulous vehicle operators include collusion with service station operators to overcharge company charge cards in exchange for a monetary kickback and siphoning fuel from the fuel tank.
In light of the foregoing, an ongoing need exists for systems and methods which ensure that consumables, such as fuel, purchased on company charge cards is appropriately used for approved commercial vehicles. It would also be desirable that such systems and methods would mitigate or eliminate unscrupulous vehicle operators from stealing fuel or overcharging company charge cards. Still further, it would be desirable that such systems and methods would optimize the fuel consumption cycle, including purchase, verification, and performance, for not only a single vehicle, but for a fleet of commercial vehicles.

System and method for determining volume of fluid in a tank


Process for the manufacture of a complex moulded structure, constituted by a foam core (16) made from plastic and on its periphery by two, respectively upper (11, 12) and lower (6, 8, 9), half-shells, includes the following steps:. depositing in a mould (1, 2) a first element (6, 7, 8, 9) intended to form the lower half-shell, PA0 depositing on this first element (6, 8, 9) a deformable tubular element (13, 14, 17); PA0 depositing on top of this deformable tubular element (14) a second element (11, 12) intended to form the upper half-shell, PA0 closing the mould, PA0 injecting into the deformable tubular element (13, 14, 17) reactants intended to react in order to form a foam which expands in situ until pressing the element (11, 12) against the walls (3, 4, 10) of the mould, PA0 cooling the contents of the mould, PA0 and finally opening the mould in order to withdraw the complex moulded structure thus obtained, characterized in that at least the upper portion of the deformable tubular element (14) is rigid.

The invention relates to a process for the manufacture of a complex moulded structure. It also relates to the complex moulded structures and especially to the skis thus obtained.
By "complex moulded structure" is traditionally meant a moulded structure containing:
stiffening or reinforcing elements being in the form of wires or in the form of cloths, or even in the form of plates, PA1 and, possibly, protection elements, PA1 and/or various mechanical elements such as, for example, damping elements, lightening elements, etc. PA1 and, possibly, decoration elements. PA1 depositing in a mould a first element intended to form the lower half-shell, PA1 depositing on this first element a deformable tubular element; PA1 depositing on this deformable tubular element a second element intended to form the upper half-shell; PA1 closing the mould; PA1 injecting into the deformable tubular element reactants intended to react in order to form a foam which expands in situ until pressing the element against the walls of the mould; PA1 cooling the contents of the mould, PA1 and finally opening the mould in order to withdraw the complex moulded structure thus obtained.
Within the scope of the production of such structures, one of the main concerns consists in seeking a process capable of permitting a high degree of automation whilst optimizing the technical and mechanical characteristics of the final structure obtained.
Among the various processes known to date for the production of such structures, one of them consists in using the pressure caused by the expansion of a foam made from plastic, especially from polyurethane, in order for the various elements entering in the composition of the structure to be pressed against the interior walls of a shaping mould (see for example French Patent FR-A-2,553,669).
Now, in general, and especially in the framework of the application to skis, use is frequently made, as stiffening and/or reinforcing element, of textile materials in the form of cloths advantageously preimpregnated with a solventless resin, which during the production of the structure develops adhesive properties, especially in contact with the central core.
Now the use of a central core of the polymerizable foam type in association with such a preimpregnated reinforcing element comes up against a major difficulty: in fact, incompatibility or, on the contrary, affinity phenomena sometimes arise between the constituent elements of the foam of the central core and the constituent elements of the resin for impregnating the preimpregnated fabric, leading to local alterations in the cohesion of the structure, unacceptable for numerous applications and especially for a ski. These phenomena may induce adhesion defects between these two elements, leading to a structure being obtained which is imperfect from the point of view of its mechanical properties.
In document FR-A-1,248,660, it has been proposed, for the production of such a structure, to install an air chamber in the mould, then to inflate this air chamber by means of compressed air, the result of which presses the constituent elements of the structure against the walls of the mould, and finally to inject a polymerizable foam into the space thus provided.
Although for sure this process enables previously mentioned drawbacks to be overcome, on the other hand it requires at least two steps, namely the inflation of the air chamber and then the injection of the reactants of the core, therefore longer to implement and furthermore relatively difficult to be able to be automated.

Process for the manufacture of a complex moulded structure, and especially of a ski


A motor includes a rotary and a stationary portion. The rotary portion includes a shaft, a rotor holder, and a rotor magnet. The stationary portion includes a bearing member, a housing, a stator, a circuit board directly or indirectly held in the housing, positioned axially below the rotor holder, and a circuit board support portion provided together with the housing as a monolithic member or directly or indirectly held in the housing, directly or indirectly attached to a device body. The circuit board includes first and second circuit boards positioned respectively axially above and below the circuit board support portion. The first and second circuit boards are electrically connected via a connecting member, and partially overlap. An attachment portion attaching the motor to a device is positioned on an outer peripheral surface of the circuit board support portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motor mounted to a so-called handy (i.e., hand-operated) electronic product such as a hair curler or the like which is held by and used with the hand of a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a motor has been required to be made smaller as household electronic products become smaller in size.
A motor mounted to a handy electronic product such as a small-sized hair curler or the like is often installed within a portion of a main body held with the hand of a user or disposed within a flow path of a fluid. Accordingly, a reduction in the outer diameter of a motor is directly associated with a reduction in the weight and size of a handy electronic product such as a hair curler or the like. For that reason, the motor is required to be made smaller in size.
In addition to the miniaturization of a circuit board resulting from the reduction in the size of the motor, an attachment portion for attaching the motor to a main body of an electronic product overlaps with a portion of a circuit board mounting space. This poses a problem in that the circuit board mounting space becomes narrow and deficient.


A wiring structure improvement of an insulation piercing connector for electrical connection after plural signal lines (40) being inserted includes a connector body (1), plural terminals (2) disposed in the connector body (1), and a rotary cable coupler (3). The connector body (1) has a wiring end (11). Each of the terminals (2) has a terminal body (20) and a piercing member (21) formed at one end of the terminal body (20) and disposed at the wiring end (11). The rotary cable coupler (3) is sleeved around the wiring end (11) and has plural plug holes (30) corresponding to the piercing members (21). Thus, when the rotary cable coupler (3) is rotated, the signal lines (40) are pushed by the plug holes (30) towards the piercing members (21) correspondingly such that the piercing members (21) pierce the signal lines (40) for the electrical connection.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector and, in particular, to a wiring structure improvement of an insulation piercing connector.
2. Description of Related Art
In a traditional electrical connector, the electrical connection between the signal lines and the terminals of the electrical connector or the PCB is mostly made by welding. However, in some occasions, the electrical connection is made by piercing and breaking the insulation layer covering the wire to expose the wire core therein; thus, the electrical connection can be made between the signal lines and the terminals.
However, in the traditional insulation piercing connector, the individual signal line is usually required to be inserted and pierced one by one, which is laborious and results in a higher defective rate associated with product assembly due to human error and thus needs improvements.
In view of foregoing, the inventor pays special attention to research with the application of related theory to propose the present invention, a reasonable design, to overcome the above disadvantages regarding the above related art.

Wiring structure improvement of insulation piercing connector


A quick disconnect coupler includes a seal retaining member movably mounted in a coupler housing. A sealing washer biases the retaining member toward first position, and an annular seal is mounted in the retaining member. This annular seal defines both axial and radial sealing surfaces, and it is configured to transmit sufficient force to the seal retaining member to move the seal retaining member to a rearward position in response to a first, larger diameter plug bearing on the axial sealing surface, and to form a radial seal around a second, smaller diameter plug.

This invention relates to a quick disconnect coupler having a seal which can be shaped to seal against all three of the commonly used coupler plugs.
Quick disconnect couplers are in widespread use for releasably joining pneumatic and fluid transfer lines. In general, quick disconnect couplers use hardened balls or pins which engage a groove in the coupler plug to hold it securely against a soft seal while permitting the assembly to swivel, thereby preventing kinking or twisting of hoses. A sliding sleeve is manually retracted to release the locking balls or pins, thereby permitting the plug to be inserted or removed. The sleeve automatically returns to the lock position when released. Generally, an automatic shut-off valve is provided in the coupler to seal the central passageway of the coupler automatically upon uncoupling. This eliminates the need for a separate shut-off.
In the past, a number of sealing approaches have been used to seal the housing of the coupler to the coupler plug. One approach is to use an O-ring shown for example in Karcher, et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,951. A second approach is to use a cylindrical sealing surface that provides a radial seal, as shown for example in Gailey, U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,893. A third approach is to use a cut washer which abuts the extreme end surface of the coupler plug to provide the required seal. See, for example, the quick disconnect couplers shown on page 4 of the Amflo Coupler and Plug catalog. In the coupler shown in the Amflo catalog, the automatic shut-off valve is spring biased to seal against the opposed side of the cut washer.
At least in the U.S., coupler plugs are not standardized. In fact, three types of coupler plugs are in common use, and they differ substantially in the outer diameter of the nose of the coupler plug, and in the axial position of the nose of the coupler plug with respect to the annular retaining groove of the plug. It would be advantageous to provide a quick disconnect coupler that seals reliably against all three commonly available coupler plugs.
A prior art approach to providing a quick disconnect coupler which is intended to seal all three commonly available plugs is to use a U cup seal in the coupler which slides axially along the length of the coupler as necessary to seal against any one of the three plugs. The structure of this prior art coupler is similar to the Hansen AUTO-FLO 20 coupler shown in various catalogs of the Tuthill Corporation, Hansen Coupling Division. In this arrangement, the coupling plug shifts the seal axially along the central passageway of the housing as necessary to bring the seal into sealing engagement with the nose of the plug. The illustrated design has a cylindrical, inwardly facing sealing surface, and the sliding seal is spring biased towards the retaining elements by the automatic shut-off valve.


An exhaust turbocharger has a housing, in which a shaft is mounted by bearings, which carries a turbine wheel, on the one hand, and a compressor wheel, on the other hand. An electric machine has a rotor and a stator. The rotor is secured on the shaft for conjoint rotation therewith and the stator surrounds the rotor radially on the outside. A sleeve, which supports the rotor radially and axially, is arranged between the stator and the rotor. The sleeve has at least one fluid duct, by way of which a cooling fluid can be guided toward the bearings of the shaft.

In motor vehicles, internal combustion engines charged by a turbocharger are known. In this case, an exhaust gas flow of the internal combustion engine drives a turbine wheel of the turbocharger, which is connected to a compressor wheel, which compresses air in the intake tract of the internal combustion engine before it is fed into the internal combustion engine. As a result, more air is delivered into the intake tract, increasing engine power and engine torque.
In the case of such exhaust turbochargers, however, it is disadvantageous that the response behavior of the exhaust turbocharger is dependent on the exhaust gas flow. Therefore, electrically assisted exhaust turbochargers are known in which an electric machine is integrated into the exhaust turbocharger. Reference is made in this regard to DE 11 2018 002 019 T5, which is incorporated by reference herein, for example. This document discloses an exhaust turbocharger having an electric machine in which oil is guided to the bearings of the rotor shaft by means of spray pipes in order to supply the bearings with lubricating oil. This requires a considerable amount of installation space.
DE 11 2013 000 614 T5, which is incorporated by reference herein, likewise discloses an exhaust turbocharger having an electric machine in which oil is guided to the bearings via ducts. In this case, the oil is collected and discharged by a funnel-shaped region of the housing.
Described herein is an exhaust turbocharger which has a compact design and efficient cooling.


A female terminal fitting (F) has a terminal main body (10) with an inserting portion (11) that has two opposed resilient contacts (17) for receiving a male terminal fitting (M). A mounting member (30) is mountable sideways onto the inserting portion (11). The mounting member (30) has a base (31) and two supports (32) that extend in a widthwise direction from opposite ends of the base (31). The supports (32) are located to support the outer surfaces of the resilient contacts (17) opposite from contact surfaces (17a) with the male terminal fitting (M).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a female terminal fitting with resilient contact pieces.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,390 and FIG. 17 herein disclose a female terminal fitting. As shown in FIG. 17, the female terminal fitting 5 has a terminal main body 1 with two resilient contact pieces 2. The resilient contact pieces 2 have opposed facing contact surfaces that can be brought into contact with a mating male terminal fitting. A rectangular tubular cover 3 is fitted on the terminal main body 1. The cover 3 is cut and bent to form two resilient supports 4 that cantilever along the longitudinal direction of the female terminal fitting 5. Each resilient support 4 has a free end supported in contact with the outer surface of the corresponding resilient contact piece 2 opposite from the contact surface thereof. Thus, the supports 4 enhance the resilient force of the contact pieces 2 and increase a contact pressure with the mating male terminal fitting.
A demand exists for miniaturized terminal fittings. However, problems arise in efforts to miniaturize the female terminal fitting 5. Specifically, a narrower cover 3 requires the base ends of the resilient supports 4 to be narrower and weaker. As a result, the resilient contact pieces 2 are not supported sufficiently, and a contact pressure with the mating male terminal fitting may be insufficient.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problem and an object thereof is to maintain a high contact pressure with a mating male terminal fitting.

Female terminal fitting and method of assembling such terminal fitting


A microwave heating element is described which permits a more uniform microwave cooking of a foodstuff to be achieved. The element comprises a layer of electroconductive material having circular openings formed therethrough and arranged in an array that generates thermal energy when exposed to microwave energy and adjacent a foodstuff. An antenna is provided in at least some of the openings to guide microwave energy to and through the openings. The electroconductive material layer usually is adhered to a paperboard layer with an overlying polymeric film layer.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,059 (Wendt et al) describes a device for use in heating a foodstuff by microwave energy by employing a grid in conjunction with an electroconductive ring to impart a predetermined temperature profile to the foodstuff. The grid comprises a series of circular or hexagonally-shaped openings formed through a sheet of electroconductive material.
Exposure of such a grid to microwave energy, with the openings arranged in a specific array, and mounted on a paperboard sheet, but without the conductive ring, results in the generation of thermal energy in the metal region while little microwave energy passes through the openings to the foodstuff below the grid.

Microwave heating element with antenna structure


A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a fixing portion; and a rotary body module including a rotating shaft rotatably installed on the fixing portion, a first rotating unit connected to the rotating shaft and on which a wafer is mounted, and a second rotating unit disposed around the first rotating unit and on which a retainer ring is mounted, wherein the fixing portion comprises a first driving member disposed above the first rotating unit and a second driving member disposed above the second rotating unit, wherein the first and second driving members are comprised of a magnet or an electromagnet, wherein a first magnet, disposed opposite to the first driving member, is provided in the first rotating unit, and a second magnet, disposed opposite to the second driving member, is provided in the second rotating unit, and wherein the first rotating unit and the second rotating unit are independently tilted.

The present inventive concept relates to a rotary body module, and a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus having the same.
A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process using a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus may be used for planarization of a wafer in manufacturing semiconductor devices. There may be situations in which, when the chemical mechanical polishing process is performed, reliability for planarization of a wafer may be lowered, because the wafer may not be kept horizontal due to high integration of semiconductor devices and large aperture of a wafer.

Rotary body module and chemical mechanical polishing apparatus having the same


A railroad car wheelset has an axle with one wheel rigidly attached as in conventional railroad practice. This wheel is permitted to rotate by journal bearings. At the other wheel, the axle is provided with a smooth surface and a self-lubricating bearing is provided as a part of a hub on the axle. The axle is provided with a boss for preventing the independently rotating wheel from migrating laterally out of proper alignment. A bearing is located between this boss and the side of the wheel. A removable retainer plate is located on the other side of the independently rotating wheel. Adjacent the removable retainer plate is an electrical contactor. The bearings can be comprised of a lubricant coating permanently bonded to the bearing surface of the hub. Latch elements are pivotally secured to the other wheel and engagable with locking elements operatively secured to the axle. A second wheelset has an independently rotatable wheel locked to the axle automatically in one direction.

Wheelsets for railroad cars are usually comprised of an axle and two wheels. The wheels are pressed on to the axle shaft and are rigidly mounted so that both wheels turn exactly the same degree of rotation during operation. The wheelset assembly may be supported by journal bearings outboard of each wheel or the bearings may be located inboard of the wheels. The rigid assembly of the wheels on the axle and the lack of independent rotation of the wheels is the cause of slippage on the rail when the wheelset operates in curved sections of track. This slippage causes wear on the wheel treads and rails and is a prime cause of corrective maintenance on both the wheels and the track.
Efforts have been made to overcome the problems associated with the rigid assembly of conventional wheelsets by placing bearings between the axle and the wheel on at least one end of the axle to permit differential speeds of rotation of the wheels at opposite ends of the axle. In such cases, a hub is located on at least one end of the axle and a wheel is mounted on the hub or on the axle and its rotation with respect to the axle is facilitated by a bearing assembly. As discussed hereafter, electrical continuity from the two rails through the wheels and the axle is necessary for operation of signal devices or the like. This electrical continuity was established with the conventional railroad wheelsets wherein the wheels were rigidly fixed through opposite ends of the axle. However, with the advent of one of the wheels being mounted on the axle by means of a bearing assembly, the electrical continuity between the wheels was less than perfect. With the advent of non-metallic bearings, the electrical continuity was not possible.
A typical signal device for a road crossing, for example which utilizes a crossing arm, flashing lights, and the like, derives electrical energy from any conventional source. A low voltage is imposed on a given dedicated length of rail on opposite sides of the signal, with the opposite rail being electrically connected to the signal whereupon the signal circuit is closed when the wheel assembly of a train initially moves onto the dedicated length of rail. The circuit is completed between the opposite rails through the wheels and axle of the train's wheel assemblies which allow the flow of energy therethrough to electrically connect the opposite rails.
Even when a differential action wheelset is used, an adverse situation arises wherein, upon beginning motion, one of the independent wheels moves in one direction and the other wheel on the axle moves in the opposite direction in a pivoting effect. That is because when an axle is provided with one or more independently rotatable wheels, it is possible for the axle to rotate about its vertical centerline if one of the wheels rotates in one direction and the other wheel rotates in the opposite direction. If the axle with the independently rotatable wheels is mounted in a short wheelbase two-axle truck, it may be possible for the two wheels on one side of the truck to move in one direction, while the two wheels on the other side of the truck rotate in the opposite direction. This action may result in derailing the truck and will be more pronounced and prevalent in a short wheelbase two-axle truck than in a long wheelbase two-axle truck.
Field testing by the American Association of Railroads (described in ASME Paper No. 7-5, dated Sep. 12-15, 1988) indicates that in certain situations it is desirable to have the wheelset in the leading axle position of a multi-axle truck be equipped with non-independent wheel rotation, and the wheelset in the trailing axle position equipped with independently rotating wheels. The problem in such an arrangement is that the leading axle wheelset when the railroad car is operating in one direction is the trailing axle wheelset when the railroad car operates in the opposite direction.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide a railroad car wheelset with independently rotating wheels in which the differential action is made inoperable upon stopping and at lower speeds, and when the differential action is automatically resumed when the wheel rotation reaches a predetermined operational speed.
A further object of this invention to provide a railroad wheelset with independent rotation of wheels with respect to each other which will consistently retain the electrical continuity between the opposite wheels and the rails upon which they are supported.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a wheelset with independent rotation of the wheels with respect to each other which can be used in existing truck designs without modification to the truck structures or the braking system.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a railroad wheelset which requires no additional maintenance than conventional rigid wheelsets after installation and during service.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a railroad wheelset with independently rotating wheels in which the differential action is made available with no decrease in safety or reliability.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a railroad car wheelset with independent wheel rotation which can be economically manufactured and applied to railroad cars of all types.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a railroad car wheelset with independent wheel rotation wherein the bearings for the independently rotatable wheel is comprised of a lubricating coating.
A still further object of this invention is to provide the alternate capability of operating a wheelset either as a fixed-wheel wheelset in one direction and as an independently rotatable wheel wheelset in the opposite direction.
A still further object of this invention is to permit the alternate capability to be achieved using a minimum of special parts and a maximum of common parts.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Stationary, slow speed and uni-directional lockout for differential action railroad car wheelsets


A method and apparatus is disclosed which provide a scroll bar for use with a display device. The scroll bar has an index and the data displayed on the display device is presented according to the index. In response to user commands the method and apparatus provide additional nested indexes for the displayed data.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for searching data for display on a display device. More particularly, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to graphical user interfaces (GUIs) which help a user to-search for desired elements of data.
GUIs commonly use a window to display data, the window having one or more associated scroll bars. The scroll bars normally form part of a border of the window and have sliders movable by a user along the length of the scroll bar. Such movement of the slider results in movement of the data displayed in the window.
Scroll bars are used when all the data will not fit into the window. If, for example, the data is a list of items, then part of the list is displayed and the scroll bar used to move the list relative to the window so that all parts of the list data can be viewed. In this way a small window can be used to view large sets of data.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,550,559 discloses a GUI with a scroll bar for displaying lists of data. The scroll bar background displays an index to the list of data. Each line of the list of data elements is represented by an element in the index. The slider is also sized to cover the elements in the index whose corresponding data elements are currently displayed in the window. The index in the scroll bar enables the user to move the data in the viewing window so as to display desired elements.

International Business Machines Corporation


An integrated optical modulator array useful for modulating light at different wavelengths in the same optical band includes multiple GeSi waveguides on a substrate. Each GeSi waveguide has a different width and is coupled to electrodes to form an electro-absorption modulator. A stressor material, such as SiN, disposed between the GeSi waveguides in the optical modulators applies a strain to the GeSi waveguides. Because each GeSi waveguide has a different width, it experiences a different strain. This difference can be a difference in magnitude, type (homogeneous v. inhomogeneous, compressive v. tensile), or both. The different strains shift the bandgaps of the Ge in the GeSi waveguides by different amounts, shifting the optical absorption edges for the GeSi waveguides by different amounts. Put differently, the stressor layer strains each GeSi modulator differently, causing each GeSi modulator to operate at a different wavelength.

Silicon (Si)-based integrated electronic and photonic circuits serve as a promising platform for telecommunications and integrated micro-photonics. Complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) compatible photonic modulators with high operation frequency and suitable operation wavelength range are playing an important role in generating binary 0/1 signals at a fast and reliable rate for the realization of a fully integrated electronic and photonics system. Most Si modulators employ a Si refractive index change via free carrier injection. For example, phase-shift modulators using Mach-Zehnder or ring resonator structures have been demonstrated. Unfortunately, the performance of Si phase-shift modulators is limited by carrier recombination during free carrier injection. Si phase-shift modulators also have relatively high power consumption and large device footprints.
Group III-V semiconductor electro-absorption modulators via direct-band materials' Franz-Keldysh effect have also been demonstrated. However, their CMOS incompatibility makes it challenging to make group III-V electro-absorption modulators directly on integrated Si platforms.
Epitaxially grown germanium (Ge) and GeSi on Si substrates are suitable for integrated modulator applications because of their Si CMOS compatibility and distinctive optoelectronic properties. A GeSi electro-absorption modulator employs the Franz-Keldysh effect, similar to group III-V direct band modulators. Applied electric field shifts the modulator material's direct band edge and increases its absorption coefficient. The light intensity passing through the modulator, therefore, can be controlled by the electric field applied across the modulator material. The as-grown epitaxial Ge thin films on Si substrate have an intrinsic tensile strain of ˜0.2% due to the thermal expansion coefficient difference between the Ge epitaxial film and the Si substrate. That strain shifts the GeSi modulator's operation wavelength to 1600 nm.
A modulator's operating wavelength adjustment and its system integration for broadband modulation are two major challenges for making modulator arrays for telecommunication and integrated Si micro-photonics. In the case of a phase-shift modulator, the modulator's operating wavelength can be adjusted by changing the coupling gap between the ring resonator and the bus waveguide or by changing the dimensions of the ring structure. In the case of an electro-absorption modulator, the optimization of the modulator material for a specific wavelength can be achieved by tuning the material composition or applying a strain into the material. Both approaches aim to optimize the bandgap for a target wavelength.
The conventional strategy of inserting a modulator for a specific wavelength modulation involves specific materials engineering and device fabrication for each individual modulator. In order to make an integrated system with broadband modulation, multiple modulators have to be fabricated individually and assembled onto a chip. Each fabrication step involves a cost of design and processing development. The more modulators integrated for multiple operation wavelengths, the broader the band coverage and the higher optoelectronic data processing capacity. However, using conventional approaches causes a dramatic increase in cost of device fabrication and system integration.

Strained germanium silicon optical modulator array including stress materials


A source mounted semiconductor device package is described which includes a semiconductor die having first and second opposing major surfaces, first and second major electrodes disposed on respective major surfaces and a control electrode disposed on the second major surface, and a thin metal clip electrically connected to the first major electrode of the die. The thin metal clip has a relatively large surface area, and package resistance which is caused by skin effect phenomenon is reduced thereby in high frequency applications.

The performance demands on server computer systems, desktop computers, personal digital assistants ("PDA's"), cellular telephones and other electronic devices have led to substantial demands for improved microprocessor performance, for example, measured in clock speed. Power is typically supplied to a microprocessor from a fixed 12V supply rail using a point of load converter or voltage regulator module ("VRM"). In order to supply a fast transient current response, as required by the microprocessor, converter frequencies have been increased to over 1 megahertz (MHz) and, in many cases, multiphase designs have been adopted.
Next generation microprocessors operate at voltages approaching 1 volt (V) and at escalating frequencies. Current requirements are increasing rapidly, increasing the need for very fast transient response. Since 1999, transient response has increased from 20 A per microsecond to about 325 A per microsecond, and is projected to grow to 400 A per microsecond within a year. To address challenges, for example, to shrink the large capacitor banks that would otherwise be required, buck converters must operate at high frequencies, above the 1 MHz range. At such high frequencies, switching losses become critical due to PCB trace inductance and power package parasitics. This has led industry experts to believe that an integrated solution is needed to reach such high switching frequencies.
Prior art semiconductor device packages are produced with a variety of configurations. One such configuration is shown in FIG. 1.
Referring to the drawing figures in which like reference numerals refer to like elements, there is shown in FIG. 1 a prior art semiconductor device package 10 that includes a molded housing 12 which has disposed therein a semiconductor power switching device (not shown). The electrodes of the power semiconductor switching device contained within molded housing 12 of semiconductor device package 10 are electrically connected to respective external leads. Typically, at least one external lead serves as an input lead 14, while another external lead functions as an output lead 16. Other external leads may function as ground connection 18, a control lead 20 for carrying a control signal, and a (Vcc) lead 22.
Operating power MOSFET devices over 1 MHz poses challenges to existing power electronic packages (e.g., D-PAK, D2PAK and the wirebonded SO-8 devices).
It has been found that external leads, such as the ones included with semiconductor device package 10 of FIG. 1, exhibit increased resistance at high RF operating frequencies, and particularly at frequencies greater than about 1 MHz. It is believed that the increase in resistance at high RF frequencies is due to skin effect, a phenomenon which causes the flow of carriers to move toward the exterior surface of the external leads. Skin effect is an electromagnetic phenomenon in which current flowing through a material of a given cross sectional area is confined to the perimeter of that area, especially at elevated frequencies. The skin effect restricts the current to a small cross-section of external leads, thereby increasing the overall resistance of the semiconductor device package and making it less suitable for high frequency applications.
It is, therefore, desirable to have a semiconductor device package that does not exhibit the increased resistance in its external connections due to the skin effect.

Direct FET device for high frequency application


An instrument for generating a signal to activate or terminate electronic equipment from a remote location through a responsive sensor including an elongated rigid support formation with a switching device at one end and a signal emitting component mounted at the other end with the switching device and signal emitting component linked so that upon activation of the switching device a signal is generated in the direction established by the elongated support formation.

Hand-held instruments for selectively energizing, by wireless remote control, one or more of several electronic units at an extended distance therefrom are needed where many such units are grouped together, for example in retail outlets for display or for demonstration of the operation of same to prospective purchasers; or to operate one or more of several units selectively as in a bank of stacked television sets, video cassette recorders, CD or DVD disk players and receivers; or in the control of separately spaced electronic equipment in any setting as in recording or broadcasting events from several camera sites at an arena, stadium, on a movie set or in a theater.
It is also desirable that a television set, for example, once energized by the improved hand-held wireless control unit at a distance therefrom can include an input device configured to control television performance and to execute game software instructions and control logic as demonstrated by U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,358.B2 issued Feb. 17, 2004.
In any arrangement of display for sale of any unit it will be desirable, if not required, to be able to energize a specific unit to the exclusion of other like units through a remote control switch to demonstrate the attributes thereof for a prospective purchaser, to be accomplished from a distance if so desired.
A disabled person in the home setting may have difficulty in approaching an electronic unit, or the sensor of such unit could be blocked by an intervening object.
It would be of great assistance and advantageous in those circumstances to have instrumentation in hand that could overcome most difficulties and improve the quality of life of the disabled person and also of the care giver.
Obviously, it will be advantageous if not satisfying, as a choice, to be able to selectively energize and operate electronic systems from a remote position as compared with known devices and arrangements.
Furthermore, in such display and in the operation of television sets, computers or other electronic instruments arranged in banks or stacked in close proximity, it will be convenient to be able to turn one of several instruments on or off, to select, reset, energize and change channels and to perform other tasks as for example enabling a DVD or other unit for viewing a program.


In an industrial two-layer fabric, running surface side wefts constituting the running surface side layer each has a design in which the running surface side weft passes over a running surface side warp, passes under two successive running surface side warps, passes over a running surface side warp and passes under at least four successive running surface side warps, thereby forming a long crimp of the weft on the running surface side surface. A running surface side weft adjacent to the above-described weft or adjacent to the above-described weft with one weft sandwiched therebetween is arranged with a design obtained by shifting the design of the above-described weft by two running surface side warps. The design of the running surface side warps is formed of a portion passing under a running surface side weft and a portion passing over at least two running surface side wefts.

Fabrics obtained by weaving warps and wefts have conventionally been used widely as an industrial fabric. They are, for example, used in various fields including papermaking wires, conveyor belts and filter cloths and are required to have fabric properties suited for the intended use or using environment. Of such fabrics, a papermaking wire used in a papermaking step for removing water from raw materials by making use of the network of the fabric must satisfy a severe demand. There is therefore a demand for the development of fabrics which do not transfer a wire mark of the fabric and therefore have excellent surface property, have enough rigidity and therefore are usable desirably even under severe environments, or are capable of maintaining conditions necessary for making good paper for a prolonged period of time. In addition, fiber supporting property, improvement in a papermaking yield, good water drainage property, wear resistance, dimensional stability and running stability are demanded. In recent years, owing to the speed-up of a papermaking machine, requirements for papermaking wires become severe further.
Since most of the demands for industrial fabrics and solutions thereof can be understood if papermaking fabrics on which the most severe demand is imposed among industrial fabrics will be described, the present invention will hereinafter be described by use of the papermaking fabric as a representative example.
An increase in the papermaking speed of a paper machine needs reinforcement of a dehydration power, because it leads to an increase in the dehydration speed. A multilayer fabric needs a drainage hole penetrating from an upper surface side layer toward a running surface side layer so that a fabric having a structure that upper surface side warps and running surface side warps, and upper surface side wefts and running surface side wefts are vertically overlapped is preferred. Misalignment of yarns constituting the upper surface side layer and yarns constituting the running surface side layer narrows a drainage hole penetrating from the upper surface side layer toward the running surface side layer, and in such a case, excessive suction must be required. When a suction force is raised, loss of fibers or fillers or bite of a wet web into a wire increases, or sticking of fibers occurs, which deteriorates wet web releasability when the wet web is transferred to a felt, or sometimes leads to remarkable generation of wire marks. In addition, owing to a high speed travel, a papermaking fabric wears gradually on a running surface side thereof, which is in contact with the machine, by the friction with a roll or the like and owing to such a phenomenon, the life of the fabric sometimes runs out. In order to improve wear resistance, a variety of measures must be taken, for example, by adopting a weft wear type design or changing the material of a yarn. It is the common practice to use a yarn with a larger diameter in order to impart the fabric with wear resistance. This measure is effective for improving the wear resistance, but not effective for attaining excellent surface property. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-355191, an example of undesirable overlap between upper surface side warps and running surface side warps is shown. As an example of a structure in which a long crimp of a running surface side weft is formed in a running surface side layer as illustrated in FIG. 4 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-355191, a 10-shaft fabric having a structure in which a running surface side weft passes over a running surface side warp, passes under a running surface side warp, passes over a running surface side warp, and passes under seven successive running surface side warps, thereby forming a long crimp can be mentioned. Transfer of yarns does not occur easily during running of the fabric, because wefts are woven twice per cycle. Since in a portion of a running surface side weft which passes over a running surface side warp, passes under a running surface side warp and then passes over a running surface side warp, however, two warps having a running surface side weft woven upward get closer toward a running surface side warp arranged therebetween. As a result, these three yarns get closer and as illustrated in FIG. 4 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-355191, running surface side warps are not arranged straight. Since the upper surface side warps and running surface side warps do not overlap vertically, a water draining property which papermaking fabrics must have and air permeability which fabrics for transport must have are not attained.


A method for radiographic imaging obtains a radiographic image of a patient's chest and processes the obtained image to generate a default radiographic image and a bone-enhanced image. At least a portion of one or more ribs within the default radiographic image is detected and a rib mask generated according to the at least the detected portion of the one or more ribs. The rib mask is applied to the bone-enhanced image to define masked enhanced image content that includes the detected at least the portion of one or more ribs. A composite image that combines the masked enhanced image content with the default radiographic image is generated and displayed.

The chest x-ray is useful for detecting a number of patient conditions and for imaging a range of skeletal and organ structures. Conventional radiographic images of the chest are useful for detection of lung nodules and other features that indicate lung cancer, other pathologic structures and other life-threatening conditions. In clinical applications such as in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), chest x-rays can have particular value for indicating pneumothorax as well as for tube/line positioning, and other clinical conditions. To view the lung fields more clearly and allow accurate analysis of a patient's condition, it is useful to suppress the rib cage and related features in the chest x-ray, without losing detail of the lung tissue or other features within the chest cavity.
A different set of considerations applies for trauma patients, particularly with pediatric cases. With very young children, chest and other x-rays can provide the only practical method for identifying and assessing trauma, such as from accidents or mishandling of the child, including child abuse cases such as shaken-baby syndrome and the like. In such cases, enhancement of rib and other bone structures can be of particular value for identifying rib fractures and related bone damage. Utilities that help to provide a more accurate diagnosis and assessment of rib trauma and injury can help to increase staff confidence as to whether or not intervention is required as well as providing evidence in abuse cases. In addition, proper levels of enhancement can help to reduce the need for retakes and consequent added radiation exposure to the patient.
Conventional chest x-ray enhancement processing identifies the enclosed lung field content and suppresses surrounding rib content that obstructs image content of the lung tissue. For trauma identification and assessment, however, somewhat a reverse of this processing approach is needed. That is, the full rib cage, particularly posterior regions, must be identified and enhanced to allow better visibility of fractures and related conditions. This includes portions of the skeletal structure that lie outside the lung area or the area typically associated with a lung mask. It can be appreciated that the problems of rib identification and segmentation can be fairly complex due to the need to identify the full extent of the rib cage and related skeletal structure within and outside the lung regions, including areas over the heart region, subdiaphragmatic regions, and including bony and connective cartilaginous structures that link the ribs to the spine.
It can be appreciated that there is a need for methods that detect and enhance rib and other bone content in radiological images.


A highly available shared file system is described for use in computing environments. A floating network address can be associated with any one of a plurality of servers. The floating network address is associated with a first server. An area of data on a storage device is made available by the first server to be accessed by the other servers. The other servers then refer to the floating network address to access the area of data through the first server. If the first server becomes unavailable, the floating network address is transferred from the first server to a second server. The area of data is then made available by the second server to be accessed by the other servers. The other servers continue to access the area of data through the second server by referring to the floating network address.

In today's computing environments, many computers can have access to many areas of storage on one or several storage subsystems. The areas of storage on disks, CD-ROMs and the like are usually arranged into file systems consisting of organized directories and files for ease of access by the user of a given computer. In many applications, it is useful to be able to share such file systems between multiple computers.
Software is available to enable such file sharing for different types of computing systems. For example, the Network File System ("NFS"), developed by Sun Microsystems Inc., allows sharing of file systems in such computing environments. NFS allows a server, known as the NFS server, to "export" a file system such that it is available for use by other computers, known as NFS clients. The NFS clients can then "mount" the file system, allowing them to access the file system through the NFS server that exported the file system.
Many computing environments implement critical software, such as database applications, that must be highly available. That is, little down time can be tolerated for these applications. Such critical software often requires a file sharing system. NFS, though simple to implement, presents a single point of failure for a given file system because all the NFS clients access the file system through the NFS server. NFS is therefore not an ideal file sharing system in its present form for use in a highly available environment.
Highly available file systems, known as "clustered file systems" ("CFS") have been developed in order to provide a more robust file system sharing solution. A typical CFS allows storage devices such as disks, CD-ROMs and the like to be attached to all nodes in the cluster and to be accessed directly by every node. The storage devices appear to be controlled and managed by a single entity, which continues to operate as nodes in the cluster fail and recover. Since all nodes have direct access to all storage, there is no single point of failure. Though a CFS provides a highly available shared file system, a CFS is very complicated, expensive, and difficult to implement.
There is a need for a shared file system that is highly available but relatively simple to implement and that avoids the other inadequacies and disadvantages associated with implementing a full scale CFS.

In a networked computing cluster storage system and plurality of servers sharing files, in the event of server unavailability, transferring a floating IP network address from first server to second server to access area of data


Composite particles are provided that impart unique, entertaining optical and/or organoleptic effects in food products when exposed to an aqueous environment. In one embodiment, the composite particles have a least two layers which, when exposed to an aqueous environment, provide at least two sequential changes in the food product. Such changes can include changes in color or other visual appearance characteristics, flavor, and the like, as well as combinations thereof. In another embodiment, the composite particles are included in a powdered beverage mix wherein the powdered beverage mix itself provide the initial sequential change followed, by an appropriate delay, the second sequential change; further sequential changes can be provided, if desired, by providing additional layers with the appropriate optical and/or organoleptic ingredients therein.

Powdered beverage mixes, such as KOOL-AID® and TANG®, have been commercially available for many years. They are relatively long shelf life, stable products that are reconstituted from the dry mixes when desired without the need to handle and transport the bulk fluid carrier. Powdered beverage products generally are an alternative product choice for consumers with so-called ready-to-drink (RTD) beverage products. RTD beverages offer a consumer a different form of convenience because the consumer does not need to formulate the drink from powder and water before consuming it. Beyond these differences, the conventional reconstituted powdered beverages and RTD beverages are often very similar to consumers. The food and beverage industry would be interested in novelties that can be introduced in powdered beverage mixes to help differentiate these product lines and spark consumer interest in powdered beverage mixes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,794 describes a powdered composition containing an anthraquinonoid compound, one or more organic acids, and one or more alkaline salts, wherein the organic acids or alkaline salts are coated with water soluble substance so that the pH of the solution in which the powdered composition is placed can be changed, thereby varying the color of the anthraquinonoid in solution.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,235 describes cereals and confections which change color on contact with an aqueous liquid (e.g., milk). The cereal or confection particles are coated with a water soluble liquid which allows an edible opaque powder (e.g., sugar, starch, titan white) to adhere to the particles and obscure the underlying color. When placed in an aqueous environment, the underlying color is exposed, thereby changing the color.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,958,481 provides a method for making novelty ice cubes that change color when melting.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,901 provides a frozen confectionery product which changes color as it melts. In one embodiment, the color change is effected by changes in the pH as the product melts. In another embodiment, colorants are contained in coating layers and are released by the consumer licking the confectionery.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,821 provides a food composition having the ability to change color when heated above 160° F.
PCT International Application PCT/US01/20260 provides ingestible compositions, including food products, beverages, and medicaments, which undergo a chromic change in response to a triggering event (e.g., storage temperature, cooking temperature, light exposure, pH change, hydration or solvation change, mechanic stress, and the like). Thus, the product changes color in response to environmental cues and can alert the consumer that such triggering events have, or are, occurring.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,535 describes an edible confection with a recognizable shape that repeatedly rises and sinks in a transparent carbonated beverage due to its changing buoyancy resulting from physical attachment of carbonation bubbles derived from the beverage onto the surface of the confection until it becomes buoyant enough to cause it to rise to the surface of the beverage where the attached bubbles escape to the atmosphere causing the confection to become less buoyant such that it descends back towards the bottom of the drink; the attachment of carbonation bubbles begins again, and the confection's motion cycle repeats itself.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,138 describes dry carbonating agents comprised of a carbohydrate/metal bicarbonate complex prepared by reacting a carbohydrate in aqueous solution with metal hydroxide or oxide at a temperature not exceeding 25° C. to form a carbohydrate/metal hydroxide adduct to which carbon dioxide is then introduced to form the complex, which is dried for use in beverage powders. Upon rehydration, the complex releases carbon dioxide and carbonates the beverage. The carbohydrates are described as mono-, di-, and polysaccharides and polyols.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,106,883 and 5,562,939 describe inclusions suspended within a liquid, in which the inclusions are pieces of a jelly-like substance described as fruit pulp cells, fruit pulp particles, fruit pieces, gold particles, droplets of flavoring, or clouding agents. A pre-gel solution containing gellan gum is incorporated into a liquid composition with the inclusions. The resulting suspending solution is then agitated to suspend the inclusions such that they do not float or sink.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,326 describes a fruit flavored dry beverage mix which comprises sugar, food acid, flavor, color, and a clouding agent obtained by co-drying an aqueous dispersion comprising a major amount of solubilized maltodextrin and a minor amount of xanthan gum and titanium dioxide.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,365,209 describes an encapsulated product in the form of a caplet containing an active ingredient that can be incorporated into a food item, soft confectionary product, hard confectionary product, jelly gum confectionary product, dry beverage, or chewing gum product.
There remains a need for improved approaches for introducing components in food products that provide a more stimulating visual impact upon the consumer to increase the consumer's enjoyment of the beverage.
The present invention fulfills these, as well as other needs and objectives, as will be apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present invention.

Composite particles imparting sequential changes in food products and methods of making same


A method of thermally processing a material includes exposing the material to at least one pulse of infrared light emitted from a directed plasma arc to thermally process the material, the pulse having a duration of no more than 10 s.

Known methods of thermally processing (annealing and sintering, for example) functional materials must generally be performed at elevated temperatures and take several hours, thus a substrate that supports a functional material must be capable of withstanding the requisite processing environment. In order to advance the technology of thin-film and nanoparticle devices, more attractive substrates that are light-weight and flexible must be considered. In many cases, substrates that would fulfill such criterion are temperature-sensitive and are not able to withstand the processing environment of a conventional furnace. Such temperature-sensitive substrates—for example, low melting point, light-weight metals and flexible polymers, cannot withstand the high temperatures necessary for processing the thin-film. Moreover, there is a need for larger area processing and shorter processing times than that available with conventional processes.
It is helpful to review some of the prior work relating to thermal processing of functional materials. The entire disclosure of each of the following U.S. patents and patent applications is incorporated herein by reference:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,490 issued on Jun. 26, 1990 to Camm, et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,174,388[M1] issued on Jan. 16, 2001 to Sikka, et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,826[M2] issued on Dec. 16, 2003 to Blue, et al.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20010036219 published on Nov. 1, 2001 to Camm, et al.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20020067918 published on Jun. 6, 2002 to Camm, et al.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20020102098 published on Aug. 1, 2002 to Camm, et al.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20030206732 published on Nov. 6, 2003 to Camm, et al.

Pulse thermal processing of functional materials using directed plasma arc


A cover window for a display device includes a display area and a non-display area, the cover window including a frame member disposed corresponding to the non-display area, and a protective member disposed on the frame member corresponding to the display area and the non-display area.

1. Field
Embodiments relate to a cover window for a display device, a display device including the same, and a method of manufacturing the cover window for the display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display may be applied as display device to various mobile devices such as portable phones, navigation devices, digital cameras, electronic books, portable game machines, or various terminals.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Cover window for display device, display device including the same, and method for manufacturing the same


An overhead packaging machine with articulating lugs is mountable along a product packaging system for the application of cartons such as wrap-style cartons about sets or groups of products. The overhead packaging machine includes a lug conveyor having a series of articulating lug assemblies mounted thereto and which are moved along a path of travel for engaging the groups of products with their cartons applied thereto. Each of the articulating lug assemblies includes a pair of articulating lugs mounted to a carriage, which articulating lugs are moveable into engaging positions for engaging the cartons applied to the groups of products as the groups of products are moved along their path of travel for folding and locking of the cartons thereabout. After the cartons have been applied and secured about their product groups, the articulating lugs can be moved to non-engaging positions, out of engagement with the cartons and/or product groups as the packaged product groups are moved away from the overhead packaging machine, while the articulating lug assemblies can be moved along a return path of travel for engaging a next product group.

Products such as bottles, cans, and packaged food containers such as yogurt cups or tubs, and/or other products typically are packaged together in groups such as six-packs, twelve packs, twenty-four-packs, etc., for ease of shipment and purchase. Such product packages typically include sleeve-type cartons in which a carton blank is folded and glued to form an open-ended tube or sleeve into which the groups of products are inserted and the ends of the cartons sealed, and wrap-style cartons, which typically are applied to groups of products or articles placed on the flat carton blank which is then folded and locked about the group of products. In recent years, greater emphasis has been placed on attempting to reduce the size of product packaging, as even incremental reductions in the amount of packaging materials, such as paperboard, plastics, etc., can lead to significant reductions in the overall cost of the packaging of products.
In particular, efforts have been made to develop so-called "econo" style cartons that are of a reduced length or size, typically extending only partially along the outermost products in a group of products being packaged, such that a significant reduction in the materials required for such packages is realized. Reducing the size of the product package to substantially less than the overall length of the product grouping to be packaged has, however, previously required such packages be applied manually to the product groups, which slows production significantly. Alternatively, for use in automated packaging systems, such reduced size cartons generally have had to be pre-formed and pre-glued into a sleeve-type carton in which the product groups are later inserted. To facilitate the insertion of the product groups, however, it is necessary that such sleeve-type cartons be slightly oversized to enable the product groups to be easily inserted therein, after which product locking features further must be engaged so as to secure the products within the carton, generally requiring additional steps in the packaging operation for the products, thus slowing production rates.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for a system and method for packaging products in groups that addresses the foregoing and other related and unrelated problems in the art.

Overhead packaging machine with articulating lugs


Systems and methods for quantum secret splitting based on non-orthogonal multi-particle states are disclosed. The method includes preparing at a sender (“Charlie”) two qubits each of which can be in one of two non-orthogonal states and distributing the qubits to respective parties Alice and Bob. The method also includes measuring at Alice the state of the qubit she receives by a projective measurement so that the measurement result is either 0 or 1, and at Bob measuring the state of the qubit he receives such that the measurement result is either 0, 1 or f, wherein f represents a failure by Bob to properly measure the qubit state. The method also includes communicating between Alice, Bob and Charlie the outcome of their respective measurements so as to deduce the state of the qubits sent to Alice and Bob.

Splitting a secret message in a way that a single person is not able to reconstruct it is a common task in information processing, especially for high-security applications. One solution to this problem and its generalization including several variations is provided by classical cryptography and is called "secret sharing." Classical secret sharing involves splitting a message using mathematical algorithms and distributing the pieces to two or more legitimate users via classical communication. However, all classical communication systems are susceptible to eavesdropping attacks, which makes the secret vulnerable to unauthorized disclosure to unintended recipients.
Quantum cryptography systems exploit the quantum nature of particles to create an unconditionally secure communication system. Quantum cryptography systems employ the exchange of quantum particles, such as photons, that are encoded to form "qubits." The use of such quantum particles has been proposed for quantum communication, such as for "quantum secret sharing". Quantum communication can reveal eavesdropping in essentially the same manner as quantum cryptography, thus guaranteeing secure distribution of shared information.
The basic principles behind communicating between two parties with entangled qubits generated by a third party are understood as follows. Suppose we have two qubits prepared in one of two quantum states, |Ψ0 or |Ψ1. We now give one qubit to one party called "Alice" and one qubit to another party called "Bob." Both parties know that the state of the qubit is either |Ψ0 or |Ψ1, and their task is to perform local measurements on their qubits and communicate through a classical channel to determine the state they have been given. Alice and Bob can perfectly distinguish between the states using local operations and classical communication only if the states are orthogonal. When |Ψ0 and |Ψ1 are not orthogonal, Alice and Bob can use two different approaches to distinguish between the states.
The first approach is the minimum error state discrimination approach. In this approach, after Alice and Bob measure their qubits, each has to give a conclusive answer about the measured state and they are not allowed to give "I don't know" as an answer. However, since the states are not orthogonal, the price that the two parties must pay for giving a definite answer is the chance that they will make a mistake and incorrectly identify the state. The minimum probability of making a wrong guess, when each state is equally likely, is
                              p          E                =                              1            2                                                        (                              1                -                                                      1                    -                                                                                                                    〈                                                                                Ψ                              0                                                        |                                                          Ψ                              1                                                                                〉                                                                                            2                                                                                )                        .                                              (        1        )
An alternative approach to the state discrimination problem is the unambiguous state discrimination approach. In this approach, some measurement outcomes are allowed to be inconclusive, so that Alice and Bob might fail to identify the state. However, if they succeed they will not make an error. If each state is equally likely and both qubits are measured together, then the optimal probability to successfully and unambiguously distinguish the states is given by:pidp=1−|Ψ0|Ψ1|.  (2)
The probability of getting an inconclusive result, which provides no information about the state, is 1−pidp. This success probability can also be achieved if Alice and Bob measure the qubits separately, and if they are allowed to communicate the measurement result through a classical channel. In this procedure, Alice makes a projective measurement on her qubit that gives her no information about the state, and she then communicates the result of her measurement to Bob. Based on this information, Bob is able to make a measurement on his qubit that allows him to decide, with a success probability of pidp, what the initial state was.
There are difficulties if one wants to use this procedure as part of a quantum communication scheme. In a secret sharing scheme based on the above, Alice and Bob are each recipients of different parts of a message or key sent by a third-party "sender" named "Charlie." The message parts need to be combined in order for the message or key to be revealed. The first problem, then, is that if the parts are to be combined at a time significantly later than when they were sent, quantum memory is required to store the qubit states, i.e., the qubits have to be protected against decoherence for a long time.
If one attempts to surmount this difficulty by having the parties measure their qubits immediately upon receiving them, one is faced with the problem that the information gain is asymmetric. Alice learns nothing about the key, and Bob learns everything. The only way this could be useful is if Alice and Bob are in the same location and are to use the key immediately. If they are in separate locations and will be using the key later, another procedure is required.
In one approach, both parties measure their qubit immediately upon receiving it, each obtaining a result of either 0 or 1. There are thus four sets of possible measurement results: {0,0}, {1,1}, {0,1}, and {1,0}. The result {0,0} corresponds to |Ψ0, the result {1,1} corresponds to |Ψ1 and the results {0,1}, and {1,0} correspond to a "failure." It has been shown that when the two states have the same Schmidt basis, the probability of successfully identifying the state is given pidp. This approach can be used in a secret-sharing scheme, wherein the set of measurement results obtained by Alice and Bob, which is classical information, can be stored indefinitely and compared at a later time to reveal the key.
This approach, however, has a significant drawback. The key bits for which the measurement failed, and which, therefore, must be discarded, are only identified after Alice and Bob have compared their bit strings. It would be much more efficient if the bits that must be discarded could be identified immediately.

Quantum secret splitting based on non-orthogonal multi-particle states


Techniques for community-based spend analysis in a software as a service computing environment are disclosed. The techniques leverage information available about community spend to provide new insights into a particular customer's spend. The new insights result from using a trained deep learning classifier to classify spend data lines from both the community of customers and the particular customer in standard spend categories. The spend data lines may be from invoices, requisitions and purchase orders, for example. According to some of the techniques, after classifying the spend data lines in standard spend categories, a highly accurate community-based comparison between spend of the community versus spend of the particular customer in one or more particular standard spend categories is provided in a graphical user interface.

Traditionally, businesses conducted spend analysis by maintaining multidimensional "spend" cubes in spreadsheets. The dimensions of the cube included commodities (what the business is buying), suppliers (who the business is buying the commodities from), and customers (who in the business is buying the commodities). Each dimension of the cube conveyed useful information about spend by the business. The commodity dimension told what types of good and services the business purchased. The customer dimension identified which business units/departments were the spend cost centers. The supplier dimension told which suppliers the business was paying for good and services. By organizing business spend data this way, the business could develop an overall sourcing strategy including supplier monitoring, supplier consolidation and supplier diversification.
One problem encountered by businesses conducting spend analysis using spreadsheets was scalability. A typical spreadsheet was not well-suited to process hundreds or thousands or more rows of spend data. Data inconsistencies and data formatting issues were also prevalent. Further, maintaining spreadsheets was typically a manual process, resulting in a significant time lag between when new spend data was generated and the spreadsheets updated. As a result, the usefulness of reports and analysis generated based on the spreadsheets was limited.
The expansion of the internet has brought about a new class of centralized computing. Historically, centralized computing was implemented by mainframe computers in a time-sharing or utility computing model. More recently, application service providers (ASPs) provided businesses with the service of hosting and management of specialized business applications on the internet, with the benefit to the businesses of reducing costs through central administration and through the service provider's specialization in a particular business application.
More recently, an extension of the ASP centralized computing model known as "Software as a Service," or SaaS, has emerged. SaaS differs from the ASP computing model in at least a few ways. For one, SaaS vendors typically develop and manage their own software, while ASPs primarily focused on managing and hosting third-party software. For another, many ASPs offered more traditional client-server applications, requiring installation of dedicated client software on users' personal computers. In contrast, SaaS solutions often require only an industry-standard web browser to use. Another difference is in the architecture. Most ASPs maintained separate application instances for each business served. SaaS providers, in contrast, normally utilize a multi-tenant architecture, in which the application serves multiple businesses and users, with data partitioned accordingly by data and network access controls.
Today, businesses conduct spend analysis online using SaaS solutions, including for example, Coupa™, Basware™, BirchStreet Systems™, Capgemini (IBX)™, Determine (b-pack)™, GEP™, Ivalua™, Proactis™, Ariba™, and Wax Digital, to name a few. SaaS solutions provide a number of benefits over using spreadsheets for spend analysis, including for example easier and quicker data visualizations, the ability to manage and analyze larger amounts of data in a timelier manner, more possibilities for customization, and more rapid approach to defining and executing queries and saving results therefrom.
Notwithstanding the benefits of existing SaaS solutions for spend analysis, business would appreciate deeper and timelier insights into their spend including how best to manage spend categories.

Community-based data analysis in a software-as-a-service system using a deep learning classifier


A connector capable of electrically connecting two plate-shaped to-be-connected objects in a state arranged on substantially the same plane. Upper contacts are inserted into a housing from rearward, and held thereby. Lower contacts are inserted into the housing from forward, and held thereby. A contact portion of each upper contact is located on a front side of the housing, for contact with an upper surface of a circuit card inserted into a receiving space of the housing. A terminal portion of the upper contact is located on a rear side of the housing, for connection to a motherboard. A contact portion of each lower contact is located on the front side of the housing, for contact with a lower surface of the circuit card inserted into the receiving space of the housing. A terminal portion of the lower contact is located on the rear side of the housing, for connection to the motherboard.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a connector for electrically connecting plate-shaped to-be-connected objects.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a connector for electrically connecting plate-shaped to-be-connected objects has been disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H09-306606.
This connector includes a housing that has a receiving space for receiving a card, which is one of the to-be-connected objects, and a plurality of contacts arranged in two rows, i.e. upper and lower rows, in the housing.
A plurality of upper contacts that form the upper row are press-fitted into the housing from a rear side of the housing, and a plurality of lower contacts that form the lower row are press-fitted into the housing from a front side of the housing.
Contact portions of the upper contacts are located toward the front of the housing, and terminal portions of the same are located toward the rear of the housing.
Contact portions and terminal portions of the lower contacts are located toward the front of the housing.
To connect the to-be-connected objects by the above-described connector, the whole connector has to be placed on a circuit board, which is the other to-be-connected object, due to the structure of the connector. As a result, the card and the circuit board are connected in parallel in a state separated from each other in the direction of the height of the connector by the thickness of a (lower) portion of the housing, for holding the lower contacts.
As described above, since the card and the circuit board are separated from each other by the thickness of the portion of the housing, for holding the lower contacts of the connector, it is required to provide a space (space in the direction of the height of the connector) large enough to accommodate the card and the circuit board in a casing e.g. of a notebook PC (Personal Computer).

Connector for electrically connecting circuit boards

Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited


Position information of equipment at an event, such as a ball, one or more players, or other items in a game or sporting event, is used in selecting camera, camera shot type, camera angle, audio signals, and/or other output data for providing a multimedia presentation of the event to a viewer. The position information is used to determine the desired viewer perspective. A network of feedback robotically controlled Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ), manually controlled cameras and stationary cameras work together with interpolation techniques to create a 2D video signal. The position information may also be used to access gaming rules and assist officiating of the event. The position information may be obtained through a transceiver(s), accelerometer(s), transponder(s), and/or RADAR detectable element(s) fitted into the ball, apparel or equipment of players, the players themselves, or other playing equipment associated with the game or sporting event. Other positioning methods that can be used include infrared video-based tracking systems, SONAR positioning system(s), LIDAR positioning systems, and digital signal processing (DSP) image processing techniques such as triangulation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to determining the position and other related data of a ball, playing equipment, and/or players in a game of play or sporting event and selecting video and audio data relating to the game or sporting event. The invention is also applicable towards video coverage of any live event.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presently in sports, the location of the ball and/or the players in a game of play is not specifically calibrated using technology. Referee officiating is generally left in the hands of human observation. The position of a ball during play is critical to game progress and typically determines the outcome of play. For example, in baseball, a strike is called according to the position of the ball as it crosses the plate in front of a batter. It is, however, often difficult to determine the location of a ball during play. Observers of a game who are interested in the outcome have a similar interest in better determining the position of a ball during play. Enjoyment of sports entertainment events would be increased by improved determination of ball position.
Many games and sporting events are televised or recorded with cameras for later viewing. The production of such event coverage involves the choice of camera placement for multiple cameras at an event and deciding which camera feed to use for the coverage that will be viewed for broadcast. These decisions are placed in the hands of humans—camera operators and other broadcasting personnel. Some important moments of play can be missed if the selected broadcast feed is not focused on the action of play. Often, the action in a game or sporting event occurs so quickly that it is difficult or in some cases impossible given the limits of human reaction speed for human observation and decision making to keep up with optimal selection of cameras and vantage point.
Currently in sports coverage, camera selection/switching, camera shot type, and camera angles are typically selected from a broadcasting booth by an event production director. The director communicates with the camera operators on the field and a team of intermediaries and then decides which camera feed and type of shot will be selected for the broadcast. The delay in this process can be relatively long, as it depends on a multitude of human interactions. In addition, EWSs (Extremely Wide Shot) or VWSs (Very Wide Shot) with "birds-eye view" camera angles are used more often than not in coverage, though such shots are lacking in detail and interest. This is due to the unpredictable nature of the event and the need for a live feed, in combination with the reality that a closer shot may very well forgo the desired action.
Another item still left in human hands is enforcement of the rules for the game or event. Gaming officials consistently have to use their limited powers of observation in a brief moment to judge the location of the ball and the players in a game. Often times, the official's decision hinges on whether or not the ball or a player is at a particular location at a particular time. The officiating task can be very difficult to perform accurately and requires special training. More recently however, some assistance from available technologies has been incorporated. For example, Instant-Replay has been included in some rule books such as in the games of the National Football League (NFL). In the NFL, coaches are provided with the opportunity to challenge calls by officials and request instant replay review of the on-the-field call by a designated official, who reviews just-recorded images from television coverage to either confirm or reverse the call on the field.
From the discussion above, it should be apparent that there is a need for greater availability of technology to assist with coverage of games and sporting events and with rules enforcement during games and sporting events. Embodiments according to the disclosure satisfy this need.

Camera-based tracking and position determination for sporting events using event information and intelligence data extracted in real-time from position information