The baby teething gum massager has a body in the shape of a figure eight with a forward curved portion dimensioned to fit within a child's opened mouth and a rearward curved portion which is wider than a child's mouth, the forward curved portion containing a plurality of tufts of bristles embedded on opposite sides of the forward portion in a conventional manner to provide a large number of contact surfaces and permit flexing of the bristles when the infant bites down so that the cusp tips of the unerupted teeth can bite into the bristles to assist in forcing the teeth through the soft tissue of the gums.

Teething devices, tooth brushes and pacifiers are common in the art as separate devices. Teething devices and tooth brushes and teething devices and pacifiers are also found in combined versions.
A first teething device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,826,943 to maker which discloses a unitary piece of rubber, elliptical at one end and of lobular form at the other end, either end of which acts as a handle in the manipulation of the device. Upon the opposite sides of the device are formed a plurality of spaced tit like projections or stipules and formed about the entire opposite surfaces of the device. Another teething device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,826,201 to Yoder which discloses a teething device comprising a body of resilient material having a cavity formed therein, an opening formed in a wall of the cavity providing an opening to the exterior of the body a piece of confection mounted within the cavity with a portion thereof exposed through the opening of the cavity wall, the confection being held in place by opposed bosses of reduced thickness. In order to increase the teething action, a series of relatively small protuberances are formed integrally on the surfaces of the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,669,117 to Herbst discloses a combination teether and pacifier in the form of a thin walled, flexible body having nipple, guard, and teething portions which are hollow and in communicating relation with each other. A soft, compressible body of gel or liquid fills the hollow portions, the device and its compressible contents adapted to be cooled before use to attain maximum soothing effects for the user. Another combination is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,143 to Carroll which discloses a combination tooth brush and teething device having a body in the shape of a closed ring with a forward curved portion dimensioned to fit within a child's opened mouth. A rearward curved portion forms a handle for gripping by a child. A brush head formed of a plurality of upstanding flexible bristles extends from the forward curved portion of the body. To facilitate teething, a plurality of protruding teething bumps may be located on the rearward portion of the body for biting engagement with the child's teeth and gums.
Disadvantages of prior art teethers include lack of sufficient massaging elements such as bumps or stipules or long bristles. Regular toothbrushes are generally too difficult to manipulate for an infant and present dangers of injury to an unsupervised toddler. Teething devices, although generally safer, do not provide adequate massaging qualities to soothe the child's itching gums. Chewable teething rings to assist children are known but these do not provide the necessary firmness nor flexibility to provide relief for the child. Toothbrushes having graspable ring-like handles with outwardly extending horizontal brush head are known which make manipulation by younger children possible, but these brushes still present the dangers of over-insertion into the child's mouth.
What is needed is a single implement that may be used safely and without supervision by infants and young children which will assist tooth eruption and provide relief from the discomfort of tooth growth.


A restraint system for a mobile platform is provided and may include a first belt portion and a second belt portion each having a first end secured to the mobile platform and a second end movable relative to the mobile platform. A latch plate may be fixed to the second end of one of the first belt portion and the second belt portion and a buckle may be secured to the second end of the other of the first belt portion and the second belt portion. The buckle may be selectively connected to the latch plate in a latched state and may include a housing having an opening receiving the latch plate in the latched state and at least one aperture disposed adjacent to the opening and formed through a surface of the housing opposing a user when in the latched state.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Restraint systems are typically used in mobile platforms such as automobiles, trains, and aircraft to secure occupants during movement of the mobile platform. For example, automobiles typically include integrated lap and shoulder belts that secure an occupant relative to a seat of the automobile, thereby restricting movement of the occupants relative to the seat should the automobile experience an impact event. Likewise, aircraft typically incorporate lap belts that secure an occupant relative to a seat during flight to restrict movement of the occupant relative to the seat should the aircraft experience turbulence.
The primary concern when designing any of the foregoing restraint systems is occupant safety. However, other factors are considered depending on the needs and function of the particular mobile platform for which the restraint system is designed. For example, automotive restraint systems are typically designed to be aesthetically pleasing, light-weight, easy to use, and compact. Likewise, aircraft restraint systems or restraint systems designed for mass transit such as busses and trains are designed to be light-weight and easy to use but are not typically designed to be aesthetically pleasing or compact.
The common design considerations amongst the various types of restraint systems are safety, ease of use, and weight. While safety is chief amongst the foregoing considerations, weight is becoming increasingly more important in the face of rising fuel prices and material costs.
Heavier mobile platforms require more energy to travel from one destination to another when compared to lighter mobile platforms. As a result, heavier mobile platforms consume more fuel than lighter mobile platforms and are more costly to operate. Engineers therefore strive to reduce the weight of virtually every component of a mobile platform—restraint systems included—in an effort to reduce manufacturing cost and complexity and to the reduce fuel costs of the end user.

Light weight two-point aviation seatbelt


Disclosed is a method and system of managing an allocation of resources in a wireless communication system. According to the disclosure, a base station may receive or otherwise determine an indication of radio frequency (RF) conditions being perceived by a given user equipment device (UE). Based on that indication, the base station may make a decision of whether to use a first resource limitation or a second resource limitation for data transmissions to the given UE, where the second resource limitation generally allows for a lesser extent of resources to be allocated than the first resource limitation in weaker RF conditions. For instance, the base station may decide to use a bit-rate limitation for threshold strong RF conditions and a resource-block limitation for threshold weak RF conditions. Thereafter, the base station may allocate resources for a data transmission to the given UE in accordance with the decision.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the description provided in this section is not prior art to the claims and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
A typical cellular wireless network includes a number of base stations that radiate to define wireless coverage areas, such as cells and cell sectors, in which user equipment devices (UEs) can operate and engage in air-interface communication with the cellular wireless network. Each base station may then be coupled with network infrastructure that provides connectivity with one or more transport networks, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and/or the Internet for instance. Within this arrangement, a UE operating in a coverage area of the cellular wireless network can engage in communication, via the cellular wireless network, with remote network entities or with other UEs operating in the cellular wireless network.
The cellular wireless network may operate in accordance with a particular air-interface protocol or "radio access technology," examples of which include Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or Wireless Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) (e.g., 1×RTT and 1×EV-DO), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), among others. Generally, the agreed air-interface protocol may define a downlink (or forward link) for carrying communications from the base stations to UEs and an uplink (or reverse link) for carrying communications from UEs to the base stations. Further, the agreed air-interface protocol may employ techniques such time-division multiplexing, frequency-division multiplexing, and/or code-division multiplexing to divide the downlink and uplink into discrete air-interface resources that are then used to carry control and/or bearer data between the base station and particular UEs.
In an OFDMA protocol such as LTE, for instance, the downlink may operate on a given carrier frequency and span a particular channel bandwidth, such as 3 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, or 20 MHz. In turn, the LTE protocol may divide the downlink in both the time and frequency domains into discrete "resource blocks" that may be allocated for data transmission to UEs. For instance, in the time domain, the LTE downlink may be divided into transmission time intervals (TTIs), or sub-frames, that each have a duration of 1 millisecond (ms) and consist of two 0.5 ms timeslots. And in the frequency domain, the LTE downlink may be divided into groups of 12 sub-carriers that each have a bandwidth of 15 KHz (for a total group bandwidth of 180 kHz), with each group of sub-carriers in a given timeslot defining a different resource block. Thus, in each TTI, the LTE downlink has a finite number of resource blocks that is limited by the downlink's channel bandwidth. An OFDMA uplink may then have a similar configuration.
The LTE protocol may also define various shared downlink channels that are mapped onto the downlink's resource blocks. For instance, LTE defines a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), which is typically the primary downlink channel for transmitting user data to UEs. In addition, LTE defines downlink control channels that carry various types of control signaling, such as a Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH), a Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel (PHICH), and a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

Method and system of managing an allocation of resources


A combined-natural-and-forced-convection heat sink system including a plurality of fins protruding from a first surface of a conductive material, a plurality of air channels formed between the first surface and an opposing second surface of the conductive material and at least one fan. The plurality of fins forms a natural-convection heat sink. The plurality of air channels forms a forced-convection heat sink. The natural-convection heat sink and the forced-convection heat sink form a combined-natural-and-forced-convection heat sink. Each air channel has an input end opening on an input surface of the conductive material and each air channel has an output end opening on an output surface of the conductive material. The at least one fan is configured to generate an air flow through the air channels when at least one of the fans is operating.

Outdoor enclosures that contain high-power electronic components require a method to dissipate the heat generated by the electronic components. At the same time, it is often required that the electronic components be enclosed in a sealed enclosure to protect the electronic components from the outside environment. Typically, the high power components are attached to a heat sink. The heat from the electronic components travels through the heat sink and the outer surface area creates a natural convection via the heat sink fins to dissipate the heat.
In some cases, the high-power electronic components dissipate too much heat for natural conduction to remove all the heat at all times. In this case, fans and a fan shroud can be employed to cover the entire outer surface of the heat sink and drive forced air between the fins to increase the volumetric air flow, thus increasing the cooling capacity of the heat sink. The fan shroud cover is necessary to keep the forced air between the fins, but limits the fins ability to cool via natural convection if the ambient temperatures are low enough. This solution requires the fans to run at all times, even when the ambient conditions are cool enough for an un-shrouded heat sink to be capable of cooling the electronic components without a fan. The continuous use of the fans is power consuming. Continuously-used fans need repair or replacement more often than intermittently-used fans. The running fans also generate audible noise. To some extent, the shroud that is required to keep the fan-forced air against the outer surface of the heat sink acts as a barrier to natural convection.


A clock-data recovery circuit includes a plurality of input ports and a code generation circuit. The plurality of input ports generates sampling clock signals based on digital control codes and samples input data signals based on the sampling clock signals to generate output data signals and phase detection signals, respectively. The code generation circuit generates the digital control codes based on the phase detection signals received from the input ports during a training mode.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments relate to transmission/reception of data. More particularly, embodiments relate to a clock-data recovery circuit, a multi-port receiver including the clock-data recovery circuit, and a method of recovering clocks and data.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a chip-to-chip data rate expands to a radio frequency (RF) band, a system may be seriously affected by skew between input pins. Skew may be caused by a routing path, a parasitic element, noise, and so forth. To compensate for skew of each input pin, clock information from data stream at a reception end may be extracted. Thus, a clock-data recovery (CDR) circuit has been adopted in an inter-chip transceiver.
A typical CDR circuit includes a sampler, a voltage-controlled oscillator, a phase-frequency detector, and a charge pump/loop filter. When operated as a binary-type CDR circuit, the CDR circuit repeatedly receives a data signal to detect data transition points.
In a typical multi-port receiver, CDR circuits are provided for each input pin of the multi-port receiver. The CDR circuits independently recover each of clocks based on the input data signals and generate output data signals in accordance with a multi-phase clock signal, based on a reference clock signal.
Accordingly, the multi-port receiver has to activate CDR circuits and receive signals having minimum data transition point from the transmitter to maintain skew information of each input pin even in a standby mode. If the multi-port receiver deactivates the CDR circuits and data is not transferred to the receiver in the standby mode, a phase locking time of the CDR circuit is increased when the multi-port receiver is woken up from the standby mode to an active mode, thereby increasing a latency of the transmitter/receiver system.
When a same reference clock signal is shared between a receiver and a transmitter, e.g., in a chip-to-chip data transmission/reception, the CDR circuit may be practically limited to phase alignment or deskewing. As such, when phase alignment or deskewing alone is required, implementation of an independently driven CDR unit for each input pin may not be practical. Further, a capacitor included in a loop filter of each CDR unit generally occupies a large area, thus using individual CDR units for each pin may be unsuitable to portable systems.

Clock-data recovery circuit, multi-port receiver including the same and associated methods


An electro-optical waveguide element with reduced DC drift phenomena is presented. The waveguide element is made up of an optical waveguide formed on a substrate possessing electro-optical effects, at least a pair of electrodes closely attached to the optical waveguide with a buffer layer sandwiched between the substrate and the electrodes, and a driver circuit for applying a voltage between the electrodes. The buffer layer is made of a material having a dielectric constant in the range of 20-1000. The buffer layer is more preferably made of a material having a dielectric constant in the range of 20-200. The material of the buffer layer is selected from the group consisting of HfO.sub.2, TiO.sub.2, SrTiO.sub.3, BaTiO.sub.3, LiNbO.sub.3, LiTaO.sub.3, Pb(Zr, Ti)O.sub.3, and (Pb, La)(Zr, Ti)O.sub.3.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electro-optical waveguide element provided with an optical waveguide, formed on a substrate having electro-optical effects, and at least a pair of electrodes positioned adjacent to this optical-waveguide, in which the modulation or switching of guided light is carried out by applying a voltage between the electrodes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei-2(1990)-931, an electro-optical waveguide element has already been known which comprises a thin-film optical waveguide formed on a substrate having electro-optical effects, a grating-shaped electrode (hereinafter referred to as an EOG electrode) that forms electro-optical diffraction gratings in the optical waveguide, and a driver circuit for applying a voltage to this EOG electrode. In this electro-optical waveguide, guided light which travels through the optical waveguide is selectively diffracted in accordance with a state of application of the voltage to the EOG electrode.
The use of such an electro-optical waveguide element makes it possible to modulate light to be used in response to the presence or absence of diffraction or the degree of diffraction when either diffracted light or non-diffracted light (zero-order light) is used. In addition, an optical switch can be constituted which switches an optical path of guided light in response to the presence or absence of diffraction.
Moreover, as is disclosed in, for example, JAPANESE JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS, Vol. 20, No. 4, April, 1981, pp. 733-pp. 737, an electro-optical waveguide element is also known. This electro-optical waveguide element is made up of two optical channel waveguides, formed on a substrate having electro-optical effects, that constitute a directional coupler, and a planar electrode provided on each optical channel waveguide. Guided light that travels through either one of the optical channel waveguides is selectively shifted to the other optical channel waveguide in response to the state of the application of a voltage to the planar electrode.
The use of such an electro-optical waveguide element makes it possible to use the light emitted from the other optical channel waveguide, and to modulate the light in response to the state of application of a voltage to the electrode. Further, an optical switch can be constituted which switches an optical path of guided light.
In the electro-optical waveguide elements set forth above, it is necessary to form an optical buffer layer between the electrode and the substrate in order to prevent the scattering or absorption of light caused by the electrode. This buffer layer has been conventionally formed of SiO.sub.2 or A1.sub.2 O.sub.3.
It is acknowledged that the electro-optical waveguide element having the previously mentioned buffer layer is susceptible to so-called DC drift phenomena, i.e. the phenomena in which an operating point varies with the application of a voltage.
To prevent such DC drift phenomena, as is disclosed in the previously mentioned JAPANESE JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS, Vol. 20, No. 4, April, 1981, pp. 733-pp. 737, a proposal is conventionally put forward in which an area between the buffer layer and the electrode is removed, and the buffer layer is separated for each electrode.
However, if input light has a short wavelength or a high intensity, a leakage current occurring in the optical waveguide will become larger, and therefore it is impossible to sufficiently reduce the extent of the DC drift, even by separating the buffer layer for each electrode in the manner as previously mentioned.

Electro-optical waveguide element with reduced DC drift phenomena


A tractor drawn scraper apparatus with folding wings includes a main frame with a main blade assembly depending therefrom and wing frames with wing blade assemblies depending therefrom. The wing frames are pivotally connected to laterally opposite ends of the main frame and are pivoted by the action of hydraulic cylinders connected between the main frame and the wing frames respectively. The wing frames are lowered for soil engagement and raised for transport. A wheel frame includes a wheel frame axle pivotally connected to the main frame by way of the main blade assembly and having a pair of radial wheel support arms with ground engaging wheels journaled thereon. A pair of wheel frame cylinders engaged between the main frame and the wheel support arms are activated to raise the wheels for soil engagement by the blade assemblies and to lower the wheels for transport. A tongue assembly extends forwardly from the main frame for hitching to a tractor to draw the blade assemblies over a soil surface.

Large scale earth grading operations are typically carried out using specialized motor graders which tend to be large and expensive. On large construction projects, such as large housing tracts, highway construction, and the like, the use of such specialized graders can be justified in terms of size and efficiency. However, on smaller construction projects, the cost of transporting a large motor grader to a site and operational costs are inappropriate for the size of the job. Such smaller projects may include construction of smaller roads, contouring of farm land, landscaping for individual house construction sites, and the like.
For this reason, various types of smaller scale earth grading equipment have been developed which can be connected or hitched to general purpose work vehicles such as dozers, loaders, and agricultural type tractors. Such an approach requires a much lower investment in the grading equipment, and the vehicle to which it is connected can be utilized for other purposes. Smaller scale grading apparatus generally includes a curved scraper blade mounted on a supporting frame which can be lowered into soil engagement and raised for movement between areas to be graded and for transport to and away from the construction site.
There are various advantages and disadvantages to locating the grader blade in front of the prime mover vehicle or behind the vehicle. An advantage of locating the blade in front of the vehicle is that a push blade provides generally better visibility since the operator only needs to look in a forward direction. A disadvantage of a front location of the blade is that imprints of the tires or tracks of the vehicle are usually left in the graded soil. With a rear located or drawn blade, the attention of the operator is divided between looking forward to properly steer the vehicle and for safety and looking backward to monitor the grading operation. However, with a drawn type blade, any impressions left by the draft vehicle are usually graded away by the blade.
It has been observed that grading operations using a transversely oriented scraper blade which is drawn tend to create a shallow rippling effect on the soil surface. Such undesirable rippling may result from changes in the working angle of the scraper blade as the tires of the draft vehicle follow the original contours of the soil surface to be graded.
Modern agricultural tractors have increased in size and in drawing power as the width and depth of agricultural soil working tool frames have increased. Increases in the width and depth of such tool frames have occurred to increase the area worked per unit of length travelled by the tractor and to perform multiple soil working operations with different sets of soil working tools in a given pass over the field. Because such agricultural tool frames must often be transported over roads and highways to and from the work site, vehicle width limits on such roads have resulted in the development of configurations of agricultural tool frames which can be reduced in width, such as by folding up wing sections of such frames. While, folding wing configurations of pushed grader blades have been developed, types of drawn grader blades which are known are limited in width to that which can be legally transported on roads or types which must be disassembled to avoid excessive width during transport.

Tractor drawn scraper with folding wings


A method is provided for forming a metal semiconductor alloy that includes providing a deposition apparatus that includes a platinum source and a nickel source, wherein the platinum source is separate from the nickel source; positioning a substrate having a semiconductor surface in the deposition apparatus; forming a metal alloy on the semiconductor surface, wherein forming the metal alloy comprises a deposition stage in which the platinum source deposits platinum to the semiconductor surface at an initial rate at an initial period that is greater than a final rate at a final period of the deposition stage, and the nickel source deposits nickel to the semiconductor surface; and annealing the metal alloy to react the nickel and platinum with the semiconductor substrate to provide a nickel platinum semiconductor alloy.

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of semiconductor device processing techniques, such as the formation of metal semiconductor alloys, which are typically referred to as metal silicides. Metal silicide formation typically requires depositing a metal, such as Ni, Co, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ir, Zr, Cr, Hr, Er, Mo or Ti, onto a surface of a silicon-containing material or wafer. Following deposition, the structure is then subjected to an annealing step using conventional processes such as thermal annealing. During thermal annealing, the deposited metal reacts with silicon to form a metal silicide. Portions of the metal not formed atop silicon are not reacted during the anneal, and may thus be thereafter selectively removed with respect to the reacted silicide.

Method of silicide formation by adding graded amount of impurity during metal deposition

International Business Machines Corporation


Electrocardiogram data is received in association with a subject, the electrocardiogram data comprising a series of RR intervals and a series of QT intervals. A first value which indicates an amount by which uncertainty associated with the QT intervals is reduced given the RR intervals is generated. A second value which indicates an amount by which uncertainty associated with the RR intervals is reduced given the QT intervals is generated. The subject is determined to be associated with a low risk of cardiac dysfunction responsive to the first value exceeding the second value and a result of the determination is provided.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a system for diagnosing a risk of cardiac dysfunction based on electrocardiogram data. Specifically, this invention pertains to the use of dynamical systems modeling techniques to identify metrics used to diagnose heart health.
2. Background
An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a recording of the electrical activity of the heart over time. Cardiac cells are electrically polarized, that is, the insides of the cells are negatively charged with respect to their outside of the cells by means of pumps in the cell membrane that distribute ions (primarily potassium, sodium, chloride, and calcium) in order to keep the insides of these cells negatively charged (i.e. electronegative). Cardiac cells loose their internal electronegativity in depolarization. Depolarization is an electrical event which corresponds to heart contraction or "beating". In depolarization, loss of electronegativity is propagated from cell to cell, producing a wave of electrical activity that can be transmitted across the heart.
Electrical impulses in the heart originate in the sinoatrial node (SA Node) and travel through the heart muscle where they impart electrical initiation of "systole" or contraction of the heart. The electrical waves can be measured by electrodes (electrical contacts) placed on the skin of a subject. These electrodes measure the electrical activity of different parts of the heart muscle. An ECG displays the voltage between pairs of these electrodes, and the muscle activity that they measure, from different directions. This display indicates the rhythm of heart contraction.
FIG. 1 depicts the peaks in an electrocardiogram signal. Electrocardiogram signals are comprised of three major structures which are used to characterize the health of a subject's cardiac system, the "QRS complex", the "P wave" and the "T wave." The P wave is a structure in the ECG signal which corresponds to the depolarization of the atria as the main electrical vector is directed from the SA node to the Atrioventicular Node (AV node). The QRS complex is a structure in the ECG signal that corresponds to the depolarization of the ventricles. Because the ventricles contain more muscle mass than the atria, the QRS complex is larger than the P wave. The T wave is a structure in the ECG signal that corresponds to the "repolarization" or recovery of electronegativity in the ventricles after depolarization.
Heart rate variability (HRV) refers to the beat to beat alteration in heart rate. Heart rate variability can be determined based on electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. The "RR Interval" is the distance between consecutive R peaks in an electrocardiogram signal. The heart rate for a given time period is defined as the reciprocal of an RR interval (in seconds) multiplied by 60. Healthy hearts exhibit a large HRV, whereas an absence of variability or decreased variability is associated with cardiac or systemic dysfunction. The term "cardiac dysfunction", as used herein, refers to any type of abnormal functioning of the cardiac system including cardiac disease. Several studies have also shown that a reduction in heart rate variability is also predictive of a subject's likelihood of sudden death from cardiac dysfunction.
Another important interval used to diagnose heart health is the QT interval. The QT interval represents the total time needed for the ventricles to depolarize and regain electronegativity. The QT interval varies according to the heart rate and is typically corrected according to the heart rate. If the QT interval is abnormally lengthened or shortened, heart complications, including Torsade de Pointes (TDP) and sudden death can occur. Prolongation of the QT interval can be associated with certain metabolic and disease states, congenital disease states and adverse drug reaction.
Dynamical systems theory is an area of applied mathematics used to describe the behavior of complex dynamical systems, that is, systems whose states evolve with time in a manner which is difficult to predict over the long range. According to dynamical systems theory, systems may be characterized as being deterministic (meaning that their future states are, in theory, fully defined by their initial conditions, with no random elements involved) or non-deterministic (meaning the future states are random or undefined by their initial conditions). A periodic system is a system which deterministically returns to a same state over time. A random system is a system which is non-deterministic. Chaos theory is an area of dynamical systems theory which seeks to describe the behavior of certain dynamical systems that may exhibit dynamics that are highly sensitive to initial conditions. As a result of this sensitivity, the behavior of chaotic systems appears to be random. This behavior happens even though chaotic systems are deterministic, meaning that their future dynamics are difficult to predict even though their future dynamics are fully defined by their initial conditions, with no random elements involved. This behavior is known as deterministic chaos, or simply "chaos". This chaotic behavior is observed in natural systems, such as weather systems and is hypothesized to be observed in physiological systems including the cardiac system.
It has been proposed that physiological systems act as chaotic systems, even though this hypothesis is contrary to the classical paradigm of homeostasis. In homeostasis, physiological systems self-regulate through adjustments in order to maintain equilibrium and reduce variability. In contrast, this proposed hypothesis conjectures that a healthy physiological system exhibits characteristics of a chaotic system such as sensitivity to slight perturbations. This sensitivity and the associated responsiveness in the physiological system causes the system to produce a large variety of behaviors in the physiological system, such as the high variability/complexity in heart rate observed in subjects without cardiac disease or dysfunction. Conversely, the hypothesis proposes that unhealthy or dysfunctional biological systems are associated with a decreased sensitivity and have less variability in their behavior than the healthy systems. This corresponds to the low heart rate variability observed in subjects with poor heart health.
Early studies conducted by Dr. Chi-Sang Poon (Poon et al. (2001), Poon et al. (1997), Barhona and Poon (1996)) demonstrate that heart rate variability is not caused by random fluctuations but instead complex, deterministic patterns. Accordingly, a number of studies have applied different metrics traditionally used to study chaotic system to electrocardiogram data. Narayan et al. (1998) discovered that the times series RR interval data exhibit unstable periodic orbits (UPOs). A dense set of periodic orbits is indeed a criterion used to assert the deterministic chaotic dynamics of an underlying system. The Lyapunov Exponent is a metric used to characterize how chaotic a dynamic system is. Positive Lyapunov Exponents indicate that a system is chaotic. Unstable periodic orbits are chaotic and therefore are associated with positive Lyapunov Exponents. Similarly, Hashida and Takashi (1984) investigated the nature of the RR intervals during atrial fibrillation and determined that the distribution of the RR interval follows the Erlang distribution.
While these findings strengthen the hypothesis that the correspondence between heart rate variability and heart health is typical of a chaotic system, these studies have failed to provide a deeper understanding of the underlying dynamics of the cardiac system which cause the observed chaotic behavior. Accordingly, these estimates of chaotic behavior alone cannot reliably be used to predict heart health. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the role of chaos in cardiac dynamics is needed in order to develop accurate metrics of heart health and use these metrics in diagnostics.

Method and system for dynamical systems modeling of electrocardiogram data


An apparatus for use in a wellbore. The apparatus includes a body and a blade assembly. The blade assembly is movable between a collapsed position whereby the expandable apparatus has a smaller outer diameter and an expanded position whereby the expandable apparatus has a larger outer diameter. The apparatus further includes a pressure activated member for selectively allowing the blade assembly to move from the closed position to the open position. A method for using the apparatus, wherein a drill string with an expandable bit at the end thereof is lowered into the wellbore. Thereafter, the pressure activated member is activated to allow the cutting members to move from the collapsed position to the expanded position. Subsequently, the expandable bit is rotated to form a portion of the wellbore. Next, the expandable bit is deactivated and the cutting members are moved from the expanded position to the collapsed position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to wellbore completion. More particularly, the invention relates to downhole tools. More particularly still, the invention relates to an expandable bit with a pressure activated release member.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the drilling of oil and gas wells, a wellbore is formed using a drill bit that is urged downwardly at a lower end of a drill string. The drill bit generally includes a body portion for securing the drill bit to the drill string and a crown portion to form the wellbore. After drilling a predetermined depth, the drill string and the drill bit are removed, and the wellbore is lined with a string of steel pipe called casing. The casing typically includes a smaller outside diameter than the drill bit that formed the wellbore. The casing provides support to the wellbore and facilitates the isolation of certain areas of the wellbore adjacent hydrocarbon bearing formations. The casing typically extends down the wellbore from the surface of the well to a designated depth. An annular area is thus defined between the outside of the casing and the earth formation. This annular area is typically filled with cement to permanently set the casing in the wellbore and to facilitate the isolation of production zones and fluids at different depths within the wellbore.
In a conventional completion operation, it is common to employ more than one string of casing in a wellbore. In this respect, the well is drilled to a second designated depth of a smaller diameter, and a second string of casing, or liner, is run into the drilled out portion of the wellbore. The second string is set at a depth such that the upper portion of the second string of casing overlaps the lower portion of the first string of casing and then cemented in place. This process is typically repeated with additional casing strings until the well has been drilled to a total depth.
The process of cementing a liner into a wellbore typically involves the use of wiper plugs and drill-pipe darts. Plugs typically define an elongated elastomeric body used to separate fluids pumped into a wellbore. A liner wiper plug is typically located inside the top of a liner, and is lowered into the wellbore with the liner at the bottom of a working string. The liner wiper plug has radial wipers to contact and wipe the inside of the liner as the plug travels down the liner. The liner wiper plug has a cylindrical bore through it to allow passage of fluids.
Typically, the cementing operation requires the use of two plugs and two darts. When the cement is ready to be dispensed, a first dart is released into the working string. The cement is pumped behind the dart, thereby moving the first dart downhole. The first dart acts as a barrier between the cement and the drilling fluid to minimize the contamination of the cement. As the first dart travels downhole, it seats against a first liner wiper plug and closes off the internal bore through the first plug. Hydraulic pressure from the cement above the first dart dislodges the first dart and the first plug from the liner and pumped down the liner together. At the bottom of the liner, the first plug seats against a float collar, thereby closing off fluid flow through the float collar. The pressure builds above the first plug until it is sufficient to cause a membrane in the first plug to rupture. Thereafter, cement flows through the first plug, the float collar, a shoe track, and a float shoe and subsequently into the annular space between the liner and the wellbore.
Generally, the shoe track is a space defined between the float collar and the float shoe. The shoe track is used to ensure that the float shoe is surrounded in high quality cement and that any contamination or lower quality cement that may bypass a second liner wiper plug is safely contained within the shoe track.
After a sufficient volume of cement has been placed into the wellbore, a second dart is deployed. Drilling mud is pumped in behind the second dart to move the second dart down the working string into the liner. The second dart travels downhole and seats against a second liner wiper plug. Thereafter, hydraulic pressure above the second dart dislodges the second dart and the second plug from the liner and they are pumped together down the liner. In turn, cement ahead of the second plug is displaced through the shoe track and subsequently out of the liner into the annulus. After the cementing operation is complete, the shoe track is typically drilled out as the well is drilled to another designated depth.
From time to time and for a variety of reasons it is necessary to form a portion of a wellbore that is at least as large as the section of the cased wellbore thereabove. For example, a monobore well consists of a sequence of expandable liners that are run through the existing casing, then expanded to achieve the same post-expansion through-bore. In forming the monobore well, the portion of the wellbore below the cased portion must be at least as large as the section of the cased wellbore thereabove.
There are a variety of different methods of forming an enlarged wellbore. One such method is by positioning a conventional under-reamer behind a drill bit to cut the enlarged wellbore. In this drilling configuration, the drill bit acts as a pilot bit to cut the inner cross-sectional area while the under-reamer enlarges the cross-sectional area. Generally, the conventional under-reamer includes a number of expandable arms that move between a closed position and an open position. The ability of the conventional under-reamer to open and close the arms allows the under-reamer in the closed position and the pilot bit to travel though a smaller diameter casing. After passing through the casing and the shoe track the under-reamer may be opened to form an enlarged diameter bore below the casing shoe resulting in a wellbore equal to or larger than the original drilled hole. Thereafter, the enlarged wellbore may be lined with expandable liners. This procedure of forming the enlarged borehole, although effective may be time consuming and expensive.
In recent years bi-center bits have been developed as an alternative to the conventional under-reamer. Generally, the bi-center bit includes offset cutting members mounted at irregular intervals around the crown of the bit. As the bi-center bit is rotated, the offset cutting members rotate to form an enlarged wellbore. Although, this method of forming an enlarged wellbore is becoming more common the bi-center bits are unstable due to their irregular structure and tend to be more difficult to control for directional purposes than ordinary drill bits. Additionally, the bi-center bits may not drill the expected swept diameter of the offset pads which ream the pilot hole created by the crown.
More recently, an expandable bit has been used to form an enlarged portion of the wellbore. The expandable bit was introduced to overcome the deficiencies in the conventional under-reamer and the bi-center bit. An example of an expandable bit is disclosed in International Publication Number WO 01/81708 A1, which is incorporated herein in its entirety. Similar to the conventional under-reamer, the expandable bit includes a set of blades that move between an open position and a closed position. Generally, in operation hydraulic fluid is pumped through the center of the expandable bit to move the blades between the open and the closed position. A more detailed discussion of the expandable bit will be described in subsequent paragraphs.
Even though the expandable bit overcomes many of the deficiencies in the conventional under-reamer and the bi-center bit, a problem still exists with the use of the expandable bit to drill out the shoetrack. The problem occurs when the blades in the expandable bit inadvertently move from the closed position to the open position and contact the ID of the casing while drilling out the shoetrack, thereby resulting in an increase of torque and damage to the blades.
In view of the deficiency of the expandable drill bit, a need therefore exists for an expandable bit with a pressure activated release member to selectively allow the blades to move from the closed position to the open position. There is a further need for an improved expandable bit.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Pressure activated release member for an expandable drillbit


Provided is an operational amplifier circuit having a high tolerance for clock phase difference fluctuations. An FIR filter is used to add an input signal of the FIR filter to a signal obtained by delaying the input signal of the FIR filter. In this manner, chopper noise can be removed. Thus, the operational amplifier circuit may have a high tolerance for clock phase difference fluctuations regardless of the phase difference between clocks for controlling a chopper circuit and the FIR filter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an operational amplifier circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a related art operational amplifier circuit.
When signal voltages are input to input terminals Vinn and Vinp, the signal voltages are subjected to high-frequency modulation by a chopper circuit 81. The modulated signal voltages are input to and amplified by an amplifier stage 82. At this time, together with the modulated signal voltages, an input offset voltage of the amplifier stage 82 is also simultaneously amplified. Output voltages of the amplifier stage 82 are input to a chopper circuit 83, and thus the demodulation of the signal voltages and the high-frequency modulation of the input offset voltage of the amplifier stage 82 are performed. This modulated offset voltage becomes chopper noise. The signal voltages output from the chopper circuit 83 are integrated by an integrating circuit including an amplifier stage 84 and capacitors 85 and 86 to become triangle waves. The outputs of the integrating circuit are input to a switched capacitor notch filter 87. The switched capacitor notch filter 87 includes switches 93 to 100 and capacitors 101 to 103. A control clock for the switches 93, 94, 99, and 100 and a control clock for the switches 95 to 98 have the same frequency as a control clock for the chopper circuits 81 and 83, and have a relationship of inverted waveforms.
In this case, it is assumed that the signal voltage is a DC voltage, and the phase difference between the control clock for the chopper circuits 82 and 83 and the control clock for the switched capacitor notch filter 87 is 90°. At this time, the capacitor 101 and the capacitor 102 store charges of a fixed point of the periodical signal voltage of the switched capacitor notch filter 87, and transmit the charges to the capacitor 103. Therefore, the charges accumulated in the capacitor 103 are always constant. With this, the input offset voltage component of the amplifier stage 82 is removed.
A difference between the signal voltages output from the switched capacitor notch filter 87 is amplified by an amplifier stage 88, and is added with a signal voltage difference amplified by an amplifier stage 80. Further, the signal voltage thus obtained is amplified by an amplifier stage 89 to become an output voltage of the operational amplifier circuit. The input offset voltage of the amplifier stage 82 has been removed, and hence when the operational amplifier circuit is used while applying feedback thereto, the input offset voltage of the operational amplifier may seem small. Further, at this time, the chopper noise caused by modulating the input offset voltage of the amplifier stage 82 is also removed by the switched capacitor notch filter 87.
In the related art operational amplifier circuit illustrated in FIG. 8, when the phase difference between the control clock for the chopper circuits 81 and 83 and the control clock for the switched capacitor notch filter is shifted from 90°, the charges to be stored during the storing period are different between the capacitor 101 and the capacitor 102. Therefore, the capacitor 103 cannot store charges of a fixed point, and the charges periodically change. Therefore, chopper noise is generated in the output of the switched capacitor notch filter 87.


A hybrid car capable of stably ensuring the bad road running property, obtaining large acceleration in a satisfactory road surface state, and simultaneously when no large acceleration is required, running with fuel consumption kept unchanged is provided. The hybrid car is composed of an engine 1 for driving either of front wheels 2 and rear wheels 8, a generator 10 driven by the engine, a wheel driving motor 14 for driving engine non-driven wheels by power of the generator, a supercharger driving motor 1b for driving a supercharger 1a by the generator, a power distributor 12 adjusting power quantity for distributing the power from the generator to the supercharger motor and wheel driving motor, and a controller 7 for inputting information of wheel speed sensors 3a and 3b and controlling power distribution of the distributor.

The present invention relates to a hybrid car for driving either of front and rear wheels by an engine and driving the other wheels by a motor.
Patent Document 1 (Japanese Application Patent Laid-open Publication No. Hei 07-231508) describes a four-wheel driving device for converting power to electrical energy using an engine as a power source, driving a motor by the electrical energy, thereby driving either of front and rear wheels.
Patent Document 2 (Japanese Application Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2003-301725) discloses an invention for operating an exhaust turbo-rotary machine as a motor by generated power of a rotary machine connected to an engine power shaft, assisting turbo-supercharging, thereby increasing torque of the engine.
The driving device for a hybrid vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 is said to be easily mountable due to a small battery. Such a device is considered to be suitable especially for a small car having a limited space.
On the other hand, a small car generally loads a small engine, and the output of an engine, which can be used for power generation, is limited, so that motor output for sufficiently driving wheels can be hardly obtained, and there is the possibility that the acceleration and running property on a bad road such as a frozen road or a muddy road, which is required by four-wheel drive, cannot be obtained sufficiently.
Moreover, particularly when supplying power of a generator directly to the motor, the efficiency of converting the mechanical energy from the engine to electrical energy by the generator and furthermore the efficiency of converting the electrical energy to the mechanical energy by the motor are concerned with it, so that a problem arises that the efficiency as a whole is reduced and the necessary output of the motor can be hardly obtained.
Therefore, it may be considered to temporarily supply power to the motor by using a battery. However, the stored electricity quantity of the battery is limited and there is the possibility that the acceleration and running property on a bad road cannot be maintained for many hours.
Further, since the efficiency is low, when driving a wheel driving motor in a road surface state requiring no four-wheel drive, there is the possibility of increasing fuel consumption.
On the other hand, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, when driving a supercharger by the motor and increasing the torque of the engine, the torque for rotating the wheels is increased.
At this time, in a satisfactory road surface state, the starting acceleration property is improved, while on a bad road, a slip of the wheels is caused inversely and the vehicle enters a state hard to drive.
Further, although the engine torque is increased, fuel is consumed in correspondence to it, so that a problem arises that fuel consumption is increased.

Hybrid car and control method of the same


A window member includes a transparent substrate, wherein in plan view of the window member, the transparent substrate itself includes a first region, and a second region having higher radio-wave transmissivity than the first region. The transparent substrate may include a first glass sheet, and a second glass sheet which is laminated to the first glass sheet via an intermediate film.

In recent years, researches about collision avoidance, driving assistance, automatic driving, etc. have been carried out using technology of detecting objects around a vehicle by a radar. A higher-level detection technique has been also developed using both detection of a radar and images of a camera. Here, in a typical car, a radar is provided in a front portion of a vehicle body (for example, in a front grille) or the like, and a stereo camera is provided near a front glass of the vehicle body or the like.
The radar which measures a distance between the car and a vehicle in front thereof may be disposed near the stereo camera, or may be disposed inside a vehicle cabin integrally with the stereo camera (for example, see Patent Literature 1). When a radar apparatus is provided inside a vehicle cabin, a radar wave is attenuated due to reflection and absorption of a glass sheet constituting a front glass. Particularly in a high frequency band (for example, a millimeter wave) such as a frequency band used in a radar, a radio wave having a short wavelength is used in order to enhance resolution. Thus, the influence of the glass sheet the radio wave passes through is increased.
In consideration of the aforementioned situation, Patent Literature 2 discloses a vehicular radar apparatus for suppressing deterioration of efficiency in transmitting and receiving radar radio waves. The radar apparatus uses a technique in which an incident angle on a glass is set suitably to improve efficiency in both reflection and transmission. Patent Literature 3 discloses a glass in which a surface of a transparent dielectric layer (excluding an aluminum nitride layer) coated onto a glass substrate which can be applied not only to a car but also to a building is coated with an Ag layer consisting of a continuous layer, and then subjected to heat treatment so that the Ag layer is deformed into a granular Ag layer.


A method for providing dual booting capabilities to a computer system is disclosed. The invention facilitates the installation of a plurality of operating systems on a computer system in any order such that the computer system is able to boot from any of the installed operating systems. The invention is particularly well suited for providing dual booting capabilities in both a DOS-based operating system and Windows NT when the DOS-based operating system is installed on the computer system subsequent to installation of Windows NT.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to providing multiple operating systems on a computer system and, more particularly, to dual booting operating systems on a computer system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, many user's of computer systems desire the ability to use multiple operating systems on their computer system. Such user's normally prefer that the multiple operating system be both installed on the computer system and bootable. With such a configuration, the user simply chooses which of the multiple operating systems to use each time the computer system begins its boot up sequence.
With respect to personal computers, operating system are installed on the physical hard drives of the personal computers. FIG. 1. is a schematic diagram of a representative physical hard drive 100. The physical hard drive 100 includes a primary partition 102 and other partitions 104. The primary partition 102 is a portion of the physical hard drive 100 that has been marked as bootable by an operating system (e.g., DOS, Windows, Windows NT) that has been installed on the computer system. Hence, when a computer system boots up from the physical hard drive 100, the primary partition 102 causes the installed operating system to be loaded into random-access memory (RAM) of the computer system. Thereafter, the computer system may store and obtain data from the other partitions 104 of the physical hard drive 100.
Each of the partitions 102 and 104 of the physical hard drive 100 include a plurality of sectors as is well known in the art. Specifically, the primary partition 102 will include a boot sector from which the operating system is booted when the computer system is turned on or reset. Typically, the boot sector is the first sector within the primary partition 102. The boot sector is typically written when the operating system is installed on the computer system. The other partitions 104 store various other data (e.g., data files, application program files) that are stored on the physical hard drive.
To provide dual booting of two or more operating systems on a computer system, the two or more operating systems must be installed on the computer system. Given that a computer system boots up from a boot sector in the primary partition of a physical hard drive, providing dual booting capabilities can be problematic. For example, the installation of Windows NT and a DOS-based operating system on a computer system is known to be problematic.
Although the installation of Windows NT after previous installation of a DOS-based operating system is effective because Windows NT has a dual boot capability, the installation of a DOS-based operating system after previous installation of Windows NT is not effective because DOS-based operating systems do not have a dual boot capability. Therefore, when a DOS-based operating system is installed after previous installation of Windows NT, the DOS-based operating system is not bootable and thus the computer system does not have the desired dual boot capability.
A known technique exists to solve the problem which occurs when a DOS-based operating system is installed on a computer system after the installation of Windows NT. The known technique involves using an emergency repair disk (for Windows NT) to restore Windows NT. Although this known technique is effective at providing the desired dual boot capability, this solution is inconvenient and burdensome on the user because it requires the user create and safeguard an emergency repair disk when Windows NT is first installed, and then thereafter to make use of the emergency repair disk to restore Windows NT.
Thus, there is a need for an improved approach to providing dual booting capabilities to a computer system.

Method and apparatus for providing dual booting capabilities to a computer system


A method for preparing silicon nitride films with improved properties and characterized by a limited concentration of hydrogen atoms, a high index of refraction, resistance to attack by a hydrofluoric solution, prevention of diffusion of alkalines and oxygen, and good dielectric properties such as optical gap. The process of preparation uses plasma CVD with ammonia. The invention can be applicable to flat screens, TFT transistors and functional glazings.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to the technical field of silicon nitride thin films and their applications, and more particularly to a technique for industrial preparation of silicon nitride films with performances that are considerably improved relative to the prior art.
2. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
Silicon nitride thin films are known. They find uses in electronics, in particular for the passivation of integrated circuits and as insulating films in thin film transistors (TFT), such as those of flat screens. The technique most generally used for their preparation is chemical vapor phase deposition at low pressure and with a plasma (CVD under plasma). The chemical types introduced in the plasma are, among others, nitrogen (N.sub.2) and silane (SiH.sub.4) optionally diluted in helium (He). The frequencies of the plasma-generating electric fields are most commonly 13.56 MHz.
The performances of the silicon nitride films which are desired relate to several criteria, which include their composition, their density, their resistance to etching and their role as a barrier against the diffusion of oxygen and alkalines. Their structure is often characterized by the index of refraction and it is desired that the index be as close as possible to the index of the solid Si.sub.3 N.sub.4.
The technical problem that the invention trys to solve is to provide a method for industrial production of silicon nitride films with improved performances, and in particular according to the the preceding criteria.
The silicon nitride films used in electronics play a role, not only during the operation of the finished device, for example, as an insulating film between two active films (grid insulating material of a TFT) but they also play a very important role during the production of the device itself. This role is that of a protective film. The production techniques of thin-film transistors, such as those which constitute the nodes that are found at each pixel of a flat screen are actually very violent, such as high-temperature heat treatments and etching with hydrofluoric acid. During these operations, silicon nitride thin films are expected to play the role of impassable barriers either to mark preferred zones that are not desired to be attacked or to avoid during heating, the degradation of the amorphous or polycrystalline silicon that they are supposed to protect. It would even be desirable for the silicon nitride films to act as a barrier against the diffusion of alkaline ions, which would allow their use as an encapsulating film for a glass substrate.
The techniques used to produce the silicon nitride thin films are usually those of CVD under plasma. Such a technique is described, for example, in the publication "Plasma-enhanced CVD of high quality insulating films" by J. BATEY et al. in Applied Surface Science 39 (1989), 1-15 North-Holland, Amsterdam. The deposition is performed from a gas which is a mixture of SiH.sub.4 diluted in helium (2%) and nitrogen in close proportions, this mixture itself being further diluted in helium (from 20 to 60 times). The gas circulates in an enclosure between two plane electrodes separated by several cm where the pressure is about 130 Pa, and subjected to an alternating electric field of 13.56 Mhz with a power density on the order of 20 mw/cm.sup.2. A substrate, with a monocrystalline silicon base, for example, optionally provided with other thin films, is heated up to temperatures of 350.degree. C. and silicon nitride is formed at its surface.
A method using the same technique with a gas mixture containing ammonia with a frequency of 50 Khz is also described in: "W. A. P. CLAASSEN, Ion Bombardment-induced Mechanical Stress in Plasma Enhanced Deposited Silicon Nitride and Silicon Oxynitride Films, Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing 7 (1987) March, no. 1, Bristol G. B."
A different method using the electron cyclotron resonance plasma CVD (ECR plasma CVD) is described by Y. MANABE and T. MITSUYU in "Journal of Applied Physics 66 (1989), Sep. 15, no. 6." This technique makes it possible to obtain silicon nitride films that are very high-performing but under specific laboratory conditions and which make the application limited to small dimensions.
To test the performances of silicon nitride thin films, two test methods are used in particular: hydrofluoric attack and SIMS analysis of the film after the diffusion test. The first method consists in measuring the thickness of the film as it evolves over time during a retention in a bath consisting of an aqueous solution at 35% by volume of NH.sub.4 F and 6% of HF. The bath is thermostated at 28.degree. C. A rate of attack expressed in nanometers per minute is deduced from the thickness measurements. With the films whose preparation has been described above, the rates of attack are on the order of 5 nm/mn.
The second method relates to a SIMS analysis of the original film as it is immediately after its deposition on a substrate where the alkaline ions become mobile when the temperature rises such as, for example, on the soda-lime-silica glass and an analysis of a similar film after it has undergone a heat treatment at 600.degree. C. for an hour under a nitrogen atmosphere. The test consists in comparing the concentration profiles of the alkaline ion--in this case, sodium--before and after the treatment to see if the diffusion has occurred or not. With the usual barrier films, especially those with a silicon oxide base, a certain diffusion is noted.

Silicon nitride thin films with improved properties

Saint Gobain Vitrage International c/o Saint Gobain Recherche


An optical disk playing apparatus capable of reproducing information recorded on an optical disk includes a system controller. The system controller obtains an address of a navigation pack corresponding to a user's request with respect to a data having video data of still picture and audio data recorded on the optical disk, determines whether or not the obtained navigation pack has the video data of still picture, reproduces, on the basis of a predetermined information included in the obtained navigation pack, a video data of still picture which is corresponding to a head address of a preceding video object when the obtained navigation pack does not have the video data of still picture, and reproduces an audio data of the address of the navigation pack corresponding to the user's request.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disk playing apparatus that can reproduce information recorded on an optical disk in conformity, for example, with the DVD video standards, and relates particularly to an optical disk playing apparatus having a resume function that can resume reproduction at a play pause position.
2. Description of the Related Art
DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks), which are optical disks, have recently become popular. By using image data compression technology, such as MPEG2, or audio data compression technology, a variety of types of data can be stored on a DVD, as well as control data (e.g., navigation pack information) for providing an assortment of functions.
To record a movie on a DVD, for example, generally, both video data and audio data are recorded, and when data are included for subtitles in multiple languages, a subtitle in a language selected by a user can be displayed. Further, when data for still pictures, such as movie director and cast profiles are recorded, these profiles can also be displayed by user performed manipulations. Furthermore, a so-called resume function provided for an optical disk playing apparatus is one whereby, when the playing of a DVD is paused and is thereafter resumed, the reproduction of data is restarted at the pause position. As described above, an optical disk playing apparatus reads various data from the DVD, and performs various supplied functions.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a data structure for explaining a time search operation performed by the optical disk playing apparatus. The time search operation will now be described while referring to this data structure diagram.
In FIG. 1, when audio data A are reproduced beginning at 0:00:20, naturally, video data a are output. That is, when reproduction is started at 0:00:20, audio data A are reproduced while video data a are reproduced for one minute, from 0:00:00 to 0:01:00. In this state, when a user issues a request for a time search "0:01:10", reproduction is started at the designated time (a time search destination).
Optical disk playing apparatuses are employed for playing optical disks having large memory capacities, such as a DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks), e.g., software disks for films that last many hours. For a film software disk, generally, information signals for the story are used as the title, and are divided into a plurality of chapters. Further, a software disk for a film includes not only the story, but also a setup screen, a menu screen, a logo screen for a production company, a commercial screen, and an information screen for the copyright.
When reproduction is paused by a user while the optical disk playing apparatus is playing the optical disk, and the playing is then resumed, the state is returned to the original playing start state, the logo video for the production company and the information video for the copyright are played, and the video for the story is played. Therefore, when the user desires to view pictures beginning at with those whereat reproduction was paused, the user must wind the film fast forward while monitoring the pictures that are reproduced, and must find the location whereat playing was paused. Thus, much labor and time are required to find the location whereat the playing was previously paused.
Therefore, an optical disk playing apparatus, having a so-called resume function, that automatically searches for the location whereat playing was paused and that resumes playing at that location has already been developed and is available on the market. According to the optical disk playing apparatus that has the resume function, when the playing of an optical disk is paused, the last memory data, which include address information for a playing pause position, playing environment information and the elapsed time for a period extending from the playing start to the playing pause, a playing pause date and inherent time and disk information, are stored in a memory. Then, when the playing of the optical disk is restarted, playing is begun at the location whereat the playing was paused, based on the last memory data stored in the memory.
However, in the related art as shown in FIG. 1, a still picture based on video data b is not output, and only a still picture based on video data a is output. That is, for a optical disk playing apparatus, when a time search is performed for a DVD video slide show (data wherein only audio data is arranged following the video data for a still picture), a still picture corresponding to audio data can not be output at a designated time because of the data structure.
According to JP-A-2003-33508, it relates to a still picture control method and a still picture control apparatus for an optical disk that conforms to the DVD audio standards, and does not relate to an optical disk playing apparatus for an optical disk that conforms to the DVD video standards.
When video data are not present at a search destination, a forward search is performed to find the video data and an image is displayed according to JP-A-9-259542. However, since an image may be displayed that is shifted slightly relative to an image desired by a user, for the user, the usability would be inferior.
After a playing pause, the optical disk playing apparatus performs the following resume process for an optical disk on which data are recorded, in accordance with the DVD audio standards, that have a data structure wherein, for example, video data for a still picture, audio data, video data for a still picture and audio data are arranged.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a data structure for explaining the resume process performed by an optical disk playing apparatus. In FIG. 4, V1 denotes video data for a still picture, A1 denotes audio data corresponding to the video data V1, V2 denotes video data for a still picture, A2 denotes audio data corresponding to the video data V2, V3 denotes video data for a still picture, and A3 denotes audio data corresponding to the video data V3. When playing of the optical disk on which such data are recorded is paused at a position R, the position R is the resume position, and when playing is restarted, the playing position is returned to the location whereat the video data V2 for the still picture are recorded, and playing is restarted beginning with the video data V2.
However, since the playing start position for the audio data A2 is not the resume position R2 but a position Q, the user must listen to sounds reproduced in the interval extending from the position Q to the resume position R. Therefore, for a user, the usability of the optical disk playing apparatus having such a resume function is inferior.
According to JP-A-2002-279766, simply, even when there are DSI data that can not be obtained, the reproduction of desired data is ensured, but how to resume the reproduction of data, including still picture video data and audio data, is not disclosed. According to JP-A-2002-223411, only the contiguous reproduction of a disk, including pictures such as DVD video, as desired by a user is ensured, but how to resume the reproduction of data, including still picture video data and audio data, is not disclosed. Further, according to JP-A-2002-25235, playing data preceding and following the location whereat playing was paused is enabled, as is digest reproduction. However, the optical disk playing apparatus also does not include how to resume the reproduction of data, including still picture video data and audio data.
It is an object of the invention to provide an optical disk playing apparatus that can output a still picture consonant with available audio data, even when a time search destination on an optical disk conforming to the DVD video standards is a slide show and only audio data are present at the time search destination.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an optical disk playing apparatus that, when the reproduction of data, including video data for a still picture and audio data, is paused, can search for a position whereat video data are present, even when there are no video data at a resume position, and that can reproduce audio data, together with a still picture, beginning at the resume position.
According to an aspect of the invention, an optical disk playing apparatus capable of reproducing information recorded on an optical disk, including: a system controller that includes a search time analysis unit analyzing a search time upon receiving a time search request from a user; a search destination address determination unit determining a search destination address based on the search time that is analyzed, a navigation pack acquisition unit obtaining a navigation pack at the search destination address that is determined, a head address acquisition unit, for, when video data are not found by searching the contents of the navigation pack that is obtained, extracting from data search information included in the navigation pack a head address of a preceding video object unit wherein there are video data, a video data acquisition unit, for reading data at the thus obtained head address and for obtaining only video data based on general information in the data search information included in the navigation pack; and a reproduction controller, for permitting reproduction of the video data that are obtained and for permitting reproduction of audio data that are read beginning at an address corresponding to the time designated by the time search.
With this arrangement, when a time search request is issued by a user, the search time analysis unit analyzes the search time, and based on this search time, the search destination address determination unit determines a search destination address. At the search destination address, the navigation pack acquisition unit obtains the navigation pack and searches the contents thereof. When video data are not present in this navigation pack, the head address acquisition unit extracts from data search information included in the navigation pack the head address of a preceding video object unit wherein there are video data. Then, the data for the obtained head address are read, and based on general information concerning the data search information included in the navigation pack, the video data acquisition unit obtains only video data. Thereafter, the reproduction controller permits the reproduction of the thus obtained video data and of the audio data that are read beginning at the address corresponding to the time designated by the time search. As a result, a still picture consonant is output with the audio data.
According to this arrangement, even when the time search destination on the optical disk conforming to the DVD video standards is a slide show and only audio data are present, a still picture consonant with the audio data can be output, and the usability can be improved for a user.
According to another aspect of the invention, the system controller is operable to determine a search destination address based on a search time that is analyzed in response to a time search request on the basis of the user's request. The system controller is operable to obtain a navigation pack at the search determination address that is determined. The system controller is operable to search contents of the navigation pack that is determined. The system controller is operable to extract from data search information included in the obtained navigation pack the head address of a preceding video object unit wherein there are video data, when the obtained navigation pack does not have the video data of still picture. The system controller is operable to read a data at the obtained head address, thereby to obtain only video data of still picture included in the preceding video object at the obtained head address. The system controller is operable to reproduce audio data beginning at an address that corresponds to the time designated by the time search on the basis of the user's request.
With this arrangement, when a time search request is issued by a user, the search time is analyzed, a search time address is determined based on the analyzation of the search time, and a navigation pack is obtained for the search destination address that is determined. Then, the contents of the navigation pack are searched, and when video data are not present, the head address of a preceding video object unit wherein there are video data is obtained from data search information included in the navigation pack. Thereafter, data for the head address are read and only video data are obtained, based on general information included with the data search information in the navigation pack. Subsequently, the obtained video data are reproduced, as are audio data that are read beginning at the address that corresponds to the time designated by the time search. As a result, a still picture consonant with audio data is output.
According to this arrangement, even when the time search destination on the optical disk that conforms to the DVD video standards is a slide show and only audio data are present, a still picture consonant with the audio data can be output, and the usability is improved for a user.
According to another aspect of the invention, for the optical disk playing apparatus of the second aspect, acquisition of only the video data is performed by reading data at the head address, and is based on general information included with the data search information in the navigation pack. Therefore, a still picture consonant with the audio data can be output.
According to another aspect of the invention, for the optical disk playing apparatus of the second aspect, the system controller includes: a search time analysis unit, for analyzing a search time upon receiving a time search request from a user; a search destination address determination unit, for determining a search destination address based on the search time that is analyzed; a navigation pack acquisition unit, for obtaining a navigation pack at the search destination address that is determined; a head address acquisition unit, for, when video data are not found by searching the contents of the navigation pack that is obtained, extracting from data search information included in the obtained navigation pack a head address of a preceding video object unit whereat video data are present; a video data acquisition unit, for reading data at the thus obtained head address and for obtaining only video data based on general information included with the data search information in the navigation pack; and a reproduction controller, for permitting reproduction of the video data that are obtained, and for permitting reproduction of the audio data that are read beginning at an address corresponding to the time designated by the time search. Therefore, an arrangement can be provided wherein, even when a time search destination on an optical disk that conforms to the DVD video standards is a slide show and only video data are present, a still picture consonant with the audio data can be output.
According to another aspect of the invention, an optical disk playing apparatus comprises a system controller including: a first address acquisition unit, for obtaining an address of a navigation pack, located at a resume position, during a process performed to acquire resume information when the reproduction of data, including still picture video data and audio data, recorded on an optical disk is halted; a second address acquisition unit, for obtaining an address of a navigation pack indicating video data are present; an address comparator, for determining whether the two obtained addresses match; a video reproduction controller, for, when the two addresses do not match, displaying a still picture on a display device by reproducing video data at the address of the navigation pack that indicates video data are present; an address replacement unit, for, after the still picture has been displayed, replacing, as a reproduction target, the address of the navigation pack indicating video data are present with the address of the navigation pack located at the resume position; and an audio reproduction controller, for permitting audio data reproduction to begin at the address of the navigation pack at the resume position.
According to this arrangement, when the playing of an optical disk 1 is halted by the depression of a stop key, the first address acquisition unit obtains the address of the navigation pack at the resume position, and the second address acquisition unit obtains the address of the navigation pack indicating video data are present. Then, the address comparator determines whether the two addresses match. When the two address do not match, the video reproduction controller first reproduces video data at the address of the navigation pack indicating video data are present, and displays a still picture on the display device.
After the still picture has been displayed, as a reproduction target, the address replacement unit replaces the address of the navigation pack indicating video data are present with the address of the navigation pack at the resume position. Thereafter, the audio reproduction controller permits audio data reproduction to begin at the address of the navigation pack at the resume position provided by the replacement.
With this arrangement, when the reproduction of data, including still picture video data and audio data, is paused, a position whereat video data are present can be searched for even when video data are not present at the resume position, and beginning at the resume position, audio data, together with the still picture video data, can be reproduced. Usability, therefore, is improved, for a user, while viewing the still picture, can listen to the music that immediately follows the location at which reproduction was paused.
According to another aspect of the invention, the system controller is operable to obtain an address of the navigation pack at a resume position and an address of the navigation pack indicating a video data of still picture is present in case that a resume information is acquired when a reproduction of the data is paused based on the user's request. The system controller is operable to reproduce a video data of still picture at the address of the navigation pack indicating the video data of still picture is present when it is determined that the two addresses do not match. The system controller is operable to display the still picture on a display device. The system controller is operable to replace the address of the video data to be reproduced with the address of the navigation pack located at the resume position so that the audio data of the address of the navigation pack corresponding to the user's request is reproduced.
According to this arrangement, when reproduction is paused, the address of the navigation pack at the resume position and the address of the navigation pack indicating video data are present are obtained, and when the two addresses do not match, video data at the address of the navigation pack indicating video data are present are reproduced, and a still picture is displayed on the display device. Thereafter, as a reproduction target address, the address of the navigation pack indicating video data are present is exchanged with the address of the navigation pack located at the resume position, and audio data are reproduced.
According to this arrangement, when reproduction of data, including still picture video data and audio data, is paused, the position where video data are present can be searched for even when video data are not present at the resume position, and beginning at the resume position, audio data can be reproduced with the still picture. Usability, therefore, is improved, for a user, while viewing the still picture, can listen to the music that immediately follows the location at which playing was paused.
According to another aspect of the invention, for the optical disk playing apparatus of the second aspect, the system controller includes: a first address acquisition unit for obtaining an address of a navigation pack at a resume position, during a process performed to acquire resume information when the reproduction of data, to include still picture video data and audio data, recorded on an optical disk is paused; a second address acquisition unit for obtaining an address of a navigation pack indicating video data is present; an address comparator for determining whether the two addresses that are obtained match; a video reproduction controller, for, when the two addresses do not match, reproducing video data at the address of the navigation pack indicating video data are present and for displaying a still picture on the display device; an address replacement unit, for, after the still picture has been displayed, replacing, as a reproduction target address, the address of the navigation pack indicating video data is present with the address of the navigation pack located at the resume position; and an audio reproduction controller for permitting reproduction beginning with audio data at the address of the navigation pack located at the resume position provided by the replacement. Thus, when reproduction of data, including still picture video data and audio data, is paused, the position whereat video data are present can be searched for even when video data are not present at the resume position, and beginning with the resume position, audio data, together with a still picture, can be reproduced.
According to the above-aspects of the invention, the optical disk playing apparatus comprises a system controller that includes: a search time analysis unit, for analyzing a search time upon receiving a time search request from a user; a search destination address determination unit, for determining a search destination address based on the search time that is analyzed; a navigation pack acquisition unit, for obtaining a navigation pack at the search destination address that is determined; a head address acquisition unit, for, when video data are not found by searching the contents of the navigation pack that is obtained, extracting from data search information included in the obtained navigation pack a head address of a preceding video object unit wherein video data are present; a video data acquisition unit, for reading data at the thus obtained head address and for obtaining only video data based on general information contained in the data search information included in the navigation pack; and a reproduction controller, for permitting reproduction of the video data that are obtained, and for permitting reproduction of audio data that are read beginning at an address corresponding to the time designated by the time search. Therefore, even when a time search destination on an optical disk that conforms to the DVD video standards is a slide show, and only video data are present, a still picture consonant with the audio data can be output, and usability is improved for a user.
According to the above-aspects of the invention, the optical playing apparatus also includes a system controller that determines a search destination address based on search time that is analyzed in response to a time search request issued by a user; obtains a navigation pack at the search determination address that is determined; searches the contents of the navigation pack that is determined, and when video data are not present, extracts from data search information included in the obtained navigation pack a head address of a preceding video object unit that has video data; reads data at the obtained head address, and obtains and reproduces only video data; and reads and reproduces audio data beginning at an address corresponding to a time designated by a time search. Therefore, even when a time search destination on an optical disk that conforms to the DVD video standards is a slide show, and only video data are present, a still picture consonant with the audio data can be output, and usability is improved for a user.
According to the above-aspects of the invention, an optical disk playing apparatus comprises a system controller that includes: a first address acquisition unit for obtaining an address of a navigation pack at a resume position in the process for acquiring resume information when the reproduction of data, including still picture video data and audio data, recorded on an optical disk, is paused;
a second address acquisition unit for obtaining an address of a navigation pack indicating video data are present;
an address comparator for determining whether the two addresses obtained match;
a video reproduction controller for, when the two addresses do not match, reproducing video data at the address of the navigation pack indicating video data are present, and for displaying a still picture on the display device;
an address replacement unit for, after the still picture has been displayed, replacing, as a reproduction target address, the address of the navigation pack indicating video data are present with the address of the navigation pack located at the resume position; and
an audio reproduction controller for permitting reproduction beginning with audio data at the address of the navigation pack located at the resume position provided by the replacement. With this arrangement, when reproduction of data, including video data for a still picture and audio data, is paused, the position where video data are present can be searched for even when video data are not present at the resume position, and beginning with the resume position, audio data can be reproduced together with a still picture. Thus, while seeing the still picture, the user can listen to music beginning at where playing was paused, and usability is improved.
According to the above-aspects of the invention, the optical disk playing apparatus also comprises the system controller that, in a process for acquiring resume information when reproduction of data including video data for a still picture and audio data recorded on an optical disk is paused, obtains an address of a navigation pack at a resume position and an address of a navigation pack indicating video data are present; when the two addresses do not match, reproduces the video data at the address of the navigation pack indicating video data are present and displays a still picture on a display device; and thereafter returns an address to be reproduced to the address of the navigation pack located at the resume position so as to reproduce audio data. With this arrangement, when reproduction of data, including video data for a still picture and audio data, is paused, the position where video data are present can be searched for even when video data are not present at the resume position, and beginning with the resume position, audio data can be reproduced together with a still picture. Thus, while seeing the still picture, the user can listen to music beginning at where playing was paused, and usability is improved.


A method for adhesive binding and assembly of text bodies having plural sheets to a cover to form a bound document. Exemplary embodiments include applying an adhesive to a contacting surface of a plurality of sheets of the text body on an individual sheet-wide basis and adhering the plurality of sheets to the cover on an individual sheet-wide base by making line contact between the contacting surface and the cover and by curing the adhesive. Alternatively, the plurality of sheets can be positioned in a stand-off position from the cover and the adhesive can be applied into the gap. A system for binding a text body to a cover to form a bound document is also disclosed.

Bookbinding systems can deliver bound documents, including books, manuals, publications, annual reports, newsletters, business plans and brochures. A bookbinding system collects a plurality of sheets (or pages) into a text body (or book block) and applies an adhesive to bind the text body to the cover to form a bound documents.
The choice of adhesive surface can affect how the bound document opens. For example, the cover may be attached to the bound text body by an adhesive on the side hinge areas or the spine of the text body, or both. The cover of a commercial soft cover book can be attached to the text spine. The covers of hardcover books and some soft cover "lay flat" books, on the other hand, are not attached to the text body spines (for example, the spines are floating). Also, where the adhesive is too generously applied such that adhesive is placed on the plane surface of the sheet (for example, the surface with text), adjacent sheets can adhere to one another causing the bound body to be rigid and difficult to open.
Text bodies can be assembled and covers can be attached by an adhesive applied to the spine area of the text body. Application of the adhesive and/or cover by a hinged system in the spine area can generate a localized buckle, accumulation or wrinkle as a force is applied over the adhesive. The localized buckle, accumulation or wrinkle can be unsightly as well as produce an inconsistent adhesive bond at the spine.
The number of pages in the text body to be bound can also affect the choice of adhesive surface and the method of application of the adhesive. For example, text bodies with low page counts (such as bodies with less than 20 to 50 sheets), have been assembled into booklets by various methods, including saddle-stitch methods such as stapling along the spine. Binding techniques for square spine documents have generally been applied to text bodies with higher page counts.

Serial method of binding a text body to a cover

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.