A liquid crystal panel substrate is used as a translucent substrate with a liquid crystal panel. The liquid crystal panel has a display region and a non-display region disposed outside of the display region. A plurality of electrodes are disposed across the display region and the non-display region of the liquid crystal panel. Each electrode has a width differing between the display region and the non-display region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal panel substrate having a fine pitch electrode structure, a method of manufacturing the substrate, a liquid crystal device created using the substrate and an electronic apparatus that includes the liquid crystal device.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, liquid crystal devices have become utilized widely as the displays of portable electronic apparatuses such as portable telephones, electronic notepads, and the like. This is largely due to the characteristic of liquid crystal devices as having low power consumption. Thus, conventional liquid crystal devices have little display capacity and are used to display characters and segments. However, because of increases in memory capacity and improvements in data communication technology, a demand has arisen for liquid crystal displays having greater display capacities. Because of this, many dot matrix type liquid crystal devices capable of large-volume display including graphics also have come to be used.
An indispensable quality control matter in the manufacture of such a dot matrix type liquid crystal device is the testing at the appropriate time for shorts or breaks among the display electrodes, and sending down the manufacturing process the substrate components assured by that testing to be good. A conventional method of testing for shorts and breaks of display electrodes is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. 59-042583. Namely, when testing electrodes of a translucent electrode pattern, shorts and breaks are detected electrically by printing voltage, for example direct current voltage, on the translucent electrode pattern, and by detecting the voltage taken by the various electrodes by contacting a short needle (a probe) to the surfaces of the translucent electrodes and moving the probe at a constant velocity.
FIG. 10 shows one example of an electrode arrangement of a conventional liquid crystal panel substrate and an electrode test method. Specifically, FIG. 10 shows that when the terminal for making a connection with an external circuit, i.e., external connection terminal 51, is electrically isolated from external electrode 52, testing probe 54 is contacted to one of multiple electrodes 53, and voltage, for example direct current voltage, is printed. Furthermore, a separate testing probe 56 is contacted to the end of an electrode on the opposite side of terminal 51 on electrode 53. The change in voltage is detected between probe 54 and probe 56. Another testing probe 57 is also contacted to the neighboring electrode 53, and the change in voltage is detected between probe 56 and probe 57.
FIG. 11 shows that a change in voltage is detected by moving probe 54 and probe 56 among the multiple electrodes as shown by arrow A while being connected to the same electrode, and reading the voltage by probe 54 during that movement. There is no electrical break in electrode 53 between probe 54 and probe 56 when the voltage detected by probe 54 is high (Vh). Thus, electrode breaks can be detected by probe 54 and probe 56.
On the other hand, the presence or absence of shorts between the neighboring electrodes 53 and 53 can be detected by moving probe 56 and probe 57 among the multiple electrodes as shown by the arrow A while being connected to neighboring electrodes, and reading the voltage by probe 57 during that movement. The voltage detected by probe 57 is always 0 if there is no short between those electrodes. However, a voltage is detected if there is a short between those electrodes. Thus, detecting electrode breaks and shorts between electrodes as described above, assures that electronic components having no defects are sent to the next process.
FIG. 12 shows another example of an electrode arrangement of a conventional crystal panel substrate and electrode test method. This method is used when every other electrode 53 is connected purposefully to external electrode 52, i.e., when they are shorted. Testing probe 54 is connected to external electrode 52, voltage, for example direct current voltage, is printed and another testing probe 56 is connected to a terminal end on the opposite side of external connection terminal 51 in the same manner as shown in FIG. 10. Furthermore, probe 56 is moved among the multiple electrodes as shown by arrow A, the difference in potential is detected by probe 56, and shorts between electrodes and electrode breaks are detected based on the difference in potential.
When the multiple electrodes 53 are normal, both the high voltage Vh and the low voltage V1 alternate as shown in FIG. 13. Also, when there is a break in the connection between electrode 53 and external electrode 52, there is no voltage peak for the electrode that should be high voltage Vh, i.e., the location of electrode number 3 shown in FIG. 14. Also, when there is a short between two neighboring electrodes 53 and 53, high voltage is detected in succession, as shown in FIG. 15. Thus, this conventional method uses the presence or absence of voltage printing alternates for every other electrode, to detect electrode breaks shorting with an external electrode and shorts between electrodes by moving one probe.
Because of restrictions of mechanical precision, limitations exist as to how small the cross-sectional area of the tip of the testing probe can be formed. Also, as shown microscopically, the tip of the probe contacts an electrode of the liquid crystal panel face. As a result, there was a problem that, in either of the above-mentioned testing methods, as the inter-electrode gap becomes smaller, the tip of the probe may straddle the gap and contact two adjacent electrodes. If this problem occurs in the conventional apparatus and method shown in FIG. 10, in which all the electrodes are electrically independent from the external electrode, both probe 56 and probe 57 may straddle a single electrode 53 and contact each other. Thus, probe 57 will always receive voltage, which will be misinterpreted as the existence of a short between the electrodes even when there is no short, and a correct determination is impossible.
Also, in the conventional apparatus and method shown in FIG. 12, in which every other electrode of the multiple electrodes 53 is in contact with external electrode 52, when the contact region of probe 56 is larger than the gap of the neighboring electrodes, probe 56 always receives high voltage and a correct determination is likewise impossible. Also, when it is determined that there is a short between electrodes, given the appearance of high voltage Vh in a location of low voltage Vl, it becomes impossible to detect the low voltage Vl region necessary to detect this short if the contact region of probe 56 is large. Thus, the problem exists that if there really is a short, it will be impossible to detect.
Consequently, the conventional testing methods shown in FIGS. 10 and 12, have the limitation that the inter-electrode interval must be at least 20 .mu.m at an inter-electrode pitch of at least 250 .mu.m. However, in recent years, the level demanded for liquid crystal devices is narrower than such a limit. For example, an inter-electrode gap of as little as 10 .mu.m at an inter-electrode pitch of as little as 180 .mu.m is being investigated.

Liquid crystal panel substrate, its fabrication method, liquid crystal device and electronic apparatus


Method and apparatus for determining the state of entrainment between biological systems which exhibit oscillatory behavior such as heart rhythms, respiration, blood pressure waves and low frequency brain waves based on a determination of heart rate variability (HRV) and an evaluation of the power spectrum thereof. Entrainment reflects a harmonious balance between the two branches of the autonomic nervous system within the body. This internal state of heightened physiological efficiency enhances health and promotes optimal performance. According to one embodiment a method is used to determine the entrainment level based on an entrainment parameter related to HRV. The method first determines the power distribution spectrum (PSD) and then calculates an entrainment parameter (EP), which is a measure of the power distribution in the HRV spectrum. High EP values occur when this power is concentrated within a relatively narrow range of frequencies, and lower values when the power is distributed over a broader range of frequencies. In one embodiment, an apparatus is provided for monitoring the heart beat and presenting this information via a personal computer, handheld device, or other processing means.

With the growing complexity of life, the relation between physiological conditions and emotional health becomes of increasing interest. Many studies have shown that stress and other emotional factors increase the risk of disease, reduce performance and productivity and severely restrict the quality of life. To this end, the medical communities around the world continually seek remedies and preventive plans. Recently a focus on the self-regulation of systems within the body has led to research in the areas of biofeedback, etc.
In the last 25 years, a variety of new techniques have been introduced as alternatives to more traditional psychotherapies or pharmaceutical interventions for improving mental and/or emotional imbalances. In addition to the more psychological approaches like cognitive re-structuring and neurolinguistic programming, psychologists have employed several techniques from Eastern cultures to "still the mind" during focused meditation. In yoga, for example, one generally focuses on the breath or parts of the brain, whereas in qigong one focuses on the "dan tien" point (below the navel). In a Freeze Frame® (FF) technique, developed by the Institute of Heart Math in Boulder Creek, Calif., one focuses attention on the area around the heart. All these techniques focus attention upon areas of the body which are known to contain separate but interacting groups of neuronal processing centers, and biological oscillators with which they interact. The heart, brain, and the intestines contain biological oscillators known as pacemaker cells. By intentionally focusing attention on any one of these oscillator systems, one can alter its rhythms. This is at least true for the brain (meditation), yogic breathing (respiration), the heart (FF), and most likely the gut (qigong), since it is also regulated by the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The body also contains other oscillating systems such as the smooth muscles of the vascular system. We have previously shown that this system, measured by recording pulse transit time (PTT), as well as the brain, measured by an electroencephalograph (EEG), the heart, measured by a heart rate variability (HRV), and the respiration system, measured by the respiration rate, can all entrain. Furthermore, they all synchronize to a frequency varying around 0.1 Hertz (Hz). Thus, one can intentionally bring these systems, acting as coupled biological oscillators, into synchrony with each other.
The FF technique is a self-management technique by which one focuses on the heart to disengage from moment-to-moment mental and emotional reactions. A study utilizing the FF technique in a psychological intervention program with HIV-positive subjects resulted in significant reductions in life-stress, state and trait anxiety levels, and self-assessed physical symptoms. Two other studies with healthy individuals using the FF technique to enhance positive emotional states showed increased salivary IgA and increased sympathovagal balance. Increased sympathovagal balance is known to protect against detrimental physiological effects associated with overactive sympathetic outflow from the brain. Other studies have shown the techniques to be effective in improving autonomic balance and decreasing the stress hormone cortisol and increasing DHEA, improving glycemic regulation in diabetics, reducing blood pressure in hypertensive individuals and significantly reducing psychological stressors such as anxiety, depression, fatigue and overwhelm in many diverse populations.
Sympathovagal balance has been measured using various techniques. For example, individuals can be trained to consciously control their heart rate using biofeedback techniques. However, the enhanced parasympathetic activity is probably mediated through control of respiration. Neutral hypnosis and operant conditioning of heart rate have been demonstrated to decrease in the sympathetic/parasympathetic ratio by increasing parasympathetic activity independent of controlled breathing techniques. The FF technique does not require biofeedback equipment nor does it require conscious control of respiration although a short breathing protocol is used this technique. Our results suggest that emotional experiences play a role in determining sympathovagal balance independent of heart rate and respiration. The shifts in sympathovagal balance toward increased low-frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) power (measures of heart rate variability) were physiological manifestations of experiencing the emotional state of appreciation. The FF technique focuses on genuinely experiencing the feelings of sincere appreciation or love, in contrast to visualizing or recalling a previous positive emotional experience.
The results of our studies indicate that relatively short periods of practice of the FF technique and other tools developed by the Institute of HeartMath leads to either an "entrainment" or "internal coherence" mode of heart function (described in greater detail below). Most subjects who are able to maintain these states report that the intrusion of random thoughts is greatly reduced and that it is accompanied by feelings of deep inner peace and heightened intuitive awareness.
We also observed that positive emotional states, which lead to the entrainment mode, generated marked changes in the dynamic beating patterns of the heart. A method for quantifying and analyzing and quantifying these heart rhythms is called analysis of heart rate variability (HRV). The normal resting heart rate in healthy individuals varies dynamically from moment to moment. Heart rate variability, which is derived from the electrocardiogram (ECG) or pulse, is a measure of these naturally occurring beat-to-beat changes in heart rate and is an important indicator of health and fitness. HRV is influenced by a variety of factors, including physical movement, sleep and mental and activity, and is particularly responsive to stress and changes in emotional state. The analysis of HRV can provide important information relative to the function and balance of the autonomic nervous system, as it can distinguish sympathetic from parasympathetic regulation of heart rate. Decreased HRV is also a powerful predictor of future heart disease, increased risk of sudden death, as well as all-cause mortality.
Frequency domain analysis decomposes the heart rate tachogram or waveform into its individual frequency components and quantifies them in terms of their relative intensity, in terms of power spectral density (PSD). By applying spectral analysis techniques to the HRV waveform, its different frequency components, which represent the activity of the sympathetic or parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system, can be discerned. The HRV power spectrum is divided into three frequency ranges or bands: very low frequency (VLF), 0.033 to 0.04 Hz; low frequency (LF), 0.04 to 0.15 Hz; and high frequency (HF), 0.15 to 0.4 Hz.
The high frequency (HF) band is widely accepted as a measure of parasympathetic or vagal activity. The peak in this band corresponds to the heart rate variations related to the respiratory cycle, commonly referred to as respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Reduced parasympathetic activity has been found in individuals under mental or emotional stress, suffering from panic, anxiety or worry and depression.
The low frequency (LF) region can reflect both sympathetic and parasympathetic activity, especially in short-term recordings. Parasympathetic influences are particularly present when respiration rates are below 7 breaths per minute or when an individual takes a deep breath. This region is also called the "baroreceptor range" as it also reflects baroreceptor activity and at times blood pressure wave activity and resonance.
When an individual's HRV pattern and respiration are synchronized or entrained, as can happen spontaneously in states of deep relaxation, sleep or when using techniques to facilitate autonomic balance such as Freeze-Frame and the Heart Lock-In, the frequency at which the entrainment occurs is often near 0.1 Hertz. This falls in the center of the LF band and could be misinterpreted as a large increase in sympathetic activity, when in reality it is primarily due to an increase in parasympathetic activity and vascular resonance. Sophisticated modeling techniques have shown that in normal states, about 50% of the total power in the LF band is explained by neural signals impinging on the sinus node which are generated at a central level, and the majority of the remaining power is due to resonance in the arterial pressure regulation feedback loop. The sympathetic system does not appear to produce rhythms that appear much above frequencies of 0.1 Hz, while the parasympathetic can be observed to operate down to frequencies of 0.05 Hz. Thus, in individuals who have periods of slow respiration rate, parasympathetic activity is modulating the heart rhythms at a frequency that is in the LF band. Therefore, in order to discriminate which of the ANS branches is pumping power into the LF region, both respiration and PTT should be simultaneously recorded and considered.
The increase in LF power while in the entrainment mode may represent increased baroreceptor afferent activity. It has been shown that the LF band reflects increased afferent activity of baroreceptors. The LF band has indeed been shown to reflect baroreceptor reflex sensitivity and is affected by physiological states. Increased baroreceptor activity is known to inhibit sympathetic outflow from the brain to peripheral vascular beds, whereas stress increases sympathetic outflow and inhibits baroreflex activity. The increase in LF power seen during the state of deep sustained appreciation may have important implications for the control of hypertension, since baroreflex sensitivity is reduced in these individuals.
There is a noticeable and obvious transition after the FF intervention to the entrainment mode which can be seen in the HRV waveforms and PSD data. In addition, many subjects report that they are able to use the FF technique while they were in a "tense" conversation with someone and starting to react. Even in these conditions, the HRV waveforms indicate that they were able to shift to and maintain the entrainment state.
From tachogram data, it can be seen that, as one moves from a state of frustration to one of sincere appreciation a transition occurs in the waveforms from a noisy wave of large amplitude to a non-harmonic wave form of similar amplitude (entrainment). We have also identified an additional state we call "amplified peace" to indicate this special emotional state of very deep peace and inner harmony. In this state, the HRV waveform becomes a smaller amplitude wave (internal coherence). In general, the transition in the frequency domain (PSD) is from a wide-band spectrum of moderate amplitude to a narrow-band spectrum around 0.1 Hz of very large amplitude (entrainment) and then to a wide-band spectrum of very small amplitude (internal coherence).
In most individuals, small to near-zero HRV, as just described, is an indicator of a potentially pathological condition or aging because it connotes loss of flexibility of the heart to change in rate or a decreased flow of information in the ANS. However, in trained subjects, it is an indication of exceptional self-management of their emotions and autonomic nervous system because their HRV is normally large and the shift into the internal coherence mode is a result of intentionally entering the amplified peace state. This is very different from a pathological condition underlying lowered HRV (in such cases the HRV is always low). The connection between emotional states and HRV could possibly account for the occasional observation of low HRV in otherwise healthy individuals which has detracted from the clinical utility of HRV analysis for unequivocally predicting disease.
During the condition of internal coherence, the electromagnetic energy field produced by the heart, as seen in a fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis of an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal, is a clear example of a coherent electromagnetic field. Recent advances in the understanding of the interaction between coherent signals and noise in nonlinear systems has resulted in the prediction that these nonthermal, coherent electromagnetic signals may be detected by cells. Further evidence suggests that coherent electromagnetic fields may have important implications for cellular function. For example, it has been recently demonstrated that nonthermal, extremely low frequency electromagnetic signals may affect intracellular calcium signaling. In addition, coherent electromagnetic fields have been shown to produce substantially greater cellular effects on enzymatic pathways, such as ornithine decarboxylase activity, than incoherent signals. This fact suggests that the state of internal coherence may also affect cellular function and provides a potential link between emotional states, autonomic function, HRV and cellular processes.
Conscious focus of attention and/or positive emotions has been shown to significantly influence HRV and PSD. The results of our research support previous work and suggest that psychological interventions which minimize negative and enhance positive emotional states may significantly impact cardiovascular function.
The results of work in this area demonstrate that sincere feelings of appreciation produce a power spectral shift toward LF and HF activity and imply that 1) the major centers of the body containing biological oscillators can act as coupled electrical oscillators, 2) these oscillators can be brought into synchronized modes of operation via mental and emotional self-control, and 3) the effects on the body of such synchronization are correlated with significant shifts in perception and cardiovascular function. It is suggested that positive emotions lead to alterations in sympathovagal balance which may be beneficial in the treatment of hypertension and reduce the likelihood of sudden death in patients with congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease.
There is a need to provide quantified information regarding the balance of the ANS which is easily used and does not require extensive biofeedback equipment. There is further a need for a mobile method of monitoring this balance for use in everyday life.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for facilitating physiological coherence and autonomic balance


Improved Sealed Expansion Module is an enclosure for housing electronics, such as circuit boards, POTS/VDSL cables having connectors, a fiber cable having a connector and a power cable having a connector. The preferred embodiment of Improved Sealed Expansion Module is comprised of at least some of the following: an enclosure having two internally undivided chambers (upper and lower), an access hatch attached with captive fasteners to the lower chamber of the enclosure, circuit boards located in the upper chamber of the enclosure, a surge protector and POTS/VDSL, fiber and power cables with connectors within the lower chamber of the enclosure, and a plurality of openings on the bottom of the lower chamber for POTS/VDSL interconnection cables, fiber interconnection cables, power interconnection cables at customer sites.

An ONU is a device in which optical-to-electrical conversions take place. ONU's are usually installed close to a customer's home or office and connected to central offices by optical fibers and/or copper pairs. Signals received from these optical fibers and copper pairs are converted into electrical signals that are then transmitted along electrical conductors or coaxial cables to the customers' premises.
Electrical signals, in the frequency range above the voice band, received from the customers are converted by the optical network units into optical signals which are transmitted by the optical fibers to the central office. Electrical signals in the voice band received from the customer are transmitted to the central office on the copper pairs.
ONU's are located just adjacent to the outside wiring interface at a customer site. This outside wire interface connects the ONU to the customer's line to transfer the voice, data, video, high definition broad band and XDSL signals to the customer. Because ONU's are located outside a customer's premises, they are contained in a housing, enclosure or module for protection from the weather and other external forces.
An SEM is a sealed enclosure that can be mounted in a variety of locations and protects a variety of electronics equipment from the elements. Traditional SEM designs are shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.
Unfortunately, conventional mechanical designs of Sealed Expansion Modules ("SEM") and Optical Network Unit ("ONU") enclosures impose many deployment restrictions. As shown in FIG. 1, many legacy SEM's are installed with variable length cable spools that are difficult to ship because of the shape and design of the cable spools. These SEM's are also expensive because any cabling in excess of what is required for a given installation becomes an unnecessary expense.
As shown in FIG. 2, some legacy SEM's are deployed with factory sealed and installed, fixed length Drop/Co/VDSL/power/fiber cables solving the shipping and cost issues associated with cable spools. However, these SEM's require an additional junction box to connect the cable pigtails to the in-ground cabling, making them more difficult to install and leading to increased costs and reduced reliability due to the additional connections inside the junction box.
The fixed length cables also may restrict the distance the enclosure can be placed from the SAI or fiber junction. Alternatively, the fixed length cables require intimate knowledge of the deployment site to pre-terminate the cables to an appropriate length.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,828,807 discloses an ONU mechanical enclosure having two compartments with separate openings. One compartment houses the electronics and optics of the optical network unit, and the second compartment houses a drop terminal block or blocks of the unit. Doors cover and seal the openings when the unit is in use. The doors can be rotated upwards when the interior of the optical network needs to be accessed. Catches hold the doors in open positions to allow the technician freedom to use both hands.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,828,807 and other prior ONU mechanical enclosures insist that the dual compartment/separate enclosures are desirable because separate doors and compartments allow craftspersons to access the desired compartment without unnecessarily exposing the electronic elements in the other compartment to weather elements. The prior art ignores the additional costs associated with manufacturing dual compartments and the additional costs and logistical concerns of installing a bulkier dual compartment ONU enclosure.
These types of ONU enclosures suffer numerous other drawbacks as discussed in United States patent application Ser. No. 2003/0118312. One such drawback is that the internal environment for the electronics and optical components is not controlled. Hence, during servicing of the appropriate compartments, humidity and wind driven rain can enter the compartment and be trapped therein when the door is closed. Potential corrosion of electronic components and/or shorting out of the power supply can occur as a result.
Another drawback of existing ONU mechanical enclosures is that human error during servicing often occurs because line cards within the ONU mechanical enclosures are often mistakenly identified as damaged and accidentally exchanged. This results in unnecessary delays in returning an ONU to its intended function and may exacerbate the problem.
The technology discussed in United States patent application Ser. No. 2003/0118312 addresses these problems by providing for a housed environmentally sealed printed circuit board/line card such that environmental conditions cannot affect optical and electronic components. The printed circuit boards/line cards also are not changed individually so that an incorrect circuit board will not be replaced when the service breaks down. Instead, when problems occur, the entire environmentally sealed printed board arrangement is replaced for a new one. However, the device described in United States patent application Ser. No. 2003/0118312 still requires two separate sealed compartments for cable termination and active electronics, limiting possible installation sites and creating added installation expenses.
Hence, there is a need in the art for a convenient to install, reliable, inexpensive, durable, safe and effective SEM or module for protecting an ONU that does not require two separate sealed compartments for cable termination and active electronics and does not require expensive variable length cable spools or mounting-limiting fixed-length cables.


A polylactic acid resin composition is provided which contains a polylactic acid (A), an epoxy-modified silicone-acrylic rubber (B1) and a methyl methacrylate-butadiene-styrene copolymer rubber (B2). The polylactic acid resin composition is superior in impact resistance.

Among thermoplastic resins, polyester resin is superior in physical properties such as mechanical properties and heat resistance, and is used in electric component parts, business machine component parts and so froth. In recent years, however, the polyester resin is required to be further improved in physical properties. Specifically, a laminar clay mineral, an impact modifier, etc. are added to a thermoplastic resin and melt-kneaded by means of a kneading machine, to thereby attempt to improve physical properties. Researches are energetically made also on a composite technique for resins of vegetable origin, such as polylactic acid.
As for the composite technique, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No. 2003-286396, it is attempted that a polymer of a multi-layer structure is added to polylactic acid to improve impact resistance. It is also disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No. 2005-29759 that an unmodified natural rubber and an acryl-modified natural rubber are added to polylactic acid to improve impact resistance. However, resin compositions disclosed in these publications are improved in impact resistance when compared with those to which the stated material(s) has or have not been added, but do not have strength enough to be used as structural component parts.


Embodiments extend functionality of a first application with actions from one or more second applications specifically applicable to a content item selected by a user. The selected content item belongs to a category. A description of the selected content item distinguishes the selected content item from other content items in the same category. At least one of a plurality of second applications is selected based on a comparison between the description and application data associated with the second applications. The computing device identifies, to the user, the actions from the second applications applicable to the selected content item. Upon selection of an action, the computing device executes the corresponding second application and provides output data within the context of the first application, or otherwise integrated with the first application experience. In some embodiments, the computing device offers the user execution of a third party application specifically applicable to the selected content item.

For mobile devices, an increasing quantity of third party applications is available from online mobile marketplaces. Users browse the applications and install the applications to extend the functionality of the mobile devices. The installed third party applications are generally operable with certain types or categories of files. For example, a third party image editor may be operable with image files generally, such as all bitmap files or all joint photographic experts group (JPEG) files. Selecting among several different third party image editors, however, is difficult.
The existing mechanisms for selecting among the third party applications are generally limited to selection based on the types or categories of files or data supported by the third party applications. The existing mechanisms lack, for example, sufficient context about the files or data on the mobile device to enable intelligent selection or recommendation.

Providing item specific functionality via service-assisted applications


An in-line high pressure fluid release valve is formed by a valve body having a cylinder and having a transverse opening forming a fluid passageway interposed in a fluid conductor. A piston normally closing the fluid passageway and having a fluid passageway size transverse opening is guided to prevent angular rotation during longitudinal sliding movement in the cylinder by a piston rod and a cylinder wall supported guide rod projecting into a piston wall slot for mating and mismating the piston opening with the flow passageway. A pin cage connected with the piston rod end of the cylinder axially supports a collapsible pin normally biasing the piston to a fluid passageway closed position until upstream fluid pressure of a predetermined value channeled through a cylinder wall fluid bypass at the piston end opposite the piston rod to bias the piston toward a passageway open position for releasing fluid pressure downstream. A fluid bypass check valve holds fluid under pressure in the piston cavity and against the piston end opposite its rod to insure full travel of the piston for axially aligning its opening with the fluid passageway.

The present invention relates to high pressure fluid conductors and more particularly to a valve interposed in such high pressure fluid conductors to release high pressure fluid above a predetermined value.
1. Field of the invention
In high pressure fluid systems, it is desirable to monitor the fluid pressure and release it downstream when it reaches a predetermined value.
This invention provides a high pressure fluid release valve which is interposed in a high fluid pressure conductor upstream with respect to a safety relief valve and features a fluid pressure biased piston normally transversely intersecting the flow passageway of a high pressure fluid conductor in fluid tight sealing relation.
2. Description of the prior art
The ASME pressure vessel code permits the installation of rupture disk pressure relief devices upstream and downstream from the inlet and outlet ports of a safety relief valve. The added rupture disc relief device results in several system advantages, namely, zero fluid leakage to the atmosphere; extending periods between overhauls; valves may be tested in place; and, safety relief valve life is extended by isolating corrosive fluids from internal valve parts.
My U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,724,857, issued Feb. 16, 1988 for PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE; U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,834, issued May 7, 1991 for FLUID PRESSURE FLARE RELIEF VALVE; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,511, issued Nov. 26, 1991 for HIGH PRESSURE FLUID EMERGENCY SHUTOFF VALVE are believed representative of the state-of-the-art and all disclose a valve body containing a piston in which unbalanced fluid pressure axially acting on the piston unseats the piston to open a fluid passageway through the valve body when the fluid pressure reaches a predetermined limit.
The present invention is distinctive over the above named patents by providing a valve interposed in a high pressure fluid line in which the valve body slidably supports a transversely apertured piston normally intersecting and closing a fluid passageway through the valve fluid tight.
The wall of the valve body contains a fluid bypass admitting fluid pressure from the inlet port to one end of the piston for moving the piston in a flow passageway opening direction by collapsing a pressure responsive pin to release the fluid pressure downstream.

In-line high pressure fluid release valve


A method for enabling a printing machine having a customer billing interface to bill the customer for different types of printing operations performed includes programming variable rates for printing operations into the printing machine. With receipt of a machine enable signal from the customer billing interface, the printing operation is initiated. The printing machine determines the type of printing operation performed and sends the corresponding billing signal to the customer interface.

This invention relates to electrophotographic printing machine billing systems, and more particularly relates to a programmable billing system for self-service electrophotographic printing machines.
Many establishments now provide self-service copy machines, printers, or multifunctional devices, which are operated either on a coin or card basis. Commonly, the coin or card interface physically attaches to the machine via an interface port. The combination of the port and the interface device provides a means of controlling machine operation and a means for counting copies generated. The interface device (e.g. coin-operated machine or debit card reader) controls the processing of copy or print jobs by enabling or disabling a xe2x80x9cmachine enablexe2x80x9d signal. When this signal is enabled, the system allows the marking of jobs.
When a sheet is marked (copied or printed), the system emits a xe2x80x9csheet fedxe2x80x9d pulse to the interface device. When no credits remain, the interface device turns off the xe2x80x9cmachine enablexe2x80x9d signal. Upon the disabling of this signal, the system stops the marking of the job. When more credits are provided, the foreign interface device turns on the xe2x80x9cmachine enablexe2x80x9d signal that causes the system to resume the marking of the job.
However, as copiers, printers, and multi-functional machines have evolved, their functionality and available features have increased. These machines provide both simplex and duplex copies, various types of finishing (e.g. stitching, binding, hole-punching, etc.), and variable sheet size capabilities. Unfortunately, the standard interface is not configured with variable charge rates for simplex and duplex copying or printing operations. For the purposes of this disclosure, simplex refers to marking on one side of a sheet only; duplex refers to marking on both sides of a sheet. Although previous systems have provided fixed billing for each sheet side imaged to capture additional charges for duplex printing, these systems do not provide the capability for variable rate billing for printing operations. Variable rate billing would allow the system operator to maintain profitability levels as system costs change and avoid overcharge to the customer.
The following disclosures may be relevant to various aspects of the present invention and may be briefly summarized as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,420 to McManus discloses a coin actuated device for operating a copy machine. The device couples to a conventional electrostatic or bond copy machine and provides both coin actuated or bypass operation. The circuitry of the control device includes a power control relay which provides power to a receptacle plug connected to the copy machine, a variable time delay circuit to allow warm-up time between coin actuation and print actuation, and a variable print process timing circuit to allow for process print time prior to shut down of the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,088 to Rademacher, et al. discloses a usage control system for copiers. The control system connects to the copier through an existing accounting system connection. The copier initiates operation when it receives a signal from a check-operated device, such as a coin box or magnetic card reader. The copier supplies a signal to increment the counter in the accounting system when the operation has progressed. After a delay to permit completion of the copy cycle, the operate signal is reset, and the copier is disabled.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,059 to Smeiman discloses a remote control system for providing accurate copy count and control in the operation of self-service photocopy machines. The system includes a remotely located transmitter, which sends digital signals to enable or disable a self-serve photocopy machine. A receiver mounted on the photocopy machine controls a digital display indicating the number of photocopies being made. A user-operated switch on the receiver lets a user disable the copy machine when copying is complete. The photocopy machine is then enabled by a reset signal sent from the remote transmitter, which also clears the digital display.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,398 to Simons discloses a device for recording charges or copies made on a copy machine by way of two or more accounting means connected by the device to the copy machine via a plurality of connection points. Each connection point is connected separately to a different accounting means and control means, which selectively activates one of the accounting means for recording charges.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,557 to Kato et al. discloses an image forming apparatus such as a coin-operated copy machine, which has an upper limit to the number of copies which are authorized to be made and which permits both simplex and duplex operation. The apparatus includes an intermediate tray, which temporarily stores sheets copied on their first side and is empty at the end of a copy cycle despite the image forming apparatus being fed more double-sided originals to copy than are authorized to be copied. The apparatus compares the upper limit value of the number of copies authorized to be made to the number of single-sided copies already made in the a current copy cycle and begins copying the second side of the originals onto sheets from the intermediate tray when the upper limit value equals a constant K plus twice the number of images formed.
Briefly stated, and in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of billing a customer for printing operations performed by a printing system. The method includes programming a printing machine with billing rates for different types of printing operations, receiving an enable signal from a customer interface, and feeding a sheet to the printing machine. After determining whether a sheet is blank, printed on one side only, or printed on both sides, sending a billing signal, corresponding to the billing rate for the operation performed, for each sheet marked to the customer interface.

Method and apparatus for charging for printing operations on an electrophotographic printing machine


A connection joint for coupling a pair of conduits. The connection joint includes a tubular body having an inlet end and an outlet end that are each configured for receipt of a respective conduit therein. A first membrane seal is located within the tubular body and spaced apart from the inlet end, and a second membrane seal is located within the tubular body and spaced apart from the outlet end. The first and second membrane seals each have a bulbous portion located proximate the inlet end and outlet end, respectively, a tubular sleeve unitary with the bulbous portion located away from the inlet end and outlet end, respectively, and a plurality of radially inwardly extending ribs.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Press copper fittings provide secure and reliable joints for conduit systems that may be used in a variety of different applications to transport liquids and/or gasses. One exemplary application is in the field of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC/R). Conduit systems in HVAC/R applications are commonly installed in residential or commercial buildings, and are typically comprised of multiple conduits that carry a refrigerant. Traditionally, the multiple conduits of HVAC/R conduit systems were joined by brazed connections. When done properly, brazed connections have good durability and leak resistance. Brazing, however, is a time-consuming operation that requires special equipment and skills. In this regard, compared to soldering, brazing is a slower operation that requires higher temperatures. The high temperatures associated with brazing also require safety precautions in tight spaces and in occupied buildings.
More recently, crimp connections have been introduced in HVAC/R applications. Such crimp connections are gaining market acceptance because brazing is relatively time consuming as compared to the time required to install crimp connections. Due to this time savings, HVAC/R installation contractors have observed the ability for substantial savings in labor costs by utilizing crimp connections.
Notwithstanding these benefits, existing crimp connections are prone to leaks and separation, especially at high working pressures (e.g., pressures greater than 700 psi) and in applications using refrigerant gases where molecules of such gases are very small. Existing crimp connections typically include an inner O-ring seal that is carried on an inner diameter of the fitting body, wherein the O-ring seal engages the conduit upon insertion of the conduit into the fitting body. A crimping tool is subsequently employed to crimp the fitting body to thereby fix the fitting body and the conduit to one another. This type of crimp connection is prone to leaks because the outside surface of copper conduit is susceptible to imperfections (e.g. gouges, scratches, and incise marks) during its formation via extrusion. The outside surface of copper conduit, particularly at its free ends, is also susceptible to damage during shipping, storage, and handling. Such imperfections and damage may adversely affect the ability of the fitting body and the O-ring seal to seal against the outer surface of the conduit.

Press-connect fitting with membrane seal


A preformed paint tray with peelable liners is made from a planar tray substrate with upper and lower surfaces and a plurality of stacked liner sheets with peelable adhesive on one surface by positioning the liner sheets adjacent a surface of the substrate, and simultaneously thermoforming the substrate and sheets together to form a substrate having a shaped interior, with the sheets conforming to the shaped interior of the substrate. The sheets are maintained in the thermoformed shape by their adherence to the other sheets and the substrate. If desired, the sheets can include tear tabs to facilitate separation of the top sheet from the other sheets. The tray can be cleaned of residual paint after use by simply peeling away the upper liner sheet.

Paint is commonly applied to walls and other surfaces with a paint roller comprised of a roll of napped textile material or other paint absorbent substrate carried on a handle, and a metal or plastic paint-holding tray into which the roller is placed to load the roll with paint. While useful in quickly applying a uniform paint coating to large surfaces, a major disadvantage of the use of this system is the required messy and time consuming chore of cleaning the roller and tray after use. The present application relates to an improved tray that enables the user to avoid tray cleaning, and to a tray with two wells divided by a flat section designed specifically to properly distribute paint on the roller nap. The tray configuration is also designed to lend itself to thermoforming.
In an attempt to minimize cleaning, the prior art describes a preformed paint tray liner that is placed into the interior of a paint tray. Generally, these liners are thermoformed from a plastic sheet having a thickness of from about 0.008 to about 0.03 inches. The paint is poured into this liner, which is removed and discarded along with any adhered paint after the paint job is completed. While effective in eliminating the need to clean the paint tray, these preformed liners are sufficiently expensive that many users attempt to clean and reuse the liners. Their thickness adds significantly to environmental waste upon disposal. The preformed tray liners also require separate additional storage prior to use.
Other prior art as exemplified by U.S. Published Apn. No. 2004/0112902 to Campbell and U.S. Published Apn. No. 2006/0037960 to Rosa manually presses an impervious plastic sheet having a thickness of from about 0.5 to about 5 mils and an adhesive backing into a previously formed paint tray so that the sheet approximately conforms to the tray. The sheet is peeled away and discarded after use. While less expensive than preformed tray liners, these sheets are awkward and time consuming to individually hand press into place and do not provide a functional liner that exactly conforms to the tray interior, especially in the corners of the tray.
Thus, there is a continuing need for a paint tray having a properly fitted, factory applied, functional, disposable liner that avoids the necessity of cleaning the paint tray after every use. There is a further need for a method of manufacturing a paint tray with a plurality of disposable liners and a method of manufacturing a plurality of formed trays more efficiently.


A surgical device and procedure are provided for performing microsurgery, including a capsulotomy of a lens capsule of an eye. The device has an elastically deformable cutting element mounted within an elastomeric suction cup. The suction cup is attached to an arm for manipulating the device. The device can be inserted into the anterior chamber of the eye, through a corneal incision, to cut a piece from the anterior portion of the lens capsule of the eye. The device is secured against the lens capsule using suction applied by one or more suction elements. The device is then removed from the eye, with the cut piece of membrane retained within the device by suction.

This invention pertains in general to microsurgery of tissue, and more specifically to procedures and devices for creating precise openings in tissue of a desired diameter and shape. For example, the procedures and devices can be used in ophthalmic surgery of the anterior lens capsule membrane of an eye.
Lens cataract is the leading cause of blindness worldwide and surgical treatment by cataract removal is the treatment of choice. A cataract is a clouding that develops in the lens of the eye or in its envelope. The creation of areas of opacity in the lens obstructs the passage of light. The lens of the eye is supposed to be transparent. If the lens develops opaque areas, as in a cataract, the lens must be surgically removed. If no lens is present in the eye, heavy corrective glasses are required to focus an image on the retina. The lens, however, can be replaced with an artificial interocular lens (IOL) to provide better vision after cataract removal.
The removal of the lens for replacement with an IOL is a surgical procedure that requires substantial precision. The lens is completely enclosed by a membrane called the lens capsule, so the surgeon must first cut through the capsule to access the lens. It is important to cut the capsule in just the right way. If the lens capsule has been cut correctly, and not damaged during the cataract removal, then it can be used to hold an IOL. The implantation of an IOL requires the creation of an opening in the lens capsule that is precisely centered, sized, and shaped for implant stability and for optimal IOL function. The matching of the lens capsule opening size to the peripheral margins of the IOL is critical. The goal of the surgeon is to create a perfectly circular (e.g., 5.5+/−0.1 mm diameter) hole in the capsule, centered exactly on the optical axis of the eye, with no tears or defects in the edge of the hole. Tears or defects on the edge of the hole make the capsule very weak and vulnerable to losing the ability to hold the IOL properly. Different IOL designs may require a different diameter for the hole (e.g., ranging from 4.5+/−0.1 mm to 5.75+/−0.1 mm), but whatever the prescribed diameter is, the accuracy of the surgeon in actually achieving it is very important for proper outcome of the cataract surgery.
Creating an opening in the lens capsule with this required level of precision is a difficult task for a surgeon controlling and guiding conventional hand-held cutting instruments and attempting to trace a precise circular route on the lens capsule. The present state of the art for performing a capsulotomy (the creation of an opening in the lens capsule) is for the surgeon to manually create a small tear in the anterior region of the lens capsule. With great caution, the surgeon then uses a small needle-like cystotome and/or tweezers to try to extend the edge of the tear so as to follow a circular path of the specified diameter and centered on the optic axis of the eye. In practice it often happens that the hole does not end up circular, or the correct diameter, or centered on the optic axis. There can also be radial tears in the edge of the hole that greatly weaken the capsule. As a result of any of these errors, the capsule may not be able to hold the IOL properly.
A number of devices have attempted to address the capsulotomy problem, but these devices still raise a number of challenging problems. Electrocautery devices have been used in the past to try to burn the lens capsule tissue and/or weaken it enough so that it is possible to then go in with hand-held tweezers and more easily tear out the circular patch of membrane. However, these devices often require massive heating elements to heat up the tissue, and so are rather bulky devices for use in performing delicate capsulotomy procedures on small tissue structures. Further, applying heat to a patient's eye to burn tissue is generally a risky procedure. The heat is often applied for a long time, lengthening the procedure and putting the patient at risk. With these electrocautery instruments, it is necessary to put a great deal of energy into the eye, thereby risking damage to tissue near to the capsule. In addition, the electrocautery devices do not complete the capsulotomy, but instead inconveniently leave the partially burnt or weakened capsule behind, thus requiring yet another step and another tool (e.g., tweezers) to fish out the capsule piece for removal. This adds further time to the procedure and puts the patient at risk by requiring more than one tool to be placed in proximity to the patient's eye.
Mechanical knife devices have also been used for performing capsulotomies. These devices are used to try to cut the capsule membrane with a small knife, applying the same cutting mechanism as would be used with a large handheld knife. The problem with cutting tissue on the microscale level with a knife is that the volume of tissue is so small, it has microscopic stiffness. Therefore, the tissue must be stretched relatively far to build up enough stress to provide the force against the cutting edge of the knife (no matter how sharp) for cutting to occur. The scale of stretching is up to a millimeter, and this distortion is greater than the desired precision (e.g., less than 0.1 mm), so it is not a satisfactory mechanism. Also, in practice, several passes with the knife may have to be made over the same cutting location to actually cut all the way through the membrane. Further, precise microcuts are often not easily reproducible with these microknives.
Given the drawbacks of existing treatment devices/procedures for lens capsule surgery, improved techniques and devices for performing microsurgery are needed.

Ophthalmic surgical device for capsulotomy


An ultraviolet liquid purification system includes a purification chamber having banks of ultraviolet lamps distributed therein for applying germicidal ultraviolet radiation to the liquid flowing through in said chamber. Ultraviolet photocell detectors are located in said chamber to detect the level of ultraviolet radiation transmitted through the quartz jacket housing the ultraviolet lamps and through the liquid being purified. Indicator means produce an alarm signal when the total ultraviolet radiation transmitted through the liquid drops below a preselected level. In addition, a light conducting fiber is provided for each ultraviolet lamp having its input endface located at the ultraviolet lamp and its output endface at a display panel whereby identification of a particular ultraviolet lamp that has failed may be easily detected. Photocell detector means are provided to detect the light output at the output endface of the light conductor fiber and to produce an alarm signal when said light output fails. An in-place cleaning system for cleaning the interior of the purification chamber is also provided.

This invention relates to the purification and/or sterilization of fluids and in particular to the use of ultraviolet ray emissions for sterilization of fluids.
Conventional ultraviolet germicidal purification systems generally comprise a purification chamber having a plurality of ultraviolet lamps applying germicidal ultraviolet light radiation to the liquid flowing through said chamber. The ultraviolet radiation intensity and the total ultraviolet radiation dosage thus imparted to the liquid are respectively a function of number of ultraviolet lamps, the radiation intensity of each lamp and the exposure time. Accordingly, in order to control the ultraviolet radiation dosage being administered to the fluid, it is essential to monitor the operation of each ultraviolet lamp in the purification chamber. Such monitoring is particularly important where large flow rates of liquid are being handled such as in water purification systems.
Prior liquid purification systems comprised tanks each of which typically had a capacity of about 30-40 gpm connected in parallel in order to treat larger volumes of water. Such systems required complicated piping manifolds, specialized hydraulic controls to ensure equal flow rates through the respective tanks, which caused substantial pressure loss through the overall system. Furthermore, with increasing capacity thereof, such systems incorporated large numbers of ultraviolet lamps which made it difficult to monitor the radiation outputs thereof.
In the system of the present invention, a simple large purification chamber is provided .[.becoming.]. .Iadd.with .Iaddend.banks of ultraviolet lamps distributed therein whereby large volumes of liquid may be treated without the need for piping manifolds, and specialized hydraulic controls as in the prior systems which required a flow control device for each of the several tanks. As a result, in the system of the present invention, large volumes of liquid may be treated without incurring significant pressure losses due to restrictions in flow.
Furthermore, in the system of the present invention dosage administered to the fluid in the chamber may be easily and selectively varied by switching on selected banks of ultraviolet lamps in accordance with the flow rate through the purification chamber, thereby conserving energy and ultraviolet lamp usuage.
Furthermore, in the system of the present invention, the ultraviolet lamp radiation sensors may be movably located within the chamber and selectively oriented to detect the level of ultraviolet radiation from selected lamps at various locations.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system for monitoring the operation of ultraviolet lamps in a fluid purification chamber.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a monitoring system of the .[.characher.]. .Iadd.character .Iaddend.described which monitors the ultraviolet radiation dosage imparted to the liquid being treated and the operative condition of each of said lamps and the ultraviolet transmission quality of the fluid passing through said purification chamber.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a monitoring system of the character described which provides an automatic alarm and fail-safe protection in the event of malfunction or failure in any of said ultraviolet lamps.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a monitoring system of the character described which is operative to locate the particular .[.lamps(s).]. .Iadd.lamps(s) .Iaddend.which malfunctions or fails.


Systems and methods are disclosed for digital predistortion for a concurrent multi-band transmitter using a single adaptor and a same set of predistortion coefficients for separate digital predistorters for each band. In one embodiment, the single adaptor is configured to adaptively configure a set of predistortion coefficients based on a memory polynomial digital baseband model of the digital predistorters having a same set of predistortion coefficients for each of the digital predistorters. By using the same set of predistortion coefficients for the separate digital predistorters for each band, a complexity of the digital predistortion is substantially reduced.

In many modern applications, there is a desire for concurrent multi-band transmitters that are capable of transmitting concurrent multi-band signals. As used herein, a concurrent multi-band signal is a signal that occupies multiple distinct frequency bands. More specifically, a concurrent multi-band signal contains frequency components occupying a different continuous bandwidth for each of multiple frequency bands. The concurrent multi-band signal contains no frequency components between adjacent frequency bands. One example of a concurrent multi-band signal is a concurrent dual-band signal. One exemplary application for concurrent multi-band signals that is of particular interest is a multi-standard cellular communications system. A base station in a multi-standard cellular communications system may be required to simultaneously, or concurrently, transmit multiple signals for multiple different cellular communications protocols or standards (i.e., transmit a multi-band signal). Similarly, in some scenarios, a base station in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular communications protocol may be required to simultaneously transmit signals in separate frequency bands.
A concurrent multi-band transmitter includes a multi-band power amplifier that operates to amplify a concurrent multi-band signal to be transmitted to a desired power level. Like their single-band counterparts, multi-band power amplifiers are configured to achieve maximum efficiency, which results in poor linearity. For single-band transmitters, digital predistortion of a digital input signal of the single-band transmitter is typically used to predistort the digital input signal using an inverse model of the nonlinearity of the power amplifier to thereby compensate, or counter-act, the nonlinearity of the power amplifier. By doing so, an overall response of the single-band transmitter is linearized.
One issue with concurrent multi-band transmitters is that conventional single-band digital predistortion techniques cannot be used. Specifically, as an example, a concurrent dual-band transmitter exhibits three types of intermodulation products at the output of the concurrent dual-band transmitter, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The first type of intermodulation products consist of intermodulation products around each carrier frequency (ω1 and ω2) that are solely due to the intermodulation between signal elements within each band, which is similar to what is found in a single-band transmitter and is referred to as in-band intermodulation. The second type of intermodulation products consist of intermodulation products that appear in the same frequency range as the in-band intermodulation but are the result of intermodulation products between signal elements in both frequency bands (i.e., both the frequency band centered at ω1 and the frequency band centered at ω2). This second type of intermodulation products is referred to as cross-modulation. Lastly, the third type of intermodulation products consist of intermodulation products between the two signals in both frequency bands that are located at Δω away from the lower and upper carrier frequencies. This third type of intermodulation products is referred to as out-of-band intermodulation.
Typically, the out-of-band intermodulation can be removed via filtering at the output of the power amplifier and, as such, can be ignored. However, the issue with the concurrent dual-band transmitter is that conventional single-band digital predistortion techniques cannot practically be used to compensate for both in-band intermodulation and cross-modulation. Specifically, treating the digital input signals of the concurrent dual-band transmitter as a single-band digital input signal and using a single digital predistorter to compensate for both in-band intermodulation and cross-modulation requires observing a bandwidth at the output of the concurrent dual-band transmitter that is extremely wide. As a result, a required sampling rate for Analog-to-Digital (A/D) conversion and the digital circuitry is too high for a practical implementation. Conversely, using two separate signal-band predistorters to independently compensate for distortion in each frequency band is insufficient because this approach does not compensate for cross-modulation.
In order to address these issues, a Dual-Band Digital Predistortion technique (referred to as 2D-DPD) was proposed in Bassam S. et al., "2-D Digital Predistortion (2D-DPD) Architecture for Concurrent Dual-Band Transmitter," IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Technique, Vol. 59, No. 10, October 2011, pp. 2547-2553. The 2D-DPD technique relies on separate predistorters and separate adaptors for each band. In particular, the 2D-DPD technique uses the following baseband model for the separate predistorters:
                                          y            1                                          (            n            )                          =                              ∑                          m              =              0                                      M              -              1                                                                    ∑                              k                =                0                                            N                -                1                                                                                ∑                                  j                  =                  0                                k                                                                            c                                      k                    ,                    j                    ,                    m                                                        (                    1                    )                                                                                x                    1                                                                          (                                          n                      -                      m                                        )                                                                                                                                                  x                        1                                                                                (                                                  n                          -                          m                                                )                                                                                                                      k                    -                    j                                                                                                                                                  x                        2                                                                                (                                                  n                          -                          m                                                )                                                                                                  j                                                                                (        1        )                                                      y            2                                          (            n            )                          =                              ∑                          m              =              0                                      M              -              1                                                                    ∑                              k                =                0                                            N                -                1                                                                                ∑                                  j                  =                  0                                k                                                                            c                                      k                    ,                    j                    ,                    m                                                        (                    2                    )                                                                                x                    2                                                                          (                                          n                      -                      m                                        )                                                                                                                                                  x                        2                                                                                (                                                  n                          -                          m                                                )                                                                                                                      k                    -                    j                                                                                                                                                  x                        1                                                                                (                                                  n                          -                          m                                                )                                                                                                  j                                                                                (        2        )            where yi(n) is the predistorted output signal of the digital predistorter for band i (i=1, 2 for the concurrent dual-band transmitter), M represents a memory depth of the 2D-DPD baseband model, N is the nonlinear order of the 2D-DPD baseband model (i.e., an order of nonlinearity compensated for by the digital predistorters), ck,j,m(i) are complex valued predistortion coefficients for the digital predistorter for band i that are configured by a corresponding adaptor for band i, x1 is the digital input signal for the first band, and x2 is the input signal for the second band.
One issue with the 2D-DPD technique is that the 2D-DPD baseband model of Equations (1) and (2) requires a large number of predistortion coefficients ck,j,m(i) to be adaptively configured by the corresponding adaptors. Specifically, since there are three summations, the number of predistortion coefficients ck,j,m(i) required by the 2D-DPD baseband model is M (K+1)(K+2). The large number of predistortion coefficients results in a high complexity, and thus high cost, DPD architecture.
In You-Jiang Liu et al., "Digital Predistortion for Concurrent Dual-Band Transmitters Using 2-D Modified Memory Polynomials," IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Vol. 61, No. 1, January 2013, pp. 281-290 and You-Jiang Liu et al., "Low-complexity 2D behavioural model for concurrent dual-band power amplifiers," Electronic Letters, Vol. 48, No. 11, May 2012, a 2D-Modified Memory Polynomial (2D-MMP) baseband model was proposed that reduces the number of predistortion coefficients. Like the 2D-DPD baseband model, the 2D-MMP baseband model relies on separate predistorters and separate adaptors for each frequency band. In particular, the 2D-MMP baseband model is defined as:
                                          y            1                                          (            n            )                          =                              ∑                          m              =              0                                      M              -              1                                                                    ∑                              k                =                0                                            N                -                1                                                                                c                                  k                  ,                  m                                                  (                  1                  )                                                                                x                  1                                                                  (                                      n                    -                    m                                    )                                                                                                                                                                x                        1                                                                                (                                                  n                          -                          m                                                )                                                                                                                                                        +                          j                                                                                b                                                      k                            +                            1                                                                                (                            1                            )                                                                                                                                                                x                        2                                                                                (                                                  n                          -                          m                                                )                                                                                                              k                                                                        (        3        )                                                      y            2                                          (            n            )                          =                              ∑                          m              =              0                                      M              -              1                                                                    ∑                              k                =                0                                            N                -                1                                                                                c                                  k                  ,                  m                                                  (                  2                  )                                                                                x                  2                                                                  (                                      n                    -                    m                                    )                                                                                                                                                                x                        2                                                                                (                                                  n                          -                          m                                                )                                                                                                                                                        +                          j                                                                                b                                                      k                            +                            1                                                                                (                            2                            )                                                                                                                                                                x                        1                                                                                (                                                  n                          -                          m                                                )                                                                                                              k                                                                        (        4        )            where bk+1(i) pre-calculated (k+1)-th order envelope coupling factors between x1 and x2.
While the 2D-MMP baseband model results in a reduction in the number of predistortion coefficients, a baseband model for dual-band, or more generally multi-band, digital predistortion having a further reduction in the number of predistortion coefficients and thus complexity is desired.

Low complexity digital predistortion for concurrent multi-band transmitters


Systems, apparatus and methods for merging maps used by a positioning server are presented. Original maps are overlaid, concatenated or inset to create a more detailed map. The original maps are from different sources and/or in different formats. By merging or fusing maps together, a positioning server may create a better structural map, which is in turn used to create improved positioning assistance data.

I. Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates generally to apparatus and methods for position estimation of wireless terminals, and more particularly to generating positioning assistance data from multiple LCI maps.
II. Background
Building maps inform a user the location of walls, room, entrances, stairs, elevators, rooms, portals and the like. A positioning engine may use these building maps to determine where and how a particle, that is, a mobile phone, may move through a building. A navigation engine may use the building map to define a particle map having boundaries for inertial navigation thereby creating RF heat models for RF propagation. As a result, particle maps from building maps lead to improved positioning estimates.
Maps for a common venue may come from multiple sources and include different types of information. Various sources of original maps supply competing or similar maps of common venues. For example, multiple maps may provide drawings of a particular indoor mall. A first map may include an outline of shops and stores within an indoor mall with each shop and store being labeled. A second map may include interior walls of the indoor mall. A third map may include structural walls and supports of the mall. The various maps may serve different purposes. For example, one map may provide routing, another map may provide points of interest (POI), a third map architectural structure, a fourth map may provide topology, and so on. Some maps are from one or more computer aided design (CAD) files. For example, a CAD file from a facilities manager may show furniture and room numbers, while an architect's CAD file shows a building's footprint, structure and support walls without furniture.
Sometimes a larger building is split into two or more adjacent maps where different floors and/or wings are sections of a building each having its own maps. As an example, a CAD file exists for the East wing first floor of a building while another CAD file exists for the West wing first floor and yet another CAD file exists for a second floor of the same building.
Such maps may of an entire building or a distinguishable logical section of a building (e.g., a single wing or floor) may be referred to as location content. The location content may be indexed or referred to at a location context identifier (LCI). A first LCI may index an entire floor of a particular building (e.g., a first map 110). A second LCI may index a second floor of the particular building (e.g., a second map 120). A set of LCIs may index various wings of a different building. Therefore, some buildings have a single LCI indexing a single floor plan while other buildings have multiple LCIs each corresponding to a different logical section of the building. Still other buildings have no LCI index to a floor plan.
What is needed is a means to merge these similar and adjacent maps of a common venue into an overall robust and complete merged map that better defines an area. A better define LCI allows improved prediction of how a particle may move within and between such maps and how RF signals propagate from access points. These maps result in positioning assistance data for a mobile device that better allows for a more accurate positioning estimate.

Processing and managing multiple maps for an LCI


An electrical connector system includes a socket component and a plug component. The socket component includes a contact region, a first socket contact centrally located within the circular contact region, and a second socket contact radially offset from the first socket contact by a first distance. The plug component includes a plug having a plug face, a first plug contact centrally located substantially within the circular plug face, and an annular, elastically deformable conductor having a radius approximately equal to the first distance which functions as a second plug contact. The socket contact region is configured to mate with the plug face to provide electrical continuity, in a connected state, between the first socket contact and the first plug contact, and to provide electrical continuity between the second socket contact and the second plug contact.

Connections between the various components of a power distribution system and other such electrical systems are affected using a wide range of plugs, sockets, and the like. In many cases, the operator has easy access to the interconnect components, but in other cases, access to these components are relatively limited. This is particularly the case in high-power distribution systems application where electrical components may be installed at great heights or other hard-to-reach areas.
In many cases, plugs are designed to connect with their respective sockets in a very specific relative orientation. In addition, such plug-and-socket arrangements may require that a significant insertion force be applied to the socket during connection. This can be a disadvantage in cases where the socket is relatively inaccessible and "blind" insertion of the plug is desirable. Furthermore, in outdoor applications, sockets which are subject to extreme environmental conditions may require sealing from the weather to protect the enclosed components.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved electrical connection systems for the above-described circumstances. Other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

Electrical connection system with annular contact


Operations for weighted and non-weighted multi-tape automata are described for use in natural language processing tasks such as morphological analysis, disambiguation, and entity extraction.

The present invention relates to a method an apparatus for processing natural language using operations performed on weighted and non-weighted multi-tape automata.
Finite state automata (FSAs) are mathematically well defined and offer many practical advantages. They allow for fast processing of input data and are easily modifiable and combinable by well defined operations. Consequently, FSAs are widely used in Natural Language Processing (NLP) as well as many other fields. A general discussion of FSAs is described in Patent Application Publication U.S. 2003/0004705 A1 and in "Finite State Morphology" by Beesley and Karttunen (CSLI Publications, 2003), which are incorporated herein by reference.
Weighted finite state automata (WFSAs) combine the advantages of ordinary FSAs with the advantages of statistical models, such as Hidden Markov Models (HMMs), and hence have a potentially wider scope of application than FSAs. Weighted multi-tape automata (WMTAs) have yet more advantages. For example, WMTAs permit the separation of different types of information used in NLP (e.g., surface word form, lemma, POS-tag, domain-specific information) over different tapes, and preserve intermediate results of different steps of NLP on different tapes. Operations on WMTAs may be specified to operate on one, several, or all tapes.
While some basic WMTAs operations, such as union, concatenation, projection, and complementary projection, have been defined for a sub-class of non-weighted multi-tape automata (see for example the publication by Kaplan and Kay, "Regular models of phonological rule systems", in Computational Linguistics, 20(3):331-378, 1994) and implemented (see for example the publication by Kiraz and Grimley-Evans, "Multi-tape automata for speech and language systems: A prolog implementation", in D. Woods and S. Yu, editors, Automata Implementation, number 1436 in Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer Verlag, Berlin, Germany, 1998), there continues to be a need for improved, simplified, and more efficient operations for processing WMTAs to make use of these advantages in natural language processing.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided a method and apparatus for using weighted multi-tape automata (WMTAs) in natural language processing (NLP) that includes morphological analysis, part-of-speech (POS) tagging, disambiguation, and entity extraction. In performing NLP, operations are employed that perform cross-product, auto-intersection, and tape-intersection (i.e., single-tape intersection and multi-tape intersection) of automata. Such operations may be performed using transition-wise processing on weighted or non-weighted multi-tape automata.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention there is provided in a system for processing natural language, a method for intersecting a first tape and a second tape of a multi-tape automaton (MTA) that has a plurality of n tapes and a plurality of paths. The method includes generating a string tuple <s1, . . . , sn> having a string s for each of the n tapes of each path of the MTA and comparing the string sj of the first tape with the string sk of the second tape in the string tuple. If the strings sj and sk equal, the string tuple is retained in the MTA. However, if the strings sj and sk do not equal, the MTA is restructured to remove the string tuple.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided in a system for processing natural language, a method for intersecting a first tape and a second tape of an input multi-tape automaton (MTA) that has a plurality of tapes and a plurality of paths. The method includes computing a first limit and a second limit of the input MTA. An output MTA is constructed that intersects the first tape and the second tape using the second limit to delimit its construction. Transitions are removed along paths in the output MTA during construction except for those transitions of paths having similar labels on the first selected tape and the second selected tape. The constructed output MTA is determined to be regular using the first limit. If the output MTA is determined to be regular, then the output MTA is provided as a complete solution to the intersection of the first tape and the second tape of the input MTA. If the output MTA is determined not to be regular, then the output MTA is provided as a partial solution to the intersection of the first tape and the second tape of the input MTA.
It will be appreciated that the present invention has the following advantages over weighted 1-tape or 2-tape processing of automata because it allows for: (a) the separation of different types of information used in NLP (e.g., surface form, lemma, POS-tag, domain-specific information, etc.) over different tapes; (b) the preservation of some or all intermediate results of various NLP steps on different tapes; and (c) the possibility of defining and implementing contextual replace rules referring to different types of information on different tapes.

Method and apparatus for processing natural language using auto-intersection


A magnetic tape control apparatus includes a control device that executes a process including: detecting an occurrence of speed fluctuations of a running magnetic tape for each recorded area from which a synchronization error is detected, when the synchronization error of a bit signal of a track is detected with a time lag between any of tracks of the running magnetic tape partitioned in units of recording areas; and setting the recording area as an unavailable area in accordance with a state where the speed fluctuations in the recording area occur.

Magnetic tape devices that read and write data from and to a running magnetic tape while making the magnetic tape accommodated within a cartridge run are presented.
The magnetic tape devices cannot properly read and write data in some cases due to speed fluctuations caused by a change in a frictional state between a head and a tape due to a smudge or an abrasion of the head, or a degradation of the tape. To address such a problem, for example, the following techniques are present.
A first technique is a technique for avoiding an access to a degraded area even if the degraded area is present on a magnetic tape and for enabling an access only to an area other than the degraded area in a method for managing a degraded area of a magnetic tape (for example, Patent Document 1). With the first technique, the magnetic tape is configured as a set of partitions, each of which is configured with a management block, and a plurality of data blocks succeeding the management block.
A magnetic tape device control unit skips a partition when information indicating that an access to a partition is prohibited is recorded in a management information block present at the beginning of the partition when data is recorded to a magnetic tape. Then, the magnetic tape device control unit records the data to a data block succeeding a management information block of a subsequent partition. Next, the magnetic tape device control unit skips a partition and reproduces data in a data block succeeding a management information block of a subsequent partition, if the information indicating that an access to the partition is prohibited is recorded in a management information block present at the beginning of the partition when data is reproduced from the magnetic tape.
A second technique is a technique for detecting an abnormality of a running speed of a magnetic tape in a data recorder (for example, Patent Document 2). With the second technique, a recording head and a reproducing head are arranged at specified intervals in a running direction of a magnetic tape. Data recorded by the recording head is reproduced by the reproducing head, and fed to an error detection circuit. The error detection circuit makes a comparison between a reference time, which is calculated on the basis of the specified interval and an appropriate speed, and a data reproducing time, feeds an error signal to a driving circuit when the error detection circuit determines that the speed of the magnetic tape mismatches the appropriate speed, and stops the magnetic tape.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 11-242802
Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-298470

Magnetic tape control apparatus, recording medium storing a control program, and method


An optical pickup actuator for use with a recording medium includes a swing arm pivoting in a tracking direction with respect to the recording medium, a first driving unit pivoting the swing arm, an optical pickup facing the recording medium, an elastic member having one end fixed to the swing arm and a free end portion elastically deformable in a focus direction with respect to the recording medium, wherein the optical pickup is coupled to the free end portion of the elastic member, and a second driving unit deforming and driving the elastic member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical actuator, and, more particularly, to an optical actuator for controlling the position of a miniature optical pickup modularized so that an objective lens and an optical system are moved together.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical pickup used for typical optical disk drives, such as CD players or DVD players, includes a fixed unit having optical elements such as a laser diode emitting light toward a recording medium, or a photodiode receiving the light reflected by the recording medium, a mobile unit having an objective lens focusing light emitted from the laser diode on the recording medium, and an actuator performing an accurate positional control of the light, that is, the focus and tracking control of the light through the objective lens, by adjusting the position of the mobile unit.
A smaller structure of the optical disk drive is needed for portable apparatuses such as notebook computers or PDAs. Accordingly, a miniature optical pickup is adopted in which the fixed unit and the mobile unit of the optical pickup are integrally formed as a module so that the whole unit is controlled in a focus direction and a tracking direction.
FIG. 1 shows the structure of a conventional actuator for the focus and tracking control of the miniature optical pickup.
Referring to the drawing, a swing arm 11 is provided that is capable of rotating in a direction T around a rotation shaft 10a provided on a base 10. A voice coil motor 12 is installed to rotate the swing arm 11 by an electromagnetic force. The voice coil motor 12 includes a coil 12c installed at one side of the swing arm 11, and a magnet 12a and a yoke 12b disposed under the coil 12c. This swing mechanism has the same structure as that of a hard disk drive for transferring a magnetic head, and is used for movement of the optical pickup 13 between tracks and a fine tracking control.
A pivot arm 16 having a miniature optical pickup 13 mounted thereon is coupled to the other side of the swing arm 11. That is, the swing arm 11 and the pivot arm 16 are coupled as both ends of a leaf spring 14 are inserted in one end portion of each of the swing arm 11 and the pivot arm 16, respectively. Accordingly, the pivot arm 16, which is supported by the swing arm 11, can pivot in a direction F. A focus coil 15a, generating an electromagnetic force for the pivot movement in an interaction with the magnet 15b installed on the base 10, is installed on a lower surface of the pivot arm 16.
Thus, for the movement of the optical pickup 13 between tracks and the tracking control, the voice coil motor 12 is operated to rotate the swing arm 11 in the direction T. For the focus control, the pivot arm 16 is rotated in the direction F by applying current to the focus coil 15a so as to move the optical pickup 13. A structure similar to that of a conventional optical pickup actuator is disclosed in PCT Publication No. WO 02/29792 A2.
However, in the above structure, the driving body moving to perform the focus control and the tracking control is too large. That is, the pivot arm 16, supported by the swing arm 11, moves up and down for the focus control, and the swing arm 11 rotates to the left and right, together with the pivot arm 16, for the tracking control. Since the weight of the driving body is heavy in both cases, the sensitivity of control is deteriorated. In particular, since the entire portion of the swing arm 11 must be rotated for the tracking control, a fine control is very difficult.
Therefore, an optical pickup actuator having an improved structure overcoming the above problems is required.