A method for processing data in a computer containing a processor is described, wherein the method comprises the steps of providing at least one program object having an instruction set, and at least one set of rules responsive to input data, the set of rules being used by the processor to determine program instructions to be issued, providing a form-based user interface, accepting input data from a user of a computer system through the forms-based user interface, causing the processor to compare the input data to one or more of the rules to determine at least one next program instruction to be executed, and then causing said at least one next program instruction to be executed. The forms-based user interface comprises standard Hyper-Text Markup Language constructs, together with new work flow interface commands which, depending on the information submitted to or received from the work flow process through one or more user interfaces, may alter that work flow process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for processing data across a computer network. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for processing data wherein Hyper-Text Markup Language (HTML)-based forms having special program object tags are used to interact with program objects and a database responsive to those special attributes.
2. The Background Art
Recently, it has become quite common for a user of a networked computer to retrieve information contained within a database, such as when using an Internet search tool to locate network nodes containing information regarding a common subject matter, or to provide new data for inclusion into the database, such as when signing up for a mailing list or when registering for a drawing.
In order to retrieve data from a database, a user must typically provide certain information that the particular database recognizes and understands, and information which causes the proper search to be executed so that results of that search may later be transmitted to and displayed for the user. One way to ensure that the proper information is provided by the user involves using forms which by their nature inform the user as to what type of information is required, and which contain areas (as in a monitor screen) for providing that information. Once the proper information is provided, the database is queried, and any data resulting from that query is transmitted to and displayed for the user.
It is typical that a user of a client computer use a program called a web browser to display information transmitted to that client computer from other computers on a network, such as computers on the Internet. A web browser is a program on the client computer which receives network information from external sources, and typically displays that information to a user of the client computer. Examples of common web browsers include Netscape 3.0, available from Netscape Communications of Mountain View, Calif., and Internet Explorer, available from Microsoft Corporation of Seattle, Washington.
Information intended for use in a web browser typically contains descriptors defined in the Hyper-Text Markup Language (HTML), a language that web browsers routinely interpret.
FIG. 1 is a flow chart depicting the flow of information in a prior art method for querying a database and then providing the results of that output to a user.
Referring to FIG. 1, at step 10 a form suitable for requesting data from a database is provided to the user, and information relevant to the query of that database is entered by the user into the form. It is common for forms used across networks to be written in HTML, because these forms may then be easily transmitted as text across a network for display at locations remote from the server which originated the form.
At step 12, the query information supplied by the user is transmitted to a server computer, and is processed by a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) program, typically resident on a server computer. The primary function of a CGI program is to take output from one program and format that output so that it may be recognized as proper input to another program, hence the term "gateway". Here, the CGI program takes query data in HTML form, and converts that query information into a format which will be readily recognized by the database program. One such format in common use is the Structured Query Language (SQL) used in modern databases. If the database is of the type which recognizes SQL, the CGI program would be written to convert the HTML-based user input into SQL. The data, when transmitted to the database, would result in a valid search being performed.
At step 14, the database processes the SQL query and outputs the results to the CGI program. At step 16, the output of the database is converted to HTML format for ease of transmission and display. At step 18, the HTML information is transmitted from the server computer to the client computer, and at step 20, the HTML information containing the results of the database query is displayed on the client computer using a program suitable for that purpose such as a web browser as previously described.
Although useful for its intended purposes, this prior art method fails to provide intelligent interaction between a work flow, a database, and other users. It would therefore be beneficial to provide a system wherein a user provides data through an intelligent interface to a program object which combines that data with other data in the system and then evaluates that data against one or more rules to determine a work flow path.
For instance, in a medical scenario such as that described in copending application Ser. No. 08/546,048, wherein a physician performs three tests to determine whether a sore throat is caused by bacteria or whether it is viral, the third test may not be available for 24 hours. In this instance, the result node is split, thus allowing the diagnosis and treatment to proceed based upon the preliminary data available at the time of the first visit. When the results for the third test arrive 24 hours later, a program object receiving data from a user of the system determines that all testing is complete and then, in addition to updating the database, provides information to the treating physician so that the preliminary diagnosis may be adjusted as necessary. In the prior art, the new data would be input to the database with no determination that the desired tests are complete or notification to the treating physician.

Method and apparatus for processing data across a computer network


A first bonding material layer is formed on a first substrate and a second bonding material layer is formed on a second substrate. The first and second bonding material layers include a metal. Ions are implanted into the first and second bonding material layers to induce structural damages in the in the first and second bonding material layers. The first and second substrates are bonded by forming a physical contact between the first and second bonding material layers. The structural damages in the first and second bonding material layers enhance diffusion of materials across the interface between the first and second bonding material layers to form a bonded material layer in which metal grains are present across the bonding interface, thereby providing a high adhesion strength across the first and second substrates.

This invention relates to a bonded structure that provides high adhesion strength through enhanced interfacial diffusion of a bonding material and methods of manufacturing the same.
Bonding of multiple substrates is required to enable three-dimensional integration of chips. Bonding of two substrates can be effected by adhesion between two dielectric materials as in an oxide-to-oxide bonding that fuses silicon dioxide materials from two substrates after bonding, by adhesion between two metallic materials as in a copper-to-copper bonding that employs direct contact between two copper pads and a subsequent grain growth across the original interface between the two copper pads, or by a method employing a combination of the two adhesion mechanisms.
Through-substrate-via (TSV) structures, formed after multiple substrates are bonded and optionally thinned, provide electrical connection across the multiple substrates in a bonded structure. A TSV structure includes a conductive material such as copper, which diffuses rapidly in the plane of the bonding interface between substrates because microscopic irregularities and cavities are present at the interface. Diffusion of the conductive material from a TSV structure can cause electrical shorts and reliability problems in the bonded structure.
An interface between diffusion resistant materials, such as silicon nitride, across bonded substrates can be employed to reduce later diffusion of conductive material from TSV structures. In this case, the diffusion resistant materials retard lateral diffusion of the conductive material from the TSV structures along the interface between two bonded substrates, thereby preventing electrical shorts.
The adhesion strength between the two substrates is mostly provided by the metal-to-metal contact between the metal pads that are embedded in the diffusion resistant materials. To provide sufficient adhesion strength between the two substrates in this type of structure, atomic diffusion of the bonding material to mix metal atoms needs to be effected. To provide sufficient atomic diffusion of metallic materials, a high temperature anneal for an extended time is needed, for example, in an anneal at a temperature about 500° C. for many hours. Such a prolonged anneal at an elevated temperature adversely affects the performance and reliability of semiconductor devices in the bonded substrate.

Bonded structure with enhanced adhesion strength

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


An electrochromic mirror includes a transparent electrode film, an electrochromic film formed at one thickness direction side of the transparent electrode film, a light reflective film that reflects light that has transmitted through the transparent electrode film and the electrochromic film, a lithium ion transmissive film provided between the electrochromic film and the light reflective film, an electrically conductive film provided at the one thickness direction side of the transparent electrode film and at a side of the light reflective film opposite from the lithium ion transmissive film, and an electrolytic solution that comprises lithium ions and is enclosed between the light reflective film and the electrically conductive film. The lithium ion transmissive film transmits lithium ions and imposed diffusion of silver from the side of the light reflective film to the side of the electrochromic film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrochromic mirror that is used, for example, in a rearview outer mirror or rearview inner mirror of a vehicle, and in which reflectance can be varied by applying a voltage.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an electrochromic mirror disclosed in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 3,844,636, a palladium film is used as a light reflective film.
However, since palladium has relatively low reflectance, use of a silver film has been under investigation. However, when an electrochromic film is formed with tungsten trioxide, there is a possibility of yellow discoloration of the tungsten trioxide by diffusion of silver to the electrochromic film.
An electrochromic mirror is sought that can prevent or extremely effectively suppress diffusion of silver at an electrochromic film even when silver is used in a reflective film.

National University Corporation Nagoya University


A high dynamic range pixel (2) includes a photosensor device (4) for detecting incident light, said photosensor having a photosensor output (14) for a photosensor signal Vp that represents a time integral of the detected light intensity over an integration period. A transistor disconnect switch (8) has a first switch input (15) that is connected to the photosensor output (14), a second switch input (17) that is connected to receive a time-dependent reference signal Vref, and a switch output (16) for a switch output signal Vs that is switchably connected to the first switch input. The disconnect switch (8) is constructed and arranged to disconnect the switch output (16) from the first switch input (15) at a capture moment that depends on the relative values of input signals at the first and second switch inputs (15,18). A readout circuit (10) is connected to the switch output (16) and arranged to capture the switch output signal Vs at the capture moment and provide an output signal Vout that is related to the switch output signal Vs. The first switch input (15) is connected additionally to an input (29) for a time-dependent applied signal Vapp, such that the input signal at the first switch input (15) is the sum of the photosensor signal Vp and the applied signal Vapp.

A typical three-transistor pixel consists of a photodetector, a reset gate, a selection gate and a source-follower transistor. The selection gate and the source-follower transistor are part of a readout circuit, which may include additional components that are shared with other pixels. In use, the photocurrent flowing through the photodetector charges or discharges a capacitance. The voltage stored on the capacitance at the end of a predetermined integration time is detected and represents the intensity of the light falling on the photodetector.
A fundamental problem with conventional imagers results from the fact that the photocurrent is converted to a voltage by integrating the photo-generated charge onto a capacitor. There is a conflict between the desire for a large capacitance to store the photo-generated charge when there is plenty of light and the need for a small capacitance to obtain a high sensitivity in low light conditions.
One method of capturing a HDR image and recording it with a comparatively small number of bits per pixel is to use an image sensor that has a logarithmic output. A high dynamic range pixel having a user-defined response that may provide for example a logarithmic output or another non-linear monotonic output is described in the inventor's international patent application WO20071051964A. This pixel resolves some of the problems associated with earlier pixels. The logarithmic output allows the image sensor to image a scene with a high dynamic range without the pixel output voltage becoming saturated at high photocurrents. The user is able to control the response of the pixel and, as the conversion to a logarithmic value takes place within the pixel, it is very quick and does not significantly increase the cost of the pixel.
However, one limitation of this pixel is that at very low photocurrents it may be unable to provide a logarithmic response. This is because operation of the pixel depends on reducing the effective integration time and at very low photocurrents the pixel may not be discharged sufficiently within the maximum integration time to create a logarithmic response.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a high dynamic range pixel that mitigates one or more of the aforesaid disadvantages.


A method and apparatus for reducing transmission overhead in a wireless communication system. In one embodiment, the apparatus is directed to a communication device comprising a processor for transmitting a data origination message, the data origination message initiating a data communication with a receiving station. Information needed to construct datagrams are also transmitted by the apparatus to the receiving station. The receiving station receives the data origination message and the information needed to construct datagrams and configures a packet data generator for sending datagrams to a destination device. Data network header information is constructed from information provided by the information needed to construct datagrams.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a data communication system in which data packets are sent over a wireless medium to one or more recipients. More particularly, this invention relates to a system and method for eliminating header information in data packets during wireless transmission and re-constructing the data packets for delivery across a data network.
II. Description of the Related Art
The transmission of data packets over a network has been a mainstay of computer technology for many years and the communication protocols used to transmit these data packets over various networks are well established. Under conventional communication protocols, it is common for a client to initiate connection with a server and to request desired data from the server. As part of the request, the client sends information pertaining to how the data should be sent. For example, the client might include a client address, TCP port number, and so forth.
Digital data, whether transmitted over a wire-based distribution network (e.g., local area network, wide area network, cable, etc.) or a wireless distribution network (e.g., satellite, cellular, RF, paging, etc.), is typically packetized and sent over the network in individual packets. Some protocols call for fixed size packets, while other protocols utilize variable size packets. To improve transmission efficiency and to keep pace with the exploding demand for digital information, there is a constant design objective to pump increasingly more data through the same bandwidth pipeline over any given network.
One way to achieve this objective is through packet compression. Packets may be compressed at a server, transmitted in their compressed state over a network, and decompressed at a client. Apart from compressing whole packets, another solution is partial packet compression in which portions of the packet, such as a header or a data payload, are compressed.
One technique for compressing packet headers is discussed in an article by V. Jacobson, entitled "Compressing TCP/IP Headers for Low-Speed Serial Links,". The Jacobson technique provides an elaborate and complex compression scheme that reduces a 40-byte TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) packet header to a three-byte compressed header. The compressed header has an encoded change to the packet ID, a TCP checksum, a connection number, and a change mask. The hardware and/or software used to implement the Jacobson technique must perform sophisticated computations that compress the 40-byte header to the three-byte compressed header, and then subsequently decompress the compressed header to reproduce the uncompressed header.
Another technique for compressing packet headers is discussed in an article by S. Casner and V. Jacobson, entitled "Compressing IP/UDP/RTP Headers for Low-Speed Serial Links." This technique reduces the 40-byte IP/UDP/RTP (Internet Protocol, User Datagram Protocol, Real-Time Protocol) header to an average of between 2 and 4 bytes generally by transmitting second order differences when one or more fields within the header change.
In a wireless data communication system, real-time data, such as voice or video information, may be transmitted using the data protocols discussed above. In this kind of application, delays between a transmitter and a receiver may result in unacceptable distortion of the information being transmitted. This delay, know commonly as latency, can be minimized by reducing the overhead associated with data packets during transmission. However, using the above techniques still results in a large transmission overhead of header information relative to the data being transmitted.
An additional drawback of the above header-compression techniques is that information must occasionally be transmitted from the receiver to the transmitter to alert the transmitter that an error has occurred. In this case, either the transmitter must re-transmit the lost or corrupted data or an update of header information must be re-transmitted to the receiver. This process produces an unacceptable amount of latency in real-time or near real-time applications.
Consequently, there is a need to further reduce the size of headers associated with packet data, especially in real-time applications such as the transmission of audio and video signals.

Method and apparatus for reducing transmission overhead in a communication system


An aircraft beacon light for being mounted to an aircraft fuselage includes: a support structure, having a carrier, and a stem for supporting the carrier and for spacing the carrier from the aircraft fuselage; and a lighting system, supported by the support structure, the lighting system having a plurality of light sources, light optics for redirecting at least a portion of the light emitted by the plurality of light sources, and a lens cover, with the plurality of light sources and the light optics being arranged between the carrier and the lens cover; wherein the aircraft beacon light is configured to emit a red-flashing beacon light output in operation.

The present invention relates to exterior aircraft lighting. In particular, it relates to an aircraft beacon light and an aircraft equipped therewith.
Almost all aircraft are equipped with exterior lighting systems. For example, large commercial aircraft have many different exterior lights. An exemplary group of exterior aircraft lights are lights for passive visibility, such as navigation lights, white strobe anti-collision lights, and red-flashing beacon lights. Common aircraft have two red-flashing beacon lights, arranged on the top of the aircraft fuselage and on the bottom of the aircraft fuselage, respectively. Their red flashes at least indicate that the engines of the aircraft are turned on. Another exemplary group of exterior aircraft lights are headlights that allow the pilots to view the area in front of them, when they are seated in the cockpit, such as taxi lights, take-off lights, landing lights, and runway turn-off lights. Yet another example of exterior aircraft lights are scan lights that allow the inspection of the aircraft structure in the dark, such as wing scan lights. Given the large number of exterior aircraft lights, an exterior aircraft lighting system with a low impact on the aircraft design/performance is beneficial.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide an exterior aircraft light that provides for a good lighting effectiveness and a low impact on the aircraft operation.

Aircraft beacon light and aircraft comprising an aircraft beacon light


The portable self-contained colonic machine includes a generally T-shaped housing having hot and cold water inlets, a mixed water inlet and a drain in a recess below the flange on one side of the machine and a water outlet to the user, a return line inlet and a rinsing outlet in the recess along the opposite side of the machine below the flange. The outlets and inlets lie within the rectilinear confines of the housing. A return line extends linearly from the return line inlet through a view tube and an on/off valve to an outlet port to the drain. The linear extending return line facilitates manual cleaning of the machine.

Colonic hydrotherapy machines have been in use for some time and their use is increasing. These machines are designed for colonic irrigation, i.e., the washing out of an individual's intestinal tract. Typically, these machines are permanent, fixed installations located at a therapist's office such that the individual desiring colonic treatment must be referred to that fixed location for treatment. Accordingly, there has developed a need for a portable colon hydrotherapy machine where the machine can be carried by the individual user or brought to the location of the user and, with minimum effort, can be set up and utilized by the user.

Self-contained portable colon therapy machine


In a communication system, transmission/reception of data can be performed between end hosts connected to a relay switch in a subnet even in an improper connection at a L2 level in the relay switch in a communication. Communication failure due to a packet loop generated by the improper connection of the L2 level is recovered by wherein the packet loop is stopped by continuously transmitting long-size MAC packets longer than a packet generating the packet loop into the subnet, which have destinations as a broadcast MAC address or multicast MAC address.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication control method and a communication system to which the same is applied. More particularly, the invention relates to a communication control method for ensuring communication when a L2 loop is generated and a communication system to which the same is applied.
2. Description of the Related Art
In network, a L2 loop (broadcast storm) is known as one of very frequent failures generated due to improper connections of LAN cables (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-252625). When the L2 loop is generated, not only higher loads are applied to transmission paths of an entire subnet, but also a phenomenon called a black hole is generated, which forwards packets to a place where the loop exists.
A mechanism of generation of the L2 loop can be explained as follows. FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams describing the mechanism of generation of the L2 loop.
As shown in FIG. 1A, at the time of normal operation, a terminal 1 transmits a broadcast packet using an own MAC address "A" as an out going address. The packet is forwarded by each relay switch SW1, SW2, SW3 such that the packet reaches to all the terminals 2, 3 in a subnet.
At this point, each relay switch SW1, SW2, SW3 learns the outgoing MAC address "A" at a port receiving the packet. In other words, each switch learns that a terminal having the MAC address "A" exists before the port. Therefore, next time another terminal transmits a packet with the destination MAC address "A", each relay switch can determine a port for forwarding from the result of the learning.
However, as shown in FIG. 1B, for example, if the L2 loop is generated due to an improper connection of a LAN cable at the relay switch SW3, a packet broadcasted in the subnet becomes a loop packet, and the packet is broadcasted in the subnet every time the broadcast packet is looped once.
This cycle is endlessly repeated until the loop packet is discarded for some reason, and the packet is endlessly broadcasted until the cause of the loop such as a cable loop is eliminated. Typically, broadcast packets such as an ARP (Address Resolution Protocol), RIP and NetBIOS are frequently transmitted to a subnet, and therefore, these packets are dominantly looped at the time of the L2 loop.
Especially, the ARP has a long packet length of about 64 bytes, and even the NetBIOS is a short packet having a packet length of about 200 bytes. When the L2 loop is generated, these packets are broadcasted in the entire subnet at a speed of transmission paths constituting the L2 loop. For example, if only ARP packets are looped in transmission paths of 100 Mbps, the packets are broadcasted in the entire subnet at a speed of a 140 thousand packets/sec which is a theoretical limitation value of the 100 Mbps Ethernet.
In this way, since reception of broadcast packets generates interrupting processing at end hosts and network devices on network, a high-load status of CPU utilization is generated especially in PCs or network devices executing software processing, and severe failures are generated, such as inability of operation.
Especially, a broadcast packet is often a packet requesting a response from a certain end host, such as an ARP request, and when a large amount of broadcast packets arrives at the end host which should respond, a higher-load status is further generated since a load of response processing is added.

Communication control method for recovering a communication failure due to a packet loop generated by an improper connection and communication system to which the same is applied


A portable electrically powered broiler including a base element connected to a source of power, and a lid element having a heating source which electrically communicates with the base element when the lid element is in position upon the base element. The base element includes selectively removable grill and pan members. In an alternate embodiment, the lid element is at least partially formed from electrically resistive tempered glass to form the heating source.

This invention relates generally to the field of electrically powered cooking devices, and more particularly to an improved broiler suitable for either indoor or outdoor use in which the heating element is positioned above the food, rather than beneath the food to obtain a true broiling action, as distinguished from a frying or roasting cooking process.
In the broiling of foods, such as meats, it is known to position the heat source above the food which is supported upon a grill so that gravy, melted fat and the like can be collected in a pan disposed therebeneath. Most indoor cooking ranges, both electric and gas fired types normally include an enclosure which serves this purpose in addition to separate heat sources positioned beneath the food product for baking.
However, most portable outdoor cooking devices using either charcoal or propane gas have heat sources disposed beneath a grill which supports the food. As cooking progresses, drippings fall upon the burning charcoal or heated lava rock to be ignited and consumed. As a result, there is little or no gravy, and the meat is often undesirably charred to effect the flavor of the meat. A true broiling process is not obtained.

Portable broiler with electrically conductive lid


This disclosure relates to a method in a cellular telecommunications network, and a network node for implementing the method, the cellular telecommunications network including a base station having a coverage area, and a plurality of User Equipment (UE) located within the base station's coverage area, the method including instructing a first plurality of UEs to report their location; associating an occurrence of a connection performance indication for each UE of the first plurality of UEs with a reported location for that UE; defining a first geographical region in which the density of reported locations is above a first density threshold; defining a second geographical region in which the density of reported locations is above a second density threshold, wherein the area of the first geographical region is greater than the area of the second geographical region; instructing a second plurality of UEs within the first geographical region to report their location at a first reporting rate; and instructing a third plurality of UEs within the second geographical region to report their location at a second reporting rate.

A cellular telecommunications network includes a plurality of base stations which each transmit wireless signals about a coverage area (typically called a "cell") to one or more User Equipment (UE). The base stations are also connected to a core network to interconnect the UE with the Internet and core network nodes (such as the Operations Support System (OSS)). In conventional cellular networks, this "backhaul" connection between the base station and the core network is typically via an Ethernet or optical fiber link, but in modern cellular networks this may be in part via a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connection (for example, if the base station is a "Home evolved Node B" (HeNB), also known as a small cell).
As each base station has a limited coverage area and UEs are normally mobile, cellular networking protocols have a defined process for UEs to disconnect from one base station and connect to another base station with seamless connectivity. This process is known as a "handover". A general overview of the handover process will now be described, which is divided into three phases—preparation, execution and completion. The UE is connected to a first base station of a plurality of base stations. The first base station is therefore the UE's "serving" base station, and the UE is configured to perform measurements of various parameters of its serving base station and of other base stations of the plurality of base stations. In the preparation phase, the serving base station provides one or more thresholds to the UE for the measurements. If the UE's measurements satisfy one or more of these thresholds, then a measurement report is sent from the UE to the serving base station, which triggers the handover of the UE to another base station. The serving base station determines which other base station should become the next serving base station for the UE based on the UE's measurement report. The serving base station and this target base station agree for the handover to take place. In the next phase, execution, the serving base station informs the UE that it should handover to the target base station. The UE will then connect to the target base station. In the completion phase, all routing of packets for the UE is changed to the target base station. The handover is then complete.
In certain scenarios, it is appropriate for the handover to be performed without the first step (preparation). This is often known as a "blind handover", in which the serving base station will instruct the UE to connect to a target base station without it being triggered by a UE measurement report satisfying a precondition. There is a greater chance that the blind handover is unsuccessful or the connection between the UE and the target base station won't adequately serve the UE's requirements when compared to a handover including the preparation phase. However, it may be more appropriate to perform a blind handover in scenarios where the UE's connection to its serving base station may rapidly deteriorate such that a full handover (including the preparation phase) may not have time to complete, such as when the UE enters a tunnel and there is a sudden decrease in signal strength between the UE and the serving base station.
A trigger for a blind handover may be based on the UE's location. For example, if it is determined that a UE is approaching a particular location where there is a sudden decrease in signal strength (e.g. the location of a tunnel entrance), then this may be used as a trigger for a blind handover in which the preparation phase is omitted and the serving base station instructs the UE to connect to the target base station (e.g. one positioned inside the tunnel). To perform blind handovers based on the location of the UE, then the location of the UE has to be determined. There are several techniques for determining the location of the UE. The most well-known is by using Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as the Global Positioning System (GPS). These produce very accurate estimates of the UE's location, but require greater UE radio and/or processing resources than other techniques as the UE performs both the measurements and the estimation of its position based on those measurements. Other techniques, such as Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) and Enhanced Cell Identifier (E-CID), as defined in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol (Release-9), require fewer UE radio/processing resources as the estimation of the UE's position may be performed by a Location Service Client (LCS) Server (LS). However, these techniques still require some UE radio/processing resources in order to perform the required measurements.

Location reporting in a cellular telecommunications network

British Telecommunications Public Limited Company


An example cascade system includes a manifold having a fluid outlet port to dispense fluid and a fluid valve engaged to the manifold. First and second fluid storage containers are coupled to the manifold. The fluid valve is configured to control a first fluid flow path between the second fluid storage container and the fluid outlet port.

Filling fluid containers such as, for example, containers to store oxygen, natural gas, propane, carbon dioxide, etc. can be accomplished in several ways. One known method involves storing large quantities of a fluid in, for example, a storage tanker and transporting smaller, mobile fluid containers to the storage tanker to fill the containers. Another known method involves storing a large quantity of fluid in a large mobile storage tanker (e.g., a storage tanker built on a trailer) and driving the mobile storage tanker to customer locations to offer on-site refilling services.
Users that frequently fill smaller, mobile containers often store large quantities of fluid locally. For example, a fire department may store oxygen within the fire department facility to enable on-site refilling of mobile oxygen tanks for firefighters. Similarly, natural gas dealers may store natural gas to refill smaller, customer fluid containers. A known method for on-site refilling involves storing fluid in a single relatively large fluid storage container and transferring fluid from the large storage container to a container to be filled (e.g., a relatively smaller, mobile container). However, in some cases, sufficient space may not be available to accommodate the relatively large single fluid container that is needed to provide adequate refilling services.
To address space constraints, a plurality of smaller storage containers may be used in combination with a fluid dispensing cascade system. A cascade system is typically implemented by connecting or fluidly coupling a plurality of fluid storage containers to a regulator via a plurality of sequence valves. Such cascade systems may be used to refill, for example, relatively small fluid containers with fluid from the storage containers. As the pressure in one of the storage containers becomes sufficiently depleted (e.g., during a refilling operation), a sequence valve enables delivery of stored fluid from another one of the storage containers having a relatively higher pressure. Known cascade systems often involve complex implementations requiring large amounts of fluid line to fluidly couple sequence valves and other components of the cascade system. As a result, assembling and disassembling known cascade systems for installation and maintenance purposes is time consuming and expensive.

Apparatus and methods to dispense fluid from a bank of containers and to refill same


A method and device is disclosed for reducing and controlling stuttering. The method involves tactile feedback of the stutterer's own speech to reducing stuttering. In one embodiment, the device may detect speech by audible or mechanical means, and the feedback may be produced by vibration mechanisms.

Persistent developmental stuttering is a speech disorder that affects approximately 1% of the world's population and is easily recognizable by its hallmark characteristics of: whole-word repetitions, part-word repetitions, syllable prolongations, or the inability to get the sound or syllable out at all (inaudible postural fixations). While the symptoms of stuttering are well-known, the etiology is not. Without a clear understanding of what causes stuttering, the treatments for stuttering are limited. Consequently, there are no valid cures for the pathology, and the best available speech treatments of the prior art only allow for a limited amount of control over stuttered speech. Subsequently, the inability to successfully control (or eliminate) stuttering produces negative consequences of life-altering significance. In short, the inability to orally communicate in a socially acceptable fashion has the potential to drastically reduce professional, social and educational opportunities.
It has been shown that the incidence of stuttering can be reduced by using a second speech signal via speech feedback. Stuttering was reduced by having a stutterer speak in choral unison with another speaker. Technology allows us to mimic this effect, with Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF) or Frequency Altered Feedback (FAF). The principles of DAF/FAF can be delineated into three simple stages: (1) a microphone captures the speaker's speech signal; (2) this speech signal is then digitally processed, where an adjustable delay is added to the signal (50 ms to 200 ms) and/or the frequencies in the speech signal are shifted higher or lower; (3) this altered speech signal is then re-introduced to the speaker via headphones. A variety of DAF/FAF devices are already on the market; however, they are expensive and distracting to use. These DAF/FAF devices suffer from many problems. For example, they have a poor signal to noise ratio. Additionally, the earphones interfere with hearing the surrounding environment. Visual speech feedback has also been shown to significantly enhance fluency via visual choral speech or delayed visual feedback; however, this methodology is not amenable to prosthetic implementation due to cost form and factor.
Treatments such as auditory feedback and visual feedback have proven to be effective but have the downside of being either audibly or visually distracting. Prosthetics based on these treatment methodologies are annoying to the user, they impede hearing and negatively affect dynamic conversation, and the signal to noise ratio is often almost unacceptably low. There exists a need for a method and device that can effectively reduce stuttering without the problems exhibited by the visual and auditory feedback methods.


Fluorine-doped tungstic oxide is prepared by reacting together tungsten hexafluoride, an oxygen-containing compound, and a fluorine-containing compound.

It is well-known in the glass art to coat glass sheets with metallic and/or dielectric materials, to impart enhanced solar and optical properties to the glass sheets. For example, it is known to place multiple layers of metals and dielectrics onto glass to produce electrically conductive coatings which are transparent to visible light and highly reflective to infrared radiation. It is also known to deposit conductive metal oxides onto glass, such as, for example, fluorine-doped tin oxide, which oxides are also highly reflective to infrared radiation.
The transmitted and reflected colors of glass sheet coatings may also be varied, depending upon the thicknesses and optical interference effects of such coatings, the presence of color producing adjuvants, the color of the metal or dielectric layer deposited onto the glass, etc.
Many methods for depositing metal and dielectric coatings onto glass are well-known. Examples of conventional deposition processes include liquid and powder spray pyrolysis, wherein liquids or solid particles containing film forming reactants are sprayed onto the surface of a hot glass ribbon being produced by the well-known float glass process. A convenient method for depositing coatings onto glass is by way of chemical vapor deposition, wherein vaporized film-forming precursors are reacted at or near the surface of a hot glass ribbon to form the metal or dielectric film thereon. Chemical vapor deposition does not suffer from the problems associated with either liquid or powder spray pyrolysis processes. Liquid spray pyrolysis substantially cools the hot glass ribbon, while powder spray pyrolysis requires a complex, delicate powder handling and delivery system.
W. L. Jolly, "The Principles of Inorganic Chemistry," McGraw-Hill, New York (1976) p. 226 discloses that fluorine-doped tungstic oxide may be prepared from WO.sub.3 by replacing some of the oxygen atoms with fluorine atoms. Fluorine-doped tungstic oxide is blue in color, and its intensity is dependent upon the concentration of fluorine atoms in the matrix. Tungstic oxide additionally is electrically conductive and infrared energy reflective. A layer of fluorine-doped tungstic oxide on glass would be useful for producing a tinted, electrically heatable, solar load reducing glazing for automotive or architectural use.
A. W. Sleight, "Tungsten and Molybdenum Oxyfluorides of the Type MO.sub.3-x F.sub.x," Inorganic Chemistry, vol. 8, no. 8, (1969) pp. 1764-1767 discloses an alternative method for producing fluorine-doped tungstic oxide. Tungsten metal, tungstic oxide, and hydrofluoric acid are reacted together at about 700.degree. C. and 3,000 atmospheres to form single crystals of WO.sub.3-x F.sub.x, wherein x is from about 0.17 to about 0.66.
Also, C. E. Derrington et. al., "Preparation and Photoelectrolytic Behavior of the Systems WO.sub.3 and WO.sub.3-x F.sub.x," Inorganic Chemistry, vol. 17, no. 4 (1978) pp. 977-980 discloses a method for preparing fluorine-doped tungstic oxide, wherein tungstic oxide is reacted with potassium bifluoride at about 650.degree. C. to produce WO.sub.3-x F.sub.x.
Finally, D. K. Benson et al., "Preparation of Electrochromic Metal Oxide Films by Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition," 31st Annual SPIE International Technical Symposium on Optics and Electro-Optics, Conference 823, August (1987) discloses the result of reacting together tungsten hexafluoride and oxygen in a plasma reactor. Tungstic oxide is formed, but without the inclusion of fluorine atoms. The article additionally discloses that the reaction between tungsten hexafluoride, molybdenum hexafluoride, and oxygen produces an oxide having two distinct phases; the first is fluorine-free tungstic oxide, and the second is MoO.sub.3-x F.sub.x. These results are surprising, since one would expect that the fluorine made available by the decomposition of the tungsten hexafluoride and molybdenum hexafluoride would result in fluorine doping of the tungstic oxide matrix as well as the molybedenum oxide matrix. However, only fluorine-free tungstic oxide was produced. Furthermore, the article does not suggest that the use of a fluorine-containing compound in addition to the disclosed compounds used in both reactions would be any more effective for doping the tungstic oxide than the available fluorine atoms generated by the decomposition of the tungsten hexafluoride reactant.
It must be noted that the prior art referred to hereinabove has been collected and examined only in light of the present invention as a guide. It is not to be inferred that such diverse art would otherwise be assembled absent the motivation provided by the present invention, nor that the cited prior art when considered in combination suggests the present invention absent the teachings herein.
It would be desirable to prepare fluorine-doped tungstic oxide by a simple chemical vapor deposition process, for coating glass surfaces for the production of blue tinted, electrically conductive, infrared radiation reflective automotive and architectural glazings.

Preparation of fluorine-doped tungstic oxide


A system including a seal is provided. The seal includes a first layer made of a first non-metallic, elastic material. The seal further includes a second layer made of a second non-metallic, heat resistant material. The second layer is configured to thermally protect the first layer from heat. The seal is configured to extend across a gap between first and second surfaces, and the first and second layers are formed into a bended structure configured to expand and contract in response to a dimensional change in the gap.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to seals, and more specifically, to seals used in thermal systems.
Thermal systems may include chambers used to process a variety of thermal fluids. For example, turbine systems may include an intercooler or heat exchanger having at least two chambers, such as an exterior chamber (e.g., shell chamber) and an interior chamber (e.g., tube chamber). A seal assembly may be used to bridge interstices or gaps between the chambers. Unfortunately, thermal expansion and contraction may cause the gaps to shrink or grow, thereby causing the seal assembly to leak.


The present invention provides a method for treating an individual who is afflicted with a cancer, such as non-small cell lung cancer or prostate cancer, by administering to that individual a MUC-1 based formulation. The formulation may be a MUC-1 based liposomal vaccine formulation.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality for both sexes in North America. In 2004, approximately 174,000 new cases of lung cancer (54% in men, 46% in women) were diagnosed in the U.S. In 2004, approximately 160,000 people died of this disease in the U.S. alone.
Unfortunately, at the time of diagnosis, only 25% of lung cancer patients are potentially curable by surgery. Furthermore, chemotherapy has only modestly improved the chances of survival in individuals afflicted with the cancer.
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most-common of lung cancers and is typified by squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma. NSCLC accounts for approximately 75 to 80% of all primary lung cancers. It has been observed that the mucinous glycoprotein, MUC-1, is highly expressed in such carcinomas, beyond levels of normal expression in epithelial cells of healthy individuals. It has also been observed that many carbohydrate moieties that adorn the MUC-1 protein, by virtue of attachment to the MUC-1 polypeptide backbone, are shorter than those moieties attached to MUC-1 proteins of normal cells. Thus, the MUC-1 polypeptide backbone in cancer cells is more exposed than the polypeptide backbone in normal cells.
Prostate cancer is the second most common diagnosed cancer in men in the United States after lung cancer. Roughly 190,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States and nearly 30,000 men die from the disease yearly.
Biochemical failure after prostatectomy (PR) for treatment of prostate cancer is often a harbinger of clinical failure, which may shorten the life expectancy of the patient. And although a need exists for additional non-invasive methods of treating prostate cancer, a special need exists for a treatment of men with post-prostatectomy biochemical failure.
The present invention provides a method for treating a population of individuals afflicted with non-small cell lung cancer and prostate cancer using a MUC-1-based formulation. In many embodiments, the formulation is a lipidated MUC-1 liposomal vaccine.


An accessory channel expander for a vehicle alarm that includes a scrolling mechanism that scrolls through the possible accessory channels until a channel is selected by the user with the remote control activated single auxiliary or accessory channel output of the alarm system. In a preferred embodiment, the accessory channel expander for a vehicle alarm includes an inverting input buffer, a ring counter, a channel expander oscillator, a channel expander reset timer, a channel activation register, a channel activation register reset network, a first number of channel indicator LFDs, and a channel activation decoding and channel relay drive circuit.

Car alarms often include an auxiliary or accessory channel output that can be used to activate an accessory by operation of the alarm system remote control. Although one accessory may be sufficient for some individuals, other individuals may wish to selectively operate a desired accessory selected from a group consisting of two or more accessory devices. For these individuals it would of course be desirable to have an accessory channel expander for a vehicle alarm that could be connected to the single auxiliary or accessory channel output of the vehicle alarm and that included a mechanism for using that remote control activated single auxiliary or accessory channel output to select the desired accessory from a group of two or more accessories. It would also be desirable to have an accessory channel expander for a vehicle alarm that included a scrolling mechanism that scrolled or stepped through the possible channels and allowed the user to use the remote control activated single auxiliary or accessory channel output of the alarm system to selectively activate the desired accessory channel through operation of the alarm remote control.

Accessory channel expander for vehicle alarm system


In general, the invention is directed to a system with a fail-safe mode for remote programming of medical devices, such as implantable medical devices (IMDs). During a remote programming session, an adverse event, such as a programming session failure, may prevent proper completion of a programming or result in improper programming due to data corruption or other factors. If a programming session is not completed correctly, the IMD is susceptible to improper operation, possibly exposing a patient to delivery of unnecessary or inappropriate therapies. A fail-safe mode reduces the likelihood of improper operation following a programming session failure. The fail-safe mode defines one or more fail-safe operations designed to preserve proper operation of the IMD. In some embodiments, the fail-safe operations include notifying a person concerning the failure of the programming session, modifying programming parameters within the implantable medical device, and delivering a therapy to a patient.

Implantable medical device (IMD), such as implantable pacemakers, cardioverter/defibrillators, neurostimulators, implantable drug pumps, or the like, may be programmed and interrogated remotely via a telecommunication link. In particular, a remote programmer initiates a remote programming session to set parameters within the IMD and thereby modify therapy or monitoring for a patient. The programming session may involve a local programmer/monitor, located proximate to the patient, that acts as an intermediary between the remote programmer and the IMD.
Remote programming allows a programmer to program an IMD from a significant distance. A doctor may monitor the programming from any location that is able to access the same network to which the IMD is connected, e.g., the Internet. In this manner, remote programming should make patient visits to the clinic less frequent. Remote programming of implantable medical devices is likely to become more prevalent as technology to enable safe remote implementation emerges.

Fail-safe programming for implantable medical device


An electrical connection box has electronic components mounted therein and includes a heat pipe for radiating heat generated from the electronic components to the outside. The heat pipe has a heat absorbing portion inside the connection box and a heat radiating portion outside the connection box. The heat pipe is formed of an electrically conductive material, and an electrically conductive heat collecting member is provided for collecting the heat generated from the electronic components. The heat absorbing portion of the heat pipe is connected to the heat collecting member, and a grounding current is supplied to the heat pipe and the heat collecting member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connection box.
2. Description of the Related Art
In electrical connection boxes, e.g., automotive electrical connection boxes mounted with various electronic components, such as a relay, fuses, etc., the components generate heat as they are operated. In order to lower and equalize the internal temperature, one such known electrical connection box is provided with a heat collecting member and a heat pipe (Jpn. UM Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 4-131120).
The heat pipe is a sealed tubular body that is hermetically injected with a hydraulic fluid. One half of the heat pipe functions as a heat absorbing portion and the other as a heat radiating portion as the hydraulic fluid is evaporated and liquefied.
The electrical connection box is mounted with various electronic components, as mentioned before, and also comprises various busbars and insulating plates that constitute electric circuits and grounded circuits. Because the connection box requires the use of a lot of components, the connection box is liable to become large-sized. And although the heat pipe is effective as a means for lowering and equalizing the temperature in the connection box, it is more expensive than any other similar means, so that it entails an increase in cost of the connection box.


The present invention relates to a thermoplastic film having improved tear and puncture resistance. The thermoplastic film has a plurality of embossed regions that are comprised of a plurality of parallel, linear embosses. The plurality of embossed regions is arranged so that a straight line cannot traverse the thermoplastic film without intersecting at least one of the plurality of embossed regions. Certain embodiments further disclose an unembossed arrangement having at least three distinct segments that extend in three distinct directions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements for thermoplastic films, particularly thermoplastic films used in the manufacture of bags including trash bags. In particular, the present invention relates to improvements to trash bags and embossed patterns for such bags.
2. Description of the Related Art
Thermoplastic films are used in a variety of applications. For example, thermoplastic films are used in sheet form for applications such as drop cloths, vapor barriers, and protective covers. Thermoplastic films can also be converted into plastic bags, which may be used in a myriad of applications. The present invention is particularly useful to trash bags constructed from thermoplastic film, but the concept and ideas described herein may be applied to other types of thermoplastic films and bags as well.
Plastic bags are manufactured from thermoplastic film produced using one of several manufacturing techniques well-known in the art. The two most common methods for manufacture of thermoplastic films are blown-film extrusion and cast-film extrusion. In blown-film extrusion, the resulting film is tubular while cast-film extrusion produces a generally planar film.
In blown film extrusion, thermoplastic resin is fed into an extruder where an extrusion screw pushes the resin through the extruder. The extrusion screw compresses the resin, heating the resin into a molten state under high pressure. The molten, pressurized resin is fed through a blown film extrusion die having an annular opening. As the molten material is pushed into and through the extrusion die, a thermoplastic film tube emerges from the outlet of the extrusion die. The direction that the thermoplastic film tube is extruded from the extrusion die is commonly referred to as the machine direction. The direction perpendicular to the machine direction is commonly referred to as the cross direction.
Depending on the application, the use of thermoplastic film presents technical challenges since thermoplastic film is inherently soft and flexible. Specifically, all thermoplastic films are susceptible to puncture and tear propagation. In some instances, it may be possible to increase the thickness of the film or select better polymers to enhance the physical properties of the film. However, these measures increase both the weight and cost of the thermoplastic film and may not be practicable. In light of the technical challenges of thermoplastic film, techniques and solutions have been developed to address the need for improved shock absorption to reduce the likelihood of puncture. For example, it is known to impart stretched areas into thermoplastic films as a means of inducing shock absorption properties into the film.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,650, issued to Rasmussen and entitled Tubular Bag with Shock Absorber Band Tube for Making Such Bag, and Method for its Production, discloses using thermoplastic film material with stretchable zones wherein the film material has been stretched in a particular direction with adjacent un-stretched zones that extend in substantially the same direction. The combination of the stretched zones and adjacent un-stretched zones provides a shock absorber band intended to absorb energy when the bag is dropped. Specifically, when a bag is dropped or moved, the contents inside the bag exert additional forces that would otherwise puncture or penetrate the thermoplastic film. However, the shock absorber bands absorb some of the energy and may prevent puncture of the film.
Another example of a thermoplastic film material designed to resist puncture is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,801, issued to Chappell and entitled Web Materials Exhibiting Elastic-Like Behavior. Chappell, in the aforementioned patent and other related patents, discloses using a plurality of ribs to provide stretchable areas in the film much like Rasmussen. Chappell also discloses methods of manufacturing such thermoplastic film with such ribs.
Another example of shock absorption to prevent puncture is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,650,214 issued to Anderson and entitled Web Materials Exhibiting Elastic-Like Behavior and Soft Cloth-Like Texture. Anderson discloses using a plurality of embossed ribs defining diamond-shaped areas with a network of unembossed material between the diamond-shaped areas. Thus, the unembossed area comprises a network of straight, linear unembossed material extending in two perpendicular directions.
The foregoing disclosures specifically address the desire to increase the shock absorption of thermoplastic film to reduce the likelihood of punctures occurring in the film. However, none of the foregoing disclosures address the problem of reducing tear propagation in a thermoplastic bag.
Previously known solutions to limiting tear propagation are based on two primary concepts. First, longer and more tortuous tear paths consume more energy as the tear propagates and can help in limiting the impact of the tear in a bag or thermoplastic film. Second, many thermoplastic films, particularly thermoplastic films made using a blown-film extrusion process, have different physical properties along different axes of the film. In particular, blown films are known to have higher tear strength in the cross-direction versus the corresponding tear strength in the machine direction. Certain prior art solutions take advantage of the differential properties of thermoplastic films by redirecting tears into a different direction. This redirecting of tears can offer greater resistance to a tear propagating. For example, some solutions redirect a tear propagating in the weaker machine direction of blown film into the stronger cross-direction.
One solution for reducing tear propagation is based on the idea that longer, tortuous tear paths are preferable and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,824,856, issued to Jones and entitled Protective Packaging Sheet. Jones discloses materials suitable for packaging heavy loads by providing an embossed packaging sheet with improved mechanical properties. Specifically, a protective packaging sheet is disclosed where surfaces of the sheet material are provided with protuberances disposed therein with gaps between protuberances. The protuberances are arranged such that straight lines necessarily intersect one or more of the protuberances. The resulting protective packaging sheet provides mechanical properties where tears propagating across the thermoplastic sheet are subject to a tortuous path. The tortuous path is longer, and more complex, than a straight-line tear, and a tear propagating along such a path would require markedly more energy for continued propagation across the film compared to a tear along a similar non-tortuous path in the same direction. Thus, due to the increased energy required for tear propagation, the tortuous path ultimately reduces the impact of any tears that do propagate across the film.
Another example of a tear resistant plastic film is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,357,440, issued to Hall and entitled Apparatus and Method for Enhanced Tear Resistance Plastic Sheets. Hall discloses an alternative tortuous path solution and further relies on the fact discussed above that certain polymer films, particularly thermoplastic films made in a blown-film extrusion process, are known to have a stronger resistance to tear in the cross direction when compared to the machine direction.
Hall discloses a solution that contemplates using preferably shaped embosses, particularly convex shaped embosses with a curved outer boundary, to provide maximum resistance to tear propagation. In most thermoplastic films, a tear will have a tendency to propagate along the path of least resistance or in the machine direction. Hall contemplates redirecting propagating tears in a tortuous path with the additional intent of redirecting the machine direction tears along the curved edges of the embossed regions and into a cross direction orientation. The redirected tears in the cross direction will be subject to additional resistance and, preferably, will propagate to a lesser degree than a tear propagating in the machine direction in an unembossed film.
Unlike the references described earlier, Jones and Hall are primarily focused on resistance to tear propagation after a puncture has occurred, rather than attempting to prevent the puncture from occurring in the first place. It would be desirable to balance both of these properties, shock absorption and tortuous tear paths in the cross direction, into a single, practicable thermoplastic film. Specifically, it would be desirable to provide a thermoplastic film with a shock-absorbing feature to prevent punctures in a film while also providing increased resistance to tear propagation. It would also be desirable to balance these features so that one feature does not degrade the performance of another. The present invention addresses these needs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Mechanisms for dynamically modifying a sequence of slides in a slideshow set during a presentation of the slideshow are provided. Tag metadata may be provided for each slide of a slideshow set such that this tag metadata may be used to establish logical subsets of slides within the slideshow set. Options may be provided for a user to select an interface item to obtain slides, from the current slideshow set or another slideshow set, that are associated with a currently displayed slide in the slideshow set. User interface items may be provided through which the user may temporarily redirect the sequence of the original slideshow set to incorporate one or more of these related slides and, upon termination of this “detour”, may return to the point at which the sequence diverted.

1. Technical Field
The present application relates generally to an improved data processing system and method. More specifically, the present application is directed to a system and method for dynamically modifying a sequence of slides in a slideshow set during a presentation of the slideshow.
2. Description of Related Art
Slideshow software, such as Microsoft PowerPoint™ or the like, is almost universally used for any type of professional presentation. Such software allows a user to design slides to be presented via a display device. The software further provides an interface through which a user may present the slides, transitioning from one slide to the next typically based on the user providing an input indicating a desire to transition backward or forward through a series of slides.
A common problem for a presenter, i.e. a user of the slideshow software presenting information to a group of one or more people based on the series of slides, to lose track of time as the presenter is discussing topics associated with each slide in the series of slides. Moreover, it is also a very common situation for a presenter to have some slides in the series of slides that are far more important to the information that the presenter is trying to convey to the group than others.
Currently, when a presenter loses track of time during the presentation, it is common for the presenter to ungracefully skip over or spend an unnaturally short period of time on the less important slides. It is often the case that time runs out for the important slides and the presenter is left with the situation where information that he/she wished to cover during the presentation cannot be adequately addressed. The presenter is left saying something like "I really wish I had more time to cover SDO" or the like. Thus, the presenter is not able to always convey all of the important information that he/she wishes to convey in the time period allotted and there is no mechanism for aiding the presenter in making sure that this information is able to be included in the presentation based on the time period allotted.
In one prior art mechanism, a computer assisted presentation method and apparatus are provided in which the remaining time in a presentation is monitored in real time and the system dynamically adjusts the presentation to fit available time constraints. Numerical priorities are assigned to the presentation frames and minimum, goal, and maximum times are also assigned to each presentation frame. During the presentation to an audience, the presentation tool monitors the progress of the presentation and the time remaining. The presentation tool dynamically adjusts goal times to fit the remaining time allotted and, if necessary, deletes entire frames using the pre-assigned priorities.
In addition to this known mechanism, it should be noted that there have also been a number of recent improvements in slideshow software to help the presenter in performing the presentation. For example, in Microsoft PowerPoint™, the presenter may simply key in a slide number in order to jump from one slide to a different slide in the slideshow set without having to sequentially flip through each intervening slide. In "Powerful PowerPoint Presentations," BNET, Version 2, Sep. 13, 2006, various tips on how to enhance PowerPoint™ presentations are provided including associating recorded music with the slideshow set. In the article "PowerPoint tips: perfect presentations," Simon Williams, Personal Computer World, Oct. 31, 2003, a mechanism for recording the time that is spent on each slide in the slideshow is described so as to aid a presenter in timing their presentation during rehearsals.
Other improvements to slideshow software include the ability to run a presentation using two monitors (i.e. on a laptop and a projector) using a presenter view in which elapsed time may be shown (see PowerPoint "About Running a Presentation on Two Monitors," Microsoft Corporation). Moreover, PowerPoint™ may also be configured to provide a self-running presentation that automatically progresses through the slides of the slideshow set in sequential order based on custom slide timings (see "Create and Distribute a Self-Running PowerPoint Presentation," Microsoft Corporation).

Dynamically modifying a sequence of slides in a slideshow set during a presentation of the slideshow

International Business Machines Corporation


A packet handler includes an interface circuit of an ATM handler corresponding in one-to-one relation to each input/output port of an ATM switch. A switch interface including a disconnection circuit and a distribution circuit controls the cell flow from each interface circuit to a corresponding input port and the cell from the output ports of the ATM switch to each interface circuit. In a set of interface circuits, one redundant transmission path can be replaced arbitrarily with two nonredundant independent transmission paths. The ATM communication system can thus accommodate redundant transmission paths and nonredundant transmission paths in an arbitrary ratio.

The present invention relates to a packet handler more particularly the present invention relates; and to a packet handler of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) for fixed-length packets.
An ATM handler for transferring various information in fixed-length packets (hereinafter referred to as "cells"), as shown by reference numeral 1 in FIG. 2, for example, comprises a plurality of line interfaces (hereinafter referred to as the interface circuit) 3 for accommodating a plurality of transmission paths 2 (2-1 to 2-n') each including a pair of input and output lines, an ATM switch common part 4 including an ATM switch (ATM SW) 5 for distributing the input cells passed through each interface circuit 3 among the interface circuits in accordance with the routing information contained in the cell header, and a control part 9 connected to the interface circuits 3 and the ATM common switch part 4 through a control line 10.
Each interface circuit 3 includes the physical layer processing function for processing signals transmitted to and received from the transmission paths 2 in the physical layer, such as the photo-electric conversion in which the input light signal from an incoming line is converted into an electric signal and the electrooptic conversion of an output signal to an outgoing line, and the ATM layer processing function for processing signals for input and output cells in ATM layer, rewriting the header information (VPI/VCI) of the input cell into the header information for the output cell with reference to a header conversion table while at the same time such converting the header for adding the routing information required for the switching operation as the internal header information.
The control part 9 performs such operations as controlling the connections, rewriting the header conversion table information of each interface circuit 3 accompanying the setting/resetting the connection and collecting the various performance information acquired in each interface circuit 3 as well as the monitoring of the state of the ATM handler as a whole including the operation of the ATM switch common part 4. The control part 9 is linked with a network management function 13 via a communication line 12 to transmit various information to the network management function 13 in response to an order from the network management function 13 which is a higher level device of the control part 9.
In an ATM network requiring a high reliability like a public network, main transmission paths are made redundant in preparation for maintenance, inspection and detouring at the time of occurrence of a defect.
In employing a redundant transmission path, an interface circuit 3-i for accommodating one redundant transmission path 2-i (i=1 to n) is paired with an interface circuit 3-i' for accommodating the other transmission path 2-i'. One of the interface circuits is used as an active path, and the other as a standby path. The input cells from the interface circuits for active path are selected by a selector and input to an ATM switch 5. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, a switching interface 6 including a selector 11 is provided for each pair of the interface circuits 3. In this way, only the input cells arriving from the interface circuits for an active path are led to input ports I (I-1 to I-n) of the ATM switch 5. The cells output from the output ports 0 (0-1 to 0-n) of the ATM switch 5 are distributed between the two interface circuits of the pair at the switching interface 6.
Various forms of redundant architecture are available for transmission paths of a network.
FIG. 3 shows a network configuration in which a plurality of ATM handlers 1 are connected in mesh by a backbone network 2-b and each transmission path (backbone network) 2-b between the ATM handlers except for the subscriber lines 2-a are made redundant. On the other hand, FIG. 4 shows a network configuration in which a plurality of ATM handlers 1-a accommodating subscriber lines 2-a are bundled by ATM handlers i-b as a backbone network. In this way, the number of backbone transmission paths for the ATM handlers l-a at each terminal is reduced while the trunk line transmission paths 2-b are made redundant.
As seen from the above-mentioned two network configurations, the ATM handlers 1 desirably accommodate both the redundant transmission paths 2-b and the nonredundant transmission paths 2-a in any proportion ranging from the one in which all the lines accommodated are redundant to the one in which all the lines accommodated are nonredundant, as required.
In the system configuration shown in FIG. 2 comprising the selector 11 for each port I-i of the ATM switch 4 and a pair of the interface circuits 3 accommodating the redundant transmission path selectively connected through the selector 11 to the input port I-i, however, only one of the two interface circuits 3 can be effectively utilized in accommodating an independently-used nonredundant transmission path, with the result that the slots formed in the housing of the ATM handlers for accommodating the other one of the interface circuits 3 are wasted.
Also, in the ATM handlers shown in FIG. 2 which has a pair of interface circuits 3 for each input port of the ATM switch, the cell amount applicable to the ATM switch 5 remains constant regardless of whether the transmission paths accommodated are redundant or used independently. For the proportion of space that the interface circuit board occupies in the housing of the ATM handlers, therefore, the switching capability of the ATM switch 5 is low, thereby leading to the problem of the bulkiness of the system for the switching capacity.


A composite diffusion type nitriding method and a composite diffusion type nitriding apparatus of the present invention are effectively used for nitriding various materials, such as machine parts, as well as a material which is difficult for nitriding by a conventional method. The composite diffusion nitriding apparatus is formed of a container filled with solid granular materials, a furnace for housing the container therein, a nitriding gas introduction path for introducing the nitriding gas into the container, and an exhausting path for exhausting the gas from the container. In the method, the material to be nitrided is placed in the solid granular materials, and the nitriding gas is supplied to flow through the solid granular materials to thereby nitride the material.

The present invention relates to a composite diffusion type nitriding method, a composite diffusion type nitriding apparatus using the same and a method for producing a nitride, which are especially suitable for nitriding tools, such as general tools and molds, which require abrasion resistance, and machine parts and molds made of a material difficult for nitriding, such as austenitic stainless steel.
A nitriding method has generally been known as a surface hardening method of a metal member. The nitriding method has advantages such that since the nitriding method requires a processing temperature lower than that in a hardening method by cementation, less deformation and strain occur in the metal member, and further since an obtained hardening layer is extremely hard, the hardening layer has excellent abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance.
Heretofore, as nitriding methods of this type, a gas nitriding method, salt-bath nitriding method and ion nitriding method have been known. However, in the salt-bath nitriding method, since cyanic salt is used, a working environment is bad and a treatment of a waste liquid requires a huge cost. Thus, the salt-bath nitriding method is not practical. The ion nitriding method using an electric discharging phenomenon in a vacuum condition is hopeful in the future, but there is a limitation in a shape and the like of a material to be nitrided at this stage.
Contrary to these methods, the gas nitriding method has been established as a practical method, and also in the future, it is supposed that the gas nitriding method will take the first place in the nitriding methods. In the gas nitriding method, an ammonia gas is contacted with a surface of heated steel, so that the ammonia gas is decomposed by a catalytic action to form active atomic nitrogen, and active atomic nitrogen is absorbed into the surface of steel to thereby produce nitride with iron contained in steel.
However, the gas nitriding method as described above has the following disadvantages.
First, with respect to a material difficult for nitriding, such as austenitic stainless steel, the nitriding method itself is difficult.
Also, with respect to a material to be nitrided having a special shape, an embrittlement layer (which is also called as white layer or .epsilon. layer) and incomplete nitriding are liable to occur. More specifically, with respect to a material to be nitrided having a special shape, such as a tool or mold having a sharp edge, a nitriding effect for the edge portion is accelerated more than other portions having a large mass, so that the edge portion is liable to have an embrittlement layer. The embrittlement layer has a nature of becoming thick in proportion to the thickness of the hardened layer. Therefore, when the hardened layer is made thick, the edge is liable to break off, and abrasion resistance is also decreased.
In order to prevent these defects, in case the embrittlement layer is designed as a portion to be polished beforehand, a polishing work after a nitriding treatment requires a great labor and time, and waste of a material and nitriding gas is increased. On the other hand, with respect to a material to be nitrided having a special shape, such as a machine part with a small hole in a long shaft, since the nitriding gas does not fully enter inside the small hole, the nitriding in the small hole portion may become incomplete. Especially, in case the small hole has one end which is closed, the nitriding is still more difficult.
Furthermore, with respect to not only the material to be nitrided having the above described special shape but also a material to be nitrided having a normal shape, there are problems to be solved as described hereinbelow. First, the gas nitriding itself basically takes a long time, so that a processing efficiency is poor, and it is very difficult to improve an operation rate of a furnace and a cost performance of a product. Thus, a using amount of a nitriding gas is increased. Further, since a slight error in setting various conditions with respect to the nitriding results in a large error accumulated for a long time, and there is another problem in adjusting suppression of an embrittlement layer.
The present invention has been made in view of these problems mentioned above.
An object of the present invention is to provide a composite diffusion type nitriding method for effectively nitriding a material, even for a material difficult for nitriding or having a special shape; and with respect to a material to be nitrided having a normal shape, a stable nitriding layer can be formed by a simple method with high efficiency without imposing severe conditions.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a composite diffusion type nitriding apparatus for effectively nitriding a material with a simple structure.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a nitride, which can be simply and effectively prosecuted.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.

Composite diffusion type nitriding method, composite diffusion type nitriding apparatus and method for producing nitride


A method for evaluating contextual risk profiles at a computing device (110, 212, 312) in a vehicle (310), the method including obtaining information about a proximate vehicle (320, 330); utilizing the information to create a risk profile for the proximate vehicle (320, 330); and based on the risk profile, initiating an action at computing device (110, 212, 312).

Driver assistance is becoming standard in modern vehicles. For example, vehicles may be equipped with sensors to detect lane departure or adjacent vehicles, may be provided with a cruise control that can vary speed based on vehicles in front of the current vehicle, may be equipped with sensors and processors to provide collision warnings, among other such driver assistance.
Further, systems are being implemented to create autonomous vehicles that would allow the vehicle to drive itself, with or without passengers. Specifically, autonomous vehicles are likely to become widely used in coming years and may be used for many purposes, including autonomous deliveries, autonomous taxicab, vehicle sharing infrastructures in which vehicles relocate itself between users, among other options.
For both the driver assistance and autonomous vehicles, a processor on the vehicle makes decisions based on vehicles surrounding the current vehicle. The decisions made typically assume that the vehicles surrounding the current vehicle are in good working order.

Method and system for evaluating contextual risk profiles in a vehicle


Triode pixel devices and complementary triode logic devices for control of the pixel devices are disclosed. The pixel and logic devices are integrally fabricated in arrays suitable for full color flat display panels. Both pixel and logic elements are operated in a gate controlled avalanche mode. Pixel elements are formed from organic or inorganic electroluminescent (EL) materials ohmically contacted by low work function metal. The depletion region necessary for controlling EL intensity or preventing EL avalanche is affected by potentials to a gate element injected into the EL material. The shape of the gate element multiplies the field produced by the gate potential. Luminescence is directly viewed from the brighter, lateral EL emission not available in the prior art. The complementary logic devices are formed from separate depositions of n-type and p-type silicon with their respective gates connected in common. A manufacturing process to produce economical full color, large area, flat-panel, displays of high pixel density and redundancy is described. Small area high pixel density displays suitable for head-mounted military, avionic, and virtual reality display products are also discussed.

This disclosure sets forth a design for integrally fabricated gated triode pixel elements and the associated control circuitry for flat panel or virtual reality displays. In addition, methods for manufacture of the integrated devices are disclosed.
Prior art electroluminescent (EL) devices used in flat panel displays are diodes in which applied alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) or pulse potentials affect luminescence. The diode or two terminal embodiment of flat display panel pixels presents significant operational and manufacturing limitations. One limitation is in the form of barrier contacts at both the injector and the collector terminals of the diode. These barrier contacts increase significantly the potential required for luminescence, and decrease the operational lifetime of the device because of cumulative terminal EL material interface stress. The stress of the high field of the non-ohmic contacts to the EL material affects the interface therebetween, degrading operation and causing failure. Another limitation is the increased complexity of address and intensity modulation necessary for use as pixel elements in information display.
Still another limitation is that the address and intensity modulation circuitry must be separately manufactured and assembled to prior art diode pixel display devices thereby increasing the cost of the display product. Another limitation is the power requirements for the control circuitry which are orders of magnitude greater than the control circuitry for the presently disclosed device. Still another limitation of the diode pixel element is that light is emitted through the diode""s transparent contact and not laterally as will be expanded upon in the following paragraph. This results in a significant percentage of light emission that is not utilized thereby, further increasing the power required in the prior art to obtain the desired level of luminescence.
In prior art DC diode devices, one contact to the EL material of the diode is made by transparent indium-tin oxide, and the other by a metal which is typically Al. Both of those contacts are Schottky barrier, tunneling contacts. A reverse bias applied to the EL material produces a field across the depletion region. A sufficient field causes avalanche of energetic carriers which are typically electrons. The electrons impact and excite centers, or color centers of the EL material, creating electron-hole pairs, and/or excitation of the color dopant atoms. Relaxation of the excitation within the EL material causes photon, colored light, emission. Only the photons exiting the EL material parallel to the field produce the viewed light. The greater brightness produced laterally, perpendicular to the field, is essentially lost and does not markedly contribute to the brightness of the viewed light of the prior art.
The current invention comprises triode pixel devices and complementary triode logic devices for control of pixel devices. Both the pixel devices and the associated control circuitry are fabricated and interconnected in the same continuous manufacturing process to economically produce full color flat panel display products. Both pixel and logic devices are operated in a gate controlled avalanche mode.
Pixel elements are formed of inorganic or organic EL material ohmically contacted by low work function metal. The depletion region necessary for controlling EL intensity or for preventing EL avalanche is affected by potentials to a gate element injected into the EL material. The shape of the gate element multiplies the field produced by applied gate potential. Luminescence is directly viewed through the glass substrate, without an indium tin oxide layer and its 10% light transmission loss, from the brighter, lateral EL emission, not available in the prior diode pixel art. Each pixel element can be surrounded by an optically absorbing black oxide, the equivalent of a TV tube""s black mask, increasing pixel contrast and definition. The complementary logic devices are formed from separate depositions of n-type and p-type silicon with their respective gates connected in common. The operating potentials required are those of integrated circuits and are therefore low. Power consumption is reduced and the devices present no electromagnetic hazard to users. The ohmic contacts to EL material and the gate terminal of the present disclosure overcome operating lifetime and failure problems of the prior art DC operated EL devices. Those failure mechanisms, which are overcome by the present disclosure, are well described by J. M. Blackmore, et al., Journal of Applied Physics 61, No. 2, p.714-733.
To achieve the aforementioned objects, uses and advantages, a deposited mixture of metal and oxide particles interfaces with semiconductors and/or oxides. The mixture is sputter deposited in a 10% hydrogen 90% argon atmosphere. The random mixture of particles of 50 xc3x85 maximum diameter is graded such that 28% to 32% of the receiving surface area is metal particles. At barrier contact to the semiconductor depletion region, the oxide particles isolate a multiplicity of metal particles of the mixture such that fields about the metal particles are enhanced over that obtained between the essentially planar surfaces of the prior art. That enhanced field increases tunneling current density at a given field potential. The multiplicity of tunnel current sources, as compared to the prior art, provides a more uniform and additional increase in tunnel current density. In contact to highly doped semiconductor, the mixture makes better micro-ohm-cm2 contact to the semiconductor, enhancing device operation and speed over the prior art. The mixture prevents migration of metals into semiconductors. The simple and economic process disclosed replaces difficult and less reliable silicide formation in the semiconductor of prior art contact processes. The ratio of 30% metal particles is optimum. A range of 28-32% can be routinely achieved. The range can be extended to about 25-40% with a loss of benefit. In general terms, the 30% figure is best for optimum tunneling.
The particle mixture improves the ohmic contact to interfacing oxide layers. The ohmic contact is used to eliminate one of the two serial barriers that applied fields otherwise overcome to tunnel charge stored in floating gates. Elimination of one barrier lowers potentials and increases device life.
The metal and oxide materials of the random mixture are chosen such that the work function of the oxide is sufficiently greater than the work function of the metal whose other characteristics combine to enable ohmic contact with oxides.
The preferred oxide is typically defined by the oxide used in the manufacturing process of the device. Silica is the preferred oxide for interfacing with silica or silicon. Other oxides, which like silica make ohmic contact with the preferred metal, are alumina and beryllia.
The preferred metal Cr3Si is an A15 compound, congruently melts at 1770xc2x0 C., has a coefficient of thermal expansion of 10.5xc3x9710xe2x88x926/xc2x0C. typical of a silicide, and does not oxidize at temperatures below 1050xc2x0 C. The heat of formation of Cr3Si of xe2x88x9232.4 kcal/mole correlates to a barrier of 0.55 ev to either N-doped silicon or P-doped silicon. The advantage of equal barriers to oppositely doped silicon is not ordinarily achieved in prior art IC processes. However, the conductivity of Cr3Si is about 1/15th that of aluminum, so that more conductive materials are used in contact with Cr3Si for interconnections to other IC elements. Alone or in a mixture with oxides, the very high free surface energy of Cr3Si provides strong adherence to many common materials used in IC manufacture, and an effective barrier to the migration of metals (e.g., aluminum) into semiconductor. The prior art teaches formation of silicides into semiconductors to bar such migrations which cause failure of devices, but the siliciding process itself is a source of failure.

Integrally fabricated gated pixel elements and control circuitry for flat-panel displays


A mouse configured to communicatively couple to an information handling system may include an enclosure, a scroll wheel enclosed within the enclosure, with a portion of the scroll wheel extending from the enclosure, the scroll wheel configured to rotate about a first rotational axis, a scroll wheel gear mechanically coupled to the scroll wheel and configured to rotate about the first rotational axis at the same angular velocity as the scroll wheel, and a damping gear assembly. The damping gear assembly may include a damping gear enclosed with the enclosure and configured to rotate about a second rotational axis parallel to the first rotational axis of the scroll wheel and a slider enclosed within the enclosure and exposed through an opening of the enclosure proximate to the portion of the scroll wheel which is exposed through the enclosure, the slider mechanically coupled to the damping gear to enable a user to selectively engage the damping gear to the scroll wheel gear and selectively disengage the damping gear from the scroll wheel gear by interacting with the slider, such that the damping gear inhibits rotation of the scroll wheel when the damping gear is engaged with the scroll wheel gear and such that the scroll wheel rotates freely when the damping gear is disengaged from the scroll wheel gear.

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
An information handling system may include or be communicatively coupled to a mouse. A mouse is a hand-held pointing device that detects two-dimensional motion relative to a surface. This motion is typically translated into the motion of a pointer on a display, which allows a smooth control of the graphical user interface of a computer. In addition to moving a cursor, a mouse may have one or more buttons to allow operations such as selection of a menu item on a display. Mice often also feature other elements, such as touch surfaces and scroll wheels, which enable additional control and dimensional input.
A scroll wheel is a wheel used for scrolling, and may also be referred to as a mouse wheel. It is often made of hard plastic with a rubbery surface, and on a mouse is usually located between the left and right mouse buttons and is positioned perpendicular to the mouse surface. Most often, rolling the upper side of the wheel away from a user body is to scroll "upward" or "forward", and the reverse direction is to scroll "downward" or "backward." In a graphical user interface, the "upward" motion moves contents of the window downward (and the scrollbar thumb, if present, upward), and vice versa. In other configurations (sometimes called "natural scrolling") the effect is inverted.
A user working in a lengthy document may tend to scroll throughout the document. A traditional 24-step mouse allows a user's finger to turn the scroll wheel from start until end of the wheel in about four to eight steps prior to lifting the user's finger to repeat the same motion. This may be tiring or cumbersome for a user that desires to scroll through long documents.


A semiconductor device including: a semiconductor substrate having an electrode; a resin protrusion formed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate on which the electrode is formed, the resin protrusion extending along a straight line and having a sloping region of which a height decreases along the straight line as a distance from a center of the resin protrusion increases; and an interconnect electrically connected to the electrode and extending over the sloping region of the resin protrusion.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same.
An electronic module has been known in which a semiconductor device is mounted on an interconnect substrate (e.g. JP-A-2-272737). In order to manufacture a highly reliable electronic module, it is important to electrically connect an interconnect pattern of the interconnect substrate with interconnects of the semiconductor device.

Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same