An improved dispensing cap for supporting an associated container or bottle in an inverted position. A dispensing cap is provided which comprises a base, a funnel, a compression sleeve, and a seal. The base comprises a supporting flange fixed to a receiving well. The receiving well is adapted to slideably engage the funnel and provides a mechanism for controlling a flow of liquid or gel out of the funnel. The funnel comprises a plurality of flexible flanges mounted to a cap structure. The cap structure has an exterior surface adapted to engage the compression sleeve and an internal surface against which the seal may be disposed. The compression sleeve upon engaging the exterior surface of the cap structure forces the flanges fixed to the cap structure inward, and the flanges, in turn, push the seal inward. In this fashion, the dispensing cap may be adapted to engage not just bottles and containers having spouts of a single, selected diameter, but instead, bottles and containers having spouts of varying sizes and shapes.

The field of the present invention is dispensing caps for containers, and more particularly, reusable dispensing caps which are capable of supporting a container in an inverted position.
It is generally recognized that, to retrieve substantially all of the fluid contained in most bottle-type containers, it is advantageous to support the container in an inverted position for some period of time, as positioning the container in this fashion will allow the contents of the container to settle in the region of the spout or dispensing cap of the container. Unfortunately, because the dispensing caps or spouts of many bottles are smaller in diameter than the bottles with which they are associated, many bottles have a tendency to tip over when placed in an inverted position.
At least one prior art device has been developed in response to the tipping problem. However, as shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) that device merely comprises a stand wherein a selected dispensing cap can be detachably mounted. It may be noted, however, that for dispensing caps of varying diameters and shapes separate stands are required. Because dispensing cap stands, such as the prior art stand disclosed in FIGS. 1(a) and (b), must be fitted to a particular dispensing cap diameter or shape, their utility is substantially limited.


A medical operation system includes an information processing apparatus, including processing circuitry configured to cause a map of an operating room to be displayed on a display, the map including an icon representing a device located in the operating room or accessible from the operating room, receive, via a user operation on the displayed map, designation information representing a designation of a change in at least one of an input source, an output destination, or an internal setting for the device, generate a control signal to control the device based on the designation information, and transmit the generated control signal to the device.

In recent years, various kinds of devices are used on medical fronts. For example, devices such as a camera including an endoscope apparatus or the like, a recorder, a monitor, and a light are installed in a surgery room, and surgery is performed by using such devices.
There are systems for integrally controlling such devices. Such a system also provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for facilitating operation for controlling devices. For example, PTL 1 listed below discloses a surgery system including a control apparatus that is connected to a plurality of medical devices. In the surgery system, icons corresponding to the medical devices are displayed at predetermined intervals, and an operation screen of a medical device corresponding to a displayed icon is displayed in the case where the icon is operated.

Surgery system, information processing apparatus, and information processing method


In a plural-beam optical head, a linearly polarized light is generated and the linearly polarized light is divided into a plural light beams by the light beam dividing device which is a substantially right triangular prism formed of single-axis crystal. The prism has its inclined surface defined as a total reflection surface and its two sides substantially orthogonal to each other defined as an entrance surface and an exit surface, and is disposed so that the direction of the main axis of the crystal of the prism may form any other angle than 0 degree with respect to all of the direction of the plane normal to the total reflection surface, the direction of the normal to the incidence wave front onto the total reflection surface, the direction of the normal to the reflected wave front from the total reflection surface, the direction of the normal to a plane determined by the normal to the incidence wave front and the normal to the reflected wave front, and the direction of the line of intersection between the plane and the total reflection surface.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the optical construction of a plural-beam optical head in an optical recording-reproducing apparatus, and particularly to an optical head for dividing a light beam emitted from a light source into a plurality of beams.
2. Related Background Art
Recently, a parallel writing/reading optical head, in which a plurality of light beams are applied in the form of a spot to a recording medium and the recording and reproduction of information are effected on a plurality of information tracks at a time to thereby improve the transfer rate of the information, has been developed as the optical head of an optical recording-reproducing apparatus. The greater the number of light beams, the greater becomes the number of information tracks on which reading or writing is effected at a time and thus, the transfer rate of information is improved. As methods of generating a plurality of light beams, there are broadly two methods, i.e., a method using a light source having a plurality of light emitting sources or a plurality of light sources, and a method of dividing a light beam from a single light emitting source into a plurality of light beams. As an example of the former, there is a method using a combination of a plurality of LDs (semiconductor lasers) and optical elements such as prisms, or a method using an LD array having a plurality of light emitting points. Of these methods, the method using a combination of a plurality of LDs and prisms or the like suffers from the disadvantage that the number of the optical elements used is increased and not only the construction of the optical head becomes complicated, but also the alignment of the light beams emitted from the individual LDs becomes necessary.
The method using an LD array will hereinafter be described with reference to FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings. FIGS. 1A and 1B are views in which parts of an optical head optical system according to the prior art are projected onto an xz plane and an xy plane, respectively. The reference numeral 21 designates an LD array having a plurality of light emitting points, the reference numeral 22 denotes a collimator lens, the reference numeral 23 designates a beam splitter serving also as a beam shaping device, the reference numeral 24 denotes an image rotating prism, the reference numeral 25 designates an objective lens, and the reference numeral 26 denotes a recording medium carrying information thereon. FIG. 1C shows a portion of the surface of the recording medium 26. Information tracks 28 are arranged side by side on the recording medium 26.
A divergent light beam emitted from the plurality of light emitting points of the LD array passes through the collimator lens 22, whereby it becomes a plurality of parallel beams conforming to the angle of view with respect to the optical axis of the collimator lens. These parallel beams have their cross-sectional shapes shaped by the beam splitter 23 so as to be substantially circular, whereafter they pass through the image rotating prism 24 and are condensed by the objective lens 25, and form a plurality of spots corresponding to the light emitting points of the LD array on the recording medium 26. The light from these spots is subjected to modulation such as a change in the quantity of reflected light or the rotation of the direction of polarization correspondingly to the information recorded on the information tracks 28, and is made into a parallel beam as a reflected beam via the objective lens 25, whereafter it passes through the image rotating prism 24 and is deflected in the direction of arrow 27 by the beam splitter 23. This deflected light is detected by detecting means, not shown, and the amount of modulation such as the change in the quantity of reflected light or the rotation of the direction of polarization is detected by detecting means, not shown. These detecting means are well known.
When the angle of view of the light emitting points of the LD array with respect to the collimator lens 22 is small, the spacing d between the spots formed on the recording medium 26 is given by the following expression: EQU d.congruent.(f.sub.o /f.sub.c)1/K)L,
where f.sub.o and f.sub.c are the focal lengths of the objective lens 25 and the collimator lens 22, respectively, L is the spacing between the light emitting points on the LD array 21, and K is the shaping ratio for shaping the elliptical cross-section beam emitted from the LD into a circular cross-section, this shaping ratio being of the order of 1.5-2. Due to various conditions for the optical head, particularly compactness, light weight, the utilization efficiency of the light emitted from the LD, etc., the value of (f.sub.c /f.sub.o) suitable at present is of the order of 2-3. Also, the spacing L between the light emitting points of the LD array 21 is limited to the order of 100 .mu.m by thermal crosstalk between chips the adjustment accuracy of chip position, etc. Thus, the limit of the inter-spot spacing d on the recording medium 26 is of the order of 20-30 .mu.m.
On the other hand, it is preferable for the improvement of information recording density that the arrangement pitch P of the information tracks 28 be as small as possible, and for example, in an optical disk, the pitch P is of the order of 1.6 .mu.m. Therefore, in order to effect the parallel reading-out of adjacent information tracks 28, there is adopted an arrangement as shown in FIG. 1C wherein the direction of arrangement of the light beam spots is inclined by an angle 2.theta. with respect to the direction in which the information tracks extend. This inclination of the direction of arrangement of the spots is created by the image rotating prism 24. By the image rotating prism 24 being rotated by an angle .theta. about a direction x, the inclination by 2.theta. is created in the direction of arrangement of the spots on the recording medium 26.
The relation between the information track pitch P and the angle of rotation of the image is EQU P=dsin2.theta. (1)
and when d=30 .mu.m and P=1.6 .mu.m, .theta. is approximately 1.5.degree.. Also, by the differentiation of the above equation (1), the relation between the irregularity of the angle of rotation 0 of the image rotating prism 24 and the irregularity of the pitch P thereby is EQU .DELTA.P=2dcos2.theta..multidot.d.theta.. (2)
Thus, to effect adjustment with the accuracy of a pitch 0.1 .mu.m, the accuracy of approximately 6 minutes becomes necessary for the angle of rotation .theta. of the image, and a great burden is required for assembly adjustment.
Further, for the above-mentioned inter-spot spacing d to be created, an angle of view of approximately 30 minutes is necessary for the objective lens 25. To obtain a high resolution during information reproduction, a lens having NA as high as the order of 0.55 is used as the objective lens 25 and therefore, where said angle of view is as great as 30 minutes, it is difficult in lens designing to require good imaging of all spots, and to secure good imaging, the number of light beams passed through one and the same objective lens is limited to about two.
It is also possible to construct a plural-beam optical head by the use of an LD and beam dividing means utilizing a diffraction grating. As is well known, beam division by a diffraction grating is effected by an angle of diffraction conforming to the order number of diffraction and the angle of diffraction can be selected by the pitch of the diffraction grating and therefore, by making the angle of diffraction, i.e., the angle of division, small, the disadvantage as noted above is eliminated. This method, however, suffers from the following problems. Firstly, the diffraction grating greatly differs in diffraction intensity depending on each order number and is not suitable for the utilization of a plurality of beams equal in quantity of light to one another. Likewise, there is a loss of quantity of light by diffracted lights of the order number than the order number utilized. Secondly, the diffraction grating has its angle of diffraction fluctuated by the wavelength of light used and therefore, when the oscillation wavelength of LD becomes irregular or the fluctuation of the wavelength is caused by the temperature characteristic during operation or the like, the beam division angle is fluctuated.
Further, the division of a light beam can be accomplished by the use of a Wallaston prism. FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings is an illustration of that method. A Wallaston prism 31 comprises triangular prisms 32 and 33 of two-axis crystal such as rock crystal cemented together so that the directions of their crystal main axes may be orthogonal to each other. The reference numerals 34 and 35 designate the directions of the crystal main axes of the triangular prism 32 and 33, respectively. The reference numeral 36 denotes the direction of polarization of the incident LD light, and this direction of polarization forms an angle .phi. with respect to the direction of the crystal main axis on the entrance surface of the prism. The incident light travels through the triangular prism 32 as ordinary light and extraordinary light whose directions of polarization are orthogonal to each other, and arrives at the boundary surface 37 between the prisms. Since the crystal main axis of the prism 33 is orthogonal to that of the prism 32, the relation between the ordinary light and the extraordinary light is inverted with respect to each polarized component before and after the incident light passes through the boundary surface 37 between the prisms, that is, the polarized component which has sensed an ordinary light refractive index n.sub.o in the prism 32 senses an extraordinary light refractive index n.sub.e in the prism 33, and the polarized component which has sensed the extraordinary light refractive index n.sub.e in the prism 32 senses the ordinary light refractive index n.sub.o in the prism 33 and thus, the two polarized components create refraction at different angles of refraction. Thereby the light beam is divided into two. Where the wavelength of the incident light is 780 nm and rock crystal (n.sub.o =1.53859 and n.sub.e =1.547949) is used as the prism material, the angle of division is about 1 degree. Also, the ratio of divided quantity of light is expressed as sin.sup.2 .phi.: cos.sup.2 .phi. by the angle .phi. of the direction of polarization of the incident light. Thereby, the divided quantity of light can be determined substantially freely.
However, the Wallaston prism is for the division into two beams, and for the division into more than two beams, a plurality of Wallaston prisms must be combined together, and this leads to complication of the construction of the optical head. Also, since the angle of division is about 1 degree, the angle formed between two beams is of the order of 30 minutes even after beam shaping means having a shaping ratio of the order of 2 is used, and as in the case of the aforedescribed LD array, a great burden is required for the assembly adjustment of the image rotating prism, and to secure good imaging, the number of light beams passed through the one and the same objective lens is limited to the order of two.
On the other hand, the division of a light beam can be accomplished by using, for example, a right triangular prism formed of single-axis crystal and by making the inclined surface of this prism into a total reflection surface and making the other two surfaces into an entrance surface and an exit surface, respectively, and making the direction of the crystal main axis of this prism coincident with the direction of the light beam reflected by the relation surface. Again in this method, however, use is made of only the maximum refractive index and the minimum refractive index obtained from a refractive index elliptical body of single-axis crystal and therefore, the number of beams provided by division is two, and the division into three or more beams is not effected and the angle of division is as great as the order of 1 degree.

Plural-beam optical head including a uniaxial crystal right triangular prism beam divider


A method and apparatus for building an abbreviation dictionary involves searching through a set of source documents. The abbreviations having likely definitions are identified and the definitions extracted from the document. The definitions having identical associated abbreviations are grouped together. The definition groups are each arranged into clusters based on an n-gram or other combinatorial method to determine similar definition. Further disambiguation is provided by looking at similarity between clusters using an annotation associated with the source documents from which the definitions were extracted.

Dictionaries are, of course, very useful references. Users often rely on a dictionary when looking up the meanings of unknown words. Dictionaries are constantly being updated having new words added and obsolete words removed. This updating takes time and manpower. This is not a problem for written language dictionaries, since a written language such as English does not change so rapidly that dictionary writers cannot keep up. A relatively recent and accurate English dictionary is not hard to find.
The situation is different in technical fields such as medicine or computer technologies. These technical fields are rapidly changing, and as a result relatively obscure jargon is the norm for specialists in these fields. Even an expert in a given field can become quickly overcome by the jargon, especially when exploring only slightly different fields of expertise. For example, a networking protocol engineer may have to undergo significant background research to understand the latest concepts in microprocessor design.
The use of jargon can become especially troublesome when the common practice of acronyms and abbreviations are factored in. The meanings of abbreviations (which are a superset of acronyms) are not usually apparent on their face. Further, two or three letter abbreviations are common, leading to a duplication of many abbreviations, even within the same specialty.
Although typical dictionaries may include some abbreviation forms, such abbreviations are only included when widely adopted in the language. To cover abbreviations used in a particular field of expertise would require a specialized dictionary. However, specialized dictionaries are not always available. Even so, in rapidly changing technological fields, the acronyms and abbreviations may be created faster than they can be added to such a dictionary.
An apparatus and method that address the aforementioned problems, as well as other related problems, are therefore desirable.

Method and system for building an abbreviation dictionary

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a light source, a light source drive circuit for switching the light source on and off, a heat release member for releasing heat generated by at least one of the light source drive circuit and the light source, and a heat transport member for transporting the heat to the heat release member. The light source drive circuit is connected to the heat release member through the heat transport member. The heat transport member has high heat conductivity so that a large part of the heat can be transferred to the heat release member through the heat transport member for a short time. Thus, the heat transport member prevents the heat from affecting components disposed near the light source drive circuit or the light source.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing a liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2004-279262. The LCD apparatus includes a liquid crystal display member J1, an optical member J2 (e.g., an optical sheet and a diffusion sheet) disposed behind the liquid crystal display member J1, a light-emitting diode (LED) J3 as a light source element, a circuit board J4 having a LED drive circuit, a LED control circuit and a liquid crystal drive circuit, a light guide plate J5 as a light waveguide path for guiding light emitted by the LED 3, a reflector plate J6 for directing light to the front surface of the light guide plate J5.
The LED drive circuit has a switching element for switching the LED J3 on and off. The LED control circuit is for controlling timing of the switching on and off of the LED J3. The liquid crystal drive circuit is for driving the liquid crystal display member J1.
In the LCD apparatus, the LED J3 emits light at the timing controlled by the LED control circuit. The emitted light is introduced into the light guide plate J5 through the end surface. The introduced light is directed to the front surface of the light guide plate J5 by the reflector plate J6 disposed behind the light guide plate J5. Thus, the directed light is applied to the back surface of the liquid crystal display member J1 disposed in the front of the light guide plate J5. Therefore, when the liquid crystal drive circuit drives the liquid crystal display member J1, a display appears on the liquid crystal display member J1.
When the display is performed on the liquid crystal display member J1, the LED drive circuit for driving the LED J3 generates heat. For example, the switching element of the LED drive circuit generates heat. If the generated heat is transferred to components deposed near the LED drive circuit, the heat may affect the components. For example, if the heat is transferred to the light guide plate J5 made of acrylic susceptible to heat, the light guide plate J5 may be deformed. If the heat affects a complicated circuit such as the liquid crystal drive circuit for driving the liquid crystal display member J1, a wrong display may appear on the liquid crystal display member J1.
In order to prevent the problem, the circuit board J4 having the LED drive circuit is connected with a metal heat release plate extending to the back of the LCD apparatus far away from the circuit board J4. The heat release plate serves as a cooling module and releases the heat at the back of the LCD apparatus.
However, the heat release plate has high heat resistance, because the heat release plate is directly jointed to the circuit board J4. Further, the heat release plate is connected to the circuit board J4 in a wide area so that the heat tends to spread widely around the LED drive circuit. Therefore, a large portion of the heat generated by the LED drive circuit is released near the LED drive circuit and affects the components disposed near the LED drive circuit.
In the display apparatus, although the heat release plate extends to the back of the display apparatus, the heat release plate cannot fully transport the heat to the back of the display apparatus due to the high heat resistance and the wide shape. Therefore, a large portion of the heat generated by the LED drive circuit is released near the LED drive circuit. Consequently, the components disposed near the LED drive circuit may be subjected to high temperature.


An example method comprises receiving, by at least one computing device, a first notification from a first mobile computing device and a second notification from a second mobile computing device. The method may further comprise determining, based at least in part on a comparison of the first notification to the second notification, that the first mobile computing device has initiated a phone call with the second mobile computing device. The method may additionally comprise responsive to determining that the first mobile computing device has initiated the phone call with the second mobile computing device, sending, a first message to the first mobile computing device using a first data connection, and sending, a second message to the second mobile computing using a second data connection, wherein the first message and the second messages each indicate that the first and second mobile computing devices are able to exchange application data.

Current mobile computing devices have broad capabilities for communicating with other devices or computers. For example, many mobile computing devices include a number of antennas that allow the mobile computing devices to communicate via a variety of network types. Some example networks include traditional telephony networks for transferring voice information, data networks, wired networks, and wireless networks, among other network types. Many companies provide services to enhance the functionality of such mobile computing devices. For example, some companies may allow a mobile computing device to store data on company servers and allow a user to access the data from the user's mobile computing device, thereby effectively increases the data storage capacity of mobile computing devices. Some companies may provide other services for use by mobile computing devices, such as data sharing. Generally, these types of services operate by communicating over one or more data networks.

Managing data communications based on phone calls between mobile computing devices


A method for estimating the activity topology of a set of sensed data windows is described. Each of the sensed data windows related to a corresponding sensed region. The method includes the steps of determining a subset of sensed data windows that are not connected; and excluding the subset of sensed data windows from the set of sensed data windows. In one embodiment, the sensed data windows corresponding to image windows such as would be provided by a visual surveillance system.

With the increased focus on the surveillance of both private and public areas, there has been a substantial increase in the numbers and sophistication of cameras and sensors that are utilized to monitor these extended areas. An example of such a surveillance task is the monitoring of an airport or train station which may involve many hundreds of cameras each potentially providing a live feed to a centralized monitoring station where they are viewed by human operators. The operators may have a number of possible goals, such as observing customer behaviour, or identifying threats to the public or infrastructure.
This ability to employ multiple cameras has been facilitated by the use of real time digital video cameras which transfer their live image information via standard network protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP), thereby making the addition of further cameras to a pre-existing network as easy as connecting an IP camera to a central hub whether by wireless means or directly by cable. The IP camera is then provided either with a dynamic or static allocated IP address and can commence streaming of live video data in an extremely short time.
However, whilst this ease of being able to increase the number of cameras in a network surveillance system implies that more extended areas may be monitored at increased resolution, the large amount of incoming video information that is streamed to a centralized monitoring station quickly results in information overload when this information is being viewed by human operators. Accordingly, security personnel that are tasked to monitor this information are not able to effectively monitor these extended areas.
To address these shortcomings of large scale network surveillance systems, data analysis methods have been developed which attempt to analyse the incoming video information to determine if the behaviour of objects or people being viewed varies from "normal." This is with a view to presenting monitoring personnel with video information of those behaviours which have been initially classified as abnormal. To this end, these systems, which may be a combination of hardware and software, attempt to generate an understanding of the paths or tracks which "targets" may take between the fields of views of each of the cameras.
This "activity topology" information is accordingly the foundation for many fundamental tasks in networked surveillance, such as tracking an object across the network. In order to derive the activity topology of a network of cameras, the aim is not only to estimate relative positions of surveillance cameras with overlapping fields of view, but also to characterise the motion of targets between non-overlapping pairs of cameras. Although in principle the activity topology could be derived manually for small sets of cameras, this approach clearly does not scale to large network surveillance systems, where individual cameras may frequently be added, malfunction or moved.
There have been a number of approaches in the prior art that attempt to estimate the activity topology of a network of cameras. Typically, these approaches either require training data, such as the correspondence between paths or tracks in different images or camera views, to be supplied a priori or rely on observing the motion of targets for extended periods of time as they move through the area viewed by the network of cameras. This is in order to accumulate appearance and disappearance correlation information in an attempt to estimate the path that a target will take.
These methods all rely on either human intervention or observing and analysing large amounts of video data in order to determine the activity topology. This problem is complicated by the fact that comparisons must be made between every pair of cameras in a network. As the number of pairs of cameras grows with square of the number of cameras in the network, these techniques that are based on exhaustive pair wise comparisons of large volumes of data soon become infeasible.
Another class of methods estimate the calibration and orientation information relating each of the cameras in the network to a common frame of reference on the basis of commonly viewed features. These methods do not characterise the activity topology, are susceptible to failing to find the required number of common image features, and rely on large overlaps and complete connectivity between fields of view.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A vehicle includes a side member that extends in a vehicle longitudinal direction. A dash panel is coupled to the side member and extending in a vehicle lateral direction. A rocker support extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction and is spaced outboard of the side member in the vehicle lateral direction. An A-pillar is coupled to and extends upward from the rocker support. An inner front side member to rocker support reinforcement gusset includes a dash reinforcement portion that is connected to the side member and the dash panel and a floor reinforcement portion that is connected to the rocker support and the side member.

Vehicles may be equipped with bumper systems and crash protection structures that plastically deform to absorb energy in the event of a collision. When a vehicle impacts or is impacted by an object that is offset from the centerline of the vehicle such that the object overlaps only a portion of the bumper, the capacity of the energy absorbing structures of the vehicle to absorb energy associated with the impact may be reduced. In some impact configurations, the energy absorbing structures of the vehicle may not be activated or may only be partially activated because the object does not come into contact or only partially comes into contact with associated bumper or vehicle structures. Therefore, the bumper and the energy absorbing structures of the vehicle may have a reduced effect on the dissipation of the energy of the impact. Instead, the energy from the impact may be directed into various vehicle structures, including suspension units of the vehicle.
In one example, a substantial portion of energy from an impact with a small front bumper overlap may be directed into a front wheel, which causes the front wheel to be directed in a generally rearward direction. The energy may be transferred rearwardly along the vehicle as the front wheel contacts vehicle structures proximate to a passenger cabin of the vehicle.
Accordingly, a need exists for alternative structures for transferring energy and absorbing energy from a small front bumper overlap collision.

Inner front side member to rocker support reinforcement gussets for vehicle front structures

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.


In general the present disclosure is directed to a temperature control device, e.g., a TEC, that includes a top plate with at least first and second contact pads to allow for a soldering process to attach optical components to the first contact pad without causing one or more layers of the second contact pad to reflow and solidify with an uneven mounting surface. Thus, optical components such as a focus lens can be mounted to the second contact pad via, for instance, thermal epoxy. This avoids the necessity of a submount to protect the focus lens from the relatively high heat introduced during a soldering process as well as maintain the flatness of the second contact pad within tolerance so that the mounted focus lens optically aligns by virtue of its physical location/orientation with other associated optical components coupled to the first contact pad, e.g., a laser diode.

Optical transceivers are used to transmit and receive optical signals for various applications including, without limitation, internet data center, cable TV broadband, and fiber to the home (FTTH) applications. Optical transceivers provide higher speeds and bandwidth over longer distances, for example, as compared to transmission over copper cables. The desire to provide higher speeds in smaller optical transceiver modules for a lower cost has presented challenges, for example, with respect to thermal management, insertion loss, and manufacturing yield.
Optical transceiver modules generally include one or more transmitter optical subassemblies (TOSAs) for transmitting optical signals and one or more receiver optical subassemblies (ROSAs) for receiving optical signals. In general, TOSAs include one or more lasers to emit one or more channel wavelengths and associated circuitry for driving the lasers. In general, ROSAs include a demultiplexer and one or more lenses to separate received channel wavelengths and convert the same into proportional electrical signals. Some applications requiring relatively long transmission distances can include a TOSA with a thermal management device such as thermoelectric cooler (TEC) to monitor channel wavelengths and heat/cool lasers to stabilize wavelengths and mitigate drift. TECs can include Pelletier elements sandwiched between two ceramic plates/faces. Such TECs are generally designed with materials that provide a sufficient amount of thermal transfer to ensure wavelength stabilization.

Techniques for attachment and alignment of optical components on a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) and an optical subassembly implementing same


The present invention relates to a method and a device for ensuring information integrity and non-repudiation over time. At least one example embodiment provides a mechanism for secure distribution of information, which information relates to an instance in time when usage of cryptographic key pairs associated with a certain brand identity commenced, as well as when the key pairs ceased to be used, i.e. when the key pairs were revoked. The mechanism further allows a company or an organization to tie administration of cryptographic key pairs and a procedure for verifying information integrity and non-repudiation to their own brand. This can be seen as a complement or an alternative to using a certificate authority (CA) as a trusted third party, which CA guarantees an alleged relation between a public key and the identity of the company or organization using the cryptographic key pair to which that public key belongs.

Today, companies deliver great amounts of information to customers and other communication parties via the Internet. The information may comprise marketing information or subscribed information in the form of e.g. newsletters. To an ever-increasing extent, companies also choose to deliver core business information, such as invoices, account statements, insurance statements, salary statements, etc. For this type of information, there are strong requirements that it should be possible to verify at the recipient side:                that the information has not been altered, which is often referred to as a verification of information integrity, and        which party produced the information, which is often referred to as provision of non-repudiation.
Currently, there are solutions available that meet these requirements. One example is to use Public Key Infra-structure, PKI, to seal information with a certificate issued by a certificate authority.
However, this technology has shortcomings. In order to correctly verify who produced the information, it is important to have access to information concerning revocation of certificates. For certificates aimed at e.g. consumers or citizens, this type of information can be provided as a service from a certificate authority. This type of service is however not always provided for certificates used by companies and organizations. Also, information pertaining to revoked certificates is typically only provided for an initially set "lifetime" of the respective certificates, which typically is set at the time of issuing the certificates.

Method and device for ensuring information integrity and non-repudiation over time


An automatic composition apparatus includes a processing unit. The processing unit performs (i) a calculation process of calculating a matching level of each chord progression data item for a motif including a plurality of note data items, with reference to a plurality of note connection rules each of which defines a connection relation of consecutive note types, and (ii) a melody generating process of generating a melody based on the motif and the chord progression data items which matching levels are calculated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic composition apparatus, an automatic composition method and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is known a technology for automatically compose music based on a motif melody consisting of a plurality of note data items. In the related art, for example, the following technology is known (for example, a technology disclosed in JP-A-2002-032080). If a certain chord progression is selected from a database retaining chord progressions of a specific key, and a motif is input in a certain key, a motif key is detected from the input motif. Based on the detected motif key, data on the chord progression is transposed into the motif key. Then, in a melody generating block, based on the input motif and the chord progression after the transposition into the motif key, a melody is generated in the motif key. Also, the motif is transposed into the specific key based on the detected motif key, and a melody of the specific key is generated based on the chord progression of the specific key and the transposed motif, and then is transposed into a melody of the motif key.
Also, in the related art, the following technology is known (for example, a technology disclosed in JP-A-H10-105169). Notes having lengths equal to or greater than that of a quarter note are extracted from musical performance data for karaoke and guide melody data which are music data, and the distributions of frequencies of the pitch names (C to B) of the extracted notes are aggregated. The frequency distributions are compared to a major judgment scale and a minor judgment scale. Then, the data is judged to have a key in which the tonic note (scale note) exists at a place where the highest coincidence in distribution shape is attained. Subsequently, based on the result of the key judgment and the guide melody data, harmony data is generated. Then, based on the harmony data, a harmony voice signal is produced.
However, in the above described technologies according to the related art, it is implicitly assumed that a motif melody can be specified in a certain key. For this reason, it is impossible to handle modulation in a motif, mode-like melodies, atonal motifs, and the like. Also, since the key judgment is a method based on the distribution of pitches, sometimes, an accurate correspondence relation may not be obtained. For example, "re, do, si, la, and sol" and "sol, re, la, si, and do" have the same pitch distribution, but should be considered as G major and C major, respectively.

Automatic composition apparatus, automatic composition method and storage medium


In one embodiment, a network device, includes a network interface port configured to receive data symbols from a network node over a packet data network, at least some of the symbols being included in data packets, and controller circuitry including physical layer (PHY) circuitry, which includes receive PHY pipeline circuitry configured to process the received data symbols, and a counter configured to maintain a counter value indicative of a number of the data symbols in the receive PHY pipeline circuitry.

In computer networks, each node (such as a switch or endpoint) typically has its own real-time clock. In many applications, it is desirable that the real-time clocks of different nodes be precisely synchronized. Such synchronization can be difficult to achieve, however, due to the latency and jitter involved in distributing clock synchronization messages among the nodes.
The Precision Time Protocol (PTP) was conceived as a solution to this problem. This protocol enables network nodes, using messaging between the nodes and a master device, to determine the offset of their respective clocks to levels of accuracy in the nanosecond range. For maximum accuracy in measuring the clock offsets, hardware-based time stamping is generally used, as described, for example, by Weibel and Bechaz in "Implementation and Performance of Time Stamping Techniques," 2004 Conference on IEEE 1588 (Sep. 28, 2004), which is incorporated herein by reference. A PTP hardware clock (PHC) is a hardware clock (e.g., including an oscillator and a counter), which runs according to PTP format. The PHC is synchronized to a master in the network.
Successfully running the PTP protocol generally needs accurate timestamping for received packets so that the timestamping point is not affected by the load of the network or the CPU load of the receiving node. From this reason, hardware timestamping in a network interface controller (NIC) or other network node, is generally better than software timestamping, which may suffer from CPU load inaccuracy, whereas hardware timestamping is more accurate and stable.
An example, synchronization is now described. In a first step, frequency is syntonized. A master device sends a synchronization message at time t1 that arrives at a slave device at time t2. The master device sends a synchronization message at time t3 that arrives at the slave device at time t4. The slave device computes drift based on:[t4−t2−(t3−t1)]/(t3−t1).
The slave device may then adjust its clock based on drift to syntonize the frequency of its clock.
The master device then sends another synchronization message at time t5 that is received by the slave device at time 6. The slave device then sends a delay request message at time t7. The master device then sends another message at time t8 that includes the time that the delay request was received by the master device. The slave device may compute the round-trip time as equal to:t8−t5−(t7−t6).
Therefore, the one-way delay from the master device to the slave device is given by:[t8−t5−(t7−t6)]/2.
Then, the master device sends another message at time t9. When the slave device receives the message at t10, the slave device knows that the phase is t10 plus the one-way delay.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,370,675 to Kagan describes a method for clock synchronization includes computing an offset value between a local clock time of a real-time clock circuit and a reference clock time, and loading the offset value into a register that is associated with the real-time clock circuit. The local clock time is then summed with the value in the register so as to give an adjusted value of the local clock time that is synchronized with the reference clock.


This invention is directed to improved blood contact devices such as vascular prostheses rendered substantially nonthrombogenic through addition of a preserved layer of extracellular subendothelial matrix. The preserved subendothelial matrix layer, which serves as the blood interface of the device, is analogous to the subendothelial matrix layer beneath the endothelium of native vascular surfaces. The device consists of a permanent synthetic base material, preferably porous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, on which this biologic layer of subendothelial matrix is grown in situ. The biologic layer is produced using in vitro tissue culture methods whereby living cells synthesize and deposit extracellular matrix components, after which the cells are killed and/or removed and the subendothelial matrix layer preserved before implantation. A key aspect of this invention is that no living cells are present in the final configuration, so that the likelihood of recipient immunological response is minimized. This invention results in vascular prostheses that are particularly useful for arterial bypass requiring a diameter of 6 mm or less.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improved blood contact surfaces for use in apparatus such as in artificial blood vessels and other implantable appliances, and methods for synthesizing the improved blood contact surfaces in vitro.
2. Description of Related Art
A common surgical practice in the treatment of occlusive atherosclerotic disease of peripheral arteries is to transplant a section of living vein, taken from the same patient, as a bypass around the occluded region of artery. Approximately one fourth of all patients requiring peripheral arterial bypass, however, have saphenous veins unsuitable for use because of varicosities, multibranching, or inadequate diameter. These patients then require some alternative material with which the bypass can be effected. In addition, the transplanted vein itself is often susceptible to the atherosclerotic disease process. This atherosclerotic process is similar to that of the artery but the vein is afflicted at an accelerated rate, frequently causing vein graft failure and necessitating an additional bypass. For these reasons, a need exists for a vascular substitute that would perform at least comparably to the autologous saphenous vein in the small diameter application.
In addition to autologous living tissues transferred from one location to another within the same individual, other biological materials have been used in this application. These include treated donor allogeneic or xenogeneic tissue components, such as processed human umbilical vein, cryopreserved allogenic vein, or processed xenogeneic artery. Although living vessel transplants from one patient to another are employed, the foreign vessel typically dies following transplant.
In addition to tissues of biological origin, synthetic materials are also commonly used to replace blood vessels. Synthetic vascular grafts have been used successfully since the 1950's to replace large vessels such as the aorta or iliac arteries. The principal synthetics used for grafting include polyethylene terephthalate and expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), although other materials utilized include polypropylene, polyurethane, and polydimethyl siloxane. Both porous and nonporous constructions of these polymers have been used.
Although both biologic and synthetic materials have been used with good success in some applications, such as bypasses from the femoral artery to the segment of the popliteal artery above the knee, both synthetic and biologic materials have been shown to thrombose much more frequently than the autologous saphenous vein when used for small diameter bypasses such as the coronary or below knee arteries. This performance difference limits the usefulness of such vascular replacements in these more demanding applications.
Natural blood contact surfaces, such as those found within blood vessels, have inherent mechanisms to prevent thrombosis during normal passage of blood along the surface. In the case of a mammalian artery, the immediate blood contact surface consists of a layer of endothelial cells that is nonthrombogenic. Immediately external to the endothelial cell layer is the remainder of the intima: a subendothelial matrix layer consisting of basement membrane and an underlying layer of glycoprotein-bearing extracellular matrix, and the internal elastic lamina. Surrounding the intima layer is the multilaminate media structure containing smooth muscle cells and elastin, and surrounding this, the most external layer, comprised of fibroblasts and connective tissue, the adventitia. As is explained in greater detail below, it is generally accepted that the subendothelial layer and media are thrombogenic in nature in order to maintain hemostasis when the vascular system is injured. See for example: J. A. Madri et al., "The Collagenous Components of the Subendothelium,"Lab. Invest. 43:303-15 (1980); and T. Matsuda et al., "A Hybrid Artificial Vascular Graft Based Upon an Organ Reconstruction Model:. Significance and Design Criteria of an Artificial Basement Membrane,"ASAIO Transactions 34:640-43 (1988).
Knowledge of the detailed mechanisms by which natural vessels maintain patency has been very limited. The predominate theory relating to the effective function of normal vasculature is based upon the necessity of a healthy, intact, vascular endothelium to serve as the blood interface. When the endothelial lining is removed, thrombosis of the vessel is a frequent occurrence. Supporting this theory, in part, are numerous experiments showing the endothelium to have a unique clot inhibiting effect on blood with which it is in direct contact. Endothelial cells have been further shown to synthesize or bind a number of substances with coagulation inhibiting or fibrinolytic function including heparan sulfate/antithrombin III, dermatan sulfate/heparin cofactor II, thrombomodulin/protein C/protein S, prostacyclin and tissue-type plasminogen activator. Thus, based on these experimental observations, and the blood contacting location of the endothelium in the vascular system, it has been widely accepted that the endothelium, is primarily, if not wholly, responsible for the antithrombotic behavior of blood vessels. See for example, R. G. Petty et al., "Endothelium-the Axis of Vascular Health and Disease," J. Royal Coll. Phys. London 23:92-102 (1989); and R. E. Scharf et al., "Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis: Regulatory Role of Interactions Among Blood Components and Endothelium," Blut 51:31-44 (1987).
In support of this concept, numerous experiments investigating the reactivity of blood to non-endothelialized vessels have been reported suggesting that the subendothelium and underlying structures are thrombogenic, particularly with respect to platelet adhesion and degranulation. These observations come from both in vivo and in vitro thrombosis assays.
In addition to the immediate subendothelial matrix layer, smooth muscle cells in the deeper media layer are generally considered to be thrombogenic as well. See for example, S. M. Schwartz et al., "The Aortic Intima: II. Repair of the Aortic Lining After Mechanical Denudation," Am. J. Pathol. 81:5-42 (1975); J. J. Zwaginga et a., "Thrombogenicity of Vascular Cells: Comparison between Endothelial Cells Isolated from Different Sources and Smooth Muscle Cells and Fibroblasts," Arteriosclerosis 10:437-48 (1990). Evidence for this conclusion comes from studies where the addition of plasma to a culture of subendothelial cells including vascular smooth muscle cells has been shown to cause rapid, massive coagulation. In contrast, clotting was inhibited when the experiment was repeated with endothelial cell cultures, again emphasizing the nonthrombogenic nature of endothelial cells. See for example, P. Colburn and V. Buonassisi, "Anti-clotting Activity of Endothelial Cell Cultures and Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans," Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 104:220-27 (1982); and I. Vlodavsky et al., "Platelet Interaction with the Extracellular Matrix Produced by Cultured Endothelial Cells: A Model to Study the Thrombogenicity of Isolated Subendothelial Basal Lamina," Thromb. Res. 28:179-91 (1982).
The widely accepted interpretation of these observations of natural vessel function is that the endothelial cell lining of the vasculature is responsible for antithrombotic behavior and that the subendothelial layers as well as the smooth muscle cells found beneath the endothelium are thrombogenic so that hemostasis will result in the event of vessel disruption.
Not surprisingly, in an effort to, adapt the antithrombotic function of the endothelium to synthetic surfaces, specifically vascular grafts, most prior art references that utilize biological elements are directed toward providing a surface that will support an endothelial cell lining. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,539,716 and 4,546,500 issued to Bell disclose a method of constructing a living tubular prosthesis using a collagen gel to which cells are added. The cells serve as a contractile agent and are specified to be fibroblast cells, smooth muscle cells, or platelets. For an artery replacement, these patents specify the use of endothelium as the most internal layer, smooth muscle cells as the medial layer and a third layer cast of collagen and fibroblast cells. The endothelial cells employed are of unspecified origin.
In addition, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,804,381 and 4,804,382 issued to Turina et al. describe a synthetic arterial vessel made with a microporous or semipermeable membrane, lined on the luminal side with a continuous layer of living endothelial cells to provide the blood interface, and coated on the outside with layers of smooth muscle cells to increase the viability of the live cells on the lumen and to impart elasticity.
A number of other U.S. Patents including, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,883,755 to Carabasi et al., 4,960,423 to Smith, and 5,037,378 to Muller et al., also describe means by which living endothelial cell coverage of vascular interfaces can be accomplished to produce antithrombogenicity. These approaches include endothelial cell sodding, the use of elastin-derived peptides, and simple physical means of applying endothelial cells to graft surfaces, respectively.
A structure similar to that of Bell, above, is taught by H. Miwa et al., "Development of a Hierarchically Structured Hybrid Vascular Graft Biomimicking Natural Arteries," ASAIO Journal 39:M273-77 (1993). En this case, smooth muscle cells are layered over a DACRON.RTM. graft in an applied artificial matrix of collagen type I and dermatan sulfate glycosaminoglycan. A layer of endothelial cells is then grown on the artificial matrix to serve as the blood contact surface.
Another approach to endothelialization of vascular grafts is disclosed by X. Yue et al., "Smooth Muscle Cell Seeding in Biodegradable Grafts in Eats: A New Method to Enhance the Process of Arterial Wall Regeneration," Surgery 103:206-12 (1988). These authors employ pre-clotted microporous, biodegradable, polyurethane vascular grafts seeded with nonautologous rat smooth muscle cells prior to implantation for use as the replacement of the abdominal aortas of living rats. This study attempts to generate a "neomedia" to strengthen a structure that would otherwise be mechanically insufficient following the resorption of the biodegradable graft material. The smooth muscle cell layer provides a surface upon which the hosts natural endothelial cells could spontaneously regenerate and cover the graft surface.
In another study,, for example, A. Schneider et al. used corneal endothelial cells to produce extracellular matrix on ePTFE vascular grafts. (A. Schneider el al., "An Improved Method of Endothelial Seeding on Small Caliber Prosthetic Vascular Grafts Coated with Natural Extracellular Matrix," Clin. Mat. 13:51-55 (1993)) After production of an extracellular matrix, these original cells were then removed using Triton X-100 and NH:OH and the tubes were seeded again with bovine aortic endothelium. This approach showed that endothelium could be successfully grown on the extracellular matrix lining the ePTFE grafts, but no implant studies were performed, however.
In all of the above described prior art references, the efforts are directed at achieving a living endothelial cell lining to provide nonthrombogenic function. Despite the above described efforts, substantial deficiencies still exist. In small diameter applications or grafts used in sensitive areas, for example, even limited thrombus generation is a very serious concern. It should also be noted that the vivo performance of the above endothelial cell-coated grafts has been highly variable, without a clear demonstration of enhanced patency over existing grafts.
Accordingly, it is a primary purpose of the present invention to provide an improved blood contact surface that is less thrombogenic than existing artificial surfaces and structures.
It is another purpose of the present invention to provide an artificial blood contact surface that can be readily manufactured and used.
It is a further purpose of the present invention to employ a previously unrecognized mechanism governing the interaction between blood and natural blood vessel structures and to produce an improved blood contact device and methods for making and using them.
These and other purposes of the present invention will become evident from review of the following specification.

Blood contact surfaces using extracellular matrix synthesized in vitro


A power converter and power conversion method wherein operation of a switching element is controlled by the frequency of a carrier wave where the frequency is varied such that the same frequency of the carrier wave is not repeated during a single modulation period.

There are known power converters that discretely and sinusoidally vary a carrier frequency for pulse-width modulation (PWM) control in order to reduce the electromagnetic noise generated by turning a switch on and off. Thus, the electromagnetic noise can be spread over a wide frequency range, resulting in a reduction in the peak level of the electromagnetic noise. An example of the related art is described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 7-99795.

Power converter control and power conversion method


An engine start control unit enables engine start when a user performs a predetermined normal time push operation on a push switch in a normal mode. The engine start control unit enables the engine start when the user performs a predetermined fail-safe push operation on the push switch in a fail-safe mode. The fail-safe push operation of the push switch requires an increased work load of the user in comparison to that of the normal time push operation of the push switch.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an engine start control system.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, vehicles, which have a system that enables engine start without using a key, are well marketed. For example, in a system called as "Smart Entry & Push Start System", unlocking of a vehicle door and authenticating of an ID are performed through radio communication between a portable radio communication device, which is carried by a user, and a radio communication device (a transmitter and receiver device) of the vehicle. When the user gets into the vehicle and pushes a push switch of the vehicle while depressing a brake pedal, the engine is started. In this case, as shown in FIG. 12 of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-324469, when a detection signal, which indicates detection of depression of the brake pedal, is absent, i.e., when the brake pedal is not depressed in the normal time, the engine is not started even upon depression, i.e., push of the push switch. This is implemented by the engine start control flow disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-324469.
In the above push switch type engine start system, an output of a brake sensor (e.g., a switch for lighting a stop lamp of the vehicle), which detects the depression of the brake pedal, is often used as the detection signal that indicates the detection of the depression of the brake pedal. However, in a case where the brake sensor or its wiring fails, even when the brake pedal is depressed, the detection signal is not outputted from the brake sensor, so that the engine cannot be started through use of the push switch.
Furthermore, many vehicles have a mechanism, in which a brake booster is provided in a hydraulic circuit of a brake system to assist a brake pedal operation of a driver and thereby to increase the applied force, which is applied onto the brake pedal. In one exemplary case, the assist power of the brake booster uses a negative suction force, which is generated in an intake manifold of the engine. When the engine is stopped, the remaining negative pressure, which remains in the brake booster, gradually leaks, so that the substantial assist force cannot be made. The leakage of the negative suction force is increased when the brake pedal is repeatedly depressed by the driver. As a result of the pressure leakage, the brake pedal becomes stiff, i.e., becomes difficult to depress in comparison to the normal time, at which the brake pedal can be easily depressed by the foot of the driver to start the engine. Thus, even when a relatively large force is applied from the foot of the driver onto the brake pedal, the brake pedal cannot be depressed to a predetermined stroke, at which the brake switch is urged by the brake pedal to output the detection signal. Therefore, even when the brake switch is normal, the engine cannot be started.
A fail-safe mechanism of the brake switch against burnout, breakage of wiring or any other failure of the brake switch has not been implemented or considered since the brake switch has not been in cooperation with a main part of the engine start electronic system and has been previously used only as a switch for lighting the stop lamp of the vehicle. However, the disablement of the engine start poses serious problems to the user. Specifically, when the engine cannot be started, the user cannot drive the vehicle to an automobile dealer or a repair shop and also cannot operate an air conditioner of the vehicle. In an extreme case, the vehicle needs to be towed by a wrecker car.


A multifunction switching arrangement for an electronic transmission control which includes a button on a knob casing which can be moved in opposite circumferential directions and alternatively operates two switches in the assemblage which in turn causes an upshift or downshift of the transmission. When a button is advanced in an axial direction, a third switch is operated to activate or deactivate the transmission overdrive. in one embodiment only a single button is moved to operate all three switches, while in two other embodiments a separate push button in the end of the knob casing is used to control the third switch.

This application concerns controls for automotive transmissions and more particularly for electronically controlled automatic transmissions which allows manual changing of gears.
Most electronically controlled automatic transmissions allow overdrive to be selectively turned on or off by a separate push button operated switch.
Transmissions have often been equipped with an "autostick" capability which allows manual upshifting or downshifting of the transmission by movement of a selector lever.
A steering column mounted lever has in the past been equipped with a push button on a knob at the end of the lever for controlling the actuation of overdrive with a switch inside the knob operated by the button.
It has been considered desirable to also allow upshifting or downshifting by operating switches on the steering column lever to allow quicker shifting.
It would be desirable to reduce the cost of such controls by combining the switches controlling those two functions into a single assemblage so that fewer components would be necessary to be assembled into the lever.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a steering column lever mounted multifunction switching arrangement able to control autostick and overdrive activation.

Multifunction switching arrangement for controlling transmission overdrive and autostick functions


A system and method for processing of markup language information, such as extensible markup language (XML) based control information is disclosed. The system comprises a compression sender entity and a decompression receiver entity. The sender entity uses its internal, binary representation derived from textual XML-based protocol header and encodes the binary representation as a tag-length-value (TLV) binary value. The TLV binary value is embedded as encoded data in a specifically marked comment, which may be detected by the receiver entity. The receiver entity builds up an internal, binary data structure based on the encoded data representing the original XML data. The system avoids the usage of string data to represent a small set of well known strings and uses a more compact binary encoding which reduces space and time to process the data.

Extensible markup language (XML) is a formalism to mark up text-based data with additional information to convey graphical layout information, semantic tags etc. XML allows elements to be specified and allows the nesting of such elements through the use of so-called document type definitions (DTD). Thus it is possible to describe a large variety of data using XML syntax. Partly as a consequence, XML and XML based DTDs have found wide-spread interest in the technical community, in particular for activities within the world wide web consortium (W3C) and the wireless application forum (WAP) where XML is used to specify data exchanged between at least two computing entities.
In addition to the DTD mechanism, the W3C has more recently been promoting XML Schema—a schema describing formalism for XML data. In addition to describing the data's element and attribute structure—akin to DTDs—XML Schema allows to constrain the textual data elements themselves, which may only be unconstrained strings when using DTDs.
One of the problems of XML based data, described by either DTDs or XML Schemas, is its verbosity. All data is textual in nature and thus has a low information density. For example, tags and attribute names represent elements of a finite, small vocabulary for which a plain text representation is inefficient. Moreover, the processing of textual XML data is space and time consuming.
Processing time may be attributed to two activities: 1) recognizing and verifying the structure of the data (i.e. parsing); and 2) interpreting of the individual data values. For instance, to encode a colour set of (red, blue, green) a computing entity would have to handle the strings "red", "blue", or "green" rather than manipulating a 2-bit binary value. Additionally, string operations are of linear complexity for comparison and searches of patterns within a string.
From U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,223, granted 30 Oct. 2001 to Boden et al., there is known a system involving compression of a markup language, particularly, hypertext markup language (HTML) by tokenization of tags and removal of comments.
Compression techniques for XML based data have been proposed and may be based on well-known string compression algorithms. An XML-specific proposal, known as wireless binary XML (WBXML), Wireless Application Protocol Binary XML Content Format Specification, Version 1.1, 16 Jun. 1999, WAP Forum, is based on tokenizing well-known strings present in the XML data and detecting repetition of multiply occurring strings within the data which are then grouped in a string lookup table. Whilst the mechanism of WBXML is efficient, not all the protocols based on XML DTDs also provide a WBXML encoding table, needed for the WBXML compression.
Other compression string compression algorithms are known, particularly Lempel-Ziv encoding, J. Ziv and A. Lempel, "A Universal Algorithm for Sequential Data Compression", IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, Vol. 23, pp. 337-342, 1977, and Huffmann encoding, Huffmann, D, "A Method for the Construction of Minimum Redundancy Codes", Proc. IRE, vol. 40, pp. 1098-1101, September 1952. Of the above two string compression algorithms, Huffmann encoding provides the densest achievable compaction. However, Huffmann encoding requires a statistical analysis of the input data before the compression takes place. Furthermore both entities exchanging data items must agree in advance on the chosen, data dependent, encoding to exchange Huffmann-encoded data.
Whilst much XML data represents free-form data containing arbitrary values, some protocols use XML data to encode data which may only take a limited set of values. For example, the WAP forum-defined "push access protocol" (PAP), Wireless Application Protocol, Push Access Protocol Specification, November 1999, WAP Forum, uses an XML DTD to specify the protocol headers. More particularly, it is possible to associate a quality-of-service element with a push-message where the quality-of-service fields are represented as name-value pairs with both names and values represented as strings. Given the limited number of options for most values as well as the a priori set of known attribute names, such encoding is sub-optimal from an information theoretic point of view.
However the approaches, as described above, have disadvantages. For example, WBXML compression is not suitable for protocols based on XML DTDs that do not provide a WBXML encoding table since the encoding tables must be disseminated before communicating entities may exchange compressed XML. The densest achievable compaction for Huffmann encoding is limited by statistical analysis of the input data which is required before the compression takes place. Plain, textual XML representation of PAP protocol entities is sub-optimal from an information theoretic point of view since PAP protocol requires a set of textual strings to encode values from an often small and predefined value set.
A need therefore exists for a scheme for processing of markup language information wherein the above mentioned disadvantages may be alleviated.

System and method for processing of markup language information

International Business Machines Corporation


To avoid under-run conditions that result in corrupt packets at I/O interfaces, a FIFO buffer controller monitors key aspects of the contents of FIFO buffers of I/O interfaces. The FIFO buffer controller initiates transmission of data from the FIFO buffer when at least one complete packet is stored in the FIFO buffer or when the size of a partial packet stored therein is large enough so that the remainder of the packet would normally be received by the FIFO buffer before the stored part can be transmitted from the FIFO buffer; thereby avoiding an under-run error condition.

First-in first-out (FIFO) buffers, a form of shared memory, are often used at the ingress of input/output (I/O) interfaces of data packet communications systems to temporarily store data packets before they are transmitted from the I/O interface. However two problems can occur in such instances. The first problem occurs when the ingress data rate to the FIFO buffer, also referred to herein as the ingress FIFO data rate, is slower than the egress I/O interface data rate, also referred to herein as the egress I/O data rate. Since the ingress FIFO data rate is slower than the egress I/O data rate, pauses in transmission will occur if transmission of a data packet from the FIFO buffer is started before the entire data packet is received by the I/O interface. These pauses result in corruption of the transmitted data packet, their cause being referred to as under-run conditions. The second problem is that FIFO buffers are required for each I/O interface port, which can make data packet communications systems with a large number of I/O interface ports difficult and costly to build. This is because of the large amount of memory required to implement the FIFO buffers for a large number of I/O interface ports. Furthermore, if each FIFO buffer requires a large amount of memory, integrating the FIFO buffers into a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, typically used in data packet communications systems, becomes costly and difficult due to the limited amounts of internal memory in such devices.
A known way to avoid the aforementioned problems is to ensure that ingress FIFO data rates are always greater than the egress I/O interface rates. However, this solution can impose a requirement for higher speed interfaces upstream, such as across a midplane or backplane of the data packet communication system, thereby increasing complexity, cost, power consumption, and reducing system reliability.
Another known way to avoid the aforementioned problems is to employ FIFO buffers that store entire packets prior to transmission in an effort to eliminate under-run conditions and packet corruption. However, these FIFO buffers require enough memory to store entire packets which at times could be quite large. The unfortunate result of this large memory requirement is that it puts practical limits on the number of I/O interface ports that can be supported, or it can make integrating a design into an FPGA device difficult unless external memory devices are used, which increases manufacturing costs of the data packet communications system.
Accordingly, there is a need for a technique of buffering data packets at the ingress of an I/O interface that does not require a large amount of memory per I/O interface port and that can reduce the occurrence of under-run errors.

Input/output buffer controller for optimized memory utilization and prevention of packet under-run errors


A process by which a hydroformylation reaction can be efficiently conducted without lowering the yield of an aldehyde in the reaction is provided. A process for producing an aldehyde which includes subjecting an olefin to a hydroformylation reaction with carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst, characterized in that the olefin is fed as a gas to a reactor. In feeding the olefin as a gas to the reactor, it is preferred to gasify the olefin with the heat of the hydroformylation reaction.

Processes for producing aldehydes by the hydroformylation of olefins in the presence of a catalyst have been known and have been commercialized all over the world.
There are many known documents concerning those hydroformylation reactions, and the pressures in industrial hydroformylation reactions have usually been about from 2 MPaG to 20 MPaG and are about 1 MPaG even in the case of reduced-pressure processes. Consequently, C3 and C4 olefins under such industrial pressures have generally been fed as a liquid to the reactor because these olefins are liquid at ordinary temperature and a pressure of about 1 MPaG (see patent documents 1 to 3).
However, it was found that in a reactor to which a liquid olefin is continuously fed, the liquid level in the reactor is not stable under certain conditions and this may result in a behavior which is too unstable to control the progress of the hydroformylation reaction.
The causes for such troubles are thought to include the following: the feedstock olefin begins to increase in temperature in the reactor and gasifies abruptly; and the feedstock olefin comes to be present in excess locally and this causes a local reaction. The fluctuations in liquid level in the reactor are presumed to have occurred as a result of these.
Those unstable behaviors not only lower the yield in the target hydroformylation reaction but also make it impossible to control the liquid level in the reactor and the temperature. Efficient production cannot hence be realized.
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-61-218546
[Patent Document 2] JP-A-3-204831
[Patent Document 3] JP-A-52-125103


A focal-plane shutter includes: a board including an opening; a blade opening and closing the opening; a rotor of an actuator for driving the blade; an output member rotated by the rotor and including a first gear portion; a drive member including a second gear portion meshing with the first gear portion, rotating about a predetermined axis, and driving the blade; and a positioning portion abutting with the drive member and defining an end of a rotational range of the drive member, wherein the first and second gear portions and the positioning portion overlap one another in a plane direction perpendicular to the axis.

(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to focal-plane shutters and optical devices.
(ii) Related Art
There is known a focal-plane shutter in which an actuator drives a blade. A drive member is rotated by receiving the drive force from the actuator, so the blade moves. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-287210 discloses such a focal-plane shutter.
There may be provided a positioning portion abutting the drive member and defining a rotation start position of the drive member. The force is exerted on the drive member at a different position in the direction of the rotational axis of the drive member, so the drive member might tilt from its desired posture even in a state of being positioned by the positioning portion. The drive member tilts in the positioned state, so varying a rotation start position of the drive member, and which might vary an operating property of the blade.


A power fail control system for a CPU (10) and external memory (16) utilizes a controller (18). The controller (18) is operable to detect an early power fail situation and output an interrupt to the CPU (10). The CPU (10) then goes into a power down sequence and stores critical instructions in an internal memory array (30) constituting a hidden memory during the power down sequence. An out of tolerance detector detects when the power supply voltage has fallen below a predetermined threshold and then generates reset signal. The reset signal is input to the CPU (10) to indicate that no further instructions are executable. In addition, a Chip Enable switch (46) is operated to inhibit memory control signals from being transferred from the CPU (10) to the memory (16). The internal hidden memory (30) is also inhibited from having data written thereto in the presence of the reset signal. A backup battery (22) is provided which is connected to one side of a switch. The other side of the switch is connected to the power supply voltage. When the power supply voltage falls below the battery voltage, the battery is connected to supply a current to the external memory (16).

Data processing systems are conventionally configured with some type of central processing unit such as a microprocessor at the center thereof. During processing, instructions are executed and various levels of data are stored in internal registers. Some of these instructions and the data associated with the processing operation are stored in memory, which can be volatile or non-volatile. It has been recognized that power supply failure in systems of this type results in loss of the volatile instructions which are being executed by the microprocessor and also loss of data in the volatile memory storage devices. The loss of data stored in external volatile memory storage devices has been solved by providing battery backed-up systems that write protect the memory and then attach a back-up battery or some equivalent supply thereto. In this manner, the information which is stored in the memory prior to the write protect operation is maintained. However, this does not necessarily address the power down problem that exists with respect to the loss of power to the microprocessor.
The entire microprocessor system does not need the power maintained thereto, since only a small number of registers are involved with storage of the various instructions that are being executed, and since the amount of power drain associated with a microprocessor would be too great for a long-term battery back-up system. Therefore, systems have been developed to download the volatile memory information during a power failure. In these prior systems, early power failure is detected and then sufficient time is provided to execute an ordered shutdown routine, thereby leaving the system in condition for recovery of its interrupted operation on a restart after the power has been restored to the system. One type of system that provides a solution to this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,307, issued Jul. 3, 1984 to J. C. McAnlis, et al. This system relates to a data processing system with a volatile main memory wherein an early power failure is detected and the volatile information downloaded to the main memory. If power deficiency persists, the main memory is backed up by a power source only if the data saving operation has been completed.

Power up/power down controller and power fail detector for processor


Context data is determined for a web page. The context data includes textual data that describes subject matter displayed on the web page. A client query is retrieved from a client-retrieved instance of the web page. An identifier associated with the web page capable of distinguishing the web page from other web pages is determined. In response to receiving the client query, a plurality of queries are retrieved from a database. Whether one or more of the retrieved queries correlate the determined web page context and the received client query is determined. A set of one or more queries from the plurality of queries is selected based on the selected set of queries each having been determined to correlate the web page context data and the client query. The selected set of the plurality of the queries is sent to the client-retrieved instance of the web page.

Embodiments of the inventive subject matter generally relate to the field of computer systems, and, more particularly, to the use of page level context to facilitate in the operation of a question answering system.
When users enter search queries through a web page, the page may produce search query suggestions based on the characters already typed by the users. Usually, the suggested queries returned are the queries searched for most often. Other services, however, may use data from the web page to identify the context of the query and return search query suggestions based on that context.


The object of the present invention is to provide a photoconductor that is highly sensitive, stable in image quality under repeated usages, and affords prolonged life.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photoconductor that comprises a photoconductive layer, wherein the photoconductive layer comprises a charge generating layer, a charge transporting layer, and a crosslinked charge transporting layer, and wherein these layers are laminated in order on a substrate; and a image forming process, a image forming apparatus, and a process cartridge that utilize the photoconductor respectively.
2. Description of the Related Art
Information processing systems based on electrophotographic process have been dramatically developing. In particular, laser printers and digital copiers, which convert information into digital signals and record the information through optical technologies, have been remarkably improved in their printing quality and reliability. These laser printers and digital copiers are still demanded higher image quality, higher speed, and more compacted size.
In addition, recently, the market of laser printers and digital copiers capable of full-color printing has been increasing rapidly. Such full-color printing requires duplicating toner images of at least four colors, therefore, the technologies as to higher speed and more compacted size are needed still more. In order to achieve the higher speed and more compacted size, the photoconductors employed to the laser printers and digital copiers (hereinafter, sometimes referring to "electrophotographic photoconductor" or "electrostatic latent image carrier") should be improved the sensitivity and also should be miniaturized.
Provided that the conventional photoconductors are employed as they are, the exchanging periods will remarkably shorter since the conditions in use are more sever. Accordingly, improvements in resistance and stability of photoconductors employed in such apparatuses are absolutely required in order to achieve higher speed and more compacted size of apparatuses.
The resistance of photoconductors is evaluated based on the image qualities; specifically, laser printers and digital copiers that make use of reversible developing are mainly evaluated the life based on the background smear, which is numerous number of black points printed on white media. Accordingly, in order to achieve the higher speed and more compacted size of the apparatuses, the life of photoconductors should be prolonged along with higher sensitivity of photoconductors and controlling of the background smear.
In order to achieve the more compacted size of the apparatuses, a charge generating substance with higher quantum efficiency is absolutely necessary.
As for the organic photoconductors with higher sensitivity, titanyl phthalocyanines are widely and effectively utilized that show a maximum diffraction peak at 27.2 degrees as Bragg 2θ angle under CuK-α characteristic X-ray wavelength at 1.542 angstroms.
However, the photoconductors formed from the titanyl phthalocyanines are significantly susceptible to the background smear due to pigment flocculation or decreased charging property. In particular, the background smear is a serious matter as described above. Therefore, apparatuses with photoconductors formed from titanyl phthalocyanines are not establish both of the higher speed and more compacted size due to poor image stability, since the effect of the background smear is significant even if the higher speed is attained (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2001-19871).
On the other hand, protective layers on photoconductors are known to be effective to enhance the abrasion resistance thereby to prolong the life of the photoconductors. The background smear, which determines the life of photoconductors, is enhanced by the fatigue or abrasion of photoconductors under repeated usages. The control of the photoconductor abrasion under repeated usages by means of a protective layer on the photoconductor surface may lead to the decrease of background smear, through the control of the electric field increase derived by the abrasion, thereby may be a very effective way to prolong the life.
The techniques to improve abrasion resistance of the photoconductive layer include (1) using a curable binder in the surface layer (for example, JP-A No. 56-48637), (2) using a polymer charge transport material (for example, JP-A No. 64-1728), (3) dispersing an inorganic filler in the surface layer (for example, JP-A No. 4-281461) and the like. Among these techniques, the use of a curable binder in (1) tends to cause reduction in image density since the curable binder has poor compatibility with the charge transporting material and impurities such as a polymerization initiator and unreacted residue is likely to increase the residual potential. Also, the use of a polymer charge transport material in (2) may somewhat improve the abrasion resistance. However, it is not sufficient for satisfying the durability required in the organic photoconductor. Further, it is difficult to polymerize and purify the polymer charge transporting material. Thus, it is impossible to obtain it at high purity and to attain stable electrical properties between materials upon using it. In addition, it may cause problems such as high viscosity of the coating solution in terms of the preparation. The dispersion of the inorganic filler in (3) shows high abrasion resistance, as compared to that of the conventional photoconductor comprising a low molecular charge transporting material dispersed in inactive high molecules (polymer). However, traps on the surface of the inorganic filler tends to increase the residual potential, thereby causing reduction in the image density. Also, when unevenness of the inorganic filler and the binder resin on the surface of the photoconductor is severe, inferior cleaning may occur, resulting in toner peeling and image deletion. With these techniques (1), (2) and (3), it is impossible to satisfy sufficiently the durability required for organic photoconductors, including electrical durability and mechanical durability.
Furthermore, in order to improve the abrasion resistance and scratch resistance of (1), a photoconductor containing a cured body of a multi-functional acrylate monomer is disclosed (Japanese Patent No. 3262488). In this patent, the purpose of inclusion of cured material of this multi-functional acrylate monomer in a protective layer on the photoconductive layer is described; however, there is no more than a simple description that a charge transporting material may be contained in the protective layer and there is no concrete descriptions. Further, when a low molecular charge transport material is simply added to the surface layer, it may cause problems related with the compatibility to the cured body, thereby crystallization of the low molecular charge transporting material and clouding may occur, resulting in reduction in mechanical properties.
In addition, according to this photoconductor, since the monomer is reacted while it contains a polymer binder, the curing cannot be sufficiently progressed.
As technique for inhibiting abrasion of the photoconductive layer to substitute the above techniques, a process for forming a charge transporting layer using a coating solution comprising a monomer having a carbon-carbon double bond, a charge transport material having a carbon-carbon double bond and a binder resin (for example, Japanese Patent No. 3194392). The binder resin includes a binder reactive with the charge transport material having a carbon-carbon double bond and a binder non-reactive with the charge transport material without having the double bond. This photoconductor has attracted public attention since it shows abrasion resistance along with excellent electrical properties. However, when a non-reactive resin is used as the binder resin, the binder resin is poorly compatible with the cured body produced by the reaction of the monomer and the charge transporting material, thereby surface unevenness during cross-linking forms from the phase separation, resulting in cleaning failure. Also, as described above, in addition to the interference of the binder resin with the curing of the monomer, a bi-functional monomer which can be used in the photoconductor has a few functionality and fails to provide a sufficient cross-linkage density, thereby it is possible to obtain a sufficient abrasion resistance. Also, when a reactive binder is used, since the number of functional groups contained in the monomer and the binder resin is small, the bonding of the charge transporting material and the cross-linkage density cannot be satisfied at the same time and the electrical properties and abrasion resistance are not sufficient.
Also, a photoconductive layer containing a cured hole transporting compound having two or more chain polymerizable functional groups in a molecule (for example, JP-A No. 2000-66425).
However, according to the photoconductive layer, since the bulky transporting compound has two or more chain polymerizable functional groups, distortion may occur in the cured body, causing increase in internal stress, roughness of the surface layer, and formation of crack over the time.
Even in a photoconductor having a crosslinked photoconductive layer with a charge transporting structure attached in a chemical fashion, it cannot be said that general properties are sufficiently attained.
As explained above, even though the higher speed of apparatuses may be established through employing the photoconductors formed from titanyl phthalocyanines, the photoconductors must be often exchanged due to the decreased image quality caused by background smear; even though the abrasion resistance may be enhanced by forming a protective layer, the decrease of image quality may grow due to the increase of residual potential and inferior cleaning; as a result both of the higher sensitivity and prolonged life of the photoconductors desired for high-speed or color apparatuses have not been attained yet.
As such, image forming apparatuses with an improved photoconductor capable of forming images stably for a long period are definitely desired in the field of high-speed and color laser printers and digital copiers.

Photoconductor, image forming apparatus, image forming process, and process cartridge

Abstract: In order attain the object, a photoconductor is provided that comprises a charge generating layer, a charge transporting layer, and a crosslinked charge transporting layer, on an substrate in order,

Abstract: the charge generating layer contains titanyl phthalocyanine crystal particles that exhibit a highest peak at 27.2°, main peaks at 9.4°, 9.6° and 24.0°, a peak at 7.3° as the lowest angle, and with no peaks in a range between 7.3° and 9.4°, and with no peak at 26.3° as Bragg 2θangles (±0.2°) in terms of CuK-α characteristic X-ray wavelength at 1.542 Å, and the averaged primary particle size of the titanyl phthalocyanine crystal particles is 0.25 μm or less, and

Abstract: the crosslinked charge transporting layer contains a reaction product of a radical polymerizable monomer having three or more functionalities and no charge transporting structure and a radical polymerizable compound having one functionality and a charge transporting structure, and the thickness of the crosslinked charge transporting layer is 1 to 10 μm.


A method for forming a tubular article having a perforated annular wall, such as a surgical stent, includes coating the exterior and interior cylindrical surfaces of a tubular member with a photoresist, exposing selected portions of the photoresist coated surfaces to light, developing the coating, and then etching the coating to remove unexposed portions of the coating and immediate underlying portions of the annular wall, thereby forming a tubular article having a wall structure defined by a skeletal framework. An apparatus for exposing a light-sensitive coating to a tubular article includes means for rotating and translating the article with respect to a light source, along a longitudinal axis and simultaneously exposing aligned portions of the interior and exterior cylindrical surfaces of the tubular member. The method and apparatus embodying the present invention are particularly suitable for forming stents that support the walls of weak human arteries.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for forming a tubular article having a perforated annular wall, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus useful in the manufacture of stents.
2. Background Art
A stent is a relatively new device that supports the walls of weak human arteries. Heretofore, stents have been difficult and costly to fabricate. Typically, stents are formed from tantalum or stainless steel wire that is formed into complex helical shapes. The shapes of commercially available stents require very high levels of plastic deformation of the wire in a die, which work hardens the metal. The formed helical shape is typically maintained by strategically placed, welded joints. The high, localized heating and cooling of the welding process recrystallizes the wire, causing further damage to the wire's material.
Medical stents require flexibility in a bending mode during insertion, as well as torsional and radial stiffness to provide support to the artery wall. Typically, a stent is inserted over an angioplasty balloon and compressed to form a wire mesh sleeve. The balloon and stent sleeve assembly is then inserted into a patient's artery and moved to a desired position. After proper positioning, the balloon is expanded and thereby the stent is permanently enlarged within the artery wall, after which the balloon is withdrawn and the stent retained within the artery. Generally, the stent attaches to the walls of the artery and is exposed to repetitive loading and unloading as it is flexed with the artery walls as a permanent part of a patient's circulatory system.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the problems set forth above. It is desirable to have a stent produced by a method that does not require high deformation rates nor welding, nor other forming processes that would adversely affect the material properties of the stent. It is also desirable to have a method of manufacture for medical stents that does not cause high levels of residual stress in the formed stent. It is also desirable to have the such a method, supported by a suitable apparatus, that is easily automated and controllable.

Method and apparatus for forming a tubular article having a perforated annular wall

International Business Machines Corporation