A face shield for covering the eyes, nose and mouth of a user is disclosed. The face shield includes a face shield body that has a transparent surface having a first side edge, a second side edge, and a top edge. The first and second side edges include a first and a second anchor/barb, respectively, both of which define a line. A spacer is attached at or near the line, and the spacer extends away from the face shield body. An elastic strap with a first slot and a second slot receives the first and second anchor/barbs. When the user wears the face shield, the elastic strap is in a stretched configuration that pulls on the first and second anchor/barbs, and in this configuration the first slot is detachably affixed to the first anchor/barb, and the second slot is detachably affixed to the second anchor/barb.

Health experts have long known about the dangers of respiratory illnesses and respiratory occupational hazards such as coal dust and fine particulate matter in quarries and mills. Personal protective equipment such as masks and face shields have been around for decades, but have not been widely used until more recently. The recent pandemic of COVID-19 has increased the importance of fit and function in personal protective equipment, and the increased demand for personal protective equipment in all occupations exacerbates the need for improved designs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,760 granted to Highsmith teaches a face shield to be worn using just a cord. There is no further elaboration on the method of securing the face shield to the user's head, other than the mention of a cord element. U.S. Pat. No. 9,949,517 granted to Howard incorporates a "flexible, stretchable headband" and a viewing window, constructed of a transparent material surrounded by translucent material, that is intended to focus the user's vision onto the transparent viewing window area. In both these prior art embodiments, there is lacking accurate consideration of how the cord or stretchable headband attaches to the face shield, and there is no accounting for and correcting for the visual distortion users would experience, as a result of the curvature of the face shield constructed of a continuous sheet of material. The face shields of the prior art are not suited for long use and improved visibility. There is additionally no consideration in the prior art inventions for auditory distortions resulting from the face shield being pressed and wrapped around the user's ears.
It would be advantageous, therefore, to address and solve these shortcomings of the prior art.


A vehicle external recognition system is provided with: a relative position detecting section detecting an object ahead of a vehicle as a detected object to detect a relative position relationship between the detected object and the vehicle, a relative velocity calculating section calculating a relative velocity between the detected object and the vehicle based on the relative position relationship detected by the relative position detecting section by using an initial value that is preset, a vehicle velocity detecting section detecting a velocity of the vehicle, and a motion attribute discriminating section discriminating a motion attribute, indicative of a motion state of the detected object, based on the relative velocity calculated by the relative velocity calculating section and the velocity detected by the vehicle velocity detecting section.

The present invention relates to a vehicle external recognition system and a related method and, more particularly, to a vehicle external recognition system and its related method wherein a relative position between a forward object present ahead of an own vehicle and the own vehicle is detected and, based on this relative position, a relative velocity between the forward object and the own vehicle is calculated, thereby detecting a motion state of the forward object.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 9-159759 discloses a device arranged to detect a forward object present ahead of an own vehicle for thereby detecting a motion state of the forward object. In particular, this device is configured such that a relative velocity between the captured forward object and the own vehicle is calculated and, on this occasion, if a calculated relative velocity lies within a given range determined by the speed of the own vehicle and such a resulting status can be continuously obtained from a past history, then the captured forward object is determined as a forward preceding vehicle and on the other hand, the rest is determined as a stationary object.

Vehicle external recognition system and related method


A computer implemented method includes: receiving location information and data about a pre-established trip from one or more vehicles each having a respective navigation device; retrieving a comprehensive computerized map of parking spaces and tow zones within a target area; a processor of the data processing system providing navigation information that enables vehicle operators to locate at least one of approved parking spaces and safe parking spaces; and the processor providing alerts for drivers to avoid parking in tow zones and other restricted parking spaces in response to receipt of location information which indicates the driver's vehicle is in close proximity of a restricted parking space.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to smart highways and vehicle navigation systems and in particular to smart highways and vehicle navigation systems integrated with social media.
2. Description of the Related Art
Traditionally, smart highway systems utilize an elaborate/expensive system of sensors and cameras to provide information pertaining to the flow of traffic. This traffic flow information includes movement data such as average velocities, congestion data and information pertaining to alternate routes. Furthermore, smart highway systems may allow a driver to identify and drive along routes which provide a smooth (i.e., low levels of congestion) traffic flow. However, the conventional approach to the operation of smart highway systems leads to high developmental/maintenance costs and long waiting periods before the system may provide benefit to vehicle operators.
With membership in the hundreds of millions, community networking websites collectively comprise members of virtually all demographics and interests. Members of social networking sites readily share information about their activities with their online friends. This information is generally provided by manually entry of data via a wired or wireless electronic device. As a result, this information is generally not provided in an automatic/real time manner. In some cases, at the time of the event of interest, manual data entry may not be convenient or safe to efficiently relay information to friends. For example, a registered user who attempts send text messages to friends while driving may present a safety hazard to other drivers. Furthermore, manual operation of a cell phone and certain cell phone related functions while driving may be illegal in some locations. Nevertheless, community networking websites may be a useful media for receiving information from other members but, traditionally, community networking websites have not effectively utilized the power of the social/community network to provide real-time and beneficial information to members as these members demand such information.

Smart vehicle navigation and tracking system


A fly mask for horses has a cage structure supporting a mesh, the structure being formed of semi-rigid plastic splines which hold the mesh away from the eyes and most of the surfaces of the horse's head. In a preferred form the fly mask has protruding lines at the location of the splines, protecting the mask against excessive wear due to rubbing of the mask against posts or other building structure when worn. A detachable protective nose guard can be included.

This invention relates to protective coverings for animals, and in particular the invention concerns a fly mask for horses, especially an eye guard, also effective for sun protection.
For large animals, horses tend to be sensitive and to have somewhat frequent veterinary problems. They can have a wide variety of skin problems, caused by environment, trauma, parasites and insects, among other things.
Flies and insects contribute to a number of skin problems and other disease, and can be a constant annoyance to a horse, sometimes contributing to nervous disorders. Also, horses of light color can sunburn, especially on the muzzle and about the eyes.
For insect and sun protection, many different horse masks and blankets have been proposed. Some fly masks have provided good protection against insects and some sun protection, but most fly masks engage against the horse's muzzle, hair and skin, including around the eyes, to such an extent as to annoy or irritate the horse almost to the extent of insects. Typically the masks are loose and unstructured. Horses often rub their heads, muzzles and eye area against posts or fences in an attempt to alleviate the contact or irritation caused by the mask, sometimes rubbing holes through the mask.
The prior art includes a considerable number of fly masks for horses, for protection against insects and sometimes also for sun protection. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,127,521, 6,128,891, 5,345,751, 4,662,156, and U.S. Pub. No. 2008/0092497. Of these patent documents, U.S. Pat. No. 8,127,521 describes a horse mask primarily for sun protection, but also to prevent invasion by insects. The patent describes a stiffening panel above the eyes, to hold the screen mesh away from the eyes. U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,891 shows a protective mask that includes a top portion conforming to the top of the horse's head, with two ear sleeves to receive the ears. A mesh face panel extends essentially from the ears down to the horse's nostrils. The protective mask of U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,156 includes convex eye pockets to hold the mesh away from the horse's eyes.
Another fly mask for horses, called "Rambo Plus Fly Mask", comprises essentially a mesh cover for the ears, head, eyes and muzzle down to the nostrils, with straps to hold the mesh in place. This fly mask is apparently produced by Horseware Ireland and can be seen at the website hopevalleysaddlery.co.uk.
The prior fly mask devices tend to make excessive contact with the horse's face and muzzle, including immediately around the eyes. There is a need for a better protective horse mask, one that makes minimum and non-irritating contact with the horse's head, especially the eyes, while still alleviating the problem of insect infestation and irritation, and providing a degree of sun protection.


A transparent substrate has two parallel faces and guides collimated image light by internal reflection. A first set of internal surfaces is deployed within the substrate oblique to the parallel faces. A second set of internal surfaces is deployed within the substrate parallel to, interleaved and in overlapping relation with the first set of internal surfaces. Each of the internal surfaces of the first set includes a first coating having a first reflection characteristic to be at least partially reflective to at least a first subset of components of incident light. Each of the internal surfaces of the second set includes a second coating having a second reflection characteristic complementary to the first reflection characteristic to be at least partially reflective to at least a second subset of components of incident light. The sets of internal surfaces cooperate to reflect all components of light from the first and second subsets.

Certain display technologies, particularly suitable for head-up displays (HUDs) such as near-eye displays (NEDs) for virtual reality and augmented reality applications, employ a light-guide optical element, also referred to as an "optical waveguide" or a "light-transmitting substrate", with a series of internal oblique mutually parallel partially reflective surfaces. An image projector is optically coupled to the waveguide and injects light corresponding to a collimated image into the waveguide so as to propagate through the waveguide by internal reflection. The propagating light is progressively coupled out of the waveguide towards an observer's eye by reflection at the series of partially reflective surface, thereby expanding the effective optical aperture opposite the eye compared to the output aperture of the image projector.
Reflectivity of the partially reflective surfaces is sensitive to various parameters of the incident light, including the spectral range, polarization direction, and angle of incidence. The partially reflective surfaces are typically coated with optical coatings to generate a desired reflectivity pattern.

Light-guide optical element employing complementary coated partial reflectors, and light-guide optical element having reduced light scattering


The semiconductor device of the present invention is equipped with a plurality of photodiodes, a horizontal transfer part and a vertical transfer part, and in particular, the horizontal transfer part or the vertical transfer part has a configuration described as in the following. Namely, the device has a semiconductor region which is formed by regularly and consecutively arranging a plurality of blocks of the same conductivity type, where each of the plurality of the blocks is equipped with three regions of mutually different impurity concentrations, clock pulses are applied to two regions out of the three regions and the voltage of the high level or low level of the clock pulse is applied to the remaining region out of the three regions as a constant potential.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device having a charge transfer device controlled by two driving pulses.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a solid-state image pickup device such as a charge coupled device (CCD), the electrons produced by a photodiode are utilized as means of conveying image information. In order to transfer the image information to a signal processor such as a display which actually restores the information, a charge transfer device is called for. The charge transfer device is controlled by a control device placed outside of the transfer device. As is well known, the charge transfer device may be referred either to a vertical transfer part or to a horizontal transfer part of a CCD.
For example, the two-phase drive charge transfer device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Hei 6-314706 (1994) has the following a structure.
FIG. 1(a) shows the structure of the charge transfer device. The device has an N-type semiconductor layer 2 formed on a P-type semiconductor substrate 1. In the N-type semiconductor layer 2, there are formed N.sup.- -type semiconductor regions 6 by a selective ion implantation of, for example, boron. As a result, there are formed alternating regions of N-type and N.sup.- -type. A silicon oxide film, that is, an insulating film 3 is formed by thermal oxidation on the N-type semiconductor regions 2 and the N.sup.- -type semiconductor regions 6. First electrodes 4 are formed on the insulating film 3 so as to cover each of a part of the N-type semiconductor regions 2. An insulating film 5 is formed on the first electrode. Further, second electrodes 8 are formed so as to cover each of the remaining part of the N-type semiconductor region 2 and a part of each of the N.sup.- -type semiconductor regions 6. As shown in FIG. 1(a), the second electrodes 8 are formed consecutively, grouped into two types of even-numbered electrodes 8a and odd-numbered electrodes 8b. The electrodes 8a receive a clock pulse .phi..sub.1 from a control device while the electrodes 8b receive a clock pulse .phi..sub.2 from the control device. The first electrodes 4 receive a constant voltage V.sub.M.
Next, referring to FIGS. 1(b), 1(c) and 1(d), the operation of the charge transfer device as shown in FIG. 1(a) will be described. The clock pulses .phi..sub.1 and .phi..sub.2 are signals that vary complementary with each other as shown in FIG. 2. The constant voltage V.sub.M is an inter-mediate potential between the high level and the low level of the clock pulses .phi..sub.1 and .phi..sub.2. FIG. 1(b) shows an electric potential diagram of the device at the time tb in FIG. 2. Similarly, FIGS. 1(c) and 1(d) are electrical potential diagrams at the times tc and td, respectively, in FIG. 2. In the description that follows it will be assumed that the charge transfer device illustrated by FIG. 1(a) represents a horizontal transfer part of a CCD.
At the time tb, a high level voltage V.sub.H is applied to the electrodes 8a and a low level voltage V.sub.L is applied to the electrodes 8b. In this situation, the transfer of a signal charge 110 transferred from a vertical transfer part of the CCD will now be described.
In this case, signal charges 110 are accumulated in the N-type semiconductor regions 2 covered with the electrodes 8a. This is because the electrodes 8a are receiving the high level voltage V.sub.H, and hence their electric potential is the deepest.
At the time tc, the electric potential of the semiconductor regions covered with the electrodes 8a becomes shallow and the electric potential of the semiconductor regions covered with the electrodes 8b becomes deep, due to variations in the potentials of the clock pulses .phi..sub.1 and .phi..sub.2. The situation is as illustrated in FIG. 1(c).
At the time td, the low level voltage V.sub.L is applied to the electrodes 8a and the high level voltage V.sub.H is applied to the electrodes 8b. In comparison to the situation at the time tc, the electric potential of the semiconductor regions covered with the electrodes 8a becomes shallower and the electric potential of the semiconductor regions covered with the electrodes 8b becomes deeper. Accordingly, the signal charges 110 accumulated at the time tb in the N-type semiconductor regions 2 covered with the electrodes 8a make transitions at the time td as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1(d). That is, the charges, are accumulated in the N-type semiconductor regions 2 covered with the electrodes 8b.
Thereafter, the signal charges 110 are transferred sequentially by the repetition of the above operation.
However, a CCD chip with the conventional charge transfer device built in requires a constant voltage V.sub.M which is different from the voltages V.sub.H and V.sub.L that can be taken by the clock pulses .phi..sub.1 and .phi..sub.2. Hence, it is necessary to install a constant voltage generator which generates the constant voltage V.sub.M by processing a power supply voltage, on the outside or inside of the chip. When the constant voltage generator is installed within the chip, the CCD chip will necessarily become large sized. On the contrary, when the constant voltage generator is installed outside the chip, it becomes necessary to furnish terminals to receive the constant voltage on the CCD chip, which will also hamper the miniaturization of the chip.

Semiconductor device having charge transfer device equipped with three semiconductor layers of same conductivity type with mutually different concentrations


An apparatus in one example has: an RF-based base station in a telecommunications network; the RF-based base station having a base station transceiver; the telecommunications network having a network transceiver; and the base station transceiver and the network transceiver being structured for backhaul traffic and signaling for incoming and outgoing mobile calls to a mobile terminal that is operatively coupled to the base station.

Wireless communication systems are constantly evolving. System designers are continually developing greater numbers of features for both service providers as well as for the end users. In the area of wireless phone systems, cellular based phone systems have advanced tremendously in recent years. Wireless phone systems are available based on a variety of modulation techniques and are capable of using a number of allocated frequency bands. Available modulation schemes include analog FM and digital modulation schemes using Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). Each scheme has inherent advantages and disadvantages relating to system architecture, frequency reuse, and communications quality. However, the features the manufacturer offers to the service provider and which the service provider offers to the consumer are similar between the different wireless systems.
Regardless of the modulation scheme in use, the wireless phone available to the end user has a number of important features. Nearly all wireless phones incorporate at least a keyboard for entering numbers and text, and a display that allows the user to display text, dialed numbers, pictures and incoming caller numbers. Additionally, wireless phones may incorporate electronic phonebooks, speed dialing, single button voicemail access, and messaging capabilities, such as e-mail.
Subscribers' reliance upon their mobile terminals (such as, cell phones) and on wireless service in general continues to increase. The demand for and implementation of Emergency-911 and geo-location services for mobile terminals are two typical examples of this increasing demand. However, subscribers quickly learn that, once away from areas equipped with cells and base stations, their mobile terminals are no longer able to function. This lack of connectivity is a significant drawback of the prior art.

Network support for RF backhaul for very remote base stations


A coke oven monitoring system capable of quantitatively monitoring changes in the state of the furnace walls in a coke oven with good accuracy has: an oven width measurement device (6) that measures the oven width; an in-furnace observation device (7) that photographs the oven walls; and a computer (10) that analyzes oven width data measured by the oven width measurement device, and oven wall image data captured by the in-furnace observation device. The computer is characterized by including: a oven width/oven wall image data extraction unit (10a) that extracts width data and oven wall image data in different extrusion cycles for the same location of the same kiln; and an oven width/oven wall image data analysis and processing unit (10b) that determines oven wall abnormalities when the oven width data and oven wall image data obtained in the current extrusion cycle have both changed relative to the oven width data and oven wall image data obtained in past extrusion cycles in such a manner as to exceed established values.

A coke oven is configured by carbonization chambers and combustion chambers that are alternately provided along a coke oven battery. Heat in the combustion chamber transferred to the carbonization chamber dry distills coal charged in the carbonization chamber so as to produce coke.
In this country, because many of the coke ovens have been used for years after the construction, carbon have repeatedly adhered, grown, and been peeled off wall surfaces of the carbonization chambers in the coke ovens. Such aged coke ovens tend to have increased resistance against coke extrusion due to this repetition. The increase in resistance against extrusion may cause troubles in removing coke out of a carbonization chamber. Therefore, monitoring the state of the chamber wall in the coke oven is quite important for safe operation of the oven.
Monitoring the state of chamber walls have been conventionally performed visually, or with use of a permanent chamber width measurement device (see Patent Document 1, for example) or a permanent in-chamber observation device (see Patent Document 2, for example).
However, visual monitoring is difficult to be accurately performed even by an experienced worker, because the worker cannot closely approach the oven having in-chamber temperature as high as about 1,100° C., as well as because a coke oven is configured to have a distance to the back as long as about 15 m while having a chamber width as short as approximately 450 mm, thereby failing to secure a clear visual field.
Even in the case of monitoring with use of the permanent chamber width measurement device or the permanent in-chamber observation device, although an operator checks chamber width data and monitors chamber wall images, such monitoring in the oven is performed along with other tasks. It is, therefore, hard to constantly monitor changes in the state of chamber walls.

Method for monitoring inside a chamber of a coke oven, management method for a chamber wall of a coke oven, and monitoring system


Rules-based commerce system or marketplace that proactively acquires and purchases, on behalf of consumers, works submitted by creators. In one implementation, the system involves a rules engine which makes current and future purchases of electronic content and code based on the positive fulfillment of specific pre-created criteria. Some particular implementations of the invention can be implemented to create a net of income from a large quantity of sources in order to support one or more social media activities. Other implementations of the invention can be configured to create forms of sponsorship whereby a consumer can create rules to automatically acquire and pay for a future work that meets one or more criteria. On the creator side, implementations of the invention can be configured to assist creators to develop an audience and corresponding income streams to support social media creation activities.

Interactive systems connected wide area networks, such as the Internet, have steadily evolved into vibrant mediums for social interaction and distribution of media and other content. Indeed, an enormous amount of digital media generated by end users, media companies, and professional media creators is made available and shared across the Internet through web sites and uploading to various content hosting or aggregation systems and services (e.g., Flickr®, Yahoo!® Video, YouTube.com, etc.). End-users increasingly use or share media in a variety of on-line and interactive contexts. For example, an ever-increasing number of end-users create websites of various types, including blog pages, personalized social networking pages (such as Yahoo! 360, Facebook, or MySpace), that utilize digital media content, such as images, video, and music.
Today, most people who blog, podcast, write open source software and make available other useful content and intellectual property over a computer network to the community do not get paid enough from these endeavors in order to spend the maximum amount of their time on them. In other words, these people need to maintain a day job or have other income sources in order to pursue their creative passions. While there are marketplaces in existence today which allow for the sale and exchange of electronic goods and services, there are no network marketplaces or commerce models that facilitate commerce in social media contexts.


This invention provides aryloxy indole derivatives which are useful for the treatment of diseases affected by disorders of the serotonin-affected neurological systems, such as depression and anxiety, the compounds having the formula:

This invention relates to new aryloxy indole derivatives as pharmaceuticals which are useful for the treatment in mammals of diseases affected by disorders of the serotonin-affected neurological systems, such as depression, anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sleep disorders, sexual dysfunction, bipolar disorders, psychosis, stress-related disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorders, Tourettes"" syndrome, attention deficit disorder, with and without hyperactivity, alcohol and drug addiction, Alzheimer""s disease, Parkinson""s disease, obesity and acute and chronic pain, including migraine pain, as well as methods of enhancing cognition.
EP 0714894 A1 discloses the preparation of compounds of formula II as new 5-HT1f agonist for the treatment of migraine headaches. EP 429341 A2 claims compounds of formula III as having serotonin transporter activity. A recent publication by Malleron et al. was also reported based around formula I [J. Med. Chem. 36, 1194 (1993)]. EP 722941 A2 discloses compounds having effects on serotonin-related systems of formula IV.
Pharmaceuticals which enhance serotonergic neurotransmission are of useful benefit for the treatment of many psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety. The first generation of non-selective serotonin-affecting drugs operated through a variety of physiological functions which endowed them with several side effect liabilities. The more currently prescribed drugs, the selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), act predominately by inhibiting 5-HT, which is released at the synapses, from being actively removed from the synaptic cleft via a presynaptic serotonin transport carrier. Since SSRIs require several weeks before they exert their full therapeutic effect, this 5-HT blockade mechanism per se cannot account for their therapeutic activity. It is speculated that this two week induction which occurs before a full antidepressant effect is observed, is due to the involvement of the 5-HT1A autoreceptors which suppress the firing activity of 5-HT neuron, causing a dampening of the therapeutic effect. Studies suggest that after several weeks of SSRI administration, a desensitization of the 5-HT autoreceptors occurs allowing a full antidepressant effect in most patients. Recent studies by Artigas et al. (Trends Neurosci., 1996, 19, 378-383) suggest a combination of 5-HT1A activity and inhibition of 5-HT uptake within a single molecular entity can achieve a more robust and fast-acting antidepressant effect.
The present invention relates to a new class of molecules which have the ability to act at the 5-HT1A autoreceptors and concomitantly with the 5-HT transporter. Such compounds are therefore potentially useful for the treatment of depression as well as other serotonin disorders.
The compounds of this invention are aryloxy piperidinyl indoles represented by Formula I:
wherein:
R1 is hydrogen or alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms;
R2, R3, and R4 are each independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or halogen;
X is selected from hydrogen, halogen, CN, or C1-C6 alkoxy;
Z is (CH2)n or carbonyl;
n is 1 or 2; and
the dashed line indicates an optional double bond;
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
One group of compounds of this invention comprises those of the formula:
wherein:
X is selected from hydrogen, halogen, CN, or C1-C6 alkoxy;
R1 is hydrogen or alkyl of from 1 to 3 carbon atoms; and
R2, R3, and R4 are each independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or halogen;
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
Another group of compounds of this invention comprise those of the formula:
wherein:
X is selected from hydrogen, halogen, CN, or C1-C6 alkoxy;
R1 is hydrogen or alkyl of from 1 to 3 carbon atoms; and
R2, R3, and R4 are each independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl of from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or halogen;
or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
The compounds of this Formula I also may be used in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt having the utility of the free base. Such salts, prepared by methods well known to the art are formed with both inorganic or organic acids, for example: fumaric, maleic, benzoic, ascorbic, pamoic, succinic, bismethylenesalicylic, methanesulfonic, ethanedisulfonic, acetic, oxalic, propionic, tartaric, salicyclic, citric, gluconic, lactic, malic, mandelic, cinnamic, citraconic, aspartic, stearic, palmitic, itaconic, glycolic, p-aminobenzoic, glutamic, benzene-sulfonic, hydrochloric hydrobromic, sulfuric, cyclohexylsulfamic, phosphoric and nitric acids.
The compounds of Formula I are generally prepared by the overall sequence indicated in Scheme 1 as follows:
The following examples for preparation of intermediates and invention compounds are included for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as limiting to this disclosure in any way. Those skilled in the art of organic synthesis may be aware of still other synthetic routes to the invention compounds. The reagents and intermediates used herein are either commercially available or prepared according to standard literature procedures.
(5-Fluoro-1H-indol-3-yl)-pyridin-4-yl-methanol. To a stirred solution of 5-fluoroindole (3.10 g, 23.0 mmol) in methanol (10.0 mL) was added 4-pyridinecarboxaldehyde (2.20 mL, 23.0 mmol), followed by addition of NaOH (2.5 mL, 50%) at 0xc2x0 C. After stirring for 1 h at 0xc2x0 C., the reaction mixture was warmed to room temperature and stirred for 3 h, followed by the addition of water (10.0 mL). The precipitate was collected by filtration and dried under vacuum to afford 5.2 g (93%) of a light yellow solid: mp 171-173xc2x0 C.; 1H NMR (DMSO, 400 MHz), 5.85 (d, 1H), 5.93 (d, 1H), 6.86-7.34 (m, 4H), 7.43 (dd, 2H), 8.48 (dd, 2H), 11.09 (br s, 1H); MS (El) m/z 242 (M+); HRMS calcd for C14H12FN2O [M+H] 243.09337, found 243.09576.
5-Fluoro-3-[(4-pyridinyl)methyl]-1H-indole. To a suspension of (5-fluoro-1H-indol-3-yl)-pyridin-4-yl-methanol (0.799 g, 3.3 mmol) in methylene chloride (13 mL) was added triethylsilane (0.60 mL, 3.7 mmol) followed by trifluoroacetic acid (2.85 mL, 37 mmol) at room temperature. After addition of trifluoroacetic acid, a clear black solution was obtained. The reaction mixture was stirred overnight and the solvent and excess trifluoroacetic acid was removed on a rotary evaporator. To the residue was added saturated Na2CO3 to adjust the pH greater than 9. The aqueous layer was extracted with methylene chloride and the combined organic extracts was washed with water, brine, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated. The crude product was purified by silica gel column chromatography (methylene chloride to methylene chloride/ethyl acetate to ethyl acetate, 100% to 50% to 100%) to give 0.56 g (75%) of a solid: mp 141-142xc2x0 C. [(mp 149xc2x0 C.; previously reported in J. Med. Chem. 36,1194 (1993)].
5-Fluoro-3-[(4-piperidinly)methyl]-1 H-indole. This compound was prepared from intermediate 2 in 88% yield following the reported procedure (Malleron et.al, J. Med. Chem. 1993, 36, 1194).
(4a) 2-(1H-Indol-4-yloxy)-chloroethane: This compound was prepared from 5-hydroxyindole and chloroethanol in 57% using Mitsunobu conditions as reported in the literature (Mewshaw et al. J. Med. Chem. 1999, 42, 2007); mp 62-63xc2x0 C.; 1H NMR (CDCl3) 3.88 (2H, t, J=6.2 Hz), 4.38 (2H, t, J=6.2 Hz), 6.52 (1H, d, J=7.3 Hz), 6.68 (1H, app. t, J=2.2 Hz), 7.02-7.12 (3H, m), 8.14 (1H, s).
(4b) 2-Methyl-2-(1H-indol-4-yloxy)-chloroethane was similarly prepared as described above as a yellow oil: (47%); MS (El) 209 (M+).

Aryloxy piperidinyl indoles for treating depression

Abstract: wherein R1 is H or alkyl; R2, R3, and R4 are H, alkyl, or halogen; X is H, halogen, CN, or C1-C6 alkoxy; Z is (CH2)n or carbonyl; n is 1 or 2; and the dashed line indicates an optional double bond; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.


A plumbing fitting comprising a test closure plug for the free end of a trap bushing mounted in the center port of a T-fitting constituting a part of a soil pipe and vent pipe assembly of a plumbing system the free end of the trap bushing is provided with an adapter having an adapter nut and washer. The washer is removed and the plug is inserted in the adapter opening. The plug is configured to close the adapter opening and make a seal therewith when held in place by the adapter nut. The plug enables pressure testing of the plumbing system or the maintenance of a head of water therein. Upon installation of a fixture with a trap, the nut is removed, the plug is removed, the adapter nut and washer are then used in common trade fashion to connect the trap to the trap bushing in fluid-tight fashion by way of a slip joint. The plug can be reused. A second embodiment of the plug can be used for the same purpose when the nut of the adapter is of the type wherein the adapter washer forms an integral one-piece part of the nut. The second embodiment of the plug can also be used with an adapter having a nut and a separate washer by mounting the washer on the plug, thereby rendering the second plug embodiment similar to the first plug embodiment.

In the construction of a home or building, it is usual practice to provide a T-fitting wherever a fixture of the type having a trap is to be located. The T-fitting connects a soil pipe and a vent pipe and is provided with a center port to which the trap of the fixture is connected, all as is well known in the art. In the case of a lavatory or the like, this connection is made through an appropriate hole in the wall behind which the T-fitting is located and in front of which the lavatory is mounted.
In a typical 2 1/2 bath home there will usually be 10 or more T-fittings for connection to the traps of one or more lavatories, one or more showers, one or more bathtubs, a kitchen sink, a washing machine drain, and the like.
In the plumbing industry today, it is common to make piping such as soil pipe and vent pipe, and fittings such as T-fittings, traps, and the like out of plastic material. The most commonly used plastic material for such applications is acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) or polyvinylchloride (PVC). The present invention will be described in its application to plastic piping and fittings, but is not necessarily so limited.
It is usual practice, during construction, to install the basic plumbing well before installation of the various fixtures. As a consequence, the intermediate ports of the T-fittings will not have traps connected thereto for some time. It is therefore desirable to close and seal the intermediate ports of the T-fittings to prevent clogging of the basic plumbing with dirt and foreign material which might inadvertently enter the intermediate T-fitting ports during construction. In addition, during plumbing construction, it is frequently desirable or required to perform air tests or water tests to assure that the various joints are properly connected and are fluid-tight.
The closing and sealing of the intermediate ports of the T-fittings has been accomplished by the prior art in a number of different ways. One common approach is to insert a length of pipe through the hole in the wall and into the intermediate port of the T-fitting, permanently adhering the pipe to the intermediate port by gluing, solvent welding or the like. This provides a fluid-tight connection. This pipe will ultimately serve as a trap bushing when its respective fixture is ultimately installed. The free end of the pipe is closed by a wafer cap. The wafer cap comprises a relatively thin plastic cap, solvent, welded or otherwise sealingly affixed to the free end of the pipe. The necessary cleaning and welding steps are time consuming. Furthermore, while the air or water tests are performed at relatively low pressures, the wafer caps are characterized by a relatively high failure rate of from about 30% to about 35%.
Another prior art approach is to apply to the free end of the pipe or trap bushing affixed to the center port of the T-fitting, a resilient rubber cap held in place by a hose clamp. Unlike the wafer cap, this type of closure has the advantage of being reusable. Nevertheless, its installation is time consuming, it is frequently lost or misplaced, and it, too, demonstrates a relatively high failure rate.
Today most basic plumbing of the type to which the present invention is directed is accomplished with so-called "schedule 40" pipe and pipe fittings. Pipe and fittings of this type are conventional, readily available, and well known in the art. The term "schedule 40" refers to the thickness or gauge of the pipe wall. Schedule 40 pipe and its fittings come in several sizes, as is well known in the art.
Yet another approach by prior art workers is to close the free end of the trap bushing or pipe extending from the center port of the T-fitting and through the wall by a schedule 40 cap. This is a relatively heavy-duty cap structure which is glued or solvent welded to the free end of the pipe. The cap is expensive, must ultimately be removed, and constitutes a single use item.
The present invention relates to a test closure plug which, in combination with a conventional adapter and adapter nut, can be used to close and seal the free end of the pipe or trap bushing attached and sealed to the intermediate port of the T-fitting. The test closure plug of the present invention overcomes the problems associated with the various prior art devices for this purpose. Once installed, the test closure plug of the present invention will easily withstand a head of water or a water test or air test. When it is time to install the fixture, the test closure plug can be removed from the pipe or trap bushing and the adapter thereon by removal of the adapter nut. The adapter, the adapter nut and the adapter washer (whether it be a separate washer or an integral part of the nut) can be used to connect the trap to the trap bushing by a slip joint, well known in the art. The test closure plug can be reused again and again. The plug is characterized by excellent strength and is easy and inexpensive to manufacture. It will be apparent that the test closure plug of the present invention provides a closing and sealing device for the intermediate port of the T-fitting which is both reliable, safe and easily installed.

Test closure plug for the trap bushing of a conventional T-fitting


Replicas are molded by curing a photo-curable liquid silicone rubber composition to form a transparent mother mold having a cavity corresponding to the outer contour of a master model, casting a photo-curable liquid resin into the mold cavity, and irradiating light to the liquid resin through the mold wall. Replicas can be fabricated by simple steps and within a short time.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for molding replicas such as automobile parts and household appliances. This invention also relates to an apparatus for molding such replicas.
2. Prior Art
In a process for developing a new model of automobile part or household appliance, a certain number of products must be produced for the purpose of confirming the outer appearance, shape and performance. To this end, various procedures were developed in the prior art. Among others, a procedure of producing a precision part replica using a mold of silicone rubber, known as a vacuum casting procedure, is widely used in the art. In this procedure, a pattern of molding serving as a master model is prepared from a suitable material such as wood, plastics and metals by manual modeling or by means of a machine tool (which can be controlled on the basis of three-dimensional CAD data). It was recently developed to produce a master model by an optical shaping system of irradiating a UV laser beam to a photo-curable resin in accordance with three-dimensional CAD data inputs.
In general, a replica is produced by burying the thus obtained master model in an addition/heat curable liquid silicone rubber composition, curing the silicone rubber composition, removing the master model, casting a thermosetting resin into the cavity in the cured silicone rubber where the master model has been removed, heating the thermosetting resin for curing. What is desired in the art is to produce such replicas within a short time. Attempts to meet such expectation have been made. For example, JP-A 114711/1991 discloses a method for producing a molded part by introducing a UV-curable liquid resin (epoxy or acrylic reactive resin) into a mold made of a transparent addition room temperature vulcanizable (RTV) silicone rubber composition, and irradiating UV to the liquid resin for curing. Combining these techniques, however, is far from satisfying the user's demand to test replicas within as short a time as possible from the design of a model shape.


A system for authenticating messages using keystroke dynamics identifying a composer of a message using diagraphs transmitted by the use of an input device. Keystrokes are gathered by modules that determine the timing factors between each keystroke and diagraph that is created by the message composer. Once sufficient keystrokes and diagraphs are monitored that allows a generation of an identifier of a unique message composition rhythm, a unique signature of the message creator is stored within the created message. This authentication method is embedded within a message. When a user tries to access or authenticate a message, the user will be verified against the authorized signature contained within the message or authorized database of readers. If a match occurs, the user will then be allowed to access the message.

Authentication systems protect resources, such as documents and data, and accurately identify the creator of the resource. For example, a message (i.e., a written instrument or electronic document) created by an individual can be marked by a hand written signature, sealed by a physical seal, or protected by a password or a personal identification number (PIN) in order to identify the author of the message or control access to its contents. In some electronic or computer systems, the signature, PIN or password of the message creator is stored in a central memory or in storage media that is part of the computer system. When a user desires to read the protected message, the user enters the appropriate signature, password or PIN using an input device. The computer system compares the signature, password or PIN that is entered using the input device with the stored signature, password or PIN associated with the message to be accessed and determines whether to allow the message to be displayed or accessed.
Message creation is accomplished through the use of message creating devices such as word processing applications, email applications or similar software. Communication of messages may be done over a network such as the Internet using standard telecommunications infrastructure. A standard Qwerty or Dvorak type of keyboard may be used in order to input data or collect keystrokes.

Identifying and protecting composed and transmitted messages utilizing keystroke dynamics


A storage device slow descent structure includes a chassis (100) and an elevating element (200). The chassis (100) includes a front load plate (110), a rear load plate (120), and a sliding unit (130). An end portion (132) of the sliding unit (130) is slidably connected to one side of the rear load plate (120). The elevating element (200) includes two linkages (210) respectively having a front end (212) and a rear end (214). The two linkages (210) are respectively connected to the front load plate (110) and the end portion (132). The rear end (214) is pivotally connected to the slide member (134). The front end (212) is pivotally connected to the front load plate (110). A self-weight of the front load plate (110) drives the rear end (214) to slide from one end to the other end of the slide member (134).

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a storage device slow descent structure and, in particular, to a storage device slow descent structure for loading a hot-swappable hard disk.
2. Related Art
In general, hot-swappable devices of a server include a hot-swappable power source, a hot-swappable hard disk, a hot-swappable battery, and a hot-swappable fan. These hot-swappable devices are usually installed on the panel side and/or the rear side, so as to facilitate instant replacement of the hot-swappable devices from the panel side and/or the rear side. The hot-swappable devices usually include a handle for holding and a rear latch for positioning. Hot-swapping herein is a term used to describe the action of physically connecting or disconnecting peripheral equipments without shutting down the computer system. The hot-swapping function plays an important role especially in server system application, which can allow adding components or performing other works to the computer system without stopping the services of the computer system.
According to conventional techniques, when the server system uses hard disks extensively, usually a chassis of a cabinet includes load plates at a front row and a rear row, which are connected to each other by sliding rails at two sides. A hollow space is formed between the two load plates to facilitate replacement or disassembly/assembly of a storage device. When the storage device of the chassis is in a higher position, a tray of the chassis is withdrawn by a worker to pass through the hollow space between the two load plates, so as to disassemble/assemble the storage device at the rear row. To replace or check the storage device at the front row, the work has to move to be in front of the server cabinet to disassemble/assemble or repair the storage device at the front row.
In order to improve the above-mentioned problems, a solution which can more efficiently solve the problems should be sought to facilitate assembly, disassembly, or replacement of the hard disks of the server system.


The present invention provides a positive electrode active material for lithium ion batteries, which realizes a lithium ion battery that is, while satisfying fundamental characteristics of a battery (capacity, efficiency, load characteristics), low in the resistance and excellent in the lifetime characteristics. In the positive electrode active material for lithium ion batteries, the variation in the composition of transition metal that is a main component inside of particles of or between particles of the positive electrode active material, which is defined as a ratio of the absolute value of the difference between a composition ratio inside of the particles of or in a small area between the particles of the transition metal and a composition ratio in a bulk state to the composition ratio in a bulk state of the transition metal, is 5% or less.

In a positive electrode active material for lithium ion batteries, a lithium-containing transition metal oxide is generally used. Specifically, lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2), lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO2), and lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4) are cited, and, in order to enhance an improvement in the characteristics (higher capacity, cycle characteristics, storage characteristics, reduction of internal resistance, charge and discharge characteristics) and safety, these have been studied by complexing. In particular, for a lithium ion battery for large devices such as automobiles and road levelers, characteristics different from those for conventional portable telephones and personal computers are demanded. Specifically, the positive electrode active material for use in automobiles is required to be high in capacity and low in the resistance, and the positive electrode active material for use in road levelers is required to be high in the capacity and long in the lifetime.
Powder characteristics are important in order to develop these characteristics. However, homogeneity in distributions of transition metal and lithium that are main components of the positive electrode active material of a lithium ion battery is particularly important. The homogeneity of the composition is particularly indispensable for obtaining low resistance for use in automobiles and the long lifetime for use in road levelers.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-285572 (patent document 1) related to application by Nikko-Materials Co., Ltd (current appellation: JX Nippon Mining & Metals Co., Ltd.), to which the present inventors belong, the following fact was found and reported. That is, as a manufacturing method of a precursor for positive electrode active material, a method in which an aqueous solution of chloride of Ni, Mn or Co is poured into a suspension of lithium carbonate, and, the resulted carbonate is washed with a saturated solution of lithium carbonate or ethanol is used, a molar ratio of an amount of Li to a total amount of metals can be adjusted and the variation thereof can be reduced.
Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-110420 (patent document 2), it is described that, after studying large secondary particles where small crystalline primary particles are flocculated, and magnitude of particles of lithium carbonate that is a raw material, it was found that a cohesion force is enhanced by controlling the particle size of lithium carbonate, and thereby a positive electrode active material homogeneously reacted not only on a surface of the secondary particles of lithium cobalt oxide but also inside of the secondary particles of lithium cobalt oxide and having excellent discharged capacity characteristics and cycle characteristics can be obtained. Further, it is described that, when such a positive electrode active material is synthesized without variation in composition to the inside of lithium cobalt oxide configured of spherical or elliptical secondary particles in which primary particles of small crystal are flocculated, a positive electrode active material for nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries characterized in that not only the primary particles on a surface forming the secondary particle but also the primary particles inside of the secondary particle can be used as a battery. Specifically, it is described that, according to the analysis of sections of secondary particles of lithium cobalt oxide with an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA), a ratio of spectral intensities of O/Co of oxygen and cobalt inside of the particles is within 3.0±0.5.
(Patent documents 1) Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-285572
(Patent documents 2) Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-110420

Positive electrode active material for lithium-ion battery, positive electrode for a lithium-ion battery, lithium-ion battery using same, and precursor to a positive electrode active material for a lithium-ion battery


A method and apparatus for collecting medical data from a test subject while preserving anonymity for the test subject. The method includes steps of collecting a sample from the test subject and taking biometric data from the test subject. The biometric data permit a high order of probability of correlation of the test subject with the sample and with test results derived from the sample. The method desirably further includes a step of providing the test subject with a unique correlating code also for permitting unique correlation of the test subject with the sample and with test results derived from the sample, and further desirably includes a step of labeling the sample with information including the biometric data.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method, apparatus and system for anonymously providing medical data for humans including infectious status.
More particularly, the present invention relates to anonymously providing infectious status data for humans via unforgeable correlation characteristics.
In a further and more specific aspect, the instant invention concerns a method and apparatus for voluntarily and anonymously providing infectious status data for humans and allowing the subject to share that information with a chosen associate or associates.
2. Prior Art
Medical data collection, storage and display systems of great variety in construction and purpose are often employed for medical and non-medical purposes. Examples include the systems described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,912 entitled "Medical Image Filing Apparatus", issued to Ichikawa, hereby incorporated herein by reference, directed to a medical image filing and display system and the like.
Another example is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,541 entitled "Health Examination Method And System Using Plural Self-Test Stations And A Magnetic Card", issued to Hatsuwi, hereby incorporated herein by reference. This patent is directed to a system for storing medical data on magnetic media contained on a card, wherein the patient provides samples and the like to a variety of testing stations that also record the self-test data on the card.
A further example is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,294 entitled "Medical Privacy System", issued to Keene, hereby incorporated herein by reference. This patent describes a system and method for retrieving medical data from a database and sharing these medical data voluntarily with another party while protecting against unauthorized access by unauthorized parties.
A feature common to such systems is a means for identifying a particular patient or client and the associated, relevant medical records.
Human disease status is highly confidential information subject to misuse by any of a variety of agencies or individuals. For example, many doctors will advise patients not to seek human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing via the doctor because the records generated in the process of testing for HIV may be used by insurance companies to deny insurance coverage to the individual requesting the test results.
The reasoning seems to be that if the individual sought to ascertain HIV status information, the individual must have reason to suspect a positive HIV status. The individual therefore is adjudged likely (i) to have engaged in high-risk behavior, (ii) to continue to engage in high-risk behavior and (iii) to have an enhanced probability (compared to other population segments) of developing (a) HIV-positive status and (b) later, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), presently an almost invariably fatal condition. People may well be denied employment if it is suspected that they are at risk of developing an HIV-positive status or of contracting AIDS subsequent to infection by HIV.
Accordingly, it is desirable, particularly with respect to HIV testing, to be tested in a way that completely protects the individual identity of the test subject. One such system is provided in some states through Planned Parenthood, which (i) collects a blood sample from the test subject and (ii) collects whatever identifying indicia the test subject cares to provide, such as a pseudonym. The agency typically then (iii) links the identifying indicia, the test sample and a unique identifying code or serial number in a computer database or other log and (iv) informs the test subject that test results are to be expected to be available following a set interval of one to two weeks, which interval is for shipping the test sample to a suitable laboratory or other testing facility and receiving the results of the analysis therefrom.
The test sample and code or serial number are then (v) sent to a remote site for testing and analysis. Results are then (vi) sent back to the test site (or any other designated place). The test subject (vii) returns to the test site or goes to a designated office and (viii) is advised of the test results. If warranted, (ix) appropriate counseling is provided along with follow-up services. Additionally, (x) a paper record is often provided with an indication of the test results.
Unfortunately, because the test subject often provides a pseudonym, a third party has no way of knowing that a particular record is actually the product of a test conducted on samples provided by the individual presenting such a record. Moreover, the paper record is easily forged or mutilated to alter the information contained thereon, in part because there is no standard or unforgeable format for such records. In short, this system affords an individual test subject great confidence in both the anonymity and the trustworthiness of the test result, but this system does not provide the test subject with any verifiable way of providing the test results to a third party. Additionally, recent multiple-drug therapies can reduce presence of HIV and indicia of HIV to immeasurably low levels but these therapies introduce detectable levels of drugs into the bloodstream of the test subject.
Further, the situations in which people might meet and desire to know or communicate to each other the status of one another do not lend themselves to accessing of data during the course of normal business hours. Social settings in which persons might meet and form a mutual desire for sexual activity tend to be focused on hours other than normal business hours, for example, in the evening at a nightclub. If there were a method for reliably and anonymously exchanging information such as indicia of HIV-negative status and the date on which the sample providing this result was collected, it would need to be useful in such settings or in conjunction therewith in order to be effective in controlling the spread of this deadly disease.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide reliable data on health and/or infectious status in an anonymous fashion whereby the person viewing the data has some assurance that the data correspond to the individual with whom they are considering carrying out such activities. However, this alone is not necessarily sufficient because it is desirable to be able to have access to the data on a twenty-four-hour-a-day basis, and also because identification cards and the like may not correspond to the bearer thereof. Therefore, it is appropriate and useful to base the correlation process on parameters unique to the individual whilst continuing to ensure anonymity of the test subject, the test results and the fact that the test subject had the testing performed.
In order to combat these varied problems, some form of correlation that is unique to the individual, that is not based on a photograph or the like of the individual and that does not employ a transferable or forgeable identity device (such as an identity card) is required. The form of correlation needs to be highly reliable and also must operate rapidly in real time to provide "go-no go" identification in a short period of time (e.g., a minute or less).
While the various mentioned prior art devices function as apparatus for collecting, storing and retrieving human medical data, certain inherent deficiencies preclude adequate, satisfactory performance of the purpose of reducing risk of exposure of the individual identities of persons using the system.
It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to remedy the foregoing and other deficiencies inherent in the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide improvements in anonymous human health data collection and retrieval.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved method and apparatus for anonymously providing human health data in a secure and tamper-free fashion that allows a person to share those data with another party.
An additional object of the instant invention is the provision of an improved method and apparatus for providing human health data in a way that allows another party to have great confidence that the data provided are reliable and that they correspond to the party rendering the data available to them.
Still a further additional object of the present invention is to provide an improved method, apparatus and system for anonymously collecting human health data and allowing retrieval of the data in a secure fashion that permits twenty-four hour access thereto.
And another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method, apparatus and system for collecting, storing and retrieving human health data in an anonymous fashion that does not rely on forgeable identification devices.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a method, system and apparatus for displaying and sharing human health data with a chosen person or people.
Yet another object of the instant invention is to provide a method, system and apparatus for retrieving human health data in a secure fashion that also provides a high degree of confidence in the test subject of the anonymity of the test subject.
Yet still another object of the instant invention is the provision of a method, system and apparatus for identifying individuals free of HIV indicia in a reliable and anonymous fashion in order to stem the spread of a presently almost invariably fatal disease.
And a further object of the invention is to provide a method, system and apparatus for identifying individuals who are free of HIV indicia and/or indicia of recreational drug usage without risk of compromising the individual's identity.
Still a further object of the immediate invention is the provision of a method, apparatus and system for collecting, storing and retrieving human health data in a secure and tamper-free fashion that also guarantees that the individual retrieving the data is also the individual to whom the human health data are pertinent.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a new system and method for anonymously testing for human HIV status and/or antigens or antibodies for human diseases and/or drug levels of therapeutic drugs known to be used in treatment of infectious diseases and/or drug levels of "recreational" drugs.
And still a further object of the invention is the provision of method and apparatus, according to the foregoing, which is intended to allow rapid, real-time access to human health data while preserving the anonymity of the test subject and also providing any other party with whom the test subject chooses to share the data great confidence that the data apply to the test subject.

Method, apparatus and system for verification of infectious status of humans


The invention relates to a method for checking the correct processing of bank notes in automatic bank note sorters for sorting certain amounts of money into different categories according to given criteria, whereby partial amounts are destroyed if necessary, and a log is prepared, after a given amount of money has been processed or after a certain unit of time, to record information about the processed bank notes, among other things, and the log additionally contains at least one authenticity marking calculated from given log data and clearly related to the data included in the calculation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for checking the correct processing of bank notes in automatic bank note sorters for sorting certain amounts of money into different categories according to given criteria, whereby partial amounts are destroyed if necessary, and a log is prepared, after a given amount of money has been processed or after a certain unit of time, to record information about the processed bank notes, among other things.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Machines have been used for sorting bank notes for some time that single-out, automatically or manually, supplied bank notes, guide them successively through a sensor system, and sort them into different categories according to given criteria depending on the task at hand and the sensor result.
Such a machine is known for example from German patent no. 27 60 269. An essential task of these known sorting machines is to sort bank notes flowing back from circulation into those fit for further circulation and those that are unfit. Bank notes are sorted into a third category if they are suspected to be counterfeits or are unidentifiable or unsortable for other reasons. The notes identified for unfit for further circulation must be reliably destroyed, which can be done, for example, by passing the notes through a shredder module integrated in the sorting machine, that cuts each note into such small shreds that no notes can be restored therefrom.
Money processing on the level of the sorting machine can be roughly divided into three steps. The operator of the machine is given a certain money volume at the beginning of his shift, which he acknowledges receiving. The received amount of money is supplied to the machine and sorted into the stated categories, for example. At the end of his shift the operator turns over the sorted amounts of money, together with a printout logging all relevant operations, to an institution that continues the money processing.
As described in detail in German "offenlegungsschrift" no. 27 60 269, the sorting machine is provided with a printing means for printing out a so-called shift log, among other things. This log records, along with other data, the sums of the bank notes deposited in the intended categories. The sum of all partial amounts in the categories must correspond to the money volume supplied to the machine and acknowledged by the operator. The log data fundamentally permits a check of the individual amounts of money by a recount, for example, so that no bank note can disappear undetected. However, this simple form of check is no longer possible in the case of destroyed notes, so that particularly these notes require a different form of security check to ensure against possible manipulation.

Method for checking the correct processing of bank notes

GAO Gesellschaft fur Automation und Organisation mbH


An umbrella with a lamp is primarily composed of a plurality of light sources embedded below ribs, with connection wires of the light sources passing into an upper nest and connected with an internal control circuit. The control circuit inside the upper nest is connected with a control circuit of a control part at a bottom of the upper stem, and the upper stem is flexibly connected with a lower stem which is provided with a power slot for inserting a transformer in order to provide the required power. Light can be automatically turned on/off at a pre-configured time, enabling a plurality of light sources to manifest a change of many kinds of light, thereby constituting an effect of lighting and decoration, without requiring manpower to turn on/off, by pre-configuring a turning on/off time with the control part.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved structure for an umbrella with a lamp and more particularly to a structure wherein a time of turning on/off the light can be pre-configured and which is specifically applied to a large sunshade.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
An umbrella is a very practical tool, which can be used to hide from raining in a rainy day and can also be used to shade sun in a sunny day. The large umbrella has been a current necessity for traveling, dining, and recreation, and has been changed from a conventional shading and rain-hiding tool into a tool having both a decoration and an art purposes.
Moreover, following the development of modern technology and the change in a viewpoint of appreciation of beauty, as a vision in night is unclear, light from an exterior lighting equipment is not easy to enable a person to clearly identify an outline of a sunshade, and is not able to enable the person to observe a facial expression of a person under the umbrella and to manifest a mood; in addition, as a large sunshade itself will also shade the light above a surrounding web, which will even dim the light under the web. Accordingly, in order to improve the shortcoming of lighting of the large sunshade, there is a kind of sunshade having a lighting lamp device which has been designed and sold in public. Although it can improve the lighting problem of the sunshade in the night time, this sunshade only consists of a lamp connected to ribs, wherein the lamp is directly under control of a power plug; when the plug is on, the lamp will be lighting, whereas when the plug is off, the lamp will be extinguished. In addition, the lamp cannot perform other changes. For example, when the quantity of sunshades is small, only a small amount of manpower will be required to accomplish the operation of turning on the power to all the sunshades; whereas when the quantity of sunshades is large, a large amount of manpower will be consumed to plug or to unplug one by one after using, which is not perfect.
Accordingly, how to improve the existing shortcoming of the aforementioned umbrella with a lamp which has been used in public, and to provide an improved structure wherein a time of turning on/off the power can be pre-configured, for providing a safe use to general consumers, has been a motivation of the present invention.


A system and corresponding methods are provided for enabling the automatic generation of a slate using metadata. The method comprises the steps of: receiving a request to provide a user with a list of video media assets so the user can select a video media asset to generate a slate; providing the user with the list of video media assets and receiving a selected video media asset from the user; acquiring metadata associated with the selected video media asset, creating a preview of the slate by generating fields that are associated with the acquired metadata, generating the slate in response to the user's approval of the previewed slate; transmitting the slate to a video server; and editing the slate into the selected video media asset so the slate and the video media asset can be viewed in conjunction with each other, thereby providing the user (via the slate) with information about the video media asset such as the video media asset's name, duration, database location, etc.

In order to manage large collections of media assets such as video and audio data, segments of such media assets are associated with metadata to enable the retrieval of such data from, for example, a media server in which the data is stored. The metadata that is associated with such data typically provides information about the data such as the data's elements or attributes (e.g., name, size, type), records or structures (e.g., length, fields, columns) and data about the data (e.g., where it is located, how it is associated, ownership).
In order to acquire information provided by the metadata about a desired video based media asset such as a video media asset, a user can query the media server for this information. This information, although helpful, is not typically viewed in conjunction with the video media asset. To view this information in conjunction with the video media asset a slate can be created, which includes information about the video media asset, to appear prior to viewing the video media asset. The information on the slate, however, must be entered manually by a user in a time consuming process. In addition, the production of a slate requires expensive video equipment such as a character generator and a time code generator, etc.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for automatically generating a slate in a short period of time at a relatively inexpensive cost.

System and method for automatically generating a slate using metadata


A device for detecting knocking in an internal combustion engine which, when spike noise or noise due to disturbance in the flame in low-load running are generated, does not erroneously detect it as knocking. Knocking frequency components passing through a band-pass filter 32 and frequency components lower than the knocking frequency and passing through a low-load noise band-pass filter 321 are picked from the ionic current detected by an ionic current detecting unit 17. When the level of the low-frequency components is larger than a predetermined value, it is regarded that the noise is generated due to unstable combustion during the low-load operation or the spike noise is generated due to corona discharge of a spark plug 16, and the determination of the occurrence of knocking is prevented. This constitution makes it possible to prevent erroneous detection of knocking.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for detecting knocking in an internal combustion engine by using ionic current. More particularly, the invention relates to a device for detecting knocking of an internal combustion engine which, even when spike noise or noise due to disturbance of the flame in low-load running are generated, does not erroneously detect it as knocking.
2. Prior Art
In an internal combustion engine using gasoline as a fuel, a gas mixture compressed by a piston is ignited by a spark plug and is burned to produce an output. That is, in normal combustion, a flame nucleus in a gas mixture is formed near the gap of the spark plug, and propagates over the whole combustion chamber.
The ignition timing of the spark plug has an intimate relationship with the output of the internal combustion engine. When the ignition timing is too late, the propagation speed of the flame becomes slow. Therefore, the combustion becomes slow, resulting in a decrease in the combustion efficiency and, hence, in a decrease in the output of the internal combustion engine.
When the ignition timing is too early, on the other hand, the propagation of flame is fast, whereby the maximum pressure of combustion rises and the output of the internal combustion engine increases. When the ignition timing is too early, however, there takes place knocking in which the mixture gas is self-ignited prior to the propagation of the flame, often damaging the internal combustion engine.
That is, it is advantageous to operate the internal combustion engine in a region where the ignition timing is set just before the occurrence of knocking (MBT: minimum spark advance for best torque) from the standpoint of fuel efficiency and output. It is very important to reliably detect the occurrence of knocking.
A knock sensor which is a vibration sensor has heretofore been used for detecting knocking. However, a device has also been studied which detects knocking by utilizing the phenomenon that ions are generated in the combustion chamber due to the combustion of the mixture gas and an ionic current flows.
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an ignition circuit for an internal combustion engine, wherein an end of a primary coil 111 of an ignition coil 11 is connected to the positive electrode of a battery 12. The other end is grounded via the collector and the emitter of a switching transistor 13 included in an igniter.
The base of the transistor 13 is connected to an ignition timing control unit 14, so that the transistor 13 is turned on when an ignition signal IGT is output from the ignition timing control unit 14.
An end of a secondary coil 112 of the ignition coil 11 is also connected to the positive electrode of the battery 12, and the other end is connected to a spark plug 16 through a reverse current-preventing diode 15, a distributor (not shown) and a high-tension cable 18.
An ionic current detecting unit 17 is connected to the cathode of a reverse current-preventing diode 15 in parallel with the spark plug 16.
The ionic current is supplied, through a protection diode 171, to a series circuit of a current-to-voltage conversion resistor 172 and a bias power source 173. A voltage generated at a point where the current-to-voltage conversion resistor 172 and the protection diode 171 are connected together, is applied to an amplifier circuit 175 comprised of an operational amplifier and a resistor through a capacitor 174 for removing a DC component.
Therefore, a voltage signal proportional to the AC component of the ionic current is output at an output terminal 176 of the ionic current detecting unit 17.
FIGS. 2A to 2E are diagrams of waveforms at each of the portions of the ignition circuit (FIG. 1) and show, respectively, an ignition signal IGT, a voltage on the grounding side of the primary coil (point P), a voltage on the high-tension side of the secondary coil (point S), and a voltage of an amplifier circuit (point I). The abscissa represents time.
When the ignition signal IGT turns to the "H" level and the transistor 13 is turned on at t.sub.1, the voltage at point P drops. Immediately after t.sub.1, a negative high-voltage pulse is generated at point S, that is, on the high-tension side of the secondary coil. However, the current is blocked by the reverse current-preventing diode 15 from flowing into the spark plug 16 and the ionic current detecting unit 17.
When the ignition signal IGT turns to the "L" level at t.sub.2 and the transistor 13 is cut off, the voltage at point P abruptly rises, and a positive high-voltage pulse is generated at point S.
The positive high-tension pulse is not blocked by the reverse current-preventing diode 15 and flows into the spark plug 16 to be discharged. It is prevented by the protection diode 171 from flowing into the ionic current detecting unit 17.
Furthermore, from t.sub.3 to t.sub.4 after the discharge of the spark plug 16, LC resonance is triggered by energy remaining in the ignition coil 11 due to parastic inductance and parastic capacitance of the high-tension cable 18 and the like.
The gas mixture in the cylinder is ignited by the discharge of the spark plug 16, ions are generated in the cylinder as the flame spreads, and an ionic current starts flowing. The ionic current increases with an increase in the pressure in the cylinder and decreases with a decrease in the pressure in the cylinder.
When knocking occurs in the internal combustion engine, knocking signals in a particular frequency band (about 6 KHz) are superposed while the ionic current decreases after having reached its peak.
In order to detect the knocking using the ionic current, therefore, it is desired to detect only the knocking signals in a particular frequency band and reject other signals (e.g., LC resonance waves). For this purpose, therefore, it is desired to provide a knocking window which opens at t.sub.5 after spurious signals disappear and closes at a suitable moment (e.g., ATDC 60.degree.) after the ionic current has decreased, and to detect the knocking based upon the output of the ionic current detecting unit 17 while the knocking window is opened.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the constitution of a device for detecting knocking by using an ionic current. The output of the ionic current detecting unit 17 is supplied to a processing unit 34 through a band-pass filter (BPF) unit 32 and an integration (or peak-holding) unit 33. The operation of the integration (or peak-holding) unit 33 is controlled by a window which is opened after a predetermined period determined depending upon the engine speed and the load, and is closed at a moment corresponding to about 50.degree. CA.
In order to maintain the accuracy for detecting knocking irrespective of the conditions for detecting the ionic current, "a method of determining abnormal combustion and device therefor" which divides the ionic current signal into one part containing a relatively greater part of knocking frequency components and another part containing relatively smaller part of knocking frequency components, and detects knocking by comparing the ratio of one part to another with a predetermined reference level are already proposed (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 61-57830).
However, the spike noise due to corona discharge of the spark plug 16 includes a wide frequency spectrum and affects the knocking frequency. Besides, the noise due to unstable combustion contains frequency components very close to the knocking frequency band. Therefore, it is not possible to accurately detect knocking by simply dividing the ionic current signal into two parts.
FIG. 4 is a diagram explaining the problems, and shows the waveforms of ionic current signals in the time domain and the frequency domain at a high-load normal combustion state, at an intermediate-load normal combustion state, at a state in which the knocking is taking place, at a state in which the spike noise is generated, and at a low-load normal combustion state.
That is, at the high-load and intermediate-load normal combustion states, the ionic current signals slowly increase and slowly decrease in the time domain when the knocking window is being opened. In the frequency domain, therefore, the level increases in the low-frequency side and decreases in the high-frequency side.
When knocking occurs, vibration components of about 6 KHz are superposed on the ionic signal while the knocking window is opened, and a peak appears near 6 KHz in the frequency domain.
When spike noise is generated while the knocking window is being opened, the level of the frequency domain rises as a whole so that it becomes difficult to extract a knocking peak from the ionic signal.
While operating at a low-load, furthermore, the flame in the combustion chamber is disturbed, and noise with a relatively low frequency spectrum is superposed on the ionic current. In the frequency domain, therefore, the level in the low-frequency band rises so that it becomes difficult to separate a knocking peak from the spectra.
The present invention provides a device for detecting knocking of an internal combustion engine, which does not erroneously detect knocking even when a spike noise or a noise due to disturbance in the flame in the low-load zone is generated.

Device for detecting knocking of an internal combustion engine


The shield shell is formed of a shield shell main body, a shield shell auxiliary member and a fixing member. The shield shell main body is made of die-cast aluminum. The shield shell auxiliary member is formed by pressing a steel plate, and has a surface plated with gold. The fixing member has a ring shape, which is formed by pressing a steel plate. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a shield shell that can be manufactured at a low cost, that can improve reliability of the shielding effect, and that can improve assembling workability of the shielded wire.

Conventionally, a plurality of electrical devices are mounted to a hybrid vehicle (HV), an electric vehicle (EV), and a fuel cell vehicle (FCV). In a vehicle mounted with a rotating electrical machine, for example, connection between the electrical devices, like between a battery and an inverter, between the inverter and the rotating electrical machine (motor generator), and between the inverter and an electrical air compressor, are established using a power cable to which a high voltage is applied and through which a large current passes. When connecting the power cable to the electrical device, connectors are generally used. More specifically, the power cable and the electrical device are provided with connectors, which have shapes capable of mating with each other. The respective connectors as a male connector and a female connector have contact points for establishing electrical connection. When the male and female connectors are mated with each other, the contact points are connected to each other to achieve electrical connection (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-075557).
FIG. 4 shows in cross section a connection structure between a power cable and an electrical device. A female connector 301 is provided on a casing 303 side. A cable 302 is connected to female connector 301. Cable 302 is coupled to an electrical device, which may be a stator of a motor generator, for example.
A power cable 100 has an insulated wire 101 and a braided conductor 110 covering the periphery of insulated wire 101. Although one insulated wire 101 is illustrated, in the case where power cable 100 is to be connected to a stator of a motor generator or the like, three insulated wires of U-phase cable, V-phase cable and W-phase cable may be used. A rod-shaped electrode 102 bent into an L-shape is connected at a tip end of insulated wire 101, which electrode is sealed with a resin 103 to expose only a tip end thereof. With this resin 103, a cylindrical guide 104 is formed to surround the tip end of rod-shaped electrode 102. Rod-shaped electrode 102, resin 103 and cylindrical guide 104 constitute a male connector 105. When female connector 301 is mated with cylindrical guide 104 of male connector 105, electrical connection is established between male connector 105 and female connector 301.
The exposed portion of male connector 105 of power cable 100 is covered with a shield shell 201 from the standpoint of grounding braided conductor 110 to casing 303 of the device, and also from the standpoint of guiding power cable 100 in a prescribed drawing direction. Shield shell 201 is usually made of die-cast aluminum, since it should be rigid enough to guide power cable 100 in the prescribed drawing direction.
Shield shell 201 has its entire surface plated for the purpose of establishing electrical conduction between braided conductor 110 and casing 303. At the portion of shield shell 201 from which power cable 100 is drawn out, braided conductor 110 is guided to cover the relevant portion, and a ring-shaped member 210 is used to fix braided conductor 110 to shield shell 201 by caulking from the outer peripheral side of braided conductor 110. Shield shell 201 is securely fixed to casing 303 by means of a bolt 202 or the like.
To connect the power cable to the electrical device using the above-described shield shell, it is necessary to prepare a shield shell having a shape corresponding to the vehicle mounting condition (i.e., corresponding to the vehicle type), which would increase the manufacturing cost due to the necessity of integral molding using aluminum, plating of the surface and the like. Further, the braided conductor is secured to the shield shell by caulking, from the standpoint of working efficiency. However, since the shield shell is hard as it is made of die-cast aluminum, it is not possible to sufficiently fix the braided conductor to the shield shell, and thus, an adequate shielding effect cannot be ensured. Furthermore, in recent years, the length of the power cable has become longer in various vehicle types. With the single-piece shield shell as described above, it is necessary to pass the entire length of the power cable through the shield shell, which results in degradation of assembling workability.


Composite or plastic molded articles used in a grand piano piano action. The articles make up a piano action with less dynamic mass which is, thus, more responsive to the piano player. In addition, the new action provides the extremely valuable collateral benefits of increased efficiency of manufacture and maintenance. Low inertia grand piano piano action comprises a repetition base with one or more of the following: an angled main beam, an angled balancier support beam, an integrated jack button stop, and a means to optionally connect a rest cushion assembly. Low inertia grand piano piano action may also comprise a heel with extremely low mass.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the piano actions of grand pianos and specifically to piano actions that "actuate" or cycle with a substantially smaller energy requirement than other grand piano piano actions.
2. Description of Related Art
Pianists feel improvement in a piano action when the energy requirement to actuate or cycle the action in a particular way is reduced. This is because the work required by pianists' fingers to cycle the action in a particular way is reduced, thereby making the piano more comfortable to play. Reductions in energy requirements to actuate piano actions allow pianists to play music with less finger strength which improves finger control. Thus, the pianist can play in a more virtuoso fashion more easily and the pianist's playing abilities are thereby improved by the new piano action. Accordingly, there is a need for a grand piano piano action that cycles in a particular way from less finger work.
The cycling of a grand piano piano action primarily occurs through rotational motion of action members, causing a hammer to strike piano strings, thereby making piano music. The finger energy requirement to actuate a grand piano piano action is directly proportional to the change in angular momentum of the members of the action system.
Grand piano piano actions consist primarily of: a repetition base, a jack, a balancier, a heel, and a set of two regulating buttons. The repetition base is the largest and heaviest of the grand piano piano action components and also incurs the largest change in inertia or momentum during cycling of the piano action. Thus, the repetition base plays a significant role in the energy requirements to actuate a piano action. Accordingly, there is a need for a repetition base for a grand piano action that incurs less momentum change during the actuation cycle of the piano action.
The heel also incurs a relatively large momentum change during cycling of the action. Accordingly, there is a need for a heel for a grand piano action that incurs less momentum change during the actuation cycle of the piano action.


A test socket assembly for electrically connecting a contact point to be tested in a test object and a contact point for testing in a testing circuit. The test socket assembly includes: a plurality of signal probes; a socket block including a bottom surface facing toward the testing circuit, a top surface facing toward the test object, a plurality of probe holes for accommodating the plurality of signal probes to be parallel with one another while opposite ends of the signal probes are exposed from the top surface and the bottom surface, and a recessed portion recessed from at least partial area of the top surface and the bottom surface excluding a circumferential area of the probe holes; and an elastic grounding member accommodated in the recessed portion and made of a conductive elastic material to come into contact with at least one of the test object and the testing circuit.

To test electric properties of a radio frequency (RF) circuit device or the like, a test socket has been used for electrically connecting a terminal of the RF circuit device to be tested and a test terminal of the testing circuit.
In general, in order to decrease cross-talk between the terminals of the RF circuit device while the RF circuit device is tested, ground voltage is applied from a ground pin of the test socket to the circumference of the terminals to be tested in the RF circuit device.
By the way, a contact surface between the RF circuit device and the test socket may have rough flatness due to a machining error. The rough flatness does not make close contact but causes a gap between the RF circuit device and the test socket. Such a gap deteriorates the isolation characteristic of the terminals to be tested in the RF circuit device, and thus causes a problem of increasing the cross-talk between the terminals to be tested.