Abstract: A personal biometric key system uses a personal identity code transmitted to a universal biometric electronic lock via a communication system and using a clock or GPS chip and allows a person to select one or more personal biometric methods and to be personally responsible for the maintenance of the sensor and its availability. The selection can be tailored to the particular needs and circumstances of the person using the key. The person can also change the personal biometric sensor when needs and circumstances change. The organization being accessed by the key can set minimum levels for what type sensor data they will accept and for level of services they will provide for a given type sensor.

Abstract: To provide a system which is capable of automatically selecting an optimum function from a plurality of connected AV apparatus and of constructing an optimum utilization. An audio-video managing system comprises a plurality of audio-video apparatus (“AV apparatus”) and a managing apparatus which is connected with said plurality of AV apparatus. The managing apparatus comprises means for receiving AV apparatus information including information on functions of said AV apparatus and ranks of said functions, which is transmitted from said plurality of AV apparatus and for detecting duplicated functions existing among said plurality of AV apparatus, and means for determining allocation so that the duplicated function is allocated to the AV apparatus having a highest rank and optimum functions are allocated to each of said plurality of AV apparatus based upon the rank information of said function when presence of duplicated functions among said plurality of AV apparatus functions is detected.

Abstract: A Building Database Manipulator to build databases for a variety of physical environments including definitions of buildings, terrain and other site parameters, by scanning in or rapidly editing data. Raster scans may be entered or object files in various formats may be used as input. Detailed information is stored in the drawing database about the object's location, radio frequency attenuation, color, and other physical information such as electrical characteristics and intersections of the object with the ground, floors, ceilings, and other objects when objects are formatted in a drawing. The formatting process is strictly two-dimensional in nature, but the resulting drawing is a true three-dimensional environment. The user sees the three-dimensional building structure by altering the views. The resulting database may be used in a variety of modeling applications, but is especially useful for engineering, planning and management tools for in-building or microcell wireless systems.

Abstract: A lens function-including optical lens according to the present invention is constituted by: at least one step-index optical fiber; and at least one gradient index optical fiber having an outer diameter equal to that of the step-index optical fiber and having a periodic length exhibiting a lens function, the gradient index optical fiber being joined or attached to an end surface of the step-index optical fiber. The present invention is especially effective in a single mode optical fiber which is typical of the step-index optical fiber. The gradient index optical fiber can be produced by an ion exchange method.

Abstract: Objects such as pieces of mail are stacked without making significant mechanical contact with the objects by an apparatus producing a laminar flow of air over a surface which defines or parallels the desired path of movement for the objects. The objects are placed to form a barrier between the laminar air flow and ambient air so that movement, such as turning an edge of the object to prevent impact on other objects and regulation of direction velocity and kinetic energy of the motion of the objects, may be guided by the Coanda effect of the laminar flow of air. The placement of the objects thus provides an acoustic barrier to reduce the generation and propagation of noise by the high pressure air used to create the laminar flow of air. An air amplifier reduces the volume of high pressure air required to control the movement of the objects.

Abstract: A fingerprint input apparatus is provided that specifies the cause when a failure in fingerprint reading occurs and then notifies a user of the content of the cause and/or the countermeasure against it. The fingerprint input apparatus comprises a fingerprint sensor (1) for reading a fingerprint and then outputting fingerprint image data corresponding to the fingerprint, a fingerprint analyzer (3) for analyzing the quality of a fingerprint image represented by fingerprint image data and creating an evaluation result representing the cause of the quality failure and/or a countermeasure against it when the analysis result indicates a quality failure, and an evaluation result display (2) for displaying the evaluation result.

Abstract: An ink jet head including nozzles, ink chambers, and an ink channel in fluid communication with each other. A diaphragm defines one portion of each of the ink chambers. Piezoelectric actuators are disposed in confrontation with the diaphragm in a one-to-one correspondence with the ink chambers. A relay member is provided between each piezoelectric actuator and the diaphragm. Each relay member has a first abutment surface and a second abutment surface on opposite sides thereof. Each first abutment surface abuts the diaphragm across a width that extends in the nozzle alignment direction. The width of each first abutment surface is shorter than the width of the corresponding ink chamber. Each second abutment surface is coupled to the corresponding piezoelectric actuator and has a width that extends in the nozzle alignment direction. The width of each second abutment surface is equal to or shorter than the width of the corresponding piezoelectric actuator.

Abstract: A combination of active and passive force actuators provide adjustments to the shape of an optical element to reduce or compensate for aberrations in an optical system. Passive actuators at a high spatial frequency are capable of correcting higher order steady state components of shape error while dynamic corrections of higher frequency, operationally dependent is provided allowing the number of active actuators and the power supplied to each active actuator to be reduced; reducing heating of the optical element by the active actuators and increasing stability of the system. Compound actuators including a combination of an active actuator portion with a passive actuator portion (which provides a mechanical force bias to the active actuator portion) allows increased spatial flexibility of application of forces to the optical element and other advantages.

Abstract: Wideband antennas with omnidirectional coverage have both military and commercial applications. In one embodiment, the Planar Inverted Cone Antenna (PICA) is composed of a single flat element vertically mounted above a ground plane. A geometry of Planar Inverted Cone Antenna (PICA) is based on the conventional circular-disc antenna with trimmed top part having the shape of a planar-inverted cone, in a second embodiment, the Fourpoint antenna also provides balanced impedance over the operating band and has useful radiation patterns and dual polarization over its operating frequency.

Abstract: A recording head 200 has a plurality of nozzle orifices aligned in a row extending in a first direction. The recording head 200 is arranged with the nozzle orifices in confrontation with a recording medium P. The recording medium P is moved in a second direction B with respect to the recording head 200. Also, ink droplets ejected from the nozzle orifices are charged to a charged amount that corresponds to deflection amount of the ink droplets. The charged ink droplets are deflected in a direction perpendicular to a main scanning line. The plurality of ink droplets ejected from the plurality of nozzle orifices impinge on the same pixel position or at a nearby position so that it is possible to impinge multiple droplets at the same pixel position or a nearby position. As a result, it is possible to back up broken nozzles and to reduce recording distortion.

Abstract: A reflection type diffraction grating according to the present invention has a structure in which a metal film as a first layer with reflectance not lower than 30% with respect to the wavelength of incident light and a transparent dielectric film as a second layer are laminated successively on the surface of the reflection type diffraction grating. With respect to the wavelength of incident light, the metal film has a refractive index selected to be not higher than 1.5 and an extinction coefficient selected to be not smaller than 6.0. The transparent dielectric film has a refractive index selected to be in a range of from 1.30 to 1.46, both inclusively, with respect to the wavelength of incident light and has an optical film thickness selected to be in a range of from 0.20? to 0.38?, both inclusively, when ? is the wavelength of incident light.

Abstract: A method is presented for marking high-quality digital images with a robust and invisible watermark. It requires the mark to survive and remain detectable and authenticatable through all image manipulations that in themselves do not damage the image beyond useability. These manipulations include JPEG “lossy” compression and, in the extreme, the printing and rescanning of the image. The watermark also has the property that it can detect if the essential contents of the image has changed. The first phase of the method comprises extracting a digest or number N from the image so that N only (or mostly) depends on the essential information content, such that the same number N can be obtained from a scan of a high quality print of the image, from the compressed form of the image, or in general, from the image after minor modifications (introduced inadvertently by processing, noise etc.). The second phase comprises the marking.

Abstract: The invention provides molecules that encode sphingosine kinase, the enzyme that catalyzes the phosphorylation of sphingosine to form sphingosine-1-phosphate (SPP). Vectors and host cells which express sphingosine kinase are also provided, as are methods for evaluating the stimulatory or inhibitory effects of agents on sphingosine kinase production and activity.

Abstract: In an optical write head, a rod lens array, a substrate support member for supporting a substrate, and a driver circuit board are fixedly held by a support member. The support member and the substrate support member are formed from metallic material, and a frame of the rod lens array is formed from a glass plate. Further, distance between a light-emitting section of a light-emitting device array and a light-incident end face of the rod lens array is adjusted, by means of rotating eccentric pins. Further, light-emitting device array chips are die-bonded on the substrate bonded at predetermined positions on the substrate support member while the position of the substrate support member is taken as a reference plane.

Abstract: A method for validating a specific device configuration when the set of all valid configurations is too large to practically enumerate. The method comprises the steps of selecting a set of components to be included in the device configuration, wherein the set has a single sink component in the set with only sink interfaces; defining an interface for each component, wherein each component is characterized as having a source or a sink property; and establishing connections between components based on the interface of each component. Connections are validated by ensuring that source and sink components have the same property values. Connections are established by verifying that the capacity of the sink is greater than or equal to the capacity of the source, and determining that for each source property there is one sink property with the same value and for each source property that there is one sink property with the same value.

Abstract: A fingerprint input apparatus includes scattered light and a two-dimensional image sensor. The scattered light is generated inside a finger having a fingerprint pattern in accordance with external light. The fingerprint pattern is made up of a ridge portion and a valley portion. The two-dimensional image sensor is made of a large number of light-receiving elements arranged in a two-dimensional array. The image of the fingerprint pattern is input to a light-receiving surface of the light-receiving element. The light-receiving element whose light-receiving surface is in substantially contact with the ridge portion detects as the ridge portion a bright portion where the scattered light emerging from the finger reaches at a high intensity. The light-receiving element whose light-receiving surface corresponds to the valley portion via a space detects as the valley portion a dark portion where the scattering light emerging from the finger reaches at a low intensity.

Abstract: In the invention, light incident onto an end surface of one-dimensional photonic crystal is phase-modulated in the same period and direction as those of the photonic crystal to thereby propagate only specific high-order band light in the photonic crystal. That is, a phase modulation unit for generating phase-modulated wave having the same period as that of the periodic structure is disposed adjacent or close to a light incident surface of the periodic structure.

Abstract: A semiconductor method integrates a DTC on SOI for the purpose of accomplishing a robust circuit design with low noise while reducing the silicon area used. The DTC for SOI devices comprises a buried oxide layer on a silicon substrate with a silicon layer over the buried oxide layer. Shallow trench insulation extends to the buried oxide layer in the silicon layer. A first trench is formed in the shallow trench insulation and extends through the buried oxide layer into the silicon substrate. The first trench has formed on the walls thereof an oxide insulating layer and is then filled with polysilicon to form the DTC. A second trench is formed in the silicon layer adjacent to the first trench and extends through the buried oxide layer into the silicon substrate. The second trench is filled with polysilicon and forms the substrate contact for the DTC.

Abstract: A non-magnetic layer is laminated on a lower magnetic layer. A first upper magnetic layer is formed on the non-magnetic layer so as to form a magnetic core together with the lower magnetic layer and the non-magnetic layer. The first upper magnetic layer has a first saturation magnetic flux density and a first magnetostriction constant. An insulation layer is formed on the non-magnetic layer. A thin film coil is provided in the insulation layer. A second upper magnetic layer is formed on the insulation layer so as to be at least above the thin film coil. The second upper magnetic layer has a second saturation magnetic flux density and a second magnetostriction constant. The first saturation magnetic flux density is higher than the second saturation magnetic flux density. The second magnetostriction constant is lower than the first magnetostriction constant.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method according to which a metal (13) is re-shaped by a primary forming process. The aim of the invention is to improve such a method so that heat can be relatively easily added to the part and so that the addition can be varied as regards space and time. To this end, a voltage is applied to parts of the primary forming device between which the metal is disposed during the insertion process and/or during the primary forming process and/or during a subsequent treatment in the primary form after the primary forming process so that a closed circuit is produced and heat energy is supplied to the metal by the closed circuit.