Author: claimsbot

What is claimed is:

1. An anti-microbial touch panel comprising:
a substrate;
an active portion on one surface of said substrate; and
a homeotropic organosilane layer deposited on said active portion for reducing the survivability of microorganisms contacting the touch panel.
2. The anti-microbial touch panel of claim 1 in which said active portion further includes a conductive layer.
3. The anti-microbial touch panel of claim 2 in which said active portion further includes a protective layer.
4. The anti-microbial touch panel of claim 3 in which said protective layer includes an organosiloxane.
5. The anti-microbial touch panel of claim 1 in which said active portion further includes a deformable conductive layer disposed on said conductive layer.
6. The anti-microbial touch panel of claim 1 in which said organosilane includes a liquid crystal silane.
7. The anti-microbial touch panel of claim 6 in which said in which said substrate is transparent.
8. The anti-microbial touch panel of claim 7 in which said transparent substrate is glass.
9. The anti-microbial touch panel of claim 6 in which said touch panel is a computer touch screen.
10. The anti-microbial touch panel of claim 6 in which said first conductive layer includes a metal oxide.
11. The anti-microbial touch panel of claim 1 further including a second conductive layer disposed on said substrate on a surface opposite said active portion.
12. The anti-microbial touch panel of claim 10 in which said first and said second conductive layers are tin oxide.
13. An anti-microbial touch panel comprising:
an insulative substrate;
a conductive layer disposed on one surface of said insulative substrate; and
a homeotropic organosilane layer disposed on said conductive layer for reducing survivability of microorganisms contacting said touch panel.
14. An anti-microbial touch panel comprising:
an insulative substrate;
a conductive layer disposed on one surface of said insulative substrate;
a deformable conductive layer disposed on said conductive layer; and
a homeotropic organosilane layer disposed on said deformable conductive layer for reducing survivability of microorganisms contacting said touch panel.
15. An anti-microbial touch panel comprising:
an insulative substrate;
an active portion disposed on said substrate, said active portion having at least a first conductive layer disposed adjacent said insulative substrate, a deformable conductive layer adjacent and spaced from said first conductive layer and a protective layer disposed on said deformable conductive layer; and
a homeotropic organosilane layer disposed on said active portion for reducing survivability of microorganism contacting said touch panel.
16. A method for producing an anti-microbial touch panel comprising:
combining a transportation medium and a homeotropic organosilane; and
applying the combination to the touch panel.
17. The method of claim 16 in which said touch panel includes a transparent touch panel.
18. The method of claim 16 further including chemically activating a surface of the touch panel with an organosilane primer prior to applying said homeotropic organosilane.
19. The method of claim 16 in which said organosilane includes a liquid crystal silane.
20. The method of claim 16 further including heating the touch panel after applying said combination, to a temperature below the dissociation temperature of the combination.
21. The method of claim 16 in which said transportation medium includes water.
22. The method of claim 16 in which the transportation medium includes alcohol.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A wireless communication device, comprising:
a wireless assembly for wireless communications with an electronic communication device;
said wireless assembly selected from the group consisting of a wireless headset, a wireless earset, and a wireless earpiece;
said wireless assembly comprising a pivotable boom for pivoting about an axis from a closed compact position to an open use position; and
said electronic communication device selected from the group consisting of a mobile phone, flip phone, portable networking device, internet communication device, camera phone, clamshell phone, radio telephone, cellular phone, smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld electronic device, and combinations of any of the preceding.
2. A wireless communication device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said wireless assembly contains at least one microphone.
3. A wireless communication device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said wireless assembly comprises at least one tactile button and said boom comprises at least one tactile button.
4. A wireless communication device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said wireless assembly comprises a pivotable audio transducer including a speaker on a pivotable stem for accommodating the left ear or right ear of the user.
5. A wireless communication device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said wireless assembly comprises:
an audio transducer on a pivotable stem;
said stem being pivotable about the same axis as said boom; and
said boom being independently and separately pivotable from said stem.
6. A wireless communication device in accordance with claim 1 comprising at least one tactile spring loaded cam for clicking and for audibly indicating to the user the position of the boom andor stem.
7. A wireless communication device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said wireless assembly comprises at least one magnet for holding the boom in the closed compact position.
8. A wireless communication device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said wireless assembly comprises:
a body;
a circuit board;
a bundle of wires for connecting said body to said circuit board;
a tubular connector about the same axis of said boom for receiving said bundle; and
said tubular connector selected from the group consisting of a hollow screw or hollow rivet.
9. A wireless communication device in accordance with claim 1 wherein:
said boom can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise; and
said transducer includes an earbud or earphone.
10. A wireless communication device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said wireless assembly comprises:
a pivotable audio transducer coupled to said boom;
said boom comprising a boom housing assembly with a spring-loaded cam;
said boom pulls and pivots said pivotable audible transducer;
said audible transducer pivots on a pivotable stem;
said boom and pivotable stem cooperating with said spring-loaded cam for providing a tactile andor click feedback; and
said boom comprises an angularly telescoping boom cooperating with said stem.
11. A wireless communication device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said wireless assembly comprises:
an electrical switch selected from the group consisting of a hall effect switch and reed switch;
at least one magnet in said boom for activating said switch when said boom is pivoting to detect pivoting of said boom; and
said wireless assembly is operable in different software modes.
12. A wireless communication device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said wireless assembly comprises:
a body;
a circuit board;
wires for connecting said body to said circuit board; and
said wires are routed outside of and spaced from the axis.
13. A communication device, comprising:
a assembly for communications with an electronic communication device;
said assembly selected from the group consisting of a headset, a earset, and a earpiece;
said assembly comprising a pivotable boom for pivoting about an axis from a closed compact position to an open use position;
said electronic communication device selected from the group consisting of a mobile phone, flip phone, portable networking device, internet communication device, camera phone, clamshell phone, radio telephone, cellular phone, smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld electronic device, and combinations of any of the preceding; and
said assembly is selected from the group consisting of (a) a wireless assembly with an antenna for wireless communications with said electronic device, and (b) a wire assembly hard wired by detachable electric wires to said electronic device.
14. A communication device in accordance with claim 13 wherein said boom contains at least one microphone and tactile button.
15. A communication device in accordance with claim 13 wherein:
said wireless assembly comprises a pivotable audio transducer including a speaker on a pivotable stem for accommodating the left ear or right ear of the user; and
said stem is pivotable about the same axis as said boom.
16. A wireless communication device, comprising:
a wireless assembly for wireless communications with an electronic communication device;
said wireless assembly selected from the group consisting of a wireless headset, a wireless earset, and a wireless earpiece;
said wireless assembly comprising a pivotable boom for pivoting about an axis from a closed compact position to an open use position;
said electronic communication device selected from the groups consisting of a mobile phone, flip phone, portable networking device, internet communication device, camera phone, clamshell phone, radio telephone, cellular phone, smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld electronic device, and combinations of any of the preceding;
said boom comprising at least one microphone and tactile button and said tactile button being selected from the group consisting of a hang up button, shutoff button and answering button;
a housing with tactile buttons comprising a slidable power button, mute button, and a volume control button, and said housing containing a battery;
an antenna connected to said housing for receiving signals from said electronic communication device;
a pivotable audio transducer including a speaker on a pivotable stem for accommodating the left ear or right ear of the user and said stem being pivotable about the same axis as said boom; and
at least one magnet for holding the boom in the closed compact position.
17. A wireless communication device in accordance with claim 16 wherein said wireless assembly comprises:
a body;
a circuit board;
a bundle of wires for connecting said body to said circuit board;
a tubular connector positioned about the same axis of said boom for receiving said bundle; and
said tubular connector selected from the group consisting of a hollow screw and hollow rivet.
18. A wireless communication device in accordance with claim 16 wherein:
said boom can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise; and
said transducer includes an earbud or earphone.
19. A communication device in accordance with claim 16 wherein:
said boom contains two microphone and defines two ports including an inner microphone about an inner port and an outer microphone about an outer port; and
said inner and outer microphones being spaced apart and cooperating with each other for providing noise cancellation.
20. A communication device in accordance with claim 13 wherein said wireless assembly comprises:
a pivotable tower for housing said stem and supporting said audible transducer; and
said tower pivots relative to said housing and said boom.

1. One or more computer-storage devices having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that when executed by a computing device perform a method of identifying gestures using a multidevice network with an ad hoc spatial configuration, wherein one or more devices in the multidevice network do not possess complete location information for other devices in the multidevice network, the method comprising:
completing an initial discovery phase to identify a first device, a second device, and one or more additional devices with a view of the performance area and an ability to communicate sensory data describing the view;
receiving a first sensory input generated by a first set of one or more sensors associated with the will first device, the first sensory input describing a first view of a performance area;
receiving a second sensory input generated by a second set of one or more sensors associated with the second device, the second sensory input describing a second view of the performance area that differs from the first view;
identifying a person within the performance area that appears in both the first view and the second view;
calculating a location of the first device relative to the second device by comparing the first device’s distance from the person and the first device’s orientation to the person with the second device’s distance to the person and the second device’s orientation to the person;
determining that the person performed a gesture using sensory input from the first device and the second device, wherein the gesture is performed facing neither the first device nor the second device;
determining that the sensory input from the first device and the second device is inadequate to interpret the gesture; and
conducting a supplemental discovery phase to heuristically add devices to the ad hoc network in order to gain access to sensors that are able to provide data that allows the gesture to be interpreted.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises projecting available portions of a sensory volume, which is derived from the sensory input from the first device and the second device, onto a desired plane that is consistent with a normalized view of the gesture.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein the person is moving and Previously Presented sensory input from the first device and the second device generated by the person changing location and orientation are used to calculate a refined location of the first device relative to the second device.
4. The device of claim 1, and wherein the method further comprises calculating a skeletal geometry for the person and using the skeletal geometry to determine orientation of the first device and the second device to the person.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises using the first sensory input and the second sensory input to identify social clusters of people within the performance area by analyzing people’s relative locations and interactions with each other.
6. The device of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises, in response to the gesture, performing an action that only impacts people within a particular social cluster.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises communicating an instruction the person to perform a gesture that enables the person to be located using the first sensory input and the second sensory input.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determining a value of information for sensory data generated by other sensors that are not part of the multidevice network and adding one or more sensors to the multidevice network based on the value of information.
9. The device of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises, in response to the gesture, without human intervention, changing control of at least one display within the performance area to the person from a different person.
10. A method of identifying gestures using a multidevice network with an ad hoc spatial configuration, wherein one or more devices in the multidevice network do not possess complete location information for other devices in the multidevice network, the method comprising:
completing an initial discovery phase to identify a first device, a second device, and one or more additional devices with a view of the performance area and an ability to communicate sensory data describing the view;
receiving a first sensory input generated by a first set of one or more sensors associated with the will first device, the first sensory input describing a first view of a performance area;
receiving a second sensory input generated by a second set of one or more sensors associated with the second device, the second sensory input describing a second view of the performance area that differs from the first view;
identifying a person within the performance area that appears in both the first view and the second view;
calculating a location of the first device relative to the second device by comparing the first device’s distance from the person and the first device’s orientation to the person with the second device’s distance to the person and the second device’s orientation to the person;
determining that the person performed a gesture using sensory input from the first device and the second device, wherein the gesture is performed facing neither the first device nor the second device;
determining that the sensory input from the first device and the second device is inadequate to interpret the gesture; and
conducting a supplemental discovery phase to heuristically add devices to the ad hoc network in order to gain access to sensors that are able to provide data that allows the gesture to be interpreted.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises projecting available portions of a sensory volume, which is derived from the sensory input from the first device and the second device, onto a desired plane that is consistent with a normalized view of the gesture.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the person is moving and Previously Presented sensory input from the first device and the second device generated by the person changing location and orientation are used to calculate a refined location of the first device relative to the second device.
13. The method of claim 10, and wherein the method further comprises calculating a skeletal geometry for the person and using the skeletal geometry to determine orientation of the first device and the second device to the person.
14. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises using the first sensory input and the second sensory input to identify social clusters of people within the performance area by analyzing people’s relative locations and interactions with each other.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises, in response to the gesture, performing an action that only impacts people within a particular social cluster.
16. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises communicating an instruction the person to perform a gesture that enables the person to be located using the first sensory input and the second sensory input.
17. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises determining a value of information for sensory data generated by other sensors that are not part of the multidevice network and adding one or more sensors to the multidevice network based on the value of information.
18. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises, in response to the gesture, without human intervention, changing control of at least one display within the performance area to the person from a different person.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

What is claimed is:

1. An exhaust emission control system for a vehicle internal combustion engine, comprising:
a vacuum brake booster that supplements a vehicle braking force by utilizing negative pressure developed in an air intake system of the internal combustion engine;
an exhaust purification promoting device that promotes purification of exhaust emitted from the internal combustion engine such that the negative pressure developed in the air intake system of the internal combustion engine approximates an atmospheric pressure;
an actual braking force correlation value detecting device that detects a correlation value of an actual braking force that can be actually generated by the vacuum brake booster;
a required braking force correlation value detecting device that detects a required braking force correlation value of a required braking force required to be generated by the vacuum brake booster; and
a restricting device that restricts the exhaust emission purification promoting operation of said exhaust emission purification promoting device when the correlation value of the required braking force detected by said required braking force correlation value detecting device is greater than the correlation value of the actual braking force detected by said actual braking force correlation value detecting device.
2. An exhaust emission control system for a vehicle internal combustion engine according to claim 1,
wherein said actual braking force correlation value detecting device detects the correlation value of the actual braking force based on a magnitude of an actual negative pressure developed in the air intake system of the internal combustion engine.
3. An exhaust emission control system for a vehicle internal combustion engine according to claim 1,
wherein said actual braking force correlation value detecting device detects the correlation value of the actual braking force based on a magnitude of an actual negative pressure developed in a vacuum chamber of the vacuum brake booster.
4. An exhaust emission control system for a vehicle internal combustion engine according to claim 1,
wherein said required braking force correlation value detecting device detects the correlation value of the required braking force based on at least one of a vehicle speed, a vehicle inclination, and a stroke of a brake pedal depressed by a driver.
5. An exhaust emission control system for a vehicle internal combustion engine according to claim 1,
wherein said actual braking force correlation value detecting device detects a magnitude of an actual negative pressure developed in the air intake system of the internal combustion engine as the correlation value of the actual braking force; and
said required braking force correlation value detecting device detects a magnitude of a required negative pressure as the correlation value of the required braking force based on at least one of a vehicle speed, a vehicle inclination, and a stroke of a brake pedal depressed by a driver.
6. An exhaust emission control system for a vehicle internal combustion engine according to claim 1,
wherein said exhaust emission purifying promoting device is operable to promote purification of exhaust emitted from said internal combustion engine when the internal combustion engine is cold-started.
7. An exhaust emission control system for a vehicle internal combustion engine according to claim 1,
wherein said exhaust emission purifying promoting device is exhaust flow control device for promoting purification of exhaust by suppressing flow of exhaust in an exhaust passage of the internal combustion engine.
8. An exhaust emission control system for a vehicle internal combustion engine according to claim 1,
wherein the internal combustion engine is a cylinder injection type internal combustion engine, and
wherein said exhaust emission purification promoting device is a two-stage combustion device for supplying fuel into a combustion chamber such that main injection for main combustion is carried out in one of an intake stroke and a compression stroke, and sub-injection is carried out from an expansion stroke, thereby increasing an exhaust gas temperature to promote exhaust purification.
9. An exhaust emission control system for a vehicle internal combustion engine according to claim 8,
wherein said exhaust emission purification promoting device further includes an exhaust flow control device for promoting exhaust purification by suppressing flow of exhaust in an exhaust passage of the internal combustion engine, and
wherein said restricting device inhibits operations of both said two-combustion device and said exhaust flow control device when the correlation value of the required braking force detected by said required braking force correlation value detecting device is greater than the correlation value of the actual braking force detected by said actual braking force correlation value detecting device.
10. An exhaust emission control system for a vehicle internal combustion engine according to claim 8,
wherein said restricting device prohibits said two-combustion device from carrying out the two-stage combustion when the correlation value of the required braking force detected by said required braking force correlation value detecting device is greater than the correlation value of the actual braking force detected by said actual braking force correlation value detecting device.
11. An exhaust emission control system for a vehicle internal combustion engine according to claim 10, further comprising:
a slight lean operation device that carries out a compression slight lean operation in which fuel is supplied into the combustion chamber such that an air-fuel ratio is a slight lean air-fuel ratio in the compression stroke, thereby increasing the exhaust gas temperature to promote exhaust purification,
wherein said restricting device prohibits said two-stage combustion device from carrying out the two-stage combustion and causes said slight lean operation device to carry out the compression slight lean operation.
12. An exhaust emission control system for a vehicle internal combustion engine, comprising:
a vacuum brake booster that supplements a vehicle braking force by utilizing negative pressure developed in an air intake system of the internal combustion engine;
an exhaust purification promoting device that promotes purification of exhaust emitted from the internal combustion engine such that the negative pressure developed in the air intake system of the internal combustion engine approximates an atmospheric pressure;
a restricting device that restricts the exhaust emission purification promoting operation of said exhaust emission purification promoting device when the correlation value of the required braking force is greater than the correlation value of the actual braking force.
13. A brake control method for an exhaust emission control system for a vehicle internal combustion engine, comprising:
detecting an actual brake force correlation value of an actual braking force that can be actually generated by a vacuum brake booster;
detecting required braking force correlation value of a required braking force required to be generated by the vacuum brake booster; and
restricting an exhaust emission purification promoting operation of an exhaust emission purification promoting device for promoting purification of exhaust emitted from the internal combustion engine such that negative pressure developed in an air intake system of the internal combustion engine approximates an atmospheric pressure, when the correlation value of the required braking force is greater than the correlation value of the actual braking force.