Author: claimsbot

1. A method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles, comprising the steps of:
determining a flow field in a room; determining an age-of-air distribution with a location of microparticles immediately after their generation delivered to the room or the location at which the microparticles are discharged into the room as a starting point, on the basis of the flow field in the room; and
using conversion unit for converting the age of air with said location as the starting point into a concentration of microparticles;
wherein said converting step converts said age of air into said concentration of microparticles using a predetermined relation defining a relationship between an elapsed time t and a concentration X of microparticles, based on a type of said microparticles and a generated amount of microparticles.
2. The method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 1, wherein said relation is expressed by the following equation (1):
X(t)=\u03b1(t\u2212\u03b2)+y, X(t)\u2267\u03b4\u2003\u2003(1)
based on constants \u03b1, \u03b2, \u03b3, and \u03b4,
wherein said constants \u03b1, \u03b3, and \u03b4, depend on the type of ions or diffused microparticles, and are determined in an experiment, and said constant \u03b2 is defined by the starting point of the elapsed time.
3. The method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
constructing an analytical model in which a room is divided into microelements; and
setting a boundary condition to simulate said flow field,
wherein said step of determining the flow field in a room determines the flow field in the room on the basis of said boundary condition and parameters defining said analytical model,
said method further comprising the steps of changing said boundary condition to determine a boundary condition corresponding to a concentration of microparticles that satisfies a predetermined condition among the converted concentration of microparticles.
4. The method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 3, wherein said boundary condition includes a direction and velocity of an air current.
5. The method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
constructing an analytical model in which a room is divided into microelements;
setting a boundary condition to simulate said flow field; and
changing parameters defining said analytical model to determine parameters corresponding to a concentration of microparticles that satisfies a predetermined condition among the converted concentration of microparticles.
6. The method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 5, wherein said parameters include a size of the room, a shape of the room, and the concentration of microparticles at the starting point.
7. The method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 1, further comprising the step of changing the concentration of microparticles at the starting point of the elapsed time to determine the concentration of microparticles at said starting point corresponding to a concentration of microparticles that satisfies a predetermined condition among the converted concentration of microparticles.
8. An analyzer for performing the method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 1.
9. A computer-readable media for storing a program for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles for causing a computer to execute the method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 1.
10. A building comprising:
a sidewall;
a floor;
a ceiling; and
a room encompassed by a space surrounded by said sidewall, said floor, and said ceiling,
wherein the distance between said floor and said ceiling, the arrangement and layout of said sidewall, and the shape and size of said space are determined by parameters defining an analytical model in which a room is divided into microelements, when the concentration distribution of microparticles determined by the method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 1 satisfies a predetermined condition.
11. A microparticle diffusing device having a boundary condition for simulating a flow field and a concentration at a starting point when the concentration distribution of microparticles satisfies a predetermined condition, comprising:
a microparticle generator generating microparticles from a microparticle generation site;
an air blow path conveying microparticles generated from said microparticle generator; and
an air outlet formed at an end of said air blow path to discharge microparticles;
wherein the size, shape, blowing direction, blowing velocity, and blowing volume of said air outlet, and the generated amount of microparticles are determined using the method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 1.
12. A method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles, comprising the steps of:
determining a flow field in a room; determining an age-of-air distribution with a location of microparticles immediately after their generation delivered to the room or the location at which the microparticles are discharged into the room as a starting point, on the basis of the flow field in the room; and
using conversion unit for converting the age of air with said position as the starting point into a concentration X of microparticles;
wherein said converting step converts said age of air into said concentration of microparticles using a predetermined relation defining a relationship between an elapsed time t and an attenuation rate of microparticles, based on a type of said microparticles and a generated amount of microparticles.
13. The method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 12, wherein said relation is expressed by the following equation (2):
dXdt=\u2212\u03b11X2, X(0)=1\u03b21\u2003\u2003(2)
based on constants \u03b11 and \u03b21, and
wherein said constant \u03b11 depends on the type of ions or diffused microparticles, and is determined in an experiment, and said constant \u03b21 is defined by the generated amount of microparticles.
14. The method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 12, further comprising the steps of:
constructing an analytical model in which a room is divided into microelements; and
setting a boundary condition to simulate said flow field;
wherein said step of determining the flow field in a room determines the flow field in the room on the basis of said boundary condition and parameters defining said analytical model,
said method further comprising the steps of changing said boundary condition to determine a boundary condition corresponding to a concentration of microparticles that satisfies a predetermined condition among the converted concentration of microparticles.
15. The method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 14, wherein said boundary condition includes a direction and velocity of an air current.
16. The method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 12, further comprising the steps of:
constructing an analytical model in which a room is divided into microelements;
setting a boundary condition to simulate said flow field; and
changing parameters defining said analytical model to determine parameters corresponding to a concentration of microparticles that satisfies a predetermined condition among the converted concentration of microparticles.
17. The method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 16, wherein said parameters include a size of the room, a shape of the room, and the concentration of microparticles at the starting point.
18. An analyzer for performing the method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 12.
19. A computer-readable media for storing a program for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles for causing a computer to execute the method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 12.
20. A method for arranging or installing a microparticle diffusing device in a room, comprising the step of designing an appropriate position of arrangement and number of arrangement of microparticle diffusing devices by the program product according to claim 19.
21. A building comprising:
a sidewall;
a floor;
a ceiling; and
a room encompassed by a space surrounded by said sidewall, said floor, and said ceiling,
wherein the distance between said floor and said ceiling, the arrangement and layout of said sidewall, and the shape and size of said space are determined by parameters defining an analytical model in which a room is divided into microelements, when the concentration distribution of microparticles determined by the method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 12 satisfies a predetermined condition.
22. A microparticle diffusing device having a boundary condition for simulating a flow field and a concentration at a starting point when the concentration distribution of microparticles satisfies a predetermined condition, comprising:
a microparticle generator generating microparticles from a microparticle generation site;
an air blow path conveying microparticles generated from said microparticle generator; and
an air outlet formed at an end of said air blow path to discharge microparticles;
wherein the size, shape, blowing direction, blowing velocity, and blowing volume of said air outlet, and the generated amount of microparticles are determined using the method for predicting the concentration distribution of microparticles according to claim 12.

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. In a controller device, a method for establishing a connection between devices in a network, said method comprising:
identifying a first device selected from a first listing of devices, wherein said first device is a sink device for receiving input from another device;
selecting an input plug for said first device from a listing of input plugs for said first device, said listing of input plugs derived from state information read from said first device and not written to memory in said controller device;
identifying a second device selected from a second listing of devices, wherein said second device is a source device for providing input to another device;
selecting an output plug for said second device from a listing of output plugs for said second device, said listing of output plugs derived from state information read from said second device and not written to memory in said controller device; and
establishing a connection between said first device and said second device using said input plug and said output plug.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said network is substantially compliant with the IEEE 1394 communication bus standard.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said first listing and said second listing are the same.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said first listing comprises sink devices and said second listing comprises source devices.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein input provided to said first device is output by said second device using only said output plug.
6. The method of claim 1 comprising:
querying said first device and said second device; and
reading information provided in response to said querying, wherein said information is used for generating said listing of input plugs and said listing of output plugs.
7. The method of claim 1 comprising:
executing programmed instructions to automatically select said first device, said input plug, said second device and said output plug.
8. The method of claim 1 comprising:
recording selections of said first device, said input plug, said second device and said output plug.
9. The method of claim 1 comprising:
selecting a channel from a listing of active channels, wherein said listing of active channels identifies network connections between devices in said network.
10. A controller device for establishing a connection between devices in a network, said controller device comprising:
a user interface comprising an input-select element and an output-select element;
wherein said input-select element is operable to cause a first device to be selected from a first listing of devices and to cause an input plug for said first device to be selected from a listing of input plugs for said first device, wherein said first device is a sink device for receiving input from another device and wherein said listing of input plugs is derived from state information read from said first device but not written to memory in said controller device;
wherein said output-select element is operable to cause a second device to be selected from a second listing of devices and to cause an output plug for said second device to be selected from a listing of output plugs for said second device, wherein said second device is a source device for providing input to another device and wherein said listing of output plugs is derived from state information read from said second device but not written to memory in said controller device; and
wherein in response to selection of said input plug and selection of said output plug a connection is made between said first device and said second device via said input plug and said output plug.
11. The controller device of claim 10 wherein said network is substantially compliant with the IEEE 1394 communication bus standard.
12. The controller device of claim 10 wherein said first listing and said second listing are the same.
13. The controller device of claim 10 wherein said first listing comprises sink devices and said second listing comprises source devices.
14. The controller device of claim 10 wherein input provided to said first device is output by said second device using only said output plug.
15. The controller device of claim 10 wherein a selection of said first device, said input plug, said second device and said output plug is performed automatically according to programmed instructions.
16. The controller device of claim 10 wherein said controller device is operable to record selection of said first device, said input plug, said second device and said output plug.
17. The controller device of claim 10 wherein said input-select element is operable to cause a channel to be selected from a listing of active channels, wherein said listing of active channels identifies network connections between devices in said network.
18. A controller device for establishing a connection between devices in a network, said controller device comprising:
means for identifying a first device selected from a first listing of devices, wherein said first device is a sink device for receiving input from another device;
means for selecting an input plug for said first device from a listing of input plugs for said first device, said listing of input plugs derived from state information read from said first device and not written to memory in said controller device;
means for identifying a second device selected from a second listing of devices, wherein said second device is a source device for providing input to another device;
means for selecting an output plug for said second device from a listing of output plugs for said second device, said listing of output plugs derived from state information read from said second device and not written to memory in said controller device; and
means for establishing a connection between said first device and said second device using said input plug and said output plug.
19. The controller device of claim 18 wherein said network is substantially compliant with the IEEE 1394 communication bus standard.
20. The controller device of claim 18 wherein input provided to said first device is output by said second device using only said output plug.
21. The controller device of claim 18 comprising:
means for querying said first device and said second device; and
means for reading information provided in response to said querying, wherein said information is used for generating said listing of input plugs and said listing of output plugs.
22. The controller device of claim 18 comprising:
means for executing programmed instructions to automatically select said first device, said input plug, said second device and said output plug.
23. The controller device of claim 18 comprising:
means for recording selections of said first device, said input plug, said second device and said output plug.
24. The controller device of claim 18 comprising:
means for selecting a channel from a listing of active channels, wherein said listing of active channels identifies network connections between devices in said network.

1. A broadcast signal-receiving apparatus to receive and process analog and digital broadcast signals of a radio frequency (RF) signal format, comprising:
a tuner to convert an RF signal to a lower frequency signal to output an intermediate frequency (IF) signal;
a filter to filter the IF signal to output a digital IF signal; and
a controller to control the tuner to shift a frequency of the IF signal to a frequency band that is suitable to remove noise signals with the filter when noise signals of a predetermined magnitude are contained in the digital IF signal,
wherein the controller determines whether there are noise signals by using a bit error rate.
2. The broadcast signal-receiving apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
a channel storage unit to store channel frequency information about a plurality of channels that are receivable through the tuner; and
an IF signal processor to demodulate the digital IF signal and to correct errors in the demodulated digital IF signal,
wherein the controller checks the channel frequency information stored in the channel storage unit to determine whether there is an adjacent channel on one side of a selected first channel, and if there is a channel adjacent to the selected first channel, the controller detects a bit error rate when the IF signal processor corrects the errors in the demodulated digital IF signal, and controls the tuner to shift the frequency of the IF signal of the selected first channel to a frequency band to reduce the bit error rate.
3. The broadcast signal-receiving apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tuner comprises:
a frequency mixer to mix a frequency of the RF signal with a predetermined first frequency;
a local oscillator to generate the predetermined first frequency; and
a phase-lock loop (PLL) to control the local oscillator to generate the predetermined first frequency, and the controller controls the PLL to convert the predetermined first frequency to a predetermined second frequency to reduce the bit error rate to a value that is less than a predetermined value when the bit error rate that corresponds to the predetermined first frequency is larger than the predetermined value.
4. A broadcast receiving apparatus, comprising:
a tuner to receive an RF signal including one or more channels, and having a mixing unit to mix a frequency of a selected channel with a predetermined adjustable frequency such that the frequency of the selected channel is converted to a predetermined portion of a filter band,
wherein the mixing unit converts the frequency of the selected channel to the predetermined portion of the filter band by shifting a center frequency of the selected channel to a predetermined IF frequency, determines whether noise from an adjacent channel falls substantially outside the filter band, and re-shifts the center frequency of the selected channel closer to an end portion of the filter band when the noise from the adjacent channel does not fall substantially outside the filter band, and
wherein the mixing unit determines whether noise falls substantially outside the filter band by using a bit error rate.
5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the filter band comprises a SAW filter band having a lower boundary and an upper boundary.
6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the mixing unit converts the RF signal to an IF signal in the SAW filler band, and the apparatus further comprises:
an IF signal processor to demodulate the IF signal into display data, to determine an error rate of the display data, and to provide a feedback signal to the tuner to control the tuner to adjust the predetermined adjustable frequency such that the frequency of the selected channel is shifted closer to the lower boundary or the upper boundary of the SAW filter band.
7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:
a channel storage unit to store information about a plurality of receivable channel signals; and
a controller to access the channel storage unit to determine whether there is a channel adjacent to the selected channel.
8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the predetermined adjustable frequency corresponds to one of the lower boundary and the upper boundary of the SAW filter band.
9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the one or more channels in the RF signal include the selected channel and an adjacent channel, and the mixing unit shifts the selected channel and the adjacent channel to one of the upper boundary and the lower boundary such that the selected channel is passed inside the one of the upper boundary and the lower boundary of the SAW filter band and the adjacent channel is filtered outside the one of the upper boundary and the lower boundary of the SAW filter band.
10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the one or more channels in the RF signal include the selected channel and an adjacent channel, and the mixing unit shifts the selected channel and the adjacent channel such that the selected channel and the adjacent channel are divided by one of the upper boundary and the lower boundary of the SAW filter band.
11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the predetermined adjustable frequency comprises a first predetermined frequency, and the mixing unit receives a feedback signal indicating a proximity between the frequency of the selected channel and the upper boundary or the lower boundary of the SAW filter band.
12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the mixing unit changes the first predetermined frequency to a second predetermined frequency to shift the frequency of the selected channel closer to the upper boundary or the lower boundary when the proximity is greater than a predetermined value.
13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the mixing unit converts a frequency of the one or more channels to an intermediate frequency and inverts the frequency of the selected channel and a frequency of an adjacent channel.
14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the tuner comprises:
a local oscillator to generate the predetermined adjustable frequency; and
a phase locked loop to change the predetermined adjustable frequency from a first frequency value to a second frequency value to shift the frequency of the selected channel closer to an end portion of the filter band.
15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the mixing unit repeatedly re-shifts the center frequency of the selected channel until an error resulting from the noise from the adjacent channel is less than a predetermined error value.
16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the mixing unit re-shifts the center frequency of the selected channel by multiples of a predetermined frequency.
17. A noise signal-filtering method usable in broadcast signal-receiving apparatus to receive and process analog and digital broadcast signal of a radio frequency signal format, the method comprising:
converting a frequency of an RF signal received on a selected first channel to a lower frequency to output an intermediate frequency (IF) signal if there is an adjacent channel on one side of the first channel;
filtering the IF signal to output a digital IF signal; and
shifting a frequency of the IF signal to a frequency band suitable to remove noise signals in the filtering operation if the digital IF signal is determined to contain noise signals of a predetermined magnitude,
wherein it is determined whether there is an adjacent channel by using a bit error rate.
18. The noise signal-filtering method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the shifting of the frequency of the IF signal comprises:
demodulating the digital IF signal and correcting errors in the demodulated digital IF signal;
detecting a bit error rate when correcting the errors in the demodulated digital IF signal; and
shifting the frequency of the IF signal to a frequency band having a bit error rate that is less than a predetermined value.
19. A method of filtering noise from a broadcast signal, the method comprising:
receiving an RF signal including one or more channels;
determining whether there is a channel adjacent to a channel selected from the one or more channels by using a bit error rate;
converting the RF signal to an IF signal of a predetermined frequency;
displaying a signal received on the selected channel included in the IF signal, when there is no adjacent channel or when there are adjacent channels on each side of the selected channel; and
processing the selected channel to eliminate noise from an adjacent channel by shifting a frequency of the IF signal from the predetermined frequency such that the selected channel corresponds to a boundary of a predetermined filter band and a frequency of the adjacent channel fails outside the boundary of the predetermined filter band, when there is one channel adjacent to the selected channel.
20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the processing of the selected channel comprises determining whether a boundary between a frequency of the selected channel and the adjacent channel corresponds to the boundary of the predetermined filter band and shifting the frequencies of the selected channel and the adjacent channel closer to the boundary of the predetermined filter band when the boundary between the frequency of the selected channel and the adjacent channel is determined not to correspond to the boundary of the predetermined filter band.
21. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the processing of the selected channel comprises converting the RF signal including the one or more channels to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal and demodulating the IF signal to determine display data.
22. The method as claimed in claim 21, further comprising:
determining an error rate of the determined display data and adjusting the frequency of the selected channel and the adjacent channel when the determined error rate is greater than a predetermined error value.
23. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the processing of the selected channel comprises mixing a first predetermined frequency with the frequency of the selected channel to convert the frequency of the selected channel to an IF frequency in the predetermined filter band, and mixing a second predetermined frequency with the frequency of the selected channel and the adjacent channel when the frequency of the adjacent channel does not fall outside the predetermined filter band.
24. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the processing further comprises mixing a third predetermined frequency with the frequency of the selected channel and the adjacent channel when the frequency of the adjacent channel that is mixed with the second predetermined frequency does not fall outside the predetermined filter band.
25. A method of filtering noise in broadcast signals, the method comprising:
converting a frequency of a received signal containing one or more channels to a predetermined frequency in a filter band;
determining whether noise from an adjacent channel interferes with a signal of a selected channel that is passed by the filter band by using a bit error rate; and
shifting the converted frequency of the received signal in the filter band when noise from the adjacent channel interferes with the signal of the selected channel.
26. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising:
storing channel information about a plurality of receivable channels including channel frequencies.
27. The method as claimed in claim 26, further comprising;
accessing the stored channel information to determine whether there is a channel adjacent to the selected channel.
28. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the shifting of the converted frequency of the received signal comprises shifting the converted frequency of the received signal when it is determined that there is an adjacent channel on a single side of the selected channel, otherwise outputting the signal having the converted frequency.
29. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the received signal includes digital signals of a digital broadcast standard and analog signals of an analog broadcast standard.

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 towel rack comprising a mounting bracket, a hanging rod assembly and a pivot pin;
the mounting bracket having
a body having a length, a top edge, a bottom edge, two parallel ends and an inside surface;
two wings integrally formed with the two parallel ends of the body, extending parallel to each other from the inside surface and respectively having a through hole, wherein the through holes are aligned with each other;
a domed protrusion formed on each respective wing near the top edge, wherein the dome protrusions are aligned with each other;
multiple mounting holes are defined through the body; and
multiple limits are formed on the inside surface of the body in a line slightly above the through holes in the wings;
the hanging rod assembly pivotally attached to the mounting bracket by the pivot pin and having
two bent support rods, each having
a short portion with an inner end corresponding to one of the limits on the body and a transverse hole defined near the inner end said transverse holes being aligned with the through holes in the wings; and
a long portion obliquely extending from the short portion and having a distal end;

a cross member securely attached between the short portions of the bent support rods; and
a hanging rod securely attached to the distal ends of the long portions; and

the pivot pin extending through the two wings and the short portions of the bent support rods, wherein
the free end of the short portion of each bent support rod abuts the corresponding limit when the hanging rod assembly is lowered relative to the mounting bracket, and the hanging rod being held in place by the domed protrusions on the wings of the mounting bracket when the hanging rod assembly is raised relative to the mounting bracket.
2. The towel rack claimed in claim 1, wherein the hanging rod is curved.
3. The towel rack claimed in claim 1, wherein the pivot pin extends through the through holes in the wings and the transverse holes in the short portions of the bent support rods to pivotally attached the hanging rod assembly to the mounting bracket and the pivot pin is held in place by a nut screwed onto the pivot pin.