Author: claimsbot

What is claimed is:

1. A toroidal-type continuously variable transmission, comprising:
an input shaft;
an input disk rotatable together with said input shaft;
an output disk disposed concentrically with said input disk and supported rotatable with respect to said input disk;
a plurality of trunnions respectively swingable about support shafts disposed at twisted positions with respect to the center axes of said input and output disks;
a plurality of shift shafts respectively supported on said trunnions;
a plurality of power rollers respectively rotatably supported on said shift shafts and interposed between said input and output disks; and
thrust ball bearings for supporting thrust loads applied to said power rollers,
wherein each of said thrust ball bearing comprises:
an inner ring raceway formed in the outer peripheral surface of said power roller;
an outer ring including an outer ring raceway formed in the inner peripheral surface thereof;
a plurality of rolling elementss interposed between and rollable along said inner ring raceway and said outer ring raceway; and,
a retainer for holding said balls therein,

wherein said retainer is formed of high strength brass and said high strength brass has a micro structure in which the phase thereof is 40% or more in the area ratio thereof, and the hardness of said retainer is set at HB80 or higher.
2. The toroidal-type continuously variable transmission according to claim 1, wherein the phase of the high strength brass is 80% or less in the area ratio of the micro structure.
3. The toroidal-type continuously variable transmission according to claim 1, wherein the retainer is a circular-ring shaped retainer.

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 method for determining a distance between a first device and a second device, the method comprising:
determining a first time of arrival for a first signal from a first base station sent to the second device via the first device;
determining a second time of arrival for a second signal sent directly from a second base station to the second device; and
determining the distance between the first device and the second device using the first and the second times of arrivals.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first base station serves the first device.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein:
the first base station and the second base station are the same base station;
the same base station serves the first and the second devices; and
the same base station aligns timing of the first device and the second device to a common serving base station time.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the second base station serves the second device.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first and the second base stations are synchronized and timing of the first device and the second device is aligned to a common serving base station time.
6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:
determining a third time of arrival for a third signal from the second base station sent to the second device via the first device;
determining a fourth time of arrival for a fourth signal sent directly from the first base station to the second device; and
determining the distance between the first device and the second device using the first, second, third and fourth times of arrival.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first base station and the second base station are not synchronized.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the distance between the first device and the second device comprises obtaining a difference between the first and the fourth times of arrival and between the second and the third times of arrival.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the distance between the first device and the second device comprises obtaining a difference between the first and second times of arrival.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein a messaging protocol used for sending and receiving signals is one of Long Term Evolution Positioning Protocol (LPP), LPP Extensions (LPPe) and Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol.
11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining that the distance between the first device and the second device is lower than or higher than a threshold; and
enabling or disabling, respectively, communication between the first device and the second device using a device-to-device mode, wherein the device-to-device mode comprises the first device and the second device communicating with each other without sending data through the first base station or the second base station.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining that the distance between the first device and the second device is lower than a threshold; and
informing each of the first device and second device of being in proximity to the other device for one or more proximity services of interest to each of the first device and second device.
13. A device, comprising:
a transceiver configured to:
receive a first signal from a first base station sent to the device via a second device; and
receive a second signal sent directly from a second base station to the device; and

a processor configured to:
determine a first time of arrival for the first signal;
determine a second time of arrival for the second signal; and
determine a distance between the device and the second device using the first and the second times of arrivals.
14. The device of claim 13, wherein the first base station serves the second device.
15. The device of claim 14, wherein:
the first base station and the second base station are the same base station;
the same base station serves the device and the second device; and
the same base station aligns timing of the device and the second device to a common serving base station time.
16. The device of claim 14, wherein the second base station serves the device.
17. The device of claim 16, wherein the first and the second base stations are synchronized and timing of the device and the second device is aligned to a common serving base station time.
18. The device of claim 16, wherein
the transceiver is further configured to:
receive a third signal from the second base station sent to the device via the second device; and
receive a fourth signal sent directly from the first base station to the device; and

the processor is further configured to:
determine a third time of arrival for the third signal;
determine a fourth time of arrival for the fourth signal; and
determine the distance between the device and the second device using the first, second, third and fourth times of arrival.
19. The device of claim 18 wherein the first base station and the second base station are not synchronized.
20. The device of claim 18, wherein determining the distance between the device and the second device, by the processor, comprises obtaining a difference between the first and the fourth times of arrival and between the second and the third times of arrival.
21. The device of claim 13, wherein determining the distance between the device and the second device comprises obtaining a difference between the first and second times of arrival.
22. The device of claim 13, wherein a messaging protocol used for sending and receiving signals is one of Long Term Evolution Positioning Protocol (LPP), LPP Extensions (LPPe) and Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol.
23. The device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine that the distance between the device and the second device is lower than or higher than a threshold; and
enable or disabling, respectively, communication between the device and the second device using a device-to-device mode, wherein the device-to-device mode comprises the device and the second device communicating with each other without sending data through the first base station or the second base station.
24. The device of claim 13, wherein the process is further configured to:
determine that the distance between the first device and the second device is lower than a threshold; and
inform, using the transceiver, each of the first device and second device of being in proximity to the other device for one or more proximity services of interest to each of the first device and second device.
25. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprises instructions executable by a processor, the instructions comprising instructions to:
determine a first time of arrival for a first signal from a first base station sent to a second device via a first device;
determine a second time of arrival for a second signal sent directly from a second base station to the second device; and
determine a distance between the first device and the second device using the first and the second times of arrivals.
26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the instructions executable by a processor further comprise instructions to:
determine that the distance between the first device and the second device is lower than or higher than a threshold; and
enable or disable, respectively, communication between the first device and the second device using a device-to-device mode, wherein the device-to-device mode comprises the first device and the second device communicating with each other without sending data through the first base station or the second base station.
27. A device, comprising:
means for determining a first time of arrival for a first signal from a first base station sent to the device via a second device;
means for determining a second time of arrival for a second signal sent directly from a second base station to the device; and
means for determining a distance between the device and the second device using the first and the second times of arrivals.
28. The device of claim 27, wherein the first base station serves the second device.
29. The device of claim 28, wherein:
the first base station and the second base station are the same base station;
the same base station serves the device and the second device; and
the same base station aligns timing of the device and the second device to a common serving base station time.
30. The device of claim 28, wherein the second base station serves the device.
31. The device of claim 30, wherein the first and the second base stations are synchronized and timing of the device and the second device is aligned to a common serving base station times.
32. The device of claim 30, further comprising:
means for determining a third time of arrival for a third signal from the second base station sent to the device via the second device;
means for determining a fourth time of arrival for a fourth signal sent directly from the first base station to the device; and
means for determining the distance between the device and the second device using the first, second, third and fourth times of arrival.
33. The device of claim 32, wherein the first base station and the second base station are not synchronized.
34. The device of claim 32, wherein determining the distance between the device and the second device comprises means for obtaining a difference between the first and the fourth times of arrival and between the second and the third times of arrival.
35. The device of claim 27, wherein determining the distance between the device and second device comprises means for obtaining a difference between the first and second times of arrival.
36. The device of claim 27, wherein a messaging protocol used for sending and receiving signals is one of Long Term Evolution Positioning Protocol (LPP), LPP Extensions (LPPe) and Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol.
37. The device of claim 27, further comprising:
means for determining that the distance between the device and the second device is lower than or higher than a threshold; and
means for enabling or disabling, respectively, communication between the device and the second device using a device-to-device mode, wherein the device-to-device mode comprises the device and the second device communicating with each other without sending data through the first base station or the second base station.
38. The device of claim 27, further comprising:
means for determining that the distance between the first device and the second device is lower than a threshold; and
means for informing each of the first device and second device of being in proximity to the other device for one or more proximity services of interest to each of the first device and second device.

1. A communication device comprising:
a modulating component operable to generate a first modulated packet and a second modulated packet, the first modulated packet being based on a first modulation scheme, the second modulated packet being based on a second modulation scheme, the first modulation scheme having a first amount of energy associated therewith, the second modulation scheme having a second amount of energy associated therewith, the first amount of energy being less than the second amount of energy;
a transmitting component connected to the modulating component, the transmitting component operable to generate a transmit packet based on one of the first modulated packet and the second modulated packet, and
a controlling component connected to the modulating component, the controlling component operable to generate a control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate the first modulated packet when the energy of the transmit packet will be less than a predetermined threshold,
in which the threshold is based on the first amount of energy.
2. The communication device of claim 1,
in which the modulating component is further operable to generate a third modulated packet based on a third modulation scheme having a third amount of energy associated therewith, the second amount of energy being less than the third amount of energy,
in which the controlling component is further operable to generate the control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate the second modulated packet when the transmit packet will be greater than the predetermined threshold and less than a second predetermined threshold, and
in which the transmitting component is further operable to transmit the transmit packet based on the third modulated packet.
3. The communication device of claim 2, including:
a power detecting component operable to generate a detected power signal based on an amount of accessible power,
in which the controlling component is further connected to the power detecting component, the controlling component is further operable to generate the control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate one of the first modulated packet or the second modulated packet based on the detected power signal.
4. The communication device of claim 3, including:
a receiving component operable to receive a communication signal having power information therein based on a second amount of accessible power of a second device,
in which the controlling component is further connected to the receiving component, the controlling component is further operable to generate the control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate one of the first modulated packet or the second modulated packet based on the communication signal.
5. The communication device of claim 4, in which the transmitting component is further operable to transmit the one of the first modulated packet and the second modulated packet in accordance with one of PRIME, ITU G9903 and IEEE 1901.2.
6. The communication device of claim 1, including:
a power detecting component operable generate a detected power signal based on an amount of accessible power,
in which the controlling component is further connected to the power detecting component, the controlling component is further operable to generate the control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate one of the first modulated packet or the second modulated packet based on the detected power signal.
7. The communication device of claim 6, including:
a receiving component operable to receive a communication signal having power information therein based on a second amount of accessible power of a second device,
in which the controlling component is further operable to generate the control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate one of the first modulated packet or the second modulated packet based on the communication signal.
8. The communication device of claim 7, in which the transmitting component is further operable to transmit the one of the first modulated packet and the second modulated packet in accordance with one of PRIME, ITU G9903 and IEEE 1901.2.
9. The communication device of claim 1, including:
a receiving component operable to receive a communication signal having power information therein based on a second amount of accessible power of a second device,
in which the controlling component is further connected to the receiving component, the controlling component is further operable to generate the control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate one of the first modulated packet or the second modulated packet based on the communication signal.
10. The communication device of claim 1, in which the transmitting component is further operable to transmit the one of the first modulated packet and the second modulated packet in accordance with one of PRIME, ITU G9903 and IEEE 1901.2.
11. A communication method comprising:
generating, via a modulating component, one of a first modulated packet and a second modulated packet, the first modulated packet being based on a first modulation scheme, the second modulated packet being based on a second modulation scheme, the first modulation scheme having a first amount of energy associated therewith, the second modulation scheme having a second amount of energy associated therewith, the first amount of energy being less than the second amount of energy;
transmitting, via a transmitting component, a transmit packet based on the one of the first modulated packet and the second modulated packet; and
generating, via a controlling component, a control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate the first modulated packet when the energy of the transmit packet will be less than a predetermined threshold,
in which the threshold is based on the first amount of energy.
12. The communication method of claim 11,
in which the generating, via a modulating component, one of a first modulated packet and a second modulated packet includes generating one of the first modulated packet, the second modulated packet and a third modulated packet, the third modulated packet being based on a third modulation scheme having a third amount of energy associated therewith, the second amount of energy being less than the third amount of energy,
in which generating, via a controlling component, a control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate the first modulated packet when the transmit packet will be less than a predetermined threshold includes generating the control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate the second modulated packet when the transmit packet will be greater than the predetermined threshold and less than a second predetermined threshold, and
in which the transmitting, via a transmitting component, the transmit packet based on the one of the first modulated packet and the second modulated packet includes transmitting the transmit packet based on one of the first modulated packet, the second modulated packet and the third modulated packet.
13. The communication method of claim 12, including:
generating, via a power detecting component, a detected power signal based on an amount of accessible power,
in which the generating, via a controlling component, a control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate the first modulated packet when the transmit packet is less than a predetermined threshold includes generating the control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate one of the first modulated packet or the second modulated packet based on the detected power signal.
14. The communication method of claim 13, including:
receiving, via a receiving component, a communication signal having power information therein based on a second amount of accessible power of a device,
in which the generating, via a controlling component, a control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate the first modulated packet when the data packet is less than a predetermined threshold includes generating the control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate one of the first modulated packet or the second modulated packet based on the communication signal.
15. The communication method of claim 14, in which the transmitting, via a transmitting component, the one of the first modulated packet and the second modulated packet includes transmitting the one of the first modulated packet and the second modulated packet in accordance with one of PRIME, ITU G9903 and IEEE 1901.2.
16. The communication method of claim 11, including:
generating, via a power detecting component, a detected power signal based on an amount of accessible power,
in which the generating, via a controlling component, a control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate the first modulated packet when the data packet is less than a predetermined threshold includes generating the control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate one of the first modulated packet or the second modulated packet based on the detected power signal.
17. The communication method of claim 16, including:
receiving, via a receiving component, a communication signal having power information therein based on a second amount of accessible power of a device,
in which the generating, via a controlling component, a control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate the first modulated packet when the data packet is less than a predetermined threshold includes generating the control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate one of the first modulated packet or the second modulated packet based on the communication signal.
18. The communication method of claim 17, in which the transmitting, via a transmitting component, the one of the first modulated packet and the second modulated packet includes transmitting the one of the first modulated packet and the second modulated packet in accordance with one of PRIME, ITU G9903 and IEEE 1901.2.
19. The communication method of claim 11, including:
receiving, via a receiving component, a communication signal having power information therein based on a second amount of accessible power of a device,
in which the generating, via a controlling component, a control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate the first modulated packet when the data packet is less than a predetermined threshold includes generating the control signal to instruct the modulating component to generate one of the first modulated packet or the second modulated packet based on the communication signal.
20. The communication method of claim 11, in which the transmitting, via a transmitting component, the one of the first modulated packet and the second modulated packet includes transmitting the one of the first modulated packet and the second modulated packet in accordance with one of PRIME, ITU G9903 and IEEE 1901.2.

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 system for measuring the true dimensions and orientation of objects in a two dimensional image, comprised of a ruler comprising at least one set of features each comprised of two or more markers that are identifiable in said image having known spatial relationship between them, and a software package comprising programs that allow extension of said ruler and other objects in said two dimensional image beyond their physical dimensions or shape.
2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the markers in each set are arranged in one or more rows having known spatial relationship between them and, if there is more than one of said sets, at least some of said sets are aligned in a direction non-parallel to the measurement direction or to each other.
3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said system is adapted to measure objects in x-ray images.
4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said system is adapted to enable it to be used for measuring the true dimensions and orientation of objects and for aiding in the identification and location of a surgery tool vs. anatomy in a radiographic image.
5. An apparatus adapted to enable it to be used for taking x-ray images and measuring the true dimensions and orientation of objects and for aiding in the identification and location of a surgery tool vs. anatomy in said x-ray images, said system comprising:
a. a system comprising one or more rulers and a software package according to claim 1;
b. radiographic imagery means;
c. processing means; and
d. display means
characterized in that said software package comprises programs that allow said processing means to recognize the features of said ruler on said radiographic image and to use said features to create a virtual extension of said at least one ruler and to draw the virtual extension of said at least one ruler on said radiographic image as an overlay, thereby enabling the user who is pointing said at least one ruler and looking at said radiographic image to accurately measure objects that appear in said radiographic image.
6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the software package comprises a program that allow the zero scale on the virtual extension of the ruler to be dragged and moved around at will.
7. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a three dimensional ruler is used to determine a measuring plane and the software package comprises a program that, given a feature known to be on said measuring plane, allows the processing means to measure the angle between two lines projected on said measuring plane.
8. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the software package comprises a program that allows the processing and display means to provide real time visualization by using either a one or a three dimensional ruler in order to draw how at least how a part of the result of the operation will look given the positioning of said ruler or some other surgical tool visible in the image.
9. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the software package comprises a program that allows the processing and display means to find markers in the image and place templates of implants or other objects on said image.
10. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the software package comprises a program that allows the processing means to automatically determine the location of a surgical tool in the image and to apply an image enhancement algorithm that automatically concentrates on the specific area of interest to the surgeon.
11. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the software package comprises a program that allows the processing and display means to synchronize AP and axial images.
12. A ruler for use in the system of claim 1, having at least one set of features each comprised of two or more markers that are identifiable in said image having known spatial relationship between them.
13. A ruler according to claim 12 wherein, the markers in each set are arranged in one or more rows having known spatial relationship between them and, if there is more than one of said sets, at least some of said sets are aligned in a direction non-parallel to the measurement direction or to each other.
14. A ruler according to claim 12, wherein said ruler is a hand-held ruler used to \u201cpoint and \u201cmeasure\u201d.
15. A ruler according to claim 12, wherein said ruler comprises means for slideably attaching it to a tool.
16. A ruler according to claim 12, wherein said ruler is an integral part of a tool, made by making at least part of said tool from a translucent material and embedding opaque markers into it.
17. A ruler according to claim 12, said ruler comprising small radiopaque markers, with a known spatial relationship between them, embedded in a radiolucent envelope.
18. A method of drawing and displaying on a two dimensional x-ray image measurements of objects visible in said image, graphical information, or templates of surgical devices, said method comprising:
a. identifying the location and orientation of at least one known object;
b. drawing and displaying said measurements, graphical information, or templates on said x-ray image on the basis of said location and said orientation of said known object;
characterized in that said measurements, graphical information, or templates are not a part of said known object.
19. A method according to claim 18 wherein the known object is one of the following:
a. a ruler according to claim 12;
b. a surgical tool; and
c. an anatomical feature.