text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Nov 2, 1999
|Filing date
|Feb 25, 1997
|Priority date
|Feb 27, 1996
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Thomas Hilpert, Stefan Mueller
|Original Assignee
|Deutsche Itt Industries, Gmbh
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (15), Non-Patent Citations (1), Referenced by (13), Classifications (8), Legal Events (9)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
The present invention relates to a circuit for decoding additional information in a composite signal.
Circuits for decoding additional information in a composite signal serve to recover additional information from received signals in audio or video consumer equipment. As a rule, the additional information represents auxiliary information which makes it easier for the user to operate the respective receiver. For a car driver, for example, the identification of a receiver station as a traffic information station represents important information. Similar additional information is contained in television signals, which include digital information as to whether the respective sound channel is a mono signal, a stereo signal, or a multichannel sound signal.
Via additional carriers or by multiplexing existing carriers, this information is inserted as an AM or FM signal into the existing composite signal. Decoding this additional information is generally simple and can be readily implemented with conventional analog circuits or, after analog-to-digital conversion, with conventional digital circuits. However, the rapid changes of such additional information and the continual introduction of new additional information present difficulties, because under certain circumstances the switchovers controlled by the additional information are greatly disturbed by adjacent channels and poor receiving conditions and result in misinterpretations of the additional information.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a circuit for decoding such additional information included in a composite signal which is less susceptible to noise and spurious effects.
The invention is directed to a circuit for decoding additional information in a composite signal. The circuit comprises a filter device for separating a signal range in the composite signal, which contains the additional information in coded form; an adaptive decoding device which decodes the additional information from the separated signal range taking into account a signal quality parameter; and a signal quality monitor device for determining the signal quality parameter from the respective reception state of the composite signal.
The invention has the advantage that existing circuit concepts can be used and that the improvements are achieved via simple additional circuits. Since the signal processing is generally purely digital, it is immaterial for the processing whether additional circuits are used for the additional functions or whether the additional functions are implemented via additional program steps using existing processors. In that case it is only necessary to modify the program.
The signal quality parameter, which is a measure of the quality of the received signal, can be determined at different points of the composite signal. That depends on the type of the respective composite signal, of course. Digital processing has the advantage that the signals are generally present as normalized signals whose range of values lies between -1 and +1. Such a quality value can then be easily determined via the defined levels of the carriers and their noise-induced amplitude variations.
If the signal spectrum includes ranges in which no signal should be present, the general noise or a spurious external signal can advantageously be determined by a level measurement in this range. Such signal ranges are found particularly in the above-mentioned composite signals in consumer equipment because there the individual signal ranges generally do not overlap for compatibility reasons. As a rule, the individual types of information are linked with different carriers which are arranged in the frequency spectrum in such a way that their modulation ranges do not overlap. In the intermediate ranges, no signal should be present in the presence of a regular signal or under good receiving conditions. By determining the respective noise value in these ranges, a signal quality parameter can be determined, e.g., by complementation or formation of quotients.
With the signal quality parameter, individual or all parameters can be weighted and/or associated switching thresholds can be changed in the decoding device. In this manner, a previously rigid decoding device is adapted to the receiving conditions.
The improved evaluation of the additional information has the advantage that the amount of filter circuitry required can remain relatively small. The increased reliability of the evaluation of the disturbed additional information does not result from a higher quality factor of the filters. This is possible because it is the spurious component which is measured and evaluated, not the desired signal component. Determining a relatively large spurious component--a small spurious component is of no interest, since it does not cause incorrect decoding--generally does not require any narrow-band filters. The desired signal range can therefore be eliminated with simple notch or bandpass filters whose reject region is positioned so as to largely suppress the respective desired or additional signal.
The invention and further advantageous features will not be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the invention for decoding an additional function in a stereo multiplex signal;
FIG. 2 shows the associated frequency scheme;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a further embodiment of the invention; and
FIGS. 4 and 5 show respective associated frequency schemes.
The block diagram FIG. 1 shows a receiving device 10 for a composite signal sf', which in this embodiment, is a stereo multiplex signal. In the receiving device 10, the radio-frequency composite signal is transformed into the baseband, shown schematically in FIG. 2. The composite signal sf at baseband is digitized and fed to a sound-signal-processing device 20, which generates the desired output signals R, L by means of mixers 22 and sound-processing stages 24. The signals sf are also fed to a mixer device 32 and a filter device 34 of a preprocessing stage 30, which converts additional information fz in the composite signal sf to a lower frequency, particularly to a baseband frequency.
If the additional information fz at 57 kHz is transformed into the baseband, individual components ki can be separated from each other by means of simple filter devices 35, 36, 37. The separated components ki are then fed to a decoding device 40 to form the individual identification signals kz, such as a mono/stereo switching signal u or an ARI (Auto Radio Information) identification signal, which are fed to the sound-processing stage 24 or the receiving device 10, respectively.
To separate the individual components ki in the filter device 34 or in the low-pass or bandpass filters 35, 36, 37, the processing frequencies are lowered by means of decimators in order to reduce the amount of circuitry required for the filters. A signal-free frequency signal is separated from the signal fz by means of a bandpass filter 38 to determine a signal quality parameter kg therefrom by means of a signal quality monitor device 50. The signal-free frequency signal is placed in the signal with information content. The amplitude of this signal is proportional to the amplitude of the entire received signal fz. Thus, the threshold of the decoding device 40 is set higher or lower, as a function of the processed reference frequency signal. In other words, the signal quality monitor device sets the operating threshold of the decoding device 40 by generating the signal quality parameter (kg). Thus, the decoding device 40 adapts itself to the respective receiving conditions.
FIG. 2 illustrates the frequency scheme of the stereo multiplex signal sf which includes a subcarrier at 57 kHz which is modulated with additional information fz, such as an ARI identification signal. The invention can also be used to increase the reliability of a pilot signal detection at 19 kHz, so that automatic stereo switching will be less disturbed.
FIG. 3 shows the essential functional units of a further embodiment of the invention. The composite signal sf (see FIG. 4) is a standard television signal with a first sound carrier FM1 and a second sound carrier FM2, the sound carrier FM2 containing additional information fz' about an AM modulation. Since the additional information fz' is located in the range of the carrier FM2, the preceding processing stages for prefiltering and frequency conversion have been omitted in FIG. 3 for the sake of clarity; instead, a source 310 for this preprocessed signal fz' is shown in a preprocessing stage 300. Thus, in the output signal fz' of this source, the carrier FM2 is located not at 54 kHz, but at a lower frequency, e.g., between 8 kHz and 10 kHz. The video signal, the R+L carrier FM2 are no longer present or are only present as residues. The output signal fz' of the source 310 thus, contains only the carrier FM2 and possibly a frequency line k1 as the upper sideband, removed from the carrier by 171.5 Hz, or a frequency line k2 as the lower sideband, removed from the carrier by 274.1 kHz. These two frequency lines are used to encode whether the respective audio channel contains a stereo signal or a bilingual signal. If none of the frequency lines k1, k2 is present, i.e., if the carrier FM2 is not amplitude-modulated, this information serves as an identification that the respective audio channel contains only a mono signal. The difficulties during decoding arise if separation is rendered difficult by receiving disturbances or external signals. A certain remedy is provided by narrow-band filters for the identification signals k1, k2, but despite the increased complexity, the result remains unsatisfactory.
The source 310 is followed by a preprocessing device 320 for the additional-information range fb (see FIG. 4), which essentially contains a decimator with a decimating filter. Any DC voltage components are suppressed by a DC voltage suppression circuit 330. The filtered additional signal fz is fed to an adaptive decoding device 400, whose output provides the desired identification signals M, S, B for the mono, stereo or bilingual mode.
The adaptive decoding device 400 includes an input stage containing an absolute-value device 405 for demodulating the AM-modulated signal fz, which is followed by a decimation stage 410 with which the clock frequency is reduced from 32 kHz to 2 kHz. The amplitude of the signal k1 at 171 Hz is determined by means of a bandpass filter 415 and an absolute-value device 420, and fed to a minuend input of a subtracter 425. The amplitude of the signal k2 at 274 Hz is determined by means of a bandpass filter 430 and an absolute-value device 435, and fed to a subtrahend input of the substracter 425. From the difference, a resulting parameter ka is formed by means of a low-pass filter 440. Via respective switching thresholds, the required identifying signals kz or M, S, B, can be determined from this parameter ka in the same way as in a nonadaptive decoding device. For example, a range of values from +0.2 to +1 may correspond to the stereo identification signal S, a range from -0.2 to +0.2 to the mono identification signal M, and a range from -1 to -0.2 to the bilingual-sound identification signal B. According to the invention, however, the resulting parameter ka is modified by means of the signal quality parameter kg. The switching thresholds for the modified parameter km are set by a threshold detection circuit 445. The threshold level may be identical to that in a nonadaptive circuit.
The additional circuit 500, with which the adaptive control according to the invention is made possible, includes an input stage containing a bandpass filter 550 which receives the filtered additional signal fz. The midfrequency of this filter will advantageously be chosen so that the lower skirt will not or only slightly cover the carrier FM2 with the firt or second identification signal k1, k2, (see FIG. 5). The higher frequency components should pass through the filter with as little attenuation as possible. Therefore, the upper skirt of the preceding filter 320 must not be too close to the carrier FM2, because otherwise, the filter 320 would suppress these frequencies and the bandpass filter 550 would no longer be supplied with a frequency range to be evaluated.
The noise- or spurious-signal components at an output of the bandpass filter 550 are rectified by means of a squarer 555. The squaring also causes the measured signal values to be weighted. A digital low-pass filter 560 smooths the signal waveform, and a decimator 565 reduces the clock frequency from 32 kHz to 2 kHz. The output signal of the decimator 565 corresponds to an interference parameter ks lying between the values 0 and +1 which increases or decreases in proportion to the measured interference content. By means of a subtracter 570, the signal quality parameter kg is formed by subtracting the interference parameter ks from the numerical value +1.
The adaptive action of the signal quality parameter kg on the original parameter ka is effected by means of a multiplier 575, whose output is a modified or adaptive parameter km which is applied to the threshold detection device 445 to obtain the desired identification signals kz or M, S, B.
If no spurious signals are present, the signal quality parameter kg will assume the value +1, whereby the original parameter ka is not changed. If, however, the noise component in the filtered additional signal fz increases, the signal quality parameter kg will decrease, e.g., to a value of 0.5. The value of the original parameters ka is thus halved, whereby the tendency for the mono identification signal M is increased. Thus, individual signal"outliers", which are caused by noise or external signals, e.g., in the mono mode or during reception of a signal without the carrier FM2, are prevented from wrongly switching the receiver. This is particularly important for reliable mono operation if the received signal contains neither a stereo signal nor a bilingual signal. Under poor receiving conditions, automatic switching is only possible in the presence of unambiguous identification signals k1, k2, or ka.
The digital low-pass filter 560 may also contain nonlinear stage or counters which are charged or discharged differently to further improve the noise suppression.
FIG. 4 shows the frequency scheme of a standard television signal sf. The video signal range from 0 Hz to about 5 MHz is followed by the frequency-modulated audio signal range with the first carrier FM1 at 5.5 MHz. In this range, the R+L information of a stereo signal is transmitted, which also represents the mono signal. In the case of multichannel sound transmission, this range contains the first sound signal. The second carrier FM2, which contains the 2R signal or the second sound signal in frequency-modulated form, is located at 5.74 MHz. From the R+L signal and the 2R signal, the R and L signals are formed by means of a stereo matrix, as is well known. However, there are many television transmitters which do not yet transmit this second carrier FM2. The additional identification with respect to mono, stereo, or multichannel sound operation is superposed on the carrier FM2 by conventional amplitude modulation, which takes place at a very low frequency rate and is thus inaudible.
FIG. 5 shows the frequency scheme of the signals fz after the preprocessing stage 300. To permit digital signal processing at 32 kHz, the carrier FM2 was converted in the stage 300 from 54 kHz to 9 kHz. The signal fz now contains no audio information whatsoever, but only the carrier FM2, which may be amplitude-modulated. The upper and lower sidebands contain either the frequency line k1 or the frequency line k2. Both are located close to the carrier FM2, as indicated. The signal range fb, which was separated in the preprocessing stage 300 and is to contain the additional information fz and a signal-free range of the composite signal sf, is shown schematically. The associated passband of the bandpass filter 550 is indicated by the broken line 550, which covers essentially the signal-free range in the separated signal range fb. It is of no consequence if a small portion of the carrier FM2 is also covered. It also makes no difference how far the passband exceeds the separated signal range fb if it is ensured that no signal components are present there. As a result, the requirements to be placed on the filter 550 are very low, so that the filter can be easily implemented by digital means.
It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art may make many variations and modifications to the embodiments utilizing fuinctionally equivalent elements to those described herein. Any and all such variations or modifications as well as others which may become apparent to those skilled in the art, are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
|Cited Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|May 23, 1985
|Aug 4, 1987
|Comsonics, Inc.
|Portable sampling spectrum analyzer
|Jul 19, 1989
|Jun 12, 1990
|Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
|Sound reproducer
|Mar 27, 1990
|Dec 10, 1991
|Nippon Hoso Kyokai
|Method and system for transmitting and receiving PCM audio signals in combination with a video signal
|Apr 30, 1992
|Dec 7, 1993
|Deutsche Itt Industries Gmbh
|Apparatus and method for search tuning of satellite television sound carriers
|Mar 13, 1990
|Mar 29, 1994
|Hamlet Video International Limited
|Stereo signal monitoring
|Jul 13, 1993
|Oct 11, 1994
|Pacific Ray Video Limited
|Multi-standard cable television system
|Feb 18, 1993
|Nov 14, 1995
|Motorola, Inc.
|Modulator circuit for use with a plurality of operating standards
|Jun 6, 1995
|Oct 29, 1996
|Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
|Multilingual display device and method thereof
|Mar 30, 1995
|Jan 21, 1997
|The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of Commerce
|Perception-based audio visual synchronization measurement system
|Jun 6, 1995
|Sep 2, 1997
|Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
|Multi-television broadcasting signal receiving apparatus and control method thereof
|Nov 30, 1995
|Sep 30, 1997
|Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
|Multi-broadcast selection apparatus
|Nov 27, 1989
|Jun 27, 1990
|Philips Electronics N.V.
|Nov 4, 1994
|May 17, 1995
|Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd.
|Detection of pager signal in FM radio transmission
|Title not available
|Feb 14, 1985
|Aug 29, 1985
|Ma John Yoh Han
|Fm subcarrier transmission system
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Oct 24, 2001
|Aug 1, 2006
|The Directv Group, Inc.
|Method and apparatus for determining a direct-to-home satellite receiver multi-switch type
|Mar 22, 2000
|Jun 23, 2009
|The Directv Group, Inc.
|Method and apparatus for transmission receipt and display of advertisements
|Aug 25, 2006
|Oct 20, 2009
|Xanavi Informatics Corporation
|Digital broadcast receiving device, digital broadcast receiving method, and program therefor
|Jan 27, 2000
|Jan 25, 2011
|The Directv Group, Inc.
|System and method for transmitting, receiving and displaying advertisements
|Apr 3, 2009
|Feb 1, 2011
|The Directv Group, Inc.
|Method and apparatus for transmission, receipt and display of advertisements
|Feb 20, 2012
|Apr 1, 2014
|Rr Donnelley & Sons Company
|Systems and methods for variable video production, distribution and presentation
|Oct 22, 2012
|Sep 2, 2014
|The Nielsen Company (Us), Llc
|Systems and methods for configuring media devices utilizing audio codes or signatures
|Jan 23, 2014
|Mar 24, 2015
|R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company
|Systems and methods for variable video production, distribution and presentation
|Aug 25, 2014
|Mar 22, 2016
|The Nielsen Company (Us), Llc
|Systems and methods for configuring media devices utilizing audio codes or signatures
|Mar 11, 2015
|Dec 6, 2016
|R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company
|Systems and methods for variable video production, distribution and presentation
|Aug 25, 2006
|Mar 1, 2007
|Osamu Tomobe
|Digital broadcast receiving device, digital broadcast receiving method, and program therefor
|Apr 3, 2009
|Jul 30, 2009
|The Directv Group, Inc.
|Method and apparatus for transmission, receipt and display of advertisements
|May 23, 2000
|Nov 28, 2001
|Sony International (Europe) GmbH
|RDS decoder for reducing the influence of noise peaks using a noise blanker
|U.S. Classification
|348/484, 348/473, 348/738
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Jul 7, 1997
Owner name: DEUTSCHE ITT INDUSTRIES, GMBH, GERMANY
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:HILPERT, THOMAS;MUELLER, STEFAN;REEL/FRAME:008612/0277
Effective date: 19970224
|Feb 7, 2000
Owner name: MICRONAS INTERMETALL GMBH, GERMANY
Free format text: CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNOR:DEUTSCHE ITT INDUSTRIES GMBH;REEL/FRAME:010557/0361
Effective date: 19971017
|May 1, 2003
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|May 2, 2007
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|May 2, 2010
Owner name: TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS (FAR EAST) LTD,CAYMAN ISLANDS
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:MICRONAS GMBH;REEL/FRAME:024320/0257
Effective date: 20100317
|May 2, 2011
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 12
|May 2, 2012
Owner name: ENTROPIC COMMUNICATIONS, INC., CALIFORNIA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS, INC.;TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS (FAR EAST) LTD.;REEL/FRAME:028146/0054
Effective date: 20120411
|May 18, 2015
Owner name: ENTROPIC COMMUNICATIONS, INC., CALIFORNIA
Free format text: MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNORS:EXCALIBUR ACQUISITION CORPORATION;ENTROPIC COMMUNICATIONS, INC.;ENTROPIC COMMUNICATIONS, INC.;REEL/FRAME:035706/0267
Effective date: 20150430
|May 19, 2015
Owner name: ENTROPIC COMMUNICATIONS, LLC, CALIFORNIA
Free format text: MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME;ASSIGNORS:ENTROPIC COMMUNICATIONS, INC.;EXCALIBUR SUBSIDIARY, LLC;ENTROPIC COMMUNICATIONS, LLC;REEL/FRAME:035717/0628
Effective date: 20150430


text:
Sacred Shabbat Song Lyrics
Loreena McKennitt
album: Track 7 in album An Ancient Muse
release date: 2006-11-21
popularity : 73 users have visited this page.
genres: Folk, World, & Country
styles: Folk Rock/Acoustic/Ethereal
length: 4:01
producer: Loreena McKennitt
arranger: Loreena McKennitt
keyboard: Loreena McKennitt
cello: Caroline Lavelle
zither: Πάνος Δημητρακόπουλος
lyre: Σωκράτης Σινόπουλος
oud: Haig Yazdjian
assistant producer: Brian Hughes
Album Informationlabel: Verve
country(area): United States
format: Enhanced CD
barcode: 774213121097
script: Latin
Cover Art
sponsored links
It's likely your browser's cookies are disabled. You'll need to turn cookies on. We can only display part of these lyrics to any suspicious robots due to licensing restrictions.
(Traditional, arranged by Loreena McKennitt)
(Traditional, arranged by Loreena McKennitt)
Track Listing
Enhanced CD 1

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Using Household Surveys to Build Analytic Capacity
This article reviews the results of efforts in five countries to build a national capacity to analyze social policy; these efforts were undertaken in conjunction with Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS) projects. Case studies for Bolivia, Jamaica, the Kyrgyz Republic, South Africa, and Vietnam show that building such capacity requires explicit planning, significant time and money, open access to data, and strong support from policymakers. Lessons are drawn about four aspects of building capacity--training, technical assistance, research, and recruitment. The lessons learned from these LSMS projects apply in a more general sense to other kinds of capacity-building projects. Copyright 1999 by Oxford University Press.
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
Volume (Year): 14 (1999)
Issue (Month): 2 (August)
Pages: 209-227
|Contact details of provider:
| Postal: Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, UK
Phone: (202) 477-1234
Fax: 01865 267 985
Web page: http://wbro.oxfordjournals.org/
More information through EDIRC
|Order Information:
|Web: http://www.oup.co.uk/journals
References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
- Richard W. Waterman & B. Dan Wood, 1993. "Policy monitoring and policy analysis," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 12(4), pages 685-699.
This item is not listed on Wikipedia, on a reading list or among the top items on IDEAS.
When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:oup:wbrobs:v:14:y:1999:i:2:p:209-27. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (Oxford University Press)or (Christopher F. Baum)
If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.
If references are entirely missing, you can add them using this form.
If the full references list an item that is present in RePEc, but the system did not link to it, you can help with this form.
If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.
Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.


text:
Big tits babes Alison Tyler and Julia Ann giving a tit fucking in POV
Duration: 2min 21sec Views: 7 913 Submitted: 8 months ago Submitted by:
Description: Slutty TSA agents Julia Ann and Alison Tyler have returned to fuck with frequent flyers! This time our two horny heroes are hungry for some fleshy man meat, so they corner themselves a travelling businessman (Danny D.) After tearing through his luggage and strip searching him, Julia and Alison discover a laptop full of porn, more than enough to let them know that they're dealing with a pervy traveler who can give them the fucking they need.
Channel: Brazzers Network
Pornstars: Alison Tyler Julia Ann


text:
After player's suicide, his coach is left asking why
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Romeo Crennel had tried to help. He had stood in the parking lot of the Kansas City Chiefs practice facility with Jovan Belcher early Saturday morning. He was uncertain what was troubling Belcher, whom he knew as a strong-willed leader who sat in the front at meetings. He did not know that earlier that morning, Belcher had fatally shot his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins. Belcher thanked General Manager Scott Pioli and Crennel for all they had done for him.
"I was trying to get him to understand that life is not over, he still has a chance, and let's get this worked out," Crennel said Monday, adding that he did not know of any personal issues that Belcher might have had.
But Belcher turned away from both of them and shot himself.
At a news conference Monday, Crennel for the first time discussed the details of Saturday.
Crennel said he did not know whether Belcher, a linebacker, had ever sustained a concussion. He said he had never known Belcher to behave in a violent manner.
"I've never seen him with a gun — never, ever," he said, his voice rising as he ended his answer with, "OK?"
Crennel is trying to shift his focus, and his team's, to Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns. He is aware this is no small task, that the emotions "might not be over, for some of us, for most of our lives."
But Crennel said he was moving on and that he would turn his attention to helping his players.
"I know my daughters and my wife tell me I must be crazy, that something should be wrong with me," Crennel said. "But I can deal with stress. I can deal with grief, so I'm dealing with it by trying to be the leader that those young men upstairs need."
Right tackle Eric Winston said the players had been encouraged to speak with the counselors that have been available at the team's facility since Saturday.
Winston said they were told: "Don't hold it in, talk to people, communicate. You don't have to talk to us, but you need to talk to somebody."
The Chiefs are also left trying to come to terms with the Belcher they knew and the one who killed himself and his girlfriend.
"We didn't know the guy that made those last few decisions," said Brandon Siler, who played in place of Belcher on Sunday.
In West Babylon, N.Y., Belcher's hometown, the conflicting portraits of Belcher were much the same. Those in his hometown said he was considered a role model. A late bloomer on the field, he set his sights on reaching the NFL and worked tirelessly to achieve that goal despite being lightly recruited out of West Babylon High School. He went undrafted out of the University of Maine, but signed as a free agent with the Chiefs in 2009 and proved himself on the practice squad and special teams.
"He just had that inner drive that you can't give to somebody," Al Ritacco, West Babylon High's football coach, said. "When you're in ninth grade and you tell your coach that you're going to make it to the pros, that's something that you don't really find, not only in kids, but adults. He was driven to do the right thing."
Belcher maintained a presence at West Babylon High beyond his retired No. 52 jersey. He frequently visited the school and offered passionate pregame speeches to the football team.
"They couldn't take their eyes off of him any time he came into the locker room," said Frank Riviezzo, a former assistant coach at West Babylon. "He talked to them about how life was, and to do the right thing and be the best person you could be."
Belcher, family and close friends have said, was unchanged by his status as a professional football player. He gave back to the community, paying for the entertainment for an annual Fourth of July neighborhood block party.
"It was just like a big family thing every July 4th ever since he went pro," said Troy Brown, who was a neighbor of Belcher's. "He took care of his mom. He took care of a lot of people."
The house where Belcher's mother lives has been more of a memorial site, as friends and family have gathered to grieve and reminisce. A makeshift shrine of jerseys, trophies and other memorabilia rests beside the front stairs.
"I don't want the world to think that this is just another gangbanger," said Vinny Innes, Belcher's high school wrestling coach. "It's just so untrue. They have to find out what happened to this great kid that made him do this horrible thing."
Tim Rohan reported from Kansas City, Mo., and Dan Duggan reported from West Babylon, N.Y.
Most Popular
- Suspect in Whittier cop killing, East L.A. slaying was AB 109 probationer
- 2 juveniles arrested after fight with off-duty police officer in Anaheim, a gun was fired
- Video shows Harrison Ford wrongly flying over plane at John Wayne Airport
- Oram: Incredulous, overconfident, tilting at windmills: How Lakers' Jim Buss did himself
- 2 new memos allow President Trump to set broad deportation rules for undocumented immigra
User Agreement
Comments are encouraged, but you must follow our Privacy Policy Policy & Terms of Use
Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to republish your name and comment in additional Register publications without any notification or payment.


text:
The Changing Realities of Work and Family
Edited by Amy Marcus-Newhall Diane F. Halpern Sherylle J. Tan
Format: Paperback
Normal Price: $93.95
Your Price: $84.56 AUD, inc. GST
Shipping: $7.95 per order
You Save: $9.39! (10% off normal price)
Plus...earn $4.23 in Boomerang Bucks
Availability: Available to Backorder, No Due Date for Supply
Changing Realities of Work and Family by Amy Marcus-Newhall
Book DescriptionChanging Realities of Work and Family is an interdisciplinary volume that examines the multiple realities of work and family from academic, commercial, and political perspectives. The book* Brings together works by an extraordinary list of contributors, including Jane Swift, former governor of Massachusetts; practitioners from industry; the leading attorney in discrimination against mothers and pregnant women; and outstanding academics from psychology, business, economics, and human relations* Examines work and family in the political arena, gay and lesbian workers, work and family as it relates to age, single mothers, and the role of culture and community* Includes original empirical articles written expressly for this work, in which the most current research on the field of work and family will be presented* Provides "real world" examples of the intersection of work and family in such fields as business, government, and the law
Buy Changing Realities of Work and Family book by Amy Marcus-Newhall from Australia's Online Bookstore, Boomerang Books.
Book DetailsISBN: 9781405163460
(236mm x 170mm x 19mm)
Pages: 320
Imprint: Wiley-Blackwell (an imprint of John Wiley & Sons Ltd)
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Publish Date: 1-Aug-2008
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Other Editions...
Books By Author Amy Marcus-Newhall
Changing Realities of Work and Family, Hardback (August 2008)» View all books by Amy Marcus-Newhall
While both the nature of families and the composition of the workforce have gone through radical changes, few adjustments have been made so that work and family are aligned in ways that promote strong families and a strong economy.
» Have you read this book? We'd like to know what you think about it - write a review about Changing Realities of Work and Family book by Amy Marcus-Newhall and you'll earn 50c in Boomerang Bucks loyalty dollars (you must be a member - it's free to sign up!)
Author Biography - Amy Marcus-Newhall
Amy Marcus-Newhall is a Social Psychologist and Professor of Psychology at Scripps College. Diane F. Halpern is a Cognitive Psychologist, Professor of Psychology, and the Director of the Berger Institute for Work, Family, and Children at Claremont McKenna College. Diane was 2004 President of the American Psychological Association. Sherylle J. Tan is a Developmental Psychologist and the Associate Director of the Berger Institute for Work, Family, and Children at Claremont McKenna College.
Facebook Page | Twitter | Google+ | Bulletin e-Newsletter | Blog | RSS
Become a Member | Book Lists | Recently Released | Coming Soon | Fast Delivery Books
Bestselling Books: Our Current Bestsellers | Australia's Hottest 1000 Books | Bestselling Fiction | Bestselling Crime Mysteries and Thrillers | Bestselling Non Fiction Books | Bestselling Sport Books | Bestselling Gardening and Handicrafts Books | Bestselling Biographies | Bestselling Food and Drink | Bestselling History | Bestselling Travel Books | Bestselling School Textbooks & Study Guides | Bestselling Children's General Non-Fiction | Bestselling Young Adult Fiction | Bestselling Children's Fiction | Bestselling Picture Books | Top 100 US Bestsellers
For: Schools | Organisations | Libraries | Publishers | Authors | Book Clubs | Bloggers | Affiliates
About Us | Contact Us | Help Desk | Security | Privacy | Terms of Use | Copyright
Phone: 1300 36 33 32 (9am-5pm Mon-Fri AEST) - International: +61 2 9960 7998 - Online Form
Address: Boomerang Books, 878 Military Road, Mosman Junction, NSW, 2088
© 2003-2017. All Rights Reserved. Eclipse Commerce Pty Ltd - ACN: 122 110 687 - ABN: 49 122 110 687
For every $20 you spend on books, you will receive $1 in Boomerang Bucks loyalty dollars. You can use your Boomerang Bucks as a credit towards a future purchase from Boomerang Books. Note that you must be a Member (free to sign up) and that conditions do apply.


text:
Culture Shock
By Steven Robert Allen
Pope in New Mexico—Performance artist William Pope knows how to get attention. He's eaten a Wall Street Journal while seated on an American flag. He's sold mayonnaise for $100 a dollop. He's tied himself to an ATM machine with sausage links while handing out cash to random strangers. He once crawled—yeah, crawled—a 22-mile stretch of Broadway in New York City to draw attention to the National Endowment for the Arts' failure to fund his work. Pope is coming to Santa Fe this week to present a series of talks, workshops and performances. If you're up north in the next few days, you won't want to miss this. For details, call Cyndi at (505) 982-1338 ext. 14 or go to www.ccasantafe.org.
Art Magnified
Pipe Dreams
Donkey Gallery
By Steven Robert Allen
Canadian artist Luke Painter presents his very first exhibit in the U.S. at our very own Donkey Gallery (1415 Fourth Street SW). Painter's animations examine the process of gentrification and so-called urban renewal in neighborhoods in Montreal and Toronto. They incorporate painstaking research into the history and architecture of the neighborhoods and projects in question. Pipe Dreams will open Saturday, March 4, with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. that will include food and live music. The show runs through March 26. 242-7504.
Art Magnified
The Noisy Pen
Harwood Theatre
By Steven Robert Allen
Slam Master Flash Don McIver has just released a new volume of poetry, appropriately titled The Noisy Pen. A book release party will be held this Wednesday, March 8, at 7 p.m. at the Harwood Theatre (1114 Seventh Street NW). McIver is one of our more visible, not to mention audible, local poetry slam celebrities. He helped organize last year's National Poetry Slam here in Albuquerque, and he's a veteran of several Albuquerque slam teams. He's published widely and read all over the country. He's also the host of KUNM 89.9 FM's "Spoken Word Hour." Copies of McIver's book will be available for purchase at the event. 242-6367.
Book Review
Listen Up
Review by John Freeman
Night Draws Near: Iraq's People in the Shadow of the American War
Nearly three years after the invasion of Iraq, soldiers, reporters and even coalition administrators have returned and told their stories about this war. Sadly, the one voice we almost never hear from belongs to the very people we set out to "liberate"—the Iraqis themselves.
Book Review
Frontier Justice
Review by John Freeman
War Law: Understanding International Law and Armed Conflict
Each time the United States goes to battle, the president must make two cases for war—one to the American people, the other to the world. Since 9/11, the U.S. has worried much more about the former than the latter, and in War Law, Michael Byers reveals just how radically the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive action departs from the international norm.
Theater News
Dancing the Tango with a Big, Hairy Ape
An interview with Dan Abbate
By Amy Dalness
When the Gorilla Tango Theatre debuted just a little over a year ago, a huge void in Downtown Albuquerque finally got filled. Every real urban metropolis in the country has at least one improv theater—if not 30. Our beloved Downtown graduated into the big leagues when Dan Abbate and his parents moved from Chicago to get out of the cold. They saw the void, bought a run-down, half-burnt building and turned it into Albuquerque's only improv theater and training center. The Alibi recently sat down with Abbate to find out how the Duke City has received Gorilla Tango and what's in store for its hilarious future.
EVENT HORIZON (Monday, Feb 27)
Good for the Sole
Ars Longa: Vita Brevis
By Maggie Grimason
Vanguard choreography in flamenco and contemporary dance by international guest artists and UNM's distinguished resident faculty.
EVENT HORIZON (Wednesday, Mar 1)
Not Your Average Bug's Life
Cirque du Soleil: OVO
By Megan Reneau
A theatrical circus show following the life of insects.
EVENT HORIZON (Friday, Mar 3)
Kids Will Be Kids
Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue
By Joshua Lee
Listen to this funk, rock, jazz, hip-hop band from New Orleans.
Erin Fussell
EVENT HORIZON (Friday, Mar 3)
Splish Splash
Deep Waters, Thin Places Reception
By Renée Chavez
An immersive installation of video, performance, sound, lithography and sculpture. Artist Erin Fussell transforms an urban desert flood control dam into a creative site. Runs through 3/31.
EVENT HORIZON (Friday, Mar 3)
Address the Hero in You
The Lady in Question
By Megan Reneau
A suspenseful tale of a world-famous concert pianist visiting Germany who finds herself enamored with a handsome professor and entangled in his attempt to rescue his mother from a Nazi prison.
EVENT HORIZON (Tuesday, Mar 7)
Philanthropically Phat
Eat, Drink and Be Charitable
By Megan Reneau
Raise money for the New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation while enjoying live music, brews and food.
NEWSLETTERS Great Alibi stories, events and deals delivered to your inbox each week. No fooling!
Today's Events
Ars Longa: Vita Brevis at Rodey Theatre
Vanguard choreography in flamenco and contemporary dance by international guest artists and UNM's distinguished resident faculty.
Monday Night Film Club at Tractor Brewing Wells Park
Love and Loss at Art.i.factMore Recommended Events ››
Fat Tuesday Pub Crawl • 2.28.2017
home | feature | news | film | music | art | food | classifieds | personals | staff | lo-fi | search
© 1996-2017 Weekly Alibi | email@example.com | Privacy Policy
View mobile version


text:
Behind the Scenes at PDC 2010
Download this episode
PDC may happen physically here in Redmond, but it's really a global event and all of the sessions PLUS the Channel 9 LIVE feed was streamed out over the net. In addition to the content being available immediately, we also translated it live to Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and French. While it look simple and seamless to the viewer, there is a lot of hard work going on behing the scenes to make this all possible. Here's how it's done!
Available formats for this video:
Actual format may change based on video formats available and browser capability.
Related episodes
Intro to Microsoft Azure AD Premium
Windows Azure Active Directory: Control Access to Windows Azure
Azure AD Connect Health monitors on-premises AD Domain Services
Microsoft Authenticator
Protection via Azure Security Center. Detection and threat response overview.
Azure Active Directory Connect: Express Settings
Get Started with the StorSimple Virtual Array
Operations Management Suite (OMS) Overview
Programming Windows Azure Active Directory - Deep Dive
The Discussion
Phenomenal that is all I have to say!
Agreed, Chris. PDC10 represents the beginning of something special. Beyond describing (in great detail) a new group of products and strategies for now and tommorrow, PDC10 proved that you can do global virtual events. What a great synergy between multiple organizations and, more importantly, people inside and outside of Microsoft.
Here's to Now and Tomorrow,
Can PDC videos be made downloadable from Channel 9?
Thanks for sharing Laura, really impressive!
Was it hard for you Laura to be at a place where you had to talk silently?
No just kidding, thanks for sharing this impressive newsitems. Pretty awesome to see the live translators.
Amazing! I'd no idea what was involved.
great stuff. thanks to the entire production team.
I was very impressed with the music in between shows. Who were the artists or producers or label providing the music?
@Rhapsody: I was going to say the same thing. It was nice to have Laura's audio not clipping.
Comments closed
Comments have been closed since this content was published more than 30 days ago, but if you'd like to continue the conversation, please create a new thread in our Forums, or Contact Us and let us know.


text:
New Member
|Thread Tools
post #1 of 7 Old 05-12-2008, 11:57 PM Thread Starter
Can a male crowntail betta breed with a regular female betta
hi,i was just wondering if a male crowntail betta can breed with a regular female betta.I just got a male crowntail betta,but i kinda took it home on a bike,there was a lot of bumps.Hes fine now but they keep flaring at each other,so what do i do?
post #2 of 7 Old 05-13-2008, 09:12 AM
Yes, they can. Both are the same species. The only difference is their finnage, nothing else.
Sent from my desktop or phone or whatever else I am holding on to
I'm ready for the pressure.
The drama and the pleasure!
If there is one thing I want to see here, it's HUMOR.
I believe I can fly!
I believe I can touch the sky!
I think about it every night and day!
I stand in awe of my body.
post #3 of 7 Old 05-13-2008, 01:34 PM
give him time to adjust. Wait a week or 2 to confirm if hes physicaly well; no diseases, parasites, injuries, etc. Crowntails are known to be more difficult to breed due to their aggressive nature, but, all fish are different. 8)
Hit me up Baby
post #4 of 7 Old 05-13-2008, 06:07 PM
Are they together? You really shouldn't try to breed them unless you've done your research. It's a big job.
post #5 of 7 Old 05-14-2008, 08:46 AM
and you will have many little ones that you will need to figure what to do with them all....
post #6 of 7 Old 05-16-2008, 04:52 PM
post #7 of 7 Old 05-16-2008, 07:13 PM
Not only a seperate tank, but different containers for each male! That means a ton of water changes!!
|Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Show Printable Version
Email this Page Email this Page
|Similar Threads
|Thread Starter
|Last Post
|Can a male crowntail betta breed with a regular female betta
|Fish Breeding
|Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


text:
Join FREE | Login
+ Celebrations
+ How-To
+ Deals
Grilled Turkey, Bacon and Swiss Sandwich
Grilled Beef Fajitas
Baked Steak Burritos
Grilled Spicy Chicken Sandwiches
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches
Chipotle-Beef Fajitas
Satisfy even the hungriest bunch with these two-hand hoagies, stuffed full of juicy grilled meat and slabs of sweet onions.
Use a double layer of foil if heavy-duty foil is not available.
The cooking time of the steak varies depending on the tichness, which can range from 3/4 inch to 1 1/4 inches.
Serve this sandwich with deli potato salad and baby-cut carrots.
© 2016 ®/TM General Mills All Rights Reserved


text:
Yellow Submarine News
News on Yellow Submarine continually updated from thousands of sources around the net.
Yellow Submarine news is powered by NewsRank ®
Trending Now
21 Brave Gender-Fluid Celebrities Who Are Breaking the Mold
Then and Now: How Did Your Favorite 2000s Stars Hold Up?
Then and Now: How Did Your Favorite 1980s Pop Stars Hold Up?
31 Shocking Stars Who Lost Their V-Card At INSANELY Young Ages
39 Shocking Male Stars Who You Forgot Were Hot Back In The Day
Updated: Sat Feb 25, 2017 10:50 am
Copyright © 2017 Topix LLC


text:
Okay,I WAS just going to stick with random death battles,but over night,I thought of great ideas for MBW.First off,every 10 battles,the winner will be paired up with two losers from before to fight one BOSS!Cool right,and the thing is,the BOSS isn't a bug.Second,I thought of twin battles!I can't explain much so here's an example.(Hornet vs Wasp),or (centipede vs millapede).Last,I thought of tag battles.The winner teams up with any loser to fight two new competitors./////Okay,that's all for!Bye!:)
© Copyright 2017 PokePal. All rights reserved.
Status: Finished
Genre: Other
Terminator vs. super posionous, fast scorion; web slinging, also fast spider; and giant, hard shelled rhinocerous beetle. Eh, eh?
Book / War and Military
Book Review / Other
Paste the link to picture in the entry below:
Paste the link to Youtube video in the following entry:
Cannot annotate a non-flat selection. Make sure your selection starts and ends within the same node.
An annotation cannot contain another annotation.
There was an error uploading your file.


text:
Case Conclusion Date: 09.21.2010
Practice Area: Criminal defense
Outcome: CASE DISMISSED - Motion Granted
Description: The Defendant was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver and Possession of Cannabis with Intent to Deliver in violation of 720 ILCS 550/5(d). In this case members of a Chicago Police Department Narcotics task force allegedly received information the Defendant was dealing drugs. The Chicago Police officers armed with that information set up surveillance on the Defendant when they observed the Defendant exit his residence, shove a plastic bag containing an object into his waistband and get in his car and drive off. The Chicago Police officers stopped the Defendant and ordered him out of his vehicle and recovered from his person a large amount of cannabis. The Defendant then signed consent to search his residence where the police found a large amount of cocaine. The Defendant was charged with a Class 1 Felony and if found guilty was looking at 4-15 years in prison. Mr. Schmiege believed that the Defendants constitutional rights had been violated and the stop of the Defendant was illegal so they filed a Motion to Quash Arrest and Suppress Evidence. The Judge agreed that the stop was illegal, without probable cause and violative The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution which protects you from unreasonable search and seizure. The evidence was suppressed and the case was DISMISSED.


text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|May 18, 2004
|Filing date
|Oct 15, 2001
|Priority date
|Oct 15, 2001
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Ronald David Jesme
|Original Assignee
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (12), Non-Patent Citations (8), Referenced by (18), Classifications (14), Legal Events (6)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
The invention relates to radio-frequency systems, and more particularly, to amplifier modulation in radio-frequency systems.
Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has become widely used in virtually every industry, including transportation, manufacturing, waste management, postal tracking, airline baggage reconciliation, and highway toll management. One common use of RFID technology is in an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) system that is to protect against shoplifting or otherwise unauthorized removal of an article. In particular, an EAS system may be used to detect the presence of EAS markers (tags) that pass through an energizing field. Retail outlets, libraries, video stores and the like make use of RFID technology in conjunction with EAS systems to assist in asset management, organization, and tracking of inventory.
A typical RFID system includes RFID tags, an RFID reader, and a computing device. The RFID reader includes a transmitter that may provide energy or information to the tags, and a receiver to receive identity and other information from the tags. The computing device processes the information obtained by the RFID reader. In general, the information received from the tags is specific to the particular application, but often provides identification for an item to which the tag is fixed, which may be a manufactured item, a vehicle, an animal or individual, or virtually any other tangible article. Additional data may also be provided for the article. The tag may be used during a manufacturing process, for example, to indicate a paint color of an automobile chassis during manufacturing or other useful information.
The transmitter outputs RF signals that create an energizing field, from which the tags receive power, allowing the tags to return an RF signal carrying the information. The tags communicate using a pre-defined protocol, allowing the RFID reader to receive information from multiple tags in parallel, or essentially simultaneously. The computing device serves as an information management system by receiving the information from the RFID reader, and performing some action, such as updating a database or sounding an alarm. In addition, the computing device serves as a mechanism for programming data into the tags via the transmitter.
To transfer data, the transmitter and the tags modulate a carrier wave according to various modulation techniques, including amplitude modulation (AM), phase modulation (PM), frequency modulation (FM), frequency shift keying (FSK), pulse position modulation (PPM), pulse duration modulation (PDM) and continuous wave (CW) modulation. In particular, the transmitter makes use of an amplifier, typically a Class-A or a Class-A/B amplifier, to drive an antenna with a modulated output signal. These amplifiers may require significant power to communicate with the tags. An amplifier may require, for example, 10 watts of power to produce an RF signal having a single watt of power. In other words, a conventional reader may dissipate over 9 watts of power to produce a single watt of output, resulting in approximately 10% efficiency. The heat dissipation requirements and power consumption of such an amplifier are not well suited for a number of applications, including those that require a low-cost, hand-held RF reader. Consequently, conventional hand-held readers may have smaller power outputs, such as 100 milliwatts, but have limited communication ranges and similar power inefficiencies.
In general, the invention is directed to an efficient amplifier for use in radio-frequency identification (RFID) applications. In particular, the invention provides a highly efficient amplifier that requires little power, yet has significant modulation bandwidth to achieve high data communication rates. The amplifier incorporates many elements of a Class-E amplifier, yet overcomes bandwidth and other limitations typically inherent in such an amplifier.
In one embodiment, the invention is directed to an apparatus for producing an amplitude modulated RF signal to communicate with an RFID tag. The apparatus makes use of a class E amplifier that includes a first transistor. A second transistor is used to connect a current path in parallel to the first transistor. The current in this path may be limited by a series resistor or other means. A controller selectively controls the first and second transistors to achieve 100% amplitude modulation at a high modulation bandwidth.
In another embodiment, the invention is directed to an apparatus for producing an amplitude modulated RF signal having less than 100% amplitude modulation, such as 10% amplitude modulation. The apparatus comprises a class E amplifier having a first transistor and an inductor coupling the first transistor to a supply voltage via a first resistor. A second transistor is connected in parallel to the first resistor. A controller is coupled to the first and second transistors. By activating and deactivating the second transistor, the controller varies the supply voltage and causes amplitude modulation of the produced RF signal.
In another embodiment, the invention is directed to a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader that comprises an amplifier that produces an amplitude modulated signal. The amplifier includes an inductor coupling a first transistor and a shunt capacitor to a power supply via a first resistor. A second transistor within the amplifier is used to connect a current path in parallel to the first transistor. A third transistor is connected in parallel to the first resistor. A controller selectively controls the first, second and third transistors. The RFID reader includes an antenna to receive the amplitude modulated signal and output an RF communication.
In another embodiment, the invention is directed to a method of generating an amplitude modulated signal. A first transistor of a class E amplifier is modulated at a frequency for a first period of time. When modulating the first transistor, a second transistor connected in parallel to the first transistor is deactivated. The first transistor and the second transistor are then simultaneously deactivated and activated, respectively, for a second period of time.
The invention provides many advantages. Unlike conventional Class-E amplifiers that are limited to relatively narrow modulation bandwidth, the inventive amplifier described herein is able to achieve substantially increased data transmission rates. In particular, the large inductance of a conventional Class-E amplifier resists rapid amplitude modulation of the current passing through it, thus rapid amplitude modulation of the RF energy produced by the conventional Class-E amplifier is resisted. By utilizing a second transistor in parallel with the first transistor, and selectively activating and deactivating the transistors, the current of the inventive amplifier does not decay and rebuild during modulation, as with conventional Class-E amplifiers, but rather, the current level remains relatively constant. In addition, the inventive amplifier requires less power than other amplifiers typically used to achieve higher bandwidth. Accordingly, the invention provides reduced heat dissipation requirements, thereby reducing the need for costly heat sinks and batteries. Accordingly, the amplifier may be used in a fully portable, hand-held RFID reader that can conform to RFID standards requiring a higher modulation frequency.
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) system.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example RFID reader.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example amplifier for use within the RFID reader.
FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating an exemplary amplitude modulated signal.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example amplifier for use within the RFID reader.
FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating another amplitude-modulated signal.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) system 2. RFID system 2 includes an RFID station ("station") 4 that interacts with tag 14 via radio frequency signals 16. In particular, station 4 includes RFID reader ("reader") 12 that provides energy to tag 14, and receives information from tag 14, by producing and receiving RF communications 16 via antenna 15. Reader 12 and tag 14 communicate using RF communications 16 that are amplitude modulated according to a defined protocol, such as the ISO/IEC 14443 and ISO/IEC 15693 standards specify.
Station 4 provides a workstation or other computing environment for processing the information received from tag 14, and for providing tag programming information to reader 12. Station 4 includes, for example, processor 8 that communicates with reader 12 via communication link 13. Reader 12 may be internal to station 4, as illustrated, or may be external or even a hand-held, portable reader. Accordingly, link 13 may be an RS-232 serial communication link, a wireless link, or other suitable connection for exchanging information with reader 12.
Processor 8 maintains data 11 that represents a compilation of the various articles, tags and associated information. An operator interacts with station 4 via input device 10 and display 6. Processor 8 receives the input from the operator and, in response, updates data 11. The operator may provide, for example, identity or other information describing an article to which tag 14 is affixed. Data 11 may contain, for example, a bar code database storing bar code information for the articles. Processor 8 communicates the information to reader 12 via link 13, which outputs appropriate RF signals 16 to program tag 14. Processor 8 may store data 11 on any suitable computer-readable medium, such as random access memory (RAM), non-volatile memory, a magnetic medium, and the like.
As described in detail below, reader 12 incorporates a highly efficient amplifier that requires little power, yet achieves significant data rate. In particular, the amplifier incorporates many elements of a Class-E amplifier, yet overcomes the modulation bandwidth limitations inherent in such an amplifier. Accordingly, RFID reader 12 can conform to RFID standards requiring a wider modulation bandwidth. The efficiency and reduced power requirements of the amplifier allow reader 12 to achieve reduced size and weight. Consequently, reader 12 may be readily incorporated into a desktop workstation or a portable hand-held computing device, such as personal data assistant (PDA) or the like.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment for reader 12. Communication interface 22 receives programming information from station 4 via link 13, and forwards the information to controller 24. During transmission, controller 24 directs amplifier 28 via control lines 25 to efficiently produce an amplitude-modulated signal 27 in accordance with a modulation scheme, such as 100% amplitude modulation. Amplifier 28 incorporates many elements of a Class-E amplifier, yet overcomes the modulation bandwidth limitations inherent in such an amplifier.
Coupler 30 receives signal 27 and provides signal 27 to antenna 15 for transmission as an RF communication. Coupler 30 also provides receiver 32 with a signal 29 representative of an inbound RF communication received via antenna 15. Receiver 32 extracts digital information from signal 29, typically by demodulating the signal, and forwards the information to controller 24 for communication to station 4 via communication interface 22.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example amplifier 28 that efficiently produces a 100% amplitude modulated signal for transmission by antenna 15 (FIG. 2). Amplifier 28 includes a number of components that are arranged as a typical Class-E amplifier, outlined in FIG. 3 by dotted lines 55. In particular, inductor 40 acts as a current source for amplifier 28, and is coupled to a supply voltage 34. Amplifier transistor 50 connects inductor 40 to ground, and may be a metal oxide semiconductor field-effect (MOSFET) transistor having a drain connected to inductor 40 and a source to ground.
Controller 24 is connected to a gate of amplifier transistor 50, which is operated as a switch in response to a control signal. In particular, application of a positive bias voltage to the gate of amplifier transistor 50 causes a large current to flow from supply voltage 34, through inductor 40 to ground. Shunt capacitor 52 holds the voltage on the drain of amplifier transistor 50 during on-to-off switch transition, thereby avoiding switching losses. Resistor 53 represents the load of amplifier 28, i.e., antenna 15 (FIG. 2). Capacitor 42, inductor 48 and resistor 53 are designed such that the drain voltage of amplifier transistor 50 falls back to zero prior to the off-to-on switch transition, again avoiding switching losses.
In addition to these components, amplifier 28 includes bias transistor 39 coupled to resistor 41, and connected in parallel to amplifier transistor 50 and shunt capacitor 52. As described in detail below, bias transistor 39 provides a second path for supply current from inductor 40 when amplifier transistor 50 is open. In particular, a drain of bias transistor 39 is coupled to inductor 40 via resistor 41. A source of bias transistor 39 is connected directly to ground.
Controller 24 selectively activates transistors 39 and 50 to cause amplifier 28 to produce an output signal in which an envelope for the signal is 100% amplitude modulated. In particular, controller 24 switches the amplifier transistor 50 at a high-frequency, such as 13.56 MHz, while holding open bias transistor 39. Switching amplifier transistor 50 causes energy to be stored within inductor 40, and current to periodically flow through amplifier transistor 50. As a result, amplifier 28 produces an output signal having an envelope of 100% amplitude.
After switching amplifier transistor 50 for a period of time, controller 24 then simultaneously deactivates amplifier transistor 50, and activates bias transistor 39 for a second period of time. During this period, current flows from inductor 40 to ground via resistor 41 and bias transistor 39, reducing the envelope of the output signal to substantially 0%. In this manner, controller 24 maintains current flow through inductor 40 and prevents the energy stored within inductor 40 from decaying.
When controller 24 initiates switching of transistor 50 during subsequent modulation cycles, current through inductor 40 is not needed to re-energize inductor 40, since the stored energy in inductor 40 was maintained, thus allowing for a shorter rise time from 0% amplitude to 100% amplitude. Consequently, amplifier 28 can achieve increased data transfer rates. In one embodiment, supply voltage 34 provides five (5) volts, while resistors 53 and 41 have resistances of 12 and 24 ohms, respectively. Capacitors 52, 42 have capacitances of 150 and 50 picoFarads, respectively, and inductors 40, 48 have inductance of 25 and 3 microHenries, respectively. In addition, bias transistor 39 and amplitude transistor 50 may be metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFET's).
FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating an output signal 72 produced by amplifier 28, and which has an envelope that achieves 100% amplitude modulation. In particular, output signal 72 represents the voltage across resistor 53 (FIG. 3). The envelope of signal 72 switches between a maximum voltage (VMAX) and a minimum voltage (VMIN) for a first time period T1. During a second time period T2, output signal 72 has a voltage of approximately 0 volts.
The simulation illustrated in FIG. 4 assumes that amplifier transistor 50 and bias transistor 39, as well as supply voltage 34, are initially off. At 0.1 μs, controller 24 begins a first cycle of amplitude modulating output signal 72 by switching amplifier transistor 50 at a high frequency, such as 13.56 MHz, e.g., with a 50% duty cycle. In addition, controller 24 maintains bias transistor 39 in an off state. At approximately 4.2 μs, and after switching amplifier transistor 50 for a time period T1, controller 24 simultaneously activates bias transistor 39 and deactivates amplifier transistor 50. During this period, current flows through inductor 40 to ground via resistor 41 and transistor 39, causing output signal 72 to have an amplitude of substantially zero volts.
At approximately 6.2 μs, and after delaying for a time period T2, controller 24 begins a second cycle 76 of amplitude modulation. In particular, controller 24 deactivates bias transistor 39 and begins switching amplifier transistor 50. In this manner, the current flowing through inductor 40 is maintained at all times, preventing current decay which is typically experienced by conventional Class-E amplifiers.
As a result, the envelope-of output signal 72 more quickly reaches 100% amplitude during the second cycle 76, and for subsequent cycles, than for the first cycle 74. Consequently, amplifier 28 is able to achieve higher data rates than conventional Class-E amplifiers. In addition, a shorter rise time during amplitude modulation is advantageous when communicating with multiple tags simultaneously and, in particular, avoiding collisions between communications from the various tags. Yet another advantage of biasing the current through the inductor 40 is the attenuation of ringing within output signal 72 that otherwise is inherent in Class-E amplifiers due to the RLC components.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example amplifier 80 for use within reader 12. In particular, amplifier 80 produces an output signal having less than 100% amplitude modulation, such as 10% amplitude modulation. Similar to amplifier 28 described above, amplifier 80 includes a number of components 62, 64, 66, 68, 70 that are arranged as a typical Class-E amplifier, outlined by dotted lines 75.
In addition to these components, amplifier 80 includes a modulation transistor 60 connected in parallel to resistor 58, which connects inductor 62 to supply voltage 54. In particular, modulation transistor 60 may be a MOSFET transistor having a source and a drain connected across resistor 58. By activating and deactivating modulation transistor 60, controller 24 varies the supply voltage received by inductor 62, and causes amplitude modulation of the output signal produced by amplifier 80.
FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating a portion of an envelope of output signal 82 produced by amplifier 80, in which the envelope achieves 10% amplitude modulation. In particular, the envelope of signal 82 modulates between peak voltage amplitudes of a first maximum voltage (VMAX1) and a second maximum voltage (VMAX2). VMAX2 may be, for example, approximately 90% of VMAX1.
The simulation illustrated in FIG. 6 assumes that at 0.0 μs (not shown), controller 24 begins a first modulation cycle by switching amplifier transistor 64 at a high frequency, such as 13.56 MHz, with a 50% duty cycle. In addition, controller 24 deactivates modulation transistor 60, causing current to flow through resistor 58, and supply voltage 54 to drop across resistor 58. Consequently, at 3.8 μs the envelope of signal 82 has a peak voltage of VMAX2.
At approximately 4.8 μs, and after switching amplifier transistor 64 for a time period, controller 24 activates modulation transistor 60, causing current to bypass resistor 58, and increasing the envelope of signal 82 from VMAX2 to VMAX1. In this manner, controller 24 amplitude modulates output signal 82. In one embodiment, 10% amplitude modulation is achieved by selecting supply resistor 58 to have a resistance of 2 ohms. The various components of amplifier 80, however, can be selected to achieve other desired modulation schemes.
Various embodiments of the invention have been described, including embodiments for producing amplitude modulated RF signals to communicate with an RFID tag. The apparatus makes use of many of the components of a conventional class E amplifier. Notably, advantages may be achieved by incorporating the embodiments described above into a single RFID reader. The reader may, for example, readily support multiple modulation schemes, such as 100% and 10% amplitude modulation, by incorporating the embodiments described above. Accordingly, the reader could readily selectively use the embodiments to support a variety of tag types. In addition, the reader may also use the bias transistor while achieving amplitude modulation with the modulation transistor. This may be advantageous in reducing the rise time during a modulation scheme of less than 100% amplitude modulation. These and other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
|Cited Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Apr 23, 1973
|Nov 11, 1975
|Sokal Alan D
|High-efficiency tuned switching power amplifier
|May 22, 1986
|Aug 11, 1987
|Integrated Technology Work, Inc.
|Alarm system for computers and the like
|Oct 16, 1991
|Jan 12, 1993
|Illinois Institute Of Technology
|Self-regulating class E resonant power converter maintaining operation in a minimal loss region
|May 1, 1995
|Dec 9, 1997
|Illinois Institute Of Technology
|Suspended carrier modulation of high-Q transmitters
|Aug 15, 1997
|Jul 20, 1999
|Checkpoint Systems, Inc.
|Drive circuit for reactive loads
|Mar 23, 1998
|Jul 27, 1999
|Motorola, Inc.
|Low voltage transceiver
|Jul 24, 1998
|Sep 21, 1999
|Checkpoint Systems, Inc.
|Low noise signal generator for use with an RFID system
|Jul 24, 1998
|Sep 28, 1999
|Checkpoint Systems, Inc.
|Optical interface between receiver and tag response signal analyzer in RFID system for detecting low power resonant tags
|Sep 14, 1998
|Jun 19, 2001
|Micron Technology, Inc.
|Method of speeding power-up of an amplifier, and amplifier
|Jul 20, 2000
|Apr 9, 2002
|Digital Angel Corporation
|Apparatus and method for remotely testing a passive integrated transponder tag interrogation system
|Title not available
|Aug 5, 1999
|Feb 24, 2000
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Applications for radio frequency identification systems
|Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 1995, No. 10, Nov. 30, 1995 & JP 07 170132 A (Matsushita Electric Works Ltd.), Jul. 4, 1995, abstract; figures 1, 2.
|Sokal et al., "Class E Switching-Mode RF Power Amplifiers," R.F. Design, 3/7, pp. 33-38 and 41, 1980.
|Sokal et al., "Class-E Power Amplifier Delivers 24 W at 27 MHz, at 89-92% Efficiency, Using One Transistor Costing $0.85," Proceedings-RF Expo East, pp. 118-127, 1993.
|Sokal et al., "Class-E Power Amplifier Delivers 24 W at 27 MHz, at 89-92% Efficiency, Using One Transistor Costing $0.85," Proceedings—RF Expo East, pp. 118-127, 1993.
|Sokal, "Class-E Switching-Mode High-Efficiency Tuned RF/Microwave Power Amplifier: Improved Design Equations," 2000 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium, Workshop Notes, Boston, MA, Jun. 11-16, 2000.
|Tsai K-C et al: "A 1.9-GHZ, I-W CMOS Class-E Power Amplifier for Wireless Communication", IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, IEEE Inc. New York, US, vol. 34, NR 7, pp. 962-970, XP000930330, ISSN: 0018-9200, figure 4.
|Wong et al., "An 800 MHz HBT Class-E Amplifier with 74% PAE at 3.0 Volts for GMSK," IEEE Gallium Arsenide IC Symposium, pp. 299-303, 1999.
|Worksheet Slides, 2000 IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium, Workshop Notes, Boston, MA, Jun. 11-16, 2000.
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Mar 31, 2004
|Jun 21, 2005
|3M Innovative Properties Comapny
|Amplifier modulation
|Aug 11, 2004
|Dec 27, 2005
|Hammond Dorothy L
|Security device and alarm system
|Jan 26, 2005
|Dec 12, 2006
|Checkpoint Systems, Inc.
|System and method for detecting EAS/RFID tags using step listen
|Dec 23, 2004
|Mar 27, 2007
|Wj Communications, Inc.
|Multiprotocol RFID reader
|Dec 23, 2004
|Jul 3, 2007
|Wj Communications, Inc.
|Integrated switching device for routing radio frequency signals
|Mar 19, 2007
|Nov 17, 2009
|Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
|Power amplifier
|Feb 5, 2010
|Feb 4, 2014
|Taizhou Suzhong Antenna Group Co.
|Automobile top antenna devices and antenna amplifiers thereof
|Mar 31, 2004
|Sep 23, 2004
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Amplifier modulation
|Jul 28, 2004
|Feb 3, 2005
|Kranz Mark J.
|System and method for optimizing power usage in a radio frequency communication device
|Dec 23, 2004
|Jun 30, 2005
|Wj Communications, Inc.
|Linearized power amplifier modulator in an RFID reader
|Dec 23, 2004
|Jun 30, 2005
|Wj Communications, Inc.
|Integrated switching device for routing radio frequency signals
|Dec 23, 2004
|Oct 20, 2005
|Wj Communications, Inc.
|Multiprotocol RFID reader
|Jan 26, 2005
|May 11, 2006
|Checkpoint Systems, Inc.
|System and method for detecting EAS/RFID tags using step listen
|Dec 7, 2005
|Jun 22, 2006
|Paul Atkinson
|Device and method for selectively controlling a processing device
|Dec 30, 2004
|Jul 27, 2006
|Nokia Corporation
|System and method for signaling clients for multimedia streaming
|Mar 19, 2007
|Mar 13, 2008
|Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
|Power amplifier
|Feb 5, 2010
|Jun 3, 2010
|Xiaoping Jiang
|Automobile top antenna devices and antenna amplifiers thereof
|Nov 6, 2006
|Mar 30, 2011
|Feig Electronic GmbH
|Emitting device with low noise, high efficiency and variable power for RFID reader/writer
|U.S. Classification
|340/572.1, 340/693.3, 340/539.1, 455/108
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Oct 15, 2001
Owner name: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY, MINNESOTA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:JESME, RONALD D.;REEL/FRAME:012265/0936
Effective date: 20011015
|Oct 5, 2004
|Certificate of correction
|Nov 19, 2007
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Nov 26, 2007
|Maintenance fee reminder mailed
|Sep 19, 2011
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|Nov 4, 2015
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 12


text:
Taylor 8mm Pro Wire Spark Plug Wire Repair Kit - TCW Wire Core, Black
8mm, TCW Wire Core, 90/180 Degree Boots, Black
Limited Supply: only 2 remaining
Availability: Same Day Shipping!
Shipping: Ships from Michigan.
Was: $17.11
Sale: $12.94
Save: 24%
Save: $4.17
- 88197453007
- Taylor Cable Products
- Available
- Same Day Shipping!
- New
Shipping Information
- Item Requires Shipping
- 0.3 lbs.
- W3.4000" x H0.4000" x L5.9000"
- Ships from Michigan.
Customer Reviews
Total Reviews (0)
Write the First Review!
You must login to post a review.
- The Company Difference
- We're the ExpertsWe help you find a way to win!
- Huge SelectionOver 90,000 products from the top brands in motorsports!
- Free Shipping On driver safety gear over $99!
- Low Everyday PricesGet the best values in racing!
- Have a question? Ask the Pros
- Email UsGet answers from the pros
- 1-866-722-3432


text:
Call (888) 651-9785
Jay, our guide, gave a great tour on the airboat for about 90 minutes through the mangroves, pointing out the blue holes and we were able to walk on an island quite a ways off shore and view the ecosystem. We were then driven to a beach for snorkeling, which I chose not to do, but others in the group seemed to enjoy the experience. Lunch, which was included, was quite delicious!
I was unable to take this trip because I was in the emergency room with a tooth abscess.
Page: 1
Some content licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
© 1997–Sat Feb 25 09:09:16 PST 2017 Viator, Inc. CUR015 - 330214 All rights reserved. Viator is a registered trademark of Viator, Inc.
is a Service Mark of Viator, Inc. Travel with an Insider is a Service Mark of Viator, Inc.
Use of this website constitutes acceptance of Viator's Terms & Conditions.
Viator uses cookies to improve your experience on our website. Learn more about how we use cookies and how to change your cookie settings | Close message


text:
Java RTSP Relay
This project was successfully completed by szymszteinsl for $515 USD in 3 days.Get free quotes for a project like this
Project Budget$250 - $750 USD
Completed In3 days
Total Bids7
Project Description
Need a Java based application which will connect to an RTSP stream, queue it into a buffer according to a specified length of time, and then serve it out as an RTSP stream to another client. The client will see the RTSP stream with a specified delay. The finished program will take command line arguments similar to the following:
java RTSPRelay src=SOURCE server=SERVER delay=DELAY
SOURCE is the url of the RTSP source stream such as: rtsp://login:password@[url removed, login to view]
SERVER is the IP address and port on the local machine that will serve the relayed RTSP stream. For example: 127.0.0.1:5100
DELAY is the delay time (buffer size) in seconds
The code also needs to be able to handle and recover from signal interruptions and communication errors.
Completed by:
Skills Required
Looking to make some money?
- Set your budget and the timeframe
- Outline your proposal
- Get paid for your work
Hire Freelancers who also bid on this project
Looking for work?
Work on projects like this and make money from home!Sign Up Now
- Forbes
- The New York Times
- Time
- Wall Street Journal
- Times Online


text:
Created attachment 527413 [details] [diff] [review]
add flags
There's a TestXPC in dist/bin, from http://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/js/src/xpconnect/tests/TestXPC.cpp
Actually trying to run the test aborts:
Assertion failure: clasp->flags & JSCLASS_IS_GLOBAL, at .../src/js/src/jsapi.cpp:3062
It makes me feel less guilty to actually attach the fix too - it's not like I took part in thinking about it ;)
Comment on attachment 527413 [details] [diff] [review]
add flags
Review of attachment 527413 [details] [diff] [review]:
r=me, but it also seems like a bug that we didn't find out about this until now. Is this test useful? It must not run on our build/test machines, at least not in debug builds. Either that, or the assertion was happening but wasn't being detected and reported properly. Please file the follow-up bug to get that fixed!
Follow up filed as bug 653960


text:
Poplife Says Goodbye to White Room
Poplife founders Barbara Basti and Aramis Lorie.
Photo by Jose D. Duran
Poplife has never really been a faithful lover, so White Room should have seen this coming from a mile away. We heard the rumors weeks ago, but we were told it was off the record. However, today we received word via press release that Saturday's event with Black Moth Super Rainbow will be Poplife's last at the venue.
As for where its moving to, no word on that yet. In fact, Poplife is going on hiatus for the month of August and taking the party on the road to Chicago and New York. This isn't the first time the party took a break: it was absent as it transitioned from Post to Pawn Shop and again from Pawn Shop to White Room in 2007 -- but if you want to get into technicalities, Poplife's Pawn Shop period could be regarded as an extended hiatus since the party, which was a partnership between Supermarket Creative and Poplife, was called Dirty Disco.
You can go to sleep at night knowing the press release confirms that Poplife will return the first week of September at a new venue. Let's hope the downtown party stays, well, downtown.
This does leave one question unanswered: what will happen White Room without a strong party to anchor it? Let's hope it has something in the works, because venues like it in this city are rare.
Get the Music Newsletter
Keep your thumb on the local music scene each week with music news, trends, artist interviews and concert listings. We'll also send you special ticket offers and music deals.
In Case You Missed It
Upcoming Events
WDNA Miami Downtown Jazz Festival
TicketsSat., Feb. 25, 5:00pm
- Dennis Deyoung: the Music of Styx
- Benise
Benise's "Spanish Nights"
powered by goldstar
Sponsor Content


text:
10 Marsch Street
Wegbeschreibung für den Beherbergungsbetrieb
George Air Port is 109 kilometers from Albertinia you simply link up with the N2 freeway and head towards Cape Town. The Direction from Cape Town International is roughly 320 kilometers you take the N2 freeway east and carry on until you reach Albertinia. We have a bus delivery at both Shell and Engen filling stations and these can be procured from George or Cape Town International. We do collect and deliver to all venues within the Western Cape Province.
Hostelworld Apps
Buche von unterwegs aus, mit der neuen mobilen Hostelworld-App.


text:
- What happens when life insurance benefits go unpaid
- May 1, 2012
One avenue for finding a missing policy could lie with the fact that so many life insurance companies demutualized, starting in the late 1990s. When a company demutualizes it issues stock to its owners and, in the case of a life insurance company, anyone with a policy should receive shares of stock as well.
Bridgeland says those shares have a financial value that can be claimed immediately, even if a policyholder is still alive. They're also a way to track down a missing policy.
Unlike a life insurance policy, which can sit on a company's books for years if no one files a claim, stock is treated like any other asset and turned over to a state unclaimed property office if its' been dormant or unclaimed for a certain number of years.
"A lot of these large mutual insurance companies had a lot of small policies that were never claimed. You're not just looking at it as a face benefit, you should also look at it as if there is a demutualization payment available," Bridgeland says. "Even if you're dead and they're not aware that you're dead, if they think you're still alive you'll still get that demutualization check."
By searching through state unclaimed property records, Bridgeland says he located the life insurance policy of a friend whose parents took out a policy on their son but never told him about it. Not only did Bridgeland's research uncover a $3,000 policy, his friend received $8,000 worth of insurance company stock.Resources for finding a lost life insurance policyThe National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators runs an online database with unclaimed property information from 40 states. Searches are free. It also has links to the unclaimed property offices of all 50 states: click here. Additional information on unclaimed property can be found at NAUPA's own web site: click here.
Met Life, one of the nation's largest life insurers, provides a policy finder service: click here.
Prudential, another top insurer, also offers a policy finder service at 1-800-778-2255. More information is available on its website: click here.
Insurance regulators in Louisiana, Missouri and Ohio offers help locating policies that were purchased in their respective states.Ohio: click here.
Missouri: click here.
Louisiana: click here.
MK Consulting Inc. has an unclaimed property page that lists the largest life insurance companies that have demutualized, or gone public. Those that would've paid out stock to their policyholders, provide a valuable asset list that can be used as a means of tracking down a policy via any unclaimed stock that was transferred to a state's unclaimed property office. The list of companies is available here: click here.
Life insurance advisor Glen S. Daily provides information on a long list of life insurance companies that have demutualized and changed their names: click here.
The Center for Insurance Research, a consumer advocacy organization, has a large database on life insurance mergers, acquisitions and name changes. It plans to make the list available online by this summer: click here.
MIB Group, an industry membership corporation, offers a $75 locator service that provides information on life insurance applications that can be used to track down a policy. Data is limited to policies issued after 1996 and its success rate is 30 percent: click here.
The American Council of Life Insurers offers additional policy locating tip on its web site: click here.
Other avenues
The difficulty in tracking down old life insurance policies is evidenced by the fact that the insurance commissioners of just three states are known to offer services that help beneficiaries search for old policies. (see sidebar) If a potential beneficiary contacts one of these offices, the commissioner contacts several insurance companies and asks them to search their records for a policyholder's name.
Bridgeland says their success rate is not very high, partly because a policyholder could pass away in a different state from where they bought the policy—which makes it difficult for the commissioner to know which companies to check with. He says many older and smaller policies are still kept on paper and have never been digitized, which makes them hard for the companies themselves to locate. The MIB Group, a membership corporation owned by approximately 470 U.S. and Canadian insurance companies, offers a policy locator service where for $75 it will search its records for life insurance applications that may help beneficiaries track down a policy. MIB's website says this service has a response rate of nearly 30 percent.
Its database is limited to policies issued after 1996 and may not include smaller policies that were too small for a company to underwrite.
The legislative response
Since 1980, insurance companies have had access to the Social Security Administration's Death Master File and have used it to keep track of those who passed away and should no longer receive annuity payments—yet they've not done this with life insurance policies. The SSA compiles the list through reports from a variety of sources including the states and various federal agencies.
"I think it's a case of the law not keeping up with technology because when the insurance laws were drafted there was no such thing as a Social Security death index so there was no master way to determine if someone was alive or not," Atkinson says. "The law has not caught up to recognize that there is a way to determine whether people are alive or not."
That's subject to change, in November 2011, the National Conference of Insurance Legislators drafted model legislation, to be enacted by individual states, that would require insurance companies to use the DMF to keep track of their life insurance policies the same way they do with annuities.
Kentucky State Rep. Robert Damron, a former NCOIL president who spearheaded the effort, says life insurance companies would have to compare their policies with the DMF on a quarterly basis.
If a match were found, the company would have 90 days to determine if it was valid and notify the beneficiaries. Information provided by the DMF might be less helpful than it used to be in the past, as the SSA announced in November 2011 that it would no longer make information it received from the states available to the public.
In 2010, the SSA shared approximately 2.8 million death records which it expects will drop by approximately 1 million as a result of the change. The agency's historical DMF contains 89 million records, which will be decreased by approximately4.2 million records. The SSA gave no explanation for this change and did not respond to requests for more information.
Damron and others say the change was probably out of concerns of potential misuse or fraud, although they hope the SSA will change its mind and make an exemption for legitimate uses—such as insurance companies keeping track of policyholders. Even if this database is not available, Damron says the legislation would require companies to keep track of life insurance policies by using whatever methods they use to monitor their annuities. He introduced a version of the NCOIL legislation in Kentucky and expects it to become law.
"The insurance companies are going to have to come up with something to run their in-force annuities by and we all know that's going to happen and so that's why the language is flexible enough. If they have another form of data that they're using to run these matches they have to use that for their in-force life insurance as well," Damron says. "Some of the insurance companies have told me that they have developed their own databases that they use in the annuity process that are equal to or better than the Death Master File."
The American Council of Life Insurers, an industry trade group, says its members are still reviewing the NCOIL proposal but otherwise had no response.Pages: 1 2
- Category: Articles Library, Life Insurance
Most Popular
Life Insurance Quotes
6 Responses
Leave a Reply


text:
Arts, Visual Arts, Education, Games & Hobbies, HobbiesFollow
|Visual Arts
The Martin Bailey Photography Podcast provides education and inspiration through a mix of art, creativity and technical topics, interviews, gear reviews and travelogue style episodes. Full archive at http://mbp.ac/blog
October 2nd, 2007
Episode 112 of 600 episodes
This is the second of a two part series to talk about a recent brief trip to India, and to look at some of the shots from the trip. To look at all the shots from the trip follow this link: http://www.martinbaileyphotography.com/thumbnails.php?album=search&search=India_Sept2007 The music in this episode is from the PodShow Podsafe Music Network at http://music.podshow.com/
You'll need to sign in to write a comment.
Welcome to the daily audio workout for your head.


text:
Fan Bingbing attended a press conference for her TV show 'Brilliant Chinese' on Wednesday (February 11) in Shanghai, China.
With Celine devoid of any princess-style dresses, I was surprised Bingbing had the French brand on her radar, however, she did pick the girlish look from their Spring 2015 collection.
Decked out in an array of blooming colourful florals, the design features an interesting circular detail on the shoulder to set it apart from and give it an edge over the typical floral-design frocks we've seen her wear in the past.
I love the complementary blue nail polish, but once again words fail when it comes to the shoe choice. It will never end.
Credit: Style.com & Getty


text:
The PREPARE II study builds off the first PREPARE study, which was done at Duke four years ago and paved the way to the large study to delay the onset of AD called TOMMORROW. The PREPARE II study will examine cognitive abilities in people who participated in PREPARE four years ago and will explore the relationship of cognitive change to common exposures in the environment, including common medications. We are hoping to see the same high participation rates that we saw in the first study and use the information from both PREPARE I & II to address factors that are modifiable so as to improve brain health here locally
The CONNECT study, is a new brain imaging initiative that will use novel high-quality MRI techniques to advance our understanding of how the left and right brain hemispheres cooperate together to compensate for injuries and maintain cognitive health in healthy aging. This research study is directed by Dr. Simon Davis and is funded by the Department of Neurology. The ultimate goal of the study is to use the information gathered to design better and more personalized approaches for enhancing brain health.
The ACTIVATE study is led by Dr. Miles Berger in Duke Anesthesiology, and is examining Alzheimer's disease biomarkers and thinking/memory skills in older adults having surgery and non-surgical controls. Many older patients experience thinking and memory problems after anesthesia and surgery. This study is designed to better understand what causes these postoperative thinking and memory problems, and whether they are associated with changes in Alzheimer's disease pathways. We hope this work will lead to improve postoperative recovery for the 19 million Americans over age 60 who undergo anesthesia and surgery each year.
The TOMMorrow study is no longer recruiting


text:
I will design black and white tribal tattoo vector(74) 2 Orders in Queue
About This Gig
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I upgrade the package later?Yes, you can
I already discuss the details with you through messages, do I have to fill the Requirements?No, don't have to, you can type "Discussed". However, it's still good if you just copy and paste the detail to remind me our discussion. :)
I don't want high resolution file or commercial use, just need additional character, can I order that extra only?Yes, you can place order with basic gig and add the addition figures or other separate Extras in the order page. Please consider the number of character you want to add.


text:
The 700 Club: September 13, 2010
Week of Prayer: A young man is healed from a mysterious fall. Also, CBN News reports on loan-free education.
4983 results for 'Prayer'. Showing results 3097 - 3114
Week of Prayer: A young man is healed from a mysterious fall. Also, CBN News reports on loan-free education.
Topic: I Do... Just Not Any More
He was inside of Tower 1 when the first plane hit. Now, nine years later, Sujo John spreads the...
Young Nhan came to a CBN-supported home in Vietnam after her father died, and she received healing after the...
Topic: Second Chances
What options do I have to remove tattoos? How do I reach out to a prodigal? How soon should...
Topic: Teens and Divorce with Author Kevin Leman
The bodybuilder and fitness expert rose to the top of his game in order to hide a shameful past.
Topic: The Cheapskate Next Door
This 75 year-old woman found out there's nothing too small for God to heal.
Marie Olive Kabila, one of the youngest First Ladies in Africa, is using her belief in God to bring...
Feature: A student pastor recalls the horrific abuse he witnessed as a child.
Topic: Creative Miracles
Jean was in a wheelchair and had no movement in his body. Drew believed that God was a healer....
The French have become increasingly fed up with what they see as the growing Islamization of France.
Topic: Financial Infidelity
Topic: The Faith of President Obama
Topic: Texting While Driving


text:
This guiding module is an indicative of the terms & conditions, rules and policies ("eBay Policies") of www.ebay.in ("eBay Website") and have been shown/translated for your ease of reference and understanding. This module does not purport to contain all eBay Policies of eBay Website. For more details on eBay Policies, please visit http://pages.ebay.in/help/policies/overview.html and read the same carefully before concluding your listing and sale. The information contained herein must be read in conjunction with the eBay User Agreement, Rules and Policies available on www.ebay.in and are subject to applicable laws and regulations. The information set out herein may be subject to updating, completion, revision, verification and amendment and such information may change materially. In the event of conflict, of any nature, between eBay Policies contained in this module and on eBay Website, eBay Policies available on www.ebay.in shall prevail.
eBay does not undertake any liability or responsibility for the details, accuracy, completeness or correct sequence of any content or information provided herein the module. Nothing contained herein shall constitute or be deemed to constitute an advice, invitation or solicitation to sell/purchase any products/services offered by the sellers and is not intended to create any rights and obligations on eBay. eBay does not accept any responsibility for any errors whether caused by negligence or otherwise or for any loss or damage incurred by anyone in reliance on anything set out in this module. The use of Information set out herein is entirely at the recipient's own risk and discretion. The images depicted herein are for illustrative purposes only. The 'ebay' and 'ebay.in' marks/logos are trademark and property of eBay. Misuse of any intellectual property, or any other content displayed herein is strictly prohibited.