text:
|Numéro de publication
|Type de publication
|Numéro de demande
|Date de publication
|31 déc. 1996
|Date de dépôt
|10 mars 1995
|Date de priorité
|10 mars 1995
|État de paiement des frais
|Numéro de publication
|Peter D. Fiset
|Cessionnaire d'origine
|Fiset; Peter D.
|Exporter la citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Citations de brevets (6), Référencé par (108), Classifications (20), Événements juridiques (8)
|Liens externes: USPTO, Cession USPTO, Espacenet
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to IC card circuits, and more particularly to a circuit for detecting the completed connection of an IC card to a terminal.
2. Description of the Background
Portable cards having various combinations of memory, mass storage, and communications functions such as IC cards are known in the prior art. Most recent IC cards are designed to meet an industry standard interface specification, although many non-standard IC cards have been described also. The most common standard adopted by the electronics industry has been set forth by the Personal Computer Memory Card Interface Association (PCMCIA). The electronics manufacturers who are members of the PCMCIA meet and agree upon the definition of a standard.
The PCMCIA sets standards that allow for increased compatibility between host computer systems and the peripheral IC cards which can be attached to the host computer system. The standard defines the interface requirements but does not dictate the particular circuit implementation used to meet the criteria of the specification.
The IC card is usually carried by a user and inserted into terminal units of various systems in order to use the IC card. The terminal unit may or may not be powered up at the time the IC card is inserted into or removed from the terminal unit. It has been a goal of the prior art to have a mode of use of an IC card referred to by the industry as "hot-swapping". Hot-swapping implies that an IC card can be inserted or removed from a terminal unit independent of the state of the host terminal. The host terminal unit may or may not be operating on the IC card when the card is removed. Host terminal units capable of hot-swapping are electrically compatible with the action of an IC card being connected onto or removed from the host terminal.
A technique which is known quite well, and required to meet the standards set by the PCMCIA, is to have two Card Detection (CD) connections on the connector between the host terminal unit and the IC card. These pins are found on the outside edges of the connectors, and there are usually two such pins called CD1 and CD2, located at opposing ends of the array of contacts which comprise the connector. If the card is inserted improperly, such as on an angle, then one of the CD1 or CD2 sockets on the IC card will not make contact with the associated pins of the host terminal. If both CD1 and CD2 make contact with the host terminal unit then the host terminal unit recognizes that a card is present. The PCMCIA standard recommends electrically connecting CD1 and CD2 pins to the ground pins. When the host terminal controller detects a voltage less than 0.8 volts, on either host terminal card detect pin, CD1 and/or CD2, then the host recognizes the state of having an IC card attached to the host terminal IC card connector.
The PCMCIA standard specifies the length for each pin on the host connector. The power supply, and ground contacts are the longest at 0.197+/-0.004 inches, the card detect pins are the shortest at 0.0138+/-0.004 inches, all other pins are an intermediate length of 0.167+/-0.004 inches. On the IC card side all the socket contacts are the same length.
The staggering of the pins allows for hot-insertion of an IC card into a host terminal and also hot removal of an IC card from a host terminal. First the power pins contact, supplying power to the card so that when the signal pins contact next, the inputs are not latched due to too much current sinking into the protection diodes commonly found on CMOS integrated circuits. Similar rationale for the removal. The card is inserted slowly relative to the speed at which the computer and circuits can respond to connections being made sequentially with respect to time. Thus the proper sequencing of the operations required to preserve the integrity of the IC card is performed.
The PCMCIA specification calls specifically for the card detect pins, CD1 and CD2 to be the shortest pins on the host connector. This allows for the other signal of the IC card to be securely connected before the host terminal recognizes that a card is present.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,223 granted to Kimura, describes in column 12, line 32, use of "the shortest contact of the parts connected to the terminal unit" as useful for a card detect means.
A critical requirement in the use of the staggered contact scheme is the speed of card insertion which will maintain the allowed time for sequencing the IC card connections. If a card is inserted too fast for the system to respond then the IC card may be subjected to conditions at which it will fail to operate reliably. Such as in the case of a large capacitor on the power supply that has not charged up fully from the power supply pins, and thus the signal pins could leak current through the input protection diode to the power supply. If a card is inserted too fast then the benefits of having staggered contacts is diminished.
The specification of the physical length of the sockets of the IC card allow for a controlled transition for the insertion of the IC card into and removal of the IC card from the host terminal unit.
The PCMCIA standard recommendations state that the card detect pins on the IC card should be directly connected to ground and the ground pins on the IC card. IC cards meeting the PCMCIA standard are required to hold the CD1 and CD2 below 0.8 volts.
The PCMCIA specification requires the host terminals to electrically connect the CD1 and CD2 male pins to a system voltage such as +5 v through a pull-up resistor greater than a minimum value defined by the specification (10 KOhms or larger). Therefore, if the host terminal controller senses a voltage near ground on the CD1 and CD2 pins then an IC card is present and system initialization processing begins. If the host terminal senses a voltage near the system power supply voltage on the card detect pins of the host connector, then an IC card is not connected or has been disconnected. In the case of the disconnection a system disconnection processing can begin.
As the IC card is removed from the host terminal unit the CD1 and CD2 contacts disengage first. This provides a certain amount of time before the power supply contacts are disconnected and additional time before the data, address, and control contacts are disengaged. In the first amount of time, the host terminal card socket controller unit generally generates an interrupt to the host terminal CPU to immediately suspend operations on the IC card. By the time the power supply pins disconnect, the host terminal usually but not in all circumstances should be able to spend operations on the IC card.
It has also been shown in the prior art that the IC card circuit includes a power supply voltage detection circuit that senses the condition of a disconnected power supply pins or the computer powering down. The prior an shows that the power supply voltage is compared to a set point and this comparison output is used to suspend access to the IC card upon detecting the power supply from the host terminal has been removed or is shutting down. This method of protecting the IC card from erroneous access from the host terminal unit is limited in its effectiveness, because controllers are more susceptible to error during power supply cycling. There are additional conditions under which failure can occur. Such as if the card were inserted or removed too fast for the IC card and the host terminal to respond with the proper sequencing of the circuits.
There are the following problems in the conventional IC cards that have been described in the prior art. That is,
1) The circuit relies on the kinetic speed of the card being inserted and extracted to provide the required time for proper sequencing of the contacts engagements and disengagement.
2) The circuit does not account for problems with contacts other than the card detect pins not making contact. Any of the contacts can remain unconnected or can become disconnected from vibration, and from debris between the contacts.
3) The power supply does not ramp up and down, but is subject to a step function. This could cause problems with dynamic random access memories, (DRAM), which rely on the voltage of the capacitors being maintained relative to the power supply. This is a problem when DRAM is intended to replace static random access memory, (SRAM), PCMCIA memory IC cards.
4) The circuit is asynchronous; some IC cards will not be immediately ready to function, this circuit assumes that there will be no need for a long setup on the card before initialization commands are sent from the terminal. This circuit does not allow the IC card time to setup. SRAM cards do not require this time, but other cards such as battery backed DRAM have to be synchronized prior to access.
5) There is no provision to ramp up the power supply on the IC card as required by circuits on the IC card. Again, DRAM in a special low voltage battery backup mode need to be ramped up to the operating voltage at a limited rate, prior to use. A voltage spike or bump can cause error in refreshing the DRAM. The power supply may be subject to a rapid rise is the voltage level when connected to a host power supply. Some voltage sensitive circuits, especially dynamic random access memory, common in the industry and referred to as DRAM, have specifications which limit the change in the power supply voltage over time. DRAMs will fail to maintain data properly if the power supply voltage changes too quickly.
6) The circuit relies on the host controller to determine the state of the card in the socket and there is no provision for the card to determine directly that it is completely attached to the host.
The prior art does not show a voltage ramping circuit when switching over from the host power supply to the battery power supply. The prior art shows a simple pass transistor that isolates the host power supply from the circuit which remains powered by the battery backup power supply.
It is the purpose of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by disclosing an improved circuit which provides for increased reliability and functionality in the detection of the conditions under which the IC card can protect itself from erroneous access.
The present invention was made in order to solve the previous problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an IC card with a card detect signal within the IC card that will provide an increase in functionality and reliability by multiple uses of the of the card detect signal in the IC card interface.
Another object of the present invention is to detect the disconnection of system pins and to generate a card out of socket response. Such as in the case of high vibration when a connection is temporarily disconnected. This signal is again combined with the card out of socket signal to maintain the integrity of the proper operation of the IC card.
Another object of the invention is to provide a power supply ramping circuit so that when the IC card is connected or disconnected from the host terminal unit there are no voltage spikes within the IC card which will corrupt the operation of certain types of memory particularly in the case of voltage supply sensitive battery backed DRAM IC cards.
Another object of the invention is to show the use of the above circuit in a variety of peripheral types, including but not limited to memory cards, SRAM, DRAM, FLASH, EEPROM, EPROM, PROM, hard disk drives, I/O cards, communications cards, video cards, bus controller cards, sound cards, multimedia cards, all of which conform to one or more standard interface with a card detection means.
Another object of the invention is to provide a power supply circuit which is capable of boosting a voltage from a power source, including a battery.
Another object of the invention is to provide a controlled transfer from a first removable battery to a second fixed rechargeable battery that does not create excessive voltage bumps.
Another object of the invention is to provide a means by which the PCMCIA card controls the voltage on the card detect pins in order to control the host. The PCMCIA card can control the state of the host by changing the voltage of this pin. Even if the card is completely in the socket the card can simulate being out of socket by this means. This would be useful to keep the host from using a non-functional card, or an un-initialized card, or an unauthorized or protected card. This feature provides self determination of status for smart IC cards.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an IC card circuit for a portable IC card selectively insertable and extractable from a host terminal unit thereby connecting and disconnecting the IC card circuit from the host terminal unit having a function generating circuit, an internal power supply for applying a voltage to the function generating circuit to maintain the proper sequencing of states of the function generating circuit when the IC card circuit is not connected to the host terminal unit, a first card detect socket for mating with a first card detect pin of the host terminal connector, a second card detect socket for mating with a second card detect pin of the host terminal connector, a card operating properly detector for detecting the ability of the portable IC card to function properly, responsive to the state of the internal power supply and responsive to the state of the function generating circuit, a first transistor for receiving current into the base of the first transistor from the host terminal's first card detect pin, a first impedance means for biasing the collector of the first transistor to said internal power supply, a second transistor for receiving current into the base of the second transistor from the host terminal's second card detect pin, a second impedance means for biasing the collector of the second transistor to the internal power supply, a logic element for outputting a card insertion and extraction signal responsive to signals from the collectors of the first and second transistors, a power input terminal for supplying power to the internal power supply from the host when the IC card is connected to the host, a power switch connected in series between the power input terminal and the internal power supply, and a supply voltage detecting circuit for receiving the card insertion and extraction signal indicative of the connection with and disconnection from the host terminal unit and the voltage of said internal power supply for generating an output signal for the opening and closing of the power switch.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an IC card circuit for a portable IC card where the power switch is a transistor, and the internal power supply includes a voltage ramping power supply circuit or a voltage step up/down power supply circuit.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an IC card circuit for a portable IC card having a first controlled impedance for selectively controlling current flow to the base of the first transistor, responsive to said card operating properly detector, and where the first controlled impedance is an analog switch.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an IC card circuit having a second controlled impedance for selectively controlling current flow to the base of the second transistor, which is responsive to said card operating properly detector, and which is an analog switch.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an IC card circuit having a third controlled impedance for selectively controlling current flow out of the emitter of the first transistor, responsive to the card operating properly detector, and a fourth controlled impedance means for selectively controlling current flow out of the emitter of the second transistor, responsive to the card operating properly detector, where the impedances are analog switches.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the more pertinent and important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood so that the present contribution to the art can be more fully appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
The present invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description thereof when read in conjunction with the attached drawings, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic circuit diagram of the IC card power supply circuit according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows the card out of socket detection circuit.
FIG. 3 is a schematic circuit diagram of the voltage ramping circuit.
FIG. 4 is a schematic circuit diagram of a circuit that detects the voltage from the host power supply.
FIG. 5 is a schematic circuit diagram of a circuit that determines the voltages of the primary and secondary batteries and in addition shows the voltage booster circuit, the voltage regulator circuit and primary capacitance of the circuit.
FIG. 6 is a schematic of an alternate card detect circuit which includes a circuit by which the PCMCIA card controls the voltage of the card detect pins.
FIGS. 7-11 show various other embodiments for the card out of socket detection circuit.
FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the entire operating system showing the interactive operation between all the elements.
Referring first to FIG. 1, a construction of an IC card circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Bipolar transistors Q200, Q201, Q202 and resistors R8, R9, R11 comprise a circuit which keeps the batteries from discharging prior to host initial power up.
FIG. 1 shows the power supply circuit which regulates the voltage to the DRAM, V-- BBU, and regulates the voltage of recharging the lithium secondary battery, SBATT. The power from the host is used when it is available to produce V-- BBU, and when it is not present the circuit produces V-- BBU from the batteries. Current flows through resistor R7 (and redundant resistor R18) to PNP type transistor Q1. The transistor is biased by current flowing through R8 to allow the transmission of a majority of current from R7 to the bypass capacitor C1. The regulation is provided by comparator U2A which controls current flowing through R8 by comparing V-- REFADJ with a SET POINT voltage generated by feeding back the intermediate power supply voltage from C1 through a voltage divider comprised of resistors R10 and R18. V-- REFADJ as described above changes with a ramp like waveform to gradually change the voltage of V-- BBU. Current is then passed from C1 through diode D3 to the capacitor C5 and the voltage of C5 is V-- BBU. D3 does not allow current to pass back to the intermediate power supply circuit when the batteries are providing current to reduce battery power use. The intermediate power supply also supplies power to recharge the secondary battery through resistor R5 and diode D4. R5 limits the current allowed to recharge the rechargeable secondary battery SBATT. D4 does not allow current to pass from the battery to the intermediate power supply when the host power has been removed in order to reduce current flow from the battery. Q4 is used as a switch to pass current in one direction at a low forward voltage drop to keep the current flowing in one direction, i.e. out of the battery SBATT. R6 biases Q4 to allow the transistor to pass current. In one embodiment R8 could have the second pin tied directly to ground in which case current would always be flowing out of SBATT. Alternatively, resistor R200 and transistor Q200 are used to keep current from flowing prior to the first use of the DRAM, so that the PCMCIA card could be stored un-initialized for extended periods with the batteries available but unused. When the PCMCIA card is used for the first time in a host unit, V-- BBU will come up thus turning Q200 on in a conducting state which effectively connects the second pin of R8 to ground. Q2 serves a similar purpose to primary battery PBATT as Q4 did for SBATT. Likewise R9, and optional Q201 and R201 provide a similar purpose as do R8, R200, and Q200. The collectors of Q2 and Q4 are tied together to provide current to power the DRAM when host power is not available. Q3, R11, R202, and Q202 provide a similar function as Q2, R9, R201 and Q201. The output of Q3 is used to supply current to a voltage boosting circuit comprised of bypass capacitors, C3, C7, C6 and comparator U4, oscillator U3 and inverter U4, and diodes D6 and D5. C# and C7 are power supply bypass capacitors to effectively lower the impedance of the battery power source. U1 compares the input V-- BBU with a set point and if the V-- BBU is low then comparator turns output pin 1 on which in inverted by U4 (for logic compatibility) and controls oscillator U3 to oscillate and thus pump charge through C6 and through D6. Current is the supplied through D5 on the alternate phase of the oscillation. By this means the voltage of V-- BBU will not fall below a suitable level even if the batteries voltage drops due to a low temperature or a near end of life condition.
FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the card detection circuit which is PCMCIA compliant in the requirement that first and second card detection pins, hereafter referred to as CD1 and CD2 respectively, must be less than 0.8 volts to indicate that a card is present. The pins CD1 and CD2, of the host computer, mate with corresponding first and second card detect sockets. These first and second card detect sockets are located on the IC or PCMCIA card. In all prior art the CD1 and CD2 pins are tied to ground directly. But this present invention makes multiple uses of the CD1 and CD2 pins while still maintaining the requirement of the PCMCIA specification to pull the pins below 0.8 volts in order for a host to detect a card. Transistor Q100 receives current from CD1 when the PCMCIA card is attached to a host that is powered up. This current into the base of the NPN transistor Q100 causes current to flow through R100 to ground, effectively bringing the voltage at the CARD-- OUT-- 1 internal connection to ground. When the card is not inserted or the host power is off, then there is no current into the base of Q100 which causes the current to stop flowing from R100 to ground and thus CARD-- OUT-- 1 goes to a high voltage indicating that the card is not connected to a powered host. Transistor Q101 receives current from CD2 when the PCMCIA card is attached to a host that is powered up. This current into the base of the NPN transistor Q101 causes current to flow through R101 to ground, effectively bringing the voltage at the CARD-- OUT-- 2 internal connection to ground. When the card is not inserted or the host power is off, then there is no current into the base of Q101 which causes the current to stop flowing from R101 to ground and thus CARD-- OUT-- 2 goes to a high voltage indicating that the card is not connected to a powered host. The CARD-- OUT-- 1 and CARD-- OUT-- 2 are connected to the PCMCIA card controller within the card to indicate to the card the state of the card being inserted or not inserted.
FIG. 6 shows the PCMCIA MEMORY CONTROL CIRCUIT is shown as a block diagram and may be implemented in many and various forms, for DRAM, SRAM, and other various storage and or I/O functions. The purpose here is to show the use of such a signal as CARD-- OUT-- 1 and CARD-- OUT-- 2 together or separately in conjunction with a suitable PCMCIA MEMORY CONTROL CIRCUIT. The circuit is shown with connections of power, data, and control signal lumped together. CARD-- OUT-- 1 and CARD-- OUT-- 2 are shown separately connecting the PCMCIA POWER SUPPLY with the PCMCIA MEMORY CONTROL CIRCUIT. FIG. 12 illustrates the actual physical location of where the cards are inserted and how they are connected with respect to the circuit.
FIG. 7 shows an alternative CD1 detector which includes a new and useful feature that allows the PCMCIA MEMORY CONTROL CIRCUIT to control the function of the card detect circuit. The are many reasons why it could be advantageous for the PCMCIA card to control the CD1 and CD2 lines. The card will be able to simulate a card out of socket condition for reasons such as the card is not ready to be recognized as being connected. The card may recognize an internal error and this is how the card can keep the host from trying to initialize the bus. There are other recommended ways that the PCMCIA specification defines that a card should be initialized, but there are circumstances where the card should not even be recognized as being in the socket, such as maintaining the exact state of the card independently of a host connection. Or the card may be corrupted to the point that any access would corrupt the host or the host resulting actions. CONTROL1 is output from the card controller and input to R110. Current flows through R110 into the base of NPN transistor Q110 when CONTROL1 is in a logically high state, causing current to flow in Q100 and allowing the card detect circuit to operate much as described above in the section referring to FIG. 2. When the card controller needs to simulate an out of socket condition the CONTROL1 is set to a low voltage level and current stops flowing from CD1 to ground causing an out of socket condition to be detected by the host.
FIG. 8 shows the same circuit as in FIG. 7 except using CD2. In all the application of CD1 a similar circuit is implied for CD2. Although a lower cost version may have different CD1 and CD2 circuits as required by the function.
FIG. 9 shows a similar circuit to that of FIG. 7 except a general block diagram is shown indicating a switch function. This switch can be in form an analog switch or a FET type transistor among other types of switches to interrupt the current to allow the simulated card out of socket condition.
FIG. 10 shows an alternative topology for the current interruption switch. The function of this switch is effectively the same as that of the switch in FIG. 9; except the current is interrupted form a different point in the circuit.
FIG. 11 shows the combination of having a switch to interrupt the current in both locations in the circuit, to effect the same action of causing a simulated card out of socket condition.
FIG. 3 shows a voltage ramping circuit. micro power voltage reference 31 is biased by resistor R13 and conditioned by capacitor C3. The voltage produced V-- REF is stable over temperature and constant when biased by the host power input VCC. In order to allow for slow changes to the voltage of the DRAM, V-- BBU, The reference voltage must be further modified by the resistor capacitance circuit comprised of R1, R14, R15 and C2. C2 is biased by a signal VCC-- LOW. The origin of VCC-- LOW is described later. VCC -- LOW indicates if the host power is applied. R1 allows a limited amount of current to charge up C2. The values of R1 and C2 can be chosen to effect a voltage ramp of an arbitrary time constant. R14 and R15 combine the varying voltage of V-- ADJ and V-- REF to produce V-- REFADJ. V-- REFADJ is used to regulate the V-- BBU which is the battery backup voltage supplied to the DRAM. The action of V-- REFADJ is described later.
FIG. 4 shows the circuit used to produce the signal VCC-- LOW. Comparator 410 compares constant voltage V-- REF with a voltage divided through resistors R16 and R17 to produce a fractional value of the host power supply voltage. The host power supply voltage can be obtained through VCC or VPP connections defined by the PCMCIA standard. VPP is the programming voltage but is equivalent to the VCC host power supply voltage for non memory programming operation. When the host power supply voltage reaches a prescribed arbitrary value then the comparator changes the output state of VCC-- LOW. R12 is used to create hysterysis in the function of the comparator.
FIG. 5 shows a voltage divider circuit comprised of resistors R2, R3, and R4. These produce ratios of the lithium primary battery voltage, V-- BATT. The output of the comparator 516 produces the signal specified by the PCMCIA as VBD2. The output of the comparator 520 produces the signal specified by the PCMCIA as VBD1. The resistors are chosen to produce a certain function when compares to V-- REF. In particular VBD1 indicates an imminent condition where the batteries are still functional but could in the near future cease to function. BVD2 indicates that the batteries are not able to support the voltage required to back up the PCMCIA memory card.
The present invention improves on the prior art in the control of the insertion/detachment detector by using a feature included in the standards specification. The card detect pins can be used in a plurality of uses. Prior art uses the CD1 22 and CD2 24 pins for a singular purpose. That purpose is to ground the card detect signal on the host terminal. The card detect signal on the host terminal is held high through a resistor when it is otherwise disconnected from an IC card. The present invention improves on this use by providing a signal to the IC card that a connection to a powered up terminal device has been made. Because any additional time gained by the card to setup operation is significant. Also the signal provided to the IC card has an advantage when the IC card is detached because this gives an earlier warning of an imminent disconnect. The circuit shown in FIG. 2 will detect the current that flows through the resistor connected to the host terminal power supply. The current that flows though the base of the transistor will pull current through the collector and effectively shunt the output of the detector circuit to ground indicating that the IC card is connected to a powered up host terminal unit.
Additionally there can be a second pull-up resistor that can pull the CD1 22 and CD2 24 lines high if there is detected a mode of failure in the card that requires the system to shut down. This is similar to what the insertion/detachment signal the prior art describes. Say that the card fails then the card can indicate to the host terminal host that the card is disconnected, even though the card has not been removed.
The other mode of failure detection that has not been established by the prior art is the use of connection failure detection means coupled with a failure controller to effect the simulated disengagement of the card with the socket. The simulated disengagement is required when say a data signal or any of the other signals on the connector has failed. Such failure call occur when extraneous debris gets caught in the connector and works one of the pins out of connection. The other source of such disconnection or connection failure is vibration, when a contact can fail momentarily. An especially difficult detection id the failure of an address line, because when writing reading back will read back from the failed address represented by the failed address.
Thus a further improvement is a means to detect a failure of a contact that test the signal integrity of the lines. During an access the address lines have to be driven, otherwise some of the lines will float in a high impedance state. A detector on each signal can detect if the signal is connected. One such test mechanism is to pull the signal to a intermediate or third voltage, test for this voltage for a period of time and if it exists then the controller indicates that there is a fault. And the host terminal is indicated that a disconnection has occurred because the CD1 22 and CD2 24 pins are forced to a high state.
It is not necessary to bring both CD1 22 and CD2 24 high. Various forms of implementation are combinations of either one or both of the CD1 22 and CD2 24 can be forced high. The source of the CD1 22 or CD2 24 current interruption can be from a plurality of mechanisms. This scheme is used to simulate an out of socket condition for testing purposes, for special power saving modes, to enable the IC card to control the host to bring the host to a card out of socket state for a variety of reasons.
Also, the connector pin spacing can be simplified, i.e. the card can simulate that the CD1 22 and CD2 24 pins have not yet made contact holding the host terminal in a card out of socket condition, until a preset time elapses when the card can sink the current from the card detect pins on the host starting the initialization process.
This technique allows for a card that is not ready to be inserted into a socket to control the activity of the host independently of the user's intentions. This method will allow the inserting of a card to be synchronized with the ability of the card to respond to the initialization procedure from the host.
This technique keeps a failed card from being initialized by the host. Thus saving the host a possible secondary failure due to corrupted data or corrupted operations.
There are many and various uses and forms of the present invention. These save host resources because the host does not have to deal with a card that was not ready to be dealt with.
The manual switch that the prior art referred to can be included in a source of the card detect current interruption signal. Except due to the plurality of uses of the CD1 22 and CD2 24 signals the signal now has a means to reach the host. The prior art states the availability of a signal directly connected to the host which was the insertion/detachment signal. But there exist many such cards and hosts which do not have this signal. Therefore, it is the advantage of the present invention to use an available signal for multiple purposes.
The prior art from the "PCMCIA" standards manual states that the CD1 and the CD2 lines are to be connected to ground. There is no suggestion for the use of the CD1 and CD2 lines for the purpose of multiple uses and a control scheme which provides an indication to the card that the card has been connected to a host which is powered up.
The card in this case holds the pass transistor open, so substantially no current flows out of the CD1 and CD2 pins while the card is not ready to accept initialization from the host. The card waits for the power supply on the host to come up before the card can get ready to accept the initialization. This generally allows the card more time to set itself up prior to the host requesting access to the cards resources.
One main purpose of the present invention is to minimize the drain current from the battery at all times, and in addition to keep the current drawn from the host low. Therefore, most of the circuit involves using the host current when it is available. For example the comparator 100 of FIG. 1 is used to regulate VCC power to an intermediate voltage V-- MID=3.9 volts nominal.
The voltage ramping circuit will now be described with reference to FIG. 3. The reference section is comprised of diode 31 (LM385BM-1.2) as the active component to regulate a stable V-- REF=1.235 volts. Additional voltage dividers and capacitors are used to produce the V-- REF-- ADJ. V-- REF-- ADJ ramps up and down when the host VCC comes up and down. The function of this circuit is to provide a smooth transition from the backup voltage level of V-- BBU to the operating level of V-- BBU. Where V-- BBU is the low voltage that is applied to the DRAMs and the active backup circuitry. The details of this circuit cannot be called out until the minimum operating voltage of the DRAMs during battery backup is set. Because the LUNA chip is specified for 3.63 volts to 2.97 volts a decision will have to be made to sleep at a voltage lower than that specified in the operating mode. What voltage will this be? Say it is 2.6 volts minimum, then the ramp will have to start from 2.6 volts and ramp up to 3.3 volts. At any rate, this is the type of circuit that will do that function. Of course, the ramp up/down period will depend on the amount of refreshing and the maximum allowable charge in the DRAM power supply. As an alternative embodiment a digital stepper could be used instead of the voltage ramping circuit illustrated in FIG. 3.
Referring to FIG. 4, comparator 410 is used to detect the host VCC power being removed. This technique relies on VPP1 remaining connected to VCC during the operation of this card, because there is no other voltage specified in the CIS on the card. This gives advance warning of impending VCC loss due to card removal. The card can be put to sleep at the lower voltage without a bump in the V-- BBU. Normal power down without card removal is also detected with this circuit. All the comparators have resistor divider circuits to allow complete control over the desired operating threshold voltages.
Referring to FIG. 5, comparators 510 and 520 detect the voltage of the primary battery. The voltage divider resistors 502, 503, 504 are used to set the detection voltage to any level desired.
Since the V-- BBU minimum is dependent on the choice of memory used the values will change accordingly. The voltage cannot change more than the specification allows (i.e. 20%) before a full refresh has been performed. If V-- BBU min.=3.0 volts, then the booster runs all the time. This is inefficient, but no ramping circuit is needed. If V-- BBU min.=2.7 volts, then the booster runs when the battery is low or the temperature is low. Ramping is needed for some types of DRAMs. If V-- BBU min.=2.4 volts, then the booster is needed and a ramp up/down is needed.
The capacitance of the power supply system, including that on VCC, V-- MID, and V-- BBU should be large enough to allow the voltage on V-- BBU to drop at a rate that does not bump the DRAMs in the sleep mode even if the drop is from 3.0 volts to 2.7 volts. If a variable booster voltage circuit is used then the reliance on capacitance is not an issue. This would be in a circuit using a TLC3702CD comparator as the detector in the booster regulator instead of the fixed S-807 detector.
This brings up the point that the V-- BBU max. could be 3.0 volts. Depending on the choice of V-- BBU max. and the choice of V-- BBU min. the ramp circuit may or may not be needed. The circuit described here has a V-- BBU max. set to 3.3 volts.
An alternative method would be to have a digital line that controls the V-- BBU. If the PCMCIA controller will be operating from V-- BBU it will be available to digitally control the V-- BBU as in a step function instead of the analog RC method shown. The step would not be implemented until the controller determined that the DRAMs had been fully refreshed before applying the next step.
There will of course be questions about the use of PNP transistors instead of P-channel MOSFETs. The bottom line here is that PNP bipolar components do not require special controllers to operate them. Whereas, the MOSFETs require external control to turn them on and off at the appropriate times. While the MOSFET would be preferable in the battery backup path because the forward voltage drop would save 0.1 volts the controller would be required. An in addition the Lithium batteries should not be exposed to even minor reverse charging. The PNP resistor function as low forward voltage diodes. In fact if the design were to be able to tolerate forward voltage drops of 0.6 volts then the PNP transistor could be replaced with diodes. An example of this would be the battery path to the voltage booster oscillator; since the voltage is being boosted the lower supply voltage to the booster could easily be tolerated.
The PNP transistors steer current in the direction that is desired without additional controllers. For the same reason the diodes D2, D# are used to keep the V-- BBU current from leaking into the circuit that is not powered during the battery backup sleep mode.
The diodes D2 and D3 provide a means of reducing the current drain from the primary battery when the host power is available. Current from the host flows through R and R11 when the host is powering the card. Likewise, the host powers the booster detector and oscillator parts also.
The booster should be used as a last defense since it is inefficient and loses 50% of the current in the charge pump action. Therefore, maintain a direct connection from the battery to the DRAM as long as possible before using the booster. This will require determining the lowest voltage the DRAMs will sleep comfortably at.
The temperature specification of all the parts meets the PCMCIA specification for SRAM cards for 0 degrees Celsius to 50 degrees Celsius.
The estimated current requirements excluding DRAM current for the circuit is the following:
______________________________________Primary battery drain Host current drain Conditions______________________________________0 uA 120 uA Host powered up.6 uA 0 uA Host OFF. Booster OFF.20 uA 0 uA Host OFF. Booster ON______________________________________
The following additional embodiments could be implemented in the present invention. Use CR type batteries instead of BR type. CR batteries have a higher voltage output and have a soft bow at the end of the cycle which will give a more advanced indication to the user that the batteries need replacing.
Consider using the larger VL-3032 rechargeable lithium battery. It has 100 mAh ratings with an average total life output of 10,000 mAh. This battery could be used initially and only the primary need be used after this. With a certain frequency of use the primary may never be used.
Make all systems with a direct path to the system battery. Allow only 1 mA to flow to the PCMCIA port. In this way the primary battery will never be used. Also, there may be a pin that could be dedicated to this purpose. Unfortunately, the RFSH pin would have been ideal, but it has been learned that this pin is soon to be taken away from us and given to the FLASH camp for use as a card voltage detection pin! How unfortunate, but still it may be good enough to use the VCC pins on the card. Actually, any other pin is a candidate for providing this low level current to the PCMCIA DRAM card when the system is otherwise totally turned off.
Different versions of the DRAM card can be offered. One that is to be used at room temperatures only, and another that can operate in a larger temperature range. The room temperature only card would have lower power drain because the voltage booster would be disconnected. This feature could be incorporated into a single card by throwing an external switch. The feature to power manage the voltage booster could also be incorporated into the card, with some additional power drain for the control. The voltage booster is a small drain when it is in the static state anyway, approximately 2 uA.
The comparator used in the voltage booster design could be replaced by the op-amp TLC251CD single that can go down to 1.4 volts. The TLC25L2CD dual and the TLC25L4CD quad could also be used. These parts have outputs that do not swing rail to rail and therefore would require additional active components to provide the boosted voltage.
Ultimately the easiest design would require the user to change the batteries in a powered up host. But, an equally interesting design would be to have two primary batteries. One would be used only when the replaceable was out of the circuit. This could even be a small battery that could also be replaced. In fact, replace the small one first and the large one second.
FIG. 12 shows one embodiment of the present invention illustrating the interactive operation between all the elements. The host computer 1201 is illustrated in general, showing common components typically associated with such a device. Power supply 1204 could be an external supply or a battery powered internal supply. CPU 1205 is connected to memory 1206, display monitor 1207 and keyboard 1208. Computer interface 1210 is a standard PCMCIA type interface having an array of pins which comply with the PCMCIA standards. Host computer 1201 is shown merely for illustration, and in no way should limit the scope of possible applications.
The IC card 1202, which could be of the PCMCIA type, can be connected to host computer 1201 via card interface 1212. Card interface 1212 comprises a plurality of sockets which mate with the corresponding pins of the host's computer interface 1210. IC card 1202 includes a primary battery 1213 and a secondary battery 1214 as a power source when the IC card 1202 is not connected to host computer 1201. Battery voltage detector 1215, as shown in FIG. 5, monitors the state of charge of the batteries 1213, 1214.
Host power is supplied via signal line 1220 to the host power supply detector 1221, as shown in FIG. 4. This circuitry acts to recharge the primary 1213 and secondary 1214 batteries, as well as, directing power supplied from the host 1201 into the voltage ramping circuit 1230, as shown in FIG. 3. Voltage ramping circuit 1230 supplies power directly to the power supply circuit 1235. This power supply circuit 1235 is illustrated by FIG. 1. The IC card 1202 can function as a variety of devices. It could serve as a modem, external floppy drive, GPS transceiver or as an additional memory source. This memory could be volatile or non-volatile. The main functional block of the card is illustrated by numeral 1240. The block 1240 identifies in general the specific circuitry to accomplish a given task, or a large block of memory.
The card out of socket detection circuit 1250 is connected to the card interface 1212 by signal lines 1251 and 1252. The card out of socket detection circuit 1250 can include any one of the circuits illustrated in FIGS. 2, 7-11. Signal line 1251 corresponds to the signal received from the CD1 pin/socket and signal line 1252 corresponds to the signal received from the CD2 pin/socket. As has been described, the card out of socket detection circuit 1250 can impress a given voltage on the CD1 and CD2 pins to simulate a specific condition. This voltage is impressed on the pins with the intent to control the IC card and the host computer. The signals received from signal lines 1251 and 1252 are also used by the card out of socket detection circuit 1250 to control the power supply circuit 1235 and the host power supply detector 1221. When the IC card is removed, either on purpose or by accident, the signals on lines 1251 and 1252 will be the first to respond. This "early warning" is used by the card out of socket detection circuit 1250 to switch power supply from the host 1201 to the primary 1213 and/or secondary 1214 batteries. Signal line 1260 is used for data communication, control and power supply. Only one line 1260 is shown in the drawing for simplicity, but in practice there would be a plurality of connections between the power supply circuit 1235 and the card out of socket detection circuit 1250.
Data signal lines 1270 connect the main memory/circuit 1240 of IC card 1202 to the card interface 1212. These signal lines serve as the primary transmission path to transfer data between memory/circuit 1240 and host computer 1201. Signal monitoring lines 1280 are connected to the data signal lines 1270. Signal monitoring lines 1280 allow the card out of socket detection circuit to monitor the condition and state of the data signal lines 1270. Data signals that can be monitored may include data, address, control signals and power. If one of the pins or sockets connected to the data signal lines has malfunctioned, due to vibration, dust particles, etc., the card out of socket detection circuit 1250 can identity the fault and impress a false signal on one or both of the card detect signal lines 1251, 1252 to simulate a card out of socket condition.
The present disclosure includes that contained in the appended claims, as well as that of the foregoing description. Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
|Brevet cité
|Date de dépôt
|Date de publication
|22 févr. 1993
|2 aoűt 1994
|Augat Inc.
|Circuit card interface system
|19 oct. 1992
|15 nov. 1994
|Motorola, Inc.
|Computer card having low battery indicator
|20 nov. 1992
|24 janv. 1995
|Unisys Corporation
|Protective system for insertion/extraction of PC boards in a powered-up environment
|27 janv. 1994
|18 avr. 1995
|Intel Corporation
|Socket assembly including a first circuit board located between a receptacle housing and a second circuit board
|6 sept. 1994
|19 sept. 1995
|Motorola, Inc.
|Computer card having power switching capability
|19 oct. 1994
|31 oct. 1995
|Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company
|Power conservation device for a peripheral interface module
|Brevet citant
|Date de dépôt
|Date de publication
|7 févr. 1996
|19 mai 1998
|Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
|Apparatus for allowing smooth hot insertion and removal of a peripheral by gradually applying and removing power to the peripheral
|27 mars 1997
|30 juin 1998
|Kantner; Edward A.
|Universal PC card host
|30 aoűt 1995
|8 sept. 1998
|International Business Machines Corporation
|PCMCIA voltage loss detection
|21 mai 1996
|8 sept. 1998
|Compaq Computer Corporation
|Protection of computer system against incorrect card insertion during start-up
|9 juin 1995
|3 nov. 1998
|Dell Usa L.P.
|Method and apparatus for self shutdown of a battery-backed circuit card
|7 oct. 1996
|19 janv. 1999
|Lxe, Inc.
|System for managing power of a computer with removable devices
|13 aoűt 1996
|2 mars 1999
|Nexcom Technology, Inc.
|Insertable/removable digital memory apparatus and methods of operation thereof
|21 févr. 1997
|6 juil. 1999
|Vlsi Technology, Inc.
|Single-housing electrical device self-configurable to connect to PCMCIA compliant or non-PCMCIA compliant host interfaces
|20 nov. 1995
|9 nov. 1999
|Allen-Bradley Company, Llc
|Industrial controller permitting removal and insertion of circuit cards while under power
|22 mai 1998
|15 févr. 2000
|Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc.
|Insertable and removable high capacity digital memory apparatus and methods of operation thereof
|20 juil. 1998
|16 mai 2000
|Vlsi Technologies, Inc.
|Hot docking system and methods for detecting and managing hot docking of bus cards
|19 juin 1998
|21 nov. 2000
|Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
|I/O card, electronic equipment using I/O card, and procedure of starting up such electronic equipment
|18 avr. 1997
|12 déc. 2000
|Fujitsu Limited
|Apparatus for supplying power from portable computer to extended station
|6 nov. 1999
|16 janv. 2001
|Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc.
|Insertble and removable digital memory apparatus
|25 nov. 1998
|6 févr. 2001
|Nokia Mobile Phones Limited
|System and method for supplying power to an expansion card
|24 févr. 1998
|20 févr. 2001
|Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
|Apparatus for allowing smooth hot insertion and removal of a peripheral by gradually applying and removing power to the peripheral
|24 sept. 1998
|6 mars 2001
|Sierra Wireless, Inc.
|Personal computer card power management system
|28 oct. 1997
|18 sept. 2001
|Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd
|Electronic device, card interface and expansion card with transposition of signal and voltage lines
|2 nov. 1998
|8 janv. 2002
|3Com Technologies
|Signalling between independently powered electrical circuit cards
|6 juil. 2000
|20 aoűt 2002
|Onspec Electronic, Inc.
|Flashtoaster for reading several types of flash-memory cards with or without a PC
|24 mars 1999
|8 oct. 2002
|Dell Products L.P.
|Adaptive card-sensitive bus slot method and system
|20 aoűt 1999
|10 déc. 2002
|Nec Infrontia Corporation
|Method and apparatus for preventing extraction of card-shaped functional device for information processing apparatus, and recording medium storing program for realizing extraction preventing operation on computer
|4 févr. 2000
|24 déc. 2002
|Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
|Voltage control circuit network device and method of detecting voltage
|20 nov. 2000
|30 sept. 2003
|Tektronix, Inc.
|Measurement test instrument and associated voltage management system for accessory device
|31 aoűt 2001
|9 déc. 2003
|Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
|Digital camera selectively powered by an internal and an external power supply
|23 janv. 2002
|10 févr. 2004
|Ati Technologies, Inc.
|Method and device for implementing by-pass capacitors
|29 mai 2001
|24 févr. 2004
|Harman International Industries, Incorporated
|Power switch for external module adapted to interface with a portable information handling system
|12 aoűt 2002
|2 mars 2004
|Dell Products L.P.
|Adaptive card-sensitive bus slot method and system
|19 déc. 2000
|16 mars 2004
|Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
|Methods and apparatus for preventing damage to memory cards, memory card connectors and other electronic devices
|9 nov. 2001
|16 mars 2004
|Pace Micro Technology Plc
|Signal sequencing control means
|9 déc. 1999
|22 juin 2004
|Olympus Optical Co., Ltd.
|Camera and camera system
|31 oct. 2000
|20 juil. 2004
|Fujitsu Limited
|Storage apparatus
|25 janv. 2000
|7 sept. 2004
|Dell Products L.P.
|Scheme to detect correct plug-in function modules in computers
|7 janv. 2003
|14 sept. 2004
|Hitachi, Ltd.
|Data processing system having a card type interface with assigned addressing
|31 juil. 2002
|2 nov. 2004
|C-One Technology Corp.
|Multi-functional electronic card capable of detecting removable cards
|28 nov. 2001
|15 févr. 2005
|General Instrument Corporation
|Dual battery configuration and method of using the same to provide a long-term power solution in a programmable smart card
|31 mai 2002
|28 juin 2005
|Pioneer Corporation
|Information reproduction apparatus
|5 juin 2001
|2 mai 2006
|Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
|Digital camera memory system
|20 mai 2003
|23 janv. 2007
|Nvidia Corporation
|Package-based voltage control
|20 juin 2001
|27 mars 2007
|Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
|Charging and monitoring apparatus and method of charging a battery and monitoring the power level through power supply line
|11 juin 2002
|22 mai 2007
|Onspec Electronic, Inc.
|Flashtoaster for reading several types of flash-memory cards with or without a PC
|8 mars 2005
|2 oct. 2007
|Onspec Electronic, Inc.
|Field-operable, stand-alone apparatus for media recovery and regeneration
|25 oct. 2004
|16 oct. 2007
|Dell Products L.P.
|Apparatus to facilitate functional shock and vibration testing of device connections and related method
|24 juil. 2006
|13 nov. 2007
|Onspec Electronic, Inc.
|Smartconnect universal flash media card adapters
|23 avr. 2007
|1 juil. 2008
|Trompeter Electronics, Inc.
|Interconnection and monitoring module
|5 févr. 2007
|12 aoűt 2008
|Mcm Portfolio Llc
|Flashtoaster for reading several types of flash-memory cards, with or without a PC
|2 déc. 2004
|17 févr. 2009
|Mcm Portfolio Llc
|Flashtoaster for reading several types of flash memory cards with or without a PC
|19 sept. 2007
|21 avr. 2009
|Mcm Portfolio Llc
|SmartConnect universal flash media card adapters
|20 déc. 2005
|12 mai 2009
|Tektronix, Inc.
|Host controlled voltage input system for an accessory device
|27 juil. 2007
|6 oct. 2009
|Mcm Portfolio Llc
|Memory module which includes a form factor connector
|23 aoűt 2007
|17 nov. 2009
|Mcm Portfolio Llc
|Field-operable, stand-alone apparatus for media recovery and regeneration
|25 sept. 2006
|8 déc. 2009
|Agere Systems Inc.
|Method and apparatus for an over-voltage detection circuit
|11 aoűt 2008
|18 mai 2010
|Mcm Portfolio Llc
|Smartconnect flash card adapter
|20 mai 2008
|8 juin 2010
|Siliconsystems, Inc.
|Storage subsystem with embedded circuit for protecting against anomalies in power signal from host
|2 janv. 2007
|3 aoűt 2010
|Nvidia Corporation
|Package-based voltage control
|9 déc. 2008
|28 déc. 2010
|Marvell International Ltd.
|Self configuring voltage regulators
|14 nov. 2006
|25 janv. 2011
|Mcm Portfolio Llc
|Method and system to provide security implementation for storage devices
|14 oct. 2007
|14 juin 2011
|International Business Machines Corporation
|Method and apparatus for detecting component removal while operating in a battery backup mode
|13 avr. 2010
|6 sept. 2011
|Mcm Portfolio Llc
|Smartconnect flash card adapter
|2 sept. 2011
|25 déc. 2012
|Mcm Portfolio Llc
|Smartconnect flash card adapter
|2 mai 2014
|6 juin 2017
|Qualcomm Incorporated
|Operating M-PHY based communications over mass storage-based interfaces, and related connectors, systems and methods
|9 nov. 2001
|16 mai 2002
|Pace Micro Technology Plc
|Signal sequencing control means
|31 mai 2002
|5 déc. 2002
|Junko Nishigata
|Information reproduction apparatus
|29 mai 2001
|5 déc. 2002
|Shrikant Acharya
|Power switch for external module adapted to interface with a portable information handling system
|5 juin 2001
|5 déc. 2002
|Carl Taussig
|Digital camera memory system
|11 juin 2002
|27 févr. 2003
|Onspec Electronic, Inc.
|Flashtoaster for reading several types of flash-memory cards with or without a PC
|28 nov. 2001
|29 mai 2003
|Johnson Michael W.
|Dual battery configuration and method of using the same to provide a long-term power solution in a programmable smart card
|7 janv. 2003
|7 aoűt 2003
|Shigezumi Matsui
|Data processing system having an external device interface with assigned addressing
|31 juil. 2002
|14 aoűt 2003
|C-One Technology Corp.
|Multi-functional electronic card capable of detecting removable cards
|7 janv. 2003
|28 aoűt 2003
|Shigezumi Matsui
|Data processing system having a card type interface with assigned addressing
|1 mars 2002
|11 sept. 2003
|Onspec Electronics, Inc.
|Device and system for allowing secure identification of an individual when accessing information and a method of use
|30 avr. 2002
|30 oct. 2003
|Philip Ha
|PDA to PCMCIA universal adapter
|23 janv. 2003
|22 janv. 2004
|Elitegroup Computer Systems Co., Ltd.
|Apparatus and method for storing data
|20 mai 2003
|25 nov. 2004
|Dewey Thomas E.
|Package-based voltage control
|8 mars 2005
|8 déc. 2005
|Sreenath Mambakkam
|Field-operable, stand-alone apparatus for media recovery and regeneration
|25 oct. 2004
|18 mai 2006
|Alperin Joshua N
|Apparatus to facilitate functional shock and vibration testing of device connections and related method
|23 juin 2006
|26 oct. 2006
|Sreenath Mambakkam
|Software recovery method for flash media with defective formatting
|24 juil. 2006
|23 nov. 2006
|Onspec Electronic, Inc.
|Smartconnect universal flash media card adapters
|20 déc. 2005
|21 juin 2007
|Dobyns Kenneth P
|Accessory device voltage management system controlled by a host
|30 juin 2006
|12 juil. 2007
|Iyer Sree M
|System and method for enhancing external storage
|5 févr. 2007
|6 déc. 2007
|Technology Properties Limited
|Flashtoaster for Reading Several Types of Flash-Memory Cards, With or Without a PC
|23 aoűt 2007
|13 déc. 2007
|Onspec Electronic, Inc.
|Field-Operable, Stand-Alone Apparatus for Media Recovery and Regeneration
|19 sept. 2007
|10 janv. 2008
|Onspec Electronic, Inc.
|Smartconnect universal flash media card adapters
|25 sept. 2006
|27 mars 2008
|Agere Systems
|Method and apparatus for an over-voltage detection circuit
|14 nov. 2006
|15 mai 2008
|Sree Mambakkam Iyer
|Method and system to provide security implementation for storage devices
|30 janv. 2007
|31 juil. 2008
|Technology Properties Limited
|System and Method of Storage Device Data Encryption and Data Access Via a Hardware Key
|30 janv. 2007
|31 juil. 2008
|Technology Properties Limited
|System and Method of Storage Device Data Encryption and Data Access
|2 avr. 2008
|2 oct. 2008
|Chih-Yuan Tu
|Slot Device
|13 juin 2008
|9 oct. 2008
|Mcm Portfolio Llc.
|Flashtoaster for Reading Several Types of Flash-Memory Cards, With or Without a PC
|24 juil. 2007
|20 nov. 2008
|Technology Properties Limited
|Method and Apparatus of Providing Power to an External Attachment Device via a Computing Device
|24 juil. 2007
|20 nov. 2008
|Technology Properties Limited
|Method and Apparatus of Providing Security to an External Attachment Device
|11 aoűt 2008
|4 déc. 2008
|Mcm Portfolio Llc
|Smartconnect flash card adapter
|3 avr. 2008
|22 janv. 2009
|Bennett Jon C R
|Universal memory socket and card and system for using the same
|21 mars 2007
|19 févr. 2009
|Technology Properties Limited
|System and Method of Data Encryption and Data Access of a Set of Storage Devices via a Hardware Key
|24 nov. 2008
|19 mars 2009
|Mcm Portfolio Llc
|System and Method for Enhancing External Storage
|14 oct. 2007
|16 avr. 2009
|International Business Machines Corporation
|Method and apparatus for detecting component removal while operating in a battery backup mode
|1 sept. 2009
|3 mars 2011
|Hsieh Tieh-Chin
|Information certification system
|2 mai 2014
|19 févr. 2015
|Qualcomm Incorporated
|Operating m-phy based communications over mass storage-based interfaces, and related connectors, systems and methods
|19 déc. 2014
|28 avr. 2016
|Honeywell International Inc.
|Method and apparatus for providing early warning of extraction of module under power
|28 oct. 1997
|13 mai 1998
|Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd.
|Electronic device, card interface and expansion card
|28 oct. 1997
|2 janv. 2003
|Nokia Corporation
|Electronic device, card interface and expansion card
|30 nov. 1998
|2 juin 1999
|Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd.
|Method for the arrangement of power supply with an expansion card
|30 nov. 1998
|24 juil. 2002
|Nokia Corporation
|Method for the arrangement of power supply with an expansion card
|5 juin 2002
|11 déc. 2002
|Hewlett-Packard Company
|Digital memory system
|2 mars 1999
|10 sept. 1999
|Lexar Media, Inc.
|Flash memory card with enhanced operating mode detection and user-friendly interfacing system
|2 mars 1999
|21 oct. 1999
|Lexar Media Inc
|Flash memory card with enhanced operating mode detection and user-friendly interfacing system
|2 mars 1999
|10 sept. 1999
|Lexar Media, Inc.
|Improved compact flash memory card and interface
|2 mars 1999
|21 oct. 1999
|Lexar Media Inc
|Improved compact flash memory card and interface
|Classification aux États-Unis
|Classification internationale
|Classification coopérative
|Classification européenne
|3 mars 2000
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|21 juil. 2004
|Maintenance fee reminder mailed
|11 janv. 2005
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|11 janv. 2005
|Surcharge for late payment
|14 févr. 2005
|Patent reinstated due to the acceptance of a late maintenance fee
Effective date: 20050216
|7 juil. 2008
|Maintenance fee reminder mailed
|2 sept. 2008
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 12
|2 sept. 2008
|Surcharge for late payment
Year of fee payment: 11


text:
Three misfit high school students in Salem, Oregon, come together on the debate society. Solomon longs to be a professional reporter and wants to reveal the right-wing mayor's pederast activities in the school newspaper; Howie, a transfer student anxious to create a gay-straight alliance, is frustrated by his inability to get a teacher to sponsor it; and Diwata, a histrionic would-be diva, can't get a role in the school musical — a sanitized version of Once Upon a Mattress — so she's looking to bring down the drama teacher who failed to cast her, as well as the entire production. To do so, she's formed the debate society, which she plans to use as a showcase for her (very limited) performing skills.
You may think you've seen something like this before — geeky, outsider high-schoolers, tormented by questions of identity, setting up their own eccentric little world — but whiz-kid playwright Stephen Karam, who made a name for himself a couple of years ago when he co-wrote Columbinus, a play about the Columbine massacre, has a humorous and original take on the situation. Speech & Debate is peppered with spurts of genuine humor and pierced by little darts of surprise. There are also the usual allusions to teenage sexual confusion, pokes at censorship and depictions of the adult world's prudery, as well as its obtuse refusal to admit that teenagers have any sexual feelings at all. This adult world is represented by two characters: a small-minded, conventional teacher and a newspaper reporter anxious to simplify the kids' complicated travails into a smooth-voiced, slice-of-life National Public Radio story.
The teens are all interesting characters, spiky and self-obsessed as only teenagers can be, as ignorant about life's realities as they are technologically sophisticated and skilled at yanking each other's chains. They don't really bond in opposition to outside rejection as geeky kids in movies usually do, and they don't feud or fight in any sustained way, either. Instead, they use each other to meet their individual needs — manipulating, attacking or soothing as necessary. Howie, Solomon and Diwata are entirely at home in the brave new world of blogs, chat rooms, texting, Facebook and podcasts, but they suffer from all the roiling anxieties of adolescents through the ages, and their understanding of life comes primarily from the hokey truisms of pop culture. For Diwata, Wicked is a sacred text.
If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters.
You have successfully signed up for your selected newsletter(s) - please keep an eye on your mailbox, we're movin' in!
Getting in early on this sparky, original script represents a triumph for Curious Theatre, particularly in a season when so many local stages have been filled with tired and ancient fare. Still, the production doesn't entirely work; director Dee Covington has either allowed or outright encouraged an awful lot of overacting. Steven J. Burge keeps his footing as Howie because, as an actor, he has a knack for blending stylization with emotional honesty. He camps and sashays, but you know there's a real and very interesting person underneath it all, a boy as vulnerable as he is funny. Glen Moore's Solomon is more straightforward; his feelings don't seem to run as deep. But his modest contribution to the energy of the action is completely swamped by the hyper, over-the-top shenanigans of Laura Jo Trexler as Diwata. This girl is all over the place, mugging, hamming, incessantly moving her body. You can barely focus on what she's saying because she's acting so ferociously. Sure, Diwata is an extrovert, a ham, a narcissist — but you can play an exhibitionist without actually being one, and the trick is to show the human being beneath the ham. It's not that Trexler lacks raw talent: She's a vivid presence on stage, with a terrific singing voice and a lithe way of moving. She just needs to stop periodically and think about what she's saying — to understand, as all really good actors do to their bones, the transformative power of stillness and silence.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Here is another rugged notebook for today. Panasonic has released a rugged laptop computer (MIL-STD-810G certified) that featuring Intel's latest Core i3 and Core i5 processors, as well as the high-performance ATI Radeon HD 5650 graphic card.
The rugged notebook is codenamed as Toughbook 31, a 13.1-inch notebook with touchscreen LED display supporting 1,366 x 768 pixel resolution. The overall feel of this rugged notebook is like carrying a suitcase, and it might pretty heavy for you who love lightweight laptop or netbook.
For the performance, it might not as good as any gaming-ready laptop although Panasonic Toughbook 31 (the lower end) will cost like one of them at $3,799. Toughbook 31 rugged notebook has got 2GB of DDR3 1066MHz RAM come by default, but you can upgrade it to 8GB if you are willing to pay more.
On the storage factor, Panasonic Toughbook 31 has got 160GB of HDD for the Intel Core i3 model (along with Intel's HM55 graphic card), while the rugged notebook can have 250GB HDD with Core i5 model.
Special on the Core i5 model, Toughbook 31 is equipped with ATI Radeon HD5650 for better graphical performance. This notebook will be available soon in this week.
[via Geek]


text:
La Liga: Carles Puyol set for new role with Barcelona's sports management team
Carles Puyol will be staying at Barcelona after being appointed as an assistant to the sports management team.
Last Updated: 30/05/14 4:27pm
The 36-year-old retired at the end of the season due to a spell of persistent knee problems following 15 years at the heart of a defence which won 21 trophies including six Primera Divisions and three UEFA Champions League titles.
The former centre-half stated during his retirement press conference that he was eager to stay at the club and he has now got his wish with a role in the football department, headed by Andoni Zubizarreta.
"I want to thank FC Barcelona for all that it has given me before and for this chance that has arisen now," he told the club's official website.
"I will try to be the very best I can, and especially to learn a lot.
"I have always played football and tried to do so as well as possible, and I'll be doing the same with this.
"Now I need some time to rest and continue treatment on my knee, but I am really looking forward to it. I am very excited about this new stage of my life."
Zubizarreta was excited to welcome Puyol to a role that will revolve more around off-pitch activities than involvement with the first team.
"Puyol is joining the football department and we will be seeking to exploit and learn from all of his experience," he said. "We also want people to realise how much he knows.
"He will be an assistant to the sports management, so he'll be working with me on club projects, both internally and externally.
"We'll be working in more external areas like marketing and finance, and in the technical secretary area.
"I am sure I'll learn a lot from him. We'll have him close to all the teams, it's a unique opportunity.
"A couple of years ago we spoke about what would be best for him and I'm sure he'll come to realise that is what he'll enjoy the most."


text:
Students learn what it's like to drive drunk
ANDREW LEIBENGUTH/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS Tamaqua Area High School teacher and co-driver Emily Daubert, on left, holds on for dear life while student Sarah Zechner, on right, from West Penn hits a garbage can during the Drunk Driving course organized by teacher Jim McCabe at the Tamaqua stadium for all his high school students throughout the day. Students wore dark or blurry goggles while they attempted to manipulate a course of curves, straight lines, cones, or unavoidable garbage can.
Tamaqua Area High School physical education teacher Jim McCabe held multiple drunk driving course program classes at the Tamaqua stadium for all his high school students throughout the day. In addition to hearing an informative lecture on driving safe, drunk driving, and a list of facts related to drunk driving, students were able to experience what it would be like to drive while being drunk.
Students wore dark or blurry goggles while they attempted to manipulate a course of curves, straight lines, and cones. Of all the students who drove the course, not one student was successful in completing the course without crossing the lines or hitting an obstacle. This event is one of a number of events the Tamaqua Area Student Government Association (TASGA) is promoting during their "Prom Promise" week held this week at the Tamaqua High School.
McCabe stressed many substance abuse facts to all his students. Two out of every five Americans will be involved in an alcohol related crash. The total cost attributable to the consequences of underage drinking was more than $53 billion per year.
On any weekend night, one of every 10 drivers are under the influence of alcohol. Short-term effects of alcohol while driving are distorted vision, hearing, and coordination, altered perceptions and emotions, and impaired judgment. Just about everyone has heard, "Don't Drink and Drive" and "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk." But not as many realize that there are many dangers associated with getting behind the wheel of a car while high on marijuana.
Driving experiments show that marijuana affects a wide range of skills needed for safe driving. Thinking and reflexes are slowed, making it hard for drivers to respond to sudden, unexpected events. Also, a driver's ability to "track" (stay in lane) through curves, to brake quickly, and to maintain speed and the proper distance between cars is severely affected. Research shows that these skills are impaired for at least 4-6 hours after smoking a single marijuana cigarette; long after the "high" is gone. If a person drinks alcohol, along with using marijuana, the risk of an accident greatly increases the danger. Marijuana presents a definite danger on the road.
The goggles the students used only impaired vision. Other senses are also greatly affected by substance abuse and while driving. Students learned that drinking and driving or using marijuana, greatly intensify the complexity of normal tasks. McCabe pointed out to the class, "The life you could save could be your own or that of a loved one."


text:
Online: To view the company's Web site, go to nixonnow.com.
ENCINITAS — Not long after creating a niche for fashionable and functionally pragmatic watches styled for professional action-sports athletes, Nixon founders Andy Laats and Chad DiNenna were steering their company directly toward competition with older watch brands.
Looking for a leg up, the partners in 2005 sold their Encinitas-based enterprise to surf industry giant Billabong International. Since then, they've introduced higher price-point watches, ramped up women's offerings, and last year launched a headphone line touted by Nixon team member and hip-hop artist Mos Def.
They are trying to perfect the art of the detail – the spinach, Laats jokes, not the meat and potatoes.
"It's not just about the watch," DiNenna said. "We tend to get inspired, and then the inspiration runs the gamut to our other products."
Laats is now president and DiNenna the marketing director.
"We keep a low profile but we love being in Encinitas," said Laats, a resident. "Encinitas is really known globally as almost a mythical place because of the surf access – I can be knee-deep at D Street in eight minutes."
North County is also home to some of the industry luminaries who've signed on with the Nixon team: pro skateboarder Tony Hawk, pro surfer Rob Machado and Olympian snowboarder Todd Richards.
"On any given day, you'll see athletes coming in," DiNenna said.
They've maintained a laid-back office environment. Employees can loop around concrete floors on skateboards and beach cruisers or stop to pet a dog wandering among the cubicles. There are storage areas for bikes, skateboards and surfboards, and an outdoor shower for post-surf rinses.
"We wanted to keep an atmosphere that was fun and interesting, considering that people might spend more time here than with friends and family," said DiNenna, a Cardiff resident.
Nixon got its start in 1997 after the partners pitched their plan to investors.
"We broke it down into three things," Laats said. "You have to have access to the distribution channel, access to opinion leaders and know how to build a watch. We knew that world; we knew the athletes. We had two out of three."
The partners already had action-sports industry experience. Laats had worked for Burton Snowboards in Vermont for six years after graduating from Cornell University with an English degree in 1989. Originally from Boston, he later earned a business degree from Stanford.
DiNenna, originally from Westlake Village, graduated from Long Beach State University in 1992 with a communications degree and then worked for publishing company Transworld for five years.
Right away, they began polling athlete buddies for design ideas.
"We didn't have anyone from the watch industry," Laats said. "It was obvious, maybe even naive. Watches are tough. It's only a few inches of canvas; you really have to pay attention to details."
Surf watches might offer tide-tracking programs; dive watches feature larger dial numerals for easier underwater reading, and altimeters track altitude for snowboarders.
One men's timepiece, The Key, has a recessed winder so that the traditional knobby extension – called a screw crown – doesn't dig into a surfer's wrist as he pops up from the board. A wrenchlike key can be used to adjust the crown and surfboard fins.
"We do these powwows where a lot of ideas are thrown out there," said Richards, the snowboarder. "They're directly immersed in what we need on a day-to-day basis. There really wasn't a watch category in action sports until Nixon came along and paved the way."
Nixon debuted with seven watch models in 200 retail shops, opened a subsidiary in France in 2000, and by 2005 had 90 models and 60 employees, with sales growing by 55 percent annually.
"People within the action-sports industry were asking what we were going to do," Laats said. "We started bumping and being competitive with these billion-dollar watch brands."
Selling to Billabong seemed like their best bet.
"It really came down to Billabong or not sell," Laats said. "They understand how brands need to stay autonomous. Sometimes we come to a crossroads: Should we go north or south? It's a phone call away. It's kind of like having an older brother – not a 'Big Brother,' but an older brother."
Retailers love Nixon products because they tend to offer cohesive accessory lines, said Dave Nash, president of Sun Diego Boardshops.
"They merchandise their line so well; they almost merchandise like a clothing line," Nash said. "They have a limited production on certain items, and that's so popular now that people know about it before the retailer knows about it and start looking for the product."
Emily Vizzo is a freelance writer in San Diego.Copyright © 2017, The San Diego Union-Tribune


text:
Photographer's Note
Looks like this poor horse has been excluded from the conversation, probably because these gentlemen were having some fun at his expense. I didnt get close enough to hear the exchange, but Im sure it went something like this
So, a policeman in the city stops a man in a car with a horse in the front seat.
"What are you doing with that horse?" He exclaimed, "You should take it to the farm."
The following week, the same policeman sees the same man with the horse again in the front seat, with both of them wearing sunglasses. The policeman pulls him over.
"I thought you were going to take that horse to the farm!" The man replied, "I did but we had such a good time, were now going to the park!" :)
Jokes aside, these horse-drawn carriages are actually a wonderful way to experience the beauty of Central Park. As one of New York Citys well known activities, the rhythmic clip-clop from these rides offers a respite from the hustle of everyday life and can also be quite romantic for a happy couple.
Just another daily life moment that caught my attention amidst the plethora of sights and sounds of Manhattan's busy streets.
Thanks for stopping by.
ikeharel, jhm, timecapturer, ourania, cornejo, mirosu, Cricri, mcmtanyel, Royaldevon, fritzi007 has marked this note useful
Critiques | Translate
serp2000 (46526) 2014-07-11 22:35
Hi, Jason,
This scene brings us to XIX century. ))) Funny story, thanks for my morning smile. Yes, I know similar story with a penguin.
When we had have a meeting with Brenda, I remember the numerous carriages in the Park. But usually I like to walk by feet. This is not my cup of tea)
Have a great weekend ahead!
emka (114737) 2014-07-11 23:09
Hello Jason, I am sure that it would be a romantic ride with such a carriage in Central Park, something like go in gondola in Venice. But it is not meant for lonely travellers :) (too expensive haha). In many places in my last trip - in Spain and in Vienna - I saw many such scenes. But I prefer to see (and smell) the roses. Specially in the evening. Amusing scene and as always funny story, I love to read them.
ikeharel (84968) 2014-07-11 23:28
Hi Jason,
A marvelous photo collected.
The conversation between those men seem as flamboyant or maybe too enthusiastic, but not make a whole different for the horse stood patiently listening...
What makes this pic. so great? is the fact you managed a fine allocation over pic. space, while all participants draw attention, and that's including the horse.
Lovely. Have a nice weekend,
jemaflor (108461) 2014-07-11 23:30
Hi Jason,
A scenery well presented, good angle and good quality for the shot, light, colors and brightness, tfs.
fabbs99 (17179) 2014-07-11 23:49
Hello Jason
Excellent shot of the horse carriage.Very attractive capture in great contrasts and colors.Excellent POV.TFS.
jhm (167678) 2014-07-12 0:43
Hello Jason,
These picture would also in Bruges Belgium can are with the conversations between carriage people.
I have with your joke nice laughter, I must me this remain remember for the men in Bruges, this are friends of me.
Lovely composition, nice presentation.
Sharpness and clarity are perfect.
Very well done, TFS.
Have a nice weekend,
timecapturer (49288) 2014-07-12 3:46
Hello Mr Cee
nice shot of this slice of everyday NYC life. I love these horse drawn carriages they are such an iconic feature of this part of the City. Trotting around Central Park in one of these is a must for any visitor, although I have to admit I did not do it on my short stay in the Big Apple. Another "CCCC" (Cowling Candid Character Classic). I only have one horse joke, and guess what? Yep - it is not repeatable here .
Enjoy your weekend - BeeDee
marabu61 (11537) 2014-07-12 5:53
Hello Jason
This is such an archetypical scene from around Central Park that one doesn't even need to look at the location information to place this. You captured here an intimate moment of the carriage drivers having a chat and waiting for the tourists. that surely will soon start to arrive.
have a great weekend
No_One (4) 2014-07-12 5:55
Hi Jason,
Urban horses, a great addition to any city and I always like to see these old style carriages around the place, nice contrast to the cars and buses belching out pollution. He has lovely color in him too, but he does look really bored. Probably knows they are laughing at him, but Im sure he'll have the last laugh, the driver should remember where he sits :)
Love your joke too, here's another
A man in a movie theater notices what looks like a horse sitting next to him. "Are you a horse?" asked the man, surprised. "Yes." "What are you doing at the movies?" The horse replied, "Well, I liked the book."
Sorry :)
Also, carriage conversations sounds like an 18th century version of that tv show taxicab conversations. Imagine, people showing their ankles and not knowing they were being filmed!
Have a great saturday.
Sergiom (96559) 2014-07-12 6:15
Bonjour Jason
De toute façon, il semble carrément se foutre de la conversation et demande juste un petit peu de repos et peut-être aussi d'un peu d'eau. Le cheval semble quand même très solide sur ses pattes. Un bien beau moment bien saisi.
Bon samedi
holmertz (64528) 2014-07-12 6:40
Hello Jason,
It's great with pictures where something is obviously going on. You just don't know what, but they set your imagination going. This is clearly one of those pictures. I wouldn't be surprised if the horse was thinking that those men were just talking a lot of sh** and was considering a stinking reply. Jokes apart, this is a nicely cropped photo where every part of the view is well filled, there is a great human touch (including the horse) and nice colours.
Enjoy your weekend,
ourania (51103) 2014-07-12 8:24
Hello Jason,
it looks like the gentleman standing on the carriage is relating some very interesting news, out of the horse's mouth:) The other three look very interested and captivated. I like very much how you focused on this scene with the framing and perspective you chose as well as with the excellent clarity and intriguing closeness. The colours are natural and delightful, the tranquility of the atmosphere challenged only by the intrigue of the conversation. I've seen such scenes so many times but with taxi and bus drivers:) Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a great weekend,
cornejo (50996) 2014-07-12 12:20
Hi Jason, good view of this interesting scene of daily life, very well captured in this good and interesting photograph. Interesting picture with good sharpness, light, color and quality. Very good job well done, congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this interesting work.
Good night and good Sunday.
Warm greetings from southern Spain.
Nicou (159862) 2014-07-12 21:48
quelle image et compo superbe vue et captageil tire la calèche et ces personnage toujours magique de ce promener en calège.
Bravo et amitié
mirosu (16295) 2014-07-13 5:55
Hi Jason,
I'm still not back (referring to you comment). Still travelling (this will take till middle of October) with not always perfect access to internet, that why my reduced activity here.
But I should comment your photo. What to say? Excellent close up snapshot. Superb exposing. Vertical arrangement with all the details is perfect. I like that you have also included the nice street light in the frame.
Very well done.
rbassin (25271) 2014-07-13 11:10
hello Jason
une très bonne composition, bon cadrage vertical et scène intéressante.
Il y a de bonnes couleurs.
Bonne soirée
Cricri (133158) 2014-07-13 11:40
Hello ami du désert
Oh je pense que le cheval est content de s'arrêter et ainsi se reposer un peu, il se fou de la conversation et il a bien raison :-) en tout les cas c'est une belle scène de vie mise en image
Bon je te laisse, ce soir je vais soutenir "Maria" :-)
worldcitizen (10182) 2014-07-13 15:48
Hello Jason,
This horse looks bored with whatever the conversation is! It's a fun capture, and I like top hats worn by some of the drivers. I don't know if this has made news in other cities, but since we got a new mayor last January there's been a raging debate about whether or not to do with away with these horse-drawn carriages. The mayor actually wants them gone, and might try to pass some legislation to that end, but the owners and many New Yorkers and tourists alike want the horses to stay. We'll have to wait and see what happens. As long as the horses are well cared for and not made to work in extreme conditions, I'd like them to stay. :-)
mcmtanyel (35121) 2014-07-13 21:49
Hello Jason,
Ha ha ha, I know this one in its variant: Replace the horse with a zebra, the farm with the zoo and the park with the movies.
I enjoy watching these horse drawn carriages from a distance or in photographs. Getting too close to one in real life does not agree with my olfactory receptors. So, thanks for this insulated exposure.
Royaldevon (48467) 2014-07-14 8:57
Hi Jason,
I know I'll be entertained as well as see some visual delights!!!
Okay ... A racehorse owner takes his horse to the vet. Will I be able to race this horse again?, he asks
The vet replies: Of course you will, and youll probably win!
Boom! Boom!
I didn't have any horse jokes about walking on the pavement!
Lovely shot!
Lots of sharp details and bright colours.
The horse leads naturally right into the shot, whilst the lamppost makes a great blocker.
I remember the pleasure I had just strolling through Central Park. There were musicians, dancers and singers, as well as the carriages!
Have a lovely day,
Bev :-)
nikkitta (17068) 2014-07-14 12:30
Hola Jason, desde las pampas
An scene almost full of history, lately I have seen less and less of this horse carriages and more and more tricycles,good, well taken scene and funny story to preceded it
About the scene,well composed one with some touches of blue:)) as well as the man inn red ,must be the porter of some hotel
Always like to enjoy the park walking, resting at a kiosk selling hot dogs just near the big pool
Well dome for a man of the desert
Cheers without dust
Was waiting some special pic from France today
Time over for the Cup
Till 2018 and thanks for your enthusiastic support
fritzi007 (13546) 2014-08-05 14:45
Hallo Jason,
really a very good entertainment, very well documented, congratulations!
Wish you a nice day
berek (50508) 2014-09-17 21:08
Dear Jason
I think the horse is happy to stop and get some rest :-) lovely moment and very good daily life view. Greetings.
Photo Information
- Copyright: Jason Cowling (jcpix) (14024)
- Genre: Places
- Medium: Color
- Date Taken: 2004-05-00
- Categories: Daily Life, Transportation
- Exposure: f/2.5, 1/160 seconds
- Photo Version: Original Version
- Theme(s): Horses around the world [view contributor(s)]
- Date Submitted: 2014-07-11 22:05


text:
Bibliography of the History of Art/Repertoire de la Litterature de l'art
The J. Paul Getty Trust provides access to the Bibliography of the History of Art (BHA) and the Répertoire de la Litterature de l'art (RILA). The bibliographic databases, searchable together, cover European and American visual arts material. The BHA covers the years 1990-2007, and the RILA covers the years 1975-1989. Bibliographic information provided by the database includes title, document type, ISBN, and abstract, and the database includes all records with abstracts in French and English. The results are also linked by subject terms in French and English, which will allow users to connect to other related materials.
Resource URL: http://library.getty.edu/bha


text:
Like his fellow conservative Newt Gingrich, Pat Buchanan is a well-read student of history, but how he interprets what he's read is a regular source of controversy. Whether he's arguing that the Holocaust was all France's and Britain's fault, or worrying that Americans of European descent "will be a minority in the nation their ancestors created and built," Pat always gets a lot of attention.
Still smarting from his February dismissal by MSNBC due to disapproval of his book, Suicide of a Superpower, Buchanan did some venting in a recent column (or diatribe against political correctness) for conservative website World Net Daily. Titled "Rush and the New Blacklist," the piece argues that "the [left-wing] media that piled on Rush objected less to the term than to the target he picked: one of their own." Buchanan provides historical context by noting that the original "Hollywood blacklist" was a victory of the American right. But over a half-century later, alas, the "cultural ascendancy of the left" has firmly established itself. "The Legion of Decency" is dead and "The Filthy Speech Movement from Berkeley 1964 has triumphed." (The hippies are the winners but we spend billions on war?)
This won't do. With a bitter edge, Buchanan writes:
"If you still believe homosexuality is unnatural and immoral and gay marriage absurd, you are a homophobe who is to keep his mouth shut.
If you think some ethnic and racial groups have greater natural athletic, academic or artistic talents, don't go there, if you do not wish an early end to your journalistic career.
If you think illegal aliens should be sent home and legal immigration should mirror the ethnic makeup of the nation, you are a xenophobe and a racist.
All of these terms — racist, sexist, homophobe — are synonyms for heretic. Any of them can get you hauled before an inquisition.
Why? [Jeremiah] Wright and Obama were black, and such attacks might agitate the latent racism of white America. The Republican Party censors itself so as not to antagonize a cultural establishment that wants to see it dead."
Seems ol' Pat's been sharpening his pitchfork there.


text:
By COLLEEN LEDDY
Landing Elizabeth Berg for an appearance at Stair Public Library traces back to the culinary prowess of another Elizabeth...retired library director Liz Stella.
It all started when I emailed Elizabeth's agent to see if she would put me in contact with her. I was trying to schedule a speakerphone chat for "Dream When You're Feeling Blue" for the evening book discussion group's March meeting.
Elizabeth wasn't available, and said she doesn't like speakerphone chats anyway. But she loves doing readings and asked if the library ever hosted authors.
I sent her a long email in response:
Oh, phone chats are so fun! I'm sorry you don't enjoy them. The first one we did was with Steven Sorrentino ("Luncheonette") and it was also his first book discussion chat. He started off telling us he had done lots of conference calls by speakerphone in his work for a publishing company so he was quite experienced with it. Then he caught us off guard by saying this was the first one he had done in the nude. When we stopped laughing, one of our ladies retorted, "Well, I thought you might want to know, we're all naked here, too!"
We do host authors in person, but I am guessing we are way out of your league. We're a small library, so we don't have a huge budget to host big-name authors like yourself.
This scenario is more our speed: the Ultimate Cheapskate, Jeff Yeager, author of "The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches: A Practical (and Fun) Guide to Enjoying Life More by Spending Less" visits our library, is served a wonderful lunch of homemade manicotti, homemade bread, and a fresh garden salad with just picked tomatoes, prepared by our former director who married an Italian from the hills of West Virginia and learned to cook from her [first generation Italian-American] mother-in-law...Yeager speaks to a group of 66 people at 2 on a weekday afternoon and sells lots of books and he ends up paying us $100!
That's a bit unusual, but he had such a good time here, he decided to offer us the deal he gave libraries on a book promotion tour he had just finished. He biked from library to library and gave his publisher's per diem to the libraries if they arranged for somebody to put him up overnight....
...Do you have a special price for displaced-New-Yorker library directors trying to add big-city culture to tiny rural Midwest towns? Or a flat fee for everyone? And what would that fee be?
Elizabeth was taken in by the tales of small town library life and responded with this email:
What a charming letter! So let's see what we can do here. First of all, fresh-picked tomatoes: a must. Ditto homemade bread.
When I speak through my lecture agent, I get $5,000 which I rush to add I'm sure you can't afford. So here's the deal: do you think you can get over 100 people and good book sales? And some tomatoes to take home?
If so, give me your best offer, and let's see what we can work out.
The email exchange continued with negotiation on price and book sales—and promises of more of Liz's specialties:
Tomatoes, bread...even homemade brownies using the Zingerman's recipe (the most divine brownies known to womankind) and sticky toffee pudding which sounds horrible, but is the most luscious dessert known to all of humanity. ... Liz Stella, the afore-mentioned former library director, says she will fix you up with a basket of good stuff.
...I think I could offer something in the $300 to $500 range. That sounds so paltry compared to your usual fee, but your usual fee is our programming budget for the entire year! I promise you, though, Zingerman's brownies and sticky toffee pudding made by Liz are utterly priceless and totally worth your time...along with the tomatoes.
In one exchange, Elizabeth proposed this scenario:
...For my payment, start with $500, but for every person over 100 that you get, take $10 off my fee, but up the portion size of the sticky toffee pudding. …
In that scenario, if we had 150 people she wouldn't have received anything....and Liz would have had to bake a heck of a lot of sticky toffee pudding. But, in the end we settled on a flat fee and Susan Bach of Waldenbooks in Adrian will handle book sales. Elizabeth forfeited the tomatoes when she realized June was better for her schedule than tomato harvest season.
I'm nervous as all get-out about having a good-size crowd, especially in light of Berg's comment in this email excerpt:
For the record, I think a crowd of 100 would be terrific, and I always like to do whatever I can to encourage book sales of ANY author.…
On the strength of her emails alone, I'm expecting an entertaining, enlightening wonderful program.
And, of course, it will be all the more wonderful if you're there, too.


text:
just need with one thing
I just need someone to do this part. the last tutor DIDN'T finish this so now i have to pay twice for the same thing
Part One:Module 4(1)(1).zip
Note: For the two-way ANOVA, you will be expected to create a line graph as covered in the SPSS tutorial in the Course Content (and not a boxplot as in the textbook). This applies to future cumulative questions as well.
Green & Salkind: Lesson 26, Exercises 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8
The following helpful tips are numbered to correspond with the exercise number to which they refer (a dash indicates that no tips are needed):
1. Instead of identifying these values on your output, as the text states, please write them into your Word file as written answers for #1 a: f value, b: mean GPA, c: effect size, and d: p value. (2 pts for output; a-d = 2 pts each)
4. Produce a line graph instead of a boxplot for this problem. Follow directions in course SPSS tutorial for setting up a line graph. (2 pts)
5. ------ (2 pts)
6. Which follow-up procedures should you use? Why? (2 pts)
7. All homework "Results sections" should follow the example given in the Course Content document "Writing Results of Statistical Tests in APA Format" (note: you do not have to refer to a figure). (2 pts)
8. Produce a line graph instead of a boxplot for this problem. Follow directions in course SPSS tutorial for setting up a line graph. (2 pts)
Tutor Answer
Brown University
1271 Tutors
California Institute of Technology
2131 Tutors
Carnegie Mellon University
982 Tutors
Columbia University
1256 Tutors
Dartmouth University
2113 Tutors
Emory University
2279 Tutors
Harvard University
599 Tutors
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2319 Tutors
New York University
1645 Tutors
Notre Dam University
1911 Tutors
Oklahoma University
2122 Tutors
Pennsylvania State University
932 Tutors
Princeton University
1211 Tutors
Stanford University
983 Tutors
University of California
1282 Tutors
Oxford University
123 Tutors
Yale University
2325 Tutors