A light emitting device (LED) includes a stress control layer having a compressive stress on a substrate, a bonding layer on the stress control layer, a semiconductor layer on the bonding layer and including an active region for emitting light on the bonding layer, a first electrode on a lower surface of the substrate, and a second electrode on the semiconductor layer. The compressive stress of the stress control layer is between about 1 and about 20 GPa.

1. Field
Example embodiments relate to a light emitting device fabricated using wafer bonding and a method of fabricating the light emitting device using wafer bonding.
2. Description of the Related Art
The advantage of light emitting diodes (LEDs) using a semiconductor material, e.g., a Group III-V nitride semiconductor, is that LEDs may be relatively small and lightweight and have a relatively long lifespan. A variety of technologies have been developing so as to increase efficiency of LEDs. High output and high brightness LEDs have recently attracted attention to be used as an illumination apparatus. However, in a case where a relatively high power is applied to LEDs for relatively high output, the efficiency of LEDs is reduced compared to that of a case where lower power is applied thereto.
Vertical LEDs having a high efficiency in applying current thereto have been proposed. Unlike horizontal LEDs in which a part of a semiconductor layer is etched and electrodes are formed in the etched portion of the semiconductor layer, electrodes are directly disposed on upper and lower surfaces of a semiconductor layer in vertical LEDs, and thus current may be efficiently applied from electrodes to the semiconductor layer. Therefore, vertical LEDs may obtain enhanced efficiency and output compared to horizontal LEDs. Also, vertical LEDs are more easily cooled compared to horizontal LEDs, thereby more easily dissipating heat generated during operation.
Vertical LEDs in which electrodes are disposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the semiconductor layer require a different fabrication process from horizontal LEDs. For example, after growing the semiconductor layer on a growth substrate, e.g., sapphire, the growth substrate needs to be removed so as to perform the remaining processes (i.e. subsequent processes). In this regard, before removing the growth substrate, the semiconductor layer is bonded onto another substrate so as to support the semiconductor layer from which the growth substrate is removed. Such bonding is performed in a wafer scale, which is referred to as wafer bonding.
A tensile stress is generated in the semiconductor layer during a cooling process. When the growth substrate on which the semiconductor layer is formed is bonded to a transfer wafer, wafer may be warped due to the tensile stress during the cooling process after wafer bonding, and cracks may occur in the semiconductor layer. If the growth substrate is removed, the tensile stress in the semiconductor layer may increase. Accordingly, a manufacturing yield of LEDs may be reduced.


A multi-wavelength photonic oscillator has a plurality of lasers each emitting light at a different frequency. An optical wavelength multiplexer combines the light emitted by the plurality of lasers at an output thereof as a set of optical wavelengths. An optical modulator is arranged in a feedback loop and coupled to receive light at the output of the optical wavelength multiplexer, the feedback loop further including an optical tap for coupling at least a subset of said set of optical wavelengths to at least one optical output of the multi-wavelength photonic modulator; at least one optical channel having an associated photodetector arranged to receive light from the optical tap via the at least one optical channel; and an electronic loop portion coupled to receive output from the at least one associated photodetector and to provide an input for the optical modulator.

The invention extends the prior concepts of a multi-tone photonic oscillator and of a single-tone opto-electronic oscillator to multiple optical wavelengths. The prior approaches supply only a single optical wavelength. Using these prior approaches, a multiple wavelength output would require multiple oscillators, with each oscillator operating at a different optical wavelength. If those oscillators have RF tones of nominally the same frequency modulated onto the optical carrier, the RF signals produced at photodetectors connected to the outputs of those oscillators would have the same frequency. However, those RF signals would not have any phase coherence. There is a need for the generation of phase-coherent RF tones on optical carriers having different wavelengths.
Prior art photonic oscillators (also called opto-electronic oscillators) are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,723,856 and 5,777,778 by Yao and Maleki of JPL. The photonic oscillator of these prior inventions comprises an electro-optic modulator, a photodetector and a feedback loop that goes from the optical output of the modulator into the optical input of the photodetector, then electrically out of the photodetector and into the electrical drive input of the modulator; with the loop gain being greater than one. An optical source, such as a pump laser, supplies the light that goes into the modulator. Part of the light output from the modulator is diverted into the feedback loop.
A photonic oscillator that applies a multi-tone RF modulation on a single wavelength optical carrier without using a separate electronic RF oscillator is disclosed in PCT patent application Ser. No. PCT/US02/36849 filed Nov. 15, 2002 by HRL Laboratories, Yap and Sayyah entitled "Agile Spread Waveform Generator and Photonic Oscillator" which application is owned by the assignee of the present application.
These prior inventions do not make any assertions regarding the wavelength or wavelengths of light provided by the optical source. The optical wavelength of the light is not a characteristic that is a point of concern in these prior inventions and no mention is made of the wavelength. Also, no distinction is made between the wavelength or wavelengths of the light that is diverted into the loop compared to those not diverted into the feedback loop. What is considered important in these prior inventions, instead, is the optical power of that light, which, if sufficiently high, can supply the necessary energy to sustain the oscillation.
These prior photonic oscillators do not specifically produce optical outputs that have multiple wavelengths nor are their output wavelengths necessarily suitable for distribution of the light by a WDM network. The multi-wavelength capability of the present invention is one feature that is of benefit to the art.
Digital beam forming is being developed for phased array antennas that have multiple beams. Typically, a different digital beam forming signal is generated for each antenna element. This signal can contain the data to be transmitted and also the phase information for forming the antenna beam. This signal is then frequency-converted to the desired RF carrier and supplied to the antenna element. As illustrated in FIG. 6, optical links can be used to carry the data from a central processor, which generates the beam forming information, to the antenna. An optical heterodyning technique can be used to also accomplish the frequency conversion as part of the optical distribution of the data. Alternatively, a cascade of two electro-optic modulation units can accomplish the frequency conversion. Since different signals are needed for each antenna element, many optical links would be needed, one for each antenna element. To reduce the number of optical fibers required, it may be advantageous to use a WDM network to carry signals between the processor and the antenna. A single optical fiber could carry the signals for a subarray of multiple elements. Each element of the subarray would be distinguished by a different optical wavelength. These multiple optical wavelengths would be carried in the same fiber.


To increase the efficiency of utilizing protein, lipid and starch by ruminants, feed and urea-formaldehyde polymer are mixed in quantities suitable for a crosslinking reaction. The mixture is heated at a temperature, moisture content and time sufficient to covalently bond the urea-formaldehyde polymer with the proteins and starches to thereby protect the proteins, starches and contained lipids from degradation by rumen microbes.

This invention relates to livestock, and more particularly to a livestock feed, the preparation of a livestock feed, and the feeding of livestock to increase utilization of protein, lipid and starch by ruminants.
It is known to treat feed for ruminants to reduce the microbial degradation of fed protein in the rumen. Various prior art methods of treating feed to reduce the microbial degradation of proteins have included (1) chemical treatment with tannin, (2) chemical treatment with formaldehyde, (3) heat treatment, (4) addition of spent sulfite liquor, (5) pelleting with calcium lignosulfonate, and (6) heat treatment combined with a reducing sugar.
Chemical treatment of feed with tannin is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,662. This patent discloses a process for protecting proteinaceous animal feed from rumen degradation by treatment of the feed with water and tanning agents, forming a paste, and drying at a temperature not to exceed 80 degrees centigrade. Subsequent work by Driedger (1972) J. Anim. Sci, 34:465 showed that tannin could be added to feed prior to pelleting, eliminating the paste forming step, and still effectively protect the protein from rumen degradation. Driedger used 20 percent tannin on soybean meal. Tannins, however, are subject to irreversible oxidative condensation which can render the protein unavailable in the abomassum (Fergusson, 1974, page 453 in Digestion and Metabolism in the Ruminant, Univ. New England Publ. Unit, Armidale, New South Wales, Aust.), and are not widely commercially accepted for use in feed treatment to protect protein.
Chemical treatment of feed with formaldehyde is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,619,200. This patent discloses a feed for ruminants composed of proteinaceous material protected from rumen degradation by chemical modification of the protein through treatment with formaldehyde. Formaldehyde reacts with amino groups at neutral pH to form methylol groups which further condenses to form methylene bridges. In the acid pH of the abomassum, this reaction reverses, rendering the protein available and liberating formaldehyde (Fergusson, 1975). Hemsley, 1973, Australian J. Biol. Sci. 26:960 reported optimum treatment to be 0.8 to 1.2 percent formaldehyde. Higher levels would over-protect the protein and reduce nitrogen retention. Crawford, 1984, J. Dairy Sci. 67:1945 reported that the optimum treatment level will vary depending on the rate of passage of the feed through the rumen. Since this is highly variable, it may be difficult to use formaldehyde effectively. Although formaldehyde is approved for use as a biocide in feeds in the United States by the Food & Drug Administration, it is not approved to treat feed for ruminants to reduce microbial degradation of fed protein, lipid or starch in the rumen.
Heat treatment of feed is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,891. Heating proteinaceous feeds reduces degradability by reducing protein solubility and by blocking sites of enzyme attack through chemical modification. The reaction, however, is sensitive, and too little heat will not provide protection while too much heat will render the protein undigestible in the lower digestive tract (Sherrod, 1964, J. Anim. Sci. 23:510, and Plegge, 1982, J. Anim. Sci. 55:395).
Addition of spent sulfite liquor to feed is shown in Larsen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,596. Larsen discloses a method of feeding high producing dairy cows with a feed containing spent sulfite liquor in an amount of 0.25-3.0 percent by weight of the feed to increase milk production. The feed and spent sulfite liquor of Larsen is merely mixed together in a blender without any additional processing prior to feeding dairy cows. Larsen speculated that the lignin present in the spent sulfite liquor operated to protect the proteins in the feed from being destroyed by microorganisms present in the cow's first three stomachs. Additionally, Larsen speculated that the wood sugars in spent sulfite liquor may assist in better digestion of the materials present in the grains and roughage commonly found in feeds. However, it has now been shown that the lignin present in the spent sulfite liquor does not operate to protect proteins from degradation by microbes in the rumen, and the wood sugars in spent sulfite liquor do not necessarily provide better digestion of feed materials.
Pelleting feed with calcium lignosulfonate is shown in Stern, Can. J. Anim. Sci. 64 (Suppl.): 27-28 (September 1984). Based on continuous rumen culture in vitro studies Stern concluded that pelleting soybean meal with calcium lignosulfonate has potential for protecting protein from microbial degradation in the rumen. However, it has been discovered that calcium lignosulfonate is not the active component in spent sulfite liquor that protects the protein, and in fact pelleting with calcium lignosulfonate per se results in no protein protection.
Heat treatment combined with a reducing sugar is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,957,748 and 5,023,091. To increase the efficiency of utilizing protein in feed by ruminants, feed containing a protein and a reducing sugar are mixed in quantities suitable for the Maillard reaction. The mixture is heated at a temperature, pH and time sufficient to cause early Maillard reactions, but not advanced Maillard reactions. Preferably, the sugar is xylose obtained by mixing sulfite liquor with the feed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,789,001, a ruminally inert fat for a ruminant feed is made by applying reducing sugars to oilseed meats and heating to induce non-enzymatic browning. The process is controlled to ensure penetration of the reducing sugars into the interior of cracked oilseed meat prior to browning. The browning reaction renders the protein which surrounds the oil resistant to rumen bacterial degradation to thereby encapsulate the oil in a protective matrix.
The prior art methods described above may be economical under some circumstances, but it is important to achieve the maximum cost saving and the best utilization of protein such as by increasing the efficiency with which fed protein is used by the animal. The prior art feeds and methods fall short of these goals by, in some cases, providing protein which has reduced nutritional value in an effort to increase the amount of protein actually transferred from the rumen to the small intestine of ruminants or have other disadvantages.

Bypass protection for protein and starch in animal feed


An audio processing system for enhancing a user's virtual audio height perception, comprising: a rebalancing module for receiving audio signals from a source, the audio signals including a low layer signal representing sounds for transmission directly towards a user, and a height signal representing sounds for transmission towards the user by reflecting off a predetermined location above the user; the rebalancing module for comparing the height signal and the lower layer signal, and adjusting an amplitude of the height signal based on said comparison; the low layer signal being transmitted to one or more speakers of a first speaker arrangement for transmitting sound represented by the lower layer signal directly towards the user; and the adjusted height signal being transmitted to one or more speakers of a second speaker arrangement for transmitting sound represented by the height signal towards the user by reflecting off the predetermined location above the user.

A surround sound system typically has a plurality of speaker units arranged around an audience. In a simple surround sound system, such as those used for home entertainment, the speakers may be arranged in a 5.1 speaker configuration consisting of a front left speaker unit, front right speaker unit, rear left speaker unit, rear right speaker unit, a centre speaker unit and a subwoofer. Each speaker unit may include one or more drivers. A driver refers to a single electroacoustic transducer for producing sound in response to an electrical audio input signal from an audio source. The audio source (e.g. a CD, DVD, Blu-ray or digital media content player) may provide different audio signals for different audio channels, where the audio signal for each channel is transmitted to a different speaker unit for generating sound represented by the signal.
In more sophisticated surround sound systems, such as those used in cinemas, there will typically be a larger number of speaker units surrounding the audience. The audio source may provide audio signals for a greater number of audio channels, where the audio signal for each channel may be transmitted to a set of one or more adjacent speaker units located in a particular region relative to the audience for generating sound represented by the signal. By having more speakers generating sound based on the audio signal for different audio channels, the audience is better able to perceive sounds originating from different locations around the audience, thus providing the audience with a more realistic and immersive entertainment experience.
To further enhance the audience's entertainment experience, some surround sound systems include one or more speaker units positioned above the audience for reproducing sound based on audio signals for a height channel. For example, the audio signals for a height channel may represent sounds from objects located above the audience's current perspective in a particular scene, such as the sound of a helicopter flying above the audience. However, there are problems with this approach. Surround sound systems that require one or more speakers on the roof are complicated to setup. For example, it may be complicated or impractical to install one or more speaker units and wiring on the roof of a room or structure, especially in home entertainment environments where there may be a lower ceiling height. After the speaker units are installed, it can be difficult to move the speakers to a different location (e.g. to a different room, or to a new position in the same room to suit a different setup configuration).
Solutions have been proposed to help avoid the use of roof-mounted speakers in a home entertainment environment. In one example, as shown in FIG. 1, upward firing speakers 100 and forward firing speakers 102 are placed adjacent to a television display 104. The speakers 100 and 102 may be separate speaker units (e.g. the upward firing speakers 100 may form part of a sound bar, and the forward firing speakers 102 may form part of floor sitting speaker units), or alternatively, the speakers 100 and 102 may be integrated together as a single speaker unit. The upward firing speakers 102 generate sound based on audio signals from a height channel, and directs the sound to travel along path 106 (i.e. towards a predetermined location 108 (e.g. a part of the roof) located above the listener 110, which is then reflected towards the listener 110). The forward firing speakers 100 generate sound 112 based on audio signals from other audio channels, and direct the sound to travel along path 112 directly towards the listener 110. A problem with this approach is that the height channel typically covers a wide spectrum of audible frequencies, and some of these frequencies (particularly the lower frequencies) lack directivity. This means only some of the sounds (of certain frequencies) will be directed towards the listener 110 after reflection off location 108, while sounds of other frequencies may not be properly directed towards the listener 100 and thus the listener 100 will perceive such sounds to be fainter than sounds properly directed towards the listener 100. Accordingly, the listener 110 will have difficulty hearing some of the sounds originating from the upward firing speakers 100, which may be drowned out by direct sounds originating from the forward firing speakers 102. Consequently, the listener's entertainment experience will be diminished.
An object of the present invention is to provide a system and method to help address one or more of the above identified problems.

System and method for enhancing virtual audio height perception


In a system and a method for calibrating turn-on energy of a fluid-ejecting marking device, a reference object and a plurality of test objects are contemporaneously printed by the marking device on a same type of substrate. The reference object is printed at a known “on” voltage at a first pattern density, and the test objects are printed at a series of decrementing voltages at an intended second pattern density greater than the first pattern density. A scanning device compares the reference object to the test objects to determine which test object(s) most closely resemble(s) the reference object. Based at least upon this comparison, a turn-on energy for the marking device is determined. By using a reference object to compare the test objects to, a turn-on energy can be calculated independent of the type of substrate used and the ambient conditions present when printing the reference and test objects.

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional inkjet printing system 1 including an ink jet printhead 10, which is an example of an ink-ejecting marking device. The ink jet printhead 10 includes an ink-reservoir 19 with a plurality of nozzles 30 communicatively connected thereto via channels (32 for example), through which ink in the reservoir 19 is ejected in the form of drops (33, for example) from drop generators (not shown) onto a substrate 20. Depending upon the contents of an image 12 to be formed on the substrate 20, a driving circuit 14 selectively applies a voltage waveform via an electrical pulse source 16 to the drop generators corresponding to particular nozzles of the nozzles 30. This selective application of a voltage waveform causes drops of ink (33, for example) to be ejected from the particular nozzles, thereby causing the image to be formed on the substrate 20. Conventionally, each drop generator is a heater resistor (not shown) having a resistance R. For a waveform consisting of a constant voltage pulse amplitude V and a pulsewidth t, for example, the power dissipated in the heater resistor is V2/R, and the energy dissipated in the heater resistor is V2t/R.
If the voltage applied by the controller 14 via the electrical pulse source 16 to the nozzles 30 is too high, the operational life of the inkjet printhead 10 is reduced, thereby causing premature failure. On the other hand, if the applied voltage is too low, the nozzles 30 will not fire reliably or will not fire at all. Accordingly, it is important in the art to be able to determine an appropriate voltage to be applied to the nozzles that reliably will cause the nozzles to fire while not excessively harming the operational life of the inkjet printhead 10.
One conventional scheme for determining an appropriate applied voltage is illustrated with FIG. 2. This conventional scheme involves printing a sequence of swatches 101, each having a same pattern-density (i.e., a same number of nozzles selected to be fired), but each being printed with a successively different applied-voltage. In the example of FIG. 2, the first swatch 102 is printed with a high voltage that fires all selected nozzles, and each successive swatch thereafter is printed with a slightly lower voltage until the last swatch 103 is printed with such a low voltage that none or a small percentage of the selected nozzles fire. (It should be noted that the texture of the swatches 101 shown in FIG. 2 is used merely to illustrate a change in reflectance of each swatch and is not used to illustrate exactly which nozzles fired and which did not.)
Continuing with the example of FIG. 2, the sequence of swatches 101 is then scanned by an optical scanner to determine which swatch exhibits a reflectance that is substantially lower than the previous swatch, in order to determine the voltage at which most nozzles reliably fire. To elaborate, FIG. 3 illustrates a graph of voltage applied to the selected nozzles versus reflectance of a swatch generated at that voltage. Although the graph of FIG. 3 illustrates a continuous function, a graph generated by data provided by the optical scanner reading the swatches illustrated in FIG. 2 would have discrete points 201-210, for example. The optical scanner reads the reflectance of the first swatch 102 to determine point 210, for example. Then, the optical scanner reads the reflectance of the second swatch to determine point 209, and so on. To determine an appropriate applied voltage, the first substantial difference between reflectances at successive points from point 201 to point 210 that exceeds a predetermined amount is flagged, and a point between the points that resulted in the first substantial difference of reflectances is selected as the appropriate applied voltage. In the example of FIG. 2, the difference in reflectances between the second swatch, corresponding to point 209 and the third swatch, corresponding to point 208 may be selected as the points that produce the first substantial difference in reflectance. Accordingly, a voltage inclusively between the voltages corresponding to points 209 and 208 may be selected as the appropriate applied voltage. Depending upon how the printhead 10 is to be calibrated, however, the reflectance difference between points 209 and 208 may not be substantial enough and, for example, the reflectance drop between points 208 and 207 instead may be used to determine the appropriate applied voltage.
A draw back of this conventional scheme is that measuring the reflectance of the swatches is dependent upon characteristics of the substrate upon which the swatches are printed. In particular, ink spreads and interacts differently depending upon the substrate being used. Accordingly, reflectance measurements for the same sequence of swatches will be different depending upon the substrate on which the swatches are printed. Further, reflectance measurements of swatches also are dependent upon ambient conditions, such as humidity and temperature. Accordingly, the same sequence of test swatches printed on the same type of substrate often are different depending upon the humidity and/or temperature of the environment in which they are printed. Accordingly, a need in the art exists for a method of determining an appropriate applied voltage that is independent of or reduces the impact of these factors.

Calibrating turn-on energy of a marking device


Participants in a chat session can control the archiving of chat messages in the chat session. Participants in a chat session send and receive a first set of chat messages, which are archived. A command to deactivate archiving is made by one of the participants. Messages in the chat session that are sent and received subsequent to the command to deactivate archiving are not archived. Archiving may be reactivated and messages subsequent to the command to reactivate archiving are archived.

The Internet has grown to become an important outlet of electronic communication. Tools such as email and instant messaging (IM; sometimes also referred to as "chat") are popular amongst Internet users. These tools help users stay connected to each other and help them become more productive. IM, in particular, has grown beyond its original niche of personal communications tool to a collaboration tool with business applications.
A feature that is desired by business users of IM is archiving. Currently, IM messages are generally not archived or archived only at the local client(s) of the parties to an IM session. Non-archiving of IM messages or archiving of IM messages at the client limits the potential uses of the IM archives as business documents. However, archiving of IM messages, particularly for business applications, also raises issues of privacy and protection of sensitive information. Accordingly, an efficient system of archiving IM messages is needed.

Integrated email and chat archiving with fine grained user control for chat archiving


A carry-select adder composed of blocks, each containing an input adder cell and a number of adder cells of a first and second type. Each block has one input adder cell interconnected to adder cells of the first and second type which are connected in an alternating fashion. The cells are connected to each other via carry lines and block carry lines. The adder cells of the first and second type each have a gate arrangement which utilizes field effect transistors for transfer, pull-up and pull-down transistors. These transistors are not a component part of a combination gate within an adder cell. The gate arrangement significantly increases the processing speed of the carry-select adder.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a carry-select adder having adder cells divided into blocks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Adders are required in many digital logic circuits, such as, digital filters, signal processors and microprocessors. A method for producing an adder is the "ripple-carry" method, wherein a carry output is serially transmitted from an adder cell for a least significant bit to an adder cell for a higher-order bit. The running time of the carry signal will essentially define the addition time.
Another method for producing an adder is the "carry-select" method, in which the adder cells are combined in blocks in an adder and contain double carry paths. Each carry path is used for an assumed carry signal of "0" or "1" at the input side of an adder cell. The carry path to be selected during subsequent data transmissions is decided by a block carry signal, formed from the two individual carry signals of the preceding stage of the block and from the block carry signal of the preceding stage. As a result, the individual carry signals in each block are independent of the carry signal of preceding blocks.
At least two different types of adder cells are required for constructing a "carry-select" adder. One type, an input adder cell is arranged at the beginning of a block, and the input adder cell is followed by an arbitrary number of cells of a second type. Blocks having a higher order in the "carry-select" adder contain a greater number of variable inputs and sum outputs than blocks of lower order. Each individual adder cell in the blocks contains two variable inputs, two carry inputs and outputs, one block carry input and output and a sum output. The number of variable inputs and sum outputs in every block should be selected so that the running time of an individual carry signal through a block corresponds to the sum of the running time of the block carry signals up to this block. In the first stage of a block, the block carry signal is formed from the two carry signals and block carry signal of the last stage of the preceding block. At the input stage of each block, the individual carry signals depend solely on the variable inputs, where the carry inputs can be selectively set to a "high" or a "low" level. The carry signals in a "carry-select" adder pass through each block in parallel by means of two carry paths, where in all adder cells one carry path assumes a low carry signal of "0" at the input of the block, and a second carry path assumes a high carry signal of "1" at the block input. The carry signals in the adder cells depend on the input signals at the variable inputs of the adder cells and on the carry signals at the carry inputs of the adder cells.
German Patent Application EPA-224656 discloses an accelerated run time for the carry signals in an adder circuit. The carry signals are accelerated by alternating connections between adder cells having inverted carry inputs and non-inverted carry outputs alternatively connected with adder cells having non-inverted carry inputs and inverted carry outputs.
German Patent Application DE 33 23 607 discloses a fast adder/subtractor according to the "carry-select" principle. An adder or subtractor having a plurality of stages where the stages are divided into groups that are equipped with two transmission lines. The transmission lines operate with assumed carry levels of "0" or "1" at the input in the least significant stages of the individual groups.
The above referenced adder circuits are disadvantageous due to their excessively slow processing speed.


A method of thermally treating high density ammonium nitrate for manufacturing ANFO and heavy ANFO including loading high density ammonium nitrate into a tank; entering the high density ammonium nitrate into heating equipment at room temperature; heating the high density ammonium nitrate inside the heating equipment; removing the treated ammonium nitrate from the heating equipment at a temperature less than 60° C.; and sieving the treated ammonium nitrate, thereby obtaining thermally treated ammonium nitrate; feeding thermally treated ammonium nitrate at a temperature of less than 30° C. into a mixing chamber while injecting fuel into the thermally treated ammonium nitrate feeding pipe, thereby obtaining ANFO; loading gassed or ungassed bulk emulsion into a hopper; feeding the bulk emulsion into the same mixing chamber as the ANFO; and mixing the bulk emulsion and the ANFO, thereby obtaining heavy ANFO.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to explosive compositions such as ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO) and heavy ANFO type explosives, and in particular to a thermal treatment to create pores by modifying the crystalline structure of high density ammonium nitrate in order to manufacture ANFO and heavy ANFO.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO) type explosives are a mixture of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, which are used as a blasting compound in mining and industrial engineering. Typically, ANFO type explosives are composed of 94% ammonium nitrate and 6% fuel oil, and have a density of 0.8-0.9 kg/L. The ammonium nitrate particles used for ANFO type explosives are porous and spherical in shape because their microporous structure of air cavities enclosed within the body of the prills provide a larger number of points of initiation with increased detonation sensitivity, or hotspots, which are closed adiabatically as a result of mechanical action and spread the burning process throughout the charge. The fuel oil is absorbed by the ammonium nitrate particles to produce a free-flowing particulate mixture which can be detonated. Other additives may be added to this mixture in order to modify the properties of the ANFO explosive, such as adding guar gums and polyisobutylene to improve water resistance.
Detonation velocity of ANFO explosives falls within the range 2500-3500 m/s because of its volumetric density and flame temperature, which are lower than that of other industrial explosives. The sensitivity of these materials to detonation is also lower than that of emulsion and dynamite type explosives; thus, the handling of ANFO type explosives is easier. The performance of ANFO depends on the ammonium nitrate prills used and the efficiency of mixing the prills with the fuel oil.
Heavy ANFO type explosives comprise a mixture of bulk emulsion and ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO). The use of emulsion type explosives as a coating substance creates a waterproof-resistant barrier, surrounding the particles of ANFO and solving the problem of its low water resistance. This waterproof-resistant barrier also improves other characteristics of ANFO by increasing its density, detonation velocity, sensitivity to initiation and shock wave intensity. Heavy ANFO is typically prepared in a bulk truck by making ANFO first, and then blending it with emulsion. Bulk emulsion used in the preparation of heavy ANFO may be gassed or not gassed. The system of heavy ANFO allows for a great deal of flexibility in the relative proportions of ANFO/bulk emulsion. This ratio can be optimized depending on the blast site-specific requirements.
As mentioned, ANFO and heavy ANFO type explosives typically need porous ammonium nitrate prills. Previous attempts to use high density ammonium nitrate in ANFO and heavy ANFO manufacturing include U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,524. This invention provides a method for modifying ammonium nitrate's density that comprises mixing it with a liquid medium, such as water, nitric acid or sodium nitrite, which penetrate the ammonium nitrate particles via pre-existing pathways, dissolving ammonium nitrate and producing a gassing reaction. As a result, the method obtains particles of higher porosity. However, the present invention differs from the aforementioned patent in the method used to create those pores.
The present invention provides a method to prepare ANFO and heavy ANFO type explosives by using high density ammonium nitrate, preferably fertilizer or technical grade, in which the crystalline structure is modified by a thermal treatment process, as a substitute for porous ammonium nitrate.
Information about the Assignee
EXSA was incorporated in 1954. The company's plant, offices and main warehouses are located in Lima, Peru. In addition, the company has various business offices, other industrial plants, powder magazines, and warehouses throughout the Peruvian territory.
EXSA engages in the manufacture, transformation, industrial operation, representation, development, research, marketing, distribution, transportation, import and export of explosives, as well as their components, accessories, associated products and by-products. Likewise, EXSA may provide any services associated with the aforementioned activities, including specialized support works for mining prospecting, development and operation, and ore reduction.

Process for the thermal treatment of ammonium nitrate for manufacturing ANFO and heavy ANFO


A method for sealing piles in foundations in the construction field, wherein a hollow-body formwork element is used. The method includes: 1) applying a barrier layer to the foundation; 2) introducing a pile into the foundation, the pile being arranged so as to penetrate the barrier layer; 3) applying a hollow-body formwork element along the central longitudinal axis of the pile, the hollow-body formwork element surrounding the pile; 4) introducing mineral binding agents into the intermediate space between the pile and the hollow-body formwork element; 5) connecting the barrier layer and the hollow-body formwork element. The hollow-body formwork element has on the side facing the pile a contact layer, which includes a composite layer of a porous material and/or a sealant. The hollow-body formwork element can remain as a part of the structure and thus can perform a sealing function.

Bored piles are used, for example, for foundations, for example, in soft foundations. For their production, a borehole can be made with the desired depth and a bored pile can be introduced into the borehole or the bored pile can be driven at once directly into the foundation.
When building a concrete structure, the foundation can be covered with a geomembrane to prevent water from getting into the structure from the foundation.
The bored piles can be joined directly or indirectly to the structure, for which openings are punched in the geomembrane. This creates an area through which moisture can get into the structure from the foundation between the geomembrane and the bored pile in the area of the opening.


A transmission for providing mechanical power from an input includes a transmission assembly having an arm configured and adapted to be connected to a mechanical input for rotation at an input speed. A first planet is rotatably mounted to a first end of the arm. A trim ring operatively contacts the first planet for mutual rotation therewith. A brake is operatively connected to the trim ring for controlling rotation of the trim ring. A second planet is rotatably mounted to a second end of the arm. The second planet operatively contacts the first planet for mutual rotation therewith. An output ring operatively contacts the second planet for mutual rotation therewith to rotate at an output speed based on an input speed of the arm and a trim speed of the trim ring.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to transmission of mechanical power, and more particularly to transmission of mechanical power where a relatively constant output rate is desirable, such as in aircraft electrical power systems, for example.
2. Description of Related Art
A variety of devices can convert a variable mechanical input to a relatively constant rate for use in generating power at a relatively constant frequency. For example, in two stage gas turbine engines, aircraft electrical power can be produced by a generator powered by rotation of the high pressure spool. Generally, the high pressure spool has a more constant operational frequency than the low pressure spool. Even so, it is common to use a constant speed drive (CSD), or other continuously variable transmission, to regulate between the variable speed of the high pressure spool and the generator in order to keep the input to the generator more constant.
Aircraft are requiring more and more electrical power, and the amount of power that can be derived from typical high pressure spools is limited. Conventional constant speed drives and the like are also limited in that they can provide a constant output only if the input remains within a certain range. In some applications, variable frequency electrical systems can operate using variable inputs. But these also need the input to remain within a limited range.
Such conventional methods and systems have generally been considered satisfactory for their intended purpose. However, there is still a need in the art for systems and methods for supplying power that allow for improved range of input while still providing a relatively constant output. There also remains a need in the art for such systems and methods that are easy to make and use. The present invention provides a solution for these problems.

Control of shifting transmission for constant and variable frequency systems


Predicate abduction involves identifying, from a database statement, predicates on attributes of dimensional data, and applying those predicates to corresponding measure data so that only measure values are fetched and returned for dimension values that satisfy the predicate. In contrast to processing joins of relational data, the subset of the measure data is determined without needing to join a fact table with a dimension table and, therefore, without processing every fact record to determine which measure values are associated with records that satisfy the condition. Buffer reuse involves storing in buffers the “domains” of queries executing on multidimensional data. Responsive to detecting that execution of a database statement requires multiple iterations of extracting the same multidimensional data, the data is extracted during the first iteration and stored in a buffer so that, for each subsequent iteration, the buffer-stored data is accessed rather than re-extracting the data.

In the context of database systems, a "dimension" is a list of values that provide categories for data. A dimension acts as an index for identifying values of a variable. For example, if sales data has a separate sales figure for each month, then the data has a MONTH dimension. That is, the data is organized, or "dimensioned", by month. A dimension is similar to a key in a relational database. Data that is organized by two or more dimensions is referred to as "multidimensional data".
Any item of data within a multidimensional variable can be uniquely and completely selected by specifying one member from each of the variable's dimensions. For example, if a sales measure is dimensioned by MONTH, PRODUCT, and MARKET, specifying "January" for the MONTH dimension, "Stereos" for the PRODUCT dimension, and "Eastern Region" for the MARKET dimension uniquely specifies a single value of a measure. A multidimensional variable (e.g., a measure) can be conceptually thought of as an N-dimensional array, where N is the number of dimensions of the variable, and where each value in the array may be accessed by specifying one dimension key value for each dimension (e.g. MDVar(dim1, dim2, dim3, . . . , dimN)). Thus, dimensions offer a concise and intuitive way of organizing and selecting data for retrieval, updating, and performing calculations.
Multidimensional arrays with 2 and 3 dimensions may be depicted visually as grids and cubes, respectively. For convenience, it has become customary to refer to the conceptual multidimensional arrays that correspond to multidimensional variables as "multidimensional cubes" (or simply "cubes") regardless of how many dimensions they possess. Hence, a multidimensional data cube is a set of n-dimensional data objects. Further, each multidimensional value is said to belong to a "cell" of the cube, where the address of the cell is the set of dimension key values (one per dimension) that correspond to the multidimensional value contained therein.
For the purpose of explanation, the multidimensional value that belongs to a cell shall be referred to as the "cell value" of that cell. Cell values are associated with types of data, i.e., measures, on which a function is executed, such as a summation function, average function, minimum value function, maximum value function, and the like. For example, a cell might contain a value representing a summation of sales in dollars for a particular product in a particular time period in a particular market, where "sales" is the measure.
Multidimensional data may be stored in relational database management systems ("RDBMS") or in specialized, "multidimensional" database management systems ("MDDBMS"), according to a multidimensional schema. MDDBMSs provide structures and access techniques specifically designed for multidimensional data, and therefore provide relatively efficient storage and access to multidimensional data. However, when stored in specialized MDDBMSs, only applications that are specially built to interact with those systems are able to access and manipulate the data. This is because the commands sent to the MDDBMSs have to conform to the command language supported by the MDDBMS.
When multidimensional data is stored in RDBMSs, all applications that support interaction with relational databases have access to the data. Such database applications communicate with the RDBMS by submitting commands that conform to the database language supported by the RDBMS, the most common of which is the ANSI Structured Query Language (SQL). According to one approach, multidimensional data may be stored in a MDDBMS, but accessed by sending SQL to a RDBMS. In this approach, the RDBMS interacts with the MDDBMS to access the data from the MDDBMS.
Database statements (e.g., SQL queries) often include predicates (e.g., WHERE clause conditions) that limit the domain of records that are returned in response to the query. A query optimizer executing in the RDBMS may attempt to identify predicates that can be logically applied to other parts of the query in order to reduce the amount of data that is returned. However, the relational optimizer is unable to apply such techniques in the multidimensional data space because the optimizer simply does not understand the inherent structure of, and thus the extraction process for, the multidimensional data.
The "domain" of a query or subquery on multidimensional data is defined by the dimensionally-limited subset of data objects with which the query is concerned. For example, from 32 available products in the PRODUCT dimension, a particular query may only be concerned with 5 of those products. Therefore, those 5 products represent the "domain" of the PRODUCT dimension relative to that query.
The status information maintained for a session reflects the domain that is applied to queries and subqueries executed within the session. However, a single session may have multiple queries and/or subqueries, each of which may have different domains for the same dimensions. Unfortunately, a change made to the session status caused by one query (to reflect the domain of that query) may adversely affect a concurrently executing query or subquery within the same session. Thus, concurrently executing multiple queries and subqueries within the same session may adversely affect the database system's ability to maintain read consistency throughout the session.
Based on the foregoing, there is room for improvement in techniques for efficiently and correctly processing queries on multidimensional data through a RDBMS.

Efficient processing of relational joins of multidimensional data


In an apparatus for manufacturing a fluid dynamic bearing, a housing portion defines a first work area. A vacuum pump discharges air in the first work area. A lubricant discharge device is arranged in the first work area, and discharges a lubricant into an inlet of a reservoir for storing the lubricant of the fluid dynamic bearing. At least one aperture is provided in the housing portion. A first door closes the aperture and a second door closes the aperture. Between the first door and the second door, when both have closed the aperture, a second work area is formed where the fluid dynamic bearing is placed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a fluid dynamic bearing, a manufacturing method using the apparatus, a fluid dynamic bearing manufactured by the manufacturing method, and a rotating device provided with the fluid dynamic bearing and, in particular, to a technique of filling a lubricant into the fluid dynamic bearing.
2. Description of the Related Art
As devices for recording and reproducing digital data, magnetic disk drive devices such as hard disk drives, and optical disk drive devices such as CD (Compact Disk) devices and DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) devices, are known. These devices are provided with a motor for rotating a disk. Recently, fluid dynamic bearings have been used in rotating devices such as motors in many cases. It is necessary to fill a lubricant into a narrow space in order to manufacture a fluid dynamic bearing.
As a method of filling lubricant into a fluid dynamic bearing, etc., various methods are proposed, as represented by Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-005170, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-098393, and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-273908.
In order to fill a lubricant into the fluid dynamic bearing, it is necessary to repeat a depressurization operation and a repressurization operation in a work area where the lubricant dynamic bearing is to be filled with the lubricant. It takes a long time to depressurize the work area to a vacuum of a predetermined degree, decreasing the work efficiency in manufacturing the fluid dynamic bearing.

Fluid dynamic bearing filled with lubricant in work area having reduced pressure, method of manufacturing the fluid dynamic bearing, apparatus for manufacturing the fluid dynamic bearing, and rotating device


The present invention relates to 3-Heterocyclic Substituted Indole Derivatives, compositions comprising at least one 3-Heterocyclic Substituted Indole Derivative, and methods of using the 3-Heterocyclic Substituted Indole Derivatives for treating or preventing a viral infection or a virus-related disorder in a patient.

HCV is a (+)-sense single-stranded RNA virus that has been implicated as the major causative agent in non-A, non-B hepatitis (NANBH). NANBH is distinguished from other types of viral-induced liver disease, such as hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis delta virus (HDV), as well as from other forms of liver disease such as alcoholism and primary biliary cirrhosis.
Hepatitis C virus is a member of the hepacivirus genus in the family Flaviviridae. It is the major causative agent of non-A, non-B viral hepatitis and is the major cause of transfusion-associated hepatitis and accounts for a significant proportion of hepatitis cases worldwide. Although acute HCV infection is often asymptomatic, nearly 80% of cases resolve to chronic hepatitis. About 60% of patients develop liver disease with various clinical outcomes ranging from an asymptomatic carrier state to chronic active hepatitis and liver cirrhosis (occurring in about 20% of patients), which is strongly associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (occurring in about 1-5% of patients). The World Health Organization estimates that 170 million people are chronically infected with HCV, with an estimated 4 million living in the United States.
HCV has been implicated in cirrhosis of the liver and in induction of hepatocellular carcinoma. The prognosis for patients suffering from HCV infection remains poor as HCV infection is more difficult to treat than other forms of hepatitis. Current data indicates a four-year survival rate below 50% for patients suffering from cirrhosis and a five-year survival rate below 30% for patients diagnosed with localized resectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Patients diagnosed with localized unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma fare even worse, having a five-year survival rate less than 1%.
HCV is an enveloped RNA virus containing a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome approximately 9.5 kb in length. The RNA genome contains a 5′-nontranslated region (5′ NTR) of 341 nucleotides, a large open reading frame (ORF) encoding a single polypeptide of 3,010 to 3,040 amino acids, and a 3′-nontranslated region (3′-NTR) of variable length of about 230 nucleotides. HCV is similar in amino acid sequence and genome organization to flaviviruses and pestiviruses, and therefore HCV has been classified as a third genus of the family Flaviviridae.
The 5′ NTR, one of the most conserved regions of the viral genome, contains an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) which plays a pivotal role in the initiation of translation of the viral polyprotein. A single long open reading frame encodes a polyprotein, which is co- or post-translationally processed into structural (core, E1, E2 and p7) and nonstructural (NS2, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, NS5A, and NS5B) viral proteins by either cellular or viral proteinases. The 3′ NTR consists of three distinct regions: a variable region of about 38 nucleotides following the stop codon of the polyprotein, a polyuridine tract of variable length with interspersed substitutions of cytidines, and 98 nucleotides (nt) at the very 3′ end which are highly conserved among various HCV isolates. By analogy to other plus-strand RNA viruses, the 3′-NTR is thought to play an important role in viral RNA synthesis. The order of the genes within the genome is: NH2-C-E1-E2-p7-NS2-NS3-NS4A-NS4B-NS5A-NS5B-COOH.
Processing of the structural proteins core (C), envelope protein 1 and (E1, E2), and the p7 region is mediated by host signal peptidases. In contrast, maturation of the nonstructural (NS) region is accomplished by two viral enzymes. The HCV polyprotein is first cleaved by a host signal peptidase generating the structural proteins C/E1, E1/E2, E2/p7, and p7/NS2. The NS2-3 proteinase, which is a metalloprotease, then cleaves at the NS2/NS3 junction. The NS3/4A proteinase complex (NS3 being a serine protease and NS4A acting as a cofactor of the NS3 protease), is then responsible for processing all the remaining cleavage junctions. RNA helicase and NTPase activities have also been identified in the NS3 protein. One-third of the NS3 protein functions as a protease, and the remaining two-thirds of the molecule acts as the helicase/ATPase that is thought to be involved in HCV replication. NS5A may be phosphorylated and acts as a putative cofactor of NS5B. The fourth viral enzyme, NS5B, is a membrane-associated RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and a key component responsible for replication of the viral RNA genome. NS5B contains the "GDD" sequence motif, which is highly conserved among all RdRps characterized to date.
Replication of HCV is thought to occur in membrane-associated replication complexes. Within these, the genomic plus-strand RNA is transcribed into minus-strand RNA, which in turn can be used as a template for synthesis of progeny genomic plus-strands. At least two viral enzymes appear to be involved in this reaction: the NS3 helicase/NTPase, and the NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. While the role of NS3 in RNA replication is less clear, NS5B is the key enzyme responsible for synthesis of progeny RNA strands. Using recombinant baculoviruses to express NS5B in insect cells and a synthetic nonviral RNA as a substrate, two enzymatic activities have been identified as being associated with it: a primer-dependent RdRp and a terminal transferase (TNTase) activity. It was subsequently confirmed and further characterized through the use of the HCV RNA genome as a substrate. Other studies have shown that NS5B with a C-terminal 21 amino-acid truncation expressed in Escherichia coli is also active for in vitro RNA synthesis. On certain RNA templates, NS5B has been shown to catalyze RNA synthesis via a de novo initiation mechanism, which has been postulated to be the mode of viral replication in vivo. Templates with single-stranded 3′ termini, especially those containing a 3′-terminal cytidylate moiety, have been found to direct de novo synthesis efficiently. There has also been evidence for NS5B to utilize di- or tri-nucleotides as short primers to initiate replication.
It is well-established that persistent infection of HCV is related to chronic hepatitis, and as such, inhibition of HCV replication is a viable strategy for the prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma. Present treatment approaches for HCV infection suffer from poor efficacy and unfavorable side-effects and there is currently a strong effort directed to the discovery of HCV replication inhibitors that are useful for the treatment and prevention of HCV related disorders. New approaches currently under investigation include the development of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines, the identification of interferons with improved pharmacokinetic characteristics, and the discovery of agents designed to inhibit the function of three major viral proteins: protease, helicase and polymerase. In addition, the HCV RNA genome itself, particularly the IRES element, is being actively exploited as an antiviral target using antisense molecules and catalytic ribozymes.
Particular therapies for HCV infection include α-interferon monotherapy and combination therapy comprising α-interferon and ribavirin. These therapies have been shown to be effective in some patients with chronic HCV infection. The use of antisense oligonucleotides for treatment of HCV infection has also been proposed as has the use of free bile acids, such as ursodeoxycholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid, and conjugated bile acids, such as tauroursodeoxycholic acid. Phosphonoformic acid esters have also been proposed as potentially for the treatment of various viral infections including HCV. Vaccine development, however, has been hampered by the high degree of viral strain heterogeneity and immune evasion and the lack of protection against reinfection, even with the same inoculum.
The development of small-molecule inhibitors directed against specific viral targets has become a major focus of anti-HCV research. The determination of crystal structures for NS3 protease, NS3 RNA helicase, and NS5B polymerase has provided important structural insights that should assist in the rational design of specific inhibitors.
NS5B, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, is an important and attractive target for small-molecule inhibitors. Studies with pestiviruses have shown that the small molecule compound VP32947 (3-[((2-dipropylamino)ethyl)thio]-5H-1,2,4-triazino[5,6-b]indole) is a potent inhibitor of pestivirus replication and most likely inhibits the NS5B enzyme since resistant strains are mutated in this gene Inhibition of RdRp activity by (−)β-L-2′,3′-dideoxy-3′-thiacytidine 5′-triphosphate (3TC; lamivudine triphosphate) and phosphonoacetic acid also has been observed.
Despite the intensive effort directed at the treatment and prevention of HCV and related viral infections, there exists a need in the art for non-peptide, small-molecule compounds having desirable or improved physicochemical properties that are useful for inhibiting viruses and treating viral infections and virus-related disorders.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

3-heterocyclic substituted indole derivatives and methods of use thereof


Disclosed is a semiconductor package comprising a first semiconductor chip and at least one second semiconductor chip on the first semiconductor chip. The second semiconductor chip includes first and second test bumps that are adjacent to an edge of the second semiconductor chip and are on a bottom surface of the second semiconductor chip. The first and second test bumps are adjacent to each other. The second semiconductor chip also includes a plurality of data bumps that are adjacent to a center of the second semiconductor chip and are on the bottom surface of the second semiconductor chip. A first interval between the second test bump and one of the data bumps is greater than a second interval between the first test bump and the second test bump. The one of the data bumps is most adjacent to the second test bump.

Inventive concepts relate to a semiconductor package including test bumps.
A semiconductor package is provided to implement an integrated circuit chip to qualify for use in electronic products. A semiconductor package is typically configured such that a semiconductor chip is mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) and bonding wires or bumps are used to electrically connect the semiconductor chip to the printed circuit board. With the development of electronic industry, many studies have been conducted to improve reliability and durability of semiconductor packages.

Semiconductor package including test bumps


A portable biometric lighter device (100) generally involving a control unit (210), a biometric sensor, such as a fingerprint sensor (140), wherein the biometric sensor is configured to scan a biometric data of a user and is operably coupled to the control unit (210), and an ignition element, wherein the ignition element is activated by the control unit (210) upon a match of the scanned biometric data of the user and a biometric data of an authorized user that is stored in a memory device.

Portable lighters are commonly used for lighting cigarettes, tobacco pipes, cigars, charcoal grills, pilots of gas appliances, fireplaces, water-heaters, and campfires. These portable lighters are typically activated by a user opening a cap, manually flicking a wheel to create a spark, and depressing a button that allows lighter fluid to flow. Unfortunately, these typical portable lighters have no safety mechanism to prevent an unauthorized user, such as a child, from activating a flame and accidently causing fire and bodily injuries, or other unauthorized users from intentionally causing fires. While some portable lighters have incorporated safety precaution mechanisms to deal with the possibility of misuse of a portable lighter, such examples include a portable lighter that incorporates a gas valve button that will not allow lighter fluid to flow unless a force of an adult finger is applied to the gas valve button, and a portable lighter that incorporates an electronic alphanumeric keypad to control access to the portable lighter's ignition mechanisms. These examples, however, have their shortcomings in that they are not user-friendly for the authorized user and the safety mechanisms that are in place can easily be tampered by a child.
With respect to the portable lighter that incorporates a gas valve button, requiring the force of an adult's finger, an authorized adult user may not always be able to apply the force necessary to activate the button or an older aged child may have the ability to apply a force that mimics that of an adult. With respect to the alphanumeric keypad and requiring a security code to activate the lighter, an authorized user may forget the security code or a child can gain access to the code by merely viewing the authorized user enter the security code.
Thus, a long-felt need exists in the art for a portable lighter that is able to easily recognize the authorized user of the portable lighter and that is able to prevent an unauthorized user, e.g., a child, from mimicking the authorized user. The incorporation of a biometric sensor and biometric data, such as a fingerprint sensor and a fingerprint data, satisfies the aforementioned needs.


A grass trimmer includes a cutting head for mounting a cutting member, a drive head having a output shaft for driving the cutting head to rotate, and an anti-winding member for preventing the output shaft from being wound to by grass. The drive head includes a drive device to drive the output shaft and a head housing for accommodating the drive device. The output shaft connects to the cutting head and passes through the anti-winding member and the anti-winding member is mounted to the cutting head so as to rotate with the cutting head and is disposed between the cutting head and the head housing so as to fill the space between the cutting head and the head housing.

Grass trimmers are power tools in the garden tool field, which are used to trim the lawn or remove the weeds by cutting the weeds.
Currently known grass trimmers include a power assembly, such as a motor or an engine, and a cutting head, the cutting head is driven by the power assembly to rotate, such that a cutting member mounted to the cutting head is driven to rotate and cut the weeds.
However, during the operation of the currently known grass trimmer, the fragments of the weeds or other debris may rotate with the cutting head and wind onto an output shaft of the power assembly. As a result, the cutting operation is obstructed.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.


A ceramic or glass having a thin layer of silver, gold or alloys thereof at the surface thereof. A first metal is bonded to the thin layer and a second metal is bonded to the first metal. The first metal is selected from the class consisting of In, Ga, Sn, Bi, Zn, Cd, Pb, Tl and alloys thereof, and the second metal is selected from the class consisting of Cu, Al, Pb, An and alloys thereof.

This invention relates to a composite material consisting of a non-metallic portion and a metallic portion. With the discovery of ceramic superconducting material and particularly with the discovery of ceramic superconducting materials having critical temperatures (T.sub.c) higher than the temperature of liquid nitrogen, a flurry of activity has occurred in the scientific community relating to these ceramic materials as well as newly discovered materials and the potential uses for them. Even with elevated T.sub.c s, at the present time the state of the superconductor art is such that superconducting materials must be cooled to a significant extent before the onset of superconducting properties, that is the point at which the electrical resistance becomes zero and there is complete diamagnetism. Taking into account the requirement of significant cooling, there will be difficulties in adhering superconducting ceramics to metal substrates due to the differences in the coefficients of expansion of the variant materials as well as thermal shocks created during repetitive thermal cycling between superconducting temperatures and ambient or elevated temperatures. Another significant requirement is that the superconductors be stabilized to provide an alternate current path if the superconductor goes normal. For example, if a portion of the superconductor, due to heat or other change, becomes a semiconductor, a large resistance is interposed in the path of the current carried by the superconductor. To avoid the possibility of explosion or other catastrophic event if the current carried by the superconductor is suddenly disrupted, the superconductor is provided an alternate current path by bonding a good electrical conductor to the superconductor. Hence, the superconductor is "stabilized". It is a further requirement that the interfacial electrical resistivity between the superconductor and the stabilizer be extremely low such that less than 10 watts/cm.sup.2 are generated during current shunting.
Various superconductor systems have been investigated including the 1-2-3 system and the 2-2-1-2 system, these respectively being the YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.x system and the Bi.sub.2 Sr.sub.2 CaCu.sub.2 O.sub.x systems. However, the invention is applicable to any high temperature ceramic superconductor and includes the currently available thallium systems. Both of these superconductors are ceramics and the bonding of ceramics to metals has heretofore been difficult, if not impossible. There has been prior work involving the use of Li-Cu alloys to bond superconducting ceramics to metals such as copper or aluminum but the early work required relatively high temperatures to achieve bonding between the superconductor and the Li-Cu alloy. I have found that it is advantageous to avoid high temperatures when dealing with certain oxide superconductors since some oxide superconductors can be converted to a semiconductor at its interface with the bonding agent. This results in high electrical resistance at the interface. Another possible problem inherent in the use of lithium is that in contact with an oxide ceramic such as the 1-2-3 superconductor, the lithium tends to react with oxygen and convert the 1-2-3 superconductor to the YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.6 phase which is a semiconductor having a high electrical resistance.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a composite material of a ceramic or glass portion and a metal portion wherein the composite is formed at temperatures less than about 400.degree. C. for instance 150.degree. C. or less using metals which do not react with the ceramic or glass.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of bonding a metal to a non-metallic such as glass or ceramic at temperatures less than about 400.degree. C.
Another object of the invention is to provide a composite of a ceramic having a layer of silver or gold present at the surface thereof, a first metal bonded to the silver or gold, and a second metal bonded to the first metal.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a stabilized superconducting oxide ceramic having a layer of silver or gold at the surface thereof, a first metal bonded to the layer of silver or gold and a second metal bonded to the first metal, wherein the first metal bonds with the silver or gold atoms at a temperature less than about 400.degree. C. and the first and second metals bond at a temperature less than about 400.degree. C. and said first and second metals are good electrical conductors.
A final object of the invention is to provide a method of forming a composite including providing a ceramic having layer of silver and gold at the surface thereof, bonding a first metal to the layer of silver or gold at the ceramic surface at a temperature less than about 400.degree. C., bonding a second metal to the first metal at a temperature less than about 300.degree. C. to form a three layer composite wherein the first metal is selected from the class consisting of In, Ga, Sn, Bi, Zn, Cd, Pb, Tl and alloys thereof and wherein the second metal is selected from the class consisting of Al, Cu, Pb, Zn and alloys thereof.
The invention consists of certain novel features and a combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the details may be made without departing from the spirit, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention.


In described examples, an apparatus includes: at least one resonant circuit for receiving a radio frequency signal; a rectifier coupled to the resonant circuit to output a first rectified signal with a constant level portion and a portion matching a first portion of the radio frequency signal, and to output a second rectified signal having a constant level portion and a portion that matches a second portion of the radio frequency signal; a first limiter circuit to limit a voltage of the first rectified signal to a predetermined maximum voltage level; a second limiter circuit to limit the voltage of the second rectified signal to the predetermined maximum voltage level; a third limiter circuit to limit a voltage of the first rectified signal to a predetermined minimum voltage level; and a fourth limiter circuit to limit the voltage of the second rectified signal to the predetermined minimum voltage level.

RFID systems are widely used in the automotive industry and other industries such as farm animal identification, building access control, and meter reading. A primary application in the automotive industry is RFID used in the portion of the anti-theft system. The anti-theft system prevents a vehicle from being started without a key or a remote control device that has been electronically paired to a specific vehicle using RFID. RFID systems often include low power radio transponders. The transponder receives a radio signal from a base unit (also known as a "reader"). The reader may be built into a vehicle or other type of system. The transponder can be powered either by an energy source such as a battery or by energy harvested from the radio frequency (RF) field produced by the reader. Some transponders are primarily powered by a battery, with the added capability of being powered by the RF field when the battery cannot provide sufficient energy or when the battery is absent.
Upon receiving an RF signal from the reader with specific characteristics, the transponder responds to the reader by transmitting an RF signal with specific characteristics. The RF signals generated by the reader and transponder are typically modulated with data. The data transmitted by the reader and transponder is system dependent. Data transmitted by the transponder may include a transponder identification code, the reading of a water meter, or data from a vehicle key to be validated by the anti-theft system. A transponder in a vehicle key can be considered an "immobilizer" because, if the reader fails to receive the correct response from the transponder in the key or a key fob, the vehicle or equipment is disabled and may not start.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example RFID system 100 operating at low radio frequency (LF). An example RF frequency employed in LF RFID systems is 134 kHz. Frequencies other than 134 kHz can be used. The "transponder" (block 101 of FIG. 1) operates in response to a query issued by a "reader" (block 103 of FIG. 1). Readers and transponders operating at low radio frequencies typically employ magnetically coupled antennas in close proximity. Initially in a communication session, the reader generates an LF field at approximately the natural resonant frequency of transponder antenna tank circuit 105 of FIG. 1. The LF field generated by the reader supplies energy to the transponder by inducing an oscillation in the transponder antenna tank circuit 105 of FIG. 1. When the transponder is being powered by the LF field, the oscillation induced by the reader in the transponder antenna tank circuit is typically rectified by the transponder. This rectified signal is typically used to charge a capacitor that powers the transponder. The reader also modulates the LF field with data for the transponder. Amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulation is typically used by the reader to transmit data. Data transmitted from the reader to the transponder is the "downlink" data. The transponder demodulates and processes the downlink data. The reader stops generating the LF field after completing the downlink transmission and after sufficient time has elapsed for the transponder to store sufficient energy to respond to the reader. After processing the downlink data, the transponder responds to the reader with data typically using frequency shift keying (FSK) modulation of the LF field. The LF field generated by the transponder and the reader are typically at approximately the same frequency. The same antenna tank circuit is typically used by the transponder for both receive and transmit. Data transmitted by the transponder to the reader is the "uplink" data. The group of radio signals 107 of FIG. 1 represent the energy in the LF field supplied by the reader, the downlink data, and the uplink data.
Transponders can be implemented with multiple antennas. For example, three orthogonally positioned antennas are often used in RFID transponders where the relative orientation of the reader and transponder is not fixed. Transponders implemented with multiple antennas often have separate receive and transmit circuits dedicated to each antenna in addition to common circuits. The common circuits typically include control functions, data processing, and power supply.
When the reader completes the downlink transmission and stops generating the LF field, transponders typically employ an oscillator to sustain oscillation in the antenna tank circuit (105 of FIG. 1) by adding energy to the antenna tank circuit. The energy added to the tank circuit by the oscillator periodically increases the peak-to-peak voltage range of the antenna tank circuit oscillation.
Transponders typically employ voltage limiting circuits coupled to the antenna tank circuit (105 of FIG. 1). This voltage limiting is employed to protect transponder circuit elements and insure the antenna voltage is within a range that can be processed by the transponder.

Methods and apparatus for antenna signal limiter for radio frequency identification transponder


A seat adjusting device of an exercising cycle includes a support base, an adjusting base, a positioning bolt, and a screw member. Thus, the adjusting base can slide relative to the support bracket of the support base by guidance of the positioning bolt in the adjusting slot of the adjusting base, such that the position of the seat can be adjusted easily and conveniently, thereby facilitating the user adjusting the position of the seat. In addition, the position of the seat can be adjusted arbitrarily, so that the user can adjust the seat to the optimum and most comfortable position, so as to fit the user""s stature and size, thereby satisfying the user""s practical requirements.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a seat adjusting device of an exercising cycle, and more particularly to a seat adjusting device of an exercising cycle, wherein the position of the seat can be adjusted arbitrarily, so that the user can adjust the seat to the optimum and most comfortable position, so as to fit the user""s stature and size, thereby satisfying the user""s practical requirements.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional seat adjusting device of an exercising cycle in accordance with the prior art shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 comprises a support base 20 having an upper end provided with a limit frame 21 and a lower end connected to the main body (not shown) of the exercising cycle, an adjusting base 10 adjustably mounted on the limit frame 21 of the support base 20 and formed with a plurality of positioning holes 11, a seat 1A mounted on the adjusting base 10, and a positioning bolt 22 screwed on the limit frame 21 of the support base 20 and inserted into one of the positioning holes 11 of the adjusting base 10. Thus, the positioning bolt 22 can be inserted into one of the positioning holes 11 of the adjusting base 10, so as to adjust the relative position between the adjusting base 10 and the limit frame 21 of the support base 20, such that the position of the seat 1A can be adjusted.
However, the positioning holes 11 of the adjusting base 10 are spaced from each other, so that the position of the seat 1A cannot be adjusted arbitrarily to the optimum and most comfortable place to fit the user""s stature and cannot satisfy the user""s practical requirements.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a seat adjusting device of an exercising cycle, wherein the adjusting base can slide relative to the support bracket of the support base by guidance of the positioning bolt in the adjusting slot of the adjusting base, such that the position of the seat can be adjusted easily and conveniently, thereby facilitating the user adjusting the position of the seat.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a seat adjusting device of an exercising cycle, wherein the position of the seat can be adjusted arbitrarily, so that the user can adjust the seat to the optimum and most comfortable position, so as to fit the user""s stature and size, thereby satisfying the user""s practical requirements.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a seat adjusting device of an exercising cycle, wherein the catch bolt is extended through the screw member and is screwed into the inner threaded section of the positioning bolt, thereby preventing the screw member from detaching from the positioning bolt due to an excessive rotation when the screw member is unscrewed from the positioning bolt.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a seat adjusting device of an exercising cycle, comprising a support base, an adjusting base, a positioning bolt, and a screw member, wherein:
the support base has an upper end provided with a support bracket, the support bracket of the support base has a bottom formed with a positioning hole;
the adjusting base is adjustably mounted on the support bracket of the support base and has a bottom formed with an elongated adjusting slot;
the positioning bolt is mounted in the adjusting base and extended through the adjusting slot of the adjusting base and the positioning hole of the support bracket of the support base; and
the screw member is screwed on the positioning bolt and rested on the positioning tube of the support bracket of the support base.

Seat adjusting device of an exercising cycle


An exposure device includes a light source, means for transmitting radiation from the light source to the surface of a photosensitive film, and photosensitive information outputting means for measuring and outputting information which represents the state of exposure of the surface of the photosensitive film. A suitable exposure can be determined by detecting changes in the properties of the resist. In consequence, exposure can be adjusted to fit the exposed state of the photosensitive film which would be impossible in the prior art. Further, variations that occur in exposure can be decreased, and yield can be improved.

1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to an exposure device which enables a suitable exposure to be obtained in a photolithography process for the manufacture of a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of a known exposure device.
In FIG. 1, the radiation from a light source 11 which may be a mercury lamp irradiates a reticle mask 12 which contains an image of patterns used in a photolithography process. The image on the reticle mask 12 is reduced by a reduction lens system 13, and is then projected onto resist 14 which serves as a photosensitive film, and which has coated the surface of a silicon wafer 15. The silicon wafer is placed on a wafer stage 16. The resist 14 has an exposed portion 17 which represents a portion exposed to the radiation from the light source 11 so as to form a latent image. A photo sensor 18 for measuring the illuminance of the radiation from the light source 11 is disposed between the light source 11 and the reticle mask 12.
The thus-arranged known exposure device is operated in the manner described below. The resist 14 is exposed by a step-and-repeat system or a projection analyzer. During exposure, part of the radiation from the light source 11, such as ultraviolet radiation, is received by the photo sensor 18 which measures the illuminance of the radiation from the light source 11. The brightness of light source 11 deteriorates as time elapses. The time during which a shutter (not shown) is opened is adjusted in accordance with the illuminance measured by photo sensor 18 so that a constant amount of light irradiates the exposed portion 17 from the light source 11.
In other words, exposure is determined by determining through experience the exposed state of the resist 14 which corresponds to the illuminance of the radiation from the light source 11.
In practice, exposure conditions differ in each exposure operation due to variations in the thickness of the resist 14 on the silicon wafer or the state of the resist 14, thereby generating variations in exposure. However, these factors are not taken into consideration when the exposure of the exposed portion 17 is determined.
Thus, the illuminance of radiation from the light source is suitably corrected. However, exposure of the exposed portion is not corrected on the basis of the various factors of the exposed portion, and accurate exposure of the exposed portion is therefore impossible.


A method for removing material between the panels of a foldable blank (100), includes the steps of: separating at least a portion of the blank with a contoured line (25) to define a first panel (15) and a second panel (20), terminating the contoured line at a vertex (V), selecting one of the first and second panels as a trimmed panel (15) from which material is to be removed, defining a first line (R) that includes a pair of first and second points (P1, P2) on an edge of the trimmed panel, and removing a portion (A) of the trimmed panel defined by the first line and a section of the edge lying between the first and second points.

Certain article carrier blanks may have a handle panel that is separated from a respective side panel, and sometimes one or more respective end panels, by a contoured cut line. When the article carrier blank is folded or otherwise assembled, the handle panel and the side panel tend to pivotally rotate or otherwise displace from an aligned position. If the pivotal rotation or displacement causes the handle panel edge to at least partially overlap the side panel edge, the side panel may become trapped as the handle panel is assembled to form the handle of the article carrier. If the side panel is trapped under the handle panel, one or both panels may be damaged as the side panel is pulled from the handle panel to erect the article carrier.
In most instances, the handle panel and the side panel of an article carrier blank do not risk overlap if the cut line between the panels is substantially straight. Accordingly, article carrier blanks have generally exhibited straight or nearly straight cut lines between the handle panel and the side panel to eliminate or limit overlap between the panels, which causes the erected article carriers to have a side wall with a top edge that is substantially straight. However, a contoured top edge of an article carrier is desired so that the top edge of the article carrier may provide a more aesthetic appearance, or incorporate trade dress, or provide varying heights of support for the articles.
Factors that affect how two panels overlap include the amount of pivotal rotation that is allowed, the amount of displacement created by the amount of pivotal rotation, and the contour of the cut line between the two panels. A certain group of article carrier blanks allows a significant amount of pivotal rotation between two panels. In this group, the handle panel is connected to the blank along only one section of its edge and the edge is formed, at least partially, by a cut line that separates the handle panel from the side panel. Since the handle panel is only supported along one section of its edge, the folded handle panel has substantial freedom to pivot about the vertex, which is the point where the cut line ends and the edges of the handle panel and the side panel meet. Some examples of this group of article carrier blanks are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,432,073 (handle panels 30, 31); 3,447,717 (handle panels 12, 13, 17, 18); 2,772,020 (handle panels 44, 45); 2,977,021 (handle panel 46); 3,198,380 (handle panels 24, 25); and 3,208,632 (handle panels 13, 14).
The amount of displacement of a panel that is pivotally rotated increases as the radial distance from the vertex increases along the edge of the panel. More displacement between panels may cause more overlap. Additionally, the number of overlapping sections of a handle panel and a side panel tends to increase as the edge of a handle panel and of a side panel extend further along a long, continuous contoured cut line. The group of article carrier blanks listed above is also representative of article carrier blanks with long, continuous cut lines. Article carrier blanks with shorter cut lines between the handle panel and the side panel (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,029,977; 3,572,542; 3,326,411; 6,571,941) may incur overlapping if the cut lines are contoured such that a small angular displacement causes overlap.
In article carrier blanks where the edge of the handle panel and the edge of the side panel meet at both ends of the cut line (U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,687), the panels may rotate about either vertex but will not rotate or displace as much since each end is supported. Therefore, panels that are separated by a cut line, which meet at both ends of the cut line, may not overlap unless the cut line is long and continuous and/or the cut line is highly contoured.
A heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies. What is needed is a method to produce an article carrier blank that has a contoured cut line, which separates a handle panel and a side panel, and can be folded or otherwise assembled such that the panels do not overlap as the article carrier blank is erected to form the article carrier.

Cutting method to prevent interlocking of adjacent panels


Systems and methods for providing an augmented reality display of a virtual trail overlay that is aligned with a real world scene on a camera scene display of a mobile device, the mobile device being in networked communication via a network with a server and a trail database, the method comprising: generating three-dimensional map data to be displayed as a virtual trail overlay on a camera display of the mobile device, processing by a visualization application on the mobile device, such that an augmented reality virtual trail overlay is displayed on the camera display of the mobile device. Refreshing the virtual trail whenever the mobile device is moved.

The disclosed technology generally relates to generally to the field of navigation systems, and more particularly to displaying virtual trail or pathway information using augmented reality in connection with a personal electronic device.
When hiking and biking there are many possible terrains and conditions that can make visually identifying the precise location of a trail or desired path very challenging. In some cases, the ambiguity of trail locations may create significant risk or be life threatening. For example, hikes or bike rides in wooded areas with leaf-covered paths may greatly increase deviating from intended paths and getting lost. Use of hiking or biking trails at night, snow covered trails, and adverse weather may also increase the risk of injury or disorientation.
Use of global positioning systems (GPS) to determine current location and directions may lack short distance details of trails. GPS devices operate based on a satellite navigation system that provides location and time information anywhere there is unobstructed line of sight access to four or more GPS satellites, is maintained by the United States government, and is accessible to anyone with a GPS receiver. Short distance details of trails may indicate easier or more difficult sections of a trail or indicate the most commonly traveled trail. Devices that present map or satellite image information may lack or complicate determination of proper direction orientation from the user's perspective. Some navigation devices, such as GPS display devices, may be difficult to interpret and the user may need to determine how to hold and orient the device in a precise direction so that the display aligns with an intended travel route.
Accordingly, there has been a long-felt need for systems and methods for displaying virtual trail or pathway information on personal electronic devices.

Systems and methods for trail visualization using augmented reality


According to one aspect, a method for executing a multi-restaurant order, may be provided; the method comprising: receiving a multi-restaurant order comprising requesting a plurality of order items associated with a plurality of restaurants from a customer; calculating a time to begin preparing a first order item associated with a first restaurant; calculating a time to begin preparing a second order item associated with a second restaurant; comparing the times; scheduling, based on the comparing, a first time to begin preparation of the first order item and a second time to begin preparation of the second order item; transmitting the first and second time to begin preparation to the first and second restaurant, respectively; generating a plurality of proposed pickup times, based on the scheduling, of the first order item and the second order item; and transmitting the plurality of proposed pickup times to a driver management module.

Generally, customers desiring particular order items must determine particular restaurants that can prepare such order items, order said order items, and either pick up the order items or have them delivered. In some scenarios, a particular restaurant may only offer a portion of the desired order items, for example, an appetizer, while a second restaurant may offer a different portion, for example, an entrée. In these scenarios, the customer must pick up each order item individually, or have them delivered from multiple food delivery providers. It follows, that these order items may be at an unideal temperature when delivered or picked up due to the multiple stops involved in completing acquisition from multiple restaurants or arrive at different moments.
Further still, groups of people, such as families or those residing the same household, may have individuals that desire to order items from different restaurants, but plan to eat the order items at the same time. Conventional delivery solutions do not enable a multi-restaurant, multi-person group order comprised of a plurality of order items, all associated with different restaurants and different individuals within the group, to be coordinated for timed delivery, through a single order.
Accordingly, there remains a need for coordinated preparation and delivery of dining experiences that overcome these and other drawbacks. These and other needs are satisfied by the various aspects of the present disclosure.

Coordinated delivery of dining experiences