In an optical packet processing apparatus, an optical coupler joins optical packets transmitted through a plurality of input side optical transmission lines and outputs the joined optical packets to an output side optical transmission line. The optical packet processing apparatus has delay sections for delaying desired optical packets for each input side optical transmission lines. Delay times of the delay sections are different by one optical packet time period, while a minimum delay time thereof is the optical packet time period or more.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical packet processing apparatus wherein an optical coupler joins optical packets transmitted through a plurality of input side optical transmission lines and outputs the joined optical packets to an output side optical transmission line. More particularly, it relates to an optical packet processing apparatus in which even asynchronous optical packets can be fast joined as optical signals left intact, with the increase of a circuit scale suppressed.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, optical communication systems which perform data communications by using optical signals have come into wide use. In such optical communication systems, packet communications are being performed likewise to those of data communications based on electric signals. The "packet communications in the data communications" are communications in which data as disassembled into cells called "packets" are transmitted and received.
A packet switch (also called "network switch") which is employed in the optical packet communications, has a plurality of optical transmission lines connected thereto and outputs inputted optical packets to a desired optical transmission line. Accordingly, the packet switch joins the optical packets from the two or more optical transmission lines, to the single optical transmission line, and it switches the paths of the optical packets and outputs the optical packets to the desired optical transmission line. Here, in joining the optical packets, it becomes important to prevent the collision between the optical packets. Incidentally, a device which processes optical packets as optical signals left intact, without converting the optical signals into electric signals, is called "optical packet switch (optical network switch)" (refer to, for example, JP-A-06-085844).
FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing the configuration of a related-art example of an optical packet processing apparatus which joins optical packets. FIG. 7A illustrates a situation before the optical packets 1 and 2 are joined, while FIG. 7B illustrates a situation after the optical packets have been joined.
Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, the optical packet 1 is inputted from an input port Pi1 and is transmitted through a first input side optical transmission line 100. The optical packet 2 is inputted from an input port Pi2 and is transmitted through a second input side optical transmission line 200. An optical coupler 10 is, for example, a photocoupler, and it joins the optical packets 1 and 2 from the respective input side optical transmission lines 100 and 200, to an identical output side optical transmission line 300. The output side optical transmission line 300 is connected to an output port Po1. Incidentally, it is assumed that a time at which the optical packet 1 arrives at the optical coupler 10 from the input port Pi1 is equal to a time at which the optical packet 2 arrives at the optical coupler 10 from the input port Pi2.
The operation of such an apparatus will be described.
The respective optical packets 1 and 2 are inputted at substantially the same times from the input ports Pi1 and Pi2. Besides, as shown in FIG. 7A, the respective optical packets 1 and 2 are transmitted through the optical transmission lines 100 and 200. Further, the optical packets 1 and 2 are joined by the optical coupler 10 and are transmitted through the optical transmission line 300 until they are outputted from the output port Po1. On this occasion, as shown in FIG. 7B, it is possible that the optical packets 1 and 2 will collide to destroy data, so normal packet communications might fail to proceed.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of another optical packet processing apparatus in the related art. Identical reference numerals are assigned to the same constituents as in FIGS. 7A and 7B, and they shall be omitted from description. Referring to FIG. 8, a repeater 20 is disposed instead of the optical coupler 10. The repeater 20 (including a network switch or a network router) includes a plurality of optical ports 21, to which optical transmission lines 100, 200 and 300 are respectively connected. Packet processing section 22 is interconnected with the respective optical ports 21. A storage area (for example, RAM) 23 is interconnected with the packet processing section 22.
The operation of such an apparatus will be described. Respective optical packets 1 and 2 are inputted from the optical transmission lines 100 and 200 to the individual optical ports 21 at substantially the same times. The optical packets 1 and 2 of optical signals as received by the optical ports 21 are respectively converted into packets 1′ and 2′ of electric signals, which are outputted to the packet processing section 22. Besides, the packet processing section 22 once stores at least one of the packets 1′ and 2′ converted into the electric signals, in the storage area 23. The packet processing section 22 outputs the packet 1′ earlier to the optical port 21 to which the optical transmission line 300 is connected. Upon lapse of a predetermined time period, the packet processing section 22 reads out the packet 2′ from the storage area 23 and outputs it to the optical port 21. Further, the optical port 21 reconverts the respective packets 1′ and 2′ of the electric signals into the optical packets 1 and 2 of the optical signals, which are outputted to the optical transmission line 300. That is, a time adjustment is made using the storage area 23, and the collision between the optical packets 1 and 2 is avoided.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of another optical packet processing apparatus in the related art. Identical reference numerals and signs are assigned to the same constituents as in FIGS. 7A and 7B, and they shall be omitted from description. Referring to FIG. 9, an optical switch SW1 is disposed on an optical transmission line 100, and an optical packet transmitted through the optical transmission line 100 is inputted to this optical switch. An optical transmission line 101 is connected to one output side of the optical switch SW1, while an optical transmission line 102 is connected to the other output side of the optical switch SW1.
An optical switch SW2 is disposed on an optical transmission line 200, and an optical packet transmitted through the optical transmission line 200 is inputted to this optical switch. An optical transmission line 201 is connected to one output side of the optical switch SW2, while an optical transmission line 202 is connected to the other output side of the optical switch SW2.
An optical coupler 11 is disposed instead of the optical coupler 10, and it joins the optical packets transmitted through the optical transmission lines 101 or 102 and 201 or 202, to an identical output side optical transmission line 300. The optical transmission line 102 has a transmission line length (from the optical switch SW1 to the optical coupler 11) which is greater than that of the optical transmission line 101, and it delays the optical packet in correspondence with one optical packet. Besides, the optical transmission line 202 has a transmission line length (from the optical switch SW2 to the optical coupler 11) which is greater than that of the optical transmission line 201, and it delays the optical packet in correspondence with one optical packet.
The operation of such an apparatus will be described.
In case of delaying the optical packet which is inputted from an input port Pi1 and which is transmitted through the optical transmission line 100, the optical switch SW1 selects the path of the optical transmission line 102. On the other hand, in a case where the optical packet is not to be delayed, the optical switch SW1 selects the path of the optical transmission line 101. Likewise, in case of delaying the optical packet which is inputted from an input port Pi2 and which is transmitted through the optical transmission line 200, the optical switch SW2 selects the path of the optical transmission line 202. On the other hand, in a case where the optical packet is not to be delayed, the optical switch SW2 selects the path of the optical transmission line 201.
Besides, the optical coupler 11 joins the optical packets transmitted through the optical transmission lines 101 or 102 and 201 or 202, to the optical transmission line 300 so as to output the joined optical packets from an output port Po1. That is, the optical switches SW1 and SW2 select the paths so as to delay the optical packets from the respective input ports Pi1 and Pi2 at good timings, whereby the collision between the optical packets is avoided.
Subsequently, the operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 9 will be concretely described with reference to FIGS. 10A to 12C. FIGS. 10A to 12C are diagrams showing the relative positional relations or relative temporal relations among optical packets 1 to 4. FIGS. 10A, 11A and 12A show states before the optical packets are inputted to the optical switches SW1 and SW2, FIGS. 10B, 11B and 12B show states before they are inputted to the optical coupler 11, and FIGS. 10C, 11C and 12C show states after they have been joined by the optical coupler 11.
First, the case of FIGS. 10A to 10C will be described. The optical packets 1 to 3 are successively inputted from the input port Pi1 in this order, and are transmitted through the optical transmission line 100. On the other hand, the optical packet 4 is inputted from the input port Pi2 and is transmitted through the optical transmission line 200. Incidentally, the optical packets 2 and 4 are synchronized and inputted (refer to FIG. 10A).
When the optical packets are joined as they are, the optical packets 2 and 4 collide. Therefore, the optical switch SW1 outputs the optical packet 1 to the optical transmission line 101 and outputs the optical packets 2 and 3 to the optical transmission line 102 in order to delay them. On the other hand, the optical switch SW2 outputs the optical packet 4 to the optical transmission line 201. Thus, as shown in FIG. 10B, the delay corresponding to one optical packet as is based on the difference of the transmission line lengths of the optical transmission lines 101 and 102 develops between the optical packets 1 and 2.
Further, the optical coupler 11 joins the optical packets 1 to 4 to the optical transmission line 300. On this occasion, an interval exists between the optical packets 1 and 2, and the optical packet 4 enters the interval, so that the optical packets 1 to 4 are joined without colliding (refer to FIG. 10C).
Subsequently, the case of FIGS. 11A to 11C will be described. Although the optical packets 1 to 4 are inputted as in FIGS. 10A to 10C, the optical packets 2 and 4 are not synchronized, and the optical packets 1 and 4 are overlappingly inputted (refer to FIG. 11A). Besides, the optical switches SW1 and SW2 switch the paths as in FIGS. 10A to 10C, and the delay corresponding to one optical packet is inserted between the optical switches 1 and 2 as shown in FIG. 11B (refer to FIG. 11B).
Further, the optical coupler 11 joins the optical packets 1 to 4 to the optical transmission line 300. On this occasion, the temporal relation between the optical packets 1 and 4 has not changed, and the optical packets 1 and 4 collide (refer to FIG. 11C).
Subsequently, the case of FIGS. 12A to 12C will be described. By the way, in FIG. 9, an optical switch, and an optical transmission line for delaying the optical packet in correspondence with one optical packet are disposed on the optical transmission line 102 anew.
The optical packets 1 to 4 which are not synchronized are inputted as in FIGS. 11A to 11C (refer to FIG. 12A) The optical switch SW1 outputs all the optical packets 1 to 3 to the optical transmission line 102, and the optical switch disposed at the succeeding stage outputs these optical packets to the optical transmission line for the further delay. On the other hand, the optical switch SW2 outputs the optical packet 4 to the optical transmission line 201. Thus, as shown in FIG. 12B, each of the optical packets 1 to 3 is delayed in correspondence with two optical packets in total.
Further, the optical coupler 11 joins the optical packets 1 to 4 to the optical transmission line 300. On this occasion, since the optical packets 1 to 3 are conspicuously delayed relative to the optical packet 4, the optical packets 1 to 4 are joined without colliding. However, although the collision has been avoided, the turns of the joined optical packets 1 and 4 are reversed (refer to FIG. 12C).
JP-A-06-085844 is referred to as a related art.
In the case where the repeater 20 for converting the optical signals into the electric signals is employed for the optical packet processing apparatus as shown in FIG. 8, the optical packets 1 and 2 can be joined at the desired timings. Since, however, the packet processing is electrically performed using the packet processing section 22 and the storage area 23, processes for converting the optical packets 1 and 2 of the optical signals into the electric signals and for restoring the electric signals into the optical signals are required.
Accordingly, problems as stated below are posed.    (1) In the repeater 20, the optical packets 1 and 2 being the optical signals are converted into the electric signals, so that a predetermined time period is expended on the conversion, and a delay occurs in the transfer of the optical packets 1 and 2.    (2) As compared with the signaling speed of optical communications, the processing speed of electric processing is much lower, so that a long delay occurs when the collision of the optical packets 1 and 2 is avoided by the electric processing.    (3) In a case where an optical packet passes through a plurality of repeaters 20, the delays in the above items (1) and (2) are involved every repeater 20, so that a long time is expended on the repeaters 20, and a long transfer delay occurs.    (4) In order to realize an electric processing speed following up the signaling speed of optical signals, equipment for electric processing needs to be enlarged in scale, and this is not practical in the points of rise in cost, increase in consumption power and enlargement in the size of an apparatus.
On the other hand, in the case where all the optical packets are joined as the optical signals left intact, as shown in FIG. 9, the synchronization among all the optical packets 1 to 4 is necessitated, or the multistage delay section (the optical switch and the delaying optical transmission line) is necessitated.    (5) In the case of employing the delay section shown in FIG. 9, the synchronization among the optical packets 1 to 4 is indispensable, and it is difficult to avoid the collision between the asynchronous optical packets 1 to 4. To begin with, in an optical communication system, it is difficult in itself to perform synchronization among a plurality of input ports.    (6) Even in the apparatus shown in FIG. 9, the collision between the asynchronous optical packets 1 to 4 can really be avoided by combining the multistage delay section. The multistage delay section, however, incurs complication in a control circuit and increase in a circuit scale and leads to such problems as rise in cost, increase in consumption power and enlargement in the size of the apparatus.


Disclosed herein is an air conditioner capable of guiding air in a desired direction with an adjusted speed without marring the appearance to solve the above-described problems. An air conditioner comprising a ceiling-embedded type indoor unit configured to discharge air into an indoor room through an air outlet simultaneously sucking indoor air through an air inlet, wherein a air conditioner comprises, a main flap configured to guide a direction of air discharged from a air outlet in a preset direction, and a sub-flap configured to guide the direction of air between the main flap and the sub-flap in the preset direction, wherein a length of a main flap in a direction where air flows is longer than that of the sub-flap in the direction where air flows.

In general, a ceiling-embedded type indoor unit includes a main flap and a sub-flap configured to control a direction and volume of air discharged into an indoor room.
Particularly, each of the flaps is rotatably installed at an air outlet, controlled to blow air to feet during a heating operation, and controlled to blow air in a lateral direction during a cooling operation such that the entire room is air-conditioned.
However, since the main flap and sub-flap described above are installed such that both flaps can be seen by a user, all parting lines are visible to the user marring the appearance.


A power semiconductor device package according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a plurality of power semiconductor chips which are arranged in a laminated structure so that the plurality of power semiconductor chips are opposing to each other at the surfaces with the same electrical structures, and which are connected in parallel to one another, and are sealed in a sealing resin as one body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power semiconductor device package.
2. Related Background Art
The size and the power loss of a power supply circuit have been reduced along with the development and improvement of the power semiconductor device. The conduction loss of, especially, an AC adapter and the like has been decreased by reducing the on-resistance of a power metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (power MOSFET) which is a switching element mainly used as one of components, and reduction in the power loss of the adapter and the like has been realized.
Since the on-resistance of the power MOSFET is inversely proportional to the area of a chip, use of a power MOSFET chip with a large chip area is required in a power supply circuit with a large rated current. Moreover, the size of a chip which a package can accommodate depends on the size of the package.
Accordingly, the size of a package which accommodates chips of MOSFETs with a large rated current and a low on-resistance is forced to be large.
Here, in a conventional technology, a semiconductor device in which a plurality of semiconductor chips which have different functions from one another are packaged as a laminated structure in order to control increase in the size of the package, to simplify the manufacturing processes, and the like has been proposed, and has become publicly known. In this connection, reference will be made to, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication NO. 2002-208673, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication NO. 2003-197859, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication NO. 2002-217416.
However, one package accommodates only one semiconductor chip in a conventional semiconductor device package, except a semiconductor device in which a plurality of semiconductor chips with different functions from one another are packaged as a laminated structure.
Since the size of a chip which a package can accommodate depends on the size of the package as described above, the package size, that is, the size of a lead frame is decided, and, then, a maximum chip area which the package can accommodate is decided according to the decision.
Moreover, since the on-resistance of a power MOSFET is inversely proportional to the chip area, a minimum on-resistance is decided by the maximum chip area which the package can accommodate.
On the other hand, the capacity of a power supply circuit has been increased in addition to the reduction of the size and the power loss of a power supply circuit so that the power supply circuit with a large output capacity and a high rated current has been used.
The conduction loss generally becomes large along with the increase in the output capacity and the rated current of the power supply circuit. Accordingly, a power MOSFET chip with small on-resistance, that is, a power MOSFET chip with a large area is required to be used in order to prevent or control the increase in such a conduction loss.
Therefore, a power MOSFET with a large package size has been forced to be used in order to prevent or control the increase in the conduction loss caused by the increase in the output capacity and the rated current of the power supply circuit in a conventional technology.
As a result, it has been difficult to reduce the size of a power supply circuit because the package size of a power MOSFET is increased as the capacity of the power supply circuit becomes large.


A system for managing the entry of a wafer carrier into a stocker in a semiconductor manufacturing operation is disclosed. The system comprises a stocker that accepts wafer carriers via one or more input ports. The present invention provides a means for detecting the presence of a wafer carrier at the input port, means for identifying the type of the wafer carrier, and means for executing an action sequence if the stocker is not compatible with those wafer carriers. Upon detecting an erroneous condition, an action sequence is executed which may include prevention entry of the wafer carrier, and notifying an operator.

In a modern semiconductor manufacturing facility, there is typically an Automated Material Handling System (AMHS) that transports semiconductor wafers to their proper fabrication stations. The AMHS system is comprised of a plurality of transport mechanisms to transport wafers inside of wafer carriers, monitors and sensors to track the positions of wafer carriers, and a computer system which manages this information and performs route optimizations to route the materials to the needed process tools in a way to promote high efficiency of the manufacturing facility. When a process tool finishes processing its current batch of wafers, the system keeps the production line moving by automatically determining the best lot to run next on the equipment.
Every carrier, as well as the wafers inside, is tracked continuously as it moves down the production line, and employees can track the status of a wafer at any stage in the production process. This helps prevent processing mistakes, and allows better inventory control as well as customer service.
The current AMHS is efficient at routing wafers to the needed processing tools in an efficient manner. However, there are limitations in the systems that exist today. The systems do not account for certain safety, business, and security requirements when it comes to the temporary storage of the batches of wafers (referred to as "lots") and wafer carriers while awaiting the next phase in the manufacturing process. What is needed is an improved system for managing the entry of wafers into the temporary storage area.

Segregating wafer carrier types in semiconductor storage devices

International Business Machines Corporation


There is provided a ring opening process using a catalyst comprising a hydrogenation/dehydrogenation component, such as a noble metal, and an acidic solid component comprising a Group IVB metal oxide modified with an oxyanion of a Group VIB metal. An example of this catalyst is zirconia, modified with tungstate and platinum. This catalyst is used to convert cyclic hydrocarbons, such as cyclohexane and benzene, to paraffins, especially branched paraffins.

There is provided a ring opening process using a catalyst comprising a hydrogenation/dehydrogenation component, such as a noble metal, and an acidic solid component comprising a Group IVB metal oxide modified with an oxyanion of a Group VIB metal. This catalyst is used to convert cyclic hydrocarbons, such as cyclohexane and benzene, to paraffins, especially branched paraffins.
Processes and catalysts which promote the conversion of cyclic hydrocarbons to paraffins, i.e., ring opening, are important in the petroleum refining industry. A substantial portion of naturally occurring and synthetically prepared hydrocarbon fractions are naphthenic, i.e., contain significant amounts of cyclic compounds.
Since aromatics have high octane numbers, the presence of aromatics, such as benzene, or cyclics readily convertable to aromatics, such as cyclohexane, have been desirable in gasolines or reformer feeds. However, environmental concerns could require reduction in the amount of both benzene and total aromatics allowed in gasoline composition. Ring opening of cyclic hydrocarbons to yield highly branched paraffins offers a very attractive route for reducing aromatics in gasoline with minimum loss of octane and gasoline yield. Accordingly, ring opening reactions may be applied to hydrocarbon fractions boiling in the range of gasolines.
Ring opening reactions may also be applied to other fractions. For example, the presence of aromatics and/or naphthenes may not be desirable in jet fuels and high viscosity lubricating oils. Other ring opening applications include selective conversion of methylcyclopentane in hydrocarbon streams which are to be reformed to aromatics since with certain catalysts, e.g., chromia-alumina, methylcyclopentane is a catalyst poison.
A number of catalysts, e.g., platinum metal and chloride on alumina, are known to the art as useful for ring opening. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,511 there is described a catalyst comprising rhodium or ruthenium supported on a suitable acid-acting refractory oxide and the use of this catalyst for ring opening.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,783,575 and 4,834,866 disclose the use of a chlorided platinum-alumina catalyst to open hydrocarbon rings and isomerize C.sub.6 paraffins to more highly branched paraffins. However, the single pass conversion of C.sub.6 cyclics obtained over this catalyst is limited. The conversion could be increased by increasing operating conditions severity, but the C.sub.5 + yield and paraffin isomerization selectivity decrease. Furthermore, the chlorided alumina-based catalyst is troublesome to operate and handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,631,117 describes a process for the hydroisomerization of cyclic hydrocarbons that uses a zeolite supported Group VII metal as a catalyst for ring opening and paraffin isomerization.


A communications system whose bandwidth resources can be used more efficiently by reserving them on an individual path basis. Upon receipt of a bandwidth reservation message, a path setup initiator examines the message and thereby recognizes that the local station device is the egress node of a specified logical network segment. It then consults a topology database to retrieve hop counts of the source station device, which reveals, for example, that a first ringlet has a smaller hop count than a second ringlet. The path setup initiator sends a working path setup message to the ingress network device over the first ringlet, as well as a protection path setup message to the same ingress device over the second ringlet. Upon receipt of those messages, a bandwidth reservation unit reserves a working path bandwidth on the second ringlet, as well as a protection path bandwidth on the first ringlet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communications system, a network device, and a method of reserving bandwidth resources. More particularly, the present invention relates to a Resilient Packet Ring communication system that transports packets over a redundant ring network. The present invention also relates to a network device, as well as to a method of reserving bandwidth resources, for use in an RPR system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ring network systems based on the Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) or Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) standards have been the mainstream architecture of long-haul backbones for wide-area network service. Another technology called "Resilient Packet Ring" (RPR) is gaining interest in these years as an alternative to SONET/SDH systems. RPR is a new data transmission technique currently in the process of standardization by an IEEE committee. The IEEE 802.17 RPR standard offers protocols of Media Access Control (MAC) sub-layer, part of layer 2, like the Ethernet (registered trademark of Xerox Corporation) in LAN environments. RPR technology takes advantage of a ring topology, combined with an existing technique for layer 1.
RPR assumes the use in a metropolitan area network (MAN). It is possible to construct an RPR network on an existing backbone with a hierarchy of transmission rates, such as Optical Carrier (OC-n) of SONET networks or Synchronous Transport Module (STM-n) of SDH networks. 10-Gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE) may also be used as another option for layer 1 (physical layer) architecture. Such existing ring networks carry IEEE802.17 MAC frames (or RPR frames), thereby realizing "RPR over SONET/SDH," "RPR over GbE," or the like.
FIG. 10 provides an overview of an RPR network. This RPR network 100 includes four stations S1 to S4 and fiber optic links interconnecting those stations in a dual ring topology. Part of data traffic traveling over the ring network is dropped (i.e., split off) to tributaries at those stations S1 to S4. The stations S1 to S4 also allow incoming data traffic from tributaries to be added to the main data traffic on the ring.
The dual RPR ring consists of two unidirectional ringlets, Ringlet0 and Ringlet1, to transport packets in opposite directions. In the example of FIG. 10, Ringlet0 runs counterclockwise while Ringlet1 runs clockwise. Ringlet0 and Ringlet1 serve as a working system and a protection system, respectively. RPR networks transport and deliver data in "packets," whereas SONET/SDH networks do the same in "streams" each accommodating a plurality of OC or STM channels.
The RPR architecture permits packets to have different classes for bandwidth control purposes. FIG. 11 enumerates RPR classes of service. Specifically, there are three class definitions: Class A, Class B, and Class C. Class A offers bandwidth-guaranteed service using previously reserved bandwidth resources for packet transport. This class of service minimizes end-to-end delays and jitters.
More specifically, Class A is divided into two subclasses A0 and A1. Of all classes, Class A0 packets enjoy the highest priority. Bandwidth reserved for Class A0 is for exclusive use by Class A0 services; that is, two or more Class A0 paths can use the same reserved bandwidth, but other classes of service cannot.
Class B is also divided into two subclasses: Class B-CIR (Committed Information Rate) and Class B-EIR (Excess Information Rate). Both Class A1 and Class B-CIR provide bandwidth-guaranteed services, but their reserved bandwidth resources may be used by other classes (i.e., they are for non-exclusive use). Class B-EIR and Class C (Class C-EIR), on the other hand, do not guarantee the bandwidth that they claim to offer. Instead, those classes offer best-effort transport service using remaining bandwidth.
The system operator provisions, if necessary, a new Class A0 bandwidth for a station, taking into consideration every existing Class A0 path on each ring. The operator performs this task by using his/her terminal console to send bandwidth configuration commands to that station. The receiving station then notifies every peer station of the provisioned bandwidth, so that the Class A0 bandwidth for that station will be reserved throughout the ring network.
FIG. 12 shows a conventional way of reserving bandwidth. The illustrated RPR network 110 is formed from six stations S1 to S6 interconnected by fiber optic links in a dual ring topology. The two ringlets, named Ringlet0 and Ringlet1, transport packets in the counterclockwise and clockwise directions, respectively.
Suppose now that a new path P1 has to be added to transport Class A0 packets from station S3 to station S4 at 100 Mbps. The system operator enters commands to his/her terminal console 103 to configure the ingress station S3, so as to provision a 100-Mbps bandwidth resource for the new path P1. The provisioning of this 100-Mbps bandwidth is reported to all other stations, thus reserving 100 Mbps for Class A0 service on both Ringlet0 and Ringlet1.
For an example of such an existing RPR-based technique, see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-249940, paragraph numbers 0008 to 0010, FIG. 1. This publication discloses a technique for realizing dynamic multicast routing control with a reduced signal processing workload.
One problem of the above-described conventional techniques for RPR bandwidth reservation is their inefficient use of bandwidth resources. Specifically, the existing techniques reserve extra bandwidth on both Ringlet0 and Ringlet1 when adding a new path P for Class A0 traffic. FIG. 13 shows this problem with conventional bandwidth reservation. In the illustrated RPR network 110, two hosts H3 and H4 are connected to stations S3 and S4, respectively. These hosts H3 and H4 belong to a first virtual LAN (VLAN) domain, VLAN1. VLAN is a logical network segment in which stations can communicate with each other as if they were in a physically closed network. There is another host H2 connected to station S2. The hosts H2 and H3 belong to a second virtual LAN domain, VLAN2, meaning that they can communicate with each other as if they were in another closed network.
VLAN1 uses a path P1 from station S3 to station S4, while VLAN2 uses another path P2 from station S2 to station S3. Suppose now that the first path P1 needs 100 Mbps for its Class A0 traffic, and that the second path P2 needs 50 Mbps for its Class A0 traffic. Suppose also that the ringlets have a capacity of 100 Mbps for each.
Both VLAN1 path P1 and VLAN2 path P2 are used as working paths. Since P1 does not overlap with P2, the above bandwidth requirements are supposed to be satisfied theoretically. That is, the network must be able to transport packets from S3 to S4 at 100 Mbps concurrently with another packet traffic from S2 to S3 at 50 Mbps.
The conventional bandwidth reservation techniques, however, allocates 100-Mbps bandwidth, not only to the first path P1 between S3 and S4, but also to the other links on Ringlet0 and Ringlet1, including the second path P2 between S2 and S3. The second path P2 with a capacity of 50 Mbps cannot be established because the bandwidth resource of the link between S2 and S3 has already been exhausted.
As can be seen from the above discussion, the conventional network system allocates its bandwidth on an entire ring basis, rather than reserving path bandwidth on an individual link basis. Such inefficient use of bandwidth spoils operability of the ring network.

Method of reserving network bandwidth resources, and communications system and network device using the same


The invention relates to the treatment of cancer using an inhibitor of 5′-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP). The invention particularly relates to the treatment of prostate cancer and head and neck cancer.

Certain nucleoside analogues have been identified as potent inhibitors of 5′-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) and 5′-methylthioadenosine nucleosidase (MTAN). These are the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 7,098,334.
Compounds where the location of the nitrogen atom in the sugar ring is varied or where two nitrogen atoms form part of the sugar ring, have also been identified as inhibitors of MTAP and MTAN. These compounds are described in U.S. Ser. No. 10/524,995.
MTAP and MTAN function in the polyamine biosynthesis pathway, in purine salvage in mammals, and in the quorum sensing pathways in bacteria. MTAP catalyses the reversible phosphorolysis of methylthioadenosine (MTA) to adenine and 5-methylthio-α-D-ribose-1-phosphate (MTR-1P). MTAN catalyses the reversible hydrolysis of MTA to adenine and 5-methylthio-α-D-ribose and of S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (SAH) to adenine and S-ribosyl-homocysteine (SRH). The adenine formed is subsequently recycled and converted into nucleotides. Essentially, the only source of free adenine in the human cell is a result of the action of these enzymes. The MTR-1P is subsequently converted into methionine by successive enzymatic actions.
MTA is a by-product of the reaction involving the transfer of an aminopropyl group from decarboxylated S-adenosylmethionine to putrescine during the formation of spermidine. The reaction is catalyzed by spermidine synthase. Likewise, spermine synthase catalyses the conversion of spermidine to spermine, with concomitant production of MTA as a by-product. The spermidine synthase is very sensitive to product inhibition by accumulation of MTA. Therefore, inhibition of MTAP or MTAN severely limits the polyamine biosynthesis and the salvage pathway for adenine in the cells.
Although MTAP is abundantly expressed in normal cells and tissues, MTAP deficiency due to a genetic deletion has been reported with many malignancies. The loss of MTAP enzyme function in these cells is known to be due to homozygous deletions on chromosome 9 of the closely linked MTAP and p16/MTS1 tumour suppressor gene. As absence of p16/MTS1 is probably responsible for the tumour, the lack of MTAP activity is a consequence of the genetic deletion and is not causative for the cancer. However, the absence of MTAP alters the purine metabolism in these cells so that they are mainly dependent on the de novo pathway for their supply of purines.
MTA has been shown to induce apoptosis in dividing cancer cells, but to have the opposite, anti-apoptotic effect on dividing normal cells such as hepatocytes (E. Ansorena et al., Hepatology, 2002, 35: 274-280).
MTAP inhibitors may therefore be used in the treatment of cancer. Such treatments are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,098,334 and U.S. Ser. No. 10/524,995.
The need for new cancer therapies remains ongoing. For some prevalent cancers the treatment options are still limited. Prostate cancer, for example, is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer in the United States. Current treatment options include radical prostatectomy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, and watchful waiting. Although the therapies may offer successful treatment of an individual's condition, the pitfalls are quite unfavorable and lead to a decrease in a man's overall quality of life. Surgery may inevitably result in impotence, sterility, and urinary incontinence. Side effects associated with radiation therapy include damage to the bladder and rectum as well as slow-onset impotence. Hormonal therapy will not cure the cancer and eventually most cancers develop a resistant to this type of therapy. The major risk associated with watchful waiting is that it may result in tumour growth, cancer progression and metastasis. It is therefore desirable that a better treatment option is made available to patients diagnosed with prostate cancer.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method of treating cancer, particularly prostate or head and neck cancer, or at least to provide a useful choice.

Methods of treating cancer using inhibitors of 5′-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University


Stopping or reducing oscillations in Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes. A novel solution is presented that completely eliminates and/or substantially reduces the oscillations that are oftentimes encountered with the various iterative decoding approaches that are employed to decode LDPC coded signals. This novel approach may be implemented in any one of the following three ways. One way involves combining the Sum-Product (SP) soft decision decoding approach with the Bit-Flip (BF) hard decision decoding approach in an intelligent manner that may adaptively select the number of iterations performed during the SP soft decoding process. The other two ways involve modification of the manner in which the SP soft decoding approach and the BF hard decision decoding approach are implemented. One modification involves changing the initialization of the SP soft decoding process, and another modification involves the updating procedure employed during the SP soft decoding approach process.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to communication systems; and, more particularly, it relates to decoding of encoded signals within such communication systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Data communication systems have been under continual development for many years. One such type of communication system that has been of significant interest lately is a communication system that employs turbo codes. Another type of communication system that has also received interest is a communication system that employs Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) code. A primary directive in these areas of development has been to try continually to lower the error floor within a communication system. The ideal goal has been to try to reach Shannon's limit in a communication channel. Shannon's limit may be viewed as being the data rate to be used in a communication channel, having a particular Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), that achieves error free transmission through the communication channel. In other words, the Shannon limit is the theoretical bound for channel capacity for a given modulation and code rate.
LDPC code has been shown to provide for excellent decoding performance that can approach the Shannon limit in some cases. For example, some LDPC decoders have been shown to come within 0.3 dB from the theoretical Shannon limit. While this example was achieved using an irregular LDPC code of a length of one million, it nevertheless demonstrates the very promising application of LDPC codes within communication systems.
There is, however, at least one undesirable aspect of decoding processing of LDPC coded signals. The decoding of LDPC codes typically involves using iterative processing; this iterative processing inherently includes some loops. There are several approaches that may be used to perform decoding of LDPC codes. One approach involves a Belief Propagation (BP) decoding approach. The BP approach may be implemented either using a Sum Product (SP) approach or a Message Passing (MP) approach. However, given the fact that the manner in which these LDPC codes are decoded include loops, the possibility of oscillations may arise in the decoding within theses loops.
As described very accurately by Pearl, "when loops are present, the network is no longer singly connected and local propagation schemes will invariably run into trouble . . . If we ignore the existence of loops and permit the nodes to continue communicating with each other as if the network were singly connected, messages may circulate indefinitely around the loops and process may not converges to a stable equilibrium . . . Such oscillations do not normally occur in probabilistic networks. . . which tend to bring all messages to some stable equilibrium as time goes on. However, this asymptotic equilibrium is not coherent, in the sense that it does not represent the posterior probabilities of all nodes of the network." J. Pearl, Probabilistic Reasoning in Intelligent Systems: Networks of Plausible Inference, Morgan Kaufmann, 1988.
As can clearly be seen by the description provided above, a need exists in the art to try to deal with these undesirable oscillations that can sometimes occur when decoding LDPC coded signals within communication decoders.

Stopping and/or reducing oscillations in low density parity check (LDPC) decoding


To make a color tone similar to that of dentin of a tooth at a low cost without discoloration when baking, a dental ceramics material is produced by: mixing a pink coloring agent and a yellow coloring agent with zirconium oxide containing a stabilizer while having a mixing ratio of 0.001 to 5 wt. % respectively; and baking it, where the pink coloring agent is obtained by dissolving manganese oxide in aluminum oxide as a solid solution, the yellow coloring agent is obtained by dissolving vanadium oxide in zirconium oxide as a solid solution, the zirconium oxide contains 0.1 to 30 wt. % aluminum oxide if necessary, the stabilizer is one or more kinds selected from a group including yttrium oxide, magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, and cerium oxide, and the content thereof is preferably 3 to 7 wt. %.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a production method of a dental ceramics material capable of expressing a color tone similar to that of dentin of a tooth easily at a low cost.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
Transparency of a human tooth is gradually decreased from enamel which is a surface layer to dentin inside the enamel in general. When a dental technician produces a dental prosthesis, a material having transparency is used on the surface side and a material having low transparency and chroma is used at the inside in order to make a color tone similar to a natural tooth.
In recent years, when a dental prosthesis is produced by a ceramics material, stabilized zirconium oxide is often used for a ceramics frame to be an inner cap such as a crown, a bridge or the like, and for a ceramics abutment which is a material for penetrating a gingival part of a dental implant, since stabilized zirconium oxide has high strength. However, since zirconium oxide is white and opaque, the ceramics frame and the ceramics abutment are visible when the material having high transparency is built on the surfaces of the ceramics frame and the ceramics abutment. So, it is not preferable aesthetically. In order to avoid this problem, a large amount of opaquers must be used before the material is built on the surface, and excessive skill is required.
Further, when the dental prosthesis is produced by a ceramics, the material having transparency is built on the surface of the ceramics frame and the ceramics abutment and baked at 1,350 to 1,600 degrees C. Thus, there is a problem that a coloring agent which has been conventionally used in a dental field is decomposed so as not to express an intended color tone.
On the other hand, a colored sintered zirconium oxide has been proposed (for example, refer to Japanese translation of PCT international application No. 2004-527280, Section Nos. 0037 and 0040). In order to produce the sintered zirconium oxide, a coloring oxidizer having an element of a group including Pr, Er, Fe, Co, Ni, Ti, V, Cr, Cu and Mn is preferably contained as a coloring agent, and Fe2O3, Er2O3, and MnO2 are preferable used. However, since this coloring agents must be added in a form of an oxide obtained by dissolving in HCl, the color may be damaged when the coloring agents are baked at 1,350 to 1,600 degrees C. Further, when the above-described various coloring agents are combined to be used, there are many agents which hardly obtain a color tone of dentin of a tooth which is required in a dental filed. Further, since the coloring agents must be added as a form of an oxide obtained by dissolving in HCl, a raw material having remarkably high cost must be used. So, there is a problem of production cost.
Further, a method for blending Er2O3, Pr6O11, Fe2O3 and ZnO to zirconium oxide containing a stabilizer so as to color dentin has been proposed (for example, refer to Japanese Patent No. 2571646). However, there is a problem that Er2O3 and the like cannot be well mixed without blending as a solution which is once dissolved by hydrochloric acid or nitric acid. Thus, Er2O3 and the like are necessarily mixed by the steps of pre-baking a powder obtained from the solution, and sintering with adding and mixing an iron compound and a zinc compound. So, the use of Er2O3 and the like is troublesome and complicated. Further, when Er2O3, Pr6O11 are used, these are decomposed at about 1,300 degrees C. Thus, there is a problem that Er2O3, Pr6O11 cannot be used at 1,350 to 1,600 degrees C. which is a baking temperature of zirconium oxide containing a general stabilizer.

Production method of dental ceramics material


A security nut, which can be tightened on to a bolt but not slackened, has a body which is dome shaped and through which a threaded bore passes. The external dome-shaped surface of the body is provided with grooves which have diverging walls which can be engaged by driving faces of a socket tool to tighten the nut but not to slacken it. The dome-shape of the body makes it virtually impossible to grip it to slacken the nut.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to security nuts.
An example of the use of a security nut is in the assembly of security fencing.
2. Description of the related art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97-1.99
In security fencing it is known to use a bolt with a head having a groove in its underside to engage with a fencing post and a nut which comprises a normal hexagonal part and a round dome-shaped body which is attached to the hexagonal part by a neck. The nut is threaded onto the bolt and is tightened by the hexagonal part and when a pre-determined torque is obtained the neck breaks off leaving the dome-shaped part on the bolt. It is almost impossible to remove this part and therefore the arrangement is secure.
However there are three disadvantages of this prior arrangement. Firstly it is usual for the nut and bolt to be galvanized and when the hexagonal part of the nut breaks off the dome-shaped part this leaves a face which has not been galvanized and which may go rusty.
Secondly, sometimes the pre-determined torque to separate the two parts of the nut occurs before the nut is fully tightened and then the dome-shaped part of the nut is left on the bolt in a slack condition which probably means that the bolt has to be cut off and a new nut and bolt assembly inserted.
Thirdly, since the hexagonal part of the nut is scrapped, the nut is expensive.
It is also known, e.g. from European Patent Application No 0 013 274, to have a cylindrical nut with formations on its end face which allow the nut to be tightened with a tool but not slackened. Disadvantages of this construction are firstly, that it is difficult to align the tightening tool with the nut and, secondly, due to the cylindrical shape of the nut, it is possible to rotate and slacken the nut with a pair of grips which can engage the cylindrical surface. The nut therefore is not secure.
Amongst the art cited against European patent Application No 0 013 274 is French Patent No 1,232,468 which discloses a bolt with a cylindrical head having formations on its end which may be engaged with a socket to tighten the bolt but which prevent the bolt being slackened. This overcomes the first of the disadvantages of European Patent Application No 0 013 274 but not the second. The cylindrical head may be engaged with grips and slackened so that it is not secure.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a security nut which overcomes the above disadvantages.


A fully automatic personal security system which combines the advantages of worldwide LORAN-C or GPS navigation with the substantially worldwide communication capabilities of a cellular telephone or communication satellite. The security system comprises a mobile unit which communicates emergency data including position coordinates, and a central dispatch station which receives the emergency data and accurately displays all necessary emergency information superposed on a digitized map at a position corresponding to the location of the mobile unit.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates generally to a security system for protecting vehicles and, more importantly, the people travelling therein. In particular, the present invention is a device for expediting a response by the appropriate authorities whenever and wherever the personal security of a mobile person is compromised. The device includes a mobile communication unit and a central station. The mobile communication unit is transported with the mobile person and is triggered by the occurrence of a variety of personal security conditions to establish cellular telephone contact with the central station. The mobile communication unit then communicates longitude and latitude coordinate acta, emergency, ana personal information to the central station. All pertinent information is conveniently displayed to an operator at the central station in a manner which permits the most efficient dispatching possible of the proper responding agents to administer the proper security measures.
2. Description of the Background
Considering this nation's widespread uprise in violent crimes, a person compromises his or her personal security each and every time he or she undertakes travel. The threat to personal security is most appreciable when the travel is by motor vehicle. Our public highways are becoming more congested and the frequency of roadside emergency situations is likewise increasing.
Emergency situations may arise as the result of an accident or vehicle breakdown. The emergency may be compounded by inclement weather, a lack of communication ability, a disabling injury, etc. For the duration, the motorist is completely prone to theft or violent attack. It follows that a prompt emergency response from police, paramedics, the fire department, or other service organization is essential for maintaining personal security.
Generally, a vehicle operator must find the nearest accessible telephone, dial an emergency number, and attempt to provide landmark or navigational data for the benefit of the authorities. These tasks are difficult when performed under the stress of an emergency, and they can be impossible where a disability or injury exists.
Cellular telephones provide a partial solution in the form of a convenient communication link to authorities in times of emergencies. For this reason, cellular car phones are now widely considered to be a prerequisite for personal security.
Unfortunately, a cellular telephone only provides the communication link. It will not of itself perform the task of communicating. This task is left to the vehicle operator. Consequently, the operator must perform the following tasks:
1. remember the telephone number of the proper authorities or service providers;
2. dial the number; and
3. convey landmark or navigational data to direct the respondents to the site.
The time it takes to complete the above-described tasks needlessly jeopardizes the personal security of the operator. This is especially true when the operator has no idea of his or her location and cannot provide the requisite navigational data and/or emergency situation information to the authorities. More often, the instructions and information provided are inaccurate, misleading, or misunderstood.
A number of prior art devices have been proposed for automating the dispatch of the proper authorities to a vehicle in an emergency situation. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,568,161 issued to Knickel discloses a vehicle locator system comprising a network of sensors tied to a central command station. A vehicle travelling amidst the sensors emits a code to the sensors which is indicative of the identity of the vehicle. The code is received at the nearest sensor station, which in turn signals the central command station that it has received the code. The location of the vehicle is then displayed at the central station. The central command station includes a display panel with a number of lights placed on a map at locations corresponding to each sensor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,988 issued to Wanka likewise discloses a remote-control tracking transmitter and tracking support network of remote stations. As a vehicle passes through the network, the vehicle communicates with a remote station. The remote station in turn transmits location data to a base station which plots the location on a map plotter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,983 issued to Mitchell discloses a theft alarm system for vehicles including an alarm sensor, an auto-dialing mechanism, and a cellular telephone. The alarm sensor activates the auto-dialing mechanism to seize the cellular telephone and dial a central station. A recorder then broadcasts a two-part message over the cellular telephone. The message includes fixed information relating to the identity of the automobile and variable information relating to the location of the automobile. The variable information may be input by the operator through a microphone when the vehicle is to be left unattended.
U.S. Pat. No. Re. 32,856 issued to Millsap et al. discloses an alarm system in which an alarm condition causes a cellular transceiver to automatically transmit a telephone call to a central station. The invention incorporates a cellular telephone link in a fixed alarm system. The use of a cellular telephone eliminates the need for telephone lines. Hence, cutting of the telephone lines will not result in negation of the alarm signal. A circuit is also shown for determining a particular zone in which the alarm condition exists and for transmitting alarm information to the central station via the cellular telephone.
In addition to the above-described alarm systems, a number of improvements have been developed for particular components of the alarm systems.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,114 issued to Egan et al. discloses an automatic dialing and reporting system which is responsive to an alarm condition. The Egan et al. device seizes a telephone line and initiates automatic transmission over the telephone line.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,057 issued to Setliff et al. discloses an electronic system for use in a marine environment. The system includes a plurality of digitized maps which are stored in a database for display on a video terminal. "The purpose of this invention is to provide a more efficient use of the operator's time by automatically correlating and monitoring the data" (Column 1 lines 55-57). The displayed map may be compressed or expanded to meet the demands of the operator. In addition, a LORAN-C or other positioning device may be coupled to the system and the LORAN-C coordinate data may be correlated and displayed at the proper location of the map.
Despite the above-described improvements in the field of tracking and navigation, it is important to note that the prior art generally teaches the protection of chattels as opposed to people. For example, the prior art devices will prevent theft, tampering, and other encroachments on property interests, and they will provide information on a vehicle. However, the prior art does not adequately protect the personal security interests of the passenger(s).
More specifically, too much effort is required of the passenger in an emergency situation and too little information is provided to the authorities to insure a prompt and efficient response. Personal security demands a fully automated yet economical system for summoning an emergency response in accordance with the specific personal needs of the individual.


Methods and devices are disclosed for providing map information to a user. The map information corresponds to a field of view. In at least one embodiment, the navigation device includes an input device to receive an input for selecting a desired destination and a display device to display map information including a route to the desired destination, a ground level and at least one icon elevated above the ground level. The at least one icon represents an object within the field of view. In at least one embodiment, a method is disclosed for providing map information to a user via a navigation device and corresponding to a field of view is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the method includes receiving at least one of an input and selection representing a desired destination and displaying map information including a route to the desired destination, a ground level and at least one icon elevated above the ground level. The at least one icon represents an object within the field of view.

Navigation devices were traditionally utilized mainly in the areas of vehicle use, such as on cars, motorcycles, trucks, boats, etc. Alternatively, if such navigation devices were portable, they were further transferable between vehicles and/or useable outside the vehicle, for foot travel for example.
These devices are typically tailored to produce a route of travel based upon an initial position of the navigation device and a selected/input travel destination (end position), noting that the initial position could be entered into the device, but is traditionally calculated via GPS Positioning from a GPS receiver within the navigation device. To aid in navigation of the route, map information is visually output along the route of travel to a user of the navigation device.

Navigation device and method for displaying map information


Embodiments relate to protocol selection for transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP). An aspect includes tracking connection data corresponding to a plurality of TCP/IP connections in a computer system. Another aspect includes determining, based on the tracked connection data, whether a particular connection of the plurality of TCP/IP connections is appropriate for sockets over remote direct memory access (RDMA) protocol. Another aspect includes, based on determining that the particular connection is appropriate for sockets over RDMA protocol, automatically enabling sockets over RDMA protocol for the connection. Yet another aspect includes, based on determining that the particular connection is not appropriate for sockets over RDMA protocol, automatically disabling sockets over RDMA protocol for the connection.

The present invention relates generally to computer networking, and more specifically, to protocol selection for applications using the transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP).
There is a large existing base of servers, applications, and clients that are coded to the TCP/IP sockets interface for communication. For these programs to exploit high speed interconnects such as remote direct memory access (RDMA), significant rewriting of their communication methods would be required. This is a major undertaking and may not even be practical in some cases (for example legacy applications whose source code or coding skill is lost). In addition to the implementation cost and long term cost of sustaining multiple application program interfaces (APIs) in each application, new and unique network administrative requirements must be addressed (e.g. configuration, enablement, high availability, security, network load balancing, and various TCP/IP related quality of services).
Sockets Direct Protocol (SDP) is an example of a sockets over RDMA protocol that may be used to bypass TCP/IP and provides an alternative protocol stack "underneath" the sockets layer that can exploit RDMA technology. This solution allows applications, which are coded to the widely adopted sockets standard, to run unmodified and the SDP stack under the sockets layer handles all the communication over the RDMA network, completely bypassing TCP/IP. However, businesses still rely on legacy firewalls, load balancers, IP filters, and other TCP/IP based technologies to manage and secure their networks. These technologies rely on the ability to manage TCP/IP setup flows to perform their function. Because SDP dispenses with these flows, these network elements would have to be reinvented for SDP. Additionally, many TCP/IP stacks are mature products with built-in security, quality of service, tracing, and auditing, etc. capabilities that either have no corresponding feature in SDP or a completely different approach to providing similar features.
Because of these limitations, SDP could be perceived as unsuitable for some multi-tier enterprise level business environments with complicated security, high availability and quality of service requirements. Shared memory communications over RDMA (SMC-R) is an example of a sockets over RDMA protocol that employs a hybrid communication model. SMC-R uses both TCP/IP and native RDMA services. It relies on traditional TCP/IP connection establishment protocols to establish a connection and then relies on RDMA technology to speed up the transfer of data associated with the connection. By exploiting normal TCP/IP connection establishment protocols SMC-R is able to retain the key benefits of the TCP/IP network infrastructure. Therefore, SMC-R protocol may be implemented for communications in such an environment.

Protocol selection for transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP)

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


An automatic white balance adjusting apparatus having a light measuring circuit, a determining circuit, and adjusting circuit and a time-average calculating circuit, in operation, color temperature adjustment data are calculated by using a value obtained by averaging color temperature information of a light source over a predetermined time period.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic white-balance adjusting apparatus for automatically carrying out a white-balance adjustment operation needed for correctly reproducing colors in a video camera, an electronic still camera or the like depending on a color temperature of a light source, and more particularly to an improved automatic white-balance adjusting apparatus of the above-noted type comprising light measuring means for generating a light measurement signal by receiving light from a light source, determining means for calculating and determining color temperature adjustment data for a white-balance adjustment operation from color temperature information of the light source obtained from the light measurement signal from the light measurement means and adjusting means for adjusting a white-balance based on the color temperature adjustment data.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
A white-balance adjustment operation by a conventional white-balance adjusting apparatus is carried out by using color temperature information obtained by color temperature sensors each time a switch attached to a video camera or the like is depressed or at every predetermined time interval.
However, according to the above construction, even if a momentary change in the light illuminating an object to be photographed unexpectedly occurs, or light reflected from another object having a high brightness value is momentarily incident onto the sensors, a white-balance adjustment signal is generated based on a color temperature measured at that particular moment. Therefore, since the white-balance adjustment signal varies even with a momentary change in the color temperature, instability or inaccuracy in the color reproduction occurs.
In view of the above-noted state of the art, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an automatic white-balance adjusting apparatus capable of achieving stable and accurate color reproduction. In accordance with the invention, the white-balance adjustment condition does not change significantly even if a violent and sudden change occurs during the light in the course of an image recording operation using a video camera, an electronic still camera or the like.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an automatic white-balance adjusting apparatus capable of maintaining the white-balance adjustment condition constant in case such a sudden change in the light disappears at once.

Automatic white-balance adjusting apparatus with reduced sensitivity to transient light conditions


A stacked electrical connector includes a dielectric housing having an upper face opposite a mounting face and opposed sides between the upper face and the mounting face. The housing holds one row of contacts in a lower contact area between lower side sections of the housing. Two rows of contacts are held in an upper contact area. The housing includes an unshielded spacing section separating the upper and lower contact areas. A lower shield includes a shroud surrounding the lower contact area and side panels that cover the lower side sections of the housing. An upper shield includes a shroud that surrounds the upper contact area.

The invention relates generally to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to a stacked connector assembly mounted on a circuit board.
There is an increasing demand for digital content in today's society in both the home and the workplace. Hi-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is a transmission interface developed for multimedia audio video systems including DVD players, game box converters, TV set top boxes, and the like. With the capability for transmitting digital signals, HDMI technology avoids signal losses associated with digital to analog conversions. Liquid crystal displays have become an output device of choice in audio visual products and personal computer displays. Demand for such products has increased the need for HDMI connectors capable of transmitting digital signals to the output devices.
The proliferation of digitally formatted data such as in digital music files and digital photographs in addition to email and other household or business data has led to an ongoing need for disk space or more generally, storage space in personal computers. Disk drives are now being designed to comply with a newer standard, generally referred to as the Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) standard, which is the standard presently favored for newer computers. External SATA or eSATA brings the benefits of SATA to external data storage. ESATA provides a more robust and user friendly connection that is faster than previous external storage solutions.
Some devices, such as set top boxes, game box converters, etc. may contain both HDMI and eSATA ports. Both HDMI connectors and eSATA connectors are typically mounted at the edge of circuit boards to facilitate access of cable mounted external connectors to the internal circuits of the host devices. Typically, component area on the circuit boards is limited. As a result, it is desirable to conserve space on the circuit boards. With the ongoing development of new technologies such as HDMI and eSATA, conserving component area on the circuit boards is challenging.


An energy harvest is disclosed. The disclosed energy harvest includes: a first charging member including a plurality of first protruding parts; and a second charging member including a plurality of second protruding parts arranged between the first protruding parts and including a material different from that of the first protruding parts. When at least one of the first and second charging members moves, side surfaces of the first protruding parts and side surfaces of the second protruding parts come into contact with each other, or gaps between the side surfaces of the first protruding parts and the side surfaces of the second protruding parts are changed. The energy harvest generates electrical energy from the contact or the gap change.

Along with the recent rapid increase in the use of smartphones, various attempts have been made to develop a mutual control method between a smartphone and a peripheral device. In particular, research into a smart watch in which a smartphone and a watch are combined has been actively conducted, and some prototypes have been commercialized. A smart watch is used to control or monitor functions of a smartphone, such as calling, messaging, and usage of an application. The smart watch consumes more power than a general wrist watch, and thus there is a problem in that the smart watch should be frequently charged or have a large-capacity battery to continuously supply power thereto.


A cutting insert includes a top chip face, a bottom surface and side faces extending therebetween. At each of the end faces the cutting insert has axially protruding portions, each of which having a bevel. Main cutting edges are provided by the intersection between the top face and respective side surfaces. On each side surface there is provided a clearance portion formed on a protruding portion of the insert body which via a step extends into a secondary helically twisted clearance surface, the chip angle of which increases with increasing cutting depth. With the cutting insert viewed in plan, the bevel is oriented perpendicularly to the main cutting edge.

The present invention relates to an elongated cutting insert for application in rotary end mills for machining of metallic workpieces. In particular the invention relates to a cutting insert for end mills in order to be able to machine a 90-degree shoulder with greater precision.
The development of milling inserts for end mills generally manufactured through form-pressing and sintering of a cutting material-forming powder is concentrated today on positive cutting edges having positive rake angles since these have showed the ability to reduce the cutting forces and the power supply needed in a tooling machine while at the same time diminishing undesirable vibrations. It is often aimed to provide the tool with a geometry having a positive axial angle and simultaneously a negative radial angle. In certain cases also a combination of positive axial angle and zero degree radial angle can be used in order to obtain a helical chip that provides the best chip transport. The cutting insert is usually clamped with a center locking screw in order to provide the best possibilities for chip transport without problems.
One of the drawbacks with existing usual indexible inserts for end mills has been that they do not enable, with desired exactitude, the machining of a 90-degree shoulder of a workpiece. The problem with this type of machining is that the workpiece wall does not become wholly straight. As a solution to this problem it has been proposed to use a cutting insert, the cutting edges of which are spirally curved. EP-A-416 901 shows and describes such a tool. With such spiral cutting edges the cutting edge can more easily come into engagement with the workplace with an inclined curve of the cutting force up to a maximum value which lies under that achieved with a straight cutting edge. The tool has in this way obtained a somewhat better stability at the same time as the tendency of tool vibrations has been somewhat diminished.
In view hereof it is a purpose with the invention to achieve a modified cutting insert of the type described in EP-A-416 901, with improved geometrical optimization, implying constant functional edge angle in combination with step clearance along a wave-shaped edge line intended to be mounted with large axial inclination in the tool.
It is another purpose to achieve a milling tool, which is useful both for machining of a 90-degree shoulder and for axial machining (so-called ramping), i.e. a tool which machines the workpiece in both axial and radial directions.


Methods, systems, and storage media for generating and displaying animations of simulated biomechanical motions are disclosed. In embodiments, a computer device may obtain sensor data of a sensor affixed to a user's body or equipment used by the user, and may use inverse kinematics to determine desired positions and orientations of an avatar based on the sensor data. In embodiments, the computer device may adjust or alter the avatar based on the inverse kinematics, and generate an animation for display based on the adjusted avatar. Other embodiments may be disclosed and/or claimed.

Biomechanics may involve the study and analysis of human movement using through the laws of mechanics. Biomechanics is often employed to gain a better understanding of athletic performance to enhance performance and/or prevent injury.
A first method of observing and analyzing biomechanical motions includes in-person lessons from a coach or other like professional. However, it may be difficult for the coach to observe some biomechanical motions due to motions being performed at high speeds, motions being obfuscated by athlete clothing/uniforms, and/or errors due to human sensory capabilities or perceptions. A second method of observing and analyzing biomechanical motions includes video analysis of a professional biomechanical performance or a student's biomechanical performance. However, analysis of some biomechanical motions may require a frame-by-frame analysis of the video data, which may be difficult using typical video playback devices and/or may require costly video playback devices or systems.
A third method of observing and analyzing biomechanical motions includes capturing motion data from one or more sensors affixed to athletic equipment or on athlete's clothing. One drawback with this method is that it typically requires expensive and complex sensors that are developed for a predefined biomechanical motion (e.g., a specific sport). Another drawback of this method is that it may be difficult to analyze and/or visualize the captured motion data. Historically, the expense and complexity of sensors, and the difficult of analysis, required athletes to visit a motion capture laboratory to use motion capture systems for biomechanical analysis. Currently, biomechanical analysis using motion capture devices has become more viable as the size, costs and complexity of sensor manufacture is reduced. Even with the increased prevalence of motion capture devices, most sensor-based biomechanical analysis systems require the use of motion-specific sensors. Furthermore, many current sensor-based biomechanical analysis systems do not provide sufficient data visualization for proper analysis of biomechanical motions.


A memory module includes a first memory device, a second memory device, and a processing buffer circuit that is connected to the first memory device and the second memory device (independently of each other) and a host. A processing buffer circuit is provided, which includes a processing circuit and a buffer. The processing circuit processes at least one of data received from the host, data stored in the first memory device, or data stored in the second memory device based on a processing command received from the host. The buffer is configured to store data processed by the processing circuit. The processing buffer circuit is configured to communicate with the host in compliance with a DDR SDRAM standard.

Embodiments of the inventive concept described herein relate to memory modules and methods of operating same, and, more particularly, to memory modules capable of performing an offloaded operation through a standard memory interface and methods of operating same.
A memory device may store data input from an external host. Also, the memory device may output data stored therein in response to a request from the external host. A substrate on which one or more memory devices and one or more parts associated with the memory devices are mounted may be referred to as a "memory module". A memory module including a processor capable of processing data may perform an operation on data stored in the memory module, based on a command received from the host. In other words, the memory module may have a near data processing (NDP) structure.

Memory modules and methods of operating same