A thin film patterning method may include forming a thin film by coating a precursor solution containing a precursor of metal oxide onto a substrate, soft baking the thin film, exposing the thin film to light by using a photomask, developing the thin film, and hard baking the developed thin film. The precursor may include metal acetate, for example, a zinc acetate-based material, and the metal oxide thin film may include zinc oxide (ZnO).

1. Field
Some example embodiments relate to thin film patterning methods and/or methods of manufacturing semiconductor devices using the thin film patterning methods.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a photolithography process is progressed in such a way that a photoresist film is formed on a predetermined thin film to be patterned, the photoresist film is patterned using exposure and developing processes and then the thin film is patterned (e.g., etched) by using the patterned photoresist film as an etch mask.
However, when the predetermined thin film is patterned using the photoresist film in this way, the thin film may be damaged, denaturalized, or contaminated by various chemical materials used in forming, developing and removing the photoresist film. In particular, since a metal oxide that has recently drawn attention as material for a semiconductor device, such as a transistor, does not have sufficient chemical resistance, the metal oxide may be vulnerable to both acidic and basic materials.
Thus, when the metal oxide thin film is patterned using a photolithography process according to the related art, there may be a possibility that the metal oxide thin film is damaged, denaturalized, or contaminated. In addition, in the photolithography process according to the related art, the number of processes increases due to the processes of forming, developing, and removing the photoresist film.

Thin film patterning method and method of manufacturing semiconductor device using the thin film patterning method


A connector assembly including a first connector having a primary locking lever pivotably mounted to the first connector. The primary locking lever defines a pair of beams extending to a primary latch. The primary latch defines a ridge along a rearward edge providing a secondary striker. The second connector includes a primary striker that with the primary latch locks the first and second connectors together. The assembly further includes a CPA device slideably mounted to the first connector and a CPA lever defining a secondary latch. The secondary latch engages the lateral ridge to inhibit movement of the CPA device from an initial position to a final position until after the first and second connectors are fully mated. The secondary latch of the CPA device engages the secondary striker when the CPA device is moved to the final position, thereby preventing disengagement of the primary latch from the primary striker.

Coaxial cable connector assemblies have been used for numerous automotive applications, such as global positioning systems (GPS), infotainment systems, and air bag systems. Coaxial cables typically consist of an outer shield conductor, an inner center conductor, a dielectric, and an insulation jacket. The outer conductor and the inner conductor of the coaxial cable often electrically interface with a mating coaxial cable through socket and plug connectors. Such conventional coaxial cable connectors are known in the art.
In order to standardize various types of connectors and thereby avoid confusion, certain industry standards have been established. One of these standards is referred to as FAKRA. FAKRA is the Automotive Standards Committee in the German Institute for Standardization (in German "Deutsches Institut für Normung", best known by the acronym DIN), representing international standardization interests in the automotive field. The FAKRA standard provides a system, based on keying and color coding, for proper connector attachment. Like socket keys can only be connected to like plug keyways in FAKRA connectors. Secure positioning and locking of connector housings is facilitated by way of a FAKRA defined catch on the socket housing and a cooperating latch on the plug housing. The FAKRA standard is contained in the USCAR-18 standard published by the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR).
A locking mechanism is used when a first connector is mated to a second connector to secure the first and second connectors together. The first and second connectors are secured together to ensure that the connector system can withstand forces that would tend to pull the connectors apart and break the electrical connection between terminals in the connectors when mated to each other. The locking mechanism may include a latch on one connector that engages a striker of a mating connector when the two connectors are fully mated. Ensuring that the mated connectors in a respective connector system are fully mated to one another may avoid open circuits that occur when the connectors are not fully mated to each other. The connector system may be used in a complex manufactured product, such as an automobile. If the connectors in the connector system are not fully mated to each other during assembly of the automobile, an open circuit may be difficult to diagnose, locate, and repair. For example, it may be difficult to identify and access a faulty connection between two connectors in the automobile that includes hundreds or thousands of connections.
Due to physical characteristics such as small size and shielded conductors, it may be difficult to determine whether two mating connectors are properly mated together. For example, two connectors that are not fully mated to each other may only be a few millimeters from the fully mated positions of the connectors, which may be difficult for an assembler to identify. Therefore, a need remains for a connector system that provides assurance that two connectors are fully mated to each other in order to avoid errors caused by breaks in the conductive pathway defined by the connectors.
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.

Connector system with low profile connector position assurance device


A method includes hooking a send operating system function, originating a call to the send operating system function with a call module to send the content of a send buffer, stalling the call, and determining whether the call module or a copy of the call module are in the send buffer. Upon a determination that the call module or a copy of the call module are in the send buffer, the method further includes terminating the call. By terminating the call, the call module comprising malicious code is prevented from sending itself or a copy of itself to other host computer systems thus preventing the spread of the call module.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the protection of computer systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a behavior-blocking system and method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Buffer overflow techniques have been used by malicious hackers and virus writers to attack computer systems. Buffers are data storage areas, which generally hold a predefined amount of finite data. A buffer overflow occurs when a program attempts to store data into the buffer, where the data is larger than the size of the buffer.
One category of buffer overflow, sometimes called stack-based buffer overflow, involves overwriting stack memory. Stack-based buffer overflow is typically caused by programs that do not verify the length of the data being copied into a buffer.
When the data exceeds the size of the buffer, the extra data can overflow into the adjacent memory locations. In this manner, it is possible to corrupt valid data and possibly to change the execution flow and instructions. Thus, by exploiting a buffer overflow, it is possible to inject malicious code into the execution flow. This gives unauthorized access to not only malicious hackers, but also to replicating malware, e.g., worms.


Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with grouping data using data streams are described. In one embodiment, a method includes publishing data into a data stream. The example method may also include evaluates phrases within data in the data stream to identify a set of features having data divergence amongst the data above a divergence threshold. The example method may also include computing a model correlating data to the set of features. The example method may also include applying the model to data to compute feature vectors for the data. The example method may also include comparing the feature vectors to identify and group similar data.

Many businesses provide technical support to help resolve issues encountered by users, such as customers or employees. For example, a provider of a multi-tenant software platform may provide users with access to various business functionality, such as process and workflow tracking functionality, website creation and hosting functionality, application creation and execution functionality, etc. The provider may employ a case management system through which users of the multi-tenant software platform can submit incident reports of issues relating to the multi-tenant software platform.
The case management system is accessible to agents that can help provide solutions for resolving the incident reports. The case management system uses predefined products, categories, and groups to organize, route, and process incident reports. Because of the static nature of how the case management system organizes, routes, and processes incident reports, groups can run orthogonal to a root cause of an issue. Thus, there is a proliferation of incidents and duplicate effort by agents to resolve the same issue. For example, many incident reports may be related to the same root cause but get routed to different agents to process because the incident reports may not be categorized exactly the same. Thus, computing resources, time, and agent effort is wasted in the duplicate efforts to identify a solution for the same issue.

Computerized methods and systems for grouping data using data streams


A system includes a processor configured to receive a vehicle request, including a requesting-occupant physical parameter. The processor is also configured to send a request, including the physical parameter, to a vehicle-hailing service. The processor is further configured to receive identification of a vehicle having sufficient space to accommodate the requesting-occupant, based on the physical parameter, responsive to the request. Also, the processor is configured to receive confirmation of the vehicle from the requesting-occupant, and request use of the vehicle, responsive to the confirmation.

People come in all shapes and sizes, and this can occasionally create difficulty in shared seating situations, such as on busses, trains and airplanes. With increased usage of ride-sharing concepts, such as shared, hailed vehicles, this can create potential new problems in a much more cramped space, as most vehicle interiors are far less spacious than mass-transportation options. Also, seats are not always as clearly delineated as they are on planes, for example, and so two or three people attempting to share a ride, who may all require significant space, may find themselves in an uncomfortable or even impossible situation. This can lead to awkwardness and lost fares for a driver, and generally may discourage certain people from even attempting to use any service other than hailed, unshared rides. Even in those situations, if a six foot ten inch person hails a vehicle, and the driver is driving a two door compact, uncomfortableness and/or impossibility may result.
Most vehicle seats can be adjusted in some manner, and in the future autonomous vehicles may include much more dynamically reconfigurable seating. But even if a seat can be adjusted, there is currently little to no accommodation to address the potential pitfalls of tall or otherwise large occupants attempting to share an already partially-occupied ride.

Method and apparatus for ride-share planning using spatial awareness


A nanoparticle measurement device includes a timing signal generation unit, a low-frequency component extraction unit, a low-frequency component calculation unit, a threshold correction unit, and a measurement unit. The timing signal generation unit generates timing signals. The low-frequency component extraction unit extracts low-frequency components according to the timing signals. The low-frequency component calculation unit calculates an interpolated low-frequency component in accordance with the low-frequency components. The threshold correction unit sets a corrected threshold in accordance with the interpolated low-frequency component. The measurement unit extracts and counts nanoparticle pulse signals from a light reception signal according to the timing signals and the corrected threshold.

The present disclosure relates to a nanoparticle measurement device, an analysis device, and an analysis method for analyzing biomaterials such as antigens and antibodies.
Immunoassays are known to quantitatively analyze disease detection and therapeutic effects by detecting particular antigens or antibodies as biomarkers associated with diseases.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015-127691 discloses an analysis device in which antibodies that are fixed to a reaction region on a disc for specimen analysis are allowed to bind to antigens in a sample, and the antigens are labeled by nanoparticles having antibodies and then are scanned with laser light emitted from an optical pickup so as to detect the nanoparticles captured on the reaction region. The analysis device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-127691 is an optical disc device utilized for detecting a specimen.

Nanoparticle measurement device, analysis device, and analysis method


A method of teaching a student and using a computer game teaching system, a computer game and educational information contained in one or more tutorial modules. A plurality of questions contained in the tutorial module are presented to the student at pause points in the game, the scoring algorithm for the game is modified as a result of positive responses to the questions to permit higher probability of scoring in the game. The student's responses to the questions are stored in a scores database which is transmitted for analysis, at a central location which analyzes the responses from many students and prepares a report for transmittal to a parent or teacher to guide the student's further education.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a computer game teaching method and system in which educational information is presented to a student while the student is playing a computer game. More specifically, the invention relates to a method of teaching in which the student's responses to questions relating to the educational information are used both to modify the game scoring and play to provide immediate feedback to the student, and are transmitted for subsequent analysis to guide the student's further education.
2. Description of Related Art
Computer games, and particularly video games are a well-known means of entertainment for both children and adults. Although such games develop and improve hand-eye coordination, they are popular primarily for their entertainment value.
Computer games are available in a wide variety of formats. Some of the more popular formats are: sports games based on sporting contests such as football, baseball, etc.; adventure games which require the player to solve a series of puzzles to progress through the adventure; and arcade games which require the player to shoot opponents and/or avoid being shot. While such games may be quite different in play, they typically have at least one common feature, namely, a game score which is displayed during the game to let the player know how well he is doing.
The same capabilities of the computer which make it an excellent game platform, also make it an excellent teaching tool. The ability to quickly store and manipulate large quantities of information, and to provide different output based on an analysis of that information, gives the computer great potential in the educational field.
Nonetheless, previous attempts at using computers for educational purposes have generally involved teaching programs which, despite being well-designed educationally, are quite dry and scholarly. They are simply not considered to be "fun" like a computer game.
Moreover, such teaching programs have typically been designed only to display the results of one execution of the teaching program and/or to teach only one educational subject. Thus, there is no opportunity for monitoring the students progress over a period of time, for monitoring the student's progress relative to other students using the same program, for providing feedback to the author of the teaching program, or for teaching multiple educational subjects.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to combine the "fun" aspects of computer and video games with the educational instruction capabilities of teaching programs. A second object of the invention is to modify the scoring algorithm of the computer game such that as the student demonstrates mastery of the educational information, he can achieve a higher score in the game.
Another object of the invention is to provide a means for teaching any one or more of a variety of different educational subjects by providing multiple compatible tutorial modules which may be selected for use with one or more compatible computer games.
A further object of the invention is to provide a means for centrally analyzing the student's response data so that one student's responses may be analyzed in light of other students' responses.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art.

Computer game teaching method and system


A semiconductor device is provided. In an embodiment, the device includes a substrate and a transistor formed on the semiconductor substrate. The transistor may include a gate structure, a source region, and a drain region. The drain region includes an alternating-doping profile region. The alternating-doping profile region may include alternating regions of high and low concentrations of a dopant. In an embodiment, the transistor is a high voltage transistor.

The present disclosure relates generally an integrated circuit device and, more particularly, a transistor having an alternating-doping profile for a device feature of the transistor.
High-voltage transistors (HVMOS transistors) often include double-diffused drains (DDD) as a device feature (e.g., source/drain) of the transistor. The DDD may, for example, prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) and/or reduce hot electron carrier effects.
However, conventional DDD may be disadvantageous in that they require a high dosage of impurities (e.g., dopants). These can in turn induce DDD MOS gate induced drain leakage (GIDL) which may be of particular concern as gate lengths shorten. GIDL current is generated in the drain region of the transistor that overlaps with the gate electrode. GIDL current is generated because of the high electric field which is induced between the gate electrode (which may be at ground) and the drain (which a high voltage may be applied to). A greater GIDL is disadvantageous in that it will lower the threshold voltage of the device.
Therefore, what is needed is an improved structure for a FET device.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Alternating-doping profile for source/drain of a FET

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


An electrical connector includes a housing formed with at least one row of terminal-receiving cavities and a plurality of terminals. Each of the terminals has a horizontal terminal part which is received in a corresponding one of the cavities and a vertical terminal part which is perpendicular to the horizontal terminal part. The housing has a rear wall which is formed with a horizontally extending supporting rib that is located below the cavities and that has a free end. The vertical terminal parts of the terminals abut against the free end of the supporting ribs so as to ensure the vertical terminal parts of the terminals to be coplanar. The ribs include outer slot portions that receive vertical terminal parts and inner slot portions that receive contact protrusions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, more particularly to an electrical connector having a plurality of terminals each of which has a contacting portion and an inserting portion that is substantially perpendicular to the contacting portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a conventional electrical connector 10 which is so-called a "Box Header Connector". The conventional electrical connector 10 includes an elongated plastic housing 100 which is formed with two rows of terminal-receiving cavities. Each of the terminal-receiving cavities of the upper row receives a contacting portion 111 of an upper row terminal 11 which has an inserting portion 112 that is substantially perpendicular to the contacting portion 111. Each of the terminal-receiving cavities of the lower row receives a contacting portion 121 of a lower row terminal 12 which has an inserting portion 122 that is substantially perpendicular to the contacting portion 121. Each of the terminals 11, 12 is solid and is square in cross-section.
The terminals 11, 12 of the conventional electrical connector 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 have the following drawbacks:
1. The length of each of the terminals 11, 12 that extends out of the housing 100 is relatively long so that it is easy to be bent or damaged by an external force. It is especially true for the terminal 11 since the length between points a and b is much longer.
2. In order to prevent to be bent or damaged by an external force, the terminals 11, 12 must be strengthened by being solid and square in cross-section. Therefore, the manufacturing material for the terminals is increased and thus, the manufacturing cost is increased.
3. The alignment of the inserting portions 112, 122 of the terminals 11, 12 of the same row is difficult to be achieved since there is no reference point for the terminals 11, 12.

Electrical connector for a printed circuit board

15F, No. 4, Lane 127, Sec. 1, Fu-Hsing Rd., Hsin-Chuang City


In a golf club shaft hollow pipe-shaped and composed of a laminate of prepregs, a vibration absorption member (10) made of an elastic material whose tan xcex4 at 10xc2x0 C. is not less than 0.7 is installed at least one portion inside the hollow pipe-shaped golf club shaft. The vibration absorption member (10) has a body having a hollow portion, a central part connected to the body through a plurality of connection parts and disposed inside the hollow portion, a plurality of projected parts formed on a peripheral surface of the body and contacting an inner peripheral surface of the pipe-shaped golf club shaft. It is preferable that the weight of the vibration absorption member (10) is not less than 1 g nor more than 10 g, that the number of the connection parts is not less than two nor more than 10, and that the weight of the central part is not less than 10 wt % nor more than 60 wt % of a whole weight of the vibration absorption member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf club shaft and more particularly to a lightweight golf club shaft, made of a fiber reinforced resin, which has an improved vibration-damping performance and gives a good feeling to a player when the player hits a golf ball with a golf club composed of the golf club shaft.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a golf club shaft composed of a reinforcing fiber such as a carbon fiber having a high specific strength and a high specific rigidity is manufactured and commercially available. As the specific strength and the specific rigidity of the carbon fiber become higher, the lightweight golf club shaft can be manufactured.
As the golf club shaft becomes more lightweight, the head speed of a golf club becomes increasingly higher when it is swung. Thus the player can hit a golf ball a longer distance with the golf club. On the other hand, as the golf club shaft becomes more lightweight, vibrations and impacts the player feels unpleasant are generated increasingly when the player hits the golf ball with the golf club. As the golf club shaft becomes more lightweight, the frequency of the vibration thereof becomes higher than the conventional golf club shaft. Therefore in recent years, players are increasingly damaged at their elbows and shoulders by vibrations and impacts generated when they hit the golf ball with golf clubs composed of the lightweight golf club shafts.
To suppress the vibrations generated when the player hits the golf ball, many proposals are made. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 9-216958 and 10-36638, resinous particles of an ethylene copolymer and rubber particles are mixed with the resin of the fiber reinforced resin layer to form the prepreg composed of the fiber reinforced resin superior in vibration suppression performance and resistance to impacts.
In the golf club shaft having the three-layer construction disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-123428, to obtain vibration absorption performance and a soft feeling, the vibration suppression material layer is inserted into the fiber reinforced resin layer. In the golf club shaft disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-71222, the vibration absorption member having a weight and the elastic material (foam) covering the weight is mounted on the grip part of the golf club shaft.
In the prepreg disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 9-216958 and 10-36638, the prepreg itself has vibration suppression performance. However, in the case where the prepreg is used to compose the golf club shaft, the prepreg is incapable of achieving dramatic vibration-damping performance to such an extent that the player can feel and further allowing the player to hit the golf ball a long distance with a golf club composed of the golf club shaft.
In the golf club shaft disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-123428, it is difficult to design the golf club shaft in such a way as to flex it. Since the degree of freedom in designing the golf club is low, it is difficult make it lightweight and increase the flight distance of the golf ball while allowing the golf club shaft to have vibration-damping performance. Further it is difficult to mold the material for the golf club shaft. Thus the golf club shaft has a problem that there is a large lot-to-lot variation in its vibration suppression function. In the golf club shaft disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-71222, since the metal having a high specific gravity is used as the weight, the golf club shaft is heavy and thus a player has difficulty in swinging it. In addition, it is complicated to make a design regarding the weight of the golf club shaft and form the vibration absorption member. The member in direct contact with the golf club shaft is fixed with parts harder than the elastic material. The construction of the golf club shaft has a limitation in making it lightweight and improving its vibration absorption performance.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide a golf club shaft which is more lightweight and hits a golf ball a longer distance than a conventional golf club shaft and relieves vibrations and impacts to be transmitted to a player to allow the player to feel it softer than the conventional golf club shaft.
To achieve the object, according to the present invention, there is provided a hollow pipe-shaped golf club shaft and composed of a laminate of prepregs. A vibration absorption member made of an elastic material whose tan xcex4 at 10xc2x0 C. is not less than 0.7 is installed at least one portion inside the hollow pipe-shaped golf club shaft.
The vibration absorption member made of the tan xcex4 (loss tangent)-specified elastic material having high vibration-damping performance is installed inside the pipe-shaped golf club shaft. Thus although the golf club shaft is lightweight, a golf club composed of the golf club shaft is capable of hitting a golf ball a long distance, reducing vibrations and impacts generated when the golf ball is hit with the golf club, and giving a good feeling to a player. Since the vibration absorption member is inserted into a required position inside the hollow pipe of the golf club shaft and merely fixed thereto, it is easy to improve the vibration-damping performance of the golf club shaft.
An elastic material composing the vibration absorption member installed at least one portion inside the hollow pipe of the golf club shaft has the loss tangent (tan xcex4) not less than 0.7 at 10xc2x0 C. The larger the loss tangent (tan xcex4) is, the larger the energy conversion of the vibration absorption member is. Therefore it is possible to suppress vibrations and impacts generated when the player hits the golf ball with the golf club. Thus it is possible to give an unpleasant feeling to a reduced extent when the player hits the golf ball with the golf club.
If the loss tangent (tan xcex4) is less than 0.7, the vibration absorption member is incapable of displaying vibration/impact suppression effect sufficiently. From this point of view, the tan xcex4 is favorably not less than 1.0 and more favorably not less than 1.5. The upper limit of the tan xcex4 is not specified in the present invention, but for the reason of availability of a material, which can be used for the golf club shaft, the tan xcex4 is set to less than 5.0 and favorably to less than 4.0, and more favorably to less than 2.0.
It is preferable that the vibration absorption member has a body having a hollow portion, a central part connected to the body through a plurality of connection parts and disposed inside the hollow portion, a plurality of projected parts formed on a peripheral surface of the body and contacting an inner peripheral surface of the pipe-shaped golf club shaft.
It is preferable that the weight of the vibration absorption member is not less than 1 g nor more than 10 g; that the number of the connection parts is not less than two nor more than 10; and that the weight of the central part is not less than 10 wt % nor more than 60 wt % of a whole weight of the vibration absorption member. Owing to this construction of the vibration absorption member, its central part is capable of resonating with vibrations of the golf club shaft. Thus the vibration absorption member is capable of enhancing the vibration-damping effect to a higher extent.
The weight of the vibration absorption member is set to not less than 1 g nor more than 10 g and favorably to not less than 3 g nor more than 8 g.
If the weight of the vibration absorption member is less than 1 g, the vibration absorption member is incapable of displaying the vibration/impact damping effect sufficiently. On the other hand, if the weight of the vibration absorption member is more than 10 g, the entire golf club becomes heavy. Thus there is no degree of freedom in designing the weight of the fiber reinforced resin and the golf club has an unfavorable balance.
The number of the connection parts is set to not less than two nor more than 10, and favorably to not less than two nor more than eight, and more favorably to not less than two nor more than four. The optimum number of the connection parts is two.
If the number of the connection parts is one, the central part of the vibration absorption member is unfixable. Thus when the golf club shaft vibrates, the central part strikes against the inner wall of the vibration absorption member. Consequently the vibration absorption member is incapable of performing its vibration-absorbing function sufficiently. If the number of the connection parts is not less than 10, the central part is fixed so excessively that the vibration absorption member is incapable of resonating with vibrations of the golf club shaft and performing its vibration-absorbing function. It is preferable to dispose the connection parts at uniform intervals in the circumferential direction of the golf club shaft.
The thickness of the connection part is set preferably to not less than 0.1 mm nor more than 0.6 mm. If the thickness of the connection part is less than 0.1 mm, the connection part has a low strength. On the other hand, if the thickness of the connection part is more than 0.6 mm, the golf club shaft may have a low vibration-damping performance.
The weight of the central part is set to not less than 10 wt % nor more than 60 wt % of the whole weight of the vibration absorption member, favorably to not less than 12 wt % nor more than 50 wt %, and more favorably to not less than 15 wt % nor more than 30 wt %.
If the weight of the central part is set to less than 10 wt %, the vibration absorption member is incapable of resonating with vibrations of the golf club shaft sufficiently and is thus incapable of absorbing vibrations and impacts of the golf club shaft sufficiently. On the other hands if the weight of the central part is more than 60 wt % of the whole weight of the vibration absorption member, the parts other than the central part are required to be small in the weight thereof and will have a low strength respectively.
It is preferable to dispose the central part at approximately the center of the vibration absorption member. The central part may have various configurations. For example, the central part may be columnar, square pillar-shaped, spherical, and polygonal. A plurality of the central parts may be formed.
The vibration absorption member is disposed inside the golf club shaft by the direct contact between peripheral surface of the projected part of the vibration absorption member and the inner peripheral surface of the hollow pipe of the golf club shaft. The number of the projected parts is set to not less than two nor more than 10 and favorably to not less than two nor more than six. The most favorable number of the projected parts is four. If the number of the projected parts is one, it is difficult to fix the vibration absorption member to the interior of the golf club shaft. On the other hand, if the number of the projected parts is more than 10, it is difficult to fix the vibration absorption member to the interior of the golf club shaft. It is preferable to dispose the projected parts at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the golf club shaft and parallel to the axial direction thereof. The projected part may be disposed intermittently in the axial direction thereof.
It is preferable that the length of the projected part and that of the vibration absorption member are equal to each other in the axial direction of the golf club shaft. When the length of the projected part is not less than ⅓ of the length of the vibration absorption member, the vibration absorption member can be sufficiently fixed to the hollow portion of the golf club shaft. To fix the vibration absorption member to the hollow portion of the golf club shaft reliably and easily, it is preferable that the width of the projected part is set to not less than 1 mm nor more than 3 mm. Further by adjusting the height of the projected part, the vibration absorption member can be shaped in conformity to the tapered inner side of the golf club shaft and fixed more easily to the hollow portion. Thereby the vibration absorption member can be fixed to the predetermined position of the hollow portion of the golf club shaft.
It is preferable to shape the vibration absorption member in such a way that the balance of the center of gravity of the golf club shaft does not deteriorate in vertical section of the axis of the golf club shaft. A plurality of vibration absorption members may be provided for one golf club shaft. It is preferable that the body of the vibration absorption member is cylindrical, but may have various configurations such as a square cylinder having the central part. Although the vibration absorption member can be formed by molding a material by known conventional methods, injection molding and press molding are preferable in consideration of moldability.
An adhesive agent, a double-coated tape, and the like can be used to fix the vibration absorption member to the golf club shaft. It is preferable to fix the vibration absorption member to the golf club shaft by using the adhesive agent, the double-coated tape or the like in combination with the tapered surface of the projected part. As a method of fixing the vibration absorption member to the golf club shaft, it is particularly preferable to taper the projected part and use the adhesive agent. Even though the adhesiveness of the adhesive agent deteriorates and the vibration absorption member separates from the golf club shaft, the tapered portion of the projected part prevents the vibration absorption member made of the elastic material from moving toward the head in the hollow portion of the golf club shaft. An adhesive agent which is hardened by heating it is preferable. It is preferable to insert the vibration absorption member into the golf club shaft and then harden the adhesive agent by heating it in bonding the vibration absorption member to the golf club shaft.
The weight of the golf club shaft is set to not less than 35 g nor more than 70 g, favorably to not less than 35 g nor more than 60 g, and more favorably to not less than 35 g nor more than 55 g, before a paint material is applied to the golf club shaft and parts are mounted thereon. The more lightweight the golf club shaft is, the higher the vibration/impact absorbing effect is.
If the weight of the golf club shaft is less than 35 g, the golf club shaft is too lightweight. Consequently it is difficult for a player to control the directionality of the golf club shaft, and the golf club shaft has a low strength. On the other hand, if the weight of the golf club shaft is more than 70 g, the player cannot increase the head speed and thus cannot increase the flight distance of a golf ball.
It is preferable that a prepreg reinforced by carbon fibers, as a reinforcing fiber thereof, whose tensile modulus of elasticity is not less than 30 tonf/mm2 nor more than 80 tonf/mm2 is used for the golf club shaft favorably at not less than 50 wt % and more favorably at not less than 60 wt % of the entire weight of the golf club shaft, before a paint material is applied thereto. The upper limit of the weight percentage of the prepreg may be 100 wt % but is preferably less than 95 wt % in consideration of the strength of the golf club shaft.
Since the highly elastic prepreg reinforced by the carbon fibers, as the reinforcing fiber thereof, whose tensile modulus of elasticity is not less than 30 tonf/mm2 nor more than 80 tonf/mm2 is used for the golf club shaft, it is possible to increase the strength of the golf club shaft and make it lightweight Although the highly elastic material having a small amount of elongation in its fiber is used for the golf club shaft, unpleasant vibrations and impacts can be effectively decreased since the vibration absorption member is mounted in the interior of the golf club shaft. By adjusting the configuration of the vibration absorption member, the disposition of the weight thereof, and the layering amount of the highly elastic materials, the advantage of both can be obtained in a well-balanced state to thereby increase the vibration-damping performance to a higher extent.
It is preferable to dispose the vibration absorption member over the whole length of the golf club shaft in consideration of its vibration-damping performance. However, in consideration of the weight of the golf club shaft, the vibration absorption member is mounted favorably on a part of the whole length of the golf club shaft. The vibration absorption member is mounted at least one portion of a range favorably 40% and more favorably 30% of the whole length of the golf club shaft from one end thereof at the grip (butt) side thereof toward the other end thereof. By disposing the vibration absorption member in the neighborhood of the grip (player""s hand side), to a higher extent, the vibration absorption member is capable of suppressing vibrations to be transmitted to the player when the player hits the golf ball with the golf club.
The flexural rigidity (EI) of the golf club shaft in a range 30% of the whole length of the golf club shaft from the end thereof at the grip (butt) side toward the other end thereof is set to not less than 4 kgxc2x7m2 nor more than 10 kgxc2x7m2, favorably to not less than 5 kgxc2x7m2 nor more than 10 kgxc2x7m2, and more favorably to not less than 6 kgxc2x7m2 nor more than 10 kgxc2x7m2.
If the flexural rigidity (EI) of the golf club shaft in the above-described range is less than 4 kgxc2x7m2, the player feels soft and has a bad feeling when the player hits the golf ball with the golf club. On the other hand, if the flexural rigidity (EI) of the golf club shaft in the above-described range is more than 10 kgxc2x7m2, the player feels hard and has a bad feeling when the player hits the golf ball with the golf club. Further the flexural rigidity (EI) in the vicinity of the player""s hand is so large that vibrations and impacts are readily transmitted to the player""s hand. In this case, the effect of the present invention is reduced.
To set the flexural rigidity to the above-described range, it is preferable to layer prepregs each reinforced by the carbon fibers, as the reinforcing fiber thereof, whose tensile modulus of elasticity is more than 55 tonf/mm2 in the range not less than 30% of the whole length of the golf club shaft from the end thereof at the grip (butt) side toward the other end thereof. By using the material having a high elastic modulus of elasticity for the golf club shaft, it is possible to make the golf club shaft lightweight and increase its rigidity value in the above-described range.
As the elastic material, the following materials satisfying the tan xcex4 can be used: a dipole conversion material, a mixture of a thermoplastic elastomer and polypropylene, various resinous materials, rubber, and a mixture of these materials. It is preferable to form the vibration absorption member of a single material (uniform material) by molding it, in consideration of the strength and moldability thereof. The single material means a uniform material. A mixture of a plurality of materials can be used for the vibration absorption member, provided that the vibration absorption member is formed by molding the mixed materials uniformly.
The dipole conversion material has the following characteristics: when vibrations are applied to the dipole conversion material, positive and negative dipoles separate from each other and then attract each other. At that time, the dipoles contact a polymeric chain serving as the base of the dipole conversion material. As a result, a large amount of a vibration energy generated as a friction heat is converted into a thermal energy.
More specifically, the positive and negative dipoles are present in the dipole conversion material in a stable state with charges attracting each other. When vibrations are applied to the dipole conversion material, the positive and negative dipoles separate from each other and a restoring action that they attract each other occurs. At that time, the dipoles contact the polymeric chain serving as the base of the dipole conversion material. As a result, a large amount of the vibration energy generated as the friction heat is converted into the thermal energy. Owing to this action, the dipole conversion material absorbs the vibration energy.
It is preferable to form the dipole conversion material by adding an active component for increasing the moment of the dipoles to a polar high-molecular weight substance.
As the polar high-molecular weight substance, one of the following substances or a combination thereof can be preferably used: chlorinated polyethylene, EVA, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), polyvinyl chloride, acrylic rubber (ACR), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), chloroprene rubber (CR). In consideration of the adhesiveness of the polar high-molecular weight substance to the prepreg, chlorinated polyethylene and EVA are particularly favorable.
As the active component, it is possible to use one of the following substances or a combination thereof: a compound containing mercaptobenzothiazole radical, a compound containing benzothiazole radical, and a compound containing diphenyl acrylate radical.
As examples of a mixture of the thermoplastic elastomer and the polypropylene, it is possible to use Elastage produced by Toso Kabushiki Kaisha and the polypropylene, Labaron produced by Mitsubishi Kagaku Kabushiki Kaisha and the polypropylene, and Hybla produced by Kuraray Kabushiki Kaisha and the polypropylene. It is preferable to mix the thermoplastic elastomer and the polypropylene with each other at a mixing ratio of 70:30-85:15.
As reinforcing fibers, for the prepreg, other than the carbon fiber whose tensile modulus of elasticity is not less than 30 tonf/mm2 nor more than 80 tonf/mm2, it is possible to use glass fiber, aramid fiber, boron fiber, aromatic polyamide fiber, aromatic polyester fiber, and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene fiber.
As the resin which is used as the fiber reinforced resin, thermosetting resin and thermoplastic resin and the like can be used. In consideration of strength and rigidity, the thermosetting resin is preferable. Epoxy resin is particularly favorable.
As the thermosetting resin, the following resins can be used: epoxy resin, unsaturated polyester resin, phenol resin, melamine resin, urea resin, diallyl phthalate resin, polyurethane resin, polyimide resin, and silicon resin.
The thermoplastic resin includes polyamide resin, saturated polyester resin, polycarbonate resin, ABS resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyacetal resin, polystyrene resin, polyethylene resin, polyvinyl acetate, AS resin, methacrylate resin, polypropylene resin, and fluorine resin.
The golf club shaft of the present invention is applicable to all kinds of golf clubs. For example, a wooden head can be mounted on the golf club shaft of the present invention to compose a driver or an iron head can be mounted thereon. The golf club shaft of the present invention may be used as a patter.


The present invention relates to a modified polymerization initiator for a conjugated diene-based polymer, and a modified conjugated diene-based polymer including a functional group derived from the modified polymerization initiator.

According to the recent demand for cars having a low fuel consumption ratio, a conjugated diene-based polymer having modulational stability represented by wet skid resistance as well as low rolling resistance, and excellent abrasion resistance and tensile properties is required as a rubber material for tires.
In order to reduce the rolling resistance of tires, there is a method of reducing hysteresis loss of vulcanized rubber, and rebound resilience at 50° C. to 80° C., tan 5, Goodrich heating, or the like is used as an evaluation index of the vulcanized rubber. That is, it is desirable to use a rubber material having high rebound resilience at the above temperature or a low tan 5 value or Goodrich heating.
Natural rubbers, polyisoprene rubbers, or polybutadiene rubbers are known as rubber materials having low hysteresis loss, but these rubbers have a limitation of low wet skid resistance. Thus, recently, conjugated diene-based polymers or copolymers such as styrene-butadiene rubbers (hereinafter, referred to as "SBR") and butadiene rubbers (hereinafter, referred to as "BR"), are prepared by emulsion polymerization or solution polymerization to be used as rubbers for tires. Among these polymerization methods, the greatest advantage of the solution polymerization in comparison to the emulsion polymerization is that the vinyl structure content and the styrene content, which specify physical properties of the rubber, may be arbitrarily adjusted and its molecular weight and physical properties may be controlled by coupling or modification. Thus, the SBR prepared by the solution polymerization is widely used as a rubber material for tires because it is easy to change a structure of the finally prepared SBR or BR, and movement of chain terminals may be reduced and a coupling force with a filler such as silica and carbon black may be increased by coupling or modification of the chain terminals.
If the solution-polymerized SBR is used as the rubber material for tires, since a glass transition temperature of the rubber is increased by increasing the vinyl content in the SBR, physical properties such as running resistance and braking force, required for tires may be controlled, and fuel consumption may also be reduced by appropriately adjusting the glass transition temperature. The solution-polymerized SBR is prepared by using an anionic polymerization initiator and is being used by coupling or modifying the chain terminals of the polymer thus formed using various modifiers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,397,994 discloses a method of coupling active anions of the chain terminals of a polymer obtained by polymerizing styrene-butadiene using alkyllithium which is a monofunctional initiator in a non-polar solvent, using a binder such as a tin compound.
Meanwhile, a solution-polymerized SSBR is prepared using an anionic polymerization initiator, and in this case, the anionic polymerization initiator is mostly an organolithium compound. The organolithium compound is used as it is or after modifying with a functional group-containing compound which may impart a polymer chain with the functional group. For example, there is a method of preparing and using a modified polymerization initiator having a styrene-based structure unit, a conjugated diene-based structure unit or an arylamine structure unit through the reaction of a styrene-based compound, a conjugated diene-based compound or an arylamine compound with an organolithium compound, but this method is economically infeasible and there is a limit to industrial use. Particularly, the production of the modified polymerization initiator using the conjugated diene-based compound is difficult because the coupling of the functional group to a conjugated diene-based unit is unfavorable.
For example, JP 3748277 discloses an anionic polymerization initiator prepared by reacting an adduct obtained by bonding the nitrogen of a cyclic secondary amine to conjugated diene carbon, with an organolithium compound. However, according to the reaction, the cyclic secondary amine may remain and act as a scavenger during the reaction, and the yield of the anionic polymerization initiator may be degraded. Accordingly, filtering and separating processes are essentially required after the reaction. Therefore, the development of a modified polymerization initiator having excellent economic feasibility and industrial applicability is required.

Modified polymerization initiator and modified conjugated diene- based polymer including functional group derived therefrom


A general purpose hard surface cleaner concentrate comprising an organic solvent system comprising from about 1 to about 10% of an organic solvent selected from the group of alkylene and polyalkylene glycols and lower alkyl ethers of alkylene and polyalkylene glycols; from about 3 to 15% of a nonionic or anionic surfactant; from about 1 to about 10% of a builder system comprising 25 to 99% of a first builder and from about 5 to 65% of a second builder which is a polyacrylic resin having a molecular weight between about 500 to about 8,000; from about 1 to about 15% of a hydrotrope which is an alkali metal salt of a cyclohexene dicarboxylic acid, and water. The preferred hydrotrope is the potassium salt of 5 (or 6) carboxy-4-hexyl-2-cyclohexene-1-octanoic acid. In use the concentrate is diluted to a ratio of 10 to 150 parts water per part of the concentrate, although is useful full strength as a spot cleaner.

General purpose cleaners should be suitable for use on a wide variety of surfaces and effective against different types of soil deposits, e.g. grease, heel scuff marks, food spills, dirt buildup, wax buildup, mildew, and the like. Preferably, the cleaner should not exhibit a high degree of sudsing so as to minimize streaking when used on highly polished surfaces, for example, glass surfaces, bathroom tiles, marble and terrazzo floors, and counter tops. Cleaners in concentrate form are particularly advantageous because the degree of dilution can be regulated depending upon the nature of the surface to be cleaned and the type of soil to be removed. In addition, concentrates are cost effective from the standpoint of shipping and warehousing. Finally, concentrates, when used full strength for spot cleaning, are effective for removing extremely difficult to remove soils and stains.
Many cleaning concentrates are commercially available such as CLEAN QUICK sold by Procter & Gamble Company, FORWARD sold by S. C. Johnson & Co., Inc., and SOILAX sold by Economics Laboratories, Inc. Many cleaning compositions, whether for glass surfaces or for general purpose cleaning, have also been identified by the patent literature. For example, glass cleaning compositions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,463,735 to Stonebraker et al; 4,213,873 to Church; 4,086,178 to Walker; and 4,081,395 to Talley.
All purpose hard surface cleaning compositions are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,453,144 to Morgan; 3,882,038 to Clayton et al; 3,709,825 to Chirash et al; 3,923,678 to Kleiner et al; 4,302,348 to Requejo; 4,152,305 to Berghausen, III; U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,956,161 and 3,966,628 to Woodward, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,175,062 to Disch et al; 3,887,497 to Ulvild; 3,239,467 to Lipinski; 3,210,287 to Kelly et al, and 3,591,510 to Zenk.
Common to each of the above captioned commercial products or patented formulations is the incorporation of a surface active agent, typically an anionic or nonionic surfactant; an organic solvent, typically a low molecular weight alcohol, a low molecular weight ether, a glycol ether, or mixture thereof; and water. In many of these formulations, a phosphate builder is incorporated as well as an alkali metal salt of an alkylaryl sulfonate used as a hydrotrope coupler. Other constituents may include pH control agents, pH adjusting agents, chelating agents, germicides, a fluorocarbon surfactant, and a corrosion inhibitor.

All purpose cleaner concentrate composition


The present invention provides a gas turbine capable of reducing energy consumption while suppressing a so-called cat back phenomenon. The gas turbine includes a combustor-accommodating chamber casing for accommodating therein a combustor which burns fuel and air compressed by a compressor to generate combustion gas and which injects the combustion gas to a turbine. The gas turbine also includes a first air supply passage and a second air supply passage on an upper portion of the combustor-accommodating chamber casing in the vertical direction. The first air supply passage discharges air toward the compressor in the combustor-accommodating chamber casing. The second air supply passage discharges air in a direction different from that of the first air supply passage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gas turbine, a method of controlling air supply and a computer program product for controlling air supply.
2. Description of the Related Art
The gas turbine is operated by injecting high temperature gas generated by a combustor to a turbine. After the operation of the gas turbine is stopped, the high temperature gas stays in a combustor-accommodating chamber in which the combustor is accommodated, and a temperature difference is generated in an upper half and a lower half of the combustor-accommodating chamber. An upper side of the combustor-accommodating chamber having high temperature expands, and a lower side of the combustor-accommodating chamber having low temperature relatively contracts. Therefore, the combustor-accommodating chamber is deformed and a so-called cat back phenomenon is generated. To suppress the cat back phenomenon, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-218569 discloses in its paragraph 0004 a technique (abbreviated as spin cooling, hereinafter) in which to reduce the temperature difference in a combustor-accommodating chamber 5, a turbine blade is rotated after the operation of the gas turbine is stopped to generate air current in the combustor-accommodating chamber, and temperature distribution in the combustor-accommodating chamber is reduced.
According to the technique disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Application, however, power for rotating the turbine blade after the operation of the gas turbine is stopped is necessary, and there is a problem that energy consumption for the power is high. The above Japanese Patent Application also discloses a technique to keep flowing purge air into the combustor-accommodating chamber, but this technique requires to continuously flow the purge air for a long time, and this technique is susceptible to improvement for reduction of energy consumption.

Gas turbine, method of controlling air supply and computer program product for controlling air supply


A child resistant closure for a container wherein an outer cap is freely rotatable on an inner cap. A pair of oppositely extending latch tabs extend through passageways provided in the inner cap into recesses provided in the outer cap to couple the inner and outer caps for removal of the closure from the container. The latch tab members are connected to a manually rotatable hub so that the latch tab members are simultaneously moved to the coupled position. The recesses in the outer cap are provided with cam surfaces engagable with the latch tabs for automatically moving the latch tabs to the released position into the passageways during the securing of the closure to the bottle. Indicia are provided on the outer cap and hub member to indicate when the passageways and recesses are aligned and when the latch tabs have been extended into the recesses.

This application is related to the child resistant closure disclosed in applicant's pending application Ser. No. 07/878,914, filed May 6, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,900, dated Dec. 15, 1992, wherein an outer cap is freely rotatable on an inner cap and a latch assembly is positioned between the top walls of the inner and outer caps for connecting the inner and outer caps together, whereby the closure can be removed from the bottle. The latch assembly includes a post integral with the top wall of the inner cap and a latch member slidably mounted in the space between the top walls of the inner and outer caps for engagement with the post to interconnect the inner and outer caps. An aperture is provided in the top wall of the outer cap alignable with a top surface of the post, whereby the position of the post can be observed to indicate alignment of the latch member with the post preparatory to sliding the latch member into engagement with the post.


Means for cooling drinks, especially soft drinks and beer contained in cans, aboard a running motor vehicle, in correspondence of air gratings of the passenger compartment of said motor vehicle. It comprises, on the one hand, a support (1) consisting of a wire, bent at is center, so as to define a housing to contain a can (11) or the like, and whose ends (6), projecting at right angles from said housing, slightly diverging and elastically strainable, from elements, which can be inserted and engaged in the openings of an air grating (8) in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, on the other hand, a strip or cover (10) of soakable material, to be applied wet to the can (11) or the like before putting it on said support, exposed to the air jet going out through said grating (8).

The present invention relates to simple and practical means for cooling drinks, especially soft drinks and beer contained in cans, aboard a running motor vehicle, in correspondence of air gratings of the passenger compartment of said motor vehicle.
It is well known the refreshment caused by a cool drink during a journey, especially in warm season, and it is known as well that, for getting this refreshment, a car driver is obliged to stop its car and stay for some time at a public place (which is often crowded, especially when located in a service area of a speedway) which is very troublesome and time-consuming in case of a long journey or during rush-hours. Carrying drink cans, even chilled, with oneself does not solve the problem, because they will get irremediably warm in a short time, thus making the drink completely disagreeable.
It is an object of the present invention to provide car drivers with extremely simple and practical means, which allows to keep cool or to cool quickly, aboard motor vehicles, drinks contained in cans or similar containers, by making use of the air jet, which is introduced into the passenger compartment through the air gratings because of the motion, or, when the vehicle is stationary, by the fan.

Means for cooling drinks, especially in cans, in correspondence of air gratings of motor-vehicle passenger compartments


A play house apparatus aimed at children whose ages range from eighteen months to nine or ten years which is designed to provide entertainment and to introduce, teach and/or reinforce any number of artistic, theatric and imaginative skills as well as fundamental skills, such as alphabet recognition, handwriting, numeric skills, musical scales, and the like.

Children, it would seem, have the imaginative capacity to create playthings from the most mundane objects. Likewise, at times it would seem that they have a limitless capacity to learn. As a result, both toy makers and educators have tried to capitalize on these capabilities for a variety of reasons.
The present invention also seeks to use children's capacities for imagination and learning by providing them with a structure which can be transformed into a variety of playthings, such as a truck, car, fire engine, boat, airplane, hospital, school, puppet theater, or even a maze. The present invention can also be used as a three dimensional chalkboard, of sorts, by providing a surface which can be used for coloring, decorating, and writing, among other things.
Accordingly it is a general object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive toy, the entertainment value of which is limited only by a child's imagination. It is another object of the present invention to provide a toy which presents opportunities for artistic expression. It is further object of the present invention to provide a medium for learning and practicing fundamental skills, such as reading, handwriting, arithmetic, color recognition, and musical scales, among other things. It is another object of the present invention to provide a useful device for storing toys, clothing, etc., when desired. These together with other objects and features, which will be in part apparent and in part pointed out, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully described and claimed hereinafter.


A color correction circuit includes a detection part configured to detect the luminance information and chromaticity histogram information of an input video signal of one of an RGB color space and a YCbCr color space, the chromaticity histogram information including chroma and hue information; and a control part configured to control the color reproduction of the video signal based on the luminance information and the chromaticity histogram information detected by the detection part. The detection part includes a hue detection part configured to convert the video signal to an HSV color space and to detect a hue of the video signal from hues of the HSV color space.

The conventional art for the present invention includes Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2006-311179 (Patent Document 1), Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2004-241882 (Patent Document 2), and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-39862 (Patent Document 3).
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2006-311179 proposes detecting color histogram information from color difference signals and detecting average luminance level and luminance histogram information from a luminance signal, thereby controlling the demodulation axes of the color difference signals; and obtaining a video signal of appropriate color saturation in combination with the luminance information. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2004-241882 proposes the technique of performing histogram-conversion-type tone correction and color saturation correction in accordance with the luminance distribution of the flesh color part of one frame of a video signal in order to obtain a video of optimum flesh color. Further, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-39862 proposes the technique of detecting the average luminance level of an input signal and controlling gain with the detected average luminance level, thereby controlling the chroma of a desired hue of the video signal, in order to prevent a decrease in chroma and display a video without dullness at low luminance levels on liquid crystal displays.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2006-311179.    Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2004-241882.    Patent Document 3: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-39862.

Color correction circuit and image display apparatus using same


The invention discloses a recycling bin cover comprising a base member engageable with a periphery of a recycling bin's open top; a frame having a plurality of frame members extending upwardly from the base member toward an imaginary apex; a curtain supported on and forming a sidewall extending around the frame; a flap forming an openable sidewall in the curtain; an opening positioned on the curtain and dimensioned to accept materials for recycling into the bin; and one or more lifting members connected to the base member, to the frame, or to both, and extending to form a handle above the recycling bin cover. Also included is a method of advertising by displaying a collegiate or sports emblem on the recycling bin cover disclosed.

As our country and our cities have become more and more populous, waste recycling has increased in importance and has become more popular with the environmentally conscious. Waste recycling, particularly, plastics, glass, metals, especially aluminum, and paper helps conserve our natural resources and greatly reduces unnecessary input to landfills which are quickly becoming saturated. For those reasons, more municipalities are encouraging their citizens to recycle such materials. Most communities which promote recycling will distribute standardized bins to every household and request that these bins be used for depositing the materials for recycling. On scheduled days, the full bins will be placed at curbside for waste management personnel to pick up. Often, bins may be overly full and newspapers and other materials may fall out or be blown out of the bin and into the street. Additionally, it is difficult for the user to properly contain materials in an overfilled bin.


A second data transfer line that is coupled to a gate layer of a drive transistor is formed in a layer higher than the gate layer, and a transfer capacitor is formed in a layer higher than a layer having the second data transfer line. A first data transfer line to which a data signal is supplied is formed in a layer higher than a layer having the transfer capacitor.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electro-optical device, an electronic apparatus, and a method of driving the electro-optical device.
2. Related Art
In recent years, various electro-optical devices that use a light emitting element such as an organic light emitting diode (hereinafter, referred to as OLED) have been proposed. In a general configuration of the electro-optical device, a pixel circuit that includes a light emitting element, a transistor, or the like is provided in correspondence with a pixel among an image to be displayed, corresponding to intersection of a scan line and a data line.
In the configuration, if a data signal having a potential according to a gradation level of the pixel is applied to a gate of a drive transistor, the drive transistor supplies a light emitting element with a current according to a gate-source voltage. According to this, the light emitting element emits light in brightness according to a gradation level.
In a driving method that uses a transistor to adjust a light emission intensity, if threshold voltages of the drive transistors provided to each pixel vary, a current that flows through a light emitting element varies, and thereby image quality of a display image is decreased. Thus, in order to prevent image quality from decreasing, it is necessary to compensate for variation of the threshold voltage of the drive transistor. Hence, in order to adjust a gate voltage of the drive transistor to the threshold voltage, a device is proposed in which a compensation transistor is provided between the gate, and a drain or a source of the drive transistor and a coupling capacitor is coupled to the gate of the drive transistor (for example, JP-A-2010-048899). In the device, a sampling transistor is coupled between the data line and a wire of the gate of the drive transistor, a coupling capacitor is coupled between a gate of the sampling transistor and a gate of the drive transistor, and a potential of a data signal decreases by the amount of a coupling voltage.
However, as described in JP-A-2010-048899, in a device which uses the coupling capacitor, if a data line, a coupling transistor, the coupling capacitor, a wire connected to a gate of a drive transistor, and the like are formed in the same layer, noise due to a potential change of a data signal with large amplitude affects a gate wire of a drive transistor or the like, and thereby display quality can be decreased.

Electro-optical device, electronic apparatus, and method of driving electro-optical device


A method of controlling an implantable blood pump of a living patient. The method includes receiving one or more pump signals indicating at least one from the group consisting of a motor speed of the blood pump, power supplied to the blood pump, and differential pressure exerted by the blood pump. One or more medication signals is received indicating whether the patient has taken a medication. The flow rate of blood based on a combination of the one or more pump signals and the medication signals is determined. At least one from the group consisting of increasing and decreasing power is supplied to the pump in response to the determined flow rate.

Implantable blood pumps may be used to provide assistance to patients with late stage heart disease. Blood pumps operate by receiving blood from a patient's vascular system and impelling the blood back into the patient's vascular system. By adding momentum and pressure to the patient's blood flow, blood pumps may augment or replace the pumping action of the heart. For example, a blood pump may be configured as ventricular assist device or "VAD."
A VAD is a device which is used to assist the heart of a mammalian subject such as a human or animal patient. A typical VAD includes a pump which is implanted in the body of the patient. The pump typically has an inlet connected to a source of blood to be circulated, and an outlet connected to an artery. Where a VAD is used to assist the pumping action of the left ventricle, the device draws blood from the left ventricle of the heart and discharges the blood into the aorta. VADs can be used to assist the heart of patients suffering from conditions which impair the pumping ability of the heart. Such assistance can be provided permanently, or while the patient awaits a suitable heart transplant. In other cases, the assistance provided by the VAD allows the heart to heal.
The blood pump may be a miniature rotary impeller pump having an impeller disposed in a pump housing and driven in rotation by a small electric motor which may be closely integrated with the pump. The motor in turn typically is powered by an implantable and/or external power sources such as storage batteries with an arrangement for charging the batteries from an external AC or DC power source. The VAD typically includes a control system which controls operation of the power source so as to drive the impeller at a set rotational speed and thus provide constant pumping action (blood flow).
Many patients who receive a blood pump are also provided with medication. Such medications may improve or regulate operation of the pump, such as a blood thinning medication or a vasodilator that may reduce the risk of thrombus formation in the pump. For such patients it is desirable to be able to ensure that the patient takes the prescribed medication, as well as to ensure that the medication has the desired effect on the patient's health. Furthermore, the fact that the patient is taking medication is yet additional information relating to the patient's condition and operation of the blood pump. It is also desirable to be able to better monitor the patient's health and the blood pump's operation using this additional data input.


A line control device and a line control method for a user terminal are operated to control the user terminal. The line control device includes a flexible body, a control unit arranged in the flexible body, and a first deformation detection unit arranged along a first axis of the flexible body. The first deformation detection unit is electronically connected to the control unit. The first deformation detection unit is operated to detect a deformation of the flexible body with respect to the first axis. The control unit is operated to control the user terminal according to a deformation of the flexible body with respect to the first axis.

The line control device brings great convenience to user terminals, such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, and so on. For example, a line control device applied in an earphone line of a user terminal can be used to control functions of the user terminal, such as answering or rejecting a call, switching songs, adjusting volume, and so on. However, most existing line control devices are button-type control devices made of hard material, or touch-type control devices with touch panels arranged at hard material. To control functions of the user terminals through these line control devices, specific button combinations or touch gestures are required. When the line control device is out of sight of the user, touch operations are required to locate the corresponding button and the touch panel. Thus, the operation efficiency of the existing line control device is limited. In addition, the existing line control device has too few operation gestures to achieve a richer function control.

Line control device and line control method for user terminal


A device for performing fetotomy on a dead fetus or repositioning of a live fetus has a primary attachment in the form of a looped brace that is provided around a fetal limb within the birth canal of the mother animal and engages the armpit or groin of the fetus. An extension bar connects the brace to a tensioning device. A secondary attachment such as a cable or chain is attached at the foot of the fetal limb and connected to the tensioning device. The tensioning device is operated to provide tension between the brace and the secondary attachment, thereby placing the fetal limb in traction. Sufficient traction causes removal of the entire limb without exposing sharp bone edges. Variations of the device may be used for a fetal repositioning procedure.

The birthing of animals, including humans and livestock, has presented substantial problems for doctors, farmers and veterinary doctors for many years. The problem has been most severe in the cattle industry where current trends in genetic selection commonly cause calves to be born at a larger size. Cattle giving birth at 24 months or younger are particularly at risk of having birthing difficulty because their birth canal has not yet reached full adult size. Not uncommonly, a veterinary doctor or livestock handler will be faced with a serious problem when a fetus has died during the birthing process and is incorrectly positioned or physically too large to be delivered. If the dead fetus is not delivered promptly, infection and shock can cause death to the mother. Conventional devices to extract the entire fetus by pulling on the fetus while pushing against the hindquarters of the mother can be dangerous because extreme traction often causes fatal injury to the uterus and birth canal. A costly caesarian operation has the often fatal risk of infection due to the delivery of a rotting fetus through a surgical incision. An area of veterinary obstetrics called fetotomy has been developed to provide an alternative delivery technique. Fetotomy pertains to separating the fetus into parts and removing the fetus through the birth canal one piece at a time. Special knives and wire saws are typically used to perform this procedure. Wire saws present problems due to the extreme difficulty of passing a rough wire around fetal structures in a very confined space without injury to the mother animal. In addition, once the cuts are made, sharp surfaces of cut bones may be exposed to the delicate structures of the uterus and birth canal.

Device and method for performing a fetal procedure


A fuel cell vehicle comprises a motor , a fuel cell , a first DC/DC converter, and a first converter control unit . The first DC/DC converter performs a boosting operation when the fuel cell vehicle runs in a non-stationary state, and does not perform the boosting operation during the vehicle runs in a stationary state.

There are known fuel cell vehicles which produce drive power by supplying the electric power from a fuel cell to a traction motor. The known fuel cell vehicles include fuel cell vehicles in which the output voltage of a fuel cell is stepped up with a DC/DC converter and supplied to a traction motor (see U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0012340 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0275276). The fuel cell vehicle disclosed in each of the above publications includes an electric storage device in addition to the fuel cell, and has the traction motor driven by the combined electric power from the fuel cell and the electric storage device.


A secure access system includes at least one lock, at least one electronic key with stored information assigned to a user and a system administration for administering user access privileges. A method for remotely updating the user's expired access privileges includes establishing communication between the user and the system administration from a location remote from the system administration, receiving a remote privilege code from the system administration, communicating the remote privilege code to the lock, and, if authorized, the lock validating the privilege code to renew the user's access privileges. The validated privilege code can also be made effective to access other different locks within the system.

This application relates to controlled access systems, and particularly to innovations in renewing access privileges for a user of the system.
In some controlled access systems, various users are given privileges to access the system on a limited basis. For example, the privileges may be time-limited and set to expire after a given time, such as upon a certain time and/or date, after expiration of a predetermined period following grant of the privileges, etc. Privileges may also be limited in other ways, such as by the occurrence of an event, e.g., exceeding a predetermined number of uses or attempted uses.
Limiting the privileges of users has certain benefits. Limited privileges can improve overall system security because user involvement can be required, e.g., to confirm the user's identity, to confirm the user is an active user, to confirm the user still agrees to comply with the system's rules and policies, etc. The automatic expiration of privileges can reduce the system's exposure to a security breach from a rogue user, because the breach will be limited in time by the next normal expiration of privileges. Limited privileges can allow the system administration to exercise greater control in making changes to the system.
One class of controlled access systems concerns restricting access to physical assets, i.e., access to places or things. If the assets are at different locations, such a system may include centralized administration for efficiency and convenience. In a system with centralized administration, renewal of access privileges generally occurs at a central location or at locations linked to the centralized administration, but not at "in the field" locations, such as near the assets a user might be attempting to access.
The renewal process typically involves some form of check on the user's status to hold access privileges. In some systems, the user may need to verify or authenticate his identity before renewal can take place. If the check reveals that the user is no longer entitled to access privileges, renewal is denied. If the user is in good standing, or addresses the outstanding requirements, renewal takes place and the user is reauthorized for the next privileges period.
One type of controlled access system is used primarily to facilitate the showing of real estate properties to prospective buyers. The system uses electronic lockboxes having a locked compartment that holds a physical key to a dwelling or other site of interest on the property. Access to the lockbox, and thus to the physical key stored in the lockbox, is granted if the user presents an appropriate credential, which can be, e.g., an access code. Such a code can be entered directly on the lockbox, e.g., on a keypad attached to the lockbox, or the user can communicate the code to the lock box. The user can be issued an electronic device, referred to as a "key," that is capable of communicating the access code to the lock box. The access code can be communicated by direct electrical connection (e.g., establishing electrical contact between a portion of the electronic key and corresponding structure associated with the lock box) or any type of wireless communication from the key to the lockbox (e.g., radio, RF, Bluetooth, IR, IrDa, optoelectronic communication, acoustic coupling, etc.).
In conventional systems, the user's key can be a personal digital assistant (e.g., a Palm device, a Pocket PC device, or other device), cellular telephone or other personal general purpose microprocessor-based device capable of being programmed to function as an electronic key. In other conventional systems, the key is a microprocessor-based dedicated electronic key with a user interface (e.g., a keypad) and, optionally, a display. In still other conventional systems, the key is a card having a memory for electronic data, such as a magnetic strip card, an optical memory card, or a smart card with an embedded microchip.
Renewal of access privileges while "out in the field" is not supported in some conventional real estate controlled access systems. Rather, a user seeking to renew his privileges must establish communication with the central administrator from a linked location. Typically, such linked locations would include the user's home or office, and the link could be established via a desktop PC. There may also be a location provided at the real estate board administrator's offices.
In other real estate controlled access systems, access privileges can be renewed remotely, but validation of such remotely renewed privileges is limited. In one scenario, an authorized user requests renewal via a telephone link with a system administration, and receives a code which is then entered via the user's key. Once the code is entered into the key, the key is reauthorized for a predetermined period. Typically, no additional validation takes place. For example, the lock or locks to which the key holder addresses his requests do not separately validate the key holder's identity, etc.
There is a need to make remote renewal of access privileges more feasible, more flexible and more secure in a variety of secure access systems.

UTC Fire & Security Americas Corporation, Inc.


A shift actuator for a transmission, comprising an operation rod that engages with an operation member coupled to the shift lever of the transmission, a magnetic moving means arranged on the outer peripheral surface of said operation rod, a cylindrical fixed yoke surrounding said magnetic moving means, and a pair of coils arranged side by side in the axial direction inside said fixed yoke, wherein magnetic members are arranged on both sides of said pair of coils.

The present invention relates to a shift actuator for a transmission for operating, in the direction of shift, a shift lever of a transmission mounted on a vehicle.
As the shift actuator for a transmission for operating a shift lever of the transmission in the direction of shift, there is generally used a fluid pressure cylinder by using a fluid pressure such as air pressure or hydraulic pressure as a source of operation. The shift actuator employing the fluid cylinder requires piping for connection to the source of fluid pressure, requires an electromagnetic change-over valve for changing over the flow passage of the operation fluid, and requires space for arranging the above components, resulting in an increase in weight of the device as a whole.
In recent years, there has been proposed an actuator of the type of an electric motor as a shift actuator for a transmission mounted on a vehicle which is provided with neither a source of compressed air nor a source of hydraulic pressure. The shift actuator constituted by the electric motor can be constituted in a compact size as a whole and in a reduced weight since it needs neither the piping for connection to the source of hydraulic pressure nor the electromagnetic change-over valve, unlike the actuators that use fluid pressure cylinders. The actuators using electric motors, however, require a speed reduction mechanism for obtaining a predetermined operation force. As the speed reduction mechanisms, there have been proposed the one using a ball-screw mechanism and the one using a gear mechanism. However, the actuators using the ball-screw mechanism and the gear mechanism are not necessarily satisfactory in regard to durability of the ball screw mechanism and of the gear mechanism and in regard to durability and the operation speed of the electric motors.
As a shift actuator for a transmission that has excellent durability and a high operation speed, therefore, the present applicant has proposed, in Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-013163, a shift actuator for a transmission, comprising an operation rod that engages with an operation member coupled to a shift lever of the transmission, a magnetic moving means arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the operation rod, a cylindrical fixed yoke surrounding the magnetic moving means, and a pair of coils arranged side by side in the axial direction inside the fixed yoke.
The shift actuator produces no driving force when the shifting mechanism is shifted to a shift stroke end, i.e., to a gear-engaging position. On the other hand, the shifting mechanism operated by the shift actuator receives a force in a direction in which the gear disengages, at the time when the transmission transmits the power. In order to prevent the gear from undesirably disengaging, therefore, the shifting mechanism must be limited from moving toward the neutral position side in a state where the shifting mechanism has been shifted to the shift stroke end, i.e., to the gear-engaging position and hence, produces no driving force. Therefore, the shifting mechanism in the transmission is provided with a detent mechanism for holding a state in which it has been shifted to the shift stroke end, i.e., to the gear-engaging position.
The detent mechanism usually has a constitution in which a detent ball pushed by a detent spring is brought into engagement with a dent formed in the shift rod that constitutes the shifting mechanism. To operate the shift rod shifted to the shift stroke end, i.e., to the gear-engaging position toward the neutral position side, the detent ball which has engaged with the dent formed in the shift rod must be caused to move along the tilted surface of the dent against the resilient force of the detent spring. Therefore, the shift actuator requires a large driving force.
If the shift actuator has a self-holding function for holding a state where it has been shifted to the shift stroke end, i.e., to the gear-engaging position, the shift rod needs no detent mechanism or the detent force can be made to small, making it possible to use a shift actuator having a small driving ability.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a shift actuator having a self-holding function for holding a state in which the shifting mechanism has been shifted to the shift stroke end, i.e., to the gear-engaging position.
According to the present invention, to accomplish the above-mentioned object, there is provided a shift actuator for a transmission, comprising an operation rod that engages with an operation member coupled to the shift lever of the transmission, a magnetic moving means arranged on the outer peripheral surface of said operation rod, a cylindrical fixed yoke surrounding said magnetic moving means, and a pair of coils arranged side by side in the axial direction inside said fixed yoke, wherein magnetic members are arranged on both sides of said pair of coils.
The magnetic members are arranged in a bobbin on which the pair of coils are wound.


A portable multifunction device displays a first user interface object and a second user interface object on a touch screen display. Upon detecting a finger-down event at the first user interface object and one or more finger-dragging events on the touch screen display, the device moves the first user interface object on the touch screen display along a path determined by the finger-dragging events until the first user interface object at least in part overlaps the second user interface object. Upon detecting a finger-up event at the second user interface object, the device visually replaces the second user interface object with the first user interface object.

As portable electronic devices become more compact, and the number of functions performed by a given device increase, it has become a significant challenge to design a user interface that allows users to easily interact with a multifunction device. This challenge is particular significant for handheld portable devices, which have much smaller screens than desktop or laptop computers. This situation is unfortunate because the user interface is the gateway through which users receive not only content but also responses to user actions or behaviors, including user attempts to access a device's features, tools, and functions. Some portable communication devices (e.g., mobile telephones, sometimes called mobile phones, cell phones, cellular telephones, and the like) have resorted to adding more pushbuttons, increasing the density of push buttons, overloading the functions of pushbuttons, or using complex menu systems to allow a user to access, store and manipulate data. These conventional user interfaces often result in complicated key sequences and menu hierarchies that must be memorized by the user.
Many conventional user interfaces, such as those that include physical pushbuttons, are also inflexible. This is unfortunate because it may prevent a user interface from being configured and/or adapted by either an application running on the portable device or by users. When coupled with the time consuming requirement to memorize multiple key sequences and menu hierarchies, and the difficulty in activating a desired pushbutton, such inflexibility is frustrating to most users.
On the other hand, a touch-sensitive screen supports more user-friendly and intuitive means for a user to interact with graphical objects on the screen, such as dragging and dropping an object from one position to another using fingertip.
Accordingly, there is a need for portable multifunction devices with more transparent and intuitive user interfaces supporting user navigation of graphical objects on a touch screen display, e.g., swapping two objects, which are easy to use, configure, and/or adapt. Such interfaces increase the effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction with portable multifunction devices.

Portable multifunction device, method, and graphical user interface supporting user navigations of graphical objects on a touch screen display