An electrical cord having improved safety features comprises a plug having a body portion surrounding respective ends of first, second, and third electrical wires. A live receptacle is in electrical communication with the end of the first electrical wire. A neutral receptacle is in electrical communication with the end of the second electrical wire. A ground receptacle is in electrical communication with the end of the third electrical wire. The body portion surrounds and maintains the live, neutral, and ground receptacles in spaced apart orientation corresponding to blades on an electrical plug. An indicator is provided to indicate a state of the plug in which electricity is supplied to the plug in a proper polarity.

1. Field of Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to electrical cords, and, more particularly, to an electrical cord having plugs with improved safety features, such as for example a replaceable and structurally reinforced ground pin and/or one or more indicator lights indicating various states of electrical activity of the cord.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the United States, standard electrical plugs for an electrical power cord have either two or three pins which are configured to be received by corresponding sockets of an electrical outlet to establish an electrical current path to provide electrical current to power an electronic load device. In a two-pin plug, one pin is live and carries current from the source to the load device. The other pin is neutral and returns the current from the load device to the source. A three-pin plug is similar to a two-pin plug in that it includes a live pin, or "blade," and a neutral blade. However, a three-prong plug also includes a ground pin, the purpose of which is to connect the load device to a grounded electrical path. Thus, the ground pin serves to protect the load device against electric shock due, for example, to insulation failure. The ground pin, when connected to a grounded path, also limits the build-up of static electricity on parts of the device.
A three-pin plug may provide many advantages over a two-pin plug. However, in order to properly utilize a three-pin plug, an electrical outlet having three sockets corresponding to the three pins of the three-pin plug is required. Often, it is necessary or desirable to plug a three-pin plug into an electrical outlet having only two sockets, of the type specifically designed for use with a two-pin plug. In such situations, many users of electrical devices may use a so-called "ground lifting plug," which is an electrical plug adapter that essentially consists of a three-socket receptacle on one side, and a two-pin plug on the other side. However, it is also not uncommon for a user to simply bend, break off, or otherwise remove, a ground pin from a three-pin plug in order to allow the remaining two pins to fit into a two-socket receptacle of an outlet.
In several situations, such as for example in commercial settings and/or on construction sites, the practice of damaging or removing a ground pin from a three-pin plug and then subsequently using the plug is prohibited by various rules, ordinances, or laws. For example, in a construction setting, use of an extension cord or other power cord having a missing or damaged ground pin is prohibited by the rules of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ("OSHA"). Accordingly, if a worker on a construction site damages or removes a ground pin on an extension cord having a three-pin plug, it becomes necessary to replace or repair the pin, or to replace the extension cord, often at significant burden and expense. Additionally, construction sites, businesses, and the like are often subjected to various administrative and governmental inspections in which, among other things, electrical plugs and/or cords may be inspected to ensure the plug includes a properly functioning ground pin and that the cord is capable of being properly grounded. Such inspections are often time consuming and can result in costly and burdensome delays to the normal operations of the construction site or business.
Additional disadvantages are associated with the use of power cords having damaged or removed ground pins. For example, many electronic load devices, such as various types of power tools, medical devices, household electronic devices, etc., are designed to operate with the current powering the device running in a specific "polarity," that is, in a specific direction along the power circuit. More specifically, these devices are typically designed to operate with current running from the live wire of the power cord, through the device, to the neutral wire. In many such devices, exposing the device to "reversed polarity," that is, current flowing backward along the intended circuit path; i.e., from the neutral wire of the power cord, backward through the device, to the live wire; can result in improper function and/or damage to the device. Thus, when an extension cord is used to connect such devices to an outlet of an electrical source, it is important to ensure that the extension cord is connected to the electrical source in the proper polarity. In other words, it is important that the live blade of the extension cord plug is received within the live socket of the electrical outlet and the neutral blade of the extension cord plug is received within the neutral socket of the electrical outlet.
In the case of the above-discussed extension cords employing three-pin plugs, one additional function of the ground pin is to ensure that the extension cord is plugged into an electrical outlet in the proper polarity. With the ground pin of the three-pin plug of the extension cord intact, the three-pin plug will only fit into the sockets of the electrical outlet in one orientation, that is, with the extension cord plug in the proper polarity. However, when the ground pin of the three-pin plug is damaged or removed, it is possible for the orientation of the plug to be inverted, such that the live blade of the extension cord plug is received within the neutral socket of the electrical outlet and the neutral blade of the extension cord plug is received within the live socket of the electrical outlet. In this orientation, the polarity of the extension cord is reversed, and if an electronic load device is then plugged into the reversed polarity extension cord, it is possible that the electronic load device may be exposed to reversed polarity current.
Additional circumstances can arise in which an electronic load device may be inadvertently exposed to reversed polarity current. For example, if an electrical outlet is incorrectly wired in such a manner that the outlet itself receives reversed polarity current, that is, if the outlet is wired such that the neutral socket of the electrical outlet is in electrical communication with a live wire of a current source and the live socket of the electrical outlet is in electrical communication with a neutral wire of the current source, an extension cord which is plugged into the outlet in a proper orientation may nonetheless be subjected to reversed polarity current. Likewise, an electrical panel, circuit breaker receptacle, or other such device configured to supply electrical current to the outlet may be improperly wired to allow reversed polarity current to the outlet. Thus, in the use of extension cords and other power cords, there is a risk associated with subjecting an electronic load device to reversed polarity current.
In light of the above, there is a need for an electrical cord incorporating a three-pin plug having an improved ground pin, in which the ground pin is easily replaced, and in which the ground pin is constructed to exhibit improved strength over prior art devices, such that the ground pin is difficult to damage or break. There is a further need for an electrical cord incorporating a three-pin plug having an improved ground pin, in which the plug provides a readily-identifiable signal indicating a condition of the plug in which the ground pin may have become damaged or broken, or in which the cord is not capable of being properly grounded. There is a further need for an electrical cord in which the plug provides a readily-identifiable signal indicating a condition of the electrical cord in which the polarity of current supplied to the cord is reversed.

Electrical cord having plugs with improved safety features


Disclosed herein is an optical waveguide element that includes a substrate and a waveguide layer formed on the substrate and comprising lithium niobate. The waveguide layer has a slab part having a predetermined thickness and a ridge part protruding from the slab part. The maximum thickness of the slab part is 0.05 times or more and less than 0.4 times a wavelength of a light propagating in the ridge part.

Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical waveguide element and an optical modulator used in the field of optical communication and optical instrumentation. More particularly, the invention relates to an optical waveguide element having a ridge structure, and to an optical modulator using this optical waveguide element.
Description of Related Art
As the use of the Internet spreads, the amount of data communicated is rapidly increasing, making the optical fiber communication very important. In the optical fiber communication, electric signals are converted into optical signals, and the optical signals are transmitted through optical fibers. The optical fiber communication is characterized in that the signals are transmitted in the broad band, with a small loss, and are not affected by noise.
Known as systems for converting electric signals into optical signals are the direct modulation system using a semiconductor laser and the external modulation system using optical modulators. The direct modulation system need not use optical modulators and its running cost is low, but cannot achieve high-speed modulation. This is why the external modulation system is used in high-speed, long-distance data communication.
In practically used optical modulators, an optical waveguide is formed by titanium (Ti) diffusion in the vicinity of a surface of a single-crystal lithium niobate substrate. High-speed optical modulators of 40 Gb/s or more are commercially available. However, these high-speed optical modulators have the drawback of having a length as long as approximately 10 cm.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2014-006348, 2014-142411 and 2015-014716 disclose Mach-Zehender optical modulators, each having a sapphire single-crystal substrate and a lithium niobate film epitaxially formed on the substrate, 2 μm or less thick, c-axis orientated and shaped like a ridge. Any optical modulator that has a lithium niobate film is much smaller than, and can be driven at a lower voltage than, the optical modulator having a lithium niobate signal-crystal substrate.
FIG. 30 is a sectional view of a ridge-shaped optical waveguide element 400 of conventional type. The optical waveguide element 400 includes a substrate 1 and a waveguide layer 2 formed on the substrate 1. The waveguide layer 2 is made of lithium niobate and has a ridge part 3. The ridge part 3 is a projection having ridge width W and thickness T1. Slab parts 4 are provided at the both sides of the ridge part 3, respectively, and have thickness T2 (<T1).
The conventional optical waveguide element 400 is disadvantageous in that the propagation loss is large in TM fundamental mode. The reason why a propagation loss of the element 400 is large in TM fundamental mode is the coupling of TM fundamental mode to TE higher-order mode. In TE higher-order mode, light propagates to, for example, the slab parts 4 located outside the ridge part 3, not restricted by the ridge part 3. Hence, the propagation loss in TM fundamental mode can be reduced by suppressing the coupling of TM fundamental mode to TE higher-order mode.
The conventional optical waveguide element 400 is disadvantageous, also in that the propagation loss in TM fundamental mode increases if the ridge width W decreases.
Moreover, the propagation loss abruptly increases even if the shape of the ridge part 3 differs only a little from the design shape. In such a case, the propagation loss may increase due to a variation in manufacturing processes.

Optical waveguide element and optical modulator using the same


In a procedure for the provision of access authorization for an engine-driven vehicle, if there is an operator request for the provision of access authorization to an engine-driven vehicle, a bidirectional signal transmission using encoded transmission signals and an electronic key will be effected. From transmission units located on or in the vehicle, vehicle signals will be transmitted to the electronic key, and, from the electronic key, key signals will be returned as echo signals to the respective transmission units. The time difference between the vehicle signal and the key signals will be determined and evaluated. The position of the electronic key in relation to the vehicle will be determined by means of successive bidirectional signal transmissions between at least two transmission units and the electronic key as well as by evaluating the time differences; having determined the actual key position, a decision on access authorization to the vehicle will be made.

With engine-driven vehicles, access authorization to the vehicle is subdivided into two separate processes: actual access to the vehicle on the one hand (closing/opening the vehicle by closing/opening the vehicle doors), and starting the vehicle on the other hand (the start process for the vehicle engine, initiated by operating the ignition lock).
Normally, access authorization to the vehicle is provided by mechanical means, that is, by means of a conventional car key. However, increasingly access authorization is also provided by electronic processes and techniques; in such cases, encoded signals will be transmitted between an electronic key and at least one transmission unit located in or on the vehicle (in particular, on the periphery of the vehicle). Thus, for example, encoded signals will be transmitted between an electronic key and a door lock for unlocking the door lock, and/or between a remote control unit and a drive control unit and/or an anti-theft device (a vehicle immobilizer) to release the drive control unit; following evaluation and verification of the signals, as well as meeting specific conditions if necessary, authorized access to the vehicle will be provided.
For these two separate access authorization processes--access to the vehicle on the one hand, and starting the vehicle on the other hand--different operator activities are usually required, as well as different conditions to be met: thus, for example, a vehicle may be started up only if the electronic key is located inside the vehicle; also, for safety reasons, it should only be possible to lock the vehicle doors if the electronic key is located outside the vehicle. Therefore, the two access authorization processes must be differentiated; to this end, the position of the electronic key needs to be determined--in particular, it must be possible to identify its position relative to the vehicle interior and exterior ("interior detection").

Procedure for the provision of access authorization to an engine-driven vehicle


Dual phase sputter targets consisting essentially of TiN and Al, methods of manufacture thereof, and cathodic sputtering methods using such targets are disclosed. The targets are prepared by blending TiN and Al powders followed by compaction to full density. The thus compacted materials are optionally sintered and are then formed into the desired target shape. The targets are used in cathodic sputtering processes to form opaque, dark colored decorative and wear resistant coatings.

Decorative and wear resistant coatings comprising Ti/Al and N are useful in a variety of applications. For example, such coatings may be used to coat stainless steel panels that are utilized to cover walls, pillars, ceilings, floors, doors, handrails, screens, and other parts of buildings to impart beauty and durability thereto. The coatings may be used to coat markers, pens, and the like, and for watch housing and wristlet coatings, as well as for other cosmetic jewelry applications.
Cathodic sputter processes are used to deposit such coatings by reason of the high production rates and precise coating controls resulting from these methods. Cathodic sputtering techniques are well known and need not be repeated here in detail. Suffice it to say that in accord with such processes, gas ions are caused to bombard a target having a face formed of a desired material that is to be deposited as a thin film or layer on a substrate. Ion bombardment of the target not only causes atoms or molecules of the target material to be sputtered, but imparts considerable thermal energy to the target. This heat is dissipated by use of a cooling fluid typically circulated beneath or around a backing plate that is positioned in heat exchange relation with the target.
The target forms a part of a cathode assembly which together with an anode is placed in an evacuated chamber that contains an inert gas, preferably argon. A high voltage electrical field is applied across the cathode and anode. The inert gas is ionized by collision with the electrons ejected from the cathode. Positively charged gas ions are attracted to the cathode and, upon impingement with the target surface, dislodge the target material. The dislodged target materials traverse the evacuated enclosure and deposit as a thin film on the desired substrate that is normally located proximate the anode.
Conventional methods of sputter depositing Ti/Al/N coatings employ a Ti/Al target prepared by either powder metallurgical or casting techniques. The Ti/Al/N coating is deposited by reactive sputtering of the Ti/Al target in a N.sub.2 atmosphere.
Prior art powder metallurgical methods include: (1) mixing the desired stoichiometric ratio of Ti and Al elemental powders, followed by cold isostatic pressing (CIP) of the blended powders to full density; (2) mixing the desired stoichiometric ratio of Ti and Al, prereacting the elemental Ti and Al powders to form intermetallic compounds (TiAl, TiAl.sub.3, etc.) followed by hot isostatic pressing (HIP) of the pre-reacted powders to full density and; (3) mixing the desired stoichiometric ratio of Ti and Al elemental powders, followed by simultaneous densification and reaction of the Ti and Al to form the intermetallic by HIPing of the blended and non-reacted elemental powders (reactive HIP).
In addition to the conventional casting and powder metallurgy techniques, U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,538 (Luthier et al) teaches production of a Ti, Al, O, and N target by one of three methods. In the first approach, TiO.sub.2 and AlN powders are sintered in a molar ratio of 1.5:2.0. A second alternative is to sinter TiN and Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 powder in a molar ratio of 1.5:1.0. Lastly, another alternative method provides for mixing of TiO.sub.2 and AlN powder in a molar ratio of 1.5:2.0 followed by cold pressing. No mention of achieved or optimal density is made in the patent and the method of mixing TiO.sub.2 and AlN powder, followed by cold pressing, does not yield a solid target.
The targets produced by Luthier are used in a cathodic arc sputtering system to deposit a black-colored decorative type coating on a substrate in an argon atmosphere. This disclosure is the only one known to the applicants in which a Ti/Al/N coating can purportedly be sputtered without the use of reactive N.sub.2 gas.
Another patent which may be of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,612 (Kuwano) in which Al/Ti alloy targets are prepared by a hot pressing method. The targets so produced are used in a sputter ion plating process in the presence of a mixed Ar/N atmosphere and optional C.sub.n H.sub.m gas component. The atmosphere is maintained under reduced pressure of 10.sup.-2 Torr. to 10.sup.-4 Torr.
The above noted target production methods are not devoid of problems. For example, in certain powder metallurgical methods calling for CIPing of blended elemental powders, when targets produced thereby are subjected to high operating powers, the target temperature can increase to a point where the target constituents undergo an exothermic reaction. This reaction can result in a number of undesirable effects including target swelling, spalling and melting. Consequently, damage to the sputtering apparatus itself may occur with attendant poor coating quality. Accordingly, such deleterious effects preclude the use of high sputtering power and its concomitant high coating deposition rates.
Similarly, targets produced by HIPing of prereacted powders or by reactive HIPing are intermetallic. That is, they consist of true TiAl, Ti.sub.3 Al or TiAl.sub.3 compounds. These intermetallics are brittle in nature and are difficult to machine into the desired shape. Moreover, the targets are subject to cracking problems.
On the other hand, targets produced by conventional casting methods exhibit compositional heterogeneity, segregational effects, grain size control difficulties and brittleness.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a method for producing a versatile Ti/Al sputter target, which upon sputtering, can provide decorative and wear resistant coatings. It is especially desirable to provide a method for producing a target that can provide for variable target composition and grain size. The provision of a target which can be operated over a wide range of sputtering powers and temperatures while minimizing cracking and spalling problems attendant upon use of many of the prior art targets is also desirable.

Method for producing sputtering target for deposition of titanium, aluminum and nitrogen coatings, sputtering target made thereby, and method of sputtering with said targets


The present invention discloses unsaturated hydrocarbon pyrimidine thioether compounds of formula (I) and preparation method and application thereof, the compounds of formula (I) exhibit high insecticidal and acaricidal activity against adults, larvae and eggs of harmful mites and insects in the agriculture, civil use and animal technology fields, meanwhile, the compounds also exhibit good bactericidal activity, and can be widely applied as an insecticide, an acaricide and/or a bactericide in agriculture or other fields

Researchers have found that methoxy acrylate compounds have biological activity long ago. The compounds have been reported to have insecticidal and acaricidal activity as described in the following literatures: EP2420811/EP299694/EP3:35519/US20060235075/CN 101311170, etc. In addition, the pyrimidine methoxy acrylate compounds have been also reported as an insecticide, an acaricide or a bactericide:
The patent U.S. 005106852 relates to compounds of the following general formula as insecticides:

The patent U.S. 005378711 relates to compounds of the following general formula as bactericides:

The patent U.S. 00593565 relates to compounds of the following general formula as acaricides and bactericides:

The patent U.S. 006114342 relates to compounds of the following general formula as insecticides and bactericides:

The patent CN 101311170 relates to compounds of the following general formula as insecticides and bactericides:

However, in many cases, effects of the compounds described in these literatures on animal pests are not satisfactory.
Moreover, unsaturated hydrocarbon pyrimidine thioether compounds of the general formula (I) in the present invention have not been reported.

Unsaturated hydrocarbon pyrimidine thioether compounds and preparation method and application thereof


A NoDMA cache including a super page field. The super page field indicates when a set of pages contain protected information. The NoDMA cache is used by a computer system to deny I/O device access to protected information in system memory.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to security devices for protecting sensitive data from inappropriate access by I/O devices. More specifically, the invention relates to a cache for a NoDMA table that tracks the segments of memory that contain sensitive data.
2. Background
Financial and personal transactions are being performed on computing devices at an increasing rate. However, the continual growth in the number of such financial transactions has also led to increased attacks on the computer systems supporting these transactions and a corresponding need for security enhanced (SE) environments to prevent unauthorized access to or loss of sensitive data. Loss or unauthorized access of sensitive data (e.g., social security numbers, account numbers, financial data, account balances, passwords, authorization keys, etc.) results in a loss of privacy, theft of private financial data and similar malicious actions.
One technique used to attempt to access protected data is the use of memory access requests from peripheral devices through the direct memory access (DMA) controller. A DMA controller allows peripheral devices such as network cards to read and write to system memory with minimal usage of the central processing unit. The use of memory access requests from I/O devices can circumvent the security measures provided by an operating system. This may be achieved by making requests for memory access to segments of memory containing sensitive information that is outside the segment of system memory designated for use by the peripheral device.


A method for establishing a call in a telecommunications network that has first and second packet network sections, a wide area packet network, and a TDM transit network section. Subscribers'terminal equipment is addressable by directory numbers, and calls to subscribers are always routed through the TDM transit network. During TDM call setup at least one message or information element is conveyed to the second packet network section which is indicative of the first terminal equipment's packet capabilities and/or an address of a first controlling device controlling the call in the first packet network section. The message or information element is received at a second controlling device controlling the call in the second packet network section. Using the information extracted from the message or information element a second connection between the first and second terminal equipment through the wide area packet network is established by the controlling devices.

The present invention relates to a method for establishing a call in a telecommunications network, a telecommunications network, and a controlling device for packet networks. More particularly, the present invention relates to an optimized method, network, and device for facilitating packet network calls in mixed packet and TDM environments.
Modern communications networks generally carry two types of traffic or data. The first is the traffic which is transmitted by or delivered to a user or subscriber, and which is usually paid for by the user. That type of traffic is widely known as user traffic or subscriber traffic. The second is the traffic caused by network management applications in sending and receiving management data from network elements, known as management traffic.
In telecommunications, the management traffic is also known as signaling traffic. The term "signaling" refers to the exchange of signaling messages between various network elements such as database servers, local exchanges, transit exchanges, and user terminals. A well known protocol for transferring such signaling messages in public switched telephone networks (PSTN) is the Signaling System 7 (SS7), also referred to as Common Channel Signaling System 7 (CCS7).
The Signaling System 7 as specified by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in the Q.700-series standards provides for all signaling tasks in today's voice-oriented telecommunications networks. More specifically, SS7 provides for example for:                basic call setup, management, and tear down;        enhanced call features such as call forwarding, calling party name/number display, and automatic callback (call return);        accounting and billing;        database operations for services such as authentication, roaming, toll-free and special tariff services, and number portability;        network management for the SS7 network and its connections; and        non-call related signaling, allowing for services such as short message service (SMS), ISDN Supplementary Services and user-to-user signaling (UUS).
With the advent of "next generation" packet based telecommunications networks, and internet protocol (IP) based networks in particular, new signaling and bearer protocols were developed by the ITU and other standards bodies such as IETF, ETSI, and 3GPP.
The functional architecture of such Next Generation Networks (NGN) seeks to provide a technology independent architecture for supporting multimedia services. The intention is to support a wide range of voice, data and video services while providing inter-working with the legacy PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) and cellular/wireless networks, also collectively referred to as time division multiplex (TDM) networks, and/or with legacy devices.
Presently, PSTN-type, or TDM, networks dominate the voice telephony globally. While the IP based networks and their telephony applications by means of voice over IP (VoIP) protocols are expanding, the PSTN-type networks—still adequate for providing reliable voice services—will only gradually lose their dominance. It is foreseen that the two network types will coexist and inter-work in numerous ways in the next decades.
In particular, the PSTN infrastructure will dominate long distance and international calls. Consequently, many of the rules and regulations established for PSTN operations will prevail in mixed environments. This is particularly true for uniquely addressing parties or their telecommunications equipment, respectively. While IP networks are capable of various forms of addressing a called party, for example by a symbolic name such as an email address or a SIP Uniform Resource Identifier, a PSTN is only capable of handling telephone numbers as laid out in numbering plans such as the ITUT E.164 international numbering plan.
If, for example, a PSTN subscriber wishes to establish a connection to a subscriber of an IP network, the PSTN subscriber has only one way of addressing the IP subscriber, that is, by dialing digits, even though the IP subscriber may have the name dialing capability. Therefore, IP subscribers who want to be able to receive calls from PSTN subscribers need to be assigned a regular PSTN directory number.
In another example, where a PSTN subscriber is represented within the IP network by a name, and the IP subscriber can address this PSTN subscriber by name, prior to presenting this call to a PSTN switch, the name has to be converted to digits. Of course, the PSTN subscriber may instead or additionally be addressed from within the IP network by regular PSTN directory number.
Consequently, if a first subscriber of a first IP network wishes to call second subscriber, it will be necessary for the first subscriber to use digits in order to route the call in the PSTN-dominated inter-working network arrangement. If the second subscriber is subscriber to a second IP network, then traversing the PSTN provides no benefit but rather limits the connection capabilities to the PSTN capability set, i.e. none of the advanced IP network features such as exchanging data, images or video will be available even though both subscribers are, in fact, IP subscribers.
There are various other scenarios where a connection between two IP subscribers inevitably and undesirably traverses a PSTN network section at least once.

Method for establishing a call in a telecommunications network; telecommunications network; and controlling device for packet networks


A processing circuit for receiving input data having an error detecting and correcting code from a data bus is disclosed, that includes a write data latch circuit connected to the data bus for latching the input data; an error detecting and correcting circuit responsive to an output signal from the write data latch circuit for checking the data and correcting the latched data and outputting an error correction signal when the latched data is erroneous; a register circuit for storing correct data sent from the error detecting and correcting circuit; first and second input data latch circuits each of which is connected to the data bus and the register circuit for temporarily latching the input data from the data bus in the absence of the error correction signal, and for temporarily latching the correct data in the presence of the error correction signal; and an arithmetic unit circuit responsive to the input data latched in the first and second input data latch circuits for executing an operation on the input data and responsive to the correct data latched in the first and second input latch circuits for executing the operation on the correct data. The arithmetic unit circuit first executes an operation on unchecked input data while the input data is checked by the error detecting and correcting circuit, and then executes the operation on the correct data sent from the error detecting and correcting circuit only when the input data is erroneous. High reliability of data is thereby achieved without substantially decrease of a program execution speed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a processing circuit for use with a central processing unit (CPU), and particularly to a processor including an error detecting and correcting circuit.
2. Prior Art
Referring to FIG. 3, the conventional processor system generally comprises a data input portion 209, an error detecting and correcting circuit 208, an output bus 206, a register 207, a first input data latch 204 and a second input data latch 205, an arithmetic unit 201, a first input bus 202, and a second input bus 203.
The operation of the conventional processor system having the above-mentioned structure will be described hereinbelow. When data is inputted, the data and an error detecting and correcting code are inputted into the error detecting and correcting circuit 208 from the data input portion 209. In the error detecting and correcting circuit 208, whether the data is correct or not is checked. If the data is not correct, the data is corrected, and such corrected data is inputted into the register 207 via the output bus 206. When the corrected data is subsequently used in the arithemetic unit 201, the inputted data in the register 207 is read out therefrom at the next cycle step. Then, the data is sent to the arithmetic unit 201 via the first input data latch 204 and the first input bus 202 or via the second input data latch 205 and the second input bus 203. In the arithmetic unit 201, an operation is performed by using such sent data.
FIG. 4 is a timing chart of the operation of the conventional processor system. In a step 0, data is inputted into the data input portion 209. In a step 1, the data is written in the register 207 after the error detection and correction of the data is performed. In a step 2, the written data is read out and latched in the first input data latch 204 or second input data latch 205. Then, the operation is started from a step 3.
However, in such a conventional processor system, the speed of a data reading operation is made low, thereby decreasing the execution speed of a program because the data reading operation is performed so many times on the execution of program steps.

Processing circuit having an error detecting and correcting circuit therein

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An optical arrangement, for example a lithography system, includes: a first component, in particular a carrying frame; a second component, in particular a mirror, which is movable in relation to the first component; and at least one stop with at least one stop face for limiting the movement of the second component in relation to the first component. The optical arrangement, preferably the stop, can have a fixing device for fixing the second component. The fixing device can have a fixing element that is movable in relation to the stop face of the stop. Further aspects of the device likewise relate to an optical arrangement with a fixing device or with a transport lock.

For the purposes of this application, a lithography system is understood as meaning an optical system or an optical arrangement that can be used in the field of lithography. Apart from a lithography apparatus, which serves for the production of semiconductor components, the optical system may be for example an inspection system for the inspection of a photomask (hereinafter also referred to as a reticle) used in a lithography apparatus, for the inspection of a semiconductor substrate to be structured (hereinafter also referred to as a wafer) or a metrology system, which is used for measuring a lithography apparatus or parts thereof, for example for measuring a projection system. The optical arrangement or the lithography system may be in particular an EUV lithography system, which is designed for used radiation at wavelengths in the EUV wavelength range of between about 5 nm and about 30 nm.
Reference is often made hereinafter two a movable (second) component or a moved/movable object in the form of a mirror, in particular an EUV mirror. In principle, however, the movable component may also be any other object or any other component or subassembly, for example optical elements such as lenses or prisms, wafer stages, parts of machine tools, further carrying frames or carrying structures for optical or non-optical components, etc.
The first component may be for example a carrying frame (known as a "force frame") of the optical arrangement, which substantially absorbs all of the forces acting on the optical arrangement. The movable component is typically spring-mounted with respect to the carrying frame, or mechanically decoupled from it, so that ideally no forces or vibrations are transmitted from the carrying frame to the movable component. The first component may, however, also be some other component, for example a carrier component, which is spring-mounted with respect to the carrying frame of the optical arrangement or mechanically decoupled from it.
In the case of an EUV lithography apparatus, specifically in the case of an EUV lens for projecting an image of a mask onto a light-sensitive substrate, the sensitivity of the quality of the imaging with respect to the deformation of optical surfaces of EUV mirrors is particularly great. On the assumption that the optical design of such a lens is corrected to about 10 mλ, where λ denotes the operating wavelength, it follows that at an operating wavelength λ of about 13.5 nm there is a maximum allowed wave-front error of about 135 pm. This means that a deformation of the surface of an EUV mirror of about 50 pm already results in a significant wavefront aberration. Therefore, during the operation of an EUV lithography apparatus or an EUV lens, EUV mirrors are set in an suspended state, so that the forces and moments acting on the EUV mirror become as small as possible. This state of being suspended or being mechanically decoupled from the surroundings has the consequence that the EUV mirrors can in effect move freely between their end positions, which are typically defined by end stops, and may collide with the end stops. Particularly when transporting an EUV lithography apparatus, but also in the event of an earthquake, this can lead to damages to the EUV mirrors or other components.
In the case of conventional EUV lenses, this issue is solved by inverting them during transport. In this case, the forces that bring about a weight compensation and lead to a suspended state of the EUV mirrors in the operating position of the EUV lens or of the EUV lithography apparatus, and also the forces of the weight of the mirrors, add together to form an overall force or overall acceleration, which corresponds approximately to twice the acceleration due to gravity (2 g). In this way, the mirrors generally stay fixed in their vertical end positions up to an acceleration of the order of 2 g. In the case of greater accelerations, the EUV mirrors may however leave the end positions and again lie freely between the end positions, i.e. the fixing of the EUV mirrors is limited with respect to the tolerable shock loads. In the case of future EUV lenses, the EUV mirrors may possibly become so large and heavy that inversion of the EUV lens is no longer advisable or possible.
DE 10 2012 212 503 A1 discloses a lithography apparatus which has a first component and a second component and also a coupling device in order to couple the first component and the second component to one another. The lithography apparatus has a sensing device for sensing a movement of a base on which the lithography apparatus stands, and also a control device, which is designed to activate the coupling device in dependence on the sensed movement of the base in order to limit a movement of the second component in relation to the first component. For this purpose, the coupling device may have at least one adjustable end stop. The adjustable end stop may be brought into abutting contact with a second component in the form of a mirror in order to achieve a form-fitting fixing of the mirror with respect to a first component in the form of a carrying frame. It is intended by the fixing to avoid damage to the mirror in the event of a shock or in the event of shaking as a result of an earthquake.
DE 10 2014 215 159 A1 describes an optical arrangement with at least one optical element and with a carrier, on which the optical element is arranged movably in relation to the carrier. A fixing device, with which the optical element can be fixed in place with respect to the carrier, has at least one actuator of a shape memory alloy. The fixing device is designed as a transport lock, which fixes the optical element in place with respect to the carrier when the optical element is not being used.
DE 10 2011 087 389 A1 describes a positioning system with a stop for a component, for example for an optical element, the stop limiting the path of movement of the component and being adjustably designed. The stop can be adjusted in such a way that the distance of the component from a stop face of the stop is kept in a predefined range.

Optical arrangement, in particular lithography system, with a transport lock


a device is disclosed to include a first write assist unit and a second write assist unit. The first write assist unit provides a first operational voltage and a second operational voltage to a memory cell. The second write assist unit provides a third operational voltage and a fourth operational voltage to the memory cell. During a write operation, the first write assist unit further adjusts the first operational voltage or the second operational voltage while the third operational voltage and the fourth operational voltage are at a same voltage level, and the second write assist unit further adjusts the third operational voltage or the fourth operational voltage while the first operational voltage and the second operational voltage are at a same voltage level.

Memory is an important component in a computer, and many different memory structures have been developed for different applications. For example, the memory structures include dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random-access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, etc. A conventional structure of a SRAM cell is a six transistor (6T) cell. The SRAM cell includes a pair of cross-coupled inverters. A SRAM cell can be utilized to store a digital bit of data between the inverters.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.


A metallic coating for protecting a substrate from high temperature oxidation and hot corrosion environments comprising about 2.5 to about 13.5 wt. % cobalt, about 12 to about 27 wt. % chromium, about 5 to about 7 wt. % aluminum, about 0.0 to about 1.0 wt. % yttrium, about 0.0 to about 1.0 wt. % hafnium, about 1.0 to about 3.0 wt. % silicon, about 0.0 to about 4.5 wt. % tantalum, about 0.0 to about 6.5 wt. % tungsten, about 0.0 to about 2.0 wt. % rhenium, about 0.0 to about 1.0 wt. % molybdenum and the balance nickel.

Metallic coating systems are used in many situations where a metal substrate is subjected to extreme conditions such as high temperature, oxidation and corrosion producing atmospheres and the like. Metallic coating systems are particularly used in high pressure turbine applications to protect the airfoils from the aggressive combustion environment. These coatings are used to shelter components from hot corrosion and/or oxidation attack experienced by the components in these severe conditions.
Physical vapor deposition applications of metallic bond coatings permit deposition of specific chemistries in localized areas to provide the necessary environmental protection. These coatings are used as a stand-alone coating or as a bond coat for a thermal barrier ceramic topcoat.
Two major classes of metallic coatings conventionally used as protective systems against hot corrosion or oxidation of Ni-base superalloys are diffusion aluminides and overlay coatings. One family of overlay metallic coatings is described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,919,042. These coatings include various elements added to nickel and have been found to be useful in some applications. As combustion engine technology development continues, the components are subjected to ever more corrosive and/or oxidizing attack, thus, design and implementation of coating systems with enhanced application specific capabilities (e.g., protecting against high temperature oxidation or hot corrosion) are required.


A pill crusher has a portable housing with a base to be supported on a surface and a top surface having a transverse slot opening into a holding container in the housing for one of more pills carried in a pouch. The pouch can be manually inserted through the slot until a bottom edge of the pouch sits on a base of the container. Two horizontally oriented and opposed solenoids are powered by rechargeable battery power in the housing and drive vertical crusher plates toward one another in the holding container to impact repeatedly, during depression by the operator of a manual switch, until the operator determines that the repeated impacting action has sufficiently crushed the pills in the pouch so that the pouch can be withdrawn through the top opening.

As research and development in modern medicine advances, new cures and treatments are being discovered to treat patients with various diseases and illnesses. In response to such discoveries, pharmaceutical companies need to produce a plurality of medications and prescription drugs, many of which are provided in pill or tablet form, for health practitioners to prescribe and administer to patients. Unfortunately, many patients, such as geriatric patients, younger children, and comatose or physically impaired patients, have difficulties with or are incapable of swallowing a pill.
Typically, a health care provider will crush or pulverize a pill into powder form, using a mortar and pestle, so that the predication may be mixed with food or dissolved in a liquid. Although effective, the use of a mortar and pestle is very tiresome and time consuming as it requires repeated crushing and pounding. Furthermore, airborne particles of the medication may be released during the pulverizing process. Also, once the pill bas been pulverized into powder form, some of the medication may be left in the mortar when it is transferred out to administer to the patient. Not only is there a chance that the patient may not receive a full dose, but there also exists the possibility of cross-contamination when the mortar and pestle is used to pulverize another type of pill.
There are numerous pill crushing devices available in the art, including manual, spring-loaded, and motor driven devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,622,949 to Baswick et al issued Sep. 23, 2003 describes a portable solenoid driven medicine crushing apparatus comprising a solenoid mounted within an enclosure wherein the solenoid engages a crushing ram in an attitude for moving vertically downward when the solenoid is energized. The crushing ram is released from a return spring when the solenoid is energized and the crushing ram engages a cup assembly to crush the medicine sandwiched between an inner cup and an outer cup of the cup assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,666 to Sussman issued Nov. 26, 1991 discloses a portable pill crusher similar to that of Baswick in which a cup is inserted underneath a ram where the ram is actuated by a cam drive arrangement to force the ram downwardly onto the pills within the cup.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,766 to Watt issued Feb. 25, 2003 discloses a portable pill crushing device which has a slot in an upper surface into which pills can be dropped. A bag feeding device feeds bags from a supply so that the pills are dropped into the bag and the bag closed by a closing member. A horizontally actuated ram acts to impact on the pills in the bag while the bag is held by the closure member. The bag containing the crushed pills is then dispensed through a bottom opening in the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,386 to Jensen issued Jul. 2, 1996 discloses a pill crusher in which pills in a pouch are inserted through an opening in a top surface into a container in the housing and the pills are crushed by a spring actuated ram which is released from a latch and driven by the spring to provide sufficient impact to pulverize the pills in one stroke.
U.S. patent application No. 2005/0127218 to Demske published Jun. 16, 2005 discloses a portable pill crushing device which uses rollers through which the pouch containing the pills passes for crushing between the nips of the rollers.
Other devices are provided in various arrangements shown in a number of prior patents which use mechanical crushing arrangements driven by a hand operated lever. These have the advantage of being inexpensive and simple but have the significant disadvantage that they require a lever action by the operator which can cause stress related injuries.


The present invention has the objective of providing a method for reducing trouble in creating a seating layout by a method other than with templates. The computer 1 accepts a designating operation on position coordinates forming a base point in the prescribed display area from a user, accepts a designating operation of a direction of generating the seating symbol data from position coordinates as the base point in the prescribed display area, determines a position for displaying the seating symbol data in the prescribed display area, based on the base point and the direction, generates seating symbol data comprising position data representing the position determined, adds to the combination of the seating symbol data composing the seating layout data, and stores thereof in the memory 120, and displays the seating symbol data in the display unit 150 based on position data included in the generated seating symbol data.

In a call center that receives inquiry calls and the like from customers, or that makes sales calls and the like; or a contact center that introduces Internet technology, and carries out exchanges of e-mail, chat messages, and the like with customers (heretofore referred to as a "contact center"), placing of staff called operators or communicators (heretofore referred to as "communicators") is an important factor affecting work efficiency and quality.
Typically, an experienced manager, called a "supervisor" (SV), commands between a few to a few dozen communicators, and further, there are times when the supervisor (SV) may assist those communicators having less experience according to their experience or skills. Therefore, there is a need to create an optimal seating layout.
Conventionally, in a case when designing a seating layout for a contact center, a method in which basic components of a seating layout, called a template, are prepared beforehand, and those basic components are called out as needed for designing the overall layout, has been proposed (Patent Document 1).
According to the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, based on layout patterns of seats (seating templates) stored in a seating placement pattern database, it is possible to create a seating layout. As a result, compared to a case in which a seating layout is created from scratch, it is possible to reduce trouble in creation, so it is possible easily to create a seating layout.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-128930

Method, computer and program for making out seat layout


A synthetic polymer based adhesive formulation that has properties substantially simulating selected properties of fibrin glue, and methods of making and using the same. The adhesive formulation includes a discrete acid solution and discrete base solution that when combined form a synthetic polymer based adhesive that substantially simulates selected properties of fibrin glue. The discrete acid solution includes a polymer and a cross-linking agent precursor. The discrete base solution includes a polymer and a base.

Fibrin glue is a tissue adhesive that is commonly used in many different medical procedures as a sealant, adhesive, biological carrier and/or hemostatic agent. For example, fibrin glues are used in cartilage repair and regeneration procedures, and in ophthalmic, cardiac and abdominal surgeries. Fibrin glue is formed from the mixing of at least two components, a fibrinogen component and a thrombin component.
There are several different methods for combining, dispensing and applying fibrin glue. For example, in one typical method, a double barreled syringe is used to combine and deliver the fibrinogen and thrombin components. The fibrinogen component is contained in one barrel of the syringe and the thrombin component is contained in the other barrel of the syringe. The fibrin glue is formed and applied by ejecting the components out of the barrels and combining them.
As part of their training, surgeons who perform procedures that involve the use of fibrin glues undergo simulated training in such procedures, including the delivery of fibrin glue. Because of the relatively high costs of fibrin glue (e.g., presently between five hundred to six hundred dollars for a single use), using actual fibrin glue in such simulated and training procedures can become quite costly, especially when the simulated procedure is repeated several times.

Synthetic polymer adhesives and methods for making, using and delivering the same


Systems, devices, and methods for two or more access points (APs), where each AP comprises: at least one LAN port for connection to the wired network; at least one LAN port for connection between at least one other AP; a processor having addressable memory, where the processor of a first AP of the two or more APs is configured to: select the first AP of the two or more APs as a primary AP; select the second AP of the two or more APs as a back-up AP; detect, via a trigger, a failure of the primary AP; and configure the second AP as the primary AP and the first AP as the back-up AP if the failure of the first AP is detected.

Single-channel architecture (SCA) utilizes multiple access points (APs) that each identify themselves with the same basic service set identifier (BSSID), such as a media access control (MAC) address. The APs may be managed by a centralized Wireless LAN controller (WLC) that coordinates the APs such that APs do not interfere with one another. A client connected to a SCA network may only see a single AP even though two or more APs may be present.

System and method for single-channel architecture for immediate access point redundancy

ALLIED TELESIS HOLDINGS KABUSHIKI KAISHA


The disclosure discloses a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a print data processing program for executing steps comprising a primary print data acquiring step, a secondary print data generating step, a cut command generating step, and a data and command outputting step. In the primary print data acquiring step, primary print data is acquired. The primary print data includes a first dot pattern indicating desired print contents, and a second dot pattern indicating a cutting movement timing. In the secondary print data generating step, the first dot pattern has been extracted and then second print data is newly generated. In the cut command generating step, a cut command corresponding to the cutting movement timing indicated by the second dot pattern is generated. In the data and command outputting step, the cut command is added to the second print data and outputted to a label producing part.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a recording medium, a print data processing method, and a label producing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there are print label producing systems (or label producing apparatuses) that produce a desired print label based on an operation from an operation terminal such as a personal computer or an operation of an operation part of a label producing apparatus, for example.
At this time, for example, according to the aforementioned print label producing system, when an operator operates the operation terminal to specify the print contents of the print label (label with adhesive material) that he or she wants to produce, the corresponding print data is transmitted from the operation terminal to the label producing apparatus.
Then, printing corresponding to the print data received by printing means, such as a thermal head included in the label producing apparatus, is executed on a print-receiving medium, such as a laminated film, and the print-receiving medium is cut at a predetermined position, thereby producing the print label.
Hence, the print label is produced by cutting the print-receiving medium such as the laminated film as described above.
Accordingly, in order to produce the print label, cut instruction data for cutting the print-receiving medium at a desired position is required in addition to a print command corresponding to the print itself resulting from the print data.
The cut instruction data is produced based on cutting option information by the operation terminal and added to the printing data, for example.
However, in the aforementioned print label producing system, the cutting option settings need to be performed as an input operation for cutting separately from the print data settings, by operating the personal computer, which serves as the operation terminal, causing the problem of a large operation burden for the user.
That is, normally the print movement of the printing means is controlled by print data that includes a dot pattern indicating the print contents desired by the user, while the cutting movement of the cutting means is controlled by a cut command corresponding to cutting movement timing.
Accordingly, in order to produce one print label, both the print data and cut command need to be respectively prepared in advance by suitable setting input by the user.
As a result, for example, in a case where the user attempts to produce a plurality of print labels all at once, it is not easy to configure settings so that each of the print labels has a different label length, making the user operation more complicated.

Recording medium, print data processing method, and label producing apparatus


A motor vehicle has a body and a glazing, wherein the body is adapted to receive the glazing and have the glazing secured to the body. The glazing has at least one electrical component and at least one soldered electrical connector located thereon. The soldered electrical connector is arranged to be clamped between the glazing and a vehicle component upon securing the glazing to the body. This is achieved by including a resilient member, a protrusion, a flange or a lip on the vehicle to engage the soldered connection. The resilient member may be of an elastomeric material to provide a biasing force and thereby provide additional retaining support. The resilient member may be held in place by bonding. The soldered connection may be a lead free solder composition. Insulation of the soldered connection may be included. The arrangement reduces likelihood of damage to the soldered connection due to vibration.

Incorporation of electrical elements such as heating elements and radio antennas, in vehicle glazings is a well established practice. Typically, such elements are connected to other electrical equipment on the vehicle, such as power supplies or amplifiers and radio signal receivers, by a soldered connection located on a surface of the vehicle glazing. The soldered connection might conveniently be located in the obscuration band—a region of dark ceramic ink in the periphery of the glazing. Thus the soldered connection is rendered invisible from the exterior of the vehicle, giving a more aesthetically pleasing result.
Traditional solders contain lead. These perform well but lead is known to be poisonous and lead free alternatives providing similar performance would be preferable. The use of lead free solders is known in the automotive industry and elsewhere but in many cases, they fall short of the performance demanded by vehicle manufacturers.
Often, lead free solders have a high in content. Such solders perform well in some respects, exhibiting good wettability and strength of bond, but for automotive applications, a high occurrence of stress faults are associated with such solders.
These stress faults may manifest themselves as blisters in the black ink of the obscuration band (particularly on toughened glass) or as cracks in a ply of laminated glazings. The stress faults are associated with differential thermal expansion and contraction between the solder and glass during the soldering operation.
Soldered joints may also be weakened by the temperature fluctuations experienced in service and by other mechanisms such as corrosion.
The resistance of lead free solders to thermal stress faults in particular may be increased by incorporating other elements such as indium in the solder alloy. However, there is an associated trade-off as the melting point of the solder, and its performance at higher temperatures, is reduced. The in-service temperatures encountered in some applications, e.g. in southern Europe, are frequently high enough to cause creep of the solder to the extent that the joint is unacceptably compromised.
Thus, a lead free solder which meets all of the requirements laid down by vehicle manufactures and legislators remains undiscovered.

Vehicle design for soldered glazing connector


A support and drape apparatus which is attached to an operating room table for retaining fluid excess during surgery. The support is a framework of two lateral members and a transverse member attached to each lateral member such that a perimeter is formed in conjunction with the operating room table. A waterproof drape is placed on the framework such that a pocket retains the fluid. The drape may have a water permeable drain. The lateral members have a substantially rigid portion connected to a flexible portion and the transverse member is relatively flexible throughout its length, which allows the framework to give to allow movement by the surgeon without destroying the integrity of the pocket.

The invention relates generally to the field of drape support apparatus used during surgical procedures which involve significant amounts of fluid drainage. More particularly, the invention relates to the field of surgical drape and support apparatus used in knee surgery, where the drape acts as a reservoir or drain for retention of excess fluids utilized during the surgery procedure.
In many surgery procedures, and in particular in arthroscopic knee surgery, large amounts of fluid are utilized during the operation. For arthroscopic knee surgery, where the surgical procedure is accomplished with instruments inserted through small incisions in the knee area as opposed to cutting a large incision to allow access, fluids such as saline solutions are introduced into the knee area to distend the soft tissue and create space for the surgeon to manipulate the instruments. This fluid is forced into the area under sufficient pressure to maintain the knee in the distended form. During the procedure, some of the fluid escapes from the knee cavity through the instrument incisions. Also, at various points in the operation the surgeon may release some of the fluid to adjust the amount of distension.
For significant operations, it is not unknown to use 75 liters or more of fluid in a single procedure. This huge amount of fluid is often allowed to flow into drains on the floor of the operating room. This technique results in unsafe conditions as the floors can become slippery with excess or splattered fluid. Some surgeons even wear waterproof boots because of the large amount of fluid present on the operating room floor. One technique used to attack this problem is to place a large suction pad on the floor to absorb and remove the excess fluid, but this method does not alleviate splattering and overflow when large amounts of fluid are flushed. The pad itself can interfere with footing. Another method sometimes employed is to use a surgical drape attached to the thigh of the patient and the main surgical drape to form a small pouch. However, there is no structural support to maintain the pouch in optimum shape and position, which when coupled with the small size of the pouch results in significant fluid spillage and loss.
The invention solves the problems associated with the large volume of fluid required in operations of this type by providing a structural framework to support a drape to retain the fluid for removal. The drape may include a drain and receptacle, and may be shaped for attachment to the surgeon. The structural framework is sufficiently rigid to maintain the drape in the desired configuration even when retaining large amounts of fluid, yet is also flexible enough to allow the surgeon some degree of movement. The invention thus prevents fluid from splattering and the fluid is kept from the floor, while the framework does not restrict the mobility of the surgeon during the operation.
It is an object of this invention to provide a drape support apparatus which retains excess fluid used during surgical procedures, especially surgeries involving the knee.
It is a further object to provide such an apparatus that allows the fluid to be drained or suctioned out during the operation.
It is a further object to provide such an apparatus where the support framework is rigid enough to adequately support the drape and fluid, but is also flexible enough to allow movement by the surgeon.
It is a further object to provide such an apparatus which is readily attachable to standard operating tables.
It is a further object to provide such an apparatus which is easily set into position when required.


An inspection system for providing high contrast images of two materials of an article to be inspected is disclosed. Light with variable spectral range and large angular coverage is passed from the source through a polarizer, reflects from or is transmitted through the article to be inspected, passes through an analyzer and is detected by a sensor. A phase compensator is disposed either between the polarizer and the sample or the sample and the analyzer. Two of the three polarization optical components, that is, the polarizer, the compensator and the analyzer, are separately adjusted until the maximum contrast is found in the image. This enables high contrast imaging of surfaces of objects of similar optical reflectivity, (such as surfaces consisting of two similar specular materials, or surfaces partly covered with transparent films) which cannot be imaged using normal reflective image forming techniques. The system of the invention can also be operated to measure the thickness or index of refraction of transparent thin films.

In optical inspection of articles having surfaces of two or more materials, such as the articles mentioned above, a surface of the article is illuminated with light, and the image of the illuminated surface is collected by a light sensor and analyzed for defects. Various types of systems are known for this purpose.
One known type of optical inspection system, particularly useful for inspecting epoxy fiberglass substrates having metal conductors printed thereon, is based on the difference in fluorescence between the substrate and the conductors, to provide high contrast in the image of the two materials. Typical substrate materials fluoresce under appropriate illumination, appearing bright, while the metal pathways which do not fluoresce appear dark in the imaging system. However, this type of optical inspection cannot be used to distinguish between two non-fluorescing materials, such as two metal layers, or to image a thin insulating film on a metal layer which does not fluoresce because of its composition or thinness.
Another type of optical inspection system is based on the differences in reflectivity of the two materials. However, this type of system is not effective where the materials have similar reflectances.
A further type of known optical inspection system is based on a modification of the reflectivity system described above. In this system, the contrast between the two materials in the image is improved responsive to difference in their ability to preserve the polarization state of incident light. This method utilizes a pair of polarizers, one between the source and the object, and the other between the object and the detector. By using the relative orthogonal orientation of the polarizers, it is possible to obtain reasonable contrast between certain combinations of low reflectance materials, such as diffusely-surfaced (i.e. nonspecular) metals or laminates. However, this type of system cannot readily distinguish between two materials having the same or similar characteristics with respect to the preservation of the polarization state of incident light.

Method and apparatus for automatic optical inspection


To provide a packaging material for boiling treatment or retort treatment that is inexpensive and has excellent low-elution properties and transparency, as well as a pouch comprising the same.

Packaging materials for boiling sterilization treatment or retort sterilization treatment, especially low-elution types in which elution of various chemical substances in the packaging material is minimized, have been proposed in the past, and namely packaging materials that employ low-elution materials as the adhesives in the packaging materials, and packaging materials that employ cyclic polyolefins including oxygen absorbents and water vapor absorbents (PTL 1, for example).
Low-elution packaging materials employing non-solvent adhesives and non-solvent inks have also been proposed (PTL 2).
However, these packaging materials are costly and generally unsuitable as packaging materials for foods, and have primarily been used for industrial use and electronic components.

Packaging material for boil/retort treatment and pouch

Abstract: A packaging material for boil/retort treatment having at least a transparent gas barrier film layer, an adhesive layer and a sealant film layer in that order, the packaging material for boil/retort treatment being one in which, when it is heated at 121° C. for 2 hours by contact with a sufficient amount of 95% ethanol in a one-side elution test, the masses of the unreacted residual ε-caprolactam and ω-laurolactam eluting into the 95% ethanol are no greater than 0.15 mg and no greater than 0.04 mg, respectively, per square inch of the sealant film layer, and a pouch comprising the material.


Disclosed is a tamper respondent covering. The tamper respondent covering has a cover-shaped structure to cover an electronic part which is exposed. This covering protects electronic parts embedded inside or exposed outside a product, such as ICs that contains data concerning security and certification, communication connectors that transmit data, etc. from a tempering operation or an alternating operation. The tamper respondent covering protects data from a tampering operation or an altering operation by erasing the data or disabling operation of the electronic part containing the data in response to an act of attempting to remove the covering from a printed circuit board of the electronic part or to drill a hole in the covering.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tamper respondent covering, and, more particularly to a tamper respondent covering that protects data from a tampering operation by covering electronic parts such as, integrated circuits (ICs) that are embedded inside or exposed outside a product and contain data concerning security and certifications, and communication connectors that transmit data, etc. using a cover-shaped structure and by erasing important data stored in the electronic part to be protected or disabling the operation of the electronic part when it detects tampering of the electronic part to be protected, for example, when someone attempts to remove the tamper respondent covering from a printed circuit board (PCB) of the electronic part or to drill a hole in the tamper respondent covering for the purpose of hacking the data in the electronic part.
2. Description of the Related Art
Enclosures or covers that enclose electronic parts have the form of envelopes and shallow boxes with walls which are formed by folding flexible sheets incorporating tampering detection characteristics. The sheet includes layers of flexible material in which a matrix of semi-conductive lines printed on an insulating film is incorporated. The matrix of semi-conductive lines forms a continuous conductor which breaks if there is an attempt to penetrate the insulating film. Since a circuit in the enclosures or covers has a conductor, the circuit is monitored by opening the conductor and measuring the resistance between the two ends of the circuit. The flexible sheets are folded and overlapped to create a wedge-, cuboid-, or cube-shaped enclosure as disclosed in GB 258 075 A in which a laminate is folded about a plurality of fold lines to form an enclosure. U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,500 discloses an envelope- or a box-shaped flexible sheet which is set in a sellable material.
The enclosure is intended to surround an item to be protected, such as an electronic device which may be an encryption module, a chip, or a circuit for processing which stores or carries potentially valuable information. As noted above, all attempts to penetrate the enclosure result in damaging to one or more of the lines, which is detected by the change in the electrical characteristics of the conductor. Upon detecting such a change, the valuable information stored in the item is typically erased or destroyed, and an alarm may be activated.
It may however be relatively time-consuming and expensive to enclose and surround the item with such an enclosure. Also, the provision of an enclosure which completely surrounds an item restricts the manner in which the item may be located and positioned within a larger device and is likely to, for example, preclude conventional surface mounting.
US Patent Application Publication No. US2002/0002683 AI by Benson, et al. discloses a Security Module System that comprises a cover which encloses the components to be protected and abuts against the substrate, on which the components are mounted, using a ball grid array connection system. The cover comprises a serpentine pattern of metallic conductors which may be interconnected with a pattern of metallic conductors embedded in the substrate by a system of plated through-holes and blind vias to form a three dimensional array of conductors surrounding the components to be protected. To prevent the pattern and location of the metallic conductors from being detected by non-destructive techniques such as X-rays, back panels made of X-ray opaque material are laminated on the cover and the substrate.
Furthermore, to deter a chemical attack on the system, additional elements such as conductive ink fuses are provided on the substrate. The system disclosed has a number of shortcomings in relation to resistance to intrusive attacks, for example, the X-ray opaque back planes can be easily located and could be ground away or electrochemically etched, allowing the underlying pattern of metallic conductors to be exposed to X-rays or other non-destructive techniques. Areas of the metallic conductors could then be effectively bridged by attaching wire links to the serpentine pattern of conductors and the cover or substrate which was breached, without triggering the tamper respondent circuit.
Similarly, the vias in the side wall of the cover could be located and similarly bridged without triggering the tamper respondent circuit. The side walls are not protected by the pattern of serpentine conductors and therefore present an area susceptible to attack, as does the system of ball grid array interconnections.
It would also be possible by similar techniques to locate the positions of the conductive ink fuses on the circuit board and to direct a chemical attack at locations far away from the fuses without triggering a tamper response.
FIG. 1 illustrates a tamper respondent covering disclosed in PCT Publication No. WO2005/098950. In this patent document, the tamper respondent covering 10 is adapted for mounting on a surface having at least one item 3 and 4 disposed thereon, and the tamper respondent covering 10 includes a cover member defining a recess 7 and at least one non-metallic detecting element having an electrical characteristic disposed on the cover member. That is, the cover member is adapted for mounting on the surface and covering and protecting the at least one item 3 (and 4) on the surface such that damage to the at least non-metallic detecting element results in a detectable variation in the electrical characteristics.
The inventor of the present application invented a device that can reliably detect an external shock or attack even when the device is applied to any type of product by improving the technology disclosed in PCT Publication No. WO2005/098950.


Highly stereospecific olefin polymers are obtained in enhanced yield in a continuous gas-phase fluid bed process for polymerizing alpha monoolefins employing a catalyst system comprising (a) a solid titanium-containing procatalyst, (b) an organoaluminum activator compound, and (c) a selectivity control agent, by continuously adding dialkylaluminum halide to the reactor during polymerization and conducting polymerization at a temperature of 0.1.degree. to 5.0.degree. C. above the dew point temperature of the cycle gas in the reactor.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for improving the productivity of catalysts used in the continuous gas-phase, fluid bed process for the polymerization of olefins.
2. Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,132 to Goodall et al. teaches the use of highly active, stereospecific catalysts for the polymerization of olefins.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,609 to Willmore that gas phase olefin polymerization conducted in an agitated bed at from 0.1.degree. C. to 5.0.degree. C. of the dew point temperature of the reactants increases stereospecificity and yield of the olefin.
It is also known from Europrean Specification No. 0141461 that productivity of the Goodall catalyst can be improved by pretreating the catalyst with dialkylaluminum chloride. However, the catalyst pretreated in this manner is so highly active that special handling techniques are required in order to introduce it into the polymerization reactor. In addition, if the catalyst is not pretreated with dialkylaluminum chloride before it is introduced into the polymerization reactor, enhanced results are not obtained according to the reference.
Independently conducted experiments have substantiated that little or no improvement is obtained when dialkylaluminum halide is added to the Goodall catalyst in the polymerization reactor under ordinary polymerization conditions. Surprisingly, however, it has now been found that an unexpected increase in catalyst activity is obtained if dialkylaluminum halide is added to the reactor near the dew point temperature of the reactants; this increase is well above that which might be expected by operating at temperatures near the dew point alone.

Catalyst productivity in the polymerization of olefins

Union Carbide Chemicals and Plastics Company, Inc.


A camera has a front cover with an inner wall and an opening for a movable lens barrel. An immovable annular member is spaced from the inner wall of the front cover. A light interception member, with elastic end projections and inner lips, is disposed in the space between the inner wall of the front cover and the annular member. The end projections of the light interception member contact the inner wall of the front cover and inner lips are in slidable contact with the movable lens barrel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens keeping type camera, and especially to a light interception device for shutting out harmful light which can enter the camera at the front of a movable lens barrel of the camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
The assignee of the applicants has already proposed a light interception device in which, in a lens shutter type camera wherein a zoom operation is carried out by moving at least two groups of front and rear lenses independently along the optical axis thereof, harmful light is prevented from entering the lens system from outside of the movable lens barrels through a gap formed between the movable lens barrels supporting the two groups of front and rear lenses (U.S. Ser. No. 144,030, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 63-30837). In this light interception device, the entrance of harmful light into the camera is prevented by providing an annular inteception member. The inner surface of the annular interception member, that forms the light interception device, is in slidable contact with an outer surface of a front movable lens barrel. This type of light interception device however, has a defect in that, when the movable lens barrel is moved forward, the annular interception member comes into direct contact with an inner wall of a front cover that has an opening for the movable lens barrel, whereupon a noise or shock due to that contact is heard or felt by the camera user. The noise or shock distracts the user when taking photographs.


A reversibly expandable filter element includes pleated filter media and a flexible spacing structure attached to the pleated media that provides the pleated media with uniform pleat spacing.

The present invention relates generally to filters and, more particularly, to a reversibly expandable and collapsible pleated air filter element that can be inserted into a reusable filter frame.
Many conventional residential heating and cooling systems include a disposable filter. These filters typically include a frame, a filter material formed of glass fibers or similar material, and a mesh screen or the like that supports the filter material. After a period of use, these filters become dirty or clogged and must be replaced. This is accomplished by replacing the entire filter assembly with a new filter and discarding the old one. Depending on the use of the filter, replacement may be required several times a year. Because the frame and screen are discarded with the assembly even though it is only the filter material that is no longer functional, there is unnecessary waste and cost associated with such filters. In addition, because these filters are rather bulky, they are often purchased as they are needed rather than keeping a large supply on hand. Because purchasing a new filter is not always convenient, replacement can be delayed resulting in reduced efficiency of the system.
Filter assemblies with frames and removable filter elements are known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,280,984 (Sexton et al.), for example, discloses a filter assembly comprising a support frame including upstream and downstream grid retaining panels and a flat pad of filter medium disposed in the frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,774,377 (Bishop) discloses a filter assembly with a replaceable filter element including a frame, a disposable and replaceable filter medium, and means for retaining the filter medium in a fixed position in the frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,789,589 (Delany et al.) discloses a filter assembly including a casing and a drawer arranged in the casing that contains pleated filter media. The drawer includes a plurality of comb-like assemblies having pointed fingers that are disposed in the pockets of the pleated filter media to prevent the filter from collapsing. The filter includes strips extending across each end portion of the downstream side of the filter so the side edges of the downstream folds will be equally spaced.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,358 (Frohmader) discloses an air filter formed into an accordion-shaped body having reverse folds forming pockets. The filter includes a string-like pleat spacing member that passes through a series of openings in the pleat walls. The spacing member is intended to equally space the pleats when the filter is in its expanded condition.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,840,094 (Osendorf et al.) discloses a filter assembly including first and second frame members, a filter element, and separate comb-like spacers for retaining the filter pleats in an open spaced manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,453 (Weddell, III) discloses a reusable frame support rack for supporting and retaining an outstretched, replaceable pleated media filter core. The frame includes a pair of longitudinal angles extending between a pair of transverse angles which carry a flat expanded metal support or reinforcement system.
There remains a need, however, for a collapsible pleated air filter having uniform spacing and cross web stability that can be quickly and easily expanded and inserted into a reusable filter frame.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a reversibly collapsible and expandable pleated air filter having uniform spacing and cross web stability when fully expanded and inserted into a reusable filter frame, but which can be collapsed for compact shipping, storage, and disposal.
The present invention provides a reversibly collapsible and expandable replaceable filter element for use with a reusable filter frame. The filter element includes pleated filter media and a flexible spacing structure attached to the media. The pleated filter media is reversibly collapsible and expandable and has an inlet side, an outlet side, opposed first and second ends, and an interior face region. The pleated media also includes fold lines each defining a pleat tip and a pair of adjacent panels. To limit the expansion of the filter element, the spacing structure is preferably inelastic.
In one embodiment, the spacing structure is arranged adjacent at least the interior face region of the filter media. By providing the spacing structure adjacent the interior face region, the spacing structure allows the filter media to expand only to a predetermined length corresponding to the length of a corresponding filter frame into which it is to be placed, and limits the degree of expansion of the center portion of the filter media, therefore preventing the filter media from being over expanded. In this embodiment, the spacing structure may be open and contain a plurality of openings that allow for air flow or it may have a closed structure that blocks or interferes with the flow of air through the filter element. If the spacing structure has a closed structure, it will be recognized that the size of the spacing structure must be minimized to minimize the impact of the spacing structure on the flow of air though the filter element, or the spacing structure must be located to minimize its interference with the air flow.
In one aspect, the spacing structure is attached only to the opposed first and second ends of the filter media. In another aspect, the spacing structure is attached over the entire surface of the filter media including the interior face region. In a preferred aspect, the spacing structure contains openings to allow air to flow readily through the structure. In a specific aspect, the spacing structure is an open mesh, net, scrim, screen, or the like containing a plurality of air flow openings, or at least one individual string arranged perpendicular to the pleats.
In one embodiment, the length of the spacing structure between successive pleat tips is less than two times the length of a panel measured from one pleat tip to the next alternating pleat tip so that when the filter element is in its fully expanded condition, the spacing structure forms a generally planar structure and adjacent panels form an angle of less than 180 degrees.
In one aspect of the invention, successive pleat tips define an attachment surface and the spacing structure is attached to the attachment surface. In one embodiment, the spacing structure is arranged along the inlet side of the filter media. In another embodiment, the filter element includes a second spacing structure arranged along the filter media outlet side.
In a more specific aspect, the length of the spacing structure between successive pleat tips is less than the length of a panel measured from one pleat tip to the next alternating pleat tip, whereby when the filter element is in its fully expanded condition, the spacing structure forms a generally planar structure and adjacent panels form an angle of less than 60 degrees.
In another aspect, the spacing structure is formed of a synthetic plastic material. The scrim may be provided in the form of at least one strip arranged perpendicular to the fold lines along the interior face region of the filter media. In a specific embodiment, the length of the spacing structure between successive pleat tips is equal, thereby providing uniform spacing of the pleat tips. In a more specific embodiment, the length of the spacing structure between successive pleat tips is at least 5 millimeters.
In another embodiment, the filter element includes attachment members along the opposed first and second ends of the filter media parallel to the fold lines for securing the filter element to the filter frame. In another aspect of the invention, the attachment members have a stiffness greater than the filter media stiffness.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a replaceable filter element for use with a reusable filter frame including reversibly collapsible and expandable filter media and a flexible spacing structure containing a plurality of openings attached to the filter media. In this embodiment, the spacing structure can be attached to the opposed first and second ends of the filter media, can be attached to each successive pleat tip over the entire face of the filter media, can be attached to successive pleat tips along the edges of the filter media only, or can be attached to successive pleat tips in the interior face region of the filter media only.
The filter media can be either self-supporting or non self-supporting. If the filter media is non self-supporting, the spacing structure is preferably provided over the entire face of the filter media. If the filter media is self-supporting, the spacing structure may be provided over the entire face of the filter media or over only a portion of the face of the filter media including the interior face region of the filter media.