A pellet mill is disclosed having a ring die and a powered extrusion roll with external bearings. The ring die may be powered or free rotating. Pressure and temperature at the pinch gap between the die and roll may be monitored and the mill rotation drives and the pinch gap size may be adjusted during operation. The operational parameters may be monitored and controlled by a computer based system in real time.

Extrusion-type pellet mills and the process of producing pellet material using such devices are well known in the art. In pellet mills, a mixture of material to be pelleted, or "feed," is typically fed to a die having a plurality of extrusion holes. Pellets are generally formed when the feed is compressed and molded between a pressure roll and an extrusion die.
During the extrusion process, generally one or more extrusion rolls travels over the compression side of the die and forces the material between the die and the rolls. This movement squeezes the material through extrusion holes in the die. As the material emerges from the discharge side of the die, the extrusions are severed to produce pellets. Other parts of the pellet mill may facilitate the continuous compression of feed between the pressure rolls and the die and the handling of the extruded pellets.
Each pellet mill is generally equipped with a die and roll assembly which often includes a plurality of pressure rolls, an extrusion die, and a mechanism for delivering feed material evenly along an inner surface of the extrusion die so that the feed can be compressed by the pressure rolls when they roll over the inner surface of the die. The inner surface of the die is also known as the compression surface or the extrusion surface. It is desirable to maximize production of pellets over a period of time. However, the need for frequent roll maintenance may limit pellet production efficiency.
FIG. 1A is a simplified diagram of a prior art pellet mill 100. The pellet mill 100 in FIG. 1 is an example of a common pellet extrusion mill. A die cover 111 is shown in an open position displaying a ring die 110 that is mounted upon a main shaft 120. The ring die 110 rotates around the main shaft 120. The ring die 110 may be powered, for example, by affixing the ring die 110 to the main shaft 120 and driving the main shaft 120 so the ring die 110 rotates in rigid rotation with the main shaft 120. Alternatively, the main shaft 120 may be fixed, and the ring die 110 may be driven by an external motor 112 via, for example, a belt 113, or an external friction roller (not shown) in contact with the exterior of the ring die 110. The inner and outer surfaces of the ring die 110 contain a plurality of extrusion holes 130. The feed material is fed into the ring die 110 by, for example, an auger 165, and forced into the extrusion holes 130 on the interior surface of the ring die 110, and emerges from the extrusion holes 130 on the exterior portion of the ring die 110. The extruded material may then be cut, for example, with a blade (not shown) to form pellets.
The feed in the pellet mill 100 is forced through the extrusion holes 130 by multiple rolls 140. Note that while three rolls 140 are depicted in FIG. 1A, prior art pellet mills may have one, two, three, four, or more rolls. Each roll 140 is freely rotating around a roll shaft 160, and each roll 140 is mounted on a carriage 150 (FIG. 2). The carriage 150 (FIG. 2) may be stationary, or may be driven to rotate around the main shaft 120. When feed is introduced to the interior of the ring die 110 by a feed path, for example, by the auger 165, attached to the die cover 111, the feed is driven toward the rolls 140. Note that in FIG. 1A the auger 165 is shown as separated from the rolls 140, for the purpose of clarity. When the die cover 111 is closed over the ring die 110, as shown in FIG. 1B, the auger 165 is positioned in the center of the die 110 so that the auger 165 may distribute feed material to the rolls 140.
In general, the rolls 140 do not come into direct contact with the inner surface of the ring die 110. Each roll 140 is separated from the ring die 110 by a pinch gap 170, as shown in FIG. 2. In order to provide optimum performance, it is desirable to monitor the size of the pinch gap 170 between the roll 140 and the die 110, and further to adjust the pinch gap 170 size as needed. For example, there may be variations in consistency of the feed over time, requiring either more or less pinch gap 170 pressure between the roll 140 and die 110 for optimum performance, and to compensate for wear on the roll 140 and die 110. However, since the rolls 140 are free rotating within the ring die 110, generally pinch gap 170 size, pressure and temperature are not monitored. Further, in multi-roll extrusion ring dies, the gap size must generally be adjusted on a per-roll basis, for example, by adjusting where the roll 140 is located upon the interior roll carriage 150. Such adjustments have heretofore required opening the ring die enclosure 111 (FIG. 1A) to access the rolls 140 and roll carriage 150. Therefore, the pinch gap 170 size in prior art ring dies 110 is generally static, such that it cannot be adjusted during normal operation, or in response to real time conditions.
The roll assemblies operate in a harsh environment. The rolls must be sealed to prevent the feed from entering the roll mechanisms, and to prevent lubricants or coolants from excessively leaking from the roll assemblies into the feed material. Since the rolls are generally located within a partially sealed die, they are generally difficult to access for maintenance and repair. The rolls are constantly subjected to high pressure in order to force the feed through the extrusion holes, and this pressure generates friction, heating the rolls and die as they rotate.
Since most rolls within a die extrusion ring are passive, they rely on the friction of the feed between the roll and the die to rotate the rolls. In some instances, particularly upon startup, the rolls may slip instead of rotating, causing vibration through the pellet mill and possibly causing additional wear to the components. However, since the rolls are typically mounted within the sealed extrusion die, it has heretofore been impractical to employ powered rolls, due to the difficulties of both driving the rolls and maintaining adequate pressure between the rolls and the die ring to force the feed through the extrusion holes. Some previous systems have mounted multiple rolls on a carriage within the extrusion die, and power the carriage so that the carriage rotates within the die, rotating the rolls around the interior surface of the die. However, in such systems the rolls themselves are still free rotating, and may therefore still experience slippage.
Roll bearings bear the pressure used to force the feed through the extrusion holes, and thus experience heat and stress, limiting lifespan of the roll. In general, larger bearings hold up better under higher pressure. Since the bearings have heretofore been located within physical confines of the roll itself, the maximum size of the bearing has been limited by the physical size of the roll. While it was possible to increase the size of the roll to facilitate larger bearings, the larger roll would be subjected to proportionally greater pressure, therefore generally negating the advantage sought from larger bearings. In order to facilitate the larger bearings, the size of the roller infrastructure has typically been reduced. This interdependency has necessitated a tradeoff between roller structural stability and bearing size.
The roll bearings typically require significant maintenance. Since the bearings are generally located within the rolls, which, in turn, are located within the ring die, servicing the roll bearings requires opening the die housing to access the rolls. This may lead to significant down time in the pellet manufacturing process. Furthermore, the complexity of rolls with integrated internal bearings may complicate the procedure for replacing and repairing the rolls. As a result, roll and bearing maintenance is time consuming, expensive, and causes an interruption of pellet production. In addition, frequent servicing of the rolls may increase safety risks to maintenance personnel, due to the high heat and pressure related with the die and rolls.
Therefore, there is an unmet need for an extrusion ring die having improved cooling and lubrication characteristics, that may be serviced less frequently than previous pellet mills, and that may be serviced without generally requiring frequent access to the interior region of the ring die. Further, there is a need for monitoring the pinch gap distance between the roll and die, as well as the pressure on the feed and the temperature of the roll, and to adjust the pinch gap size during system operation.


A structural bolt security apparatus includes a security nut forming a threaded central hole for a bolt; the security nut has a groove in an upper surface and/or a side surface. At least one groove is at least partially separated from the threaded central hole by the upper surface. In one embodiment, a security nut has a plurality of electrical contacts, logic electronics configured for monitoring electrical resistance across the electrical contacts, and a transmitter for broadcasting security data generated by the logic electronics. In one embodiment, a structural bolt security apparatus includes a security nut and an outer sleeve. Structural bolt security systems described herein include a security nut, a security socket, and a security wrench. The systems may be equipped with RFID chips for recognition of matched security nuts and security sockets, and/or with GPS transceivers for broadcasting security wrench position information.

Many structures such as, for example, electrical transmission towers, communication towers, aqueducts, pipeline structures, and water towers are important to public infrastructure, but traverse remote areas where direct observation for security is impractical. Some of these structures utilize fasteners such as standard bolts and nuts that may present accessible, attractive targets for vandals and/or terrorists.


An apparatus for connecting to an ear canal component of a hearing aid includes a sleeve having a first end, an opposite second end, and a channel extending between the first end and the second end. The sleeve is configured to engage the ear canal component such that the ear canal component is in the channel. A flap is coupled to the sleeve and pivotable into and between an open position in which the channel at the second end of the sleeve is open and a closed position in which the flap closes the channel at the second end of the sleeve. When the flap is in the closed position, the flap prevents the ear canal component from passing out of the channel through the second end of the sleeve.

This Background is intended to introduce various aspects of the art, which may be associated with the present disclosure to thereby assist in providing a framework to facilitate a better understanding of particular aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that this Background should be read in this light, and not necessarily as admissions of prior art.
Hearing aids are used by hearing impaired persons to amplify and direct sounds toward the eardrum. Often, hearing aids have small components that must be inserted into the ear canal, however, these small components can be difficult to properly insert in the ear canal. Accordingly, apparatuses or devices can be connected to the small components of the hearing aid (or integrally formed with the small components) to help the person guide, maneuver, and/or direct the small components into proper placement in the ear canal. Examples of apparatuses that can be connected to small components of the hearing aids are described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,075,792, which is incorporated herein in entirety.
The present inventor has recognized that connecting apparatuses to small components of the hearing aids can be difficult especially for older adults, veterans, and people with any of a number of physical limitations. Further, current methods of connecting or retrofitting the apparatuses to the small component of the hearing aid can be difficult. For example, applying glue to the apparatus and/or the small component of the hearing aid has many problems. For instance, it can be difficult to keep the glue off the other components of the hearing aid, the retrofitter's hands and fingertips, the exterior surfaces of the apparatus, and/or the work surface. In other instances, the glue applicator tip may become clogged. Further, the glue may not make a permanent, long-lasting connection between the apparatus and the small component of the hearing aid. Still further, gluing the apparatus to the small component of the hearing aid may be prohibitively time consuming. Accordingly, the present inventor has developed new devices and methods of the present disclosure for connecting apparatuses to small components of the hearing aids.

Apparatuses for coupling to hearing aids


An IP processing technology is disclosed, and more particularly to a human infrared recipient processor, comprising: an amplifying circuit, a switch control circuit for output of switching signals, a PIR for obtaining analogue human IR signals, a PHOT for obtaining brightness signals, a main controller IC1 used for A/D conversion and digital filtering of analogue human IR signals and logical control/output of high-/low-level signals by the brightness and switching signals, as well as an external output circuit for controlling the working states depending on high-/low-level signals; wherein the human infrared recipient processor of the present invention features simple construction, higher SNR, stability, and sensitivity as well as stronger logical functions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to IR processing technology, and more particularly to a human infrared recipient processor.
2. Description of Related Art
The human infrared recipient processor, represented by a common IR sensing control technology, is widely applied to lightings, alarm systems and temperature measurement, etc. It generally comprises: PIR (Passive Infrared Radiation), operational amplifier, controller and output circuit.
According to the operating principle of PIR, its IR sensing source is a thermoelectric substance, which may, in the case of change of the human body's received infrared intensity, lose the charge balance and start to release current, thus obtaining IR signals sent by the human body. Moreover, the operational amplifier often employs LM324. For example, when the human infrared recipient processor is applied to LED sensor light, IR signals sensed by PIR are amplified and output as analog signals, then the controller is used to control the working states of LED sensor light for auto-control effect. Yet, existing human infrared recipient processor will filter tiny electric signals output by PIR, and amplify them to the extent that can be identified by the logic level, so as to control the output circuit; as the analog signal is vulnerable to temperature change, and the circuit is complex, there are some shortcomings such as: lower SNR, reliability and sensitivity without complex logic control.


A channel profile extends above a door of an aircraft over the width of the door opening and is connected with the aircraft fuselage. When the door is open, the channel profile collects liquid (e.g. rain) flowing down from above the door, and diverts it next to the door opening. To reduce the air flow resistance arising during flight operation, with the door (2) in its closed position, the channel profile (3, 30) is retracted and enclosed behind the outer skin (6) or a flange of the door (2) in a dead space (11) between the upper edge of the door (2) and a frame (4) arranged above the door opening. When the door is opened, the channel profile extends into an outwardly protruding position on spring-loaded guides.

The invention relates to a groove or channel profile for diversion of liquid, arranged above a door of an aircraft, whereby the channel profile extends over the width of the door opening and is connected with the fuselage of the aircraft, and the liquid collected by the channel profile is divertable next to the door opening.
In present-day aircraft it is typical to fixedly mount a channel profile on the fuselage above the door opening. This channel profile serves for the diversion of liquid that falls onto the fuselage above the channel profile and flows off downwardly. The channel profile thus extends over the width of the door opening, in order to catch or collect the flowing-off or draining liquid and to divert it next to the door opening. This diversion of the liquid above the door opening always becomes necessary whenever the parked aircraft is exposed to an atmospheric rain, or if liquid chemicals, for example for the prevention of ice formation, that are sprayed onto the aircraft, are to be diverted. The channel profile prevents the flowing-off or draining liquid from entering into the door opening or, falling on persons located in the door opening. That is especially known in airplanes.
While this profile is thin, it is very long because it must reach at least over the entire width of the door. Thereby, the channel profile represents one of the substantial interferences or disruptions of the otherwise aerodynamically smooth fuselage during flight operation.
The channel profile is arranged essentially in the direction of the airflow that flows around the fuselage. Due to the height of the channel profile, which protrudes outwardly beyond the boundary layer at least in the forward fuselage area, and due to the variable incident relative wind conditions during cruise flight, it is only approximately successful, to achieve the direction of the airflow. The channel profile represents an aerodynamic resistance. As a result, an interference of the airflow along the fuselage, and therewith an additional flow resistance, is not avoidable.
The object of the invention is to improve a channel profile in such a manner so that the arising flow resistance during flight operation of an aircraft is further reducible.
The object is achieved in that, in the closed position of the door, the channel profile is arranged behind the outer skin of the door in a dead space between the upper edge of the door and a frame that is guided or extends above the door opening. Thus, during flight operation the advantage is achieved, that the previous flow resistance of the channel profile in connection with aircraft is fundamentally removed or done away with. The invention is utilizable in connection with all types of aircraft, especially airplanes and rotary wing aircraft.
According to one embodiment of tale invention, the channel profile is secured on a frame blind member and is movable between a latching position that lies under the contour of the outer wall and that is reached with the closed position of the door, and an unlatching position that is reachable at the open position of the door. The channel profile is arrestable or blockable in the latching position and in the unlatching position. It is thus achieved, that the channel profile is functional upon opening the door, namely already upon lifting the door and still before the pivoting of the door, whereby liquid diverted above the door opening is catchable or collectible and divertable next to the door opening. Advantageously, the liquid diverted by the channel profile can be guided onto a frame-side or frame-mounted sealing profile member, and from there can be diverted onto the outer wall lying below the door opening.
The channel profile is arrestable or blockable by the outer skin, against the force of a spring means, under the outer wall of the fuselage. The spring means is situated in engagement with a guide means, which guides the channel profile.


Techniques are disclosed relating to determining when a data strobe signal is valid for capturing data. In one embodiment, an apparatus is disclosed that includes a memory interface circuit configured to determine an initial time value for capturing data from a memory based on a data strobe signal. In some embodiments, the memory interface circuit may determine this initial time value by reading a known value from memory. In one embodiment, the memory interface circuit further configured to determine an adjusted time value for capturing the data, where the memory interface circuit is configured to determine the adjusted time value by using the initial time value to sample the data strobe signal.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates generally to processors, and, more specifically, to interfacing processors with memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
When data is transmitted between a processor and memory, a data strobe signal (sometimes referred to as DQS) is provided with the data signal to indicate when voltages on the bus correspond to actual data values and to coordinate the capturing of the data values from the bus. In a write operation, the memory controller interface on the processor is responsible for generating the data strobe signal for the data being written to memory. In a read operation, memory generates the data strobe signal for the data being read.
The data strobe signal is typically transmitted over the same bidirectional bus line. As such, the DQS signal line may be permitted to float (i.e., operate in a tri-state) between performances of read and write operations. If the recipient attempts to capture data before the data strobe signal is valid, the tri-stated value of the signal line may cause data to be captured incorrectly. Still further, if the recipient starts capturing data after an initial cycle of the DQS signal, not all of the data will be captured.


A system is used to analyze the implementation of a protocol by a device-under-analysis (DUA). The system includes a source endpoint, a destination endpoint (the DUA), and a message generator. The source endpoint generates an original message and attempts to send it to the DUA. The original message is intercepted by the message generator, which generates a replacement message. The replacement message is then sent to the DUA instead of the original message. The replacement message is deliberately improper so as to analyze the DUA's implementation of the protocol. The message generator includes a structure recognition system and a mutation system. The structure recognition system determines the underlying structure and/or semantics of a message. After the structure recognition system has determined the structure, it creates a description of the structure (a structure description). The mutation system modifies the message based on the structure description to generate a replacement message.

The present invention relates to automated generation of attacks for security analysis of hardware and software.
Computerized communication, whether it occurs at the application level or at the network level, generally involves the exchange of data or messages in a known, structured format (a "protocol"). Software applications and hardware devices that rely on these formats can be vulnerable to various attacks that are generally known as "protocol abuse." Protocol abuse consists of sending messages that are invalid or malformed with respect to a particular protocol ("protocol anomalies") or sending messages that are well-formed but inappropriate based on a system's state. Messages whose purpose is to attack a system are commonly known as malicious network traffic.
Various systems have been developed that identify or detect attacks when they occur. This functionality, which is known as intrusion detection, can be implemented by a system that is either passive or active. A passive intrusion detection system (IDS) will merely detect an attack, while an active IDS will attempt to thwart the attack. Note that an IDS reacts to an actual attack. While an IDS might be able to detect an attack, it does not change the fact that an attack has occurred and might have damaged the underlying system.
A proactive solution to the attack problem is to analyze a system ahead of time to discover or identify any vulnerabilities. This way, the vulnerabilities can be addressed before the system is deployed or released to customers. This process, which is known as "security analysis," can be performed using various methodologies. One methodology for analyzing the security of a device-under-analysis (DUA) is to treat the DUA as a black box. Under this methodology, the DUA is analyzed via the interfaces that it presents to the outside world. As a result, it is not necessary to access the source code or object code comprising the DUA.
For example, a security analyzer sends one or more messages (test messages) to the DUA, and the DUA's response is observed. A response can include, for example, registering an error or generating a message (response message). The DUA can then send the response message to the security analyzer. Depending on the analysis being performed, the security analyzer might send another test message to the DUA upon receiving the response message from the DUA. The test messages and response messages can be analyzed to determine whether the DUA operated correctly.
Some protocols involve a series of message exchanges between two endpoints (e.g., a client and a server). Ideally, an endpoint would receive a first message from another endpoint, process the first message correctly, and transmit a proper second message to the other endpoint. In order to analyze whether one endpoint (the DUA) is operating correctly, the other endpoint is modified to process the first message incorrectly and/or transmit an improper second message to the DUA. This testing method requires the other endpoint to be completely re-implemented, which takes a long time to prototype and test.

Modification of messages for analyzing the security of communication protocols and channels


A network apparatus uses a processing unit to convey data bidirectionally between ports. A programmable bypass circuit may have normal, fail opened and fail closed modes. Potential failure events that embodiments of the invention can deal with gracefully include power failures. Decisions as to the failure mode(s) to be adopted in the event of failure may be determined based on a programmable policy.

INDs (Intermediate network devices), such as gateways or network access devices, including Internet gateways, have evolved in complexity in recent years. Their usage is commonplace, they may integrate, for example, high-speed gateway anti-virus, anti spyware, intrusion prevention, content filtering, stateful firewall, IPSec VPN (Internet Protocol Security, Virtual Private Network) and more.
As more features are provided and used so there can grow an increasing reliance on the benefits thereof and a correspondingly growing need to manage and limit the consequences of extraordinary events including signal borne threats and/or device degradations or even complete failures. Various capabilities for threat management, including UTM (unified threat management) exist in previously developed solutions however improvements in reliability, graceful degradation and flexible response modes are needed.
In a communication network, if a connecting device (such as switch/router/UTM (Unified Threat Management) appliances or firewall) fails due to hardware or software malfunction, it could result in terminating the connection between the ingress and egress ports. For an inline device such a malfunction would then stop the flow of the data across the device resulting in network down time.
There are old methods of bypassing the devices manually, or always asserting bypass, on system failures. Such "bypass-always" devices allow a complete bypass always (on failure) and may have no mechanism to inhibit this bypass based on system configuration and application. These implementations may not allow the choice of selecting whether to bypass or not to bypass based on the system application either at all, or not in a sufficiently adequate manner.
Utilizing a "manual-bypass" method may result in experiencing network downtime and/or may require an IT (Information Technology) person to find a failing device and then bypass it manually. This may be very time consuming and costly.
Utilizing an "automatically bypass-always" method for UTM appliances may result in experiencing undesired network connectivity in cases where system applications do not want to allow data flow-through whenever a system fails. Such a case is commonplace in security and firewall applications.
FIG. 1 is an illustration of part of a network configuration. Internet (internetwork) 101 is connected by some form of telecommunications link 102 to a network access device 110. The network access device 110 may operate as a gateway to provide internetwork (external network and/or Internet) access to devices (not shown) that may be connected to a LAN 120 (local area network). Typically, the network access device 110 may perform gateway algorithms to enable it to operate as a firewall, router, virus detector, and/or provide numerous other services.
FIG. 2 is an illustration of part of a network configuration, such as that of FIG. 1 under a possible failure condition that may be viewed as a "fail closed" condition. Failures can occur in many ways, often not entirely capable of being anticipated, like the destruction of an electronic circuit, loss of electrical power, or undesired software behavior.
In the system of FIG. 2, failure has resulted in a "No Connection" condition between the LAN 120 and Internet 101. This type of failure is commonly termed "fail closed" as no data traffic is allowed to flow through the network access device 110 anymore. Unless a fallback network access device (not shown) exists and offers an alternate route for such data flow, service is effectively disrupted pending remedial action by personnel and/or equipment repair or replacement etc.
FIG. 3 is an illustration of part of a network configuration, such as that of FIG. 1 under a possible alternative failure condition that may be viewed as a "fail open" condition. In this case the network access device 110 has failed in a way network access device 110 no longer provides enhanced services and data passes freely, without filtering, virus checking or whatever services network access device 110 might be intended to provide when fully operational. In some embodiments network access device 110 may behave in this failure mode as an IEEE-802.3 "hub" device. This type of failure is commonly termed a "fail opened" (or "fail open") failure suggesting that the interconnection is opened up for any and all data flow to pass unimpeded. Unimpeded data flow can have various consequences, for example there may be a failure to block undesirable software viruses and data flow that should be confined to the LAN is allowed to leak upstream thus providing needless and unproductive data flow loading to upstream network devices.
It is a limitation, commonly found in previously developed solutions that a choice between the failure modes of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, where available at all, must be made long in advance, such as when the network access device is placed into service rather than in a programmable manner, responsive to varying system configuration.
Additionally, in previously developed solutions, many devices are not capable of "fail open" behavior when unpowered such as when failure is due to power supply malfunction. This can result in inconsistent behavior improperly responsive to the (sometimes unpredictable) precise nature of each failure.

Network interface device having bypass capability


A method and apparatus for generating a tradable security includes confirming a vendor's compliance with predefined terms of a commercial transaction, such that a buyer is obligated to make a due payment. The method and apparatus further includes electronically rating a financial commitment relating to a receivable account for the commercial transaction. This receivable account is rated based on conditions and factors known to a system facilitating the commercial transaction. Based on the ability for the financial commitment to be rated, a financial exchange is operative to transfer entitlement rights to monies due under the receivable account where the terms for the transfer of the entitlement rights are based at least in part on the electronic rating. Thereby, receivable accounts to commercial transactions may be tradable by one or more investors as properly rated investment.

The present invention relates generally to the management of commercial transactions and financial obligations that arise from those commercial transactions and more specifically to the generation of investment vehicles for trade-related financial obligations.
As commerce continues to grow and expand globally, commercial transactions have become increasingly complex. When dealing with manufacturing contracts, for example, typical problems may arise in respect of the original contract terms themselves; financial terms associated with such contracts; manufacturing and delivery concerns associated with such contracts; as well as with many other areas.
One common problem in commercial transactions involves financing the transaction itself. Previously, letters of credit were used as both the payment vehicle for a trade transaction and credit-enhancement for trade finance purposes. Finance proceeds were typically used to invest in materials and labor to fulfill the order. Letters of credit follow strict and precise guidelines, as typically dictated by the lending institutions issuing the letters of credit. Problems can easily arise in intricate commercial transactions between manufacturers and buyers, delaying and complicating payment to the manufacturer or its financing bank.
Full Service Trade Systems and improvements thereon are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,989, issued on Feb. 10, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,588, issued on Nov. 21, 2000; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/981,616 filed on Oct. 16, 2001; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/981,637 filed on Oct. 16, 2001; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/981,645 filed on Oct. 16, 2001; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/981,642 filed on Oct. 16, 2001; and Patent Cooperation Treaty International Application No. PCT/US01/32379, filed on Oct. 16, 2001 and published as W.I.P.O. Publication No. WO 02/33514, collectively referred to as "Related patents and applications".) The Related patents and applications are herein incorporated by reference in each of its entirety.
As disclosed in the related patents and applications, through the central transaction system, any number of parties can accurately and quickly monitor the status of the transaction. Also, through this system, payments may be electronically monitored based on satisfaction of certain conditions. This commercial transaction control system can coordinate with financial institutions to not only supplant letters of credit, but also provide means for paying parties at specified dates. For example, completed invoices are typically paid at a net day period, such as 30 days net or 60 days net. Therefore, even though the transaction is completed, the buyer's financial obligations are not transmitted to the vendor until this period of time has expired.
In existing commercial transactions, net payment dates typically reflect the period of time during which the buyer processes an invoice. It is typical that the invoice is verified by a receiving department and then forwarded to an accounts payable department. This accounts payable department must process the invoice, confirm everything is in proper order and then authorize the payment. In paper-based transactions, this can be a slow and time consuming process, especially with high volume buyers that handle significant numbers of shipments/invoices.
Therefore, the net payment date is typically included or understood in the contract between the buyer and vendor. Although, with the electronic trade platform, the delay period for payment is not as important. As the invoices can be verified in real time, steps associated with the accounts payable department can be avoided. Although, these contract terms still include these delay periods.
The typical commercial contract is negotiated based on these net terms. For example, the vendor may offer a lower price with a net-30 day payment period compared with a net-90 day payment period.
The payment period may also be reflective of the buyer's creditworthiness. If a buyer may not be as creditworthy, the vendor may require a 15 day net or other short term net to help hedge against potential losses of missed or incomplete payments. For example, if the buyer has several outstanding invoices with short term nets, the vendor may be able to refuse future transactions until the invoices are paid in full. But with an extended net period, the vendor may not be able to demand early payment in full without incurring further obligations such as by taking on more contracts.
With financial obligations having delayed payment periods, these receivable accounts can be classified as short-term loans. The payment obligation is triggered by a vendor's event, such as shipping of goods or receipt by the buyer. The buyer is then both in receipt of the vendor's goods and now the vendor's money, with the vendor holding a note with a bank-authorized commitment. As the vendor waits the net payment period, these financial obligations may be controlled by the buyer's financial institution or a third party escrow account.
Current systems do not provide for investment or financial options with respect to these outstanding notes. One current existing system for trading financial instruments is the securitization and trading of mortgages. These accounts are bundled based on selected criteria and then are able to traded in open markets as security instruments. Mortgage-backed securities provide for long-term investment options based on the long term nature of the underlying mortgage loan itself.
Although, there currently does not exist a system allowing for the securitization and/or trading of short term financial obligations and/or accounts receivables relating to commercial transactions. A significant short-coming in trade debt instruments is the reliability (e.g. creditworthiness) of the parties to the transaction. The market participants do not have enough information to reliably trade debt instruments unless they include a defined standardization, such as with mortgage-backed securities. Such standardization does not exist with many other debt instruments to support open-market trading.

Securitization of a commercial transaction


Disclosed herein are an aromatic thioether ketone/thioether sulfone random copolymer comprising phenylene thioether ketone recurring units (I) and phenylene thioether sulfone recurring units (II), (a) the compositional ratio (I:II) of the recurring units (I) to the recurring units (II) ranging from 98:2 to 65:35, (b) the solution viscosity (.eta..sub.inh) being at least 0.3 dl/g, (c) the melt crystallization time (f) being at least 3 minutes, (d) the melting point (Tm) being 300.degree.-350.degree. C., (e) the glass transition temperature being at least 125.degree. C., (f) the retention (400.degree. C./20 min) of melt crystallization enthalpy (.DELTA.Hmc) being at least 60%, and (g) the average particle size being at least 0.1 mm, and the production process thereof.

In the fields of the electronic and electrical industry and the automobile, aircraft and space industries, there is a strong demand in recent years for crystalline thermoplastic resins having high heat resistance of 300.degree. C. or higher in terms of melting point and moreover easy melt processability. Among these crystalline thermoplastic resins having high heat resistance, poly(arylene thioetherketones) (hereinafter abbreviated as "PTKs") are ultrahigh-heat-resistant aromatic polymers combining a high melting point of about 350.degree. C. with a high glass transition temperature of about 135.degree. C. There is hence a strong demand for provision of such polymers in the fields of frontier technologies, and the like.
PTKs can be produced by causing an alkali metal sulfide and a 4,4'-dihalobenzophenone to undergo a dehalogenation and sulfurization reaction in an organic amide solvent (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54031/1989). However, PTKs involved a problem that when they are formed and processed by, for example, extrusion and subsequent stretching or sheet forming, it is considerably difficult from the technical viewpoint to apply these forming and processing methods thereto. This problem was believed to be attributed to the formation of coarse spherulites in a product formed by the extrusion owing to the too high crystallization.
In order to lower the crystallization rate of a PTK, the present inventor attempted to reduce the crystallinity and crystallization rate of the PTK by random copolymerization of its monomer with monomers of a kind different from the first-mentioned monomer. Namely, a 4,4'-dihalobenzophenone as a dihalogenated aromatic compound was combined with dihalobenzenes as dihalogenated aromatic compounds of a kind different from the 4,4'-dihalobenzophenone, respectively, followed by their reaction with an alkali metal sulfide, thereby producing an aromatic thioether ketone/thioether random copolymer somewhat lowered in crystallinity. However, it was difficult to obtain a random copolymer having a high molecular weight in the form of granules because the 4,4'-dihalobenzophenone and dihalobenzenes were different in reactivity from each other.
On the other hand, there has been proposed a block copolymer containing poly(arylene thioether-ketone) blocks and poly(arylene thioether) blocks (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 225527/1990). This block copolymer can be obtained by a process in which an alkali metal sulfide is reacted with a 4,4'-dihalobenzophenone in the presence of a poly(arylene thioether) prepolymer having reactive terminal groups to form a poly(arylene thioetherketone) block, or a process in which a poly(arylene thioether) prepolymer having reactive terminal groups is reacted with a poly(arylene thioether-ketone) prepolymer having reactive terminal groups. It is possible to collect a polymer moderately reduced in crystallization rate by suitably selecting reaction conditions in the production process. However, this block copolymer involves problems such that its melting point and glass transition temperature are lowered to a considerable extent compared with the PTK homopolymer, and its polymerization operation is complicated.

Aromatic thioether ketone/thioether sulfone copolymer and production process thereof


An auxiliary passage apparatus, an attachment, a liquid discharge head, and a ink jet head are provided. The auxiliary passage apparatus is detachably attached to a liquid discharge head and includes a main body portion including, a first surface, a second surface, a supply passage formed in the first surface and through which liquid passes to a discharge head, and an ejection passage formed in the second surface and through which liquid which is ejected from the discharge head passes. A part of the supply passage includes a first annular projection formed so as to protrude in a direction orthogonal to the first surface and a first flexible film adhered to a distal end of the first annular projection. A part of the ejection passage crosses an area on the second surface which is opposed to an area surrounded by the first annular projection.

A related art ink jet head attached to an ink jet printer has been known as one of the liquid discharge heads for discharging a liquid. Some ink jet heads are provided with a passage unit in which a common ink chamber and a plurality of individual ink passages from the common ink chamber to nozzles are formed, and a reservoir unit in which a reservoir communicating with the common ink chamber and an ink supply port for supplying ink to the reservoir are formed. In such a related art ink jet head, ink is supplied into a reservoir of the reservoir unit via an ink tube that functions as an ink supply passage connected to an ink supply port. However, sometimes air remaining in an ink tube is introduced into the reservoir along with ink via an ink supply port by a pump which sends ink into the reservoir. Air in the reservoir causes clogging of minute nozzles. If a nozzle is clogged, the discharge performance of ink drops is worsened. Therefore, JP-A-2007-268868 describes a related art ink jet head in which an ink ejection port for discharging air in the reservoir to the outside is formed, and at the same time, an ink tube functioning as an ink ejection passage is connected to the ink ejection port.
Also, JP-A-2007-268829 describes a related art reservoir unit having a plate-shaped passage component. An annular projection protruding in a direction orthogonal to one surface of the passage component is formed on the corresponding surface. A film is adhered to the tip end of the annular projection, and a spacing surrounded by the inner circumferential surface of the annular projection and the film forms a part of the ink passage. Therefore, a radical fluctuation in pressure of ink in the reservoir unit can be absorbed by flexing of the film. This flexing acts as a damper function. In addition, surrounding the annular projection in the passage component, a rib protruding in the direction orthogonal to the surface is formed in order to prevent deformation by increasing the rigidity of the passage component.
Where two passages of an ink supply passage and an ink ejection passage, which are connected to an ink supply port and an ink ejection port of the ink jet head described in JP-A-2007-268868 described above, respectively, are formed on an attachment detachable from the ink jet head, it becomes possible to connect the two passages to the ink jet head by a single operation. However, the attachment having two passages thus mounted therein is liable to be large-sized.
Also, where there is unevenness between the pitch of the ink supply port and the ink ejection port, which are formed in the ink jet head, and the pitch of connection portions of the ink supply port and the ink ejection port, which are formed in the attachment, a connection between both cannot be normally carried out. That is, in such a case, a load may be given to the ink supply port and the ink ejection port, wherein there is a fear that ink leakage occurs.
In addition, it is advantageous to increase the area, in which the annular projection is formed, as much as possible, and to increase the area of the film adhered to the tip end of the annular projection in order to increase the damper function of the passage component. However, since it is difficult to form the rib to increase the rigidity in an area surrounded by the annular projection, the rigidity may be remarkably lowered if the area in which the annular projection is formed is increased.
Therefore, where the damper function as described in JP-A-2007-268829 is given to the attachment having the ink supply passage and the ink ejection passage formed therein, there is a fear that the attachment is deformed by a force received when the attachment is mounted in an ink jet head, and ink may leak at a connection portion with the ink jet head.

Auxiliary passage unit, liquid discharge head having the same attached thereto, attachment, ink jet head having the same attached thereto, and ink jet printer


For refrigeration units, maintenance machines are required that can receive and compress the refrigerant from the refrigeration unit. Furthermore, a vacuum pump is required, which is connected to the emptied lines and pumps out humidity and air. The maintenance machine according to the invention includes a motor that drives a compressor via a freewheel in one rotational direction. The same motor drives a vacuum pump via a second freewheel in the other rotational direction. The maintenance machine, which can perform two different functions, includes only one single motor. The machine is lightweight, so that it can be carried by the maintenance personnel. Furthermore, it is small and can be produced in a cost-effective manner.

For the maintenance of refrigeration units, such as air condition systems or freezing systems, a maintenance technician uses various maintenance machines, each of which he has to transport to the respective site of use. Generally, the maintenance machines are transported along in a vehicle and have to be unloaded at the site of use and may have to be carried to the site of use over stairs and for longer distances. The maintenance machines include a refrigerant recovery machine (RRM) and a vacuum pump (VP). These maintenance machines are used independently and at different times. Each maintenance machine is rather heavy (12-14 kg) and has the size of a small suitcase. The refrigerant recovery machine further comprises a storage tank and scales. If a maintenance technician wants to seal a leak in a refrigerant circuit, the circuit has to be emptied first. In this context, environment protection regulations require that the refrigerant removed from the system is collected and that any refrigerant vapor is led into a refrigerant recovery tank together with the refrigerant. For this purpose, the maintenance machine is provided with a compressor that compresses the discharged refrigerant and pumps it into a storage tank.
Another type of maintenance machine comprises a vacuum pump driven by a motor of its own. The vacuum pump is used to draw air and water vapor from the pipe system of the refrigeration unit after the refrigerant has been drained before. Humidity and refrigerant do not go along with each other. The vacuum pump serves to dry the pipe system. For this purpose, a specific vacuum must be maintained for a certain time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,606,862 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,415 each describe a maintenance machine. The maintenance machine has a motor with two shafts, one of which is adapted to drive a compressor via a first clutch and the second shaft is adapted to drive a vacuum pump via a second clutch. Shifting the clutches requires control operations.

Maintenance machine for refrigeration units with reversible motor


The period of time that the squelch circuit maintains a radio receiver's audio amplifier active after the signal strength of a received carrier fades below a threshold level is inversely proportional to the strength of the received carrier immediately before the fade. This threshold level is also variable. If, immediately before the fade, the received signal strength exceeds a predetermined trigger level (Vtrg) the threshold level is raised. A buffer amplifier (102) charges a capacitor (C) to a voltage which is proportional to the strength of a received carrier. If the carrier fades below a threshold (Vth2 or Vth3, the buffer is disabled and the capacitor slowly discharges through a resistor (R). When the voltage at the capacitor crosses a reference voltage (Vref1) the output of a comparator (104) switches, thereby deactivating the receiver's audio amplifier. If the voltage at the buffer output is within a specified range, a feedback control circuit (112) switches a variable hysteresis feedback circuit (110) such that the negative-going threshold of the comparator (106) is switched from one threshold level (Vth2) to another (Vth3).

This invention pertains to audio squelch circuits of the type used in radio frequency receivers and, more particularly, to a squelch circuit that adapts its operating parameters as a function of the signal strength of the received radio frequency signal.
In the absence of a radio frequency carrier, a radio receiver will receive and amplify the background noise on the channel, resulting in an objectionable sound at the receiver's speaker. Therefore, in the reception of voice transmissions, radio receivers are usually equipped with a "squelch circuit" to disable the receiver's audio amplifier at the end of a transmission. Since the squelch and audio amplifier circuits do not respond instantaneously, there will be a brief period of time between the end of the transmission and the deactivation of the audio amplifier. During this period of time, which is commonly referred to as "squelch tail", the audio amplifier is active, and the user hears a short burst of noise at the end of every transmission.
A prior art squelch circuit typically deactivates or "squelches" the audio amplifier when the strength of a received radio signal drops below a predetermined threshold voltage, and reactivates or "unsquelches" the audio amplifier when the signal strength exceeds this predetermined threshold. Unfortunately, if the received signal momentarily fades, the audio amplifier may be prematurely disabled. When the signal strength increases after the momentary fade, a significant portion of the transmission may be missed because it requires a finite period of time to detect an increase in signal strength and to reactivate the audio amplifier.
Accordingly, the invention described below maintains the audio amplifier active for a variable period of time after the strength of the received signal drops below a predetermined threshold. This variable time is a function of the strength of the received signal immediately before it fades; the lower the signal strength, the longer the period of time the audio amplifier is activated. The invention also dynamically adjusts the threshold level at which the signal strength must drop below before the audio amplifier can be disabled.

Squelch circuit with variable squelch tail and variable hysteresis


The present application discloses a system comprising a compact curved grating (CCG) and its associated compact curved grating spectrometer (COGS) or compact curved grating wavelength multiplexer/demultiplexer (WMDM) module and a method for making the same. The system is capable of achieving a very small (resolution vs. size) RS factor. The location of the entrance slit and detector can be adjusted in order to have the best performance for a particular design goal. The initial groove spacing is calculated using a prescribed formula dependent on operation wavelength. The location of the grooves is calculated based on two conditions. The first one being that the path-difference between adjacent grooves should be an integral multiple of the wavelength in the medium to achieve aberration-free grating focusing at the detector or a first anchor output slit even with large beam diffraction angle from the entrance slit or input slit, the second one being specific for a particular design goal of a curved-grating spectrometer.

Optical gratings are well known in the art and are used to disperse optical spectra spatially. Such gratings are commonly used in optical spectrometers to analyze the spectral composition of an optical beam. There is always a tradeoff between the length of an optical spectrometer and its resolution. Thus, if a higher wavelength resolution is required, the length required is also longer. Consider an example of a typical 1-meter long grating spectrometer in the market, which has a typical wavelength resolution of about ΔλSM=0.1 nm at a center operating wavelength λSM=1000 nm or ΔλSM/λSM=10−4. The dimensionless quantity for the length of the spectrometer LSM is LSM/λSM and LSM/λSM=106 in this example. The dimensionless product of the relative resolution ΔλSM/λSM and the relative physical size LSM/λSM of the spectrometer is dependent on the design of the spectrometer.
Resolution Vs Size/Area Factor
More precisely, consider a curved grating spectrometer device 1000 shown in FIG. 1 with a curved grating CG 1010 and a wave or beam propagating region between the input slit SLI1 1201 and the grating or the grating and the output slit SLO1 1401 called grating-propagating region GPR 1020. If the spectrometer has a width WSM 1002 and a length LSM 1003, then the dimensionless product of interest is:RSSM=(ΔλSM/λSM)*[(WSM/λSM)*(LSM/λSM)]0.5,  (1)where "*" denotes numerical multiplication. This factor (RSSM) is referred to here as the "resolution vs size" factor of the spectrometer. The square of RSSM factor is called "resolution vs area" factor:RASM=(RSSM)2.  (2)The factors RASM and RSSM basically measure the compactness of a spectrometer for a given spectral resolution power. In this example, if WSM=LSM=1 m, then RSSM=100 and RASM=104. The smaller the RSSM and RASM value, the more compact is the spectrometer.
Only a few conventional spectrometers have RASM factor less than about 100 (or RSSM<10). This is primarily because of the various limitations in the prior arts (as will be described below). In many photonic integrated circuit, electronic-photonic integrated circuit, and fiber-optic applications, RASM factors of smaller than about RASM=1 down to RASM=0.01 are desirable. These cannot be achieved via the methods in the prior arts.
Furthermore, for many applications in photonic integrated circuits, electronic-photonic integrated circuits, and fiber-optics, the background extinction of the spectral power outside the wavelength range that is supposed to be detected is important, which measures the relative optical power from outside the detection wavelength range that is scattered into the output slit or photodetector of the spectrometer.
Spectral Output Power Efficiency
A parameter that measures such unwanted background scattering is the "adjacent-channel power extinction ratio". As shown by FIGS. 1 and 1B, assuming the input light at an input slit labeled as slit "SLI1" 1201 for which "I1" labels "input" "1" has an optical spectrum with optical power spectral density PSI1(λ) 1131 at wavelength λ. Let λI1-O1 1321 be the center spectral wavelength that goes from the spectrometer's input slit SLI1 to the spectrometer's output slit labeled as output slit "SLO1" 1401. Let the optical power spectrum entering or being detected at output slit SLO1 1401 be PSI1-O1(λ) 1331. PSI1-O1(λ) 1331 is then given in terms of the spectral density of the input beam PSI1(λ) by:PSI1-O1(λ)=ηeffI1-O1(λ)*PSI1(λ).  (3)The factor ηeffI1-O1(λM) is the efficiency of passing or detecting the power of the input beam from input slit SLI1 at the output slit SLO1 at wavelength λM, assuming that the input beam is basically a monochromatic light source at λM (e.g. a narrow-bandwidth laser light). The factor ηeffI1-O1(λM) is called the "spectral power output efficiency".
As shown in FIG. 1B, the power at input slit SL 1201 over a small spectral bandwidth Δλ centered at wavelength λA (small comparing to the spectral bandwidth of PSI1-O1(λ) at λA or more precisely, small enough so that PSI1-O1(λ) at λA does not change much over the wavelength bandwidth Δλ), denoted as PI1(λA; Δλ) 1131DL, is given by:PI1(λA;Δλ)=PSI1(λA)*Δλ.  (4A)Let the total optical power entering or being detected at output slit SLO1 1401 over a small spectral bandwidth Δλ centered at wavelength λA for the beam from input slit SLI1 be PI1-O1(λA; Δλ) 1331DL. PI1-O1(λA; Δλ) is then given by PSI1-O1(λA)*Δλ=ηeffI1-O1(λ)*PSI1(λ)Δλ according to Eq. (3). It is also given by ηeffI1-O1(λA)*(λA; Δλ). PI1-O1(λA; Δλ) is thus related to the spectral density of the input beam PSI1(λA) by:PI1-O1(λA;Δλ)=PSI1-O1(λA)*Δλ=ηeffI1-O1(λA)*PSI1(λA)*Δλ.  (4B)In the situation that Δλ is large, Eqs. (4A) and (4B) should be more precisely converted to an integration of PSI1-O1(λ) with respect to wavelength λ over wavelength bandwidth Δλ centered at wavelength λ=λA given by:
                                                                                P                              I                                                                                1                                                                (                                                λ                  A                                ;                Δλ                            )                                =                                    ∫                                                λ                  A                                -                                  Δλ                  2                                                                              λ                  A                                +                                  Δλ                  2                                                                                PS                                      I                                        1                                                                                (                  λ                  )                                                                                d                                                                                λ                                                          (                  5                    A                )                                                      P                                          I                                1                            -                              O                                1                                                                    (                                          λ                A                            ;              Δλ                        )                          =                                            ∫                                                λ                  A                                -                                  Δλ                  2                                                                              λ                  A                                +                                  Δλ                  2                                                                                PS                                                            I                                            1                                        -                                          O                                            1                                                                                (                  λ                  )                                                                                ⅆ                λ                                              =                                    ∫                                                λ                  A                                -                                  Δλ                  2                                                                              λ                  A                                +                                  Δλ                  2                                                                                η                                                            effI                                            1                                        -                                          O                                            1                                                                                (                  λ                  )                                            *                                                PS                                      I                                        1                                                                                (                  λ                  )                                                                                d                                                                                λ                                                          (                  5                    B                )            Total Power and Power Spectrum
To define the "adjacent-channel power extinction ratio", let the spectral resolution bandwidth for a beam at wavelength λI1-O1 1321 from input slit SLI1 1201 to output slit SLO1 1401 be ΔλRes-I1-O1 1381Res, as shown in FIG. 1B. Assuming the input power spectrum at an input slit of the spectrometer PSI1(λ) 1131 is approximately a constant for the wavelength λ around λ=λI1-O1 1321. Let the optical power from the input slit SLI1 1201 entering or being detected at an output slit of the spectrometer SLO1 1401 over the spectral bandwidth given by the spectral resolution bandwidth ΔλRes-I1-O1 1381Res be PI1-O1(λI1-O1; ΔλRes-I1-O1), where:
                                          P                                          I                                1                            -                              O                                1                                              =                                                    P                                                      I                                        1                                    -                                      O                                        1                                                                                (                                                      λ                                                                  I                                                1                                            -                                              O                                                1                                                                              ;                                      Δλ                                          Res                      -                                              I                                                1                                            -                                              O                                                1                                                                                )                                      =                                          ∫                                                      λ                                                                  I                                                1                                            -                                              O                                                1                                                                              -                                                            Δλ                                              Res                        -                                                  I                                                    1                                                -                                                  O                                                    1                                                                                2                                                                                λ                                                                  I                                                1                                            -                                              O                                                1                                                                              +                                                            Δλ                                              Res                        -                                                  I                                                    1                                                -                                                  O                                                    1                                                                                2                                                                                η                                                                  effI                                                1                                            -                                              O                                                1                                                                                (                    λ                    )                                                  *                                                      PS                                          I                                            1                                                                                (                    λ                    )                                                                                d                                                                                λ                                                    ,                            (                  6                    A                )            Then at an adjacent wavelength that is separated from λI1-O1 1321 by "one spectral resolution bandwidth" ΔλRes-I1-O1 1381Res away, the power detected over the same spectral resolution bandwidth ΔλRes-I1-O1 1381Res given by:
                                                        P                              I1                -                                  O                                    1                                                                                (                                                                    λ                                                                  I                                                1                                            -                                              O                                                1                                                                              +                                      Δλ                                          Res                      -                                              I                                                1                                            -                                              O                                                1                                                                                ;                                  Δλ                                      Res                    -                                          I                                            1                                        -                                          O                                            1                                                                                )                                =                                    ∫                                                λ                                                            I                                            1                                        -                                          O                                            1                                                                      +                                  Δλ                                      Res                    -                                          I                                            1                                        -                                          O                                            1                                                                      -                                                      Δλ                                          Res                      -                                              I                                                1                                            -                                              O                                                1                                                                              2                                                                              λ                                                            I                                            1                                        -                                          O                                            1                                                                      +                                  Δλ                                      Res                    -                                          I                                            1                                        -                                          O                                            1                                                                      +                                                      ΔλΔλ                                          Res                      -                                              I                                                1                                            -                                              O                                                1                                                                              2                                                                                η                                                            effI                                            1                                        -                                          O                                            1                                                                                (                  λ                  )                                            *                                                PS                                      I                                        1                                                                                (                  λ                  )                                                                                d                                                                                λ                                      ,                            (                  6                    B                )            should ideally be zero at the output slit (as the spectral power output efficiency ηeffI1-O1(λ) shall be approximately zero when λ=λI1-O1+ΔλRes-I1-O1 is not at the supposed output detection/passing wavelength λI1-O1 1321 of output slot SLO1 and is at one resolution bandwidth ΔλRes-I1-O1 1381Res away from λI1-O1 1321).Adjacent-Channel Extinction Ratio
The ratio of the power at λI1-O1 1321 and the power at λI1-O1+ΔλRes-I1-O1 given by:ηace(λI1-O1)=PI1-O1(λI1-O1;ΔλRes-I1-O1)/PI1-O1(λI1-O1+ΔλRes-I1-O1;ΔλRes-I1-O1),  (7)is called the "adjacent-channel power extinction ratio" or "adjacent-wavelength power extinction ratio" or "adjacent wavelength-channel extinction ratio", or "adjacent channel extinction ratio" for the beam from input slit SLI1 1201 to output slit SLO1 1401. It is also related to what is known to those skilled in the art as "adjacent-channel crosstalk rejection" or "adjacent-channel crosstalk extinction". These terminologies will thus be used interchangeably below.Adjacent Channel Extinction Ratio of a Spectrometer
Let ηace(λSM) denotes the adjacent channel extinction ratio for the spectrometer at its center operating wavelength λSM. It is called the "adjacent channel extinction ratio of a spectrometer". This adjacent-channel extinction ratio ηace(λSM) is typically higher than about 100, especially when the size of the spectrometer is small (i.e. when the RASM factor is smaller than about 104). For many applications in photonic integrated circuits, electronic-photonic integrated circuits, and fiber-optics, ηace(λSM) higher than about 100, and RASM factor smaller than about 104 are desirable but they are largely not reachable via the methods in the prior arts.
Furthermore, for many applications in photonic integrated circuits, electronic-photonic integrated circuits, and fiber-optics, it is desirable that at the wavelength range of interest, the efficiency of passing or detecting the input spectral power be efficient, which is given by the spectral power output efficiency factor ηeffI1-O1(λI1-O1) defined above.
Spectral Power Output Efficiency of a Spectrometer
Let ηeff(λSM) denote the spectral power output efficiency ηeffI1-O1(λI1-O1) when the output slit wavelength λI1-O1 1321 is at the center operating wavelength λSM of the spectrometer. In an ideal situation, ηeff(λSM) shall be equal to unity (i.e. the number "1" so that the output power is equal to the input power or it has 100% passing or detection efficiency) or at least near unity. In many applications ηace(λSM) higher than about 100 with RASM factor smaller than about 104 and ηeff(λSM) higher than about 0.5 or having a higher than 50% passing/detection efficiency is desirable. In some other applications, ηace(λSM) higher than about 100 with RASM factor smaller than about 104, and ηeff(λSM) higher than about 0.1 (i.e. having a higher than 10% passing/detection efficiency) are desirable. These capabilities are desirable for the spectrometer but they are largely not reachable via the methods in the prior arts.
Conventional Rowland Gratings and their General Limitations
Although a small input slit width is required to achieve high spectral resolution for a spectrometer, a smaller input slit width WI1 1291W (see FIG. 1A), however, leads to a larger beam divergence full angle θdvdf-BI1-IP % 1141 (see FIG. 2) from the input slit defined as the beam angular span that encompasses IP %=95% of the beam energy. It can be shown that the conventional Rowland design in the prior art works reasonably well only up to (θdvdf-BI1-95%)/2<4° (for a grating in air for which the beam propagation region has a refractive index of ngr=1). More specifically, θdvdf-BI1-95% is the full divergence angle of the input beam due to spatial diffraction that we refer to as the "divergence-diffraction" (dvdf) angle. The 95% refers to the angle being defined by 95% of the beam power to be within the divergence angle. Note that the 4° is half the divergence angle of θdvdf-BI1-95%. If the grating cannot intercept or refocus a large percentage of the beam power well, then it will result in an unnecessarily large beam spot size at the output slit, and hence a worse wavelength resolution at the output slit.
Let the input beam be a monochromatic beam with wavelength λI1-O1 1321 (see FIG. 2) and the focal spot size for this beam at the output slit SLO1 1401 be WBI1-O1-IP % 1381W (see FIG. 2). When θdvdf-BI1-95%/2>4°, the Rowland design could not give a sharp enough focus at the output slit SLO1 1401, thereby limiting the resolution of the spectrometer.
A half-diffraction angle of θdvdf-BI1-95%/2=4° corresponds to a slit width of about 25 microns (for an input beam wavelength around λI1-O1=1000 nm and n=1). In the current art, it is typically difficult to make slit width smaller than about 25 microns, and Rowland design is adequate for most present spectrometers with slit widths larger than about 25 microns (for a grating in air for which the beam propagation region has a refractive index of ngr=1).
Slit size (n = 3.4)θD(>95% energy)10μm 6°6μm10°2μm24°1μm46°0.5μm70°0.3μm90°
Focusing Aberration Limitation:
In the case of the Rowland design, when (θdvdf-BI1-95%)/2>4 Degree(s) (DEG), serious aberration in the refocusing beam will occur to limit wavelength resolution (θdvdf-BI1-95% 1141 is the full divergence angle of the input beam due to spatial diffraction that we refer to as the "divergence-diffraction" (dvdf) angle. The 95% refers to the angle being defined by 95% of the beam power to be within the divergence angle). This is shown in FIG. 4, illustrating the ray tracing for the typical Roland-Echelle design at 4, 8, and 16 DEG diffraction. The ray tracing will allow us to see potential focusing distortion or aberration at the exit slit. In the figure, we show the focusing behavior for two sets of rays with wavelengths separated by 0.4 nm. Let the "half angle" θdiv=(θdvdf-BI1-95%)/2. From the figure, we see that their focused spots are clearly separated when θdiv=4 DEG. However, when θdiv=8 DEG, the focused spots began to smear out. FIG. 4A shows the cases of θdiv=16 DEG, and θdiv=50 DEG, for which the focused spots smear out even more. Thus, there is substantial distortion for the focusing rays when θdiv>4 DEG. Further simulations based on numerical solutions to Maxwell's wave equations using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method also show similar onset of focused spot size distortion at θdiv>4 DEG. In short, the current designs are close to their resolution-area (RASM) limits at θdiv of about 4 DEG and cannot be made substantially more compact without losing wavelength resolution.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Curved grating spectrometer and wavelength multiplexer or demultiplexer with very high wavelength resolution


A method and an apparatus within an integrated development environment to increase the efficiency of tracking changes made to source code. The method and apparatus comprise three modes: a constructor mode, a matchmaker mode, and an announcer mode. The constructor first determines what source code/programming constructs are contained within an executable sequence of instructions, evaluates the size of the constructs, and then parses the tokens of the constructs to construct a construct list. The matchmaker determines the degree of similarity between any two constructs in the construct list. If the degree of similarity is sufficient, that is, if the sequence of code between two constructs is so similar that the sections of code may be considered as related and/or derivatives of one another, the matchmaker then determines if any changes made to one section of code may impact the other construct by weighting the changed tokens between the two sets of code. If the change is deemed significant, then the announcer takes over and determines if the developer who owns the related/derived code will be notified that a change has occurred in the first code.

Today computer applications are written by many developers on their own workstations generally located at different locations using an integrated development environment (IDE) connected through a network, such as a local area network, a wide area network, even the Internet. Usually, the IDE keeps tracks of the versions of the code being developed and the editing that may have taken place or is occurring to that code. Sometimes, however, when a particular line or lines of code have been changed because of an error or just to make the code more efficient, the change may not be updated in the IDE until the user checks in the changes later. If, however, another developer is using similar code or code that was derived from the first code, she/he may not even be aware of a bug or an increase in efficiency by a change. The IDE may not be aware of the existence of the related or similar code so it could not inform the second programmer of any changes.
Another common phenomenon of software development is the use of software components that are lines of code that execute fairly often for same purpose. For instance, there may be a calendar component that could be used across multiple applications, like scheduling, payroll; there may be a component to print a document in a certain format; there may be a component to create a window; or another to create a hash table. The use of components has increased significantly and is especially pronounced in object-oriented programming (OOP) and other highly modular languages where a single general purpose portion of a computer program may be executed in a number of different situations for different purposes.
With an object-oriented programming language, for example, a program is constructed from a number of "objects," each of which includes data and/or one or more sets of instructions that define specific operations to be performed on the data. A few or a large number of components may be used to create an object, and a large number of objects may be used to build a computer program with each object interacting with other objects in the computer program to perform desired operations. When one object invokes a particular routine in another object, the former object is often said to be calling the routine in the latter object. Some general purpose objects in a computer program may support basic operations, e.g., displaying information to a user, printing information on a printer, storing or retrieving information from a database, etc. Particularly, these generic type of objects are called by many different objects so that a change in the code in one of the objects may benefit other similar or related objects, either from which the edited object or component was derived, or from other objects or components which were derived from the edited object.
Despite the fact that components are intended to be reused, programmers often fail to take advantage of these packaging techniques and, instead, copy code from one component to create a similar one. Finding all of the components or objects which are derived in this way can be incredibly difficult, if not impossible. Examining hundreds or thousands of lines of program instructions is tedious and time consuming, and sometimes variable names change or strings change, so finding related or derivative sections of code is not easily accomplished. Manual review of the code, thus, is fraught with the possibilities that not all related or derived components or objects will be located.
A computer application, including objects, typically has hundreds or thousands of these components, which in turn may be grouped into smaller pieces of source code called program structures or constructs, as is known in the field. A conditional construct specifies several different execution sequences, for example, a CASE statement, an IF statement, a conditional expression in ALGOL. An executable construct specifies one or more actions to be taken by a computer program at execution time and comprise executable statements. A loop construct specifies an iteration in the execution sequence, for example, DO loops in FORTRAN, FOR loops in ALGOL, PERFORM loops in COBOL, DO WHILE loops in PL/I. There are other constructs that exist and still others continually arising as new languages arise, especially as Internet-based applications become plentiful.
Parsing is a very important part of computer programming languages because constructs are comprised of statements, which in turn, are parsed into tokens by a compiler. In any language, including computer languages, parsing means to divide a phrase of the language into small components that can be analyzed. For example, parsing this sentence would involve dividing it into words and phrases and identifying the noun, verb, adjective, direct objects, indirect objects, noun. Computer compilers parse source code written by a developer and translate the source code into object code readable by the machine. Similarly, any applications that processes complex commands and virtually all end-user applications must be able to parse the commands. Parsing is often divided into lexical analysis and semantic parsing. Lexical analysis concentrates on dividing strings into components, called tokens, based on punctuation and other keys, such as in the spoken language, identifying the nouns, verbs, commas, etc. A token may be thought of as the smallest independent unit of meaning within a program as defined by either a parser or the lexical analyzer. Semantic parsing attempts to determine the meaning of the string, for instance, identification of the subject of the sentence, the tense of the verbs, the direct and indirect objects, etc.
There is a need in the industry to help programmers locate related or derived components and objects when editing a particular component or code. There is a further need in the industry to determine if the changes made to one component or object should be applied to the other related or derived/derivative components or objects.

Tracking and maintaining related and derivative code

International Business Machines Corporation


A contact assembly that comprises an outer body and an insert assembly receivable in the outer body. The insert assembly includes a housing and a conductive bather received in the housing. The conductive barrier defines first and second receiving areas in the housing. At least a first contact member is receivable in the first receiving area and at least a second contact member is receivable in the second receiving area. Each of the first and second contact members is adapted to accept a conductor.

Current connection systems require increasingly higher reliability and data speed transmission. For example, current connection systems are required to meet standards, such as IEEE 802.3. IEEE 802.3 is a collection of standards relating Ethernet, which is one of the most common computer-to-computer data communication methods. At higher speeds, however, the signal degrades due to crosstalk interference between conductors. That is particularly the case where the conductors are untwisted and terminated to a connector, such as a plug or socket.
Therefore, a need exists for a contact assembly that can accommodate high data speeds while also maintaining a size for retrofit applications in existing connection systems.