A method of producing polyvinyl alcohol polymer, with which a high-strength polyvinyl alcohol polymer with a high degree of saponification can be obtained, the polyvinyl ester saponification process can be linked directly with the spinning process, in which the polyvinyl alcohol polymer is made into fiber, the mole ratio of alcohol with respect to the polyvinyl alcohol can be freely selected, and the concentration of the polyvinyl alcohol obtained by the saponification reaction is high. The polyvinyl alcohol polymer that is obtained by this method exhibits a high block character value and is excellent in randomness is provided, wherein a polyvinyl ester is subject to a saponification reaction in an alcohol-containing organic solvent under the presence of a saponification catalyst and the saponification is carried out while distilling off the carboxylic acid ester that is produced by the saponification reaction.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a polyvinyl alcohol polymer production method and a polyvinyl alcohol polymer (hereinafter, polyvinyl alcohol shall be abbreviated as xe2x80x9cPVAxe2x80x9d). To be more specific, this invention concerns, along with PVA, a method of producing PVA polymer by saponifying a polyvinyl ester in an alcohol-containing organic solvent under the presence of a saponification catalyst and with which the saponification reaction is carried out while distilling off the carboxylic acid ester that is produced by the saponification reaction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For producing PVA, the method in which vinyl acetate is obtained by acetoxylation of ethylene, polymerizing this vinyl acetate to obtain polyvinyl acetate, and saponifying this polyvinyl acetate under the presence of a basic catalyst is used generally and practiced industrially as well. As methods of saponification, methods that use various types of saponifiers, such as the belt type, pipe type, slurry type, etc., are known, and the PVA that is obtained by saponification by such methods is made into powder, dried, and then used in various applications. In industrial material applications and composite material reinforcement applications, an aqueous solution of PVA, obtained by dissolving powder-form PVA in water, is used as the spinning stock solution, and spinning is performed by a wet, dry-wet, or other type of spinning method to use the PVA in the form of PVA fiber. However, when the content of sodium acetate in the PVA is high, the fiber obtained by making the PVA into fiber may at times be colored. Moreover, acid is required for adjusting the degree of saponification of PVA, and the equipment tends to be large in scale.
In recent years, methods of spinning PVA in an organic solvent to produce high-strength PVA fibers more suitable for industrial material and composite material reinforcement applications are being examined. For example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 40807/1991 discloses a method of producing PVA fiber by spinning a PVA solution obtained by saponifying a polyvinyl ester having a high degree of polymerization in an organic solvent. With this method, the organic solvent used for the polyvinyl ester saponification process may be used in common as the organic solvent used in the spinning process in which the PVA polymer solution is spun, and a rational PVA fiber production process in which the saponification process and the spinning process are linked directly can be constructed.
However, in order to raise the degree of saponification of PVA in cases where alcohol is used to saponify the polyvinyl ester, the mole ratio of methanol with respect to PVA must be made high. However, if the mole ratio of methanol with respect to PVA for increasing the degree of saponification of PVA is made too high, the PVA gels, and since a large amount of organic solvent, such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), must thus be used to prevent gelling, the concentration of the PVA that was obtained was only a few % at the most. With the present invention, in the case where only polyvinyl ester exists, the mole ratio of alcohol with respect to PVA shall refer to the mole ratio with respect to the amount of PVA as determined based on conversion of all of the polyvinyl ester to PVA, and in the case where PVA and polyvinyl ester coexist, the mole ratio of alcohol with respect to PVA shall refer to the mole ratio with respect to the amount of the PVA that already exists and the amount of PVA as determined based on conversion of all of the polyvinyl ester to PVA. This mole ratio shall hereinafter be referred to simply as the mole ratio of alcohol. Also with this invention, the concentration of PVA polymer in the saponification reaction solution shall refer to the concentration of the PVA generated by the saponification reaction plus the PVA as determined based on conversion of the unreacted polyvinyl ester to PVA in the organic solvent from which alcohol has been excluded.
If a high-strength PVA polymer with a higher degree of saponification than those of prior arts can be obtained, this will be beneficial industrially and if the organic solvent used in the polyvinyl ester saponification process can be used in common as the organic solvent used in the spinning process in which the PVA polymer solution is spun and the PVA concentration can be increased further, the saponification process for the PVA polymer and the spinning process for making the PVA polymer into fiber can be linked directly to make the PVA fiber production process a rational process with higher productivity. Also, if a PVA polymer production method can be established with which the mole ratio of alcohol can be selected freely and the degree of saponification of PVA polymer and the concentration of PVA polymer can be adjusted freely, it will become possible to produce PVA polymers suited for various needs.
Thus a first object of this invention is to provide a method of producing PVA polymer, with which a PVA polymer, which has a higher degree of saponification than those of the prior arts and can be used as raw material for high-strength fibers, may be obtained at a low mole ratio of alcohol.
A second object of this invention is to provide a rational method of producing PVA polymer, which does not require the processes of drying, pulverizing, and dissolving the PVA in organic solvent, with which the saponification process for the PVA polymer can be directly linked to the spinning process for making the PVA into fiber, and with which the concentration of PVA polymer will be high and the content of sodium carboxylate in the PVA polymer will be low.
A third object of this invention is to provide a method of producing PVA polymer, with which the mole ratio of alcohol with respect to polyvinyl carboxylate can be freely selected and the degree of saponification of PVA polymer and the concentration of PVA polymer can be freely adjusted.
A fourth object of this invention is to provide a method of producing PVA polymer fiber in which the polyvinyl ester saponification process is directly linked with the spinning process in which the PVA polymer solution, obtained by the saponification process, is spun.
A fifth object of this invention is to provide a PVA polymer, which has a block character value of 0.9 to 1.1 and is high in randomness.
However, as has been mentioned above, the operation for increasing the degree of saponification of PVA conflicts with the operation for raising the concentration of PVA. In order to establish a method of producing PVA polymer that meets the above objects, the present inventors have repeatedly examined the polyvinyl ester saponification reaction in detail and have come to make the present invention. That is, the present invention provides in a method of producing polyvinyl alcohol polymer, in which a polyvinyl ester is saponified in an alcohol-containing solvent under the presence of a saponification catalyst, a method of producing polyvinyl alcohol polymer characterized in that the saponification reaction is carried out while distilling off the carboxylic acid ester that is produced by the saponification reaction.
This invention also provides a method of producing PVA polymer fiber in which the polyvinyl ester saponification process is directly linked with the spinning process in which the PVA polymer solution, obtained by the saponification process, is spun.
This invention furthermore provides a PVA polymer, which has a block character value of 0.9 to 1.1 and is high in randomness.
By this invention, a high-strength PVA polymer, which is excellent in randomness and has a higher degree of saponification than PVA polymers of the prior art, can be obtained. Also with this invention, since the rate of saponification of polyvinyl ester is fast and a PVA polymer can be obtained at high concentration in an organic solvent, the polyvinyl ester saponification process can be directly linked with the spinning process, in which the PVA polymer solution is made into fiber, and since the mole ratio of alcohol can be selected freely and the degree of saponification of the PVA polymer that is obtained can be adjusted freely, a rational PVA fiber production process can be constructed.

Polyvinyl alcohol polymer production method and polyvinyl alcohol polymer


A method of high dimensional data analysis in real-time comprising executing dimension-reducing an input historical data set under a t-SNE model and determining from the resulting dimension-reduced data set a recent; further dimension-reducing the recent group data set under a PCA model; statistical analyzing the further dimension-reduced data set to determine a threshold group for distinguishing abnormal data from normal ones in a real-time data stream. The method may further include training a classifier using the abnormal or normal data set for predicting anomaly in the real-time data source system. Alternatively, a discrepancy training data set is computed from one of the normal and abnormal data sets and be used to train one of independent normal and abnormal data regression models; with the other one trained by transfer learning based on the trained one. The trained regression models are then used to predict discrepancy values.

In modern days societies, the use of sensors, cameras, and digital meters (such as water, gas, electricity, etc.) is prevalent and these devices are increasing connected to form vast networks of IoT. Such IoT networks in turn generate huge volume of data and the effective analysis of data is one of the focusing areas in building a "smart" city. For example, a typical scenario of a water supply network where many flow meters are installed to collect water flow data. The numerous meters generate high dimensional data set, where the data set having high dimension means that the data set have a high number of features in relative to its number of sample points. The analysis of high dimensional data is a time consuming and complex process that is difficult to be conducted in real-time. Moreover, system impact, such as topology change, network update, human error, etc., often brings asynchronization between the data collected and the real scenario that causes low accuracy in the data analysis.
Nonetheless, the benefits of real-time high dimensional data analysis of the IoT data is undeniable. It can help operators identify potential issues quickly to save cost, and improve safety and system efficiency. However, one of the critical factors in a successful data analysis is to identify useful data for data analysis, whether it is the useful data for training a real-time data analyzer or classifier to spot the anomalies or the subset of real-time data that can be used as basis of anomaly prediction. There is an unmet need of real-time high dimensional data analysis using techniques that can rapidly and accurately identify useful data in the high dimensional data set.

Apparatus and method of high dimensional data analysis in real-time

Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited


A mixed-mode-simulator interface synchronizes, at non-regular intervals, a system simulator which includes an analog realm and an event-driven realm, wherein both simulators perform a simulation on a single, mixed-mode system. The interface uses an error-driven procedure to time advance the analog realm, and uses events in the analog realm to time advance the event-driven realm. Polynomial interpolation rollback is used to adjust analog realm time location.

The invention relates to a mixed-mode-simulator interface for time-advance synchronizing a simulator having analog and digital portions thereto, and specifically to such an interface wherein the simulation in a digital realm is event-drive by that in the analog realm, and simulation in the analog realm is sensitive to changes in the event-driven realm.
A mixed mode simulator handles simulations which occur in what is generally referred to as analog and digital realms by solving mathematical models of real-world devices or elements. An analog simulator is described in my co-pending applications, Ser. No. 06/918,383, filed Oct. 14, 1986, for SYSTEM PERFORMANCE SIMULATOR, and a continuation of that case, Ser. No. 07/264,383, filed Oct. 31, 1988. Analog, or continuous, function elements are represented by mathematical models which consist of integrodifferential and/or algebraic equations which are continuous in time. Digital, or discreet, function elements are represented by mathematical models which consist of algebraic equations which are discontinuous in time.
The results of a simulation are waveforms, either continuous or discontinuous in value. The results of a simulation, however, can only be sampled by a simulator at specific points in time. The distance between these time points, called a time step, can be fixed (determined before the simulation by a parameter) or a variable (determined by an algorithm in the simulator). At each time step, either all outputs from the models, which simulate a real-world element, can be reported, or only those outputs which have a value changed from that of the previous time point may be reported.
Digital simulators are generally operated on a fixed-time step regimen, and therefore operate in discrete time blocks. The time step is referred to as time resolution and may be either predetermined by the simulator or assignable by the user. Regardless of how the time step is determined, time can be increased, during simulation, only in multiples of the time resolution.
The most basic digital simulator advances time by one step and evaluates outputs of all models based on their present and past inputs repeatedly until nothing changes, and then advances to the next time point. This approach is extremely inefficient and wastes time in evaluating models whose inputs have not changed.
In digital simulation, outputs of a model of a passive element can change only in response to a previous change of an input. Output of an active element, for example a stimulus or a clock, can occur spontaneously, but only at predetermined time points. It would be more efficient to consider only those models whose inputs have changed. In such an approach, many unnecessary evaluations are by-passed at each time point and, there may in fact be many time points when there are no changes.
A digital simulator may be constructed to be event-driven. As used herein, event-driven means that the simulation results in an output which has values which may be either continuous or discreet in nature. The event-driven simulation algorithm may be derived such that a queue of future events is maintained. The event queue also maintains output changes and the time at which they occur, and, after each evaluation, advances time to the next event, and evaluates only those models whose inputs have changed. The evaluation will allow the models in the simulator to enter or schedule events at some future time on a queue. This algorithm may be summarized as follows:
______________________________________ At time = 0, enter all spontaneous events into the queue repeat { Advance time to the time of the next event on the queue. Assign the new output values that were saved on the queue. For all elements whose input were changed in the previous step, evaluate the models. ______________________________________
An integration algorithm is used in an analog simulator to define an approximate solution to a mathematical problem or model, which may represent an analog, continuous function real-world element or device. Many different formulations may be employed, the most general being: EQU f(x,x,t)=0
Where x represents the unknowns, x represent the time derivatives of the unknowns, t is the time and f is the nonlinear relationship between the quantities.
As noted earlier, the solution is a waveform which is sampled at possibly irregular intervals. If a solution at previous time points, t.sub.n-1, t.sub.n-2 . . . t.sub.n-k is known, and is denoted by x.sub.n-1, x.sub.n-2 . . . X.sub.n-k and x.sub.n-1, x.sub.n-2 . . . x.sub.n-k, a time step h may be found to solve the algorithm for x.sub.n and x.sub.n at a future time t.sub.n =t.sub.n-1 +h.
A class of integration formula called Linear Multi-Step (LMS) formulas assumes that the solution x can be approximated in time by a polynomial. From this assumption, a relationship between the various quantities may be derived and represented by: ##EQU1## where h.sub.i equals t.sub.n-1 -t.sub.n-i-1.
By carefully choosing coefficients .alpha..sub.i and .beta..sub.i, various well known algorithms may be derived, such as the Euler Forward and Backward, Gear of Orders 1-6, and Trapezoidal. In any of these algorithms, a rearrangement of the above formula leads to an approximation of the derivative at time t.sub.n, based on past values of x and x and possibly the new value x.sub.n where: ##EQU2## This relationship, substituted into the original problem, leads to an algebraic equation in x.sub.n : EQU g(x.sub.n)=r(x.sub.n-i,x.sub.n-i,t.sub.n)
which may be solved by any number of numerical algorithms, such as the Newton-Raphson or the Katzenelson algorithms.
For practical implementations of the formulas, both of the order of integration (k) and the step size (h) may vary during simulation. For example, during startup, or initialization, first order integration has to be used, since no history is yet available. The accuracy of a solution depends on the size of the step. Generally, the shorter the step, the better the accuracy, however, additional work must be performed to solve the algorithms a greater number of times when using shorter time steps. In addition, the accuracy of a result at time t.sub.n may only be determined after x.sub.n is determined. If the achieved accuracy is not acceptable, the step must be discarded and a shorter step, i.e., smaller h, used. This experimentation is generally referred to as backtracking and is costly in processing time. The ideal algorithm would always guess just the right time step h to get the required accuracy, and would not select an h which was any smaller than that required to get the proper accuracy.
In known logic simulators, a variety of techniques are used to bring the simulated system up to a "steady" state condition. Some logic simulators begin at real-world system turnon. Others assume a steady state and require that the user initialize the system. Some analog simulators, such as Spice, perform an initialization at all times, regardless of whether it is really necessary to initialize the system or not. The interface of the invention allows the user to select, or allows the integration algorithms of the simulators to select, whether or not initialization is required before entering the transient phase of the simulation.
In mixed-mode simulation, both the event-driven and the integration algorithms must co-exist and cooperate. One way of achieving this is to have both algorithms work in the same simulation time, and let the time step be determined jointly by the two algorithms. This lock-step approach means that at each time step, determined by the event queue, the analog values x.sub.n are calculated, and also that the next time at which the integration algorithm is to be applied is entered into the event queue as an event. Threshold crossing times may be determined at the end of each time step and one of two procedures may be followed: (1) the threshold crossing may be deemed to have occurred at the end of the step, and is entered as an event into the queue at that time. This is potentially inaccurate, since in slowly varying systems, the analog time step may be much longer than any delay through the event-driven (digital) portion of the simulator; or (2) the time of the threshold crossing may be determined from x.sub.n and x.sub.n-1 by interpolation and the analog simulator instructed to backtrack to that time in order to keep the two algorithms time synchronized. This is potentially costly in processor time.
A more efficient way to time synchronize analog and digital portions of a simulator is to allow events in the analog realm to drive events in the digital realm and to make events in the analog realm sensitive to changing events in the event-driven realm.


A composition comprising an antiperspirant or deodorant active and which is substantially free of alcohol and has a viscosity of less than 100 centipoise and a contact angle less than 90°. A product comprising the composition marketed in a porous dome applicator.

Antiperspirant and deodorant products come in many different forms including sticks, gels, soft solids, roll-ons and aerosols. These product forms are typically packaged in different types of dispensers that are suitable for delivering the specific product form. Dispensers for such product forms can be classified as either contact dispensers (sometimes called applicators) or non-contact dispensers. Non-contact dispensers include aerosol and spray dispensers. Within the class of contact dispensers, a further differentiation can be made between a first subclass adapted to dispense flowable materials and a second subclass of dispensers which include an internal means to transport a non-flowable material, such as a solid or hard gel towards a dispensing aperture. For identification purposes, this second subclass of contact dispensers are referred to herein as "stick dispensers".
As previously stated, in stick dispensers, internal means typically transport the solid product towards a dispensing aperture. In stick dispensers, in order to apply product the solid product is contacted against the surface upon which the product is to be applied (e.g. user's underarm area). Therefore, in stick dispensers the application surface is the product itself.
Unlike stick dispensers, in the first subclass of contact dispensers referenced above the application surface is a part of the dispenser as opposed to the product itself. Such contact applicators commonly have a surface that contains on it a thin layer of the product. The product is a flowable product that will spread on the application surface of the dispenser and on the surface upon which the product is to be applied (e.g. user's underarm area). Typical examples of such applicators are roll-on or porous applicators. In such applicators a part of the dispenser acts as the application surface as opposed to the product itself. The application surface is contacted against the surface upon which the product is to be applied (e.g. user's underarm area) and a thin coating of product is transferred from the application surface to the surface upon which the product is to be applied. While roll-on type dispensers are the primary and most popular of this subclass of contact dispensers, other types of dispensers that fall within this first subclass of applicators are known, such as an applicator having an application surface which is a porous dome as disclosed in EP Application No. 03250205.6, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. For identification purposes, this first class of contact dispensers are referred to herein as "liquid contact applicators". For identification purposes, liquid contact applicators having a porous dome application surface, such as those disclosed in EP Application No. 03250205.6, are referred to herein as "porous dome applicators".
Compositions that have been typically used in liquid contact applicators and porous dome applicators have been subject to several problems. These compositions have typically been alcohol based in order to improve flow properties. However, the alcohol has proven to be irritating to the user's skin. Additionally, these compositions have been known to leak from known liquid contact applicators, especially porous dome applicators.
An object of the present invention is to provide compositions for use in liquid contact applicators, especially porous dome applicators. The compositions of the present invention have good flow characteristics in such applicators and are not irritating to the user.
Other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the specification.

Unilever Home & Personal Care USA, division of Conopco, Inc.


Hats such as baseball-type caps and sun visors which have a brim projecting from the forward part of the hat, or sailor hats or Stetson-type (or cowboy-type or fedora-type) hats that have a brim extending about the periphery of the hat are provided with a device on or forming the brim that presents two or more composite graphic images or sets of images. The hat brim includes at least two interleaved series or sets of sections are arranged in a wave-like manner that each present a composite image or a set of images. The sections of each series of interleaved sections generally face in a common direction so that images or parts of images displayed by the sections of a same series are viewable together, and the sections of different series face in different directions. An observer can view a first image or set of images on the brim from a first direction and second image or set of images on the brim from a second direction. For example, the sections of one series of sections may display a composite image of Mickey Mouse, while the sections of another series of sections may display a composite image of Donald Duck, or the sections may display messages, or combinations of graphic objects such as cartoon characters and messages, etc.

This invention relates generally to caps, hats and head apparel, and more particularly to caps, hats and head apparel having a device that can display various images or messages.
The invention provides head apparel having a brim (hereinafter referred to simply as a xe2x80x9chatxe2x80x9d), such as a baseball-type cap or a sun visor which have a brim projecting from the forward part of the hat, or a sailor hat or Stetson-type (or cowboy-type or fedora-type) hat that have a brim extending about the periphery of the hat, with a device that presents two or more composite graphic images or sets of images for viewing on the brim of the hat. xe2x80x9cImagexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cimagesxe2x80x9d are used herein in a broad sense, and encompass images of persons, places, things, characters, figures, graphic designs and abstracts, text, messages, etc., or parts thereof. The invention thereby provides an entertainment or enjoyment value, or commercial value (e.g., advertising, marketing, and promotion) in addition to the value(s) typically presented by a hat. For example, the graphic images can be those of licensed characters, such as those available from The Walt Disney Company and Warner Brothers, for example, or advertisements or marketing or promotional material. The images may also have a personal or other relationship with the person wearing the hat. For example, the images may portray a relative such as a grand parent or grand child, or a place visited by the wearer, or a cause supported by the wearer, or a novelty feature or message such as those typically provided by beer manufacturers. This arrangement can personalize the hat for the holder thereof beyond simple display of a graphic or massage on the cap portion, typically the front thereof, of a baseball-type cap, for example. Hats incorporating the invention may therefore be provided for many purposes, including personalization, enjoyment, entertainment, marketing, promotional, advertising and/or novelty purposes.
The invention provides the two or more graphic images or sets of images, when viewed by an observer from different directions, on or defining a hat brim. xe2x80x9cDirectionxe2x80x9d as used in a broad sense and encompasses linear directions as well as directions along a curve, and clockwise and counter-clockwise directions. The hat brim comprises at least two interleaved series or sets of sections arranged in a wave-like manner such that each present a composite image or a set of images. The sections of each series of interleaved sections generally face in a common direction so that images or parts of images displayed by the sections of a same series are viewable together, and the sections of different series face in different directions. In a preferred embodiment, individual sections of the first series and individual sections of the second series are alternatingly interspersed with the adjacent edges of the sections being parallel. Preferably all or a substantial number of the edges of the sections in the series are parallel.
An observer can view a first image or set of images on the brim from a first direction and second image or set of images on the brim from a second direction. For example, the sections of one series of sections may display a composite image of Mickey Mouse, while the sections of another series of sections may display a composite image of Donald Duck, or the sections may display messages, or combinations of graphic objects such as cartoon characters and messages, etc.
The sections of a series may be pre-printed with an image or part thereof, or they may be constructed so as to be suitable for receiving an image or part thereof that can be affixed to or printed on the sections in any suitable manner. Where the wave-like sections forming a brim, or a structure securable to a brim, are not pre-printed, images may be applied to the wave-like sections. In accordance with the invention, a wave-like structure is provided having the wave-like sections described above, with and without pre-applied images, that can be secured to brims. Where the wave-like sections are securable to a brim, the invention provides means for removably securing the wave-like sections to a brim. The invention also provides kits for applying images to wave-like sections and for applying wave-like sections to brims.
A brim comprising series of sections as described above may be provided for viewing from one side of the brim (one-sided viewing), e.g., from the top, or for viewing from more than one side, e.g., from both sides of the brim (two-sided viewing). For two-sided viewing in a baseball-type cap or a visor, the brim is provided with the wave-like interleaved sections on both the top and bottom of the brim. A brim configured for two-sided viewing can display at least four composite images or sets of images viewable from at least two directions from above the brim and at least two directions from below the brim.
For a Stetson-type hat, or a sailor hat, the brim can extend in a closed loop about the periphery of the hat, which can have wave-like sections extending partially or entirely about the brim, in spaced clusters extending about the brim. The brim can extend generally vertically when the hat is worn, as in the case of a sailor hat, or generally horizontally, as in the case of a Stetson-type hat.
The hat comprises a loop structure sized to engage a person""s head and a brim, as described herein, with the wavelike interleaved sections secured to the loop structure as a brim and defining the brim, or secured to a brim panel which in turn is connected to the loop structure of the hat. Thus, the brim may be defined by the wave-like interleaved sections, or the wave-like sections may define structures that are secured to a brim panel on one or more sides thereof. Depending on the embodiment, the loop structure is defined by or comprises either a cap section (e.g., the non-brim portion of a baseball-like hat) or a band (e.g., the non-brim portion of visor-like hat).
The loop structure comprises, for example, a band and may include a cap section or raised part. Images, pictures, text, messages, etc., may be carried by the cap section or a raised part.
The hat brim may have a picture associated therewith as described in application Ser. No. 10/032830 (Attorney Docket No. 4855/4), titled xe2x80x9cPicture Matte and Graphic Image Display Devicexe2x80x9d, filed concurrently herewith, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.


A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit using an imaging system having a mask and an energy source that produces an exposure field. A substrate is moved across the exposure field while changing the depth of focus of the imaging system relative to the substrate. The depth of focus may be changed by moving the substrate, the mask, or both, relative to each other changes the depth of focus. The depth of focus may be oscillated according to a periodic waveform where the waveform is equal to the time for a typical point on the substrate to pass through the exposure field.

Integrated circuit (IC) fabrication involves a process sequence in which patterns are generated in different material layers using, for example, a combination of deposition, lithography, and etching techniques. After the formation of a material layer on a silicon wafer, lithographic and etching techniques are used to transfer a desired pattern into the material, or to process the exposed substrate material. Typically, a radiation-sensitive material, called a resist, is spin-coated onto this material layer prior to lithographic printing. The lithographic printing step is usually performed using an imaging tool called a stepper, which has a high intensity light source, a relay lens, a reticle stage, an imaging lens and a high precision translation stage.
A reticle containing an IC pattern to be printed is illuminated by the high intensity light source, which may be a mercury arc lamp or a laser, at a specific wavelength that causes radiation-induced changes in the resist. The light passing through the reticle is imaged by the lens onto the resist layer on the wafer. After each exposure, the wafer is stepped by a translation stage to the next site for subsequent exposure. The wafer is positioned on the translation stage. This exposure step essentially generates a latent image of the circuit pattern in the resist, similar to the exposure of a photographic film in conventional photography. The exposed resist can then be developed to produce a patterned resist layer, which can be used as a mask in a subsequent processing step, which, for example, transfers this pattern onto the underlying material layer.
The pattern is formed using a thin layer of material opaque to the radiation. The opaque material may be a chrome layer formed on a quartz substrate. During the exposure step, illuminating light passes through the reticle at regions where chrome, the pattern material, is absent. The light that passes through the reticle travels through a lens to expose the resist on the substrate. The opaque material prevents light from passing through the reticle.
The resolution R of an optical system and the depth of focus DOF at its resolution limit are respectively expressed in equations (1) and (2) below. ##EQU1##
.lambda. is the wavelength, NA is the numerical aperture of the projection optical system, and k.sub.i and k.sub.2 are process dependent constants.
There is an increasing demand to shrink transistor size and increase circuit speed. One method of reducing transistor size is to enhance the resolution of the optical system by reducing the wavelength .lambda. and increasing the numerical aperture NA. Changing these parameters reduces the depth of focus DOF. For example, a typical deep ultraviolet (DUV) stepper having a wavelength .lambda. equal to 0.248 .mu.m and a numerical aperture NA equal to 0.6 has a resolution R of approximately 0.3 .mu.m and a depth of focus DOF of approximately 0.5 .mu.m. This assumes k.sub.1 =k.sub.2 =0.8. Transferring the pattern from the reticle to the substrate becomes more difficult as the depth of focus decreases.
Efforts have been made to increase the effective depth of focus DOF. One such method is the focus latitude enhancement exposure process, also known as focus drilling. This method is described in A new method for enhancing focus latitude in optical lithography: Flex, IEEE Electron Device Letters, EDL-8, 179, (1987) by H. Fukuda et al.; and Using multiple focal planes to enhance depth of focus, SPIE 1674, Optical/Laser Microlithography V, 285, (1992) by C. A. Spence et al. Each of these documents are herein incorporated by reference.
During focus drilling, the same part of the wafer is exposed at different focal positions. This is achieved by moving the wafer stage in the Z direction while the stepper shutter is open. The image on the wafer is, therefore, an integration of multi-exposures at different focal positions. This method was developed for stepper tools having wafer stages, which did not perform X-, or Y-movement while the shutter is open. In other words, the wafer stage is in a fixed position in the X or Y-direction relative to the light source when the relative position of the substrate stage is changed in the Z direction.
Current lithography tools, however, are transitioning to scanner systems for critical level printing. In a scanner system, the reticle translation stage (the platform holding the reticle) and the substrate translation stage (the platform holding the substrate) are at constant motion when the shutter is open. As described above, the prior art technique uses a wafer stage that is maintained in a fixed position during exposure. Therefore, it would be difficult to implement the prior art focus drilling technique directly in a scanner system. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a system that improves the effective depth of focus DOF for present and future lithography technologies.

Method of manufacturing an integrated circuit using a scanning system and a scanning system


A steering control apparatus of a vehicle includes a steering unit having an input shaft, a turning unit having an output shaft, a clutch for connecting or disconnecting between the input shaft and the output shaft, and a control unit for controlling the turning unit based on an output from the steering unit. The control unit controls the rotation of the output shaft such that when the input shaft rotates, the clutch is caused to run idle. The clutch may be configured such that the clutch runs idle when the rotating speed of the output shaft is greater than or equal to the rotating speed of the input shaft and such that the clutch is connected when the rotating speed of the output shaft is less than that of the input shaft.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a steering control apparatus employing a steer-by-wire method. This steer-by-wire steering control apparatus mechanically separates a wheel-turning mechanism (wheel-steering mechanism) from a steering wheel by means of an engagement/disengagement mechanism and drives the wheel-turning mechanism according to the steering amount. Here, the engagement/disengagement mechanism (referred to as "disengagement mechanism" also) switches the connection/disconnection between an input shaft and an output shaft and switches the transmission/non-transmission of the power.


A compact portable brush having a handle which is collapsed to reduce the size of the brush when carried whereby the handle extending from the housing for the brush bristles is interconnected with the bristle support means to cause the bristles to be retracted into the housing when the handle is collapsed in the compact, carry position. In the preferred embodiment, the bristles are supported on a bristle support member which when actuated from retracted to extended position, or vice versa, is moved along a path inclined to the longitudinal axis of the housing whereby the bristles in the retracted position are caused to be arranged at an angle inside the housing, such angle being accommodated by a living hinge connection between the bristle support and the bristles.

The present invention relates to a brush having bristles wherein the bristles are retracted into a housing by means of a collapsing handle Such handle has a multi-purpose of providing a handle that can be comfortably gripped while brushing the hair or other object and which controls the extension and retraction of the bristles into a housing. When retracted the handle is collapsed providing a compact brush that is easier to carry and store because of its minimal size, there are no snagging bristles exposed and no hair is shed during carrying or storage.
The prior art discloses a number of retractable brushes but to my knowledge none of them have been entirely satisfactory because they did not have a handle or when it did have a handle, the handle increased the size of the brush and made it bulky to carry and store Further, many of the prior art retractable brushes do not provide a self-cleaning feature Further, others have provided for retracting the bristles but when retracted the bristles are exposed so that when the user reaches into the carrying case such as a women's purse the bristles stab the fingers. Also, exposed bristles damage other things carried in the same container.
Other retractable brushes are extremely complicated and made up of a number of moving parts that are expensive to manufacture and assemble. Thus, such retractable brushes have found substantially no commercial success or very little commercial success because of the cost involved in the manufacture of the parts and the assembly thereof.

Bristle hair brush retractable by collapsing handle


The present invention is directed to a method for cloning and producing the HhaI restriction endonuclease by (1) introducing the restriction endonuclease gene from Haemophilus haemolyticus ATCC 10014 into a host whereby the restriction gene is expressed; (2) fermenting the host which contains the vector encoding and expressing the HhaI restriction endonuclease, and (3) purifying the HhaI restriction endonuclease from the fermented host which contains the vector encoding and expressing the HhaI restriction endonuclease activity.

The present invention relates to clones for the HhaI restriction endonuclease and modification methylase, and to the production of these enzymes from the clones.
Restriction endonucleases are a class of enzymes that occur naturally in bacteria. When they are purified away from other contaminating bacterial components, restriction endonucleases can be used in the laboratory to break DNA molecules into precise fragments. This property enables DNA molecules to be uniquely identified and to be fractionated into their constituent genes. Restriction endonucleases have proved to be indispensable tools in modern genetic research. They are the biochemical `scissors` by means of which genetic engineering and analysis is performed.
Restriction endonucleases act by recognizing and binding to particular sequences of nucleotides (the `recognition sequence`) along the DNA molecule. Once bound, they cleave the molecule within, or to one side of, the sequence. Different restriction endonucleases have affinity for different recognition sequences. Over one hundred different restriction endonucleases have been identified among many hundreds of bacterial species that have been examined to date.
Bacteria usually possess only a small number restriction endonucleases per species. The endonucleases are named according to the bacteria from which they are derived. Thus, the species Haemophilus aegyptius, for example synthesizes 3 different restriction endonucleases, named HaeI, HaeII and HaeIII. These enzymes recognize and cleave the sequences (AT)GGCC(AT), PuGCGCPy and GGCC respectively. Escherichia coli RY13, on the other hand, synthesizes only one enzyme, EcoRI, which recognizes the sequence GAATTC.
While not wishing to be bound by theory, it is thought that in nature, restriction endonucleases play a protective role in the welfare of the bacterial cell. They enable bacteria to resist infection by foreign DNA molecules like viruses and plasmids that would otherwise destroy or parasitize them. They impart resistance by binding to infecting DNA molecule and cleaving them each time that the recognition sequence occurs. The disintegration that results inactivates many of the infecting genes and renders the DNA susceptible to further degradation by exonucleases.
A second component of bacterial protective systems are the modification methylases. These enzymes are complementary to restriction endonucleases and they provide the means by which bacteria are able to protect their own DNA and distinguish it from foreign, infecting DNA. Modification methylases recognize and bind to the same nucleotide recognition sequence as the corresponding restriction endonuclease, but instead of breaking the DNA, they chemically modify one or other of the nucleotides within the sequence by the addition of a methyl group. Following methylation, the recognition sequence is no longer bound or cleaved by the restriction endonuclease. The DNA of a bacterial cell is always fully modified, by virtue of the activity of its modification methylase and it is therefore completely insensitive to the presence of the endogenous restriction endonuclease. It is only unmodified, and therefore identifiably foreign, DNA that is sensitive to restriction endonuclease recognition and attack.
With the advent of genetic engineering technology, it is now possible to clone genes and to produce the proteins and enzymes that they encode in greater quantities than are obtainable by conventional purification techniques. The key to isolating clones of restriction endonuclease genes is to develop a simple and reliable method to identify such clones within complex `libraries`, i.e. populations of clones derived by `shotgun` procedures, when they occur at frequencies as low as 10.sup.-3 to 10.sup.-4. Preferably, the method should be selective, such that the unwanted, majority, of clones are destroyed while the desirable, rare, clones survive.
Type II restriction-modification systems are being cloned with increasing frequency. The first cloned systems used bacteriophage infection as a means of identifying or selecting restriction endonuclease clones (HhaII: Mann et al., Gene 3: 97-112, (1978); EcoRII: Kosykh et al., Molec. gen. Genet. 178: 717-719, (1980); PstI: Walder et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78 1503-1507, (1981)). Since the presence of restriction-modification systems in bacteria enables them to resist infection by bacteriophages, cells that carry cloned restriction-modification genes can, in principle, be selectively isolated as survivors from libraries that have been exposed to phage. This method has been found, however, to have only limited value. Specifically, it has been found that cloned restriction-modification genes do not always manifest sufficient phage resistance to confer selective survival.
Another cloning approach involves transferring systems initially characterized as plasmid-borne into E.coli cloning plasmids (EcoRV: Bougueleret et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 12:3659-3676, (1984); PaeR7: Gingeras and Brooks, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80:402-406, (1983); Theriault and Roy, Gene 19:355-359, (1982); PvuII: Blumenthal et al., J.Bacteriol. 164:501-509, (1985)).
A third approach, and one that is being used to clone a growing number of systems, involves selecting for an active methylase gene referring to our Patent application No.: 707079 (BsuRI: Kiss et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 13:6403-6421, 1985). Since restriction and modification genes tend to be closely linked, clones containing both genes can often be isolated by selecting for just the one gene. Selection for methylation activity does not always yield a complete restriction-modification system however, but instead sometimes yields only the methylase gene (BspRI: Szomolanyi et al., Gene 10:219-225, (1980); BcnI: Janulaitis et al., Gene 20: 197-204, (1982); BsuRI: Kiss and Baldauf, Gene 21: 111-119, (1983); and MspI: Walder et al., J. Biol. Chem. 258:1235-1241, (1983)).
A potential obstacle to cloning restriction-modification genes lies in trying to introduce the endonuclease gene into a host not already protected by modification. If the methylase gene and endonuclease gene are introduced together as a single clone, the methylase must protectively modify the host DNA before the endonuclease has the opportunity to cleave it. On occasion, therefore, it might only be possible to clone the genes sequentially, methylase first then endonuclease.
Another obstacle to cloning restriction-modification systems in E.coli was discovered in the process of cloning diverse methylase genes. Many E.coli strains (including those normally used in cloning) have systems that resist the introduction of DNA containing methylated cytosines. (Raleigh and Wilson, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 83:9070-9074, (1986)). It is extremely difficult to clone cytosine-specific methylase genes, either alone, or together with their corresponding endonuclease gene, into these strains of E.coli. In order to clone these genes, therefore, it is necessary to use mutant strains of E.coli in which these systems are defective.
Because purified restriction endonucleases, and to a lesser extent, modification methylases, are useful tools for characterizing and rearranging DNA in the laboratory, there is a commercial incentive to obtain strains of bacteria through recombinant DNA techniques that synthesize these enzymes in abundance. Such strains would be useful because they would simplify the task of purification as well as providing the means for production in commercially useful amounts.

Method for producing the HhaI restriction endonuclease and methylase


Provided are a handle assembly for a cart having a power assist function, and a cart in which the power assist function enables a user to easily move the cart by detecting a direction, in which a force of the user is applied, to assist power in the relevant direction. According to the handle assembly and the cart, the user can easily move the cart by detecting the direction, in which the force of the user is applied, to provide auxiliary power (a power assist function) in the relevant direction, thereby improving convenience of the user.

Various types of carts are used in order for a user to carry heavy goods or loads at big retail stores, department stores, airports, and so on.
Carts used in spaces for shopping such as big retail stores or department stores have a structure in which a plurality of wheels are installed below a basket in which things are put and a user moves the cart by pushing or pulling a handle. Carts used in airports or the like are carts similar to the aforementioned carts, carts additionally having a brake function, and so on.
The carts prevent users from directly carrying lots of things or heavy things, and thus are products that are necessarily required for convenience of the users. However, in a case where an amount of things is increased or heavy things are carried, a user can move a cart only when the user applies lots of forces to the cart even if the user uses the cart, which causes inconvenience to the user.
Further, in a case where a sensor is applied to detect a direction of the force applied for movement of the cart, vibration in a vertical direction in addition to a forward/backward direction according to the movement occurs because the cart travel on a floor. Therefore, since control for accurate detection is complicated, there is a need to develop a cart that can avoid complicated control while accurately detecting the force applied to the cart.

Handle assembly for cart having power assist function and cart having the same


A method of controlling alternator temperature and engine temperature for a vehicle is provided. The method comprises rotating a first drive shaft to generate electricity during an operation of an engine; rotating a second drive shaft to cause pumping of coolant to cool at least portion of the alternator and the engine where the first and second drive shafts are operatively coupled such that rotation of the first drive shaft imparts rotation to the second drive shaft; and selectively routing coolant through multiple different fluid pathways in response to an engine operation condition.

A rotary electric machine such as an alternator, generator or an electric motor (generator) in a vehicle produces heat. Various air cooling systems have been used in the past to prevent overheating of the machine. However, the cooling capacity of such a system may not be sufficient to produce the desired cooling effect. This limitation can constrain the output current from the alternator.
To increase cooling efficiency, a cooling system utilizing water as a coolant has been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,485 discloses a rotary electric machine having an engine-cooling water pump integrally combined therewith and disposed next to the stator of the engine. The disclosed water pump and the alternator have the same drive shaft, which is driven by the crank shaft of the engine. The impeller of the water pump is rotated at the same speed as the rotor and drives water through the water passage to cool the stator.
The inventor herein has recognized several disadvantages of the above approach. For example, coolant flow rate cannot be adjusted independently to control the engine and the alternator temperature based on the engine operating conditions. Further, the location of the water pump increases the length of the alternator assembly, which can be undesirable from a packaging perspective.
To address the above problems, an integrated alternator and water pump for a vehicle is provided. The integrated alternator and water pump comprises an alternator rotor mounted on a first drive shaft; and a water pump impeller mounted on a second drive shaft, wherein the water pump impeller is configured to cause pumping of coolant in response to rotation of the second drive shaft, and where the first and second drive shafts are operatively coupled such that rotation of the first drive shaft imparts rotation to the second drive shaft. In one embodiment, the speed of the water pump impeller can be varied different from the alternator rotor. Thus, coolant flow rate can be adjusted in response to an engine operating condition such as an engine temperature.
According to another aspect, an integrated alternator and water pump for a vehicle are provided. The integrated alternator and water pump comprises an alternator rotor mounted on a first drive shaft; and a water pump impeller mounted on a second drive shaft, wherein the water pump impeller is configured to cause pumping of coolant in response to rotation of the second drive shaft, and where the first and second drive shafts are operatively coupled such that rotation of the first drive shaft imparts rotation to the second drive shaft. In one embodiment, drive shafts of the alternator and water pump are not coaxial. Thus, the water pump can be disposed at the top, bottom and sides of the alternator. These configurations can reduce the packaging limitations of the alternator.
According to yet another aspect, a method of controlling alternator temperature and engine temperature for a vehicle is provided. The method comprises rotating a first drive shaft to generate electricity during operation of an engine; rotating a second drive shaft to cause pumping of coolant to cool at least portion of the alternator and the engine where the first and second drive shafts are operatively coupled such that rotation of the first drive shaft imparts rotation to the second drive shaft; and selectively routing coolant through multiple different fluid pathways in response to an engine operation condition.
In one embodiment, coolant is routed through the alternator and the engine without routing through a heat exchanging device when the engine temperature is low. In this way, the heat generated from the alternator can be used to warm up the engine coolant during cold start because the alternator coils and electronics heat faster than the engine. Thus, the time for the engine to reach the efficient operating temperature can be reduced. Consequently, fuel economy and emission reduction can be improved.

System and method to control temperature of an alternator and/or an engine in a vehicle


Features are disclosed for managing routing rules stored by a routing device and used to manage network traffic in a network. A computing device can receive multiple routing rules corresponding to multiple routing devices in the network. The computing device can use a formal specification and a snapshot to generate a model of the network. The computing device may use the model in order to statically determine the set of possible paths without causing the transmission of data between a routing device and a destination. the computing device may compare the identified routing rules and the possible paths in order to determine excess routing rules. The computing device may remove the excess routing rules from the routing rules for each routing device such that each routing device routes subsequent network traffic based on the updated routing rules.

Networks include computing devices that are communicating data over the network. A computing device can maintain various variables that are associated with how the computing device may communicate data with another computing device. In some implementations, in order to communicate data to another computing device, a computing device may first transmit the data to a routing device that determines how to route the data. The routing device may determine a routing table (e.g., a set of routing rule(s)) that is associated with the computing device and determine how to route the data based on the routing table. The routing table may include multiple routing rules that each indicate an endpoint (e.g., a source or destination of the data) and a routing decision (e.g., how the routing device should route the data). The routing device may determine routing rule(s) that are associated with the data by parsing the data to determine an endpoint of the data. Based on the endpoint of the data, the routing device may determine a routing rule and a corresponding routing decision for the data. In some instances, the routing device may determine that multiple routing rules are associated with the data and, in order to determine how to route the data, the routing device may analyze the routing decisions associated with each of the multiple routing rules. Based on the associated routing table, the routing device may then determine how to route the data (e.g., the routing device may block (may not allow) certain data from proceeding to a destination and may allow other data to proceed to a destination).

Managing network configuration through network path analysis


An electrical connector has an insulator with a base portion, a main surface, and a mating portion formed on the main surface. A pair of blocks are formed at opposite ends of the base portion. Each block has a receiving surface parallel to an installation surface perpendicular to the main surface. The installation surface makes contact with a surface of a printed circuit board when the electrical connector is mounted on the printed circuit board. A plurality of electroconductive contacts are disposed on the mating portion. An electroconductive shell is attached to the base portion for surrounding the mating portion. A pair of flanges are formed at opposite ends of the shell and are received by the receiving surfaces of the blocks. A pair of electroconductive hook lugs are attached to the blocks. A pair of electroconductive holding members are mounted on side surfaces of the blocks and have portions extending in a plane including the installation surfaces. A pair of connecting members electrically connect the hook lugs and flanges. The holding members and side surfaces of the hook lugs are electrically connected.

This invention relates to an electrical connector having a shell for electromagnetic shield and, in particular, to such an electrical connector for use on a printed circuit board having a ground pattern to which the shell is connected.
A conventional electrical connector with a shell generally comprises an insulator and the shell attached to the insulator. The insulator has a base portion, a fitting or mating portion formed on a main surface of the base portion and fitting to, or mating with, a mating connector, and a pair of blocks formed at longitudinal opposite ends of the base portion.
Each of the blocks has an installation surface perpendicular to the main surface. The mating portion is equipped with a plurality of electroconductive contacts.
The shell is made of a metallic plate and fitted onto the mating portion to electromagnetically shield the contacts. The shell comprises a tubular portion for covering or surrounding the mating portion, and a flange radially extending from a peripheral edge of the tubular portion and received by the main surface. The longitudinal opposite ends of the flange extend as flange end portions onto, and received by, receiving surfaces of the blocks. The base portion has a pair of base surfaces at upper and lower sides thereof. Each of the base surfaces is provided with a plurality of projections. A plurality of coupling portions are formed to extend from the flange portion of the shell along the base surfaces for one-to-one engagement with the projections. Each of the coupling portions is formed into a lug having a slot into which the corresponding projection is fitted.
In order to attach the shell to the insulator, the shell is fitted onto the mating portion. In the fitting operation, the coupling portions are firstly brought into contact with the projections and then urged by the projections to be elastically deformed so that the tubular portion is subjected to a force to partially expand the peripheral edge. When the coupling portions are further forced to pass over the projections, the projections are snapped into the slots to make engagement with the coupling portions.
In the meanwhile, the above-mentioned electrical connector with a shell is for use in an electronic apparatus and is required small in size and thin in shape. This is because of a demand for effective utilization of a space in a small-sized apparatus.
However, if the electrical connector with a shell is formed small and thin, the shell is inevitably formed of a metal plate having a reduced thickness. In this situation, the shell is readily deformed when subjected to a force to expand an opening edge of the tubular portion of the shell, for example, in the fitting operation of the shell to the insulator.
The conventional electrical connector with a shell is often used onto a printed circuit board in the prior art.
There are known two types of mounting arrangement for mounting the electrical connector with a shell onto a surface of the printed circuit board.
According to one type, a pair of electroconductive hook lugs are respectively attached to the blocks formed on longitudinal opposite ends of the base portion. Each of the hook lugs is provided with a hook pin. Each hook pin has leg portions adapted to pass through a through hole formed on the printed circuit board. An engagement piece is formed on an end of each leg portion and is protruded from a rear surface of the printed circuit board. The engagement pieces of each hook pin are fixed onto the rear surface of the printed circuit board by means of soldering.
Terminal portions of the contacts pass through the printed circuit board to be connected to a wiring pattern formed on the rear surface of the printed circuit board. The shell is electrical connected to a ground pattern on the rear surface of the printed circuit board through the hook lugs, the hook pins, and screws for mounting the connector onto a panel of an apparatus.
In this type, since the hook pins are bonded by soldering onto the rear surface of the printed circuit board while the electrical connector being mounted on the opposite surface of the printed circuit board, infrared-radiation reflowing can not be used for connecting the hook pins to the ground pattern by soldering.
In another known structure for mounting the conventional electrical connector with a shell, the insulator is positioned on the printed circuit board by means of positioning pins formed at a bottom of the insulator. Each block is provided with a holding member at a side thereof. The holding member is bonded by soldering on the printed circuit board, so that the insulator is fixed to the printed circuit board.
Terminal portions of contacts are for connection with a wiring pattern formed on the top surface of the printed circuit board and extend on, and are bonded to, the wiring pattern by soldering.
In the mounting structure, it is difficult to assure tight contact between the insulator and the printed circuit board. The extending ends of the terminal portions often float up before soldering. This results in non-uniform contact between the top ends of the terminals portions of the contacts and the wiring pattern on the printed circuit board.
As described, it is impossible in the conventional electrical connector with a shell to suppress floating of the top ends of the terminal portions before soldering. As a result, it is difficult to assure reliable connection between the contacts and the wiring pattern on the printed circuit board.

Electrical connector with a shielding shell


A fax processing system handles faxes that are originally destined for a recipient's phone number. The fax processing system communicates with the fax recipient via a data communications network (for example, the Internet) and can provide more sophisticated fax handling capabilities than conventional fax machines.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to telecommunications systems used in connection with facsimile (fax) transmissions. More particularly, it relates to additional capabilities and/or options for handling faxes.
2. Description of the Related Art
The electronic transmission of documents by way of fax systems continues to be commonplace and, often, an essential component of many business activities. With the emergence of electronic mail in the business environment, many predicted the demise of fax. This has not been the case.
However, there continue to be shortcomings among the fax systems currently in use in the business and consumer markets. In the business setting, fax machines may be busy or out of paper, preventing the receipt of incoming faxes. Furthermore, there generally is no real-time notification to a recipient that a fax has been sent to the recipient. That is, a fax recipient generally is not aware that a fax exists until it is hand delivered or picked up at the fax machine. If the recipient is expecting a fax, it is inconvenient for him to constantly check whether the fax has arrived if the fax machine is located far away from the recipient. Fax machines may also be shared by many users and, as a result, the sender of the fax often will feel obligated to take the additional step of drafting a cover page to identify the recipient of the fax. In some cases, faxed documents are of such a sensitive nature that the sender would like to have some control over who might see those documents as they move from the receiving fax machine to the actual recipient. In the consumer setting, individuals may not have access to a dedicated or shared fax machine and/or a dedicated fax line. This can make it difficult or impossible to receive faxes. These circumstances result in a number of practical problems for fax users.
In recent years, Fax-to-Email services such as that provided by CallWave, Inc. of Santa Barbara, Calif., have been introduced to address these problems for users with access to electronic mail systems. Typically, faxes are converted to email attachments and then sent to the recipient's email address. However, these services are only as reliable as the underlying email delivery system. Some email systems automatically reject messages with attachments, some email systems strip off attachments and some categorize fax-to-email messages as spam and discard the inbound message. In addition, if the email capacity of an individual's mailbox is full, the email system will reject the fax-to-email message. Furthermore, fax recipients typically do not receive a notification and/or fax until the entire fax has been delivered to the Fax-to-Email service and then sent through a private or public network (e.g., the Internet) to the recipient. Email delivery delays can occur when the Internet is used. Fax-to-Email services may provide the phone number from which the fax was sent in the header or body of the email message. However, in many cases, the recipient will not recognize this phone number because voice calls are not normally made from the same phone number. Furthermore, the phone number is provided with the fax attachment, rather than in advance, so that the recipient's ability to screen faxes is limited.
As a result, there is a need for fax systems that support real-time notification and/or reception of faxes by recipients, preferably by communications channels other than to fax machines or by email. There is also a need for fax systems with more sophisticated fax handling capabilities than are currently available.

Facsimile telecommunications system and method


The graphics co-processing technique includes rendering a frame of red, green, blue (RGB) data on a graphics processing unit on an unattached adapter. The frame of RGB data are converted on the graphics processing unit on the unattached adapter to luminance-color difference (YUV) data. The YUV data is copied from frame buffers of the graphics processing unit on the unattached adapter to buffers in system memory. The YUV data is copied from the buffers in the system memory to texture buffers of a graphics processing unit on a primary adapter. A frame of RGB data is recovered from the YUV data in the texture buffer of the graphics processing unit on the primary adapter. The recovered frame of RGB data may then be presented by the graphics processing unit on the primary adapter on the primary display.

Conventional computing systems may include a discrete graphics processing unit (dGPU) or an integral graphics processing unit (iGPU). The discrete GPU and integral GPU are heterogeneous because of their different designs. The integrated GPU generally has relatively poor processing performance compared to the discrete GPU. However, the integrated GPU generally consumes less power compared to the discrete GPU.
The conventional operating system does not readily support co-processing using such heterogeneous GPUs. Referring to FIG. 1, a graphics processing technique according to the conventional art is shown. When an application 110 starts, it calls the user mode level runtime application programming interface (e.g., DirectX API d3d9.dll) 120 to determine what display adapters are available. In response, the runtime API 120 enumerates the adapters that are attached to the desktop (e.g., the primary display 180). A display adapter 165, 175, even recognized and initialized by the operating system, will not be enumerated in the adapter list by the runtime API 120 if it is not attached to the desktop. The runtime API 120 loads the device driver interface (DDI) (e.g., user mode driver (umd.dll)) 130 for the GPU 170 attached to the primary display 180. The runtime API 120 of the operating system will not load the DDI of the discrete GPU 175 because the discrete GPU 175 is not attached to the display adapter. The DDI 130 configures command buffers of the graphics processor 170 attached to the primary display 180. The DDI 130 will then call back to the runtime API 120 when the command buffers have been configured.
Thereafter, the application 110 makes graphics request to the user mode level runtime API (e.g., DirectX API d3d9.dll) 120 of the operating system. The runtime 120 sends graphics requests to the DDI 130 which configures command buffers. The DDI calls to the operating system kernel mode driver (e.g., DirectX driver dxgkrnl.sys) 150, through the runtime API 120, to schedule the graphics request. The operating system kernel mode driver then calls to the device specific kernel mode driver (e.g., kmd.sys) 150 to set the command register of the GPU 170 attached to the primary display 180 to execute the graphics requests from the command buffers. The device specific kernel mode driver 160 controls the GPU 170 (e.g., integral GPU) attached to the primary display 180.
Therefore, there is a need to enable co-processing on heterogeneous GPUs. For example, it may be desired to use a first GPU to perform graphics processing for a first class of applications and a second GPU for a second class of applications depending upon processing performance and power consumption parameters.

Compression for co-processing techniques on heterogeneous graphics processing units


The disclosure relates to a main brake cylinder arrangement for a motor vehicle brake system, comprising: at least one piston, which can be displaced along a displacement axis (V) and, together with a housing arrangement, delimits a pressure chamber; a force input member, which is displaceable according to a brake pedal actuation and is coupled or can be coupled to the piston for common displacement; an elongated position encoder element, which is displaceable according to an actuation of the force input member; a detection unit, which is designed to detect a displacement of the position encoder element; and a receiving region, which is designed to receive the position encoder element at least in part. The ends of the position encoder element are each arranged in a different housing region (F, S), which is arranged in a fluid path between the first and second housing region (F, S).

The present disclosure relates in general to the technical field of main brake cylinder arrangements and in particular main brake cylinder arrangements for motor vehicle brake systems. More precisely, the present disclosure relates to a main brake cylinder arrangement in which a brake pedal actuation is detectable by means of a position encoder element.
Solutions for detecting a brake pedal actuation are known from the prior art. Such a detection is necessary, for example, to detect the presence of a driver's wish in respect of vehicle braking and if necessary also the desired degree of vehicle braking. This information can be used to determine the brake forces to be provided in driver-decoupled brake operation (brake-by-wire). Such brake forces are typically produced via an electromechanical brake actuator.
In this context it is further known to provide a position encoder element that is displaceable according to a brake pedal actuation, wherein this displacement is detected by means of a detection unit. Rod-shaped position encoder elements, for example, are possible for this, which are coupled to the piston of a main brake cylinder for a common displacement.
Examples of this are found in the documents DE 10 2008 020 934 A1, DE 37 23 842 A1 or DE 37 23 916 A1.
The provision of additional displaceable position encoder elements within the main brake cylinder arrangement and an often electrically operated detection unit increases the risk of malfunctions, however.

Main brake cylinder arrangement having a position encoder element and a seal arrangement


A flosser apparatus having a body with a first fork member and a second fork member, a flexible member interposed between the fork members, and a length of floss having one end affixed to the first fork member and an opposite end affixed to the second fork member. The flexible member is cooperative with the fork members such that the fork members move away from each other upon an application of a force onto the flexible member in a direction transverse to the direction of the length of floss. A surface on the flexible member is engageable with a surface of the body so as to fix the floss in a tightened condition.

Not applicable.
Not applicable.
The present invention relates to appliances for using floss on human teeth. More particularly, the present invention relates to flossers that contain a strand of floss. Additionally, the present invention relates to flosser apparatus which have the ability to tighten the floss.
It has been well known in the past to provide some form of an implement to facilitate the removing of food particles from between a person""s teeth. Such items have been frequently referred to as a toothpick and generally take the form of an elongated pointed tool which is adapted to be inserted between a person""s teeth and moved in order to dislodge any food particles and plaque located between the teeth.
It has been further found to be desirable to not only employ the use of a pointed instrument, but also to employ the use or a strand of thread which is commonly referred to as dental floss. A segment from the dental floss is to be stretched taut and then inserted between the person""s teeth and moved back and forth in order to effect removal of any lodged food particles and plaque.
Over time, various persons have discovered that it is practical and useful to apply a segment of a strand of dental floss into an implement that can be inserted into the mouth and manipulated so as to properly control the application of the floss. These devices are commonly known as xe2x80x9cflossersxe2x80x9d. These devices provide a convenient mechanism for the flossing of teeth without the need for lengthy strands of floss. They also serve to more effectively reach into the spaces between the teeth so as to carry out flossing activities in a more effective manner.
In the past, various patents have issued relating to such flosser impiements.
The earliest flosser apparatus that was revealed is in U.S. Pat. No. 2,187,899, issued on Jan. 23, 1940 to I. Henny. This patent describes a dental floss throw-away unit in which a single strand of thread extends between outwardly extending arms. A head is formed with the arms extending radially outwardly therefrom. The strand of floss extends in parallel relationship to the back of the head.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,648,341, issued on Aug. 11, 1953 to S. Moll teaches a dental floss holder which includes an elongated flexible member formed of plastic material. One end of the flexible member is rounded and provided with a transverse bore. A length of dental floss will extend through the transverse bore.
German Patent No. 29 23 057 teaches a dental floss applicator which includes a plurality of strands of floss which are far apart and extend in a plane which is perpendicular to the holder portion. Since the strands are not aligned with the shank portion of this flosser device, they are relatively difficult to apply as floss to one""s teeth. The flosser is removably secured within a U-shaped head portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,518, issued on Jul. 28, 1981 to S. M. Gambaro teaches a tooth cleaning implement which includes an elongated member which has, at one end. a strand of dental floss tautly stretched thereacross. The opposite end of the elongated member is attached to a brush-like member which is used to facilitate the cleaning of teeth and dental bridges.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 276,088, issued on Oct. 23, 1984 to A. Fong describes a conventional flosser apparatus in which a single strand of floss is retained between a pair of arms extending outwardly of a head portion. A strand is connected to the head portion and extends so as to terminate at a pointed end.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,216, issued on Jun. 11, 1985, to R. L. Bunker describes a dental floss applicator which comprises a solid rectangular shaped body fitted with a pair of adjacent end arms forming a yolk arrangement in which the floss is drawn so as to form an X-shaped pattern. A small button fastener on each side of the applicator body permits the fastening of the floss after it has been stretched taut around the yolk.
German Patent No. 3,831,039 issued to H. Bauer describes a device for cleaning the narrow space between a bridge and the jaw. A pair of threads are connected to a guide. The threads are arranged in parallel to each other and are connected to each other by a number of parallel transverse threads.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,660, issued on May 21, 1991 to M. S. Boggs describes an automatic flossing tool having reciprocating tines supporting the flossing material and biased apart so as to assure proper tension on the flossing material. The device includes a means carried out by the tines for moving the flossing material between the tines and having a removable head so as to permit replacement of the head to provide sterile use for subsequent users.
In the recent past, it has been recognized that the above-identified flosser designs are often faulty because of the difficulty in placing the floss between the teeth and the difficulty associated with removing the floss from the teeth. In other circumstances, the close spacing of teeth will make it difficult to place the floss, in a slackened condition, between the teeth. Since the floss between the arms of the flosser apparatus of these prior designs is not in a very xe2x80x9ctensionedxe2x80x9d condition, then the floss can become frayed when placed in between and pulled out of the teeth. In order to overcome this problem, various U.S. patents have recently issued relating to the flosser apparatus with the ability to xe2x80x9ctensionxe2x80x9d the strand prior to application and removal from the teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,023, issued on Jul. 23, 1996 to Oczkowski et al., describes a tensioning dental flosser having a holder, a bow and a length of dental floss spanning the bow. A movable element is provided which can cause a portion of the floss holder to move and tighten the strand of floss so as to reduce the slack in the floss. U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,531, issued on Dec. 2, 1997 to I. S. Chodorow, describes a dual strand dental flosser having a body part, first and second spaced apart arms extending from the body part, a first strand of dental floss extending axially between the arms and a second strand of dental floss extending axially between the arms and generally parallel to the first strand of dental floss. A lever mechanism extends from one of the arms which is movable so as to be moved toward the body part. When this lever is moved toward the body part, the first and second strands will tighten. U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,458, issued on Nov. 3, 1998 to I. S. Chodorow, describes a dental floss holder of similar construction to that of U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,531. It shows a variety of other mechanisms that can be used for tightening the dental floss.
There is a product on the market identified as the xe2x80x9cGLIDE ((trademark))xe2x80x9d floss pick and manufactured by W. L. Gore and Associates, Inc. This is another type of flosser that includes a tensioning structure. In this device, the handles of the flosser can be squeezed together so as to cause the floss-holding arms to move away from each other about a pivot point spaced from the floss and between the floss and the pivot point.
Unfortunately, in all of these prior art devices, the technique for tensioning the floss will require the application of pressure generally in the direction of the floss. However, when the floss is applied to the teeth, a force must be applied transverse to the floss so as to cause the floss to enter the spaces between the teeth. In each of these prior art devices, by applying forces in the direction of the floss, there is a difficulty in manipulating the head of the flosser so that the floss will enter the spaces between the teeth. Often, the tension-providing surfaces will be somewhat wet so as to create a sliding motion of the fingers placed thereon. It is very difficult to manipulate the flosser so that the tensioned floss is manipulated in the desired manner. Also, subsequent to use, it is difficult to tension the floss and then carry out a lifting motion whereby the floss can be removed from the teeth.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a flosser apparatus which facilitates the tensioning of the floss at the end of the flosser.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a flosser apparatus which causes the tension-providing force to be applied in a direction transverse to the direction of the floss.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a flosser apparatus whereby the floss can be more easily manipulated during the flossing of teeth.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a flosser apparatus which avoids the shredding of the floss during use.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a flosser apparatus which is easy to use, relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.
The present invention is a flosser apparatus having a body with a first fork member and a second fork member at an end thereof, a flexible member interposed between the fork members, and a length of floss having one end affixed to the first fork member and an opposite end affixed to the second fork member. The length of floss extends in a direction. The flexible member is cooperative with the fork members such that the first and second fork members move away from each other upon the application of a force onto the flexible member in a direction transverse to the direction of the length of the floss.
In the present invention, the body has a pivot point between the first and second fork members on a side of the flexible member opposite the length of floss.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the body has a first surface extending into the space and the flexible member has a second surface extending toward the first surface of the body. The first and second surfaces are engageable with each other so as to fix a position of the first fork member with respect to the second fork member. The first surface has a plurality of toothed elements extending upwardly therefrom. The second surface has a plurality of toothed elements extending downwardly therefrom. The flexible member is an arcuate member having one end affixed to the first fork member and an opposite end affixed to the second fork member. Each of the first and second fork members has a bent shape such that the length of floss is offset from the plane of the body.
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, one of the first and second surfaces has a button element extending therefrom. The other of the first and second surfaces has an orifice formed thereon. The button element is engageable with the orifice. In particular, the button element has an arrowhead shape such that the button element is non-releasably retained within the orifice of the first surface.
In still another alternative embodiment of the present invention, the flexible member is an arcuate member movable between a concave position facing the length of floss and a convex position having a concavity facing away from the length of floss. At least one of the first and second fork members has a stop element extending inwardly to the other of the fork members. This stop element limits a movement of the flexible member toward the concave position.

Flosser apparatus with lockable floss tightener


Intravascular filtering devices for placement within a blood vessel are disclosed. An intravascular filter in accordance with the present invention may include a plurality of elongated filter legs biased to radially expand from a collapsed position to a conical-shaped position when deployed in a blood vessel. Each of the filter legs may include a hook region configured to engage the vessel wall. The filter legs may vary in length and/or cross-sectional diameter. In certain embodiments, the dimensions and/or orientation of the hook regions can be configured to allow the filter device to be collapsed into a relatively small introducer catheter or sheath.

Vena cava filters are typically used in combination with other thrombolytic agents to treat pulmonary embolism within a patient. These devices are generally implanted within a vessel such as the inferior vena cava, and function by capturing blood clots (emboli) contained in the blood stream before they can reach the lungs and cause permanent damage to the patient. To trap emboli contained within the blood, many conventional vena cava filters utilize a plurality of elongated filter legs that can be expanded within the body to form a conical-shaped surface that captures blood clots without disturbing the flow of blood. Once collected, a natural clot lysing process occurs within the body to dissolve the blood clots collected by the filter.
Delivery of the vena cava filter within the body is generally accomplished via an introducer catheter or sheath percutaneously inserted through the femoral (groin) or jugular (neck) veins. Such introducer catheters or sheaths are generally tubular in shape, and include an inner lumen configured to transport the filter in a collapsed position through the body. Once transported to a desired location in the body (e.g. the inferior vena cava), the filter can then be removed from within the catheter or sheath, allowing the filter legs to spring open and engage the vessel wall. A hook, barb or other piercing means disposed on the base of each filter leg can be used to secure the filter to the vessel wall.


The multi-mode phase and data detector includes a phase detector and a charge pump. A plurality of latching blocks clocked on complimentary phases of a feedback signal produces a plurality of phase and transition signals. Based on a selectable bias level, latched comparators in the latching blocks operate to detect the multi-level input data signal as it crosses a plurality of threshold levels. Logic within the multi-mode phase and data detector selects subsets of exclusive OR gates from sets of exclusive OR gates and subsets of the latching comparators to place the multi-mode phase and data detector in one of a PAM-4, NRZ, or PRML mode of operation. The logic further selects subsets of latched comparators from the plurality of parallel coupled latches to further define the mode of operation of the multi-mode phase and data detector.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to communication systems and more particularly to phase detectors used therein.
2. Description of Related Art
Communication systems are known to transport large amounts of data between a plurality of end user devices, which, for example, include telephones, facsimile machines, computers, television sets, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, etc. As is also known, such communication systems may be local area networks (LANs) and/or wide area networks (WANs) that are stand-alone communication systems or interconnected to other LANs and/or WANs as part of a public switched telephone network (PSTN), packet switched data network (PSDN), integrated service digital network (ISDN), or Internet. As is further known, communication systems include a plurality of system equipment to facilitate the transporting of data. Such system equipment includes, but is not limited to, routers, switches, bridges, gateways, protocol converters, frame relays, private branch exchanges, etc.
The transportation of data within communication systems is governed by one or more standards that ensure the integrity of data conveyances and fairness of access for data conveyances. For example, there are a variety of Ethernet standards that govern serial transmissions within a communication system at data rates of 10 megabits per second, 100 megabits per second, 1 gigabit per second and beyond. Synchronous Optical NETwork (SONET), for example, requires 10 gigabits per second. In accordance with such standards, many system components and end user devices of a communication system transport data via serial transmission paths. Internally, however, the system components and end user devices process data in a parallel manner. As such, each system component and end user device must receive the serial data and convert the serial data into parallel data without loss of information. Accurate recovery of information from high-speed serial transmissions typically requires transceiver components that operate at clock speeds equal to or higher than the received serial data rate. Higher clock speeds limit the usefulness of prior art clock recovery circuits that require precise alignment of signals to recover clock and/or data. Higher data rates require greater bandwidth for the feedback loop to operate correctly. Some prior art designs are bandwidth limited.
As the demand for data throughput increases, so do the demands on a high-speed serial transceiver. Modulation rates may be increased to increase the data throughput for a given clock speed at the expense of greater complexity. The increased throughput demands are pushing some current integrated circuit manufacturing processes to their operating limits, where integrated circuit processing limits (e.g., device parasitics, trace sizes, propagation delays, device sizes, etc.) and integrated circuit (IC) fabrication limits (e.g., IC layout, frequency response of the packaging, frequency response of bonding wires, etc.) limit the speed at which the high-speed serial transceiver may operate without excessive jitter performance and/or noise performance.
A further alternative for high-speed serial transceivers is to use an IC technology that inherently provides for greater speeds. For instance, switching from a CMOS process to a silicon germanium or gallium arsenide process would allow integrated circuit transceivers to operate at greater speeds, but at substantially increased manufacturing costs. CMOS is more cost effective and provides easier system integration. Currently, for most commercial-grade applications, including communication systems, such alternate integrated circuit fabrication processes are too cost prohibitive for wide spread use.
What is needed, therefore, is an apparatus that can receive high-speed serial transmissions in a variety of modulation modes, extract the information, and provide the extracted serial data to parallel devices at data rates that ensure data integrity and can be obtained with cost-conscious technology.

NRZ/PAM-4/PRML triple mode phase and data detector


A method and apparatus provides for the generation and recovery of a stable clock signal having harmonic emission suppressions using dual spread spectrum clock signals. The transmission frequencies of non-mixed, spread spectrum lower frequency clock signals may be varied and, upon receipt of these non-mixed signals, they are mixed into sum and difference signals. The sum signal thus generated is representative of the desired clock signal to be recovered. Such conditioning of the non-mixed signals need only occur within the receiver, thereby allow the channel that transmits the non-mixed lower frequency clock signals to the receiver to be lower bandwidth than would be required to carry the final, recovered, and higher frequency clock signal produced by the receiver.

The present invention relates to clock generation in general, and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for generating recovered clock signals with harmonic emission suppression.
Many electronic devices employ processors and/or other digital circuits that require clock signals for synchronization. Clock signals may be generated by a free-running oscillator driven by a crystal, an LC-tuned circuit, or an external clock source. Parameters of such clock signals may include maximum and minimum allowable clock frequencies, tolerances at high and low voltage levels, maximum rise and fall times on waveform edges, pulse-width tolerance for a non-square wave, and the timing relationship between clock phases if two-clock phase signals are needed.
High-speed electronic circuits are particularly susceptible to generating and radiating electromagnetic interference (EMI). Accordingly, many regulatory agencies, such as the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and the Comite International Special Des Perturbations Radioelectriques (CISPR), have established maximum allowable EMI emission standards for electronic equipments, and promulgate guidelines concerning measurement equipment and techniques for determining EMI compliance.
The spectral components of the EMI emissions typically have peak amplitudes at harmonics of the fundamental frequency of a clock circuit. In order to comply with the above-mentioned governmental limits on EMI emissions, costly suppression measures or extensive shielding may need to be utilized. Other approaches for reducing EMI emissions include careful routing of signal traces on printed circuit boards to minimize loops and other potentially radiating structures. However, EMI emissions are made worse at higher clock speeds. Consequently, it would be desirable to provide an improved method and apparatus for generating high-speed clock signals having relatively low EMI emissions.

Dual clock spread for low clock emissions with recovery

International Business Machines Corporation