Multiple subscriber identity modem (10) capable of receiving messages related to at least two subscriber identities, characterized in that it comprises a delaying module (19) configured to: —determine, from a connection request for a service associated with a first subscriber identity, whether the service belongs to a first class of communication, and, when the service has been determined as belonging to the first class of communication, —determine whether a remaining time between the connection request and a next paging occasion, associated with a second subscriber identity, is falling on a first side of a threshold, and, when the remaining time has been determined as falling on the first side of the threshold, —delay an access grant indication related to the connection request until the paging occasion has been handled.

The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section. Furthermore, all embodiments are not necessarily intended to solve all or even any of the problems brought forward in this section.
Mobile devices comprising Multi SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) are now becoming common on some market places. A benefit of such mobile devices for the user is that the user should be able to receive calls on several subscriptions.
For example, Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) modem comprises means for receiving/sending messages from/to at least two subscriber identities. The at least two subscriber identities may be associated with the same or different cellular networks and/or may be using the same or different radio access technologies (RAT).
However, typical DSDS mobile devices have only one radio module and/or only one baseband module and consequently are obliged to slice their radio opening time between the SIMs, i.e. to monitor a first SIM related cells at some given times and a second SIM related cells at other given times. So, as soon as a subscription is active (for signalling with the network, voice call or packet transfer, for example), the other subscription becomes out of range with respect to the network, typically leading to missed calls on the other subscription identity.
As Smartphones and open OS (Operating System) are being deployed on the market, more and more packet background services can be activated by the user. But as these services are running in the background (often without being initiated by the user), the user typically is not aware of that they are active. Thus, the user may be disappointed when (for example) receiving an SMS (Short Message Service) indicating a missed call on the other SIM when this activity is finished.
US 2009/0156257 describes a method for dealing with carrier conflict between SIM cards in a DSDS mobile phone by setting priority levels for services, and delaying access requests. The priority levels that are described in this document are related to physical layer conflicts. Thus, even when applying this method, the user will experience missed calls due to packet background services.
Embodiments of the present invention will improve the situation.


A shifting point display for indicating shift advice is provided in a motor vehicle having a manual transmission and a control unit for the continuous determination of a current operating point of the motor vehicle. At least one characteristic upshift indication curve or a characteristic downshift indication curve is stored in an electronic memory. An upshift indication or a downshift indication is displayed when the characteristic upshift indication curve or the characteristic downshift indication curve is reached by the current operating point and a currently differently engaged gear. The upshift indication or the downshift indication is indicated until the driver has carried out a corresponding upshift operation or downshift operation or until the current operating point has reached and/or fallen below a characteristic upshift indication hysteresis curve that is smaller than the characteristic upshift indication curve, or has reached and/or exceeded a characteristic downshift indication hysteresis curve that is greater than the characteristic downshift indication curve.

The invention relates to a shifting point display in a motor vehicle having a manual transmission for providing shifting advice.
In contrast to automatic transmissions, in which the shifting operation is carried out automatically by stored characteristic upshift and downshift curves, in the case of motor vehicles having manual transmissions, the driver himself is responsible for selecting the gears. In order to make this easier for the driver, various shifting point displays are known, which inform the driver as to when he should shift in order to drive, for example, in a particularly efficient fuel consumption manner.
Thus, from German patent document DE 199 63 156 B4, an indicating instrument for a motor vehicle is known to have a display, in which case, as a function of the momentary accelerator pedal position or manual drive position, at least one characteristic engine curve stored in an electric memory is displayed. By means of this representation, the driver is supposed to recognize whether the operating point of his engine is in an optimal range and how the operating range changes when he, for example, no longer provides fuel or changes the gear. In this type of representation, the driver's attention could be excessively diverted from the driving situation because he constantly has to check, by way of the display, whether he is operating the motor vehicle in an optimal operating range.
From German patent document DE 39 12 359 A1, a shift assist advice device is known, which emits shift recommendations for a fuel-consumption-optimized and/or exhaust-pollution-minimized driving method on the basis of detected current conditions of the rotational engine speed, the driving speed, the engaged gear, the accelerator pedal position, and on the basis of engine and transmission characteristics data. This determination of the shift recommendation requires high computing capacities. Another problem occurs when the vehicle is operated in such a manner that the computed optimal gear changes constantly between the currently engaged gear and another gear. The shift advice would then toggle; that is, it would constantly change between active and inactive, which would have a disturbing effect on the driver, or may even put the driver into a state of uncertainty.
There is therefore needed an improved shifting point display, which requires no unnecessary computing capacities and does not put the driver into a state of uncertainty or disturb the driver.
This, and other, needs are met according to the invention by a shifting point display for providing shifting advice in a motor vehicle having a manual transmission and a control unit, the control unit continuously determining a current operating point of the motor vehicle. At least one characteristic upshift indication curve is stored in an electronic memory and an upshift indication is displayed when the current operating point reaches the characteristic upshift indication curve and a lower gear is currently engaged gear. The upshift is displayed until the driver has carried out an upshift operation or until the current operating point reaches and/or falls below a characteristic upshift indication hysteresis curve that is smaller than the characteristic upshift indication curve.
A second shifting point display for providing shifting advice according to the invention in a motor vehicle having a manual transmission and having a control unit for the continuous determination of a current operating point of the motor vehicle is characterized in that at least one characteristic downshift indication curve is stored in an electronic memory and a downshift is indicated when the current operating point reaches the characteristic downshift indication curve and a higher gear is currently engaged. The downshift indication is displayed until the driver has carried out a downshift operation or until the current operating point reaches and/or exceeds a characteristic downshift indication hysteresis curve that is greater than the characteristic downshift indication curve.
The two shifting point displays according to the invention, are therefore, based on characteristic upshift and downshift curves respectively, as stored in motor vehicles having automatic transmissions and used for the automatic shifting operation. In contrast to the characteristic upshift and downshift curves respectively, which are stored in the motor vehicles having an automatic transmission, the characteristic upshift indication curves and downshift indication curves, respectively, in the case of the invention are displaced relative to the above-mentioned characteristic upshift and downshift curves respectively such that, when the driver receives the shift advice, he still has sufficient time to carry out the shifting operation at the optimal point in time. This time period is taken into account when determining the characteristic upshift indication and downshift indication curves, respectively.
As a result of the output of the shift advice when the characteristic upshift indication or downshift indication curve is reached, only very low computing capacities are required because only a comparison has to be made between the characteristic shift indication curves and the current operating point of the motor vehicle.
Another advantage of the indicating devices according to the invention consists of the display, or of the duration of the display, of the respective shift advice. Since the shift advice is not canceled before the driver either has carried out the corresponding shifting operation or the current operating point of the motor vehicle has fallen below the given characteristic upshift indication hysteresis curve that is smaller than the characteristic upshift indication curve, or the operating point of the motor vehicle has exceeded the given characteristic downshift indication hysteresis curve that is greater than the characteristic downshift indication curve, a toggling of the indication is excluded. The distance between the characteristic upshift indication curve and the characteristic upshift indication hysteresis curve or between the characteristic downshift indication curve and the characteristic downshift indication hysteresis curve should be such that, on the one hand, the toggling can be excluded when the vehicle is operated approximately in one operating point and, on the other hand, the indication is no longer active when a shifting operation according to the indication no longer makes sense or is no longer possible.
The upshift advice and/or the downshift advice may be a visual indication, preferably a display, which reflects the target gear, in the instrument panel of the motor vehicle or in a separate display in the motor vehicle.
Advantageously, the relevant characteristic upshift indication curve and the pertaining characteristic upshift indication hysteresis curve and/or the relevant characteristic downshift indication curve and the pertaining characteristic downshift indication hysteresis curve are stored for all gears in the electronic memory. This means that, for the lowest gear, no characteristic downshift indication and pertaining characteristic downshift indication hysteresis curve and, for the highest gear, no characteristic upshift indication curve and pertaining characteristic upshift indication hysteresis curve are stored in the memory. However, for the gears situated in-between, a characteristic upshift indication curve, a respective characteristic upshift indication hysteresis curve, a characteristic downshift indication curve and a pertaining characteristic downshift indication hysteresis curve should be stored. Thus, the output of shift advice to the driver becomes possible over the entire operating range of the motor vehicle, when it is required.
The current operating point is advantageously determined as a function of the rotational output speed or the motor vehicle speed and the accelerator pedal angle, and the characteristic upshift indication curves and/or characteristic downshift indication curves, as well as the pertaining characteristic upshift indication hysteresis curves and/or characteristic downshift indication hysteresis curves are stored as a function of the rotational output speed or the motor vehicle speed and the accelerator pedal angle. By means of the current rotational output speed or the motor vehicle speed and the current accelerator pedal position, it can therefore be determined whether a given characteristic shift indication curve is to be reached and an output of a shift advice is to take place, or whether—if the shift advice is already active and the driver has not carried out a corresponding shifting operation—the characteristic hysteresis curve pertaining to the characteristic shift indication curve has been reached, not been reached, or exceeded.
The shifting point advice can be displayed either sequentially—thus, upward or downward by only one gear—or over several gears—thus, over several gears deviating from the current gear. If, for example, the 2nd gear is currently engaged, a shift advice into the 6th gear can also be displayed when the rotational speed is high. The displayed maximal gear spread may be separately limited in the upshift and downshift direction. The number of shifting operations can thereby clearly be reduced. However, a downshift advice by more than one gear is not meaningful.
In the case of several stored characteristic upshift indication curves, the upshift advice assigned to the maximum characteristic upshift indication curve reached by the operating point is advantageously displayed. Or, in the case of several characteristic downshift indication curves, downshift advice is displayed that is assigned to the maximum characteristic downshift indication curve reached by the operating point. Thus, the shift point display can also output a shift indication to a gear to be engaged that is not situated directly above or below the current gear.
Advantageously, the determination of the upshift advice and/or of the downshift advice does not take place when predetermined conditions have not been met. This means that the determination of the shifting point display is carried out only under certain conditions. These conditions may, for example, be a certain speed range which should not be exceeded or fallen below, or a predetermined rotational speed gradient that should not be exceeded. As a further condition, the vehicle should not be operated in the reverse gear and the brake should also not be depressed.
If the above-mentioned conditions have been met and a shift indication to be displayed is determined within the scope of the shifting point displays according to the invention, advantageously the upshift indication and/or the downshift indication is suppressed, however, when the motor vehicle is cornering or when the motor vehicle is in a downhill operation. The downhill operation can be determined by means of a traction resistance detecting device. Finally, the output of the shift advice does not take place before a frictional connection exists between the drive unit and the transmission.
The upshift indication is advantageously suppressed when a brake operation exists in the motor vehicle. However, the output of the downshift indication takes place when the brake is operated.
The stored characteristic curves advantageously are fuel consumption-optimal characteristic curves; that is, the characteristic curves are defined on the basis of the fuel consumption. When the driver follows the shifting advice, he can operate the motor vehicle in an extremely consumption-effective manner.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Shifting point display in a motor vehicle having a manual transmission

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


A multicast stream is received. At a non-designated router, a multicast stream is received with respect to which the non-designated router is not a designated router responsible for sending the multicast stream to a host. The received multicast stream is discarded.

Protocol independent multicast-sparse-mode (PIM-SM) is a protocol associated with forwarding of multicast traffic. In PIM-SM, the designated router (DR) is responsible for forwarding multicast traffic to a host on a local area network (LAN) that requested or otherwise desires multicast traffic. Occasionally, a designated router will fail. In some applications, failure of the designated router is undesirable because some amount of multicast traffic is lost while the network recovers (e.g., a few seconds). In some cases, the multicast traffic includes audio/video and a listener/viewer notices a glitch. Techniques to recover in a shorter amount of time in the event a designated router fails would be desirable.

Receiving multicast traffic at non-designated routers


A cable which may be used in buildings in riser shafts includes a core (22) which includes at least one transmission medium which is enclosed in a non-halogenated plastic material. The core is enclosed with a jacket (29) which also is made of a non-halogenated plastic material. The non-halogenated material which encloses the transmission medium is a plastic material selected from the group consisting of a filled polyolefin, a polyphenylene oxide, a polyetherimide and a silicone-polyimide copolymer, and blend compositions of a polyetherimide and a silicone-polyimide copolymer. For the jacket, the plastic material comprises a filled polyolefin.

Telephone service within buildings is provided by cables some of which are referred to as rise cables. These cables generally used to interconnect between equipment closets located on various floors or to extend from vaults in basements to other floors. Risers are employed mainly for vertival runs between floors within buildings. They may extend between service entry locations, equipment closets, and equipment to other building floors where they are connected to plenum cables distribution cables, distribution equipment centers or directly to equipment such as computers, telephone or facsmile apparatus, for example. Typically, a riser cable includes a core having a plurality of optical fibers or a plurality of twisted pairs of metallic conductors which are individually enclosed with an insulation cover. the core is enclosed in a sheath.
Because of the environment in which these riser cables are used, they must meet specified requirements which relate to fire-retardancy and mechanical integrity. Besides plenum cable, there are four categories of flame test requirements for cables which may be used in building applications. First there is the riser class and a cable qualifying for same must meet the requirements of Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) 1666 flame test. Another standard is that of the Canadian Standards Association which require that any candidate cable meets the requirement of its FT-4 test. There is a general use class in which the candidate cable should meet the requirements of a general purpose test embodied in UL 1581 vertical tray flame test. A fourth category is referred to as VW-1 which defines a standard for a vertical transmission medium for residential use. These flame test requirements are less stringent than those for plenum cable.
Another consideration is the pair count density, which is the number of insulated conductors in a given cable cross-section. With the trend toward larger and larger buildings and the increased use of the telephone for various kinds of communication, the pair count density within a building riser system may be greater than that in the past.
Also of importance to building cables is the capability of color coding the conductor insulation. Typically, a predetermined number of conductor pairs are grouped together in what is referred to as a unit. The unit is characterized by unique color combinations among the pairs as well as a binder having a particular color. This allows an installer to be able to identify a particular conductor pair and to distinguish between tip and ring. As a result of the relative ease of identification, splicing and termination costs are greatly reduced.
The prior art has addressed the problem of cable materials that contribute to flame spread and smoke evolution through the use of halogenated materials such as fluoropolymers and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). For example, these together with layers of other materials, have been used to control char development, jacket integrity and air permeability to minimize restrictions on choices of materials for insulation within the core in a plenum cable. Commercially available flourine-containing polymer materials have been accepted as the primary insulative covering for conductors and as a jacketing material for plenum cable without the use of metal conduit. In one prior art small size plenum cable, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,818 which issued on Aug. 12, 1986 in the name of C. J. Arroyo, et al., a sheath system includes a layer of a woven material which is impregnated with a fluorocarbon resin and which encloses a core. The woven layer has an air permeability which is sufficiently low to minimize gaseous flow through the woven layer and to delay heat transfer to the core. An outer jacket of an extrudable fluoropolymer material encloses the layer of woven material. In the last-described cable design, a substantial quantity of flourine , which is a halogen, is used.
Besides flouropolymers, other halogenated material such as chlorine-containing polymers e.g. PVC, are also used for both insulation and jacket. One such cable is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,094 which issued on Oct. 25, 1983 in the names T. S. Dougherty, et al. In it, a riser cable is disclosed to have conductors insulated with a composite insulation comprising an inner layer of an expanded polyethylene and an outer layer of PVC. A PVC jacket encloses the core.
Although the PVC is very attractive in terms of cost, when it is compared with other polymers, namely, flourinated polymers, it has relatively high dielectric properties which make it insuitable for high frequency applications. In addition, some PVC materials exhibit a relatively high degree of corrosivity and smoke generation in fire situations although others which are highly filled with halogenated materials are acceptable for plenum use.
The problem of acceptable building cable design is complicated somewhat by a trend to the extension of the use of optical fiber transmission media from a loop to building distribution systems. Not only must the optical fiber be protected from transmission degradation, but also it has properties which differ significantly from those of copper conductors and hence requires special treatment. Light transmitting optical fibers are mechanically fragile, exhibiting low strain fracture under tensile loading and degraded light transmission when bent with a relatively low radius of curvature. The degradation in transmission which results from bending is known as microbending loss. This loss can occur because of coupling between the jacket and the core. Coupling may result because of shrinkage during cooling of the jacket and because of differential thermal contractions when the thermal properties of the jacket material differ significantly from those of the enclosed optical fibers.
The use of fluoropolymers, with or without underlying protective layers, for optical fiber building cable jackets requires special consideration of material properties such as crystallinity, and coupling between the jacket and an optical fiber core which can have detrimental effects on the optical fibers. If the jacket is coupled to the optical fiber core, the shrinkage of fluoropolymer plastic material, which is semi-crystalline, following extrusion puts the optical fiber in compression and results in microbending losses in the fiber. Further, its thermal expansion coefficients relative to glass are large, thereby comprising the stability of optical performance over varying thermal operating conditions. Also, the use of some fluoropolymers requires special care for processing and adds to cost of the cables.
Although there exists cables which include halogen materials and which have passed the UL test requirements, there has been a desire to overcome some problems which still exist with respect to the use of some fluoropolymer and PVC halogenated materials. Both these materials may exhibit undesired levels of corrosion. If a fluoropolymer is used, hydrogen flourife forms under the influence of heat, causing corrosion. For a PVC, hydrogen chloride is formed. Futher, some PVC materials exhibit an undesired level of smoke generation.
Generally, there are a number of halogenated materials which pass the industry tests for building cable. However, if some halogenated materials have undesirable characteristics and industry demands certain characteristics that halogenated materials are lacking, it is logical to inquire as to why non-halogenated materials have not been more widely used for building cable materials. the prior art has treated non-halogenated materials as unacceptable because as a genral rule it has been said that they are not as flame retardant or because they are too inflexible if they are flame retardant. Materials for use in communications cables for building applications must be such that the resulting cable passes an industry standard flame test, which for riser cables, is the hereinbefore mentioned UL 1666 test. In addition, the cable should pass physical and mechanical test set forth by UL as well as transmission requirements set forth by manufacturers such as AT&T.
Non-halogenated materials have been used in countries outside the United States particularly in the less stringent categories for building cable. One example of a non-halogenated material that has been offered as a material for insulating conductors is a polyphenylene oxide plastic material. Ongoing efforts have been in motion in the United States to provide non-halogenated material which has a broad range of acceptable properties, as well as a reasonable price, and yet one which passes industry standards such as the UL 1666 test for riser cables. Such a cable should be one which appeals to a broad spectrum of customers.
One such cable for plenum applications is that disclosed in copending commonly assigned application Ser. No. 07/303,212 which was filed on Jan. 27, 1989 in the names of T. G. Hardin and B. A. Khorramian. In it is disclosed a cable in which transmission media are enclosed in a covering material which is selected from the group consisting of a polyetherimide, a polymide, a silicone-polymide copolymer and blend compositions of a polyethermide and a silicone-polymide copolymer. A jacket which encloses the transmission material is a plastic material which includes a polythermide constituent. The cable of the aforementioned application meets UL 910 test requirements for plenum cable exhibits relatively low corrosivity and a suitable toxicity level. However, the materials which are used for insulation and jacketing require somewhat more care to process than conventional cable materials such as polyethylene and PVC. Also, such a cable, although suitable for riser cable, far exceeds the requirements for same. In addition, such a plenum cable costs considerably more than what is perceived to be reasonable for riser cables, a situation which is well received by the customer.
The sought-after riser cables not only exhibit suitably low flame spread producing characteristics provided by a currently used cables which include halogenated materials but also one which meets a broad range of desired properties such as low smoke generation, acceptable levels of corrosivity and toxicity and which is reasonable in cost. Such a riser cable does not appear to be available in the prior art. The challenge is to provide such a cable which meets the standards in the United States for riser cables.
what is needed is an insulation and jacketing system for a riser cable which minimizes the opportunity for the beginning of a fire alon the cable, and should such a flame be initiated, one which minimizes the propagation of the flame and the total heat which is released by the cable system. Also, the sought-after insulation not only must have a relatively small diameter-over-dielectric in order to reduce the outside diameter of the cable, but must also must lend itself to a color coding scheme in order to facilitate inside wiring and splicing.
What is needed and what does not appear to be available is a building cable which meets the requirements of Ul tests for riser applications. The sought-after cable desirably is one which uses non-halogenated insulating and jacketing materials, yet in one which satisfies the UL requirements for use in building risers at a reasonable cost with excellent transmission characteristics.


Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for assisting users in performing searches. In one aspect, a query for a search session is received from a user device. A first set of search results responsive to the query is provided to the user device. Search results interaction data are received from the user device that identifies actions that are in response to the search results and taken at the user device. The search results interaction data are analyzed to determine that a remedial search operation should be performed, the remedial search operation determining a second set of search results responsive to the query and providing the second set of search results to the user device for presentation to the user.

This specification is related to search processing.
Internet users rely on search engines to locate information on the Internet. Typically, a user formulates a query relating to the information that the user is looking for and submits the query to a search engine. The search engine then provides to the user a web page (which is generally the first of multiple web pages) that includes multiple search results that the search engine has determined are responsive to the query. Each search result identifies an Internet-addressable resource and a link to the resource, and generally provides some information about the resource. The user will then generally use the links to get the resources in an attempt to find the information that the user is looking for.
If the search results do not provide material that the user deems satisfactory, the user may reformulate the query to receive a different set of search results from the search engine. If the user is still not satisfied with the search results, the user will continue to submit additional queries until he or she is satisfied with the search results or will give up and stop submitting queries to the search engine.

Providing remedial search operation based on analysis of user interaction with search results


A disk device such as a magnetic hard disk drive. A disk is arranged inside a frame body. A cover is placed on the frame body, a gap is formed between a rim of the cover and the frame, and this gap is shielded by a sheet having an adhesive portion.

The present invention relates to a disk device such as a magnetic hard disk drive and the like.
Conventionally, as one type of hard magnetic disk devices, a magnetic hard disk drive which conforms to the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) xe2x80x9cType II standardsxe2x80x9d is known. This hard magnetic disk device comprises a mechanism part where a movable part exists and an electric circuit part for controlling this mechanism part. The mechanism part forms a shielded space and the electric circuit part is arranged outside this shielded space.
In the mechanism part, an actuator as the movable part is provided inside a frame body. This actuator causes a magnetic head for recording and reproducing information to shift with respect to a magnetic disk on and from which information is recorded and reproduced. The frame body is covered by a top cover. This top cover has an adhesive portion on the peripheral portion thereof, is adhered to the frame body by this adhesive portion, and shields the interior space thereof.
However, the following problems exist in such well-known devices.
Due to nonconformity in components and/or assembly, some devices need to be repaired after assembly before being placed on the market. However, the sealing structure of the device is constructed by, as mentioned above, adhering the top cover having the adhesive portion to the frame body, and when the top cover is opened for repairing the device, deformation occurs to the top cover, and the top cover cannot be reused. In this case, since the top cover is not low-priced, there is a problem such that the price of the device is raised.
The electric circuit part is assembled by means of a printed circuit board (hereinafter, referred to as a xe2x80x9cPCBxe2x80x9d). In the device, in order to cause an actuator to generate sufficient torque, a magnetic circuit for driving this actuator is thickly formed. In addition, the PCB is constructed while avoiding these thick components.
On the other hand, in recent years, a method (a ramp loading method) has been employed, wherein a magnetic head is evacuated to the outside of a magnetic disk during the non-operating time of a device. In the ramp loading method, since the magnetic head is evacuated to the outside of the magnetic disk, the rotation angle of the actuator increases. Then, inevitably, components forming the magnetic circuit become large.
Therefore, if the ramp loading method is employed in the well-known device, it is necessary to cut away the PCB greatly. As a result, the area for mounting electronic components decreases and a problem occurs such that these electronic components cannot be mounted or connection of an electric circuit becomes impossible. Meanwhile, if the mounting area of the PCB is secured, a problem occurs such that the ramp loading method cannot be employed or a voice coil motor becomes thin and it becomes impossible to cause the actuator to generate sufficient torque.
The present invention is made to solve such problems in the prior art, and it is an object of the invention to construct a disk device such as a magnetic hard disk drive at a low price, and in a low-profile device as well, to efficiently arrange a mechanism portion and an electric circuit portion so as to enable an actuator to generate sufficient torque.
In order to achieve this object, in a disk device with a disk arranged inside a frame body according to the present invention, a cover is placed on the frame body, a gap is formed between a rim of the cover and the frame body, and the gap is shielded by a sheet having an adhesive portion.
According to the present invention, in compliance with the PCMCIA Type II standards, a magnetic hard disk is formed such that a peripheral portion thereof is thinner in thickness than a central portion thereof, and includes an interface connector at an end portion thereof, wherein a printed circuit board is provided in the thick central portion of the disk, and the interface connector is provided formed with horn-shaped connecting portions to the printed circuit board. The horn-shaped connecting portions are formed in a protruded manner so as to reach the thick central portion.
In a disk device with a disk arranged inside a frame body according to the present invention, the peripheral portion is formed to be thinner than the central portion, a printed circuit board is provided in the thick central portion, and a surface of the printed circuit board for mounting electric components on the printed circuit board is a surface on the frame body side.
In addition, the disk device with a disk arranged inside a frame body according to the present invention comprises an actuator provided for driving a head for recording and reproducing information on and from the disk, which actuator is composed of a voice coil motor comprising a pair of yokes opposed to each other with a predetermined distance therebetween, a movable coil wound to be movable between the yokes, and a permanent magnet attached to at least one of the yokes to add a magnetic field to the movable coil. Further, one of the yokes forms a part of an outer wall of the frame body, in place of the frame body.
In a disk device with a disk arranged inside a frame body according to the present invention, an actuator is provided for driving a head for recording and reproducing information on and from the disk, the actuator being composed of a voice coil motor comprising a pair of yokes opposed to each other with a predetermined distance therebetween, a coil wound to be movable between the yokes, and a permanent magnet attached to at least one of the yokes to add a magnetic field to the movable coil, and each or the yoke is formed to be thick at a part corresponding to a section between two poles of the permanent magnet and a vicinity thereof, and is formed, at the other part, to be thinner than the thick part.
Thus, according to the present invention, even in the low-profile disk device, by efficiently arranging the mechanism portion and the electric circuit portion, the actuator can be caused to generate sufficient torque.
In detail, according to the disk device of the present invention, the gap is formed between the rim of the cover and the frame body, and this gap is closed by means of the sheet having the adhesive portion. Therefore, when repairing the device, it is sufficient to replace only the inexpensive sheet having an adhesive portion.
According to the present invention, by forming a hole on the sheet, component members of the disk device such as mechanical components and the like can be arranged in this hole. With such a structure, the component members of the disk device such as mechanical components can be provided to a large extent and performance of the device can be enhanced.
In the magnetic hard disk drive of the present invention, horn-shaped connecting portions to the PCB, which have been formed in a protruded manner so as to reach the thick central portion of the disk device, are formed on the interface connector, so that the PCB can be disposed on the lower side than a part having a thickness of 3.3 mm. As a result, on the PCB with the IC-mounting surface being on the frame body side, component members of the disk device such as mechanism components can be arranged between the ICs. Furthermore, even when a ramp loading method is employed, which has been employed in recent years for improvement in impact resistance of the device, achievement of lower power consumption and higher recording density, the voice coil motor can be made thick without reducing the mounting area of the PCB and the actuator can be caused to generate sufficient torque.
According to the present invention, since the connecting part between the interface connector and the PCB is low in rigidity, connecting portions are provided for fixing this interface connector to the frame body with screws. As a result, even if an impact is applied to the interface connector, the electrical connecting part of the interface connector can be prevented from being detached.
According to the disk device of the present invention, the hole in which the permanent magnet is placed is made on the frame body and also the yoke is provided in place of the wall part of this frame body. Thus, the magnetic circuit portion can be made thick and torque generated in the actuator can be increased.
According to the present invention, bosses having screwing margins are provided inside the frame body and the yoke is constructed so as to be fixed by screws to the frame body from the rear side of the frame body. As a result, without reducing the IC-mounting area of the PCB, the yoke can be screwed. This screw tightening allows it to replace the yoke alone.
The disk device of the present invention can be provided with concave portions for embedding screw heads in the yoke. As a result, since the screw heads do not project, ICs can be mounted on the PCB at a position corresponding to the concave portions.
The present invention enables it to thinly form other parts of the yoke than the vicinity of a part corresponding to the central part of the permanent magnet. Therefore, ICs can be mounted on the PCB at a position corresponding thereto. As a result, without reducing the IC-mounting area, the actuator can be caused to generate great torque.
According to the disk device of the present invention, the interior of the device can be shielded by closing the gap between the lower yoke and the frame body by means of the sheet having the adhesive portion. This sheet has a hole in the central part. The thick part of the yoke is inserted into this hole. As a result, while employing the shielding structure, without reducing the IC-mounting area, the actuator can be caused to generate great torque.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


In order to provide an optical element in which the occurrence of a region where no light beams are present (omission) is prevented, an optical element is provided with a main substrate which is manufactured from a light-transmitting material and in which a front surface and a rear surface are parallel to the setting directions, wherein at least one main beam splitter surface is provided obliquely to the setting directions and formed inside the primary substrate. The optical element is also provided with a sub substrate which is manufactured from a light transmitting material and in which a front surface and a rear surface are parallel to the setting directions, wherein a sub beam splitter surface is arranged at least between the front surface or the rear surface of the single sub substrate, and the rear surface or the front surface of the main substrate.

Among display devices for information appliances of the type worn on the body, the goggle type format which also allows the outside world to be seen is becoming mainstream. FIG. 3 is an external view showing a goggle type display (display device) worn by a viewer, and FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating the general configuration of a conventional goggle type display and the optical path in the XY plane.
Here, the goggle type display 101 is for the right eye, and defines an XYZ coordinate system having its origin at the center of the right eye E of a viewer viewing into the distance. The Y direction is to the front of the viewer, the Z direction is above the viewer, and the X direction (set direction) is to the left of the viewer.
The goggle type display 101 has an appearance similar to goggles, and comprises an output unit (output optical system) 40 which outputs image display light L, a light guide (optical element) 10 which is a substrate that internally reflects the image display light L from the output unit 40 and guides it to the eye E of the viewer, and a frame part F to which the output unit 40 and light guide 10 are attached (for example, see patent literature 1).
The output unit 40 has a housing as shown in FIG. 3, and inside this housing, comprises an output mechanism including a transmissive liquid crystal display 41, an optical system 42 and a light source (not illustrated), and a control unit (not illustrated) which outputs an image signal to the output mechanism.
The transmissive liquid crystal display 41, based on an image signal from the control unit, forms an image in a display region perpendicular to the output direction, and outputs an image display light L.
Optical system 42 transmits the image display light L of the display region. Optical system 42 is furthermore arranged at a distance in front of the transmissive liquid crystal display 41. As a result, the optical system 42 forms a virtual image of the observed object while transmitting image display light L of the display region.
Light guide 10 is a substrate fashioned from a light transmitting material such as glass (BK7, etc.), resin (polycarbonate, polymethacrylic acid (PMMA), cycloolefin, etc.) or the like and comprises a front surface 10a, a rear surface 10b located opposite the front surface 10a in the −Y direction, a right surface 10c, a left surface 10d located opposite the right surface 10c in the X direction, a top surface (not illustrated) and a bottom surface (not illustrated) located opposite the top surface in the Z direction, and furthermore has a beam splitter surface 11 formed inside. Here, the front surface 10a, the rear surface 10b, the top surface and the bottom surface are parallel to the X direction (set direction), while the left surface 10d is perpendicular to the X direction (set direction).
Furthermore, the right surface 10c is arranged so as to have an angle at to the X direction (set direction) when viewed from the Z direction. The output unit 40 is moreover arranged so as to cause the image display light L from the output mechanism to be inputted through the right surface 10c of the light guide 10 into the light guide 10 in a direction perpendicular to the right surface 10c. As a result, when image display light L from the output unit 40 enters inside the light guide 10 through the right surface 10c in a direction perpendicular to the right surface 10c, it advances substantially in the X direction (set direction).
The beam splitter surface 11 comprises three planar beam splitter surfaces, arranged in the X direction in the sequence: first beam splitter surface 11a, second beam splitter surface 11b, third beam splitter surface 11c. Furthermore, each of the beam splitter surfaces 11a through 11c are arranged at the same angle β to the X direction when viewed from the Z direction.
The first beam splitter surface 11a, second beam splitter surface 11b and third beam splitter surface 11c furthermore make it possible to reflect a predetermined fraction of the luminous flux of the inputted image display light L and to transmit a predetermined fraction of the luminous flux of the image display light L.
In such a goggle type display 101, first, the image display light L of the display region from the output unit 40 is inputted into the light guide 10 through the right surface 10c. Here, the image display light L from the output unit 40 is inputted through the right surface 10c into the light guide 10 in a direction perpendicular to the right surface 10c, and the right surface 10c causes the image display light L of the display region from the output unit 40 to be inputted such that it advances substantially in the X direction (set direction).
The front surface 10a and rear surface 10b cause the image display light L of the display region to advance in the X direction (set direction) while reflecting it in alternation multiple times, thereby leading it to the first beam splitter surface 11a. The first beam splitter surface 11a then reflects a predetermined fraction of the luminous flux of the inputted image display light L and transmits a predetermined fraction of the luminous flux of the image display light L. Namely, the luminous flux of image display light La is guided to the eye E of the viewer.
Furthermore, the image display light L which has passed through the first beam splitter surface 11a reaches the second beam splitter surface 11b. Here, the second beam splitter surface 11b reflects a predetermined fraction of the luminous flux of the inputted image display light L and transmits a predetermined fraction of the luminous flux of the image display light L. Namely, the luminous flux of image display light Lb is guided to the eye E of the viewer.
Moreover, the image display light L which has passed through the second beam splitter surface 11b reaches the third beam splitter surface 11c. Here, the third beam splitter surface 11c reflects a predetermined fraction of the luminous flux of the inputted image display light L and transmits a predetermined fraction of the luminous flux of the image display light L. Namely, the luminous flux of image display light Lc is guided to the eye E of the viewer.

Optical element, display device using same, and photoreceptor device


A method enabling VoIP communication sessions between a VoIP based client application and a non-VoIP standards based client application. The method includes providing a server on a digital communications network that includes runs or provides media proxy. The media proxy receives a media packet from the first communications application formatted according to a first protocol. The method includes performing packet translation on the media packet to generate a media packet that is formatted according to a second protocol that differs from the first protocol but that is used by a second communications application. The method includes transporting the translated media packet to the second communications application over the network. The packet translation includes translating the protocol while simply copying the audio-video data or payload from the original message. The communications session includes performing communications session setup between the two communications applications by signaling between these two applications.

1. Field of Description
The present disclosure relates, in general, to computer-implemented methods for providing audio-visual communications or media transport between two or more computer or electronics devices or two or more client applications, and, more particularly, to improved methods and systems for facilitating media transport including Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications between a client device utilizing a standards-based application and a client device utilizing a proprietary or non-standards-based application.
2. Relevant Background
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a general term for a group of transmission technologies for delivery of voice communications over IP networks such as the Internet or other packet-switched networks. Internet telephony including VoIP communications refer to communications services such as voice, facsimile, video streams, and voice-messaging applications that are transported via the Internet rather than over the more conventional public switched telephone network. The basic steps involved in originating an Internet telephone call are conversion of the analog voice signal to digital format and compression/translation of the signal into IP packets for transmission over the Internet, with the process being reversed at the receiving end. VoIP systems may employ session control protocols to control the set-up and tear-down of calls as well as audio codecs that encode speech allowing transmission over an IP network as digital audio via an audio stream.
Communicating using VoIP may be inexpensive or substantially free for the parties of a communication or a VoIP call, and this has led to a demand by consumers for VoIP or similar capabilities on their client devices. For example, consumers are beginning to demand that nearly every client device that is able to access an IP network such as the Internet also be able to support all audio-visual communications including VoIP communications. Unfortunately, while a number of standard protocols have been developed for supporting VoIP communications (e.g., session initiation protocol (SIP) for signaling and real-time transport protocol (RTP) for media transport), many client devices run media players and other client applications that use proprietary (or non-standards-based) applications for audio-visual communications and processing of received/transmitted communications. For example, Skype® and similar standalone VoIP applications may utilize proprietary technologies and may require substantial downloads on Microsoft Windows®, Apple® Mac, Unix®, and the like.
SIP is widely used over the Internet for voice and video calls between client devices or client applications. SIP is considered a standard signaling protocol by many major infrastructure, telecommunications, and cable companies for controlling multimedia communication sessions, e.g., for signaling control of video conferencing, streaming multimedia distribution, instant messaging, presence information, and online games. SIP is typically used for creating, modifying, and terminating multiparty sessions made up of one or several media streams. Extensible messaging and presence protocol (XMPP) is another signaling protocol often used for instant messaging and presence, and other standard signaling protocols may be used for voice communications. VoIP standard protocols or standards may also include protocols such as RTP and RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) and non-real time streaming protocols that are used to define standardized packet formats for delivering audio and video over the Internet (e.g., to handle streaming media or media transport such as IP telephony communications and video teleconference applications).
While there is a wealth of open source and commercial software available for SIP, RTP, and other standards-based VoIP communications, each of these communications techniques require software installation on each client device. Today, client devices typically include applications such as Adobe System Incorporated's Flash Player and similar media players for allowing a client device to receive and transmit audio-visual communications (or provide media transport including media streaming at the client device) over communications networks such as the Internet. For example, the Adobe Flash Player is software for viewing animations and movies using computer programs such as a web browser and is a widely distributed proprietary multimedia and application player. Typically, Adobe® Flash Player is an application execution environment that is implemented in native code (e.g., as a plugin to a web browser) and may be thought of as the virtual machine that is used to run often used Flash® files and otherwise provide bidirectional streaming of video and audio. However, many such client applications utilize proprietary codecs or software and network protocols such that they have a closed nature. In other words, voice codecs and network protocols that are proprietary may make it difficult or impossible for a first client device to communicate with a second client device that implements VoIP communications in a standards-based manner. Efforts to allow proprietary client devices and/or applications to communicate VoIP have not been widely adopted and have generally involved providing addition software or applications that have to be run on each client or as part of each client's media player.

Client-server architecture for audio-video communications


A machining center having a draw bar extending through a spindle with coolant positioned inside the draw bar for cooling a tool comprises a piston rod movable between an operating position and an extended position, a drive post rotatable about an axis of rotation, operatively connected to the draw bar, a coolant union comprising a non-rotatable portion and rotatable portion, wherein the drive post is attached to the rotatable portion such that the rotatable portion is rotatable with the drive post about the axis of rotation, and a bridge, wherein the drive post extends through the bridge to attach to the coolant union and the bridge permits rotation of the drive post but resists dislocation of the drive post from the axis of rotation. Movement of the piston rod from the operating position to the extended position moves the drive post and coolant union to an extended position.

Machining centers are used for performing one or more of several operations on manufactured parts, such as drilling, grinding, cutting, etc. Machining centers can comprise, for example, an industrial machine tool attached to a rapidly rotating spindle. The tool, such as a drill, is attached to the spindle with conventional collet chuck or other similar attachment mechanism. The spindle is connected to a draw bar which extends through the spindle. Typically a drive belt and pulley assembly rotate the spindle tool and draw bar at high speeds. A channel may be provided in the draw bar to provide coolant to the tool. An example of a known machining center with a draw bar and spindle is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,278 to DeCaussin.
Machining centers that have a channel for coolant are known to have a problem with leakage of that coolant. It has been found that the coolant can spray across the interior of the machining center, requiring machine center down time, repair and service. It would be highly desirable to provide a machining center with improved draw bar alignment which reduces leaking of coolant fluid.

Machining center with improved draw bar alignment


Systems and methods are described for providing a magnetic clutch to limit Z-directional motion of a mass (e.g., a carriage for transporting a robotic mechanism in context of a storage library). According to embodiments, the mass is suspended by cabling, and its Z-directional movement is controlled by a Z-drive assembly. The Z-drive assembly includes a drive gear made of a magnetic or conductive material, and the drive gear is in magnetic communication with a biasing magnet. Embodiments configured the biasing magnet with a particular magnetic moment and a position relative to the drive gear, so that the spinning of the drive gear induces magnetic currents that tend to counteract the motion of the gear. For example, in the event of power loss to the Z-drive assembly, magnetic clutching is used to limit or prevent motion of the mass under the force of gravity.

Storage library systems are often used by enterprises and the like to efficiently store and retrieve data from storage media. In the case of some storage libraries, the media are data cartridges (e.g., tape cartridges) that are typically stored and indexed within a set of magazines. When particular data is requested, a specialized robotic mechanism finds the appropriate cartridge, removes the cartridge from its magazine, and carries the cartridge to a drive that is designed to receive the cartridge and read its contents. Some storage libraries have multiple drives that can operate concurrently to perform input/output (IO) operations on multiple cartridges.
In some implementations, the robotic mechanism is disposed on a carriage that hangs on a system of cables or other supports. The vertical motion of the robotic mechanism can be controlled using gears, pulleys, and the like to move the carriage. Effectively, the carriage acts as a mass, supported against gravity by a vertical drive assembly. If the vertical drive assembly fails (e.g., if there is power loss to the drive assembly), it may be desirable to limit the speed at which the vertical position of the carriage can change (e.g., limit the speed at which the carriage will fall and/or prevent the carriage from moving at all). In this and similar types of environments, various mechanical techniques may typically be used to slow the motion of the mass. Some typical approaches include braking mechanisms, ratcheting mechanisms, and/or other mechanical friction-inducing components. Other typical approaches use liquids or other substances of particular viscosity or compressibility to slow the motion of the mass.
These traditional approaches can be limited in various ways. One such limitation is that mechanical friction-inducing components are likely to generate wear over time and can even produce debris. Another such limitation is that, when using techniques based on physical friction, it is often difficult to control the amount of friction being applied, and the amount of friction force applied often changes over the life of the components (e.g., as they wear). Yet another limitation is that typical friction-inducing components can often be relatively expensive.


A main structure that can be constructed using either solid steel assembly (32) or reinforced concrete assembly (33) acts as the main structural component for new and remodel construction. The main structure whether it uses reinforced concrete assembly (33) or steel assembly is comprised of cells of equilateral size and each cell has a passage between inner and outer wall created using this method of construction. The inner wall uses the passages to secure accompanying structures and systems to a wall that use this structural system. The outer wall uses the passages to secure retaining assembly (34) to the structure. Retaining assembly (34) holds a strata of soil to the wall and creates plateaus along face of outer wall. The plateaus created by securing retaining assembly (34) to main assembly""s (32) or (33) give vegetation a place to be planted and secured to a wall that incorporate the construction method of this invention. The passages between the inner and outer walls also nurture the vegetation attached to a structure built using this invention""s method of construction by allowing direct access to the roots. By allowing direct access to the roots of the vegetation planted on a structure utilizing the construction method of this invention each plant can receive the optimum amount of irrigation, drainage, and fertilizer.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of construction, and more particularly to the erection of walls that withstand vertical and horizontal loads. The present invention also relates to environmental protection by incorporating nature as an integrated component of man made structures.
2. Prior Art
Most urban centers are located on prime arable land. Due to the rapid urbanization of the 20th century, there has been a substantial loss of these fertile lands, and there are three factors mentioned below that may slow down the deterioration process of these arable lands.
Vegetation created on these arable lands converts carbon dioxide to oxygen. An increase in vegetation in an urban setting can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases which could help reduce global warming.
Vegetation filters air pollutants.
An increase of vegetation in an urban setting gives the psychological benefit to urban inhabitants of having access to nature filled environments.
As mankind""s population continues to expand there will be a demand for low cost construction. One means to accomplish this would be to build modular main structural walls and then build a structure around the said wall. These walls will be utilized in many types of construction. These structural walls can be assembled from manufactured rigid components or a modular mold system can be used to cast these walls from concrete or concrete like material. The cast walls can be cast at a construction site or components can be cast in a factory and assembled at a construction site.
The challenge for builders will be to build structures that are inexpensive to build and can prevent the loss of arable land in urban settings.
One device for the incorporation of vegetation and man made structures is the use of rooftop gardens. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,724,766; 5,608,789 and 5,287,650 are examples where a layer of vegetation is installed on flat roofs. One disadvantage to these devices is the added expense of building a roof that can sustain the added weight of the vegetation and the means of sustaining that vegetation. Another disadvantage is the added maintenance of having to re-roof these roofs more often than a conventional roof. U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,675 is another method of incorporating vegetation on rooftops. A disadvantage to this patent is the limitation on how large the root ball of the vegetation can be which limits the growth to the vegetation. All four mentioned patents have the disadvantage of being able to use only a limited number of vegetation species.
Another means to incorporate vegetation into man made structures is the use of vegetation friendly retaining walls. These walls have either planters and/or access to the soil behind the structure in the hillside that the wall is retaining. Retaining walls of a modular design which U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,234 is an example can reduce the cost of building retaining walls. Building retaining walls of this type do an excellent job of incorporating vegetation into man made structures. Unfortunately retaining walls are not freestanding and cannot be used as a structural component for a freestanding structure. This limits its utility, to only structures that retain hillsides.
There are freestanding structures that incorporate vegetation. Examples of this type of structure are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,647,695 and 4,665,647. These freestanding walls are used for fences and sound abatement walls. The aforementioned walls do an excellent job of lowering sound levels behind and adjacent to the walls. These walls also create private spaces that are visually pleasing. Unfortunately, these walls cannot be used as a structural component for man made structures. These walls can only hold up their own weight and the vegetation encased in these walls.
One way to accomplish the goal of incorporating more vegetation in an urban setting is to attach vegetation directly to a freestanding structure. The oldest means of accomplishing this is to plant climbing vines at the base of a building and nurturing their growth. This method also creates an aesthetically pleasing environment, but there are some problems with this method. It takes decades for a structure to be enveloped by vegetation. This method is also limited because only a small number of species of vegetation are suitable for use with this method. Another way to accomplish this objective is to attach a system of planters to the face of a structure. The irrigation and drainage needs of this type of system are accommodated with a plumbing system. An example of this method can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,296. The disadvantage of this method is that the vegetation is isolated and cannot form an integrated ecosystem. Another method is to attach a system of soil filled bags to the wall of a structure. Vegetation is either planted between the bags of soil or an access slot is cut into the bag to allow the vegetation to be planted inside the bag. This system can be permanently attached to a wall or hung from a wall with a system that allows it to be detached from wall. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,579,603 and 5,257,476 are examples of this method. One disadvantage of this method is a limited number of species of vegetation can be used. Another limitation of this system is that it cannot be used as a load-bearing component of a structure. This system would also be more expensive to build than a system that incorporates vegetation as it is built because this system would be an additional step in the building process of a structure.
All the earlier mentioned strategies for incorporating more vegetation into a man made structure lack a structural load bearing capacity. The following six patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,836,126; 5,806,264; 5,216,863; 3,722,169; 3,631,647 and 3,466,823 are all capable of performing the load bearing needs for a structure. These patents use different means to achieve load bearing capability. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,836,126 and 5,216,863 construct load bearing walls by using molds to form concrete and reinforcing steel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,264 use a system of hollow bricks that when stacked can be filled with reinforcing steel and concrete to form a load bearing wall. U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,169 installs vertical piers that are used as guides for the horizontal components of a structure and together the vertical piers and horizontal components combine to form a load bearing structure. U.S. Pat. No. 3,631,647 achieve load bearing capacity by assembling manufacture steel components to form a load bearing wall. U.S. Pat. No. 3,466,823 use manufactured components that can be assembled to form a variety of structures. All five of the previously mentioned patents can be used for a load bearing component of structure but none have a capacity to incorporate vegetation into a structure.
(a) to provide a freestanding wall that can be used in a load bearing and shear capacity for any structure that incorporate this invention
(b) to provide attachment points for ease of assembly and construction of flooring and mechanical systems;
(c) to be able to build inexpensively by having the components needed to build said wall manufactured for ease of assembly.
(d) to be able to meet the various construction needs of building with this system by having both a steel or steel like assembly method and a concrete or concrete like material assembly method;
(e) to incorporate more vegetation into urban settings by building structures that provide for the needs of vegetation;
(f) to maintain the health of an ecosystem created on a Vertical Ecosystem Structure, electronic sensors can be installed to monitor the health of each plant;
(g) to provide micro-care of vegetation by allowing access to the roots of the vegetation used in a completed structure that use this invention;
(h) to create micro-climates by manipulating the directional orientation to the sun and/or enclosing this invention behind a glass curtain wall;
(i) to lower carbon dioxide levels in urban settings by having more vegetation in urban settings to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen;
(j) to have vegetation in urban settings filter air pollutants by providing various species of vegetation; this allows less polluted air available to urban inhabitants to breath;
(k) to lower ambient noise in an urban setting by trapping noise waves into the vegetation of a structure that incorporate this invention;
(l) to mediate temperature fluctuations by incorporating more vegetation into urban settings because vegetation has the ability to absorb and radiate heat
(m) to conserve water, this invention can use gray water to irrigate vegetation and septic tanks with leaching fields installed in the soil of the Vertical Ecosystem Structure can also fertilize the vegetation""
(n) to generate electricity for a structure by using solar panels as louvers for structures that enclose a V.E.S. behind a glass curtain wall to create a micro-climate;
(o) this invention can conserve water because being on the vertical plane, a large number of vegetation use the same amount of water that one plant would need on the horizontal plane for irrigation;
(p) to accommodate a large variety of vegetation and to control the growth of vegetation the retaining walls and structure that hold the retaining walls can expand or retract in relation to the main structural wall to vary the amount of soil to meet the needs of most types of vegetation;
(q) this invention can be cultivated with ornamental vegetation and/or crops providing foodstuffs, medicine and fibers for human consumption;
(r) to help insulate a structure build with a V.E.S. the soil can be used for its insulating capability;
(s) the retaining walls of this invention can be made from a variety of materials and shapes to give this invention a sculptural quality;
(t) the retaining walls of this invention will contain attachment points where vegetation can be attached to a structure to prevent the vegetation from tumbling down the face of a structure that utilize this invention;
(u) to create one ecosystem instead of isolated plants in planters this invention has one strata of soil that run from top to bottom;""
(v) to maintain the vegetation on a structure that utilize this invention there is a system similar to what high rise window washers use for vertical gardeners to maintain the vegetation of a structure that uses this invention;
(w) to help fertilize a structure using a V.E.S. chambers can be built into the structure that can compost the vegetation refuse from a structure that uses this invention;
(x) to build a structure that changes appearances monthly because it was cultivated with a variety of vegetation that flower with color at different times of the year;
(y) to urban inhabitants this invention has the mental health advantage of giving them the natural and serene environment of a rural landscape in an urban setting; and
(z) this invention also has a recreational capacity by incorporating hand holds and safety mechanisms for urban rock climbers to practice their sport.
Further objects and advantages are to provide a more nature filled environment for urban inhabitants to dwell in. Still further, objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.


A coating on a balloon of a medical device is provided. The coating comprises a drug and a polymer. Also provided are methods of forming and using the coating.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a coating containing a drug on a balloon device.
2. Description of the Background
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a procedure for treating heart disease. A catheter assembly having a balloon portion is introduced percutaneously into the cardiovascular system of a patient via the radial, brachial or femoral artery. The catheter assembly is advanced through the coronary vasculature until the balloon portion is positioned across the occlusive lesion. Once in position across the lesion, the balloon is inflated to a predetermined size to radially compress the atherosclerotic plaque of the lesion to remodel the lumen wall. The balloon is then deflated to a smaller profile to allow the catheter to be withdrawn from the patient's vasculature.
Problems associated with the above procedure include formation of intimal flaps or torn arterial linings which can collapse and occlude the blood conduit after the balloon is deflated. Moreover, thrombosis and restenosis of the artery may develop over several months after the procedure, which may require another angioplasty procedure or a surgical by-pass operation. To reduce the partial or total occlusion of the artery by the collapse of the arterial lining and to reduce the chance of thrombosis or restenosis, a stent is implanted in the artery to keep the artery open. Drug delivery stents have reduced the incidence of in-stent restenosis (ISR) after PCI (see, e.g., Serruys, P. W., et al., J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 39:393-399 (2002)), which has plagued interventional cardiology for more than a decade. However, a few challenges remain in the art of drug delivery stents. A significant concern with respect to stenting is late stent thrombosis for drug eluting stents. The incidence appears to be higher for drug delivery stents than the corresponding bare metal stents (BMSs). Potential causes for this phenomenon are: (1) reduced or delayed healing due to the presence of the anti-proliferative drug, and (2) a chronic inflammatory or hypersensitivity response to the polymeric coating on a drug delivery stent.
An alternative currently being pursued is a drug coated balloon (DCB) onto which is crimped a bare metal stent. Such a system provides a burst release of the majority of the drug and has no permanent polymer, and hence any concern over the polymer is removed. Issues with this approach include drug loss from abrasion and delivery of the crimped/folded stent/balloon to the lesion and drug loss by hydration and diffusion from the drug coated balloon during transit from the RHV (rotating hemostasic valve) to the lesion.
A drug coated balloon may also be used separately to treat a lesion. After treatment a stent may optionally be placed. In this case, no stent is present on the balloon with the advantage of increased drug coated balloon area to transfer drug to tissue. While this alleviates any concerns with drug or coating loss from stent crimping and assembly operations, it leaves the balloon coating more unprotected during the system delivery through the RHV, through tortuous anatomy, or through previously deployed stents.
There are many schemes to place a drug onto a balloon. The simplest is to coat the pure drug. Another simple approach is Scheller's scheme, which is to coat the drug with a binder of Ultravist non-ionic contrast agent. These sorts of coatings certainly release the drug rapidly upon exposure to the aqueous environment. However, we would not expect them to be particularly abrasion resistant, or to have good mechanical properties. Abrasion resistance comes into play when the stent is crimped on and when subjected to the rigors of device delivery. If the mechanical properties are poor with regards to adhesion and ultimate elongation, then the coating will crack and displace when the balloon is expanded. It does minimal good if, when expanded; the coating immediately sloughs off and washes distally.
Another approach is to use a balloon coating similar to what is utilized current for drug eluting stents. These coatings are biocompatible, and if they could maintain mechanical integrity on an expanded balloon, they would be viable candidates. The main problem is that they don't release the drug quickly enough. These coatings are designed to release the drug over a timeframe of weeks to months. Consequently, they are hydrophobic, have low water absorption, and have only moderate diffusivity to the drug. They release only a small fraction of the drug during a 30-60 second balloon inflation.
As the water the absorption of a coating greatly accelerates drug release, the drug may be combined with a water soluble binder. This can serve to enhance the mechanical properties compared to a coating of pure drug, and assist with dissolution of the drug into solution and removal from the hydrophobic balloon. Water soluble polymers absorb water quickly and as the DCB is resident for such a short time, rapid release of drug in minutes is desirable. Most water soluble polymers are water soluble by virtue of hydrogen bonding, or the presence of polar groups. This behavior often results in a high Tg for these polymers when dry. This property in turn makes the polymers brittle when dry. A summary of the Tgs for some common water soluble polymers are shown in Table 1.
PolymerT (° C.)Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)165Poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate)85Poly(vinylpyrrolidone-co-106vinyl acetate)Poly(methacrylic acid)228Pluronics (PEO-PPO-PEO)variesPoly(vinyl alcohol)85Poly(ethylene glycol)−41
Brittleness is a problem as during the steps of balloon folding, pressing and stent crimping the coating can crack and fall off. PEG coatings are waxy, have mediocre mechanical properties, and actually have stability issues when exposed to ETO or e-beam sterilization as the polymer oxidizes. One solution for brittleness is to plasticize the water soluble coating in order to lower the Tg. Examples of such plasticizers are glycerol, propylene glycol, and poly(ethylene glycol). This is a viable solution. The mechanical properties of the coating can be quite good. However, there are issues associated with added plasticizers which can lead to undesirable results. For example, coating plasticizer may migrate into the balloon, or other components of the delivery system. Also, if ETO sterilization is utilized, the plasticizer can be partially removed during vacuum ETO degassing, and reaction of the plasticizer with ETO can also be problematic as plasticizers with reactive groups can be ethoxylated and such plasticizers can interact with the drug during sterilization. One would next be concerned over any embolic hazards generated by the rapidly dissolving coating.
A possible approach is to use a permanent polymer coating. Such a coating would not generate any embolic hazard and would protect the drug from abrasion during crimping and system delivery. However, the hydrophobic durable coating simply don't release fast enough, and the water soluble coatings have other issues. Another possibility is to use a coating which is composed of water soluble polymer, but it is crosslinked so that it cannot dissolve. This is a viable option if certain problems were addressed. One problem is carrying out the crosslinking reaction in the presence of the drug. Olimus drugs are fairly sensitive. Crosslinking by thermoset processes which react hydroxyl groups, or UV crosslinking via unsaturation, can both potentially react with olimus drugs, as olimus drugs possess both hydroxyl groups and unsaturation. It is possible that very selective and mild cross-linking chemistries exist which could be done in the presence of an olimus drug, but that is a separate challenge. For example, physical or thermal crosslinking via hydrophilic silk elastin like polymers may allow for a burst release of drug.
Another proposed solution is to use solvent soluble thermoplastic polymers to form a coating on a DCB, but the requirements of rapid drug release combined with good mechanical integrity, both wet and dry, excludes many of these polymers. In addition, the requirement for good mechanical integrity becomes even more challenging when utilizing high drug to polymer ratios to encourage the drug to release quickly. For example, the acrylate family of polymers is broad and versatile. However, the more common hydrophobic members of the acrylate family would not work as a balloon coating. Poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(ethyl methacrylate) are too brittle and would release the drug too slowly. Poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) has a Tg in the range of 20-25° C. (depending on molecular weight), and consequently, is flexible enough to accommodate balloon folding but would still release the drug too slowly as it is hydrophobic with a water absorption of only about 0.4% (see, e.g., Aslamazova et al., Polymer Science USSR, 25(6):1484-1490 (1983)). To increase the drug permeability, an approach would be to lower the Tg further by, e.g., the use of poly(n-hexyl methacrylate) or poly(lauryl methacrylate). The limitations with this approach are (1) that while the drug permeability increases, the materials become very soft and tacky, rendering them not suitable for coating a balloon and (2) that hexyl or lauryl groups are also hydrophobic and of larger steric hindrance than n-butyl, which may counter the beneficial effect of a lower Tg on increasing the drug permeability. As another example, an approach may be to increase the permeability not by lowering the Tg, but by increasing the water content by the incorporation of a hydrophilic monomer. However, as described above, the typical hydrophilic monomers with hydrogen bonding and highly polar groups greatly increase the Tg to the point where the polymer is brittle when dry.
Therefore, there is a need for a coating for DCB onto which is crimped a bare metal stent that maintains integrity and provides a burst release of the drug upon deployment of the DCB.
The embodiments below address the above identified issues and needs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Coating on a balloon comprising a polymer and a drug


The design of past vehicles having internal combustion engines has focused attention toward aerodynamic principles. However, present day vehicles have done little to reconfigure the vehicle's engine systems in order to enhance the aerodynamics of the vehicle. The present invention allows for enhancements of the aerodynamics of the vehicle by utilizing a dry sump means 60 within a dry sump lubricated engine 36 which eliminates a conventional oil pan and allows a replacing cover 46 to be smaller and more shallow thereby lowering the overall profile of the engine 36. The additional use of a separately mounted oil cooler 76 reduces the heat load to a radiator 80 thereby decreasing the necessary size for the radiator 80. The smaller radiator 80 decreases the vertical spatial requirements for the engine 36. By lowering the overall profile of the engine 36, with both the more shallow cover 46 and the smaller radiator 80, a vehicle hood 18 can be manufactured with an increased slope. The increased slope of the vehicle's hood 18 enhances the aerodynamics of the vehicle 12 by reducing air drag.

Conventional vehicles having conventional internal combustion engines have been designed in the past with regard to aerodynamic principles. However, the front end of many conventional vehicles often are shaped in a square configuration which increases the air drag and lowers efficiency. Present day vehicles need to be aerodynamically designed so that vehicle air drag, and consequently, fuel consumption can be reduced. Unfortunately, little has been done to reconfigure the vehicle's engine in order to enhance the aerodynamic shape of the vehicle. One such design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,202 issued to Dean W. Hobbensiefken on Dec. 30, 1975 wherein an engine assembly is mounted between the front and rear axles of a motor vehicle to allow the design of a particular cab configuration for reducing drag. The engine radiators are provided extending laterally outwardly of the rear wall of the cab for reducing the entrance of air into the gap between the cab and a trailer on the vehicle. Although the engine assembly has been moved to a location which allows the cab to be aerodynamically designed, no substantial improvements have been made to reduce the spatial requirements for the engine. Furthermore, the new location of the engine may be inconvenient for effective serviceability.
The present invention discloses a modular cooling system for use with a dry sump lubricated engine which is designed to reduce the spatial requirements of the system. The reduced spatial requirements of the cooling system along with the lower profile achieved with the dry sump lubricated engine increases allows for improved vehicle aerodynamics.

Dry sump lubricated internal combustion engine with modular cooling system


A rechargeable flashlight is also provided. The flashlight includes a housing having a battery compartment and a light source adjacent a first end of the housing. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides power for the flashlight. A controller circuit serially connected with the battery is operable to control the flow of electricity to and from the battery. Specifically, the controller circuit is operable to disconnect the lithium-ion battery cell from the light source in response to the charge in the lithium-ion battery depleting below a pre-determined lower threshold. The control circuit is further operable to disconnect the lithium-ion battery cell from electrical connection with the first charging contact when the lithium-ion battery is connected with a battery charger and the charge in the lithium-ion battery reaches a pre-determined upper threshold.

Rechargeable flashlights are known in which a flashlight containing a rechargeable battery is provided with a compatible charging unit which both holds the flashlight and charges the battery when the flashlight is positioned therein. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,689, it is desirable to provide such a flashlight and charger assembly wherein the body of the flashlight is not used as a conduction path for either side of a lamp circuit, so that mating parts of the flashlight may be provided with an anodized, enamel, or other finish, and do not require re-machining in order to provide a conductive path between finished mating parts.
In the use of flashlights by armed personnel, such as by policemen, it is desirable to provide a flashlight that can be gripped and intermittently actuated with a single hand. For example, it is desirable to provide an actuator at the rear end of such a flashlight, so that the flashlight may be gripped with the fingers of one hand, and the actuator can be operated by the thumb of the same hand. However, locating a switch mechanism at the rear end of the flashlight while maintaining a construction which does not utilize the body of the flashlight as a conducting member, and in which a continuous connection is maintained between the battery terminals and a pair of external charging contacts presents design difficulties for which no solution is suggested in the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,689.

Rechargeable flashlight and battery assembly for single-handed intermittent and continuous operation


The present invention covers a synapse cell for providing a weighted connection between a differential input voltage and a single output summing line having an associated capacitance. The connection is made using one or more floating-gate transistors which provide both excitatory as well as inhibitory connections. As configured, each transistor's drain is coupled to an input line and its source is coupled to the output summing line. The floating-gate of the transistor is used for storing a charge which corresponds to the strength or weight of the neural connection. When a voltage pulse having a certain duration is applied to the control gate of the floating-gate transistor, a current is generated which acts to discharge the capacitance associated with the output summing line. The current is directly proportional to the charge stored on the floating-gate member and the duration of the input pulse.

A great deal of effort has recently been focused on developing electronic circuits which emulate higher-order brain functions such as memory learning and/or perception/recognition.
One class of circuit devices which sense an input event and output a pattern of signals which identifies that event are association networks. Association networks generally take the form of a matrix comprised of horizontal lines crossing and contacting an equally sized set of vertical lines. The horizontal lines simulate the functions of axons in the cortex of the brain and are used as inputs. The vertical lines simulate the function of dendrites extending from neurons. Each vertical line terminates at a voltage summing device which acts to simulate the function of the neuron cell body. An example of such an associative network is found in co-pending application entitled "Semiconductor Cell For Neural Network Employing A Four-Quadrant Multiplier", Ser. No. 07/283,553, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,917 filed Dec. 9, 1988, which is assigned to the assignee of the present application.
Within an associative network, neural synapses are simulated by circuit cells which provide electrical connection between the horizontal and vertical lines of the network. Individual synapses provide a weighted electrical connection between an input an a voltage summing element, i.e., a neuron.
These synapse cells may be either analog or digital in nature. For an analog implementation, the weighted sum of input signals is usually computed by summing analog currents or charge packets. For a general description of an associative network processing unit consisting of analog connection elements, see "VLSI for Artificial Intelligence", edited by Jose G. DelGado-Frias and Will R. Moore, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1989, pp. 230-233.
One of the most difficult and critical tasks faced by researchers in the field of neural networks is the integration of the synapse cells, also referred to as contact structures. The several realizations that have been proposed range from non-programmable binary to programmable analog interconnections.
In an analog synapse cell, considerations of cell size and resolution of the connection weight must be carefully balanced. Furthermore, learning within an associative network requires adaptive weight values since a typical network system cycles through a series of weight changes until the entire network converges to a certain pattern which depends upon the pattern of inputs applied. Several synapse cell circuits are described in co-pending applications "EXCLUSIVE-OR Cell For Neural Network Cell And The Like", Ser. No. 309,247, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,881 filed Feb. 10, 1989; and "EXCLUSIVE-OR Cell For Pattern Matching And Employing Floating-Gate Devices", Ser. No. 325,380, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,525 filed Mar. 17, 1989, both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present application.
FIG. 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,103 of Faggin et al., discloses a contact structure which utilizes a floating-gate transistor 34. Device 34 is used to discharge a target line of the network in proportion to the amount of charge stored on the floating gate member of device 34. The magnitude of the convergence response of the network is altered by incrementally erasing the floating gate transistors. In other words, the connection strength is increased to increase the discharge current associated with the target line. A detecting circuit indicates a convergence response once a predetermined amount of charge is removed from the target line.
The chief drawback of the contact structure of Faggin's FIG. 2 is that it operates as a simple one-quadrant device. That is, Faggin's synapse cell only produces a positive activation function, corresponding to an activated excitatory connection. It is well understood that biological memories accommodate both excitatory and inhibitory connections--thus providing both positive and negative responses. Electrically, such a synapse presents either a positive or a negative resistance between an axon (i.e., input) and a dendrite (i.e., output summing line) coupled to a neuron body. A cell providing both excitatory and inhibitory connections would more closely resemble the actual function performed by a synapse within the human brain. Moreover, such a cell would have the potential to learn quicker, thereby providing faster convergence within an associative network. Therefore, what is needed is an integrated four-quadrant synapse cell which can produce both positive and negative responses.
Certain types of synapse cells do implement four-quadrant multiplication of an input pattern and a stored weight. However, these cells suffer from several important drawbacks. First of all, previous approaches generally involve numerous devices requiring large silicon areas. In many cases, they employ p-channel devices which necessitate the formation of extra n-well regions. This further increases the silicon area consumed. In addition, conventional four-quadrant synapse cells typically require the use of differential output summing lines, also referred to as column lines or bit lines, which again contribute to the complexity and size of the network.
As will be seen, the present invention covers a compact and elegant synapse cell employing a pair of floating-gate transistors coupled to a single output summing line. The invention offers the advantage of four-quadrant performance while obviating the complex synapse circuitry and differential bit lines normally associated with multi-quadrant devices. Importantly, the cell of the present invention achieves very high densities while still providing full incremental learning capabilities.
Other prior art known to Applicant includes: U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,437 of Denker et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,166 of Hopfield; U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,460 of Spencer; "Programmable Analog Synapses For Micro Electronic Neural Networks Using A Hybrid Digital-Analog Approach", by F. J. Mack et al., IEEE International Conference on Neural Networks, July 24-27, San Diego, Calif.; and "A Pipelined Associative Memory Implemented In VLSI", by Clark et al., IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol 24, No. 1, pp. 28-34, February 1989.

Four quadrant synapse cell employing single column summing line