Inhalation device and associated method for facilitating inhalation by a patient of powder medicaments contained in a receptacle. The inhalation device has a chamber for receiving the receptacle. A ring is circumferentially coupled to an inner surface of the chamber to achieve a higher reproducible emitted dose of medicament from the receptacle. The inhalation device also includes an improved implement for puncturing the receptacle, requiring less force and experiencing fewer failures. The inhalation device also includes a means for indicating readiness.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to facilitating release of powder contained in a receptacle. More specifically, the present invention relates to the administration of medication by a method and apparatus for facilitating inhalation of powder medicaments.
2. Related Art
In the medical field, it is often desirable to administer various forms of medication to patients. Well known methods of introducing medication into the human body include the oral ingestion of capsules and tablets, intravenous injection through hypodermic needles, and numerous others. In one method, certain medications may be inhaled into a patient""s respiratory tract and lungs through the nose or mouth. Certain of these medications, such as bronchodilators, corticosteroids, etc., for the treatment of asthma and other respiratory anomalies, may be aimed at the respiratory tract directly. Others are inhaled for purposes of systemic treatment, i.e. for treatment of any area of the body through absorption from the respiratory tract through the lung tissue, into the deep lungs, and into the bloodstream. Each of these medications comes in a variety of forms, including fluids, which are commonly administered as an aerosol vapor or mist, as well as solids. Inhalable solids typically take the form of fine, dry powders. Specialized devices, such as inhalers, are provided to assist the patient in directing these fine powder medications into the respiratory tract.
Various types of inhalers are known for the administration of dry powder medicaments. However, each of these inhalers suffers certain drawbacks. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,881 discloses an inhaler that is used with encapsulated dry powder medicaments. However, use of this device requires numerous steps and imposes a number of inconveniences on a user. For example, the medication capsules used with the device have an aperture formed therein prior to insertion into an opening in the inhaler. Therefore, there exists a danger that an amount of medication may be lost prior to or during insertion into the device. After insertion of the capsule, use of the device requires the additional step that a cover must be closed before the medication may be inhaled.
Inhalation devices configured for use with a capsule containing some type of medicament are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,819 to Valentini et al. (xe2x80x9cthe ""819 patentxe2x80x9d) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,385 to Valentini et al. (xe2x80x9cthe ""385 patentxe2x80x9d). The inhalation device described in the ""385 patent was developed to overcome the drawbacks of the device described in the ""819 patent. Particularly, in a large number of cases, the device described in the ""819 patent experienced irregular and incomplete emptying of the capsule, thereby resulting in difficulties in properly administering the medicament in the capsule. The inhalation device described in the ""385 patent attempts to overcome this deficiency by tapering the nebulization chamber toward the end surface that comprises the discharge holes. Thus, the nebulization chamber of the ""385 patent is not cylindrical, but rather frusto-conical in form in an attempt to achieve regular complete emptying of the nebulization chamber.
However, further improvements in the design of inhalation devices are needed to achieve high emitted doses and highly dispersed powders while maintaining low resistance, especially when the inhaler is used with high doses and is operated at low peak inspiratory flow rates (PIFR) and low inhalation volumes. As used herein, xe2x80x9cemitted dosexe2x80x9d (ED) refers to the percentage of the dose of powder medicament that is emitted from a receptacle in the inhalation device. The dispersal of the powder can be quantified by measuring the volume mean geometric diameter (VMGD) of the emitted powder. As used herein xe2x80x9cvolume mean geometric diameterxe2x80x9d refers to the average geometric diameter of the powder. As used herein, xe2x80x9cresistancexe2x80x9d refers to the square root of the pressure gradient across the inhaler divided by the peak inspiratory flow rate through the inhaler. As used herein xe2x80x9clow peak inspiratory flow ratexe2x80x9d refers to a peak inspiratory flow rate of approximately 25 L/min or less. Moreover, improvements are needed to achieve high emitted doses and highly dispersed powders that are consistently reproducible, i.e., that have a low standard deviation of emitted dose percentage and VMGD, respectively.
Another drawback of the inhalation devices described in the ""819 and the ""385 patents is the piercing device that is used to puncture the capsule. Such conventional piercing devices are formed from circular stock, with the points created by pinching the stock at an angle, thereby creating a single sharp cutting edge. Drawbacks of such a design are that the point (which must puncture the capsule material) is often rounded, lessening its effectiveness as a piercing device. Moreover, burrs often form on the lower edge, which can stop the piercing device from retracting from the capsule, thereby causing a device failure. The holes formed by such a conventional piercing device are generally round, and do not have the appearance of being cut by a sharp edge. With such a conventional design, the capsule is often crushed, rather than punctured or pierced. If such a conventional piercing device is used with brittle capsule materials such as gelatin, pieces of capsule material of a size that can be inhaled are usually broken off from the capsule. Thus, conventional piercing devices are less than optimal, particularly for brittle capsule material.
Another drawback of conventional inhalation devices is that they have no means for indicating when the powder in the inhaler is ready for inhalation by the user. It is desirable to have a means for indicating to the user that a dose of powder is ready for inhalation. For example, it would be desirable for a patient using a device for dispensing fluticasone propionate (used to treat asthma) to know when the device is ready for inhalation.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an improved method and apparatus for inhalation of dry powder medicaments. What is needed is an inhaler that provides for a higher emitted dose that is consistently reproducible with low standard deviation. Such a need is particularly acute for low peak inspiratory flow rates, and for high dosage ranges. There is a further need in the art for an improved means for puncturing the capsule containing the medicament. The present invention, the description of which is fully set forth below, solves the need in the art for such improved methods and apparatus.
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for facilitating release of powder from a device. In one aspect of the invention, a device for emitting powder is provided. The device includes a first casing portion, and a second casing portion removably coupled to the first casing portion. A cylindrical chamber, defined by a straight wall of circular cross section, is coupled to the first casing portion. The chamber has a proximal end and a distal end. A ring is circumferentially coupled to an inner surface of the chamber. The ring is preferably disposed at approximately a midpoint of the chamber, or, alternatively, disposed adjacent the proximal end of the chamber. The second casing portion includes an emitter portion disposed at the proximal end of the chamber when the first and second casing portions are coupled together. The emitter portion defines at least one aperture configured to emit powder therethrough.
In another aspect of the present invention, the device is configured as an inhalation device for administering powder. In this aspect of the present invention, the emitter portion is configured as an inhalation portion so that powder is dispersed in the chamber and administered to a user through the inhalation portion. The inhalation portion may be configured as a mouth piece for inhalation through the mouth, or as a nose piece for inhalation through the nose.
One aspect of the invention comprises an optimized configuration of a device for administering powder that comprises a chamber defined by a wall and configured to hold a receptacle containing a powder, the wall defining a plurality of vents, and the inhalation device further comprising an inhalation portion defining at least one aperture for emitting powder therethrough. The inhalation device is configured to have a resistance of at most 0.28 (cm H2O)1/2/L/min and to provide an emitted dose of at least 85% when the dose of powder is up to 20 mg and when the device is operated at a peak inspiratory flow rate of 25 L/min or less and at an inhalation volume of 0.75 L or less. Preferably the standard deviation of the emitted dose is 10% or less.
In another aspect, the device of the present invention is configured to cause the emitted powder to be highly dispersed. By xe2x80x9chighly dispersedxe2x80x9d is meant that the VMGD of the emitted powder is substantially similar to the VMGD of the powder contained in the receptacle. Highly dispersible powders have a low tendency to agglomerate, aggregate or clump together and/or, if agglomerated, aggregated or clumped together, are easily dispersed or de-agglomerated as they emit from an inhaler and are breathed in by the subject. Typically, the highly dispersible particles suitable in the methods of the invention display very low aggregation compared to standard micronized powders which have similar aerodynamic diameters and which are suitable for delivery to the pulmonary system. Properties that enhance dispersibility include, for example, particle charge, surface roughness, surface chemistry, relatively large geometric diameters, and the configuration of the device used to dispense the powder.
In another aspect of the invention, the powder is contained in a receptacle that is disposed in the chamber. Upon puncturing the receptacle, powder is dispersed in the chamber and emitted or inhaled from the device.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the device of the present invention includes means for puncturing the receptacle. In one embodiment, the means for puncturing can be configured as a staple. Such a staple is preferably configured in a substantially U-shape, having two prongs. In one aspect of the present invention, each of the prongs has a square cross-section. In another aspect of the present invention, the substantially U-shaped staple includes a rounded portion and two prongs that define a non-planar inner edge and a non-planar outer edge of the staple, the staple being formed from a rectangular length having two end surfaces and four planar side surfaces that intersect to form four non-planar edges. The inner edge of the staple is configured to be one of the non-planar edges, and the outer edge of the staple is the non-planar edge that is opposite that non-planar edge. Each end surface is an angled diamond-shaped surface. In a preferred aspect, each end surface has a top point at an apex of the inner edge, and a bottom point at an apex of the outer edge, each top point forming a cutting point for one of the prongs.
In another embodiment, the puncturing means can be configured as a substantially longitudinal prong comprising a puncturing surface on the distal end of the prong, a primary cutting surface running from the proximal end to the distal end of the prong and terminating at the puncturing surface, and a substantially planar face opposite to the primary cutting edge and running from the proximal end to the distal end of the prong. Another embodiment of the puncturing means comprises a substantially longitudinal prong comprising a puncturing surface on the distal end, a primary cutting surface terminating at the puncturing surface, and a face opposite to the primary cutting edge, wherein the prong is configured to create an opening in a wall by forming a hanging chad in the wall, the hanging chad having a free end formed by the puncturing surface and the primary cutting edge and a hinge coupled to the wall formed by the face. In another embodiment, the prong is configured to form a hanging chad in a wall of the receptacle having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the prong and a minor axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the hanging chad being opened to an angle of at least 30 to 45 degrees with respect to the minor axis of the receptacle. In another embodiment the prong is configured so that at least xc2xe of the length of the prong can be inserted into a receptacle without breaking off chads in the receptacle.
In each of these embodiments, the prong preferably has an angled surface at the distal end, the surface having a distal end terminating at the puncturing surface and a proximal end terminating at the substantially planar face. In addition, the prong preferably is tapered, so that its distal end is smaller than its proximal end, to facilitate removing the prong from the receptacle. The prong also preferably has a plurality of longitudinal faces and a plurality of longitudinal edges running from the proximal end to the distal end of the prong. In one embodiment, the cross section of the prong is a pentagon. In a related embodiment, the width of the substantially planar face may be very small and the four longitudinal faces may be substantially at right angles to each other so that the prong has substantially a diamond shaped cross section. In another embodiment, the cross section of the prong is a triangle.
In another embodiment of the invention, the puncturing means comprises one or more of the longitudinal prongs coupled to a base, preferably in a U-shape. In another aspect of the invention, any of these embodiments of the longitudinal prongs may be coupled to the device for administering powder.
In still a further aspect of the present invention, a method for dispensing powder by inhalation is provided. Such a method comprises
providing a powder inhalation device, the device comprising
a first casing portion,
a cylindrical chamber, defined by a straight wall of circular cross-section, coupled to said first casing portion, said chamber having a proximal end and a distal end and configured to receive a receptacle therein, said chamber comprising a ring circumferentially coupled to an inner surface of said chamber, and
a second casing portion removably coupled to said first casing portion, said second casing portion comprising an inhalation portion disposed at the proximal end of said chamber when said first and said second casing portions are coupled, said inhalation portion comprising a hemispheric region defining a plurality of apertures configured to emit powder therethrough;
puncturing the receptacle to allow release of powder into said chamber; and
dispersing powder through inhalation of the powder through said inhalation portion.
In one aspect of the present invention, the inhaling step is carried out by inhaling the powder through a mouthpiece into a user""s mouth. Alternatively, the inhaling step may be carried out by inhaling the powder through a nose piece into a user""s nose.
The present invention also encompasses an indicating device comprising a body disposed within a casing and reversibly moveable between a first and a second position, an indicator moveable between a rest position and an indicating position, and a means for coupling the body and the indicator, wherein upon a first movement of the body from the first position to the second position, the means for coupling couples the body and the indicator, and upon a second movement of the body from the second position to the first position, the indicator moves from the rest position to the indicating position.
In another embodiment, the present invention encompasses an indicating device comprising a body disposed within a casing and reversibly moveable between a first position and a second position, an indicator reversibly moveable between a rest position and an indicating position, a lip coupled to the indicator and a flange coupled to the body for engaging the lip, wherein upon a first movement of the body from the first position to the second position, the flange engages the lip, and upon a second movement of the body from the second position to the first position, the engagement of the lip and the flange causes the indicator to move from the rest position to the indicating position.
The invention further encompasses one of the previously described embodiments of a device for emitting powder comprising a means for indicating readiness of the device for emitting powder. The means for indicating readiness of the device for emitting powder may comprise one of the previously described embodiments of an indicating device.
In addition, the invention comprises a method for indicating the readiness of a device for emitting a medicament. Such a method comprises
providing a device for dispensing a medicament, the device comprising a casing comprising at least one aperture configured to emit powder therethrough, a body coupled to said casing and reversibly moveable between a first position and a second position, and an indicator coupled to said casing and reversibly moveable between a rest position and an indicating position;
applying an axial force to said body to move said body from said first position to said second position, which readies the powder for dispensing and couples said body to said indicator;
releasing said axial force from said body to allow said body to move from said second position to said first position, which moves said indicator to said indicating position; and
dispensing the medicament from said device.
The invention further comprises a method for indicating that a device for dispensing a medicament has been used. Such a method comprises
providing a device for dispensing a medicament, the device comprising a casing comprising at least one aperture configured to emit a medicament therethrough, a body coupled to said casing and reversibly moveable between a first position and a second position, and an indicator coupled to said casing and reversibly moveable between a rest position and an indicating position;
applying an axial force to said body to move said body from said first position to said second position, which couples said body to said indicator;
dispensing the medicament from the device;
releasing said axial force from said body to allow said body to move from said second position to said first position, which moves said indicator to said indicating position to indicate that the device has been used.
Features and Advantages
One feature of the present invention is that it provides, in a low resistance inhaler with a highly dispersed powder, high emitted doses that are consistently reproducible over a range of peak inspiratory flow rates, inhalation volumes and dosage quantities. Advantageously, the present invention improves and optimizes the emitted dose at low peak inspiratory flow rates, low inhalation volumes, and high dose ranges. A particularly advantageous feature of the present invention is its ability to operate at low peak inspiratory flow rates, such as would be associated with a child, an elderly person, or a person with a respiratory disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
One advantage of the present invention is that the means for puncturing used in the device is less expensive to manufacture than conventional piercing devices. Advantages of the injection molding manufacturing process used for the puncturing means include reliability, reproducibility, and design flexibility, such as the ability to make a wide variety of shapes and sizes of longitudinal prongs. For example, larger longitudinal prongs of the present invention can create larger openings in the receptacles than conventional piercing devices, which allows for higher emitted doses at low peak inspiratory flow rates, low volumes, and high dosage quantities. Another advantage of the present invention is that at least one configuration of the puncturing means facilitates forming a hanging chad in the wall of the receptacle, with an opening of at least 30 to 45 degrees, to facilitate more efficient removal of powder from the receptacle and, thus, higher emitted doses than could be achieved with conventional piercing devices. Moreover, the means for puncturing of the present invention advantageously provides improved puncturing performance since less force is needed to puncture the receptacles, and fewer failures result than with conventional piercing devices. Yet another advantage is that the prongs are shaped for easy removal from the receptacle without breaking off the hanging chad formed in the wall of the receptacle.
Another advantage of the preferred means for puncturing is an improvement to the emitted dose rate of the inhaler. In one aspect of the invention, the puncturing means improves the powder flow from the receptacle by increasing the size of the holes in the receptacle. In another aspect of the invention, the puncturing means improves the peak inspiratory flow rate by opening a hanging chad in the wall of the receptacle to an angle of at least 30 to 45 degrees with respect to the wall of the receptacle. Consequently, the emitted dose of the powdered medicament delivered to a patient will be independent of how fast the patient breathes, thereby ensuring that a consistent dose of medicament is delivered each time. Another advantageous feature of the present invention is the accuracy of medicament dosage delivered thereby. Since only one dosage of medication is present in the inhaler during each use, the possibility of overdose is eliminated, and the medicament need not be metered prior to delivery. A patient may simply inhale all medicament present in the device. Yet another advantage is the design of the puncturing means allows for a greater range of puncturing depths without breaking off the chads formed in the receptacle, allowing for greater optimization of the inhaler.
Because the present invention operates only under the inhalative power of the patient, the inhaler carries the additional advantage that no accessory device, such as a compressed air cylinder or other propellant, needs to be used in conjunction with the present invention.
Another advantage of the present invention is that during inhalation, the medicament is subjected to mixing in the dispersion chamber. This helps to ensure that the medicament exiting the inhaler and entering the patient""s respiratory system is in the form of a fine dry powder, facilitating medicament deposition in the lungs. In addition, inhalation of finer powders is typically more comfortable for the patient.
Still another advantage of the present invention is that it can be used with individuals who cannot breathe hard, such as a child, an elderly person, or a person suffering from a respiratory disease, such as asthma, or individuals who are sleeping or in a coma.
Yet another advantage of the apparatus of the present invention is that it is reusable. To reuse, a patient removes the emptied receptacle, and replaces it with a fresh receptacle filled with the proper dose of medicament.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it includes a means for indicating when a device for emitting powder is ready for inhalation. Such a means for indicating informs the user when the device is ready for use and/or when the device needs to be refilled or discarded. For example, the means for indicating could be used with a device for emitting fluticasone propionate (used to treat asthma) to indicate that the device is ready for inhalation. Alternatively, the means for indicating could be used with an epinephrine pen for treating allergies to indicate that the pen has been used. In addition, the means for indicating preferably makes an audible click so that a user will know when the device has been properly actuated. Also, the means for indicating is easy to manufacture and use.


A user terminal apparatus, a driving method of the user terminal apparatus and a computer readable recording medium thereof are provided, in which the user terminal apparatus is configured to perform communication with a first external device and a second external device and includes a first communication interface performing communication with the first external device, a second communication interface performing communication with the second external device, and a controller determining characteristics of the received signals when signals of the second external device are received at currently operating channel which performs communication with the first external device through the first communication interface while performing communication with the first external device, and controlling the second communication interface to perform communication with the second external device according to a determining result.

1. Field
Devices, methods and media consistent with what is disclosed herein relate to a user terminal, a driving method thereof, and a computer readable recording medium, and more specifically, to a user terminal apparatus configured to quickly process a request searching P2P (peer to peer) while receiving broadcasting signals through an internet from mobile phones and DTV (Digital TV), a driving method of the user terminal apparatus, and a computer readable recording medium thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wi-Fi P2P technology suggested by the Wi-Fi alliance provides compatibility with the related Wi-Fi and simultaneously provides functions that can perform communication by directly connecting devices providing Wi-Fi functions without access points (AP). Direct communication functions between devices have similarity to functions provided in Bluetooth technology; however, because Wi-Fi P2P functions have a better advantages in view of transmission range and data transmission speed compared to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi P2P functions are quickly substituted for Bluetooth functions. For example, while Bluetooth 4.0, which is the latest Bluetooth standard, supports a transmission range of a maximum 100 m and a transmission speed of a maximum 24 Mbps, Wi-Fi direct communication supports a transmission range of a maximum 200 m and a transmission speed of a maximum 300 Mbps.
Normally, Wi-Fi devices support data communication through wireless connecting with an AP. In order to support the connecting between Wi-Fi devices without an AP, the standard regarding Wi-Fi P2P connecting is published, which is applied in the related products. Wi-Fi P2P standard supports the connecting by 1:1 or 1:N, and supports functions simultaneously supporting normal Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi P2P. Functions of Wi-Fi P2P use packets of a probe request and a probe response in order to find Wi-Fi P2P devices to be connected. In response to a request from a device to be connected, a Wi-Fi P2P device uses a listening state for confirming whether a request is generated from an established specific channel.
However, when functions simultaneously supporting normal Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi P2P, which are described in the standard, are applied in TVs or smart phones, performance may deteriorate in normal the Wi-Fi. The deterioration may happen because physical resources are commonly shared and used. The performance deterioration in the normal Wi-Fi happens uniformly in the listening state in which a small amount of data are transmitted and received. For example, when the Wi-Fi listening state is established in order to respond to a request of surrounding Wi-Fi P2P devices simultaneously while receiving data from a Wi-Fi terminal through streaming services, i.e., when the background operations are performed, two services perform or operate simultaneously and wireless resource is time-shared. Thus, the related Wi-Fi performance may deteriorate.

Terminal for user, driving method thereof, and computer readable recording medium


A multi-serial port connection device has a connection card and a cable. The connection card has a serial signal transceiving control module and at least one Mini DisplayPort connector. The serial signal transceiving control module has at least two sets of serial I/O pins compatible with DB9 connector standard. The two sets of serial I/O pins are connected to twenty contacts of the Mini Display Port connector. The cable has a plug, at least two DB9 sockets for the connection of two external electronic devices with DB9 connectors. The multi-serial port connection device can reduce the space occupied by connectors on the connection card.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connection device and, in particular, to a multi-serial connection device and a connection card thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
A serial connector refers to a serial communication port. The prefix 'multi' here refers to the Component Object Model (COM) interface, which is the specification for currently existing multiple serial signaling interfaces, such as RS232, RS422 and RS485. The serial connectors are roughly classified according to the number of contacts into the D-type 9-pin serial port (DB9) and D-type 25-pin serial port (DB25). However, with the trend of computer miniaturization, as shown in FIG. 6, most computer manufacturers tend to use the Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector 72 (supporting serial signal transmissions) or Mini DisplayPort connector 73 (supporting audio/video signal transmissions) that is even smaller than the DB9 connector 71. Since the USB connector is also a serial communication interface, there is a low probability that future computers will use DB9 or DB25 as the standard interface. They will have to face the fate of being eliminated.
The DB9 standard has been popular for many years, and is commonly seen in industrial automation and business automation electronic devices. Such electronic devices are usually controlled or managed by computers and communicate with each other through the DB9 standard. Therefore, if computers no longer support DB9 connectors, great inconvenience will inevitably be resulted for the control or management of these electronic devices in the future. It is thus imperative to improve the multi-serial port connectors.

Multi-serial port connection device and connection card thereof


A charging apparatus for charging a battery comprising a current source for providing current to the battery, a controller connected to the battery and to the current source for controlling charging of the battery, and a memory connected to the controller for storing information about the battery. The memory may also store information about the charging apparatus. Preferably, the memory is a non-volatile memory, such as E.sup.2 PROM. Also disclosed are a battery having a memory for storing information, a power tool having a memory for storing information about the tool, and a reading apparatus for reading the information stored in the memory of the charger, battery and/or power tool.

Rechargeable battery systems include three main components: (1) a rechargeable battery or battery pack; (2) a charger for charging the battery; and (3) a device powered by the battery, such as portable power tools and certain kitchen and domestic appliances. Knowledge of how a user actually uses and interacts with each component can provide useful insights, which can in turn be implemented in future product designs.
Typically, such information is derived from actual interviews with users, either individually or in groups. However, the information derived from these interviews is usually information relating to the user's perception of his use patterns, which are often subjective and inaccurate.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for obtaining actual product use information.

Method and apparatus for obtaining product use information


The present invention relates to indole derivatives or benzimidazole derivatives, to processes for preparing such compounds, to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds, and methods for the prophylaxis and therapy of a disease associated with an increased activity of IκB kinase comprising administering such compounds.

Patent application WO 94/12478, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference, describes, inter alia, indole derivatives which inhibit blood platelet aggregation. Patent applications WO 01/00610 and WO 01/30774, the content of each of which is incorporated herein by reference, describe indole derivatives and benzimidazole derivatives which are able to modulate NFκB. NFκB is a heterodimeric transcription factor which is able to activate a large number of genes which encode, inter alia, proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1, IL-2, TNFα or IL-6. NFκB is present in the cytosol of cells, where it is complexed with its naturally occurring inhibitor IκB. Stimulation of the cells, for example by cytokines, leads to the IκB being phosphorylated and subsequently broken down proteolytically. This proteolytic breakdown leads to the activation of NFκB, which then migrates into the nucleus of the cell, where it activates a large number of proinflammatory genes.
In diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (in connection with inflammation), osteoarthritis, asthma, cardiac infarction, Alzheimer's diseases, diabetes Type II, "inflammatory bowel disease" or atherosclerosis, NFκB is activated to beyond the normal extent. The inhibition of NFκB is also of value in the treatment of cancer since it is used in such treatment on its own or to augment the cytostatic therapy. It has been demonstrated that pharmaceuticals such as glucocorticoids, salicylates or gold salts, which are used in the therapy of rheumatism, inhibit the NFκB-activating signal chain at various points or interfere directly with the transcription of the genes.
The first step in the abovementioned signal cascade is the breakdown of IκB. This phosphorylation is regulated by the specific IκB kinase. Thus far, no inhibitors are known which inhibit IκB kinase specifically.
The known inhibitors of IκB kinase frequently suffer from the disadvantage of lacking the specificity of inhibiting only one class of kinases. For example, most inhibitors of IκB kinase inhibit several different kinases at the same time because the structures of the catalytic domains of these kinases are similar. Consequently, the inhibitors act, in an undesirable manner, on many enzymes, including those which possess the vital function.
Patent application WO 01/30774, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference, has already described indole derivatives which are able to modulate NFκB and which exhibit a strong inhibitory effect on IκB kinase. However, the compounds which are disclosed in WO 01/30774, and are described in the examples, also exhibit a powerful inhibitory effect on other kinases, such as cAMP-dependent protein kinase, protein kinase C and casein kinase II. However, when their specificity is improved, some of these indole derivatives then exhibit a decrease in their ability to inhibit IκB kinase. Furthermore, the blood plasma level which can be achieved with the compounds disclosed in WO 01/30774 is insufficient for administering these derivatives orally.
In the endeavor to obtain effective compounds for treating rheumatoid arthritis (in association with inflammation), osteoarthritis, asthma, cardiac infarction, Alzheimer's diseases, cancer diseases (potentiation of treatments with cytotoxic agents) or atherosclerosis, it has now been found that the indole derivatives and benzimidazole derivatives according to the invention do not suffer from the abovementioned disadvantages. The indole derivatives and benzimidazole derivatives according to the invention are powerful inhibitors of IκB kinase, in this connection inhibiting kinases very selectively, and have a high blood plasma level following oral administration.

Indole derivatives or benzimidazole derivatives for modulating IκB kinase


A combination of a radio and eyeglasses includes an antenna that is wrapped around the lenses of the eyeglasses and extends across the nose bridge element to obtain improved reception. The radio includes a power source that has a battery and a solar energy converter so the radio can be played for great lengths of time. Earphones are mounted on the skull pieces of the eyeglass frames to be placed in a wearer's ear.

Many people enjoy activities, such as jogging, walking, and the like, that can be pursued while listening to a radio. Heretofore, these people were required to carry heavy radios with them as they exercised or the like. This was a cumbersome situation, especially if the user did not have a pocket to carry the radio.
Therefore, small radios and receivers have been developed that can be placed in a pocket and listened to via headphones. While better than the prior art, such devices still required some means of carrying the radio. The art thus has included wrist straps, waist bands, and the like that have pockets to carry small radios. However, while better than the prior art, this solution still presents a cumbersome situation.
While the art has also included radios combined with other devices, such as ear muffs, or the like, such presently available devices still are often cumbersome to carry and still have several shortcomings.
For example, these radios often use batteries for power, and the batteries often become depleted after only a few hours use. In the case of a long walk, or a marathon run, such limited lifetime of the power source can present a problem.
Still further, these devices, due to their miniature nature, do not always have the best reception. This is especially so if the device is being used by a walker or a jogger who is in an area that is remote from a radio station transmitter.
Often, these devices do not have the ability to switch bands so that the user if forced to listen to a single type of program.
Therefore, there is a need for a radio set that is conveniently usable by a person engaged in another activity, yet will have the ability to play for extended periods of time and establish good reception for a variety of bands even in areas remote from broadcast transmitters.


A simulcast system for broadcasting the same signal for a number of spaced-apart broadcast sites is disclosed. The system (20) of this invention includes a hub (28) adapted to receive the signal to be simulcast and a number of stations (30) that actually broadcast the signal. The hub places the digital signal packets referred to as PDBs (36). As pan of the signal packetization process, the hub evaluates the rate at which the signals should be broadcast and assigns a start time at which the signals should be broadcast; this information is attached to the PDBs. After a PDB is created it is forwarded to the stations over a link channel. Each station includes a station controller (32) and a station transmitter (34). The station controller, upon receiving a PDB, forwards the signal therein to the transmitter at the start time indicated and at the appropriate broadcast rate. All of the stations transmitting the signals contained within a single PDB do so based on the start time and broadcast rate information contained in that PDB. Consequently, each station broadcasts the same signals at the same time and at the same rate so as to ensure their simultaneous transmission.

Simulcasting is the practice of broadcasting a single radio-frequency signal from multiple locations at the same time. Simulcast transmission networks are established when it is desirable to maximize the area over which receivers tuned to the network's broadcast frequency are able to pick up and process the broadcast signal. A paging system is one type of radio system that is operated as a simulcast system. In a paging system, system subscribers are provided with small radio receivers, called pagers. The paging system Further includes one or more paging terminals and a number of transmitter sites. The paging terminals are connected to the publicly switched telephone network and receive calls for the individual system subscribers. In response to receiving an incoming call, a paging terminal will generate a message, a page. The page is forwarded to the transmitter sites, which broadcast the page for receipt by the subscriber's pager. When a page is received by a pager for the subscriber to whom the pager is assigned, an annunciator or display integral with the pager is actuated to inform the subscriber of the call. Paging systems are provided with multiple, spaced-apart transmitter sites to maximize the coverage area in which a pager can Function.
The individual transmitter sites of a paging system and of other simulcast networks must operate in concert so as to transmit the same signal at the exact same instant. This is important because pagers or other receivers in areas where signals from two or more transmitting sites can be received will receive signals from each transmitter site. If the signals are out of phase, their sum produces a single signal that frequently cannot be processed by the receiver. Thus, paging systems and like broadcast systems are typically constructed so that each transmitter site broadcasts the same signal simultaneously. This ensures that in overlap areas the signals from multiple transmitter sites will be in phase and combine to produce a single signal that can readily be processed by the intended receiver.
Many simulcast systems have some type of analog signal link network between the central station, from which the signal to be broadcast originates, and the individual transmitter sites from which the signal is finally broadcast. A link network may take the form of a telephone or fiber-optic signal link between the central station and one or more particular transmitter sites. A link may alternatively take the form of a radio link between the central station and the transmitter site over a carrier frequency different from that over which the transmitter sites actually broadcast the simulcast signals. The links to some transmitter sites may actually be a multi-link connection. For example, it is not uncommon for a central station to first forward the signal to be simulcast to a satellite transmitter. The signal is sent up to a satellite, which retransmits it to one or more transmitter sites. In some of these systems each transmitter site includes a delay circuit that regulates when the received signals are to be rebroadcast. Collectively, the individual delay circuits are set to ensure that the transmitter sites associated therewith all broadcast the same signal at the same time.
While analog systems have proved useful for simulcast applications, they are not without disadvantages. Some analog simulcast systems require significant amounts of air time to constantly send new delay rate instructions to the individual transmitter sites to ensure that they all transmit the same signal. This "overhead" air time may significantly depreciate the amount of air time that is available to forward signals containing useful data, such as paging signals, to the transmitter sites for rebroadcast. Furthermore, the actual transmission delay time for any transmit station is a function of the link propagation time, the time it takes the signals to travel from the central station to the transmit station. If this link should change, as may happen because of an intermediate component failure, or due to a change in the day-to-day economics of running particular links, then the link propagation time will change. For example, the satellite receiver at one transmitter station may be taken out of service for maintenance; in order to maintain the transmission of simulcast data to the site, a link over the publicly switched telephone network may be temporarily established. Until a new link propagation time is forwarded to a transmitter site, that site will broadcast the page at a time out of phase with those broadcast by the surrounding sites. Still another disadvantage of many simulcast transmission systems is that they require maintenance receivers to continually monitor the delay between the time a signal is first forwarded by a central unit and the time it is finally broadcast by a transmitter site; this information is then used by the system's control circuitry to regularly adjust the transmission delay times for the individual transmitting sites.
A further limitation associated with analog linking networks is that in each step of the central station-to-transmitter site signal transfer, there is degradation of the signal. This happens as a result of the normal signal loss that occurs when an analog signal is processed by an amplifier and that occurs as a consequence of the broadcast and transmission of a radio signal. Usually, the longer the link between the central station and the transmitter site and/or the more times the signal is subjected to intermediate processing, the greater the degradation from the original signal. As a consequence of this degradation, the final signal that is received by the transmitter site for simultaneous broadcast may be so changed that the actual broadcast signal is unintelligible by the receivers for which it was intended.


In embodiments, a hybrid wafer or substrate dicing process involving an initial laser scribe and subsequent plasma etch is implemented for die singulation while also removing an oxidation layer from metal bumps on the wafer. In one embodiment, a method includes forming a mask over the semiconductor wafer covering the plurality of ICs, the plurality of ICs including metal bumps or pads with an oxidation layer. The method includes patterning the mask with a laser scribing process to provide a patterned mask with gaps, exposing regions of the semiconductor wafer between the ICs. The method includes plasma etching the semiconductor wafer through the gaps in the patterned mask to singulate the plurality of ICs and remove the oxidation layer from the metal bumps or pads.

1) Field
Embodiments of the present invention pertain to the field of semiconductor processing and, in particular, to methods of dicing semiconductor wafers, each wafer having a plurality of integrated circuits thereon.
2) Description of Related Art
In semiconductor wafer processing, integrated circuits are formed on a wafer (also referred to as a substrate) composed of silicon or other semiconductor material. In general, layers of various materials which are either semiconducting, conducting or insulating are utilized to form the integrated circuits. These materials are doped, deposited and etched using various well-known processes to form integrated circuits. Each wafer is processed to form a large number of individual regions containing integrated circuits known as dice or dies. Each die may have metal bumps and/or pads for electrical coupling to other dies or boards (e.g., printed circuit boards (PCBs)). Typically, a "bump" refers to a soldering point on a front side of a device, and a "pad" refers to a soldering point on a back side of a device. In three dimensional (3D) packaging, the bumps on one die may be solder-bonded to the pads on another die. For example, the bumps of a die are bonded to pads of a PCB.
Metal alloys such as Tin alloys (e.g., SnAg) are widely used for metal bumps and pads in die packaging applications. The surface condition of these bumps or pads can directly affect bonding processes such as thermal compression bonding. One typical issue is that during bump and pad formation and subsequent processes prior to bonding, the bumps and pads may become easily oxidized. The oxidization layer can adversely affect the bonding process. Typically, flux is used to remove the oxidization layer on the bumps and pads, however, processes using flux typically require the application of heat onto the bumps to facilitate the oxidization layer removal. Too much heat can negatively affect die quality, particularly in 3D packaging applications where multiple dies are stacked together. The accumulated heat input can weaken the dies both electronically and mechanically. Other methods for bump or pad cleaning have been explored, but have drawbacks including high cost, and the risk of subsequent oxidation after cleaning.
Furthermore, using a soldering flux to remove an oxidation layer from the bumps and pads prior to bonding can result in a flux residue left on the bumps and pads. Cleaning the flux residue is difficult, especially in dies including dense through-silicon vias. Because of the difficulties involved in removing flux residue, existing manufacturing methods leave the flux residue on the ICs, resulting in erosion of the metal bumps or pads over time, which can reduce the long term reliability of the packages.

Wafer dicing method for improving die packaging quality


A vehicle axle assembly including an axle housing, carrier assembly, and first and second axle shafts. The axle housing is formed from an upper beam and a lower beam that are positioned in a clam-shell arrangement. The carrier assembly includes a carrier housing and a differential that includes a ring gear arranged in meshing engagement with a pinion. The first and second axle shafts extend outwardly from the differential in opposite directions. The pinion is rotatably supported by a self-lubricating cartridge pinion input bearing and the outboard ends of the first and second axle shafts are rotatably supported by self-lubricating and unitized grease wheel end bearings. These bearings do not require lubrication from oil contained inside the axle housing allowing for a reduced oil fill level in the axle housing, creating less viscous losses and better efficiency.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Axle assemblies are commonly used to support and/or rotationally drive the wheels of a vehicle. For example, a vehicle may include a front axle assembly to which front wheels of the vehicle are mounted and a rear axle assembly to which rear wheels of the vehicle are mounted. Typically, the front and rear axle assemblies extend across the vehicle in a transverse direction that is perpendicular to the direction of vehicle travel. The front and rear axle assemblies support the front and rear wheels and are connected to a body and/or frame of the vehicle by front and rear suspension systems that articulate to allow the front and rear axle assemblies to move up and down relative to the body and/or frame of the vehicle.
One or more axle assemblies of the vehicle may also transfer rotational power and torque provided by an engine of the vehicle to the wheels. For example, the engine may rotationally drive a drive shaft through a transmission assembly. The axle assembly may include a pinion gear that is rotationally driven by the drive shaft and a differential that transfers rotational power and torque from the pinion gear to a pair of axle shafts that extend out from the differential in opposite transverse directions. These axle shafts are connected to and drive the wheels on opposing ends of the axle assembly. A pinion input bearing mounted to a carrier is typically used to support the pinion gear and wheel end bearings mounted to opposing ends of an axle housing are typically used to support the pinion gear and the axle shafts, respectively. Typically, these bearings must be lubricated by oil contained within the axle housing.
Axle assemblies are part of the unsprung mass/weight of the vehicle because they move with the wheels instead of with the vehicle body. In many applications, a reduction in the unsprung mass of the vehicle affords improved handling, performance, and ride control because there is less unsprung inertia that the vehicle's suspension system has to control during cornering, braking, acceleration, and impacts caused when the vehicle travels over an uneven surface (i.e., bumps). As a result, there is a need for axle assemblies that have reduced weight. In addition, axle assemblies contribute to friction and viscous losses in a vehicle's drivetrain due to the differential and gears. There is therefore an additional need for more efficient axle assemblies. Improvements in these areas can improve the overall fuel economy of the vehicle, which is a high priority amongst vehicle manufactures.

Axle assembly with sealed wheel end bearings and sealed pinion input bearings


To enable operation of an internal combustion engine even without the signals of a phase sensor while nonetheless enabling an emergency driving function in the case of a disturbance of a crankshaft signal acquired by a crankshaft sensor, a cylinder pressure is acquired using a cylinder pressure sensor and it is checked whether the cylinder pressure reaches a prespecifiable threshold value. When the threshold value is reached or exceeded, an angular position associated with the threshold value is inferred. The angular position is then made available for an operation of the internal combustion engine.

The operation of an internal combustion engine, for example a gasoline engine or a diesel engine, requires a controlling or regulating of the internal combustion engine, primarily in order to set the torque produced. For this purpose, in various subsystems of the controlling/regulating of the internal combustion engine, also called engine controlling, the quantities that influence the torque are controlled/regulated. The subsystems include what is known as a filling control, a mixture formation, and, in gasoline engines, an ignition. An important input quantity for the engine controlling is a current angular position of the internal combustion engine.
Additional important quantities include a current rotational speed, or a current angular speed.
In the mixture formation, the optimal time of injection is determined as a function of the current rotational speed and the current angular position of the internal combustion engine. In the ignition subsystem, the crankshaft angle is determined at which an ignition of the air-fuel mixture introduced during the mixture formation should take place. It is known to acquire the current angular position using a crankshaft sensor wheel fastened to a crankshaft, and a crankshaft sensor. In a four-stroke motor, one work cycle extends over 720° of crankshaft. Because here the crankshaft executes two complete rotations in one work cycle, the position within the work cycle that is determined using the crankshaft sensor is ambiguous. In order to resolve the ambiguity, use is made of what is known as a phase sensor and a camshaft sensor wheel connected to a camshaft in order to determine whether the current position is to be determined relative to the first rotation of the crankshaft (0 to 360°) or to the second rotation of the crankshaft (360-720°).
A failure of the component required for the determination of the current angular position can have the result that the current angular position can no longer be determined and the internal combustion engine can no longer be controlled. In order nonetheless to enable emergency operation of the internal combustion engine using an emergency driving function in case of disturbance of the crankshaft sensor, it is known to determine what is known as a substitute rotational speed using the phase sensor. The substitute rotational speed can then be used for a plausibility test relating to the rotational speed determined from the obtained crankshaft signals. In the case of a disturbance of the crankshaft sensor, an emergency driving function is thus capable of being realized. For this purpose, the camshaft sensor wheel must have a corresponding shape so that an engine position or rotational speed is able to be determined.
However, the angular position of the internal combustion engine (engine position) determined using the camshaft sensor, and the rotational speed determined therewith, is often very imprecise, so that the emergency driving function enables only an unsatisfactory operation of the internal combustion engine. However, in the case of a disturbance of the crankshaft sensor, disturbance of the phase sensor or of the camshaft sensor wheel regularly has the result that the internal combustion engine can no longer be operated. Moreover, in known systems it can occur that it cannot be determined whether disturbance of the crankshaft sensor or of the phase sensor is present. In this case, an emergency driving function usually also cannot be realized.
In addition, the phase sensor, the camshaft sensor wheel, the cabling, and the fastening of these components is cost-intensive, so that it would be desirable to be able to do without these components, in particular given production with high piece counts.

Method for operating an internal combustion engine


A transmission system for transmitting communications data from at least one data source to a plurality of terminals via a distributor, includes terminals connected in series in a terminal chain, via an input port and an output port. The first and last terminals in the chain are directly interconnected with a shunt connection in such a way that the communications data in the chain of terminals is transmitted from terminal to terminal, between the first and the last terminals of the chain if all the terminals are interconnected, and, if the connection between the terminals in the terminal chain is interrupted, the communications data from the first terminal of the chain of terminals is transmitted in the terminal chain up to the inactive terminal and the communications data from the last terminal is transmitted in the terminal chain up to the inactive terminal.

The disclosed embodiments relate to a communication system in a passenger aircraft, and in particular to a fault-tolerant transmission system for transmitting data from at least one data source to several terminals in the aircraft, according to the preamble part of claim 1.
Until now, in the case of in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems on board large aircraft the central electronics for providing passengers with entertainment programs etc. have been housed in one location. Such central electronics comprise at least one computer, modulators, digital media for storing, and various play units such as audio devices, DVD players etc. as well as a power supply and interface devices. The individual entertainment systems on the seats of the passengers are centrally controlled by the cabin crew by way of a control panel.
The individual seats in the aircraft comprise playback devices for the data from the central electronics, for example audio systems and displays, so that during the flight, each passenger can select from a large range of entertainment programs. These seat units are supplied by way of an on-board network. The on-board network is fed from the central electronics and comprises several distributors that if need be are associated with individual aircraft sub-units. Thus in an aircraft comprising several levels, one distributor for each deck can be provided. On one level of the aircraft, in the case of several seat rows arranged one behind the other, all the seats immediately one behind the other are supplied by a distributor.
In this distributor structure a first terminal is supplied by the distributor, and starting from the first terminal a second terminal is supplied; starting from the second terminal a third terminal is supplied etc.; so that a daisy chain of terminals results which are all supplied with data from the central entertainment system in the aircraft. However, if the connection between two terminals in this chain is interrupted, then inevitably the terminals arranged downstream are also cut off from the supply.

Fault-tolerant system for data transmission in a passenger aircraft


A route comprises interconnected road segments that can be traveled to get from a location to a destination. Previously, routes are represented by display of the spatial arrangement of such road segments (e.g., a map). Here, a route is depicted as a linear shape, and portions of the linear shape represent portions of the route, regardless of their spatial arrangement. A scale is applied between a characteristic of the route and the linear shape. Information elements can be depicted at points on the linear shape that correspond, based on the scale, to locations on the route where such information applies. Portions of the linear shape can be colored or cross-hatched according to traffic congestion conditions. Incident reports can be represented by indicators along the linear shape. Alternate routes (detours) can be represented by respective separate linear shapes; lead lines can connect such linear shapes to points of the route linear shape where each such detour would be taken.

1. Technical Field
The following relates generally to location based services (LBS) for mobile devices, and in particular to systems and methods for providing navigation information, routes, ETA information, search functionality, and other related functionality on mobile devices.
2. Related Art
Rush hour traffic volume, road construction, vehicular collisions, and roadside emergencies are just a few examples of the various events and circumstances that can cause traffic congestion. Due to the nature of such events traffic congestion can be difficult to predict. Although radio, television, and online news sources can provide traffic information gathered using various techniques such as highway cameras, phone-in traffic tips, satellite imagery, and road sensors; this information is stale and/or inaccurate.
Old or inaccurate traffic information can be troublesome for various reasons. For example, an alternate traffic route, which may be less convenient, is chosen due to a traffic report indicating that a traffic problem exists, which problem has since been alleviated. This can cause a commuter to take a less optimal route, which can waste fuel, cause them to be late, and cause congestion on side-roads. Conversely, a traffic report may indicate that the commuter's route is clear, when in fact an event has, in the meantime, created a traffic jam, since the traffic report is based on information that is not current.
In addition to better data gathering and dissemination about traffic conditions, a variety of applications and enhancements to user interfaces, such as user interfaces that are optimized for mobile devices remain to be realized.

System and method of representing route information


A multi-purpose cleaning compound comprising about 4.50% to about 16.50% by volume isopropyl alcohol; about 4.50% to about 16.50% by volume vinegar; about 2.00% and about 8.50% by volume ammonia; about 2.00% by volume of at least one pre-selected surfactant; between about 0.009% and about 0.05% by volume rosemary oil; and about 56.50% and about 86.90% by volume water.

Prior to the conception and development of the instant invention, as is well documented in the prior art, there are numerous cleaning products commercially available on the market at the present time.
However, as is equally well known in the prior art, these particular products can generally only be used in a limited number of cleaning applications. This limited use, therefore, requires the purchase and storing of a number of different products to handle the numerous cleaning applications encountered in everyday cleaning of different apartments in apartment houses, private homes, hotel rooms and offices.
For example, some products are for cleaning glass, others for cleaning carpeting, tile, hardwood floors, upholstery (either fabric or leather), ovens, and metal. Other products on the other hand are required, for example, to remove stains from clothing and other different type fabrics, mold and mildew from showers and basement walls and floors.
Additionally, when it becomes necessary to clean rooms that are located on different floors of a structure it is oftentimes the case where the particular thing, or type of surface, to be cleaned may require a cleaning product that has been inadvertently left on a different floor. This obviously will result in either a lot of time and energy being wasted, or in an inferior cleaning job being accomplished.


Two concentric corrugated metal tubes have a space therebetween in which there is arranged a superinsulation layer. Between the inner tube and the superinsulation layer there is located a helical spacer to ensure an annular channel to facilitate the evacuation of the space between the corrugated tubes. The spacer is formed of interlaced strands to reduce heat conduction therethrough.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to conducting tubes for the transport of intensely cold media, and more particularly to a conducting tube comprising two corrugated metal tubes arranged concentrically with a superinsulation layer therebetween.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The term `intensely cold media` in the sense of the invention refers to media with a temperature below 100 degrees K, e.g., liquefied gases such as helium, oxygen, nitrogen, etc.
For the transport of media of this type, a conducting tube is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,240,234. In this conducting tube, a helically wound superinsulation layer serves as a spacer for the concentric tubes. The superinsulating layer comprises alternately superposed layers of insulating material and reflection material. This design involves a number of disadvantages. For example, in the case of a horizontal installation, the inner tube will be supported on the superinsulation with its own weight and the weight of the medium flowing in the inner tube. Since the superinsulation layer, in order to achieve the maximum possible insulating effect, must be loosely wound, the superinsulation layer below the inner tube will be compressed and will lose its optimal insulating action in that area. As a result of the compression, the inner tube will be displaced in its position with respect to the outer tube, so that an increased incidence of heat occurs in the area of the compressed superinsulation layer due to both the smaller separation and the lost insulation value. A further significant disadvantage is the fact that, particularly in the case of large lengths of the conducting tube, an evacuation of the superinsulation layer is not possible or is possible only with a large expenditure of time.
In another embodiment of a conducting tube shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,595,275, a helically proceeding spacer is located on the inner tube. The superinsulation layer is wound over this spacer and is in contact with the inner tube in the regions located between two adjacent helices. Between the outer surface of the spacer and the inner surface of the outer tube, the superinsulation layer is very strongly compressed, so that an increased incidence of heat occurs at these points. With this design also, it is not possible to evacuate large lengths in an economical manner due to the contact between the superinsulation layer and the inner tube. In addition, this conducting tube is burdened by the disadvantage that the spacer helix consists of a strip of the superinsulation layer, whose individual layers will have to be bonded to each other in a separate working stage, e.g., by wrapping a thread around them, wrapping them in a foil, or by quilting. As a result, this design of the conducting tube becomes very expensive. During winding of the multi-layer spacer, problems appear, since the outer layers stretch while the inner layers are compressed.


A process to convert glycerin into propylene glycol and purifying the produced propylene glycol is described. The glycerin-based propylene glycol production requires only one process step compared to petroleum/natural gas-based propylene glycol production requires multiple process steps, and thus represents a cost savings.

The world is collectively engaged in a massive search for energy alternatives to ever higher priced crude oil. Among these alternatives, biodiesel has gained importance in recent years for its ability to mix with petroleum diesel. Biodiesel refers to a diesel-equivalent fuel consisting of short chain alkyl (methyl or ethyl) esters, made by transesterification of triglycerides, commonly known as vegetable oils or animal fats. The most common form uses methanol, the cheapest alcohol available, to produce methyl esters. The molecules in biodiesel are primarily fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), usually created by transesterification between fats and methanol. Currently, biodiesel is produced from various vegetable and plant oils.
One by-product of the transesterification process is glycerin (glycerol). For every 1 ton of biodiesel manufactured, 100 kg of glycerin is produced. Historically, there was a valuable market for the glycerin, which assisted the economics of the overall biodiesel process. With the increase in global biodiesel production, however, the by-product glycerin has saturated the market, which in turn has caused the market price of the crude glycerin to fall. The valuable disposition of this crude glycerin is vitally important to making the renewable biodiesel process more efficient in carbon utilization while offsetting production costs.
Glycerin usage is primarily used in foods and beverages, pharmaceutical and personal care, and fine chemicals. Glycerin is an oxygenated three carbon chemical. With the rapid expansion of biodiesel production, glycerin has become an abundant and inexpensive raw material. This character brings glycerin in as a potential chemical building block for other important renewable/green chemicals.
Two main classes of petrochemical raw materials are olefins (including ethylene and propylene) and aromatics (including benzene and xylene isomers), both of which are produced in very large quantities. They are the building blocks of chemicals and plastics we are using daily. These petroleum based commodity chemicals are not immune to resource limitation and increasing cost that we face in the fuel industry today. The search of alternative sources is vital important. The strategic development for technologies in bio-chemicals and process integration with biofuels could be similar to the current petroleum-based processes. The building block chemicals must be relatively easy and cheap to produce in large quantities. They should have chemical structures that facilitate their conversion into multiple products of commercial interest. Therefore, both bioethanol and glycerin have potential to be the building block chemicals for petroleum-based ethylene and propylene derivatives. The modernized biodiesel production enables the production of glycerin in large quantities at very low costs, which qualifies it for future development as one of the building block chemicals.
Propylene glycol is the preferred choice due to its established market and large consumption. One particularly interesting propylene glycol substitution is its use as a "green" non-toxic antifreeze and de-icing fluid. Propylene glycol is currently produced from petrochemical derived propylene. It has broad established market applications and potential for other applications. The successful conversion of glycerin to propylene glycol and the utilization of glycerin as a potential petrochemical feedstock shall positively impact the biodiesel business through better carbon utilization, by-product upgrade to high value products, opportunity to develop renewable chemicals, and maximum return on investment.

Process for converting glycerin into propylene glycol


A controller for controlling a system for mitigating the flow of vapors from contaminated soil into a building controls a blower pulling an exhaust from underneath the sub slab of the building and blowing the vapors away from the building. The blower is controlled by pressure sensors that measure the pressure drop across the sub slab. The sensors are monitored by the controller to make sure they all have a minimum pressure drop. If any of the sensors have an inadequate pressure drop, the blower speed is increased a small amount by the controller. If all of the sensors have adequate pressure drop, then the blower speed is decreased by a small amount. The controller then rechecks the pressure drops on a periodic basis and makes appropriate blower speed adjustments after each measurement.

Many buildings are located on contaminated ground. The contamination may be a toxic volatile substance, such as a volatile organic compound (VOC), or a radioactive gas, such as radon. These toxic volatile substances must be kept out of a building to maintain the health of the people within the building. One way to reduce the incursion of toxic vapors is to reduce the pressure in the ground below the building so that air within the building flows down into the ground. Thus vapors in the ground cannot flow into the building. Many buildings have a concrete slab or other relatively impermeable layer as their lower boundary with the ground. This relatively impermeable layer is called a "sub slab". The pressure below the sub slab can be reduced by using an exhaust blower. The blower sucks air from underneath the sub slab and exhausts it away from the building. Blowers require power. There is need, therefore, for a blower control system that minimizes power without allowing ground vapors into a building.


Error protection based on a nonlinear code set may be used in a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) radio communications system. A decoder decodes received MIMO data streams and generates an automatic repeat request (ARQ) message for data units received for the MIMO data streams for each transmission time interval. An encoder codes the ARQ message using a code word from a nonlinear code set. At the data transmitter, which transmits one or more data units in transmission time intervals from two or more MIMO data streams, the ARQ message associated with the transmitted data units is decoded using a code word from the nonlinear code set.

The Automatic ReQuest (ARQ) protocol is the basic scheme used in data communications in which the receiving station requests retransmission of a data packet if an error occurs, i.e., it was received with errors that cannot be corrected or it was not received at all. The term "data packet" is used here in the general sense of any type of data unit. Referring to FIG. 1, a communications system 10 includes a transmitter 12 and receiver 14. The transmitter 12 sends one or more data packets to the receiver 14. The receiver 14 sends an acknowledgment (ACK) message to the transmitter 12 to indicate that it has correctly received a data packet. Alternatively, the receiver 14 sends a negative acknowledgment (NACK) message to the transmitter 12 to indicate that it has not received a data packet in time or not correctly received a data packet.
FIG. 2 illustrates the sequence of events. The transmitter 12 sends packet A to receiver 14 which detects some sort of error. So the receiver returns a NACK message. The transmitter 12 resends packet A, and because it is correctly received this second time, the receiver 14 sends an ACK message back. The next packet B can then be sent. Of course, there are more complicated ARQ schemes, such as hybrid ARQ (HARQ), which are based on this fundamental ARQ protocol. HARQ is used in radio communications to enable faster recovery from errors by storing corrupted packets in the receiving device rather than discarding them. Even if retransmitted packets have errors, a good packet can be derived from the combination of bad ones. HARQ is used, for example, in High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), which is a 3G high-speed digital data service provided by cellular carriers to provide faster bit rates over the air interface. HSDPA is a major enhancement of Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) technology which adds additional channels and selectively applies different modulation and coding techniques.
FIG. 3 shows a simplified example of an HSDPA communication system 15 where a user equipment (UE) 17 (sometimes called a mobile radio terminal or station) receives data packets over the air from a base station 19 (sometimes called a Node B). The packets are transmitted downlink using a high-speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH). The base station uses a high-speed shared control channel (HS-SCCH) to send corresponding physical layer control information (e.g., UE identity and spreading code allocation and decoding information which also supports soft combining in case of retransmission). In the figure, the HS-SCCH is used to inform the UE 17 of the intended recipient of the data packet soon to be transmitted. In the uplink direction, the UE 17 uses a high-speed dedicated physical control channel (HS-DPCCH) to convey to the base station 19 ACK and NACK messages, preamble (PRE) and postamble (POST) messages, and feedback information on the quality of the downlink channel.
Communication over HSDPA channels occurs as frames of subframes provided during transmission time intervals (TTIs), i.e., one subframe is one TTI (e.g., 2 ms for HSDPA). One subframe on the HS-DSCH may be used to convey a data packet or other unit. To facilitate the UE's efficient decoding of a data packet in a subframe on HS-DSCH directed to that UE, the UE first receives an indication on the HS-SCCH that the packet is intended for it as well as information needed for demodulating allocated code channels. If the UE 17 determines based on the advance indicator on the HS-SCCH that the next packet is intended for UE 17, it sends a PRE message back to the base station 19 over the HS-DPCCH to acknowledge its readiness to receive and decode that data packet. After the data packet has been transmitted, which may take multiple TTIs, and the UE detects it has received the end of the packet, the UE 17 acknowledges that fact by sending a POST message back to the base station 19 over the HS-DPCCH.
FIG. 4 illustrates an example of the timing relationship between messages and packets sent on the HS-SCCH, HS-DSCH, and the HS-DPCCH. When the UE detects control information addressed to it in sub-frame N on the HS-SCCH, the UE transmits a preamble (PRE) in sub-frame N−1 on the HS-DPCCH. After decoding the HS-DSCH packet and transmitting the hybrid ARQ ACK/NACK in sub-frame N on the HS-DPCCH, the UE transmits a postamble (POST) in sub-frame N+1 on the HS-DPCCH (unless a packet is detected in sub-frame N+1 on the HS-DSCH, in which case an ACK/NACK is sent, or HS-SCCH control information is detected in subframe N+2, in which case PRE is sent). Accordingly, a series of TTIs containing ACK/NACK signals is typically preceded with a TTI containing the PRE signal. A series of TTIs containing ACK/NACK signals may be also succeeded by a TTI containing the POST signal.
To improve ACK/NACK/PRE/POST detection performance, a trellis structure may be employed by the ACK/NACK signaling channel (e.g., the HS-DPCCH) as shown in FIG. 5. For a data session, a UE of interest starts in a discontinuous transmission (DTX) state in which nothing is sent over the HS-DPCCH. As long as the HS-SCCH addresses other UEs, the UE of interest stays in the DTX state. If the HS-SCCH addresses the UE of interest, then the UE moves from the DTX state to the PRE state where a PRE message is sent over the HS-DPCCH. While in the PRE state in subframe N−1, the UE demodulates and decodes the HS-DSCH packet in subframe N and sends an ACK or NACK message over the HS-DPCCH in subframe N, depending on whether HS-DSCH is correctly received. After sending an ACK or NACK over the HS-DPCCH, the UE transitions from the PRE state to the ACK/NACK state where it can continue to receive data on the HS-DSCH in subframe N+1. In that case, the UE sends an ACK or NACK on the HS-DPCCH and remains in the ACK/NACK state. Alternatively, if there is no more data on the HS-DSCH in subframe N+1, or information on the HS-SCCH in subframe N+2 is addressed to another UE, the UE sends a POST message on the HS-DPCCH during subframe N+1 and transitions back to the DTX state. If there is no more data on the HS-DSCH for the UE in subframe N+1, but the HS-SCCH addresses the UE in subframe N+2, then that UE sends a PRE message on the HS-DPCCH during subframe N+1 and transitions back to the PRE state.
The ACK and NACK messages are important messages that need to be received reliably and correctly. Channel coding is one way to provide increased message reliability. Currently in Release 5 of HSDPA, the HARQ ACK and NACK messages are sent using repetition coding over 10 bits. In other words, a binary "1" is repeated ten times for an ACK message and a binary "0" is repeated ten times for a NACK message. The more repetition bits used to encode the message, the more reliably the receiver can accurately decode the received information and extract the message that was actually transmitted. A repetition code is a linear code in the sense that a codeword w can be represented by w=xG, where G is a so-called generator matrix for the linear code and x is the information bit (1 or 0). The generator matrix for the aforementioned repetition code is G=[1111111111].
Such a 10 bit repetition coding scheme has been employed for the ACK/NACK messages to be transmitted as illustrated in the table below where the output is denoted w0, w1, . . . w9. The PRE and POST messages are transmitted using two other codewords, also shown in Table 1.
TABLE 1HARQ-ACK messagew0w1w2w3w4w5w6w7w8w9ACK1111111111NACK0000000000PRE0010010010POST0100100100
Multiple Input/Multiple Output (MIMO) is being introduced into wireless communications to improve transmission rates and overall performance. MIMO means that multiple transmitting antennas and/or multiple receiver antennas are used. When two transmitting antennas and two or more receiving antennas are used, two simultaneous data streams can be sent, which doubles the data rate. Multiple receivers alone allow greater distances between wireless devices.
FIG. 6 shows an example of a communications system 20 that employs dual stream MIMO. The base station 24 transmits two data streams 1 and 2 to the UE 22. In the first transmission, the first data stream in this example includes data packet A and the second data stream includes data packet B. The HS-SCCH signaling informs the UE 22 that there are two data streams being transmitted by the base station 24 over the HS-DSCH addressed to that UE 22. The UE 22 sends ACK/NACK messages for each of the two streams using the HS-DPCCH.
MIMO increases the level of ACK/NACK signaling. As illustrated in FIG. 7, in a dual or two-stream transmission (with separate encoding of each stream), there are four possible values for ACK/NACK message groups or combinations. Continuing with the example from FIG. 6, the first and second data stream transmissions from the base station of packets A and B are received, but only packet B is received successfully. Thus, a NACK message is returned for packet A (from the 1st stream) and an ACK message for packet B (from the 2nd stream). In the next TTI, the base station sends packets A and C, but only packet A is received successfully. Thus, an ACK message is returned for packet A (1st stream) and a NACK message for packet C (2nd stream). In the next TTI, the base station sends packets D (1st stream) and C (2nd stream) which are both successfully received so that the UE sends two ACK messages. The fourth ACK/NACK group or combination (not illustrated) is both transmitted packets are not received successfully resulting in the UE sending two NACK messages.
To accommodate a two stream MIMO scheme in the ten bit ACK/NACK error protection encoding scheme in the current HSDPA, those ten bits can be used to carry one ACK/NACK message for each stream by simply repeating the ACK/NACK bits five times rather than ten, five "1's" for ACK and five "0's" for NACK. In this way, two ACK/NACKs can be fit into the ten bits available in the current HS-DPCCH. With this scheme the following codewords are mapped to the different ACK/NACK combinations.    ACK (1st stream) & ACK (2nd stream): 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1    ACK (1st stream) & NACK (2nd stream): 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0    NACK (1st stream) & ACK (2nd stream): 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1    NACK (1st stream) & NACK (2nd stream): 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0This is a linear code, and thus, the codeword can be generated by a modulo-2 operation w=xG, where the generator matrix in this case is:
  G  =      [                            1                          1                          1                          1                          1                          0                          0                          0                          0                          0                                      0                          0                          0                          0                          0                          1                          1                          1                          1                          1                      ]  and the information vector is x=[b(1) b(2)], and where b(1) is the ACK/NACK bit for the 1st stream and b(2) is the ACK/NACK bit for the 2nd stream. But a problem with this approach is that the error protection for ACK/NACK messages is considerably less than in the case of ten bit repetition coding. The result is either higher error rates, or a higher transmit power to keep the same error rate. Neither is an attractive solution. What is needed is a different coding scheme that provides the necessary error protection and optimizes the number of coding bits for multiple MIMO streams, e.g., two, three, four, etc.

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Optimal error protection coding for MIMO ACK/NACK/PRE/POST information