The present invention discloses cationic lipids useful for making lipid aggregates for delivery of macromolecules and other compounds into cells. They are especially useful for the DNA-dependent transformation of cells. Also disclosed are lipids useful both for the delivery of macromolecules and also useful as intermediates for making other such lipids.

Lipid aggregates such as liposomes have been found to be useful as agents for delivery to introduce macromolecules, such as DNA, RNA, protein, and small chemical compounds such as pharmaceuticals, to cells. In particular, lipid aggregates comprising cationic lipid components have been shown to be especially effective for delivering anionic molecules to cells. In part, the effectiveness of cationic lipids is thought to result from enhanced affinity for cells, many of which bear a net negative charge. Also in part, the net positive charge on lipid aggregates comprising a cationic lipid enables the aggregate to bind polyanions, such as nucleic acids. Lipid aggregates containing DNA are known to be effective agents for efficient transfection of target cells.
The structure of various types of lipid aggregates varies, depending on composition and method of forming the aggregate. Such aggregates include liposomes, unilamellar vesicles, multilameller vesicles, micelles and the like, having particle sizes in the nanometer to micrometer range. Methods of making lipid aggregates are by now well-known in the art. The main drawback to use of conventional phospholipid-containing liposomes for delivery is that the material to be delivered must be encapsulated and the liposome composition has a net negative charge which is not attracted to the negatively charged cell surface. By combining cationic lipid compounds with a phospholipid, positively charged vesicles and other types of lipid aggregates can bind DNA, which is negatively charged, can be taken up by target cells, and can transfect target cells. (Felgner, P. L. et al. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84:7413-7417; Eppstein, D. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,355.)
A well-known cationic lipid disclosed in the prior art is N-[1-(2,3-dioleoyloxy)propyl]-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride (DOTMA). The structure of DOTMA is: ##STR1## DOTMA by itself or in 1:1 combination with dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE) is formulated into liposomes using standard techniques. Felgner, et al. supra demonstrated that such liposomes provided efficient delivery of nucleic acids to some types of cells. A DOTMA:DOPE (1:1) formulation is sold under the tradename LIPOFECTIN (Gibco/BRL: Life Technologies, Inc., Gaithersburg, Md.). Another commercially available cationic lipid is 1,2-bis(oleoyloxy)-3-3-(trimethylammonia) propane (DOTAP), which differs from DOTMA only in that the oleoyl moieties are linked via ester, rather than ether bonds to the propylamine. DOTAP is believed to be more readily degraded by target cells. A related group of prior art compounds differ from DOTMA and DOTAP in that one of the methyl groups of the trimethylammonium group is replaced by a hydroxyethyl group. Compounds of this type are similar to the Rosenthal Inhibitor (RI) of phospholipase A (Rosenthal, A. F. and Geyer, R. P. (1960) J. Biol. Chem. 235:2202-2206) which has stearoyl esters linked to the propylamine core. The dioleoyl analogs of RI are commonly abbreviated as DORI-ether and DORI-ester, depending on the linkage of the fatty acid moieties to the propylamine core. The hydroxy group can be used as a site for further functionalization, for example by esterification to carboxyspermine.
Another class of prior art compounds has been disclosed by Behr et al. (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86:6982-6986; EPO publication 0 394 111 (Oct. 24, 1990), in which carboxyspermine has been conjugated to two types of lipids. The structures of 5-carboxyspermylglycine dioctadecylamide (DOGS) is: ##STR2## The structure of dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine 5-carboxyspermylamide (DPPES) is: ##STR3##
Both DOGS and DPPES have been used to coat plasmids, forming a lipid aggregate complex that provides efficient transfection. The compounds are claimed to be more efficient and less toxic than DOTMA for transfection of some cell lines. DOGS is available commercially as TRANSFECTAM.TM. (Promega, Madison, Wis.).
A cationic cholesterol derivative (DC-Chol) has been synthesized and formulated into liposomes in combination with DOPE. (Gao, X. and Huang, L. (1991) Biochim. Biophys. Res. Comm. 179:280-285) The compound's structure is ##STR4## Liposomes formulated with DC-Chol are said to provide more efficient transfection and lower toxicity than DOTMA-containing liposomes for some cell lines.
Lipopolylysine, formed by conjugating polylysine to DOPE, has been reported to be especially effective for transfection in the presence of serum, a condition likely to be encountered in vivo (Zhou, X. et al. (1991) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1065:8-14).
Despite advances in the field, a need remains for a variety of improved cationic lipid compounds. In particular, no single cationic lipid to date has been found to work well with all cell types. Since different cell types differ from one another in membrane composition, it is not surprising that different compositions and types of lipid aggregate are effective for different cell types, either for their ability to contact and fuse with target cell membranes, or for aspects of the transfer process itself. At present these processes are not well understood, consequently the design of effective cationic lipids is largely empirical. Besides content and transfer, other factors are of importance, for example, ability to form lipid aggregates suited to the intended purpose, toxicity to the target cell, stability as a carrier for the compound to be delivered, and ability to function in an in vivo environment. In addition, lipid aggregates can be improved by broadening the range of substances which can be delivered to cells. The cationic lipid compounds of the present invention have improved function with respect to several of the foregoing attributes.


A copying apparatus in which a light receiving sheet is used is provided with a density level setting switch for setting the density level of a copy image, and an illuminance controller for adjusting both the luminous intensity and scanning speed of an optical system, in accordance with the density level. A copying apparatus may be provided with an input switch for inputting the sensitivity of a light receiving sheet, and a controller for adjusting both the scanning speed of said optical system and the speed of the process for forming a copy image, in accordance with the sensitivity of the light receiving sheet.

1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a copying apparatus, and more particularly to a copying apparatus in which an original is scanned by an optical system to produce a copy image on a light receiving sheet and the copy image is transferred onto an image receiving sheet.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
An image forming method using a light receiving sheet is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 58(1983)-88,739. In this method, a combination of a light receiving sheet coated with photosensitive microcapsules containing non-colored dye and a photohardening material in a rupturable capsule and an image receiving sheet coated with a developer material which colors the non-colored dye is employed. The light reflected from an image is projected onto the light receiving sheet to form a selectively hardened pattern thereon, then the image receiving sheet is placed over the light receiving sheet. Thereafter, the combination is applied with pressure to rupture the non-hardened microcapsules, thereby coloring the non-colored dye to develop a copy image on the image receiving sheet.
When a copy image is formed on an image receiving sheet by a copying apparatus using the above-mentioned method, the density of the copy image depends on the luminous intensity of the light source of the optical system, the scanning speed of the optical system, and the variation in the sensitivity of the light receiving sheet. In such a copying apparatus, the luminous intensity of the light source or the scanning speed of the optical system must be adjusted in order to obtain a copy image of the desired density. This may be accomplished by controlling a power source for the light source to adjust the luminous intensity of the light source, or by controlling the driving motor for the optical system to adjust the scanning speed, in accordance with the density level which has been set by an operator.
When the density of a copy image is adjusted only by increasing or decreasing the luminous intensity of the light source, the voltage applied to the lamp of the light source must be changed over an extremely wide range to cover all possible density levels of copy images which may be set by an operator, causing the change in the color temperature of the lamp. The above will raise a problem in that the spectral wavelength distribution changes so that the hue of a image of a color copy is different from that of the original image.
On the other hand, the copy magnification ratio is altered by the change of the scanning speed. When a copy apparatus is designed so as to adjust the density of a copy image only by changing the scanning speed, therefore, the control of the scanning speed must cover a very wide range of scanning speeds so that both the adjustment of the image density and that of the copy magnification ratio are conducted simultaneously, which causes a substantially large difference between the minimum and maximum scanning speeds. This causes another problem to arise in that it is very difficult to control the driving motor of the optical system.
The sensitivity of a light receiving sheet depends upon the sensitivity of the photosensitive microcapsules which are scattered over a substantially wide range. When the sensitivity of the photosensitive microcapsules used in a light receiving sheet is low, hence, the apparatus is controlled so as to increase the luminous intensity of the light source. In contrast, when the sensitivity of the photosensitive microcapsules is high, the apparatus is controlled so as to decrease the luminous intensity of the light source. Namely, in a prior art copying apparatus, the unevenness of the sensitivity among light receiving sheets of different kinds is compensated by adjusting the luminous intensity of the light source. Therefore, the scanning speed in a prior art copying apparatus must be low, even when a light receiving sheet coated by photosensitive microcapsules of a high sensitivity is used, causing a prolonged period of time for the copying operation.


Methods and apparatus to secure a ground strap assembly to an electrically conductive member are disclosed. In a disclosed example, a ground strap assembly includes a bendable ground strap, and a grounding clip having at least one flange located to substantially prevent rotation of the clip relative to the bendable strap. The example ground strap assembly also includes a fastener securing the grounding clip to the bendable strap. It is not necessary to remove the fastener from the bendable ground strap to secure the ground strap assembly to an electrically conductive member.

This disclosure relates generally to electrical grounding, and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus to secure a ground strap assembly to an electrically conductive member.
It is known to use prior art ground strap assemblies to secure a ground wire to an electrically conductive member such as a plumbing pipe, a mast, etc. Such prior art strap assemblies typically include a bendable ground strap defining a plurality of bores, a fastener that can be passed through two of the bores in the bendable ground strap and secured thereto via a threaded member, and a ground nut which secures a ground wire in electrically conductive contact with the bendable strap. To secure the prior art ground strap assemblies to an electrically conductive member, the fastener and ground nut are typically removed, and the bendable ground strap is wrapped around the electrically conductive member such that it overlays itself in the location where the fastener is to secure the ground nut and the ground wire to the bendable ground strap. Specifically, two of the bores defined in the bendable strap are brought into registration and the fastener is then passed through the aligned bores and threaded into the threaded member. Thus, prior art ground strap assemblies typically require removal of a fastener from a bendable strap and, after the bendable strap is generally positioned in its intended environment of use, re-insertion of the fastener into the bendable ground strap.
Prior art ground straps also include a projection or hook that mates with a bore defined in the strap to assist the fastener in securing the strip to the electrically conductive member.
The ground nuts of prior art grounding straps are typically implemented by conventional hex nuts. It is, thus, usually necessary to rotate the hex nut relative to the fastener to couple a ground wire to a prior art grounding strap. Such rotation of the hex nut occurs after the grounding wire is positioned beneath the hex nut. As a result, the installer must exert effort to ensure the ground wire does not separate from between the hex nut and the bendable ground strap when the hex nut is being tightened.


An apparatus for traffic control is disclosed. A method and a system also perform the functions of the apparatus. The apparatus includes an alert module that broadcasts an alert signal to a vehicle on a roadway. The alert indicates a presence of an alert zone along the roadway. The apparatus includes an alert zone module that broadcasts a location of the alert zone, where the alert signal has a signal strength sufficient for an autonomous vehicle control system of the vehicle to receive the alert signal a predefined distance before entering the alert zone as the vehicle approaches the alert zone. The apparatus includes an instruction module that broadcasts one or more instructions regarding driving within the alert zone.

Travel in certain areas, such as construction zones, around accidents, in an area around an event just before or after the event, around a snow or mud slide, etc. requires special attention and instructions to avoid accidents. Driverless vehicles and other vehicles with some autonomous control, vehicles with navigation systems, and the like present new challenges to safe driving.

Control of driverless vehicles in construction zones

International Business Machines Corporation


A method for providing a document using a secure bar code includes encrypting the document to generate an encrypted document, and mixing together bits for a security credential with bits for the encrypted document to generate a set of mixed bits having a predetermined order. The security credential is for decrypting the encrypted document. The method further includes inserting the set of mixed bits into the secure bar code and outputting the secure bar code. A bar code reader knows the predetermined order and is configured to read the secure bar code. The bar code reader may also be configured to un-mix the mixed bits based on the predetermined order, and decrypt the encrypted document with the security credential.

Information can be shared between computing devices by a variety of techniques. For example, a first computing device displays a bar code and another computing device reads the bar code. The first computing device may insert information to be shared into the bar code and then display the bar code. The second computing device uses a bar code reading device to read the bar code and extract the information from the bar code. The two computing devices may be mobile devices in which case bar code sharing may likely occur in public places where unintended recipients can easily intercept the displayed bar code with their computing devices. Therefore, without security measures, the information may be compromised.

Secure information transfer via bar codes


A roof construction for a vehicle that uncovers a roof space above a passenger compartment of a vehicle body and covers the roof space, partly or fully, comprises a roof assembly, e.g. front, intermediate and rear roof panels, that is movable relatively to the vehicle body in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body so as to selectively shift between three positions, namely a closed position where the roof space is fully closed, a partly open position where the roof space is partly open and a fully open position where the roof space is fully open and a prop link mechanism operative to shift the roof assembly into a selected one of the three positions and to fixedly support the roof assembly in the selected position. During shifting the roof assembly into a selected position, the front and intermediate roof panels are superposed and held horizontally in position.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a roof construction for an automotive vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Automotive vehicles have a roof, movable or stationary, that extend rearward from a top of a front windshield so as to cover a roof space above a passenger compartment. There are too types of roof for automotive vehicles. One type of roof is a sunroof that opens and closes a rectangular opening formed in the roof of the automotive vehicle. Another type of movable roof is a convertible roof that is movable between a closed position where the convertible roof covers a roof space above a passenger compartment to a retracted or fully open position where the convertible roof retracts behind the passenger""s seat or within a trunk and fully uncover or open the roof space above the passenger compartment. One of the convertible type roofs that is known, for example, from Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications Nos. 5-213066 and 8-85344 comprises a plurality of roof panels into which the roof is divided in the longitudinal direction of the automotive vehicle. This convertible type roof is capable of shifting between three positions, namely a closed position where the convertible roof fully closes or covers the roof space above the passenger compartment, a partly open position where the convertible roof partly opens or uncovers the roof space above the passenger compartment, and a fully open position where the convertible roof fully opens or uncovers the roof space above the passenger compartment.
While the vehicle stops, the convertible roof safely shifts between the closed position and the retracted position without being affected by wind. It is desirable for the convertible roof to shift its operating position even while the vehicle is moving.
From the viewpoint of designing a vehicle body and improving a feeling of openness of the vehicle with the roof space fully uncovered, it is conceived desirable to position a top edge of a front windshield as low as possible. In this instance, in order to provide an assured head clearance between the convertible roof and the top of passenger""s head, the convertible roof at a part adjacent to the passenger""s head is hardly positioned too low. In the case of assuring a sufficient head clearance between the passenger""s head and the convertible roof in addition to positioning the top edge of a front windshield as low as possible, the convertible roof at its front portion continuous from the front windshield must extend upright or obliquely upward. However, the convertible roof having an upright or oblique front portion hinders passenger""s vision or makes a forward field of vision marrow.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a convertible roof construction for a vehicle body that selectively shifts its operating position between three positions, namely a closed position, a partly open position and a frilly open position, while the vehicle is moving.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a convertible roof construction for a vehicle body that provides a broad forward field of vision even though the convertible roof extends continuously from a top edge of a front windshield that is positioned as low as possible.
The foregoing objects of the present invention are accomplished by a roof construction for a convertible roof of a vehicle that variably covers and uncovers a roof space above a passenger compartment of a vehicle body.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the convertible roof comprises a roof assembly is movable relative to the vehicle body in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body from the front to the back so as to selectively shift its operating position between three positions, namely a closed position where the convertible roof covers the roof space above a passenger compartment of a vehicle body, a partly open position where the convertible roof partly uncovers the roof space and a fully open position where the convertible roof fully uncovers the roof space and a prop link means for shifting the roof assembly into a selected one of the three positions and fixedly supporting the roof assembly in the selected position.
The convertible roof of the present invention having the roof assembly that is always propped as it is shifted in operating position is shifted to any desired operating position even while the vehicle is moving.
The roof assembly may comprise a front roof panel positioned horizontally in the closed position, an intermediate roof panel positioned horizontally in the closed position, and a rear roof panel provided with a rear windshield therein. In this instance, each of the three roof panels is movable in the longitudinal direction and continuing into another roof panel adjacent to the each roof panel in the closed position so as to form a continuous smooth outer surface of the roof assembly. The front roof panel is moved rearward so as to be superposed on the intermediate roof panel in the partly open position. Further, the rear roof panel is laid down and stacked with the front roof panel and the intermediate roof panel remaining superposed in the fully open position.
The roof assembly forms a smooth continuous outer surface while it is in the closed position, so as to provide an attractive exterior appearance of the vehicle body. While the roof assembly is in the partly open position, the occupant is provided with a feeling of openness and, in addition, the front roof panel is superposed on and stably supported by the intermediate roof panel. Further, in the fully open position, the rear roof panel is stacked with the front roof panel and the intermediate roof panel remaining superposed, so that the storage space for the roof assembly can be compact. In addition, in the fully open position, the rear roof panel is inclined with an inner surface facing upward and the front roof panel and the intermediate roof panel remaining superposed are put approximately horizontally. In this instance, the rear roof panel provided with a rear windshield is often formed to have an interior surface concave to the passenger compartment. In consequence, the rear roof panel in the fully open position is stacked with the front and intermediate roof panels remaining superposed without mechanically interfering with each other and all the three roof panels can be superposed closely one on top of another.
The vehicle body has a storage space for receiving the rear roof panel stacked with the front roof panel and the intermediate roof panel between a rearmost seat and a trunk compartment. When the roof assembly is in the fully open position, the rear roof panel is laid so as to put a rear end thereof approximately even with a front end of a rear body portion, such as a trunk lid, of the vehicle body and a front end thereof spatially below the rear end of the rear body portion. Further, the front roof panel and the intermediate roof panel remaining superposed may be laid approximately horizontally and even with the front end of the trunk lid.
The rear roof panel thus inclined forward down in the fully closed position is advantageous to making the lengthwise distance of the storage space for the roof assembly short and eliminating a difference in height between the rear roof panel and the trunk lid so as thereby to uncover almost the entire area of the trunk compartment. This is desirable for the roof assembly to be brought into the fully closed position with leaving the rearmost seat in its uprise position. In addition, this is desirable for an attractive appearance of the vehicle body while the roof assembly is in the fully open position.
The roof assembly may be shifted into any one of the three positions even while the vehicle is moving. Further, each of the front and intermediate roof panels may be shifted in position remaining approximately horizontal so as to make a down wind loading that the roof panels receive on a shift in position even during moving as small as possible. This makes it easy to shift the roof assembly among the three positions even while the vehicle is moving.
The roof assembly may be held in the closed position by propping a part of the roof assembly against a stationary part of the vehicle body. This realizes firm support of the roof assembly in the closed position.
The roof assembly may be further supported by a front windshield and a side door windshield drawn up from a side door while it is in the closed position. This also realizes firm support of the roof assembly in the closed position.
The convertible roof may further comprise detecting means for detecting a passenger who is getting on and off the vehicle and control means for automatically causing the prop link mechanism to shift the roof assembly into the partly open position when the detecting means detects the passenger. This is advantageous to providing a spacious entrance space for a passenger getting on or off the vehicle even when the vehicle body is low in vehicle height.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the roof assembly has a roof opening formed in a front end portion of the roof assembly, e.g. a front roof panel in the case where the roof assembly comprises front, intermediate and rear roof panels, that extends upward continuously from a top edge of a front windshield of the vehicle and a transparent pane installed in the roof opening. The roof assembly may further comprise a light shielding plate movable between at least a covering position where the light shielding plate covers fully the transparent pane and an uncovering position where the light shielding plate uncovers fully the transparent pane. The roof opening in the front portion of the roof assembly is located higher in vertical position than the top edge of the front windshield and is formed at an intermediate part of the roof assembly in a transverse direction of the vehicle body, preferably, before a head of a passenger sitting on a foremost seat. At least a part of the roof assembly, e.g. a front roof panel, may be movable relatively to the vehicle body in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body from the front to the back so as to partly open the roof space.
The roof assembly thus constructed is desirable for a passenger in the vehicle to gain assured provides forward vision, in particular high forward vision, through the roof opening even though the front windshield at its top edge is lower in vertical position. Further, the roof assembly is desirable in order to provide a passenger in the vehicle with a feeling of release and to introduce wind into the passenger compartment during moving. In addition, the light shielding plate is operative as a sunshade. The transparent pane may be comprise a wide-angle lens in order to provide a wide forward field of vision.

Roof construction for an automotive vehicle


Provided is a glass substrate with which it is possible to reduce dielectric loss in high-frequency signals, and which also has excellent thermal shock resistance. This invention satisfies the relation {Young's modulus (GPa)×average thermal expansion coefficient (ppm/° C.) at 50-350° C.}≤300 (GPa·ppm/° C.), wherein the relative dielectric constant at 20° C. and 35 GHz does not exceed 10, and the dielectric dissipation factor at 20° C. and 35 GHz does not exceed 0.006.

In communication appliances such as mobile telephones, smartphones, personal digital assistants, and Wi-Fi appliances and other electronic devices including surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices, radar components, and antenna components, the signal frequencies are being shifted to higher frequencies in order to attain an increase in communication capacity, an increase in communication speed, etc. In general, the circuit boards to be used in communication appliances and electronic devices for such high-frequency applications employ insulating substrates such as resin substrates, ceramic substrates, and glass substrates. Such insulating substrates for use in communication appliances and electronic devices for high-frequency applications are required to be reduced in transmission loss due to dielectric loss, conductor loss, etc., in order to ensure the quality and properties such as strength, of high-frequency signals.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that cross-talk noise can be diminished while maintaining a transmission loss at a conventional level, by employing an insulating substrate having a dielectric loss tangent within a specific range and by forming a wiring layer having a wiring width and a surface roughness which are within specific ranges. Patent Document 2 discloses that an electronic-circuit substrate reduced in relative permittivity or dielectric loss is obtained by using a lead-free glass having a specific composition.
Among such insulating substrates, resin substrates intrinsically have low rigidity. Because of this, it is difficult to use resin substrates for semiconductor package products which are required to have rigidity (strength). Ceramic substrates have a drawback in that it is difficult to heighten the surface smoothness thereof and therefore conductor loss arising from the conductor formed on the substrate surface are easy to be increased.
Meanwhile, glass substrates have high rigidity and hence facilitate size or thickness reduction or the like in packages, and also have excellent surface smoothness. Glass substrates further have feature that it is easy to be produced in larger size as substrates.
As a result of the spread of IoT, various devices have come to have a communicating function and there comes to be the need of mounting communication devices even on products such as motor vehicles, in which radio communication has not been performed so far. It has hence been proposed to mount a communication device such as a liquid-crystal antenna on the roof of a motor vehicle to communicate with satellites (see Patent Documents 3 and 4).

Glass substrate, liquid crystal antenna and high-frequency device


An extendable four-port circulator includes a middle birefringent crystal, a first birefringent crystal, a first non-reciprocal device, a second birefringent crystal, and a second non-reciprocal device. The first non-reciprocal device is coupled to the first birefringent crystal. The second non-reciprocal device is coupled to the second birefringent crystal. The middle birefringent crystal includes a first surface, a second surface, a third surface, and a fourth surface. The first surface is coupled to the first non-reciprocal device. The second surface is coupled to the second non-reciprocal device. The third surface defines first and second extension interfaces. The fourth surface defines third and fourth extension interfaces. A multi-port circulator includes at least one extendable four-port circulator.

The present invention relates generally to optical technology.
A circulator is often used with other optical devices to achieve certain optical functions. For example, a circulator can be used with a Brag Grating to extract an optical signal with a particular wavelength from a Wavelength Division Multiplexing (xe2x80x9cWDMxe2x80x9d) optical signal. FIG. 1 shows a four-port circulator 444 with four ports 1, 2, 3, and 4. An optical signal entering port 1 exits from port 2, while an optical signal entering port 2 exits from port 3, and an optical signal entering port 3 exits from port 4.
In one aspect, the invention provides an extendable four-port circulator. The extendable four-port circulator includes a middle birefringent crystal, a first birefringent crystal, a first non-reciprocal device, a second birefringent crystal, and a second non-reciprocal device. The first non-reciprocal device is coupled to the first birefringent crystal. The second non-reciprocal device is coupled to the second birefringent crystal. The middle birefringent crystal includes a first surface, a second surface, a third surface, and a fourth surface. The first surface is coupled to the first non-reciprocal device. The second surface is coupled to the second non-reciprocal device. The third surface defines a first and a second extension interface. The fourth surface defines a third and a fourth extension interface.
In another aspect, the invention provides a multi-port circulator. The multi-port circulator includes a middle birefringent crystal, a first common non-reciprocal device, a second common non-reciprocal device, a first common birefringent crystal, and a second common birefringent crystal. The first common non-reciprocal device is coupled to the middle birefringent crystal. The second common non-reciprocal device is coupled to the middle birefringent crystal. The first common birefringent crystal is coupled to the first common non-reciprocal device. The second common birefringent crystal is coupled to the second common non-reciprocal device.
In another aspect, the invention provides a multi-port circulator. The multi-port circulator includes a middle birefringent crystal, a first and a second common non-reciprocal device, a first and a third side birefringent crystal, and a second and a fourth side birefringent crystal. The first and the second common non-reciprocal devices each are coupled to the middle birefringent crystal. The first and the third side birefringent crystals each are coupled to the first common non-reciprocal device. The second and the fourth side birefringent crystals each are coupled to the second common non-reciprocal device.
In another aspect, the invention provides a multi-port circulator. The multi-port circulator includes a middle birefringent crystal, a first and a third non-reciprocal device, a second and a fourth non-reciprocal device, a first side birefringent crystal, a second side birefringent crystal, a third side birefringent crystal, and a fourth side birefringent crystal. The first and the third non-reciprocal devices each are coupled to the middle birefringent crystal. The second and the fourth non-reciprocal devices each are coupled to the middle birefringent crystal. The first side birefringent crystal is coupled to the first non-reciprocal device. The second side birefringent crystal is coupled to the second non-reciprocal device. The third side birefringent crystal is coupled to the third non-reciprocal device. The fourth side birefringent crystal is coupled to the fourth non-reciprocal device.
Aspects of the invention can include one or more of the following advantages. An extendable four-port circulator in an implementation of the instant invention may be cascaded to form a multi-port circulator. Other advantages will be readily apparent from the attached figures and the description below.


A system for determining positional information of a camera, includes: a plane determination module configured to determine a first plane and a second plane based on a depth image; a plane-association module configured to associate the first plane determined by the plane determination module with a first tool-plane, and to associate the second plane determined by the plane determination module with a second tool-plane, the first and second tool-planes having known positional relationship with respect to each other; and a positional determination unit configured to determine the positional information of the camera based on an output from the plane-association module.

Radiation therapy involves medical procedures that selectively expose certain areas of a human body, such as cancerous tumors, to high doses of radiation. The intent of the radiation therapy is to irradiate the targeted biological tissue such that the harmful tissue is destroyed. During a radiation therapy, a radiation source may be rotated around a patient to deliver radiation from different angles at target region inside the patient. The radiation source may be mounted on an arm or a ring gantry. In certain radiation therapy, the patient support supporting the patient may also be moved. Despite careful treatment planning, during a medical procedure, a collision may occur between a moving part of a medical device and a patient. For example, the gantry of the radiation machine and the patient may possibly collide during radiation therapy. As the dose delivery plans become more complex, the combination of a rotating gantry during treatment and couch movement for non-coplanar beams delivery increases the chance of collisions.
One technique to avoid collision between the patient and the radiation machine is to use a depth camera, which detects the surface of the patient. The detected surface forms a model representing the object that is desired to be protected. The model may then be used to monitor a proximity of components of the radiation machine relative to a boundary of the model to determine if a collision is imminent.
Systems and methods for accurately determining the position and orientation of a depth camera relative to a certain coordinate system are described herein. By accurately determining the position and orientation of the depth camera, information derived from the depth camera can then be transformed accurately to a desired coordinate system.

System and method for determining position and orientation of depth cameras


A improved mechanism of a stepping device includes a pedal mechanism constructed by a parallelogram which facilitates the pedal remains at a horizontal position at all levels. A trasnaxle is rotated as the pedal is stepped down and a gear and an actuating gear are used to connect a load adjusting device. Then a predetermined load can be applied to the pedal as it moves down. A one-way bearing is disposed inside the bushing of the transaxle, hence the pulley disposed thereof can rotate bi-directionally. A pulling rope and a spring are used to pull up the pedal which moves to a lower dead point. While the inertia of the gear and actuating wheel will make it moves continuously. By this arrangement, a smooth and continuous stepping device is provided.

This invention relates to an improved stepping device mechanism. Particularly, the mechanism relates to a stepping device used indoors.
Existing stepping devices may either be of simple construction or classified as deluxe dependent upon the options provided. For simplified stepping machines, pedals of the stepping device are supported by either a hydraulic cylinder or a coil spring. In this manner, the pedal may be alternatively moved upwardly and downwardly. Simple constructed systems do not provide any adjustment for adjusting stepping loads, hence, the stepping load in such simplified devices is linear. In the deluxe, complex stepping device such are equipped with an adjustment for stepping loads. By this arrangement, the stepping load may be adjusted directly on a control panel and selecting a suitable stepping load is allowed in accordance with individual requirements. Among these conventional adjusting devices, the electromagnetic load adjuster is generally the most accurate. U.S. Pat. No. #5,096,024 entitled "Adjustable Magnetic Brake" has been widely used in such devices. The rotating direction of such a braking device is limited to one direction and a mechanism must be incorporated for a sporting device which allows a reciprocal movement. In general, the mechanism used for a conventional stepping device is complicated and includes a large volume. Additionally, set up time is increased for prior art systems and movements are not continuous and smooth.


Methods and systems for TDD hum noise cancellation are disclosed and may include correlating a received audio signal to a time division duplexed (TDD) envelope signal, controlling a feedback signal based on the correlating, and cancelling a TDD noise signal via the feedback signal. The amplitude and delay of the feedback signal may be configured for controlling. A least mean square (LMS) filter may be utilized for the correlating and may include a finite impulse response filter. The TDD envelope signal may be generated on the chip or may be received from a source external to the chip. The feedback signal may be added to the received audio signal for the cancelling.

In audio applications, systems that provide audio interface and processing capabilities may be required to support duplex operations, which may comprise the ability to collect audio information through a sensor, microphone, or other type of input device while at the same time being able to drive a speaker, earpiece of other type of output device with processed audio signal. In order to carry out these operations, these systems may utilize audio coding and decoding (codec) devices that provide appropriate gain, filtering, and/or analog-to-digital conversion in the uplink direction to circuitry and/or software that provides audio processing and may also provide appropriate gain, filtering, and/or digital-to-analog conversion in the downlink direction to the output devices.
As audio applications expand, such as new voice and/or audio compression techniques and formats, for example, and as they become embedded into wireless systems, such as mobile phones, for example, novel codec devices may be needed that may provide appropriate processing capabilities to handle the wide range of audio signals and audio signal sources. In this regard, added functionalities and/or capabilities may also be needed to provide users with the flexibilities that new communication and multimedia technologies provide. Moreover, these added functionalities and/or capabilities may need to be implemented in an efficient and flexible manner given the complexity in operational requirements, communication technologies, and the wide range of audio signal sources that may be supported by mobile phones.
The audio inputs to mobile phones may come from a variety of sources, at a number of different sampling rates, and audio quality. Polyphonic ringers, voice, and high quality audio, such as music, are sources that are typically processed in a mobile phone system. The different quality of the audio source places different requirements on the processing circuitry in such mobile phone systems.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Method and system for time division duplex hum noise cancellation


A load and route assignment system is provided and generally includes a computing device and a database. The database may store historical inbound load data and historical outbound load data related to previous inbound and outbound loads. The computing device can obtain and aggregate the historical inbound and outbound load data from the database, and determine an optimal path based on the aggregated historical data. The optimal path, along with load attribute data, may be stored in the database as a tour template for future load executions. The computing device may use the tour templates to determine future load assignments to vehicles. The computing device may also obtain real-time load requests, and match them to one or more of a plurality of tour templates. The computing device may assign the matched real-time load requests to a vehicle for execution in accordance with the corresponding load and tour template.

At least some known systems and industries provide delivery services to their customers. For example, some companies in various industries provide the delivery of goods to their customers, such as the delivery of grocery items by grocers. In particular, the delivery of grocery items has increasingly become a method by which consumers obtain their grocery needs. To deliver goods, many of these companies employ delivery systems that include delivery vehicles. The delivery systems may include the scheduling and assignment of delivery orders to delivery vehicles. For example, a customer that purchases grocery items online may have the grocery items delivered to their home in a delivery vehicle.
These delivery vehicles, however, impose various costs on companies. For example, there are costs associated with purchasing or renting the vehicles, maintaining the vehicles, purchasing fuel for the vehicles, as well as employing drivers to drive the vehicles, just to name a few. In addition, delivery systems must determine delivery routes and schedules for delivery trucks to deliver goods. The scheduling of the delivery of goods may also include the assignment of the goods to delivery vehicles for delivery. A delivery truck may receive a load assignment, for example, that includes the delivery of multiple orders. In addition, delivery systems may determine delivery routes that the delivery vehicles may travel to deliver ordered goods. As the number of delivery orders increase, the determination of load assignments and delivery routes, along with delivery costs, may increase as well. As such, there are opportunities to improve delivery systems and, in particular, to improve load and route assignments in a goods delivery system.

Methods and apparatus for load and route assignments in a delivery system


A method and system for defect localization including (i) receiving a test structure that includes at least one conductor that is at least partially covered by an electro-optically active material; (ii) providing an electrical signal to the conductor, so as to charge at least a portion of the conductor; and (iii) imaging the test structure to locate a defect.

Test structures are fabricated in order to enhance defect detection and/or analysis of micro-fabrication manufacturing process. Test structures may be included in a variety of objects, such as but not limited to integrated circuits, masks (for fabricating integrated circuits, flat panel displays and the like), MEMS devices and the like. They may be located at various locations on these objects, such as in the integrated circuit die or in scribe lines on semiconductor wafers.
In many cases the size of a defect is much smaller than the size of the test structure and the second stage of locating the defect is time consuming, especially in the context of integrated circuit manufacturing, and failure analysis devices, such as Defect Review Scanning Electron Microscope (DR-SEM) that are utilized during said manufacturing process.
Usually, test structures include one, two or more electrical conductors that may be shaped in various manners, such as a comb, serpentine, nest, via chain and the like that are known in the art. A defective test structure may be characterized by hard defects (electrical short or electrical open, i.e. isolated) and soft defects (high resistance vias or shorts resulting from metal threads or stringers).
Various devices exist for defect detection and defect analysis. A tester can perform various electrical tests by connecting a probe card to a test structure. A typical probe card includes multiple pins and can perform complex electrical tests.
A defect localization system locates defects, usually after the tester finds defective test structures, and usually uses a small and simple prober. A prober has typically two needles, and being small, it is used for simple functions (such as resistance measurement). Due to its small size it does not substantially interfere with test structure imaging. Defect analysis devices usually mill defects or their vicinity.
Some prior art defect localization methods require to connect a tested wafer to a probe card and also to be inspected. These prior art methods can involve using an electrical beam, a laser beam, an infra-red beam and the like.
Various vendors offer testing devices that include probe cards. These vendors include, for example, Cascade Microtech Inc. of the United States, SV Probe of San Jose, Calif., and the like.
The following U.S. patents and patent applications provide a brief overview of state of the art probe cards: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,563,330 and 6,774,650 of Maruyama et al., titled "Probe card and method of testing wafer having a plurality of semiconductor devices"; U.S. Pat. No. 6,642,729 of Kang et al., titled "Probe card for tester head"; U.S. Pat. No. 6,714,828 of Eldridge et al., titled "Method and system for designing a probe card"; and U.S Pat. No. 6,788,082 of Hirao titled "probe card".
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art probe card 10. The round-shaped probe card 10 includes multiple pins (usually between thirty two pins and two hundred and fifty two pins) 20 that are located at small pins area 22 that is positioned at the center of probe card 10. These pins 20 are connected by multiple connectors 24 to large probe card pads 26. The large probe card pads 26 are located near the perimeter of the probe card 10. The multiple connectors 24 define an annular area 28 that is usually much larger than the pins area 22. The large probe card pads are contacted by connectors of a dedicated tester device that can read signals and provide signals via these pads.
FIG. 2 illustrates a typical test structure array 30. Test structure array 30 includes two columns of test structures (collectively denoted 34 and 134) and two columns of test structure pads (collectively denoted 32 and 132). Each test structure is connected to a small test structure pad that in turn is designed such to make contact with a pin out of multiple pins 20 of the probe card 10. The two columns of test structure pads 32 and 132 are located at the center of the test structure array 30.
During a defect localization process, the test structures should be scanned while the corresponding test structure pads should be connected to pins 20 in order to receive appropriate voltage.
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a probe card 10 of FIG. 1 that is connected to the test structure array 30 of FIG. 2. As can seen by FIG. 3, when the pins in pin area 22 are connected to the test structure pads 32 and/or 132 the probe card 10 blocks scanning beams, and thus prevents the imaging of relatively large areas of the test structure array 30 which are adjacent to the test structure pads.
There is a need to provide a probe card and a method for allowing efficient defect localization.

Probe card and a method for detecting defects using a probe card and an additional inspection


A method for displaying content displayed on one or more first devices on a second device is provided. The method includes receiving a request to display content currently displayed on a first device on a second device, the request including a gesture made on a screen of the first device, and pairing the first device to the second device. The method further includes transmitting instructions to the second device to display the content currently displayed on the first device, and transmitting the content currently displayed on the first device to the second device for display thereon.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods and systems for displaying content on multiple paired devices with a simple command.
2. Description of Related Art
As internet-capable devices become smaller and more portable, users increasingly have these internet-capable devices with them almost all of the time, even when at home. The internet-capable devices are with the users at the dinner table and in the family room. It is not an uncommon sight to see a user using such an internet-capable device while watching, or while others are watching, television. As televisions become larger and have more features, such as internet connectivity of their own, a user of an internet-capable device may strain to see the text and pictures displayed on the limited size of their internet-capable device, and desire to see the text and pictures displayed on the typically larger display of the television. Currently, if the television has internet connectivity, either natively or through a connected internet appliance, such as a Sony® PlayStation™ 3, a Microsoft® Xbox 360™, a Nintendo® Wii™, an AppleTV™ device, GoogleTV™ device, or a cable or satellite provider set top box, a user can navigate using a web browser executing either natively on the television or on the internet appliance to view the same pictures and text that were displayed on the user's internet-capable device. However, depending on the sophistication of input options available for the television or internet appliance, this may take time and require undue effort from the user. Alternatively, a user may be able to use a wired connection between the internet-capable device and the television to display the text, pictures, and other content displayed on the internet-capable device on the television. Again, this requires that the internet-capable device be capable of outputting a signal to the television, the television must be capable of receiving an input signal from the internet-capable device and, if there are multiple components involved, this process can further require changing television, receiver, DVR, and other settings, and/or plugging and unplugging of various cables.
What is needed is a simple, fast, and effective way to display the text, pictures, and other content displayed on an internet-enabled device onto a television requiring minimal effort and setup by the user.

Methods and systems for displaying content on multiple networked devices with a simple command


A ski binding including a body having a jaw for retaining a boot upon a ski. The binding includes an energization mechanism for elastically biasing the jaw toward a retention position and for enabling the jaw to move to a release position in response to a force being exerted by the boot greater than a release threshold force. The energization mechanism includes a spring and an adjustment device functionally associated with the spring, the adjustment device including an adjustment screw for adjusting the amount of force by which the energization mechanism biases the jaw, thereby affecting the value of the release threshold force. The adjustment screw extends along an axis which is distinct from the axis of the spring, whereby the head of the adjustment screw recessed within the body of the binding and is thereby positioned in a manner to protect it from being inadvertently hit and thereby inadvertently moved from a predetermined setting. Additionally, the configuration of the adjustment screw and spring of the binding reduces the somewhat longitudinal cumbersomeness that it otherwise would have.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a safety binding for a ski.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
Ski bindings generally include a body mounted on a ski which supports a jaw for retention of the boot thereon. The body of such a binding, whether it is a "toe binding" maintaining the front of the boot, or a "heel binding" maintaining the rear of the boot, contains an energization mechanism acting on the retention jaw in a manner so as to prevent the opening of the jaw except when the force exerted on it by the boot exceeds the value of a predetermined release threshold. The opening of the jaw which results from exceeding this threshold of force is translated by the release of the safety binding in the lateral direction, if it is a torsional bias, or in the vertical direction, if it is the result of a frontward or rearward fall.
The energization mechanisms of the known safety bindings include a generally longitudinally extending spring which is prestressed between a support surface affixed to the body of the binding and a movable element of the energization mechanism, which transmits the force of the energization spring to the jaw. These safety bindings include means for adjustment of their "stiffness", i.e., of the release threshold at which the opening of the retention jaw of the boot occurs. These adjustment means generally include a screw which controls the degree of prestress of the energization spring, by controlling the displacement of the surface connected to the body on which the "fixed" end of the spring rests, i.e., that which is opposite to the "movable" end of the spring through which it exerts its force in the direction of the retention jaw.
In presently known safety bindings, the adjustment screw for varying the stiffness of the binding extends coaxially with the energization spring and its head appear in the axis of the spring at the front end of the body of the binding, when it is a toe binding, and at the rear end of the body of the binding, when it is a heel binding. This type of construction has the major disadvantage that the body of the binding is relatively long since it must contain, successively, in the longitudinal direction, the energization spring, the threaded portion of the adjustment screw, and the head of the adjustment screw. Furthermore, so as to be able to be accessible from the exterior, the head of the adjustment screw generally projects from the body of the binding and, as a result, it is exposed to accidental kicks and hits which can unscrew the adjustment screw from its setting. Furthermore, in the case of a safety binding in which the energization means of the jaw utilizes a tie rod, the end of the spring which is on the interior of the binding is fixed, while its exterior end, i.e., its front end for a front binding, is movable with the jaw. With such a binding, the adjustment screw, or a plug supporting the screw, is also movable with the jaw and there is thus a problem of sealing against dirt and snow between the adjustment screw and the body of the binding.


Device for packaging and applying a liquid composition comprising solid particles that are sensitive to a magnetic field, comprising a container intended to contain the composition; an applicator that is able to be mounted on the container and comprises a stem and an applicator head secured to the stem, the stem and the head being designed to be inserted into the container when the applicator is mounted on the container; and a stem cleaning member disposed in the container. The stem comprises a magnetic part that is able to generate a magnetic field suitable for attracting and keeping some of the solid particles on the stem, in a rest position, the magnetic part extending over a part of a region of the stem that extends between the head and the cleaning member when the applicator is mounted on the container.

In the field of cosmetic devices, there are known devices of this type in which the liquid cosmetic composition comprises a liquid phase and solid particles such as pearlescent agents that may or may not be responsive to a magnetic field, the cosmetic composition being intended to be applied to the eyelashes, lips, nails, hair, or skin of a user.
Generally, when the solid particles are responsive to a magnetic field, then the applicator comprises a magnetic applicator head to enable better loading of the applicator head and/or to orient the solid particles to provide optical effects when the composition is applied, as described for example in patent FR 2,947,432 A1 in the name of the Applicant. Other devices comprise a magnet separate from the applicator as the magnetic part, used immediately after application of the composition to create patterns by orienting the solid particles via the effect of the magnetic field of the magnet, as described for example in patent FR 2,876,011 A1.
The case of solid particles that are not responsive to a magnetic field is more common, as this concerns a very large number of cosmetic formulations. It is widely known to use solid particles in a more or less viscous liquid composition which sometimes forms a paste, as with most mascaras for example. These solid particles are generally called "fillers" and they range from pearlescent agents to pigments, including some natural or synthetic fibers that are used to obtain various well-known effects.
However, the use of these solid particles, which may or may not be responsive to a magnetic field, encounters recurring and related technical issues concerning the maximum possible concentration of solid particles in a given composition, the possibility of being able to deposit the composition on a surface, as well as the drying out of such compositions which are typically relatively viscous and therefore particularly sensitive to this latter phenomenon.
Such compositions generally comprise at most about 10 to 15% (by weight) of solid particles. Beyond that, it becomes difficult to disperse them in a composition in a stable and homogeneous manner and to spread the composition on a surface, whether by hand or in the more difficult case by applicator where the applicator head must be sufficiently loaded with product.
In practice, if one wants to have a homogeneous composition comprising solid particles that remain stable because they have very little or no mobility in the composition and/or if one wants to use a higher concentration of solid particles, it must be possible to increase the viscosity of the composition.
To do so, thickeners are generally added to try to obtain the desired viscosity for a given composition.
If the viscosity of the composition is not correctly adjusted, clumps of solid particles will form when it is too high or the particles will settle to the bottom of the container when it is too low. If the formula is too thick, it becomes difficult to load the applicator head and spread the product. It is well known to consumers of cosmetics, particularly mascara, that it soon becomes necessary to use the applicator, particularly the stem and the applicator head, as an agitator the user moves back and forth within the container to render the composition more fluid for loading onto the applicator head. This practice is not without impact on the properties of the composition because it dries more quickly when in contact with the air, which causes its viscosity to increase more rapidly.
With use, it thus becomes more and more difficult, and eventually impossible, to maintain an optimal load of product containing solid particles on the applicator head. In the case of mascara, a significant percentage of the originally provided product becomes unusable and therefore lost.


A leafy plant trimmer that is operable by a single person has a basket that is rotated in relation to a stationary sling in order to trim plants placed within the basket. The basket and the sling are housed within a trimmer body that is pivotally connected to a pivot stand. The trimmer body can be rotated between a product loading position for filling the basket and an in-use position for trimming the plants within the basket. A motor housed in the trimmer body spins the basket through a drive shaft. The motor is electrically connected to a timer such that the trimmer can be operated at designated time intervals. Trimmings are expelled from the trimmer body through a debris hole and collected below. A first receptacle attachment and a second receptacle attachment are positioned below the trimmer body and allow a receptacle to be positioned for collecting the trimmings.

It is often necessary for plants to be trimmed once they have been harvested. Trimming can be performed for any number of reasons and is often done by hand. When hand trimming is performed it is often done at the time the plant is cut down, also known as wet trimming. Wet trimming is preferred when trimming by hand as it is easier to cut and handle the plant. Trimming that is performed by hand often takes a great deal of time especially when dealing with large and frequent harvests. Thus, some machines have been designed that allow leafy plants to be trimmed while dry. However, these machines are large and require multiple people to load and operate the machine.
Therefore it is the object of the present invention to provide a machine used to trim leafy plants that can be operated by a single person. The trimmer body of the present invention is mounted to a pivot stand that allows the trimmer body to rotate three hundred and sixty degrees. In this way the trimmer can be easily rotated to a loading position, an in use position and a product removal position by a single person. The present invention also features a sling with angled cuts that creates a pulling action with the spinning basket and in turn trims the desired product. The sling is positioned further away from the basket towards the bottom such that the leaves of the product may fall into the gap between the sling and the basket. The sling is positioned closer to the basket towards the sides such that the leaves are pinched between the sling and the basket and pulled off. Adjustment knobs are used to adjust the sling height and in turn control the level of trim. Additionally, the present invention features a timer such that it can be set to run for a predetermined amount of time.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A display device is disclosed, which includes: a pixel group including a first pixel having a red sub-pixel and a blue sub-pixel; a second pixel having a green sub-pixel and a blue sub-pixel; a third pixel having a green sub-pixel and a blue sub-pixel; and a fourth pixel having a red sub-pixel and a blue sub-pixel. The first pixel is adjacent to the second pixel in a row direction. The first pixel is adjacent to the second pixel in a column direction. The fourth pixel is diagonal to the first pixel, and the fourth pixel is adjacent to the second pixel and the third pixel. In the pixel group, the blue sub-pixels are quantitatively more than the red sub-pixels, and the blue sub-pixels are quantitatively more than the green sub-pixels.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to display devices, and more particularly to an organic light-emitting diode display device wherein red, green and blue sub-pixels are arranged in a novel manner.
2. Description of Related Art
With the development of technology related to display panels, the requirements for image fineness of display panels are more and more demanding, and this drives almost all dealers to advance their existing display panels. Particularly, the growth of 4K2K panels and hand-held display devices with high PPI (pixels per inch) resolution, such as mobile phones, tablets, etc., further confirms the trend in the panel industry toward even higher resolution, which means more pixels have to be packed into a unit area.
Organic light-emitting diode display devices have been popular in various electronic devices having a display screen, such as displays, mobile phones, laptops, video cameras, still cameras, music players, mobile navigators, TV sets and so on.
For making an organic light-emitting diode display device capable of emitting red light, green light and blue light, organic materials associated with different light colors are deposited on a substrate through evaporation. In such an evaporation process, a metal mask is used to comprise sub-pixels of different colors, and a fine metal mask (FMM) is particularly critical to evaporation for making display devices of high PPI resolution. However, manufacturing of a fine metal mask can be costly, and is a factor having key impact on the overall manufacturing costs of organic light-emitting diode display devices.
Apart from the above, in an organic light-emitting diode display device capable of emitting red light, green light and blue light, the organic material responsible for blue light has relatively low luminous efficiency and short service life, and this degrades the overall display quality of the organic light-emitting diode display device.
in view of this, there is a need for a novel organic light-emitting diode display device that requires less manufacturing costs and provides better display quality as desired by consumers.


Embodiments relate to a photonic component having a metasurface. The metasurface includes a substrate with a thin-layer of meta-atoms disposed thereon. The photonic component includes a waveguide having a top surface, wherein the metasurface is disposed on at least a portion of the top surface such that the meta-atoms form an array on the top surface. The photonic component includes a sandwich nano-bar antenna formed in or on the metasurface.

To fully exploit the benefits of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) in free-space applications, it is desirable to have an interface that can flexibly control light when it converts between guided and free-space modes. Conventional systems tend to rely on edge couplers and surface gratings for such purposes, but these have limited functionalities and do not provide complete control over light. Metasurfaces are known to provide controllability to the free-space light propagation; however, conventional systems drive metasurfaces by free-space light (e.g., edge couplers, surface gratings, etc.) to generate different free-space functions (e.g., orbital angular momentum beams, light focusing, holograms, etc.). This makes it difficult to integrate light sources on a chip.

Molding free-space light with guided-wave-driven metasurfaces


A light emitting diode (LED) includes a LED chip, which can transfer electrical power to electric-magnetic wave. A set of lead frame is enclosed by electrical isolator material to form a cavity. An optics lens seats on top of the cavity and is bonded to said electrical isolator material. A submount to carry said LED chip is soldered or adhered to the lead frame and forms the electrical contact from said LED chip to lead frame. A high transparency material is utilized to enclosed the LED chip.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to light emitting diodes (LED), particularly to the packaging of LED for low thermal resistance.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
A traditional LED package is shown in FIG. 1. A LED chip 10 is mounted in a recess of a lead frame 11. The recess reflects the light emitted from the LED chip 10. The LED 10 is wire bonded with a gold wire or an aluminum wire 14 to another lead frame 11 to serve as a second terminal for the LED 10. The LED 10 is coated with transparent glue, leaving only the leads exposed for external connection. Such a LED package is widely used for traffic signal lights, signal lights in a car, and indicators in an electronic production line.
Another prior art is shown in FIG. 2. A LED chip 10 is mounted on a printed circuit board 13, and is wire bonded with gold or aluminum wire 14 to surface contact leads of the printed circuit board. The structure is covered with transparent glue 12. Phosphorescent powder may be added to the glue to produce white light.
The forgoing structures have the shortcoming that the chip is coupled with bonded wires. Such bonding wires all have some degree of pliancy and strength, and widely used for semiconductor packaging. Due to the high price of gold, the cost is substantial in production. In consideration of the area and light transmission, the bonding wire is usually limited to 0.8 to 1.5 mils in diameter. The stress, which such wires can withstand, is limited, especially for the currently popular lead-free solder bonding. The stress produced by the lead-free solder bonding causes higher temperature at the bond, which, in turn, may cause breakage. It is therefore desirable to eliminate the use of bonding wire.
These two structures all have the drawback that the thermal resistance is excessive. Since the chip is a source of heat. When heating sinking is inadequate, the LED chip temperature rises, shortens the life of the LED, reduces the brightness of the light, and even causes the light source to be ineffective. Therefore, the heat removal or heat sinking of the LED is an important consideration for the LED package.
In general, the heat sinking property of a LED package is determined by its thermal resistance. Since the heat source of the package is solely from the LED chip, we often use the path from the P-N junction of the LED to the package lead to define the thermal resistance RθJ−P. It is the thermal resistance from the junction to the lead pin. Mathematically,RθJ−P=(TJ−TP)/Qwhere TJ is the light emitting diode junction temperature,                TP is the lead line temperature,        Q is the heat flux.Since the light emitting diode chip is the sole source of heat generation, and only a negligible amount of this energy is radiated as electromagnetic waves, the bulk of the energy is transformed into heat. Thus the thermal-resistance formula can be rewritten as:RθJ−P=(TJ−TP)/(If*Vf)where If is the operating current of the LED and Vf is the operating voltage. Since the pin temperature is determined by the ambient temperature of the system and is not affected by the heat sinking property of the LED, one can see from the foregoing formula that the junction temperature increases with increasing thermal resistance.
From the standpoint of conduction heat transfer, the thermal resistance can be expressed as:Rθ=L/(K×A),where L is the length of the heat conduction path, K is the thermal conductivity coefficient, and A is cross-sectional area of the heat conduction path.
Thus, we can see that the longer the heat conduction path, the smaller the cross-sectional area and lower the thermal conductivity coefficient, the higher is the thermal resistance. Therefore, for low thermal resistance design, it is important to shorten the heat conduction path, to increase its cross-sectional area and to select a material with high thermal conductivity coefficient.
The foregoing two prior art LED packages essentially dissipate the heat through the lead frame or the printed circuit board. The printed circuit board shown in prior art FIG. 2 is made of plastic material, which has a very low thermal conductivity coefficient, and is incapable of dissipating heat. The printed copper wire on the circuit board has only a thickness of tens and hundreds um with small cross-sectional area Hence, the thermal resistance is very high, ranging 500-1000 K°/Watt. When the energy is high, the LED can easily be overheated. For the prior art described in FIG. 1, the heat path through the support frame of copper or iron. Although the heat conductivity coefficient is good, the cross-sectional area is still very small, ranging 150-250 K°/W. Thus the load current can only be approximately 30 mA.
To remedy this problem, other approaches have been suggested. FIG. 3 shows a design with enlarged pins to reduce the thermal resistance However, the conduction path is long and can only achieve a thermal resistance of 50-75 K °/W.
Another invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,274,924 and shown in FIG. 4. A set of lead frame 21) is imbedded in an insulating mold 15. Inside the mold 15 is a conduit which has an enlarged flange 16 serving a heat sink. The LED chip 10 is mounted on a submount 17 which is attached to the heat sink, serving as buffer for different expansion coefficients between the chip and the flange 16. The top electrodes of the LED are wire bonded to the lead frame. The heat sink reduces the heat conduction path and enlarges the cross-sectional area to reduce the thermal resistance to 10-15 K °/W. However, from a production stand point, the additional heat sink increases the production processing step and the height of the package. Another problem is that when large LED chips are used, the packaging area need to be increased. An increase in packaging area increases the stress caused by different expansion coefficients, and the danger of breaking the bonding wire also increases.

Low thermal resistance light emitting diode


A method for etching or removing polymers, photoresists, and organic contaminants from a substrate is disclosed. The method includes creating a more reactive gas species by producing a plasma discharge in a reactive gas such as oxygen and contacting the resulting gas species with a sacrificial solid organic material (13A) such as polyethylene or poly(vinyl fluoride), producing a highly reactive gas species, which in turn etches the starting polymer, organic contaminant, or photoresist (13). The sample to be etched is located away from the plasma glow discharge region (11) so as to avoid damaging the substrate by exposure to high-energy particles and electric fields encountered in that region. Greatly increased etching rates are obtained. This method is highly effective for etching polymers such as polyimides and photoresists that are otherwise difficult or slow to etch downstream from an electric discharge in a reactive gas.

Many applications exist for improved methods for removing polymers and other organic materials from substrates. For example, certain steps in the fabrication of semiconductor devices require etching of photoresists and cleaning of residual organic materials from surfaces. Many photoresists are based on polymers that have a large activation energy for etching reactions and thus are difficult to etch. Previously used dry etching methods for removing such materials have been characterized by various disadvantages and limitations including requirements for extreme and damaging reactive conditions, use of hazardous reactants and/or high temperatures, slow reactions and adverse loading effect.
One commonly used etching or thinning procedure for polymers or photoresists involves placing the sample to be etched directly in a plasma discharge. While such a procedure provides for effective etching, it presents a disadvantage in that the sample is exposed to highly energetic ions, electrons, photons and electric fields which can result in substrate damage, especially if the substrate is a semiconductor or integrated circuit. Electrostatic breakdown causing significant damage to semiconductor devices has been observed under the harsh conditions encountered in direct exposure to a plasma during photoresist stripping.
Another approach to etching or stripping of photoresists, which avoids the damaging direct exposure of the sample to the plasma, has been to establish a plasma discharge in one region of a reaction vessel, thus producing a reactive gas species in that region, with the sample being placed in a second region away from the plasma discharge. This type of process, known as downstream or afterglow etching, is exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,368,092, Steinberg et al. and 4,554,047, Cook et al. Reaction rates obtained by this means are slow for difficult-to-etch polymers, and both of the cited patents require the use a hazardous reactant gas mixture, CF.sub.4 and O.sub.2, to enhance etch rates.
An etching process which makes use of a solid polymeric material as a source of reactive gas species is disclosed by Ahn et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,243,476. The solid material when struck by an ion beam releases reactive gases, which in turn react with and etch a sample. Various hydrocarbons and halogenated hydrocarbon polymers are disclosed for use as a solid material source, with halogenated polymers that release a highly reactive halogen-containing species being emphasized. While this process may result in enhanced etching rates, the solid material from which the reactive gas is obtained is located in the vicinity of the sample substrates so that both are subjected to bombardment by highly energetic ions. As pointed out above, direct exposure of a substrate to such conditions can result in substrate damage.
In addition to providing faster etching rates while avoiding conditions that may result in substrate damage, it is desired to avoid adverse results of the loading effect as described in the prior art. W. S. Ruska discloses in Microelectronic Processing: An Introduction to the Manufacture of Integrated Circuits, published by the MacGraw-Hill Company of New York, N.Y., in 1987, which is incorporated herein by reference, many aspects of processes to produce integrated circuits. Specifically, in Chapter 6, "Etching," Ruska discloses a number of specific reaction conditions to obtain etching. On page 221, he specifically discusses the loading effect of the etching process, as follows:
"One further complication of plasma etching is the loading effect. The rates of many reactions are found to depend on the area (A below) of substrate being etched: a greater exposed area to be etched slows the reaction. This results from depletion of the reactive species from the plasma by the etching reaction. Consider an etch rate, with rate constant k dependent on a reactive species with a lifetime in the plasma .tau. and a volume generation rate (e.g. in molecules per liter.sup.-1 sec.sup.-1) G. Subject to some very plausible assumptions, the etch rate can be written as ##EQU1## where r is the etch rate, A is the area of material being etched and K is a constant determined by the reaction and the reactor geometry. It follows that r depends on A if the product of reaction rate, K, and lifetime .tau. becomes sufficiently large. A loading effect can be avoided by choosing a chemistry with a slow reaction rate or a short species lifetime. This, however, results in a decrease in the maximum etch rate, given by K.tau. G unless the species generation rate G can be made correspondingly large. The result is an unavoidable tradeoff between reaction rate and loading effect. PA1 "Loading effect is intrinsically undesirable and becomes especially troublesome when good end-point control is crucial. As the etching process becomes almost complete, the area being etched decreases rapidly toward zero. If there is a substantial loading effect, the etch rate rises rapidly, resulting in a runaway etching of the remaining volume. If the reaction possesses any isotropy, the result can be excessive undercutting caused by fast etching of the small exposed area at the sides of the cuts."
The loading effect is also disclosed in the above-cited Cook et al. patent which is concerned with avoiding the effect by control of certain process and reactor features differing in many respects from the present invention. The loading effect mentioned in the prior art has been characterized by a decrease in sample etch rate with increased reactor loading.
Prior art processes are further exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,412,119, Komatsu et al.; 3,692,655, Vossen Jr.; and 4,612,099, Tanno et al. These patents are concerned, respectively, with plasma etching of a sample within the plasma, radio frequency sputter etching, and reactive ion etching, all of them employing features that differ widely from the present invention.

Etching method for photoresists or polymers

The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration


A method is provided for the preparation of ibuprofen by carbonylating 1-(4'-isobutylphenyl)ethanol (IBPE) with carbon monoxide in an acidic aqueous medium, e.g. containing at least 10% of water based on the weight of IBPE initially added, at a temperature of at least about 10.degree. C. and a carbon monoxide pressure of at least about 500 psig, and in the presence of (1) a catalyst complex consisting essentially of a palladium compound in which the palladium has a valence of zero to 2 and is complexed with at least one monodentate phosphine ligand miscible with the organic phase of the reaction medium, the phosphorus/palladium mole ratio in said palladium compound and ligand being at least about 2:1 when the palladium/IBPE mole ratio is such that palladium=1 and IBPE=10,000 or more; (2) dissociated hydrogen ions from an acid which is substantially completely ionizable in dilute aqueous solution such that the mole ratio of hydrogen ions to IBPE added to the reaction zone is at least about 0.15; and, (3) dissociated halide ions such that the mole ratio of halide ions to IBPE added to the reaction zone is at least about 0.15. Advantageously, a hydrogen halide is the source of hydrogen ions and halide ions. The carbonylation is preferably integrated with a method of producing IBPE from isobutylbenzene wherein the latter compound is subjected to Friedel-Crafts reaction with an acetylating agent to produce 4-isobutylacetophenone, which is then reduced with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst, or with a reducing agent containing available hydrogen, to obtain IBPE. The palladium catalyst complex can be precipitated from an organic phase of the carbonylation reaction which typically includes the ibuprofen product. The precipitated catalyst complex can be recycled without further treatment.

Ibuprofen is a well-known nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug which has been converted from ethical, i.e., prescription, to over-the-counter status. Various processes are known for the production of ibuprofen starting with 4-isobutylacetophenone. Thus, for example, British Patent No. 971,700 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 3,385,886, both assigned to Boots Company, PLC, show the production of arenealkane derivatives such as ibuprofen in which the first step of the process is the reaction of a arenealkane with acetyl chloride in the presence of aluminum chloride to produce an alkylacetophenone which is then subjected to any of various series of subsequent reactions to produce the desired derivative.
.alpha.-arylpropionic acids, in general, have been formed by the carbonylation of the respective arylethyl alcohol. For example, Japanese Kokai Patent No. SHO 55 [1980]-27147, published Feb. 27, 1980 and assigned to Mitsubishi Petrochemical Co., discloses the formation of ibuprofen by reacting 1-(4'-isobutylphenyl)ethanol with carbon monoxide and water in the presence of a hydrogen fluoride catalyst. Japanese Kokai Patent No. SHO 59 [1984]-95238, published June 1, 1984 and assigned to Mitsubishi Petrochemical Co., teaches the formation of alpha-aryl-sutstituted propionic acids, where the aryl group may be a phenyl group containing at least one alkoxy, aryloxy, hydroxy, or amino group as an electron-donor substituent, by reacting a benzyl alcohol derivative, which may be an .alpha.-aryl substituted ethanol wherein the aryl group is the same as in the phenylacetic acid derivative product, with carbon monoxide and water, alcohol, or phenol, in the presence of a palladium catalyst. An acidic compound such as hydrogen chloride may be added as an auxiliary catalyst and a solvent such as benzene may also be used. The disclosure includes a comparative example in which ibuprofen (not included within the invention) is obtained in very low yield, i.e., 17.1%, when made utilizing the described process. Japanese Kokai Patent No. SHO 59 [1984]-95239, published June 1, 1984 and assigned to Mitsubishi Petrochemical Co., discloses the formation of .alpha.-(6-methoxy-2-naphthyl)propionic acid by reacting .alpha.-(6-methoxy-2-naphthyl)ethyl alcohol with carbon monoxide and water in the presence of a palladium catalyst and an acidic compound, e.g., hydrogen chloride. The patent publication also states that if a non-halogen-containing acidic compound is used, it is desirable to add an ionizable metal halide to the reaction.
Japanese Kokuku Patent No. SHO 56 [1981]-35659, published Sept. 4, 1978 and assigned to Ferrel International Societe Annonim, discloses an anhydrous method of producing a 2-(4'-isobutylphenyl)propionic acid ester by treating 1-(4'-isobutylphenyl)ethanol (IBPE) with carbon monoxide in a solution containing an alkanol and a catalyst such as palladium bis(triphenylphosphine) dichloro complex. The solution may also contain up to 10% of a mineral acid such as hydrogen chloride.
British Patent 1,565,235, assigned to Mitsubishi Petrochemical Co. discloses a process for producing alpha-arylpropionic acids which have an anti-inflammatory, analgesic or antipyretic effect. The process comprises reacting an arylethylene with carbon monoxide under pressure in the presence of a carbonylation catalyst and in the presence of water and/or a lower alcohol to carbonylate the arylethylene to produce the alpha-aryl propionic acid. The starting materials for the arylethylenes can be prepared such as by the dehydration of arylethyl alcohols or by the dehydrohalogenation of arylethyl halides. The arylethylenes can be purified by means of a single distillation or recrystallization to obtain the products with a sufficiently high purity to be used as the starting material for the subsequent carbonylation step.
Baddely et al., Journal of the Chemical Society, 4943-4945 [1956], discloses on page 4945 the preparation of 4-isobutylacetophenone by the Friedel-Crafts acetylation of isobutylbenzene with acetyl chloride using aluminum chloride as catalyst.
Japanese Patent Publication (Early Disclosure) No. 60 [1985]-188,643, discloses the preparation of p-isobutylacetophenone by the ac.RTM.tylation of isobutylbenzene using as an acetylating agent acetyl fluoride prepared by reacting acetic anhydride with hydrogen fluoride as a catalyst, or a combination of hydrogen fluoride and boron trifluoride as a catalyst.


A method which provides for handling misplaced transaction documents in an image based transaction processing system which performs transaction balancing. A preferred form of the method provides for displaying out-of-balance transactions such that transaction debit and credit data are displayed along with one or more document images. Using this transaction display, it is determined whether a transaction includes a misplaced document which does not belong, or whether a document is missing from the transaction. If a transaction is found to include a document which does not belong, data corresponding to the document is stored in a free item store. If a transaction is found to have a missing document, the free item store is accessed and one or more documents therefrom are displayed to permit determining whether any of these candidates correspond to the missing document.

The present invention relates generally to improved means and methods for processing documents using electronic imaging, and more particularly, to the use of electronic imaging for processing financial documents, such as checks and related documents in a banking environment.
Today's financial services industry is facing the immense challenge of processing huge amounts of documents efficiently. Predictions that document payment methods would decline have not been realized. In fact, document payment methods have grown worldwide and are expected to continue increasing. There is thus a vital need to devise improved means and methods for processing such documents.
The use of imaging technology as an aid to document processing has been recognized as one way of significantly improving document processing, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,205,780, 4,264,808, and 4,672,186. Generally, imaging involves optically scanning documents to produce electronic images that are processed electronically and stored on high capacity storage media (such as magnetic disc drives and/or optical memory) for later retrieval and display. It is apparent that document imaging provides the opportunity to reduce document handling and movement, since these electronic images can be used in place of the actual documents.
However, despite technological advances in imaging in recent years, prior art document processing systems employing imaging, such as disclosed in the aforementioned patents, do not realized sufficient improvements to justify the added implementations costs.

Image-based document processing system providing enhanced transaction balancing


In the case of a closure for connecting two straps of an item of clothing, in particular the wing end portions of the back band of a bra, on one of which is arranged an overall female closure part, there is provided a plurality of female closure elements that form at least one row, and on the other of which is arranged an overall male closure part, which includes at least two male closure elements that can be moved into force-fitting/form-fitting engagement with female closure elements from one row of the female closure part. The closure elements are arranged in each case on a preferably textile base strip, which is rectangular in basic form, acts as a carrier and serves for fastening the respective closure parts on their associated band wing ends, which overlap in their end regions in the closed configuration.

A closure can connect two straps of an item of clothing, in particular the wing end portions of the back band of a bra, on one of which is arranged an overall female closure part that includes a plurality of female closure elements arranged in rows, and on the other of which is arranged an overall male closure part that includes at least two male closure elements that can be moved into force-fitting/form-fitting engagement with female closure elements from one row of the female closure part. In this case the closure elements are arranged in each case on a textile base strip, which in basic form is rectangular, acts as a carrier and serves for fastening the respective closure elements on their associated band wing ends, which overlap in their end regions in the closed configuration.
These types of closures are known, for example, by WO 2010/046488 (US 2010/0101058).
In the case of the known closures, the male and female closure elements are realized as plastics material parts that, in each case, are arranged on the one side of their associated textile material web, which forms the contact layer of the back band of the bra arranged on the body of the wearer, and are held on the textile web by way of counter pieces that are arranged on the respective oppositely situated side of the associated textile web, wherein the closure elements are welded together with the counter pieces, which have points that penetrate through the material web, wherein the points form bridges between the parts that are welded together, the bridges passing through the textile webs. One type of manufacture of the female and male closure elements that is also possible and provided is in such a manner that they are produced in a single injection molding operation on the textile webs that support them, i.e. they are not welded on next to each other, but are produced, as it were, right from the beginning as an integral part.
In the case of these types of closures that are intended for corsetry, as a rule it is desirable to develop the closure region, in which, for example, the wing ends of the back band of a bra abut against each other, in as unobtrusive a manner as possible. It is currently not possible to use the same textile fabric that also forms the visible side of the respective back band for the textile covering of the closure elements, as for this purpose edge regions of the band supporting the closure elements are folded around the back band of the bra and are sewn to the back band. This method of operation, which implies numerous operations, is awkward and also results in the closure having a relatively large thickness in the overlap region of the male and female closure parts, which also disturbs the overall visual impression. This applies at least when the bra is worn so as to be visible, as is the case, for example, with a swimsuit. But also whenever the bra is worn as an undergarment, i.e. underneath an item of outer clothing, the increased thickness in the closure region on the visible side of the item of outer clothing can cause bulges that impair the visual impression.

Closure for connecting straps of a garment


Blended gasolines are produced by the mixing of a butane-pentane rich component, a natural gasoline component, and a toluene component. The mix is weathered during the blending operation to remove light-weight hydrocarbons comprising two, three and four-carbon components. The light-weight hydrocarbons, which preferably constitute less than 3 percent of the blended gasoline, can be recovered to generate power to run the process. The liquid gasoline mixture is formulated to produce a desired octane rating, an environmentally acceptable vapor pressure, and a mix which, when burned in an internal combustion engine, produces a minimum amount of pollutants.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to gasolines, and more particularly to blended gasolines.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Petroleum reserves are decreasing, and the cost of locating and recovering new liquid gasoline reserves is increasing. Large amounts of low-weight hydrocarbon components and natural gasoline are available, but have not been extensively utilized as fuels for motor vehicles and other internal combustion engines. This is despite the relatively low cost of these fuels. These fuels have a high vapor pressure at standard temperatures and pressures, and accordingly, vapor losses to the atmosphere by open-container storage are environmentally unacceptable. These fuels are more difficult to store and to dispense than currently available gasolines, and would require modification of standard liquid gasoline burning vehicles.