Packaging of biodegradable material comprising a retractable pouring spout corresponding to a trapezoidal opening in the central region of one wall of the packaging. The large base of the opening is located on the side of the upper corners of the packaging. The retractable pouring spout is assembled from an external trapezoidal shape (19) corresponding to the opening and an internal assembly (24, 37) having a narrowed central portion (26) about which two lateral wings (25a, 25b) are articulated by lines (26a, 26b) oriented in the opposite direction from the sides (13, 15) of the trapezoidal shape (19). As a result, the wings (25a, 25b) have clearance with the sides (13, 15) of the trapezoidal opening (19), and the opening of the pouring spout takes place without friction of the lateral wings against the sides of the trapezoidal opening.

The invention relates to a packaging of pliable biodegradable material, particularly cardboard, provided with a pouring spout.
Packages used particularly for handling consumable granular or pulverulent products such as for example: flour, sugar, rice, must be at the same time easy to use, low in cost and hermetically sealable.
There exists packaging comprising in the central region of one wall a substantially rectangular retractable pouring spout, of metal or a rigid material separate from the material of the packaging. This packaging is satisfactory but has the following drawbacks: on the one hand, during recycling of used packaging, the pouring spouts of rigid material cannot be recycled at the same time as the packaging of pliable material; on the other hand, when the packaging of biodegradable material is not recycled, the non-biodegradable pouring spouts constitute a source of pollution of the environment.
But when rectangular pouring spouts are made of cardboard, the resistance to crushing of the packaging decreases substantially because the pouring spout is not of a rigid material and does not contribute to the stability of the packaging.
The documents DE 38 32 544 C1 and DE-GM 74 12129 seek to overcome the reduction of resistance to crushing by connecting the rectangular pouring spout to the corners of the packaging. These solutions however dictate the positioning of the pouring spout or its dimensions and do not permit obtaining resistance to crushing upon piling of the packages to great heights, with a simple design and economical manufacture.
The document FR 2.106.720 describes a box for packaging of cardboard comprising an opening for sampling which can be closed by a pivotal closure flap forming in open position a pouring spout. The flap comprises a closure portion and two tongues pivoting about corresponding lines of articulation.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 3,586,910 describes a box comprising a retractable cardboard pouring spout on a wall of the box. This pouring spout has in its open position the shape of a small channel sliding on the corresponding edges of the opening; this pouring spout is not adapted to pouring powders or flour susceptible of flowing over the edges of the channel.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,781 describes a packaging box comprising a pouring spout of folded-back cardboard provided with a grasping tongue: the elasticity of the folds of this pouring spout gives rise to imperfect closure of the pouring spout and a loss of hermetic seal.

Biodegradable packaging with pouring spout


An anchoring clip system that includes an anchoring clip that has a top flange portion and a base flange that can be connect to a substructure, and a cap member designed to be inserted over a portion of the roof panels so as to secure the roof panels to the anchoring clip. The anchoring clip system can optionally be designed to allow for fluid flow through or on one or more components of the anchoring clip system. The anchoring clip system can optionally include a locking crown that improves the wind uplift resistance of the panels.

Wind uplift is an important consideration in the design of roofing systems, especially panel roof systems. Several areas on a roofing surface can have distinct wind uplift requirements as compared to other areas on a roof system. For instance, the corner regions and edge regions of roofing systems are generally exposed to greater wind uplift forces than other regions of a roofing surface; however, this is not always the situation. Likewise, snow accumulation on the roof surface is most often not uniform, resulting in greater roof loads at eave edges, valleys, and headwall conditions; however, this is not always the situation.
Several types of anchoring systems have been designed to address the wind uplift requirements of paneled roofing systems. One such anchoring system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,684, which is incorporated herein by reference. The '684 patent discloses a panel system for joining adjacent panels which uses a plurality of spaced-apart bent metal clips that are aligned along the standing wall portions of adjacent panels to affix the panels to a building substructure. The '684 patent discloses that first and second panels that include flanges are connected together by a specially designed anchoring clip. The base of the anchoring clip includes a pair of spaced apart raised portions and an opening in the base that is positioned between the raised portions. The anchoring clip includes a wall that has a lip extending therefrom. The upper surface of the lip and the raised portions are disclosed as lying in substantially the same plane. The top of the wall includes a plurality of tabs or projections that lie in a plane substantially parallel with the bottom of the base of the anchoring clip. The anchoring clips are designed to be connected at a spaced apart relation to one another on a sub-structure. The tabs or projections on the top of the wall of the anchoring clip are inserted into a groove in the flange portion of adjacently positioned roofing panels. A batten cap or cover is then snapped over the grooved portion of the roof panels so as to secure the ends of the roof panels to the anchoring clip.
Another type of anchoring system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,045, which is incorporated herein by reference. This anchoring system is disclosed as being an improvement over the anchoring system as disclosed in the '684 patent. The '045 patent discloses that the roof panels that are used with the anchoring system include a horizontal channel section bounded on opposing edges by a pair of side flanges. This roof panel configuration is similar to that disclosed in the '684 patent. The anchoring clip includes a pair of oppositely extending base flanges and a pair of oppositely extending top flanges. The base flanges and top flanges are positioned along a vertical web or wall member. Each of the top flanges is adapted to be received in the channel of panels. A cap member or batten cap is used to secure the roof panels to the anchoring clips. The anchoring clip can optionally include a pair of oppositely extending shelf members, one on each side of the vertical web or wall member, so that each shelf member is positioned below the top flanges and is designed to bear the weight of the roof panels when the roof panel is deflected and acts to limit deflection of the panel side wall.
Although the roof panel systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,649,684 and 6,354,045 have improved the uplift resistance of the metal roof panels installed on various roof systems, there is a continued need to improve such uplift resistance, especially in regions that are prone to high wind velocities (e.g., coastal regions subjected to hurricanes, etc.)
Roof systems are more and more being used to collect energy for conversion into electricity and/or for heating purposes. One common arrangement is to place heat absorbing materials on the roof system and then run fluid lines on the roof systems to transfer heat from the heat absorbing materials to fluid flowing through the lines. The heat fluid can then be used to heat a portable water supply, preheat fluid for industrial applications, heat a building, heat a swimming pool, generate electricity, etc. Although such heat accumulating systems are becoming more common, such systems are generally unsightly, difficult, and time consuming to install due to the materials needed to be connected to a roofing system and the housing that is required. Further, the solar thermal energy collectors most commonly require attachment of hardware onto or penetrating through the roofing system, thus introducing the risk of a failed roof system and may nullify the roofing system warranty.
Metal roof systems are commonly installed on commercial and government buildings. As commercial and government organizations have continued to push for alternative energy sources, the demand to install energy efficient and energy collecting roof systems has increased. As such, the demand has continued to rapidly increase for metal roof systems on commercial and government buildings that can be used to collect energy.
In view of the current state of the art of anchoring clips, there is a continuing need for an anchoring system that is simple and easy to use, has improved wind up-lift resistance and can optionally be used with heat accumulating roof systems.

Anchoring system for a roof panel system


A planetary gear train of an automatic transmission for a vehicle includes: an input shaft from an engine; an output shaft; and first, second, third, and fourth planetary gear sets each including three rotating elements. The gear train also includes eight shafts for selectively connecting the planetary gear sets and the input and output shafts in various configurations to achieve at least 11 forward speeds and at least one reverse speed.

(a) Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to automatic transmissions for vehicles. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a planetary gear train of an automatic transmission for a vehicle.
(b) Description of the Related Art
In general, in the field of automatic transmissions, research has been performed into multi-stage speed changes in order to reduce vehicle fuel consumption and to maximize drivability. Increasing oil prices may make enhancing vehicle fuel consumption more important.
Accordingly, research in the field of engines has been performed to reduce weight and fuel consumption through down-sizing. Research has also been performed in the field of automatic transmissions to simultaneously ensure drivability and fuel consumption competitiveness through multi-stage speed changes.
However, in an automatic transmission, if the number of speed change stages is increased, the number of internal components, particularly the number of planetary gear sets, is also increased. This leads to an increase in the number of electric transmission devices, which results in deterioration of mounting characteristics and power delivery efficiency as well as an increase in production cost and weight. In recent years, automatic transmissions have been mounted in vehicles to implement the change of eight speeds or more. However, conventional automatic transmissions having greater than eight speeds include—three or four planetary gear sets and five or six control elements (frictional elements). This leads to an increased size of the transmission, which inevitably deteriorates its mounting characteristics.
Accordingly, in recent years, in order to obtain multi-stage speed changes in an automatic transmission, a double row structure for disposing planetary gear sets have been attempted. Employing dog clutches instead of wet control elements has also been attempted. However, the applicability of such a structure is limited and using dog clutches may deteriorate the speed change quality.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only to enhance understanding of the background of the disclosure. Therefore, the background may contain information that is not prior art, which is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Planetary gear train of an automatic transmission for a vehicle


With regard to electric-power-supply control, there is provided an electric power supply control system for implementing load control used to be executed for each individual customer consuming electric power as coordinated control for all customers and for selecting an optimum electric-power supplier in case there are a plurality of electric-power suppliers supplying electric power to the customers. Disclosed is the electric power supply control system for purchasing electric power from a plurality of electric-power suppliers and distributing purchased electric power to any arbitrary number of customers, the system comprising: an electric-power-purchase determining apparatus for selecting some of the electric-power suppliers and determining amounts of electric power to be purchased from the selected electric-power suppliers in accordance with a predetermined rule; an electric-power storage apparatus for storing electric power; and a demand control apparatus for transmitting electric power obtained by synthesizing electric power determined by the electric-power-purchase determining apparatus with electric power generated or absorbed by the electric-power storage apparatus to the customers.

In general, the present invention relates to a control system for controlling an electric-power system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electric power supply control system for purchasing electric power from a plurality of electric-power suppliers and supplying an optimum amount of electric power to each of a plurality of customers.
As a conventional technology used for controlling an electric-power system and supplying electric power to the customer, a demand limiting apparatus is disclosed in JP-A 7-143670. The demand limiting apparatus limits consumption of electric power when the amount of electric power consumed by an electric-power load, which is connected to an electric-power system and includes an air conditioner, is about to exceed the contracted amount of electric power. With this conventional technology, the operation of the air conditioner is adjusted in accordance with a magnitude by which the electric-power consumption would exceed the contracted amount to implement load control allowing no comfort to be lost.


An electronic chip, system, and method includes a power block including a power source configured to provide power to components of the electronic chip and a relay circuit coupled to the power source and a ground plane. The electronic chip further includes chip package having a first major side and a second major side, the power block secured to the second major side, the chip package comprising electrical connections, disposed on the second major side, to be secured with respect to a circuit board, and interconnect circuitry, electrically coupling the power block to ground, comprising a plurality of conductive layers, a conductive through hole, electrically connecting a first pair of the plurality of conductive layers, having a first width, and a via, electrically connecting a second pair of the plurality of conductive layers, having a second width less than the first width.

Electronic chips conventionally include a die, a package, and a power source. The power source supplies power to the die and to the electronic chip in general through electrical interconnects between the power source and the rest of the electronic chip. The package may provide internal interconnects to route power from the power source to the die and elsewhere in the electronic chip.

Electronic chip with under-side power block


A random noise generator is included in the drive circuit supplying power to a system indicator that emits optical signals. The random noise generator generates a random noise signal that is introduced into a signal input to the drive circuit so that data or covert channel information is not recoverable from the optical signals emitted by the system indicator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the field of information security, and more particularly, to preventing recovery of data from optical signals emitted by system indicators.
2. Description of Related Art
Information processing systems, such as computer systems used in data processing and networking, frequently utilize system indicators to provide an operator with a visible indication of the status of various components in the system. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are frequently used as system indicators as they provide a quick visible response to changes in a component's status.
Conventionally, system indicators, such as LEDs, are not connected directly to the component as they would draw too much power from the component. Consequently, power to a system indicator is typically provided by a drive circuit that is part of a drive controller. Generally, the drive controller is coupled to the component and the system indicator, e.g., the LED, and controls the power to the system indicator based on a signal input from the component.
FIG. 1 illustrates a functional diagram of an example of a system 100 including a drive controller 112 having a drive circuit 114 for controlling power to a system indicator 116. In FIG. 1, a data processing component 110 is coupled to drive circuit 114 of drive controller 112 that is further coupled to system indicator 116, such as an LED. Data processing component 110 processes data and this processing generates a signal, such as a voltage signal, which is sent to drive controller 112. Drive circuit 114 receives the signal from data processing component 110 and controls the application of power to system indicator 116 based on the signal.
Intermittent application of power to system indicator 116, e.g., turning system indicator 116 on and off, effects a visible flicker to a viewing operator. The rate of the flickers, termed the flicker rate or frequency, is defined as the number of emission to non-emission transitions per second (Hz), e.g., on/off transitions per second.
Generally, the human eye can discern flicker rates of 50 Hz to 70 Hz or less. Flicker rates greater than 70 Hz, typically, appear as a constant, or steady, emission to a viewing operator, e.g., a constant light emission. In some systems, due to the fast response time of an LED, system indicator 116 can emit modulated optical signals that follow the individual bit transitions of a serial data stream processed by data processing component 110 at flicker rates in excess of 70 Hz.
FIG. 2 illustrates examples of a waveform of a serial data signal 210 and a waveform of a typical LED response signal 212. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 together, in FIG. 2, the upper waveform illustrates an example of an EIA/TIA-232-E serial data signal 210 output from data processing component 110, and the lower waveform illustrates the optical response signal 212 of system indicator 116, e.g., an LED response, to serial data signal 210.
In the present example, when no data are being transmitted by data component 110, data component 110 remains in the logical "1" state. The start of a new symbol is indicated by a return to the logical "0" state for one unit interval followed by the serial waveform consisting of a number of data bits, sent least significant bit first. After the last data bit, data component 110 returns to the logical "1" state for a least one unit interval. EIA/TIA-232-E, typically, utilizes a negative voltage to signify a logical "1" and a positive voltage to signify a logical "0".
Conventionally, an LED, such as system indicator 116, is wired to light up for a logical "0" so that system indicator 116 flickers when bits are transmitted, and remains dark when the bits are not transmitted. As long as system indicator 116 is fast enough to closely reproduce the timing of bit transitions, the modulated optical signal emitted from system indicator 116 contains all of the information in serial data signal 210. Even though the resulting output modulated optical signal may exhibit noise or other signal degradation, drive circuit 114 of drive controller 112 and system indicator 116 are generally fast enough to reproduce a modulated optical signal that can be intercepted and analyzed to reproduce serial data signal 210.
In some instances, a system indicator may not have been originally designed to receive signals from a serial data processing component, however, the insertion of a covert channel can establish a direct connection between the system indicator and a serial data processing component. For example, a system could be covertly modified so that a serial data signal is cross-connected to a system indicator, such as an LED, so that the system indicator emits modulated optical signals that can be intercepted and analyzed to recover the serial data signal. In this instance, the covert channel could be designed so that the system indicator emitted modulated optical signals at flicker rates of 70 Hz or higher so as not be discernible to the human eye, e.g., the system indicator appears to emit a constant light, yet detectable by electronic equipment.
In other instances, a system indicator can be used as an indirect covert channel. For example, as earlier described, power to a system indicator can be provided by a drive controller. The drive controller typically receives power from some power source in a system, such as a power supply, and then controls the power to the system indicator, for example, as described with reference to FIG. 1.
In some systems, increasing the load on the system decreases the voltage on the power supply, and the system indicator becomes darker, whereas decreasing the load on the system increases the voltage on the power supply, and the system indicator gets brighter. By writing and installing a program that deterministically changes the load on the system, the brightness of the system indicator can be manipulated to output a data related pattern that can be intercepted and the data recovered from the received pattern, e.g., a covert communication. In this instance, the data may or may not be related to the data processed by the system.
Thus, in some instances, data processed by a data processing component of a system or covert communications can be output as a modulated optical signal from a system indicator. The modulated optical signal can then be intercepted and analyzed to reproduce the data or covert communication.
Interception and recovery of the data, such as by using one or more of a wide variety of interception and spectrum analysis techniques, e.g., snooping techniques, can lead to compromise of the processed data or acquisition of covert communications. Recovery of the processed data or information can lead to compromise of information regarded as confidential by the originator, such as, for example, monetary account information, personal identification information, personal medical information, system security information, and product design information.
Prior art non-hardware related countermeasures proposed to prevent interception of the modulated optical signals included black tape over the LEDs and use of opaque materials on windows to prevent visual access to the LEDs. However, black tape over an LED entirely precludes the use of a system indicator for its intended purpose. Further, opaque materials on windows are not convenient for use with portable equipment and may not be aesthetically acceptable in some environments.
Prior art hardware related countermeasures proposed to prevent interception of the modulated optical signals included pulse stretching hardware modifications utilizing a low pass filter to change the minimum on-time, and or off-time, of an LED indicator to greater than 1.5 times the unit interval of the data rate so that sufficient information could not be recovered to decode the signal. However, even with the pulse stretching hardware modifications, an attacker might be able to time-modulate the asynchronous data stream to effect a covert channel and recover the data from the LED emissions.

Snooping countermeasures for system indicators


A molding composition comprising a fibrous material, a crystalline unsaturated polyester, a non-crystalline unsaturated polyester, and a radical generator, and a molded article obtained by molding the molding composition are disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a molding composition suitable for production of sound absorbing interior automotive parts, heat insulating materials, sound absorbing materials for a soundproof chamber, sound absorbers of air conditioners, fiber-reinforced plastics (hereinafter xe2x80x9cFRPxe2x80x9d), constructional materials, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cores or soundproofing materials of automobile interior materials, sound absorbing materials for a soundproof chamber, sound absorbers of air conditioners, FRP, constructional materials, and the like are produced from molding compounds mainly comprising fiber, a urea formaldehyde resin, a melamine formaldehyde resin or a phenolic resin and an amine curing agent to secure sufficient strength (see, for example, JP-A-57-55962 and JP-A-7-1666). However, the urea formaldehyde resin and the like produce formaldehyde on forming and curing or thermal reaction, and the amine curing agent has the problem of smell.
In order to eliminate generation of formaldehyde and/or to improve the smell, a cured resin comprising an epoxy compound and a carboxylic acid or an anhydride thereof has been proposed as disclosed in JP-A-63-221169 and JP-A-5-31362. However, this combination requires a relatively high curing temperature. Many molded parts obtained from an unsaturated polyester combined with a radical generator are known, but most of them need a curing aid, such as styrene. Although they do not generate formaldehyde, the problem of smell remains unsolved. Molding compounds comprising a diallyl phthalate prepolymer and an unsaturated polyester are also known (see JP-A-5-169475). However, the diallyl phthalate prepolymer has a low iodine value and fails to achieve a high crosslinking density so that the resulting molded article has insufficient strength.
An object of the present invention is to provide a molded article having sufficient strength for practical use and improved safety and smell.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a molding composition suitable for producing such a molded article.
The present invention relates to a molding composition comprising (A) a fibrous material, (B) a crystalline unsaturated polyester, (C) a non-crystalline unsaturated polyester, and (D) a radical generator. The invention also relates to a molded article obtained by molding the molding composition.
The molding composition according to the invention provides a molded article with sufficient strength for practical use and free from the problems of formaldehyde generation and smell.
A combined use of a crystalline unsaturated polyester (B) and a non-crystalline unsaturated polyester (C) reduces the respective softening points of the unsaturated polyesters. That is, each unsaturated polyester has a lower melt viscosity when used in combination than when used alone. Use of a radical generator (D) makes the molding composition cure without using a crosslinking assistant such as styrene that may cause the problems of smell and safety. As a result, not only are solved the problems of formaldehyde generation and smell, but the molding composition can cure in low temperature to provide a molded article equal or superior in strength to the conventional molding compositions comprising a urea formaldehyde resin, a phenolic resin, etc.
Reduction of curing temperature of a molding material and/or increase of curing rate could be achieved by combining an unsaturated polyester having a reduced melt viscosity and a radical generator having a moderate half-life temperature. In this case, however, reduction of melt viscosity of an unsaturated polyester merely by reduction of molecular weight results in reduction of strength of the resulting molded article due to the remaining low-molecular weight components such as monomers. In the present invention, by using a mixture of a crystalline unsaturated polyester and a non-crystalline unsaturated polyester, the melting point and the softening point of both the unsaturated polyester resins in thermal forming can be decreased. Therefore, the molding composition has a lowered melt viscosity without increasing low-molecular weight components so that is can be cured in lower temperature and/or at an increased curing rate to provide a molded article with enhanced strength.
While the details are unclear, it is generally said that a crystalline polyester is hard and brittle, while a non-crystalline polyester is tough. In the present invention the crystalline unsaturated polyester and the non-crystalline unsaturated polyester are combined to make an eutectic mixture, which is cured to provide a molded article with higher toughness than obtained with either one of them.
The term xe2x80x9ccrystalline unsaturated polyesterxe2x80x9d as used herein means a polyester having a clear endothermic peak indicative of a melting point in analysis with a differential scanning calorimeter (hereinafter xe2x80x9cDSCxe2x80x9d). The term xe2x80x9cnon-crystalline unsaturated polyesterxe2x80x9d as used herein denotes a polyester having no clear endothermic peak indicative of a melting point but an endothermic peak indicative of a glass transition point in analysis with a DSC. Whether an endothermic peak is indicative of a melting point or a glass transition point can easily be distinguished from the fact that the former remains while the latter disappears in second-scanning.
The crystalline unsaturated polyester as component (B) preferably has a melting point of 60xc2x0 C. or higher so as not to aggregate at room temperature irrespective of the kind of an additive. The crystalline unsaturated polyester preferably has a lower melting point than 180xc2x0 C., particularly lower than 150xc2x0 C., so that it may cure sufficiently in a short molding time.
It is preferred for the non-crystalline unsaturated polyester as component (C) to have a softening point of 80xc2x0 C. or higher and lower than 200xc2x0 C., particularly lower than 150xc2x0 C., and/or a glass transition point of 40xc2x0 C. or higher and lower than 100xc2x0 C., particularly lower than 90xc2x0 C. The preference for the softening point and/or the glass transition point is based on the same reasons as for the melting point of the crystalline unsaturated polyester.
The difference between the melting point of the crystalline unsaturated polyester and the softening point of the non-crystalline unsaturated polyester is preferably 50xc2x0 C. or smaller, particularly 40xc2x0 C. or smaller, in order to easily form a eutectic mixture. Where two or more kinds of crystalline unsaturated polyesters and/or two or more kinds of non-crystalline unsaturated polyesters are used, it is preferred that the difference between the melting point of one of the crystalline unsaturated polyesters and the softening point of one of the non-crystalline unsaturated polyesters be within 50xc2x0 C.
The crystalline unsaturated polyester and the non-crystalline unsaturated polyester can separately be ground to the respective desired particle sizes, followed by mixing up. Alternatively, mixing either in a powdered state or in a molten state may be followed by grinding to a desired particle size.
The crystalline or non-crystalline unsaturated polyesters are not particularly limited as long as they have an addition polymerizable unsaturated bond. For example, non-linear unsaturated polyesters comprising a monomer with tri- or higher functionality can be used. Polyester-polyamide which is obtained by modifying with a small amount (preferably 10 mol or less per 100 mol of a carboxylic acid component) of an amino-containing monomer is also employable as far as it has an addition polymerizable unsaturated bond.
The monomers providing the crystalline or non-crystalline unsaturated polyester are not particularly limited and include known di- or higher polyhydric alcohol components and known di- or higher polybasic carboxylic acid components, inclusive of their anhydrides, esters, etc. The di- or higher polyhydric alcohol components and the di- or higher polybasic carboxylic acid components are preferably used at a molar ratio of 1:0.9 to 1.1.
Preferred dihydric alcohol components include a bisphenol A-alkylene oxide adduct (containing 2 or 3 carbon atoms in the alkylene moiety; average mole number of alkylene oxide added: 1 to 16), ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,4-butanediol, bisphenol A, and hydrogenated bisphenol A. Preferred tri- or higher polyhydric alcohol components include sorbitol, 1,4-sorbitan, pentaerythritol, glycerol, and trimethylolpropane.
The dicarboxylic acid components include various dicarboxylic acids and succinic acid which is substituted with an alkyl or alkenyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, anhydrides of these acids, and alkyl esters of these acids having 1 to 12 carbon atoms in the alkyl moiety thereof. Maleic anhydride, maleic anhydride, fumaric acid, terephthalic acid, and C2-20 alkenyl-substituted succinic anhydride are preferred.
Preferred tri- or higher polycarboxylic acids include 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic acid (trimellitic acid), an anhydride thereof, and a C1-12 alkyl ester thereof.
The essential addition-polymerizable unsaturated bond-containing monomers include fumaric acid, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, and itaconic acid. To secure the strength of molded articles, these unsaturated monomers are preferably used in an amount of at least 3% by weight based on the total monomers constituting the polyester.
The unsaturated polyester; either crystalline or non-crystalline, can be prepared by allowing a mixture comprising the above-described monomers to react at 150 to 250xc2x0 C. for 5 to 20 hours in a nitrogen atmosphere. If necessary, the reaction is carried out under reduced pressure. Weather the resulting polymer is crystalline or non-crystalline depends on the kinds of the monomers and their mixing ratio. It is acceptable to use a monohydric alcohol component or a monocarboxylic acid component for molecular weight regulation, a commonly employed catalyst for esterification, such as dibutyltin oxide, for reaction acceleration, or a polymerization inhibitor, such as hydroquinone, for gelation prevention.
The unsaturated polyester-polyamide as referred to above is prepared from a monomer mixture comprising an amine monomer in addition to the above-mentioned alcohol component and the acid component. Examples of the amine monomers include various known polyamines, aminocarboxylic acids, amino alcohols, and lactams. Preferred amine monomers are ethylenediamine, hexamethylenediamine, xylylenediamine, and xcex5-caprolactam.
The fibrous material as component (A) is not particularly limited and includes inorganic fibers and organic fibers such as synthetic resin fibers and natural fibers. Organic fibers of cotton, flax, wool, silk, nylon, wood pulp, etc. are preferred from the standpoint of flexibility, heat insulation, and sound insulation of a molded article. These fibrous materials can be used either individually or as a mixture of two or more thereof. Component (A) can be used in the form of yarn or fabric, either woven or nonwoven.
The radical generator as component (D) which induces addition polymerization of the crystalline and the non-crystalline unsaturated polyesters include peroxides, persulfates, and azo compounds, with peroxides and persulfates being preferred. Lauroyl peroxide, dibutyl peroxide, dicumyl peroxide, sodium persulfate, and potassium persulfate are particularly preferred. It is preferred for the radical generator to have a half-life of 7 days or longer at 40xc2x0 C. to secure the preservability, stability and the like of the molding composition. Taking the molding time into consideration, a still preferred half-life is within 10 minutes at 250xc2x0 C.
If desired, the molding composition of the invention can contain known additives, such as a curing aid that is solid at room temperature and gives off little smell (e.g., a diallyl phthalate prepolymer), a lubricant (e.g., amide wax, synthetic wax, latices, or fatty acid metal salts), and a filler (e.g., talc, calcium carbonate or aluminum hydroxide), extenders, and so forth.
The molding composition of the invention is prepared by compounding the above-described components in a Henschel mixer, a fluidized bed mixer, and the like. It is desirable that the components other than component (A) be previously ground to an average particle size of 100 xcexcm or smaller prior to compounding so that the resulting molded article can have uniform strength distribution, and component (A) be mixed into the mixture of the other components. In one of preferred embodiments, components (B) and (C) in a powder form, the radical generator, etc. are dispersed in water in the presence of a dispersant, such as a surface active agent, to prepare a water-born dispersion, which can be applied onto a substrate by spraying, etc. with improved wetting properties and adhesion to the substrate.
The compounding ratios of the components are not particularly limited as long as the molded articles obtained have sufficient strength for practical use. A preferred content of component (A) is 29 to 99% by weight, particularly 40 to 90% by weight, based on the total composition in order for the molded article to have excellent heat insulation and sound insulation and sufficient strength. A preferred total content of component (B) and component (C) is 0.5to 70% by weight, particularly 5 to 50% by weight, based on the total composition from the viewpoint of the strength, heat insulation, and sound insulation of the molded articles. The proportion of component (B) in the total polyester, i.e., the total of components (B) and (C), is preferably 1 to 99% by weight, still preferably 10 to 99% by weight, particularly 20 to 80% by weight. That of component (C) in the total polyester is preferably 1 to 99% by weight, still preferably 10 to 90% by weight, particularly 20 to 80% by weight.
A preferred content of component (D) is 0.1 to 30% by weight, particularly 0.2 to 20% by weight, based on the total composition. The lower limit is preferred for preventing under cure and securing the strength of the molded articles. The upper limit is preferred for achieving a high crosslinking density and securing the strength of the molded articles.
The amounts of the additives optionally incorporated, such as a curing aid, a lubricant, and a filler, can be selected appropriately to obtain the desired effects.
Known molding methods can be adopted with no particularly restriction for obtaining molded articles of the present invention from the above-mentioned molding composition, such as compression molding, laminated molding, injection molding, and extrusion. The composition maybe preheated before molding or be heated in molding.
The molded article according to the invention preferably exhibits sufficient strength for practical use, preferably having a flexural strength of 160 kg/cm2 or more, as measured in accordance with JIS K6911. The molded article of the invention is also excellent in safety, generating no formaldehyde, and gives off no smell. It is therefore suited for use as sound absorbing interior automotive parts, heat insulating-materials, sound absorbing materials for a soundproof chamber, sound absorbers of air conditioners, FRP, constructional materials, and the like.
The present invention will now be illustrated in greater detail with reference to Preparation Examples and Examples, but it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Unless otherwise noted, all the parts are by weight.
In Preparation Examples, the melting point and the glass transition point were measured with a differential scanning calorimeter DSC210 manufactured by Seiko Denshi K.K. at a rate of temperature rise of 10xc2x0 C./min and calculated by the onset method. The softening point was measured with a Koka type flow tester manufactured by Shimadzu Corp. under conditions of a load of 20 kgf, an orifice diameter of 10 mm, an orifice length of 1 mm, and a rate of temperature rise of 3xc2x0 C./min. The temperature at which half the amount of a sample flows out of the orifice was taken as a softening point.


Provided is a stereoscopic video presenting apparatus including: an eye movement measurement unit configured to measure an eye movement of each of users viewing the stereoscopic video; a user count determination unit configured to determine the number of users viewing a same stereoscopic video; and a failure state determination unit configured to compare, when the user count determination unit determines that the number of users viewing the same stereoscopic video is plurality, eye movements of a plurality of users to determine a user whose eye movement is in a failure state among the plurality of users.

A method utilizing the binocular parallax is known as a method for allowing a user to view a video displayed on a flat-panel display as a stereoscopic video. This is a method which utilizes a fact that a user perceives the depth because the user's right and left eyes are positioned away from each other and videos in the left eye and right eye have different viewpoints.
The method utilizing the binocular parallax allows a user to perceive stereoscopy in the user's brain by displaying different videos to the user's right and left eyes. However, such stereoscopic view achieved by a method apart from reality may give the user visual fatigue or a sense of discomfort.
Thus, a stereoscopic video display apparatus is proposed which estimates the level of fatigue in visual function of the eyes due to fatigue of the eyes, and adjusts, in accordance with the estimated level of fatigue, the degree of stereoscopy (a value indicative of the degree of stereoscopy) (for example, see PTL 1).
In addition, a system is proposed which allows a user to view a 2D video while a 3D video is presented on a display screen, by the user switching, in eyeglasses for viewing a 3D video presented by the frame sequential method, a switch timing of liquid crystal shutters of the eyeglasses (for example, see PTL 2).

Apparatus and method for presenting stereoscopic video


A method of controllably attenuating a beam of light coupled into a port includes directing the beam of light against a mirror, and controlling an orientation of the mirror such that a predetermined fraction of the beam of light is coupled into the port. The predetermined fraction is less than a maximum fraction corresponding to optimal coupling of the beam of light into the port. The method may be implemented with a variable optical attenuator including a first port, a second port, a mirror located to direct light output by the first port to the second port, and a controller coupled to the mirror to align it such that the predetermined fraction of light is coupled into the second port. The method may also be implemented with an optical switch.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to optical fiber cross-connect switching. More particularly, it relates to load balancing in Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing optical cross-connect systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Associated with the information revolution is a need to increase by many orders of magnitude the rate of information transfer. This can be accomplished with optical fibers and the method of Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM), in which many wavelength channels, each including a different narrow band of wavelengths of light and each carrying different information, are multiplexed onto a single optical fiber using an optical multiplexer. Optical signals carried on the various wavelength channels may be separated at the output of the optical fiber with an optical demultiplexer.
Optical fiber cross-connect switches may be used to direct the optical signals on some or all of the wavelength channels on a particular optical fiber to other optical fibers. Such optical fiber cross-connect switches include those described in Ser No. 09/999,878, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/999,610, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/002,310, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Hence, optical signals on the various wavelength channels on an optical fiber may have originated at separate locations and traveled different distances in optical fiber. Since light is attenuated during transmission through optical fiber by an amount typically proportional to the distance traveled in optical fiber, the various wavelength channels on an optical fiber may carry different power levels.
Optical amplifiers such as Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifiers (EDFA) can amplify a wide wavelength band (spanning many wavelength channels), and thus compensate for transmission losses in optical fibers. If the power levels on the various wavelength channels carried by the optical fiber are not nearly equal at the input to the optical amplifier, however, the wavelength channel or channels of highest power may saturate the gain. Under such circumstances, the lower power wavelength channels might not be sufficiently amplified.
A variable optical attenuator is an optical device with which the amplitude or power level of an input optical signal may be attenuated by a variable amount to provide an output optical signal of a desired amplitude or power level. The power levels of the various wavelength channels on an optical fiber may be substantially equalized in a xe2x80x9cload balancingxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cload equalizationxe2x80x9d process in which each wavelength channel is routed through a separate variable optical attenuator. Variable optical attenuators are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,864,643 and 6,130,984. These devices require the insertion of additional hardware into an optical network. The additional hardware may be expensive, requires additional physical space, and may introduce unwanted attenuation of the optical signals.
It would be desirable to incorporate the function of a variable optical attenuator into an optical network without the insertion of additional optical elements.
A method of controllably attenuating a beam of light coupled into a port in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes directing the beam of light against a mirror, and controlling an orientation of the mirror such that a predetermined fraction of the beam of light is coupled into the port. The predetermined fraction is less than a maximum fraction corresponding to optimal coupling of the beam of light into the port. In one embodiment, this method is implemented with a variable optical attenuator including a first port, a second port, a mirror located to direct light output by the first port to the second port, and a controller coupled to the mirror to align it such that the predetermined fraction of light is coupled into the second port. The ports may be or include optical fibers.
In one implementation, the variable optical attenuator includes a second mirror located to direct to the second port light output by the first port and reflected by the first mirror. The controller is also coupled to the second mirror to align it such that the predetermined fraction of light is coupled into the second port. Use of two controllable mirrors in the optical path of the light beam allows independent control of the position and angle of incidence of the light beam on the second port.
Control of the mirror or mirrors in the variable optical attenuator may be accomplished by numerous methods. In one implementation, the power of light coupled into the second port is measured, and an orientation of a mirror is controlled to maintain the power at a predetermined level. In another implementation, an orientation of a mirror corresponding to the predetermined fraction described above is selected from a look-up table. In another implementation, an alignment beam of light is directed against a mirror, and the orientation of the mirror is controlled to direct the alignment beam to a predetermined position on a position sensing detector. The predetermined position corresponds to the predetermined fraction described above.
In another embodiment, a variable optical attenuator includes a first plurality of ports, a second plurality of ports, a first plurality of mirrors disposed on a first surface, a second plurality of mirrors disposed on a second surface, and a controller coupled to align each of the first plurality of mirrors and each of the second plurality of mirrors such that predetermined fractions of light output by the first plurality of ports are coupled into separate ones of the second plurality of ports. The predetermined fractions are less than maximum fractions corresponding to optimal coupling of light output by the first plurality of ports into the second plurality of ports. This embodiment may be employed, for example, to load balance DWDM wavelength channels.
A method of equalizing the power levels of (load balancing) a plurality of channels multiplexed on an optical fiber in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes demultiplexing the channels from the optical fiber to form a plurality of beams of light, with each beam of light formed from a separate channel, measuring the power level of each channel, directing each of the beams of light against a separate one of a plurality of mirrors, and controlling an orientation of one of the mirrors such that a predetermined fraction of the beam of light directed against that mirror is coupled into a port. The predetermined fraction is less than a maximum fraction corresponding to optimal coupling of the beam of light into the port.
Variable optical attenuators in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in optical cross-connect switches. In such embodiments, the ports and mirrors of the variable optical attenuator may also support switching functions in the optical cross-connect switch. Optical cross-connect switches are typically designed and operated to achieve minimum insertion loss for all optical signals coupled into the switch. The inventors have recognized, however, that variable attenuation can be accomplished by separately controlling the insertion loss for the various optical signals by controllably misaligning mirrors used to switch the optical signals. Hence, the function of one or more variable optical attenuators may be advantageously integrated into an optical network without the insertion of additional optical elements.


Graphene may support electromagnetic radiation and be able to support a variety of optical devices. In general, graphene may exhibit changeability in properties such as the conductivity and the like of graphene. Graphene may comprise carbon and be of a thickness of a single atomic layer. In another embodiment, Graphene may be thicker than a single atomic layer, but may be able to exhibit changeability in the properties noted above. Disclosed herein is the guiding and manipulating of optical signals on layers of graphene to create waveguides, ribbon waveguides, beamsplitters, lenses, attenuators, mirrors, scatterers, Fourier optics, Luneburg lenses, metamaterials and other optical devices.

Interaction of optical signals with metallic nanostructures and metal surfaces plays an important role in the emerging fields of plasmonics, metal optics, and optical metamaterials. Collective oscillation of conduction electrons in metal due to their interaction with optical signals leads to various exciting features, such as optical field confinement and enhancement, due to the local and surface Plasmon resonances. Plasmonic nanostructures are also the integral parts of building blocks in optical metamaterials with unconventional effective parameter values, such as negative or near zero permittivity, permeability and/or refractive index. The permittivity of most of the noble metals is believed to have a negative real part, which suggests the possibility of new materials having interesting properties associated with it. However nobel metals also exhibit significant ohmic losses, which are represented by the imaginary parts of their permittivity functions. These ohmic losses in part prevent noble metallic nanostructures being used for manipulating optical signals.
Independent of the field of optical signals and metallic nanostructures, some groups have been studying graphene, which is a single atomically thin layer of carbon. Graphene has recently been shown to exhibit interesting conductive properties, one of which is a complex conductivity, σg=σg,r+iσg,i, which depends on radian frequency ω, charged particle scattering rate Γ representing loss mechanism, temperature T, and chemical potential μc which depends on the carrier density controllable by a gate voltage and/or chemical doping. An interesting feature of the conductivity of graphene is that its imaginary part, i.e., σg,i, can attain both negative and positive values in different ranges of frequency for different gate voltages, different chemical potentials and temperatures.

Manipulating and routing optical signal narrow paths on graphene and graphene as a platform for metamaterials

The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania


A weatherproofing shroud for weatherproofing a sillcock or faucet. The weatherproofing shroud includes a top trim piece and a bottom trim piece that are fitted together to form a continuous waterproofing channel around a sillcock or faucet. The top trim piece and bottom trim piece each include a base flange and an outer flange that, when joined together, define a J-shaped channel for accepting the insertion siding, stucco, or other exterior finishes. The top trim piece and bottom trim piece each include an arcuate seat for sealing around the pipe section of a sillcock. A base flange extension on the top trim piece fits over a corresponding top flange on the bottom trim piece to further direct any water falling thereon to run off of the shroud. The weatherproofing shroud can be used in new home construction or on existing structures.

Sillcocks and faucets are installed on buildings to provide a water outlet for the connection of hoses. Sillcocks and flanges typically include an integral flange that is mounted against the exterior wall of the building. The integral flange however is relatively small and has proven to be inadequate for providing a weatherproof sillcock or faucet, especially for exterior finishes having uneven or grooved surfaces, such as many types of siding, corrugated steel or aluminum, or shingles. As a result of the uneven surface on the cladding, it is difficult to obtain a weatherproof sillcock installation on the exterior wall of a building, and this generally leads to leakage around the sillcock or faucet and, over time, degradation of the surrounding cladding.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device that obtains a weatherproof installation and allows rain or water to run off of the sillcock or faucet and the surrounding surface and thereby prevent leakage.

Sillcock shroud for weatherproofing a sillcock


Disclosed is a method for forming a fine pattern of a conjugated polymer according to which the fine pattern can be formed even by using a high pressure mercury lamp as a light source for irradiation. This method comprises irradiating a coat containing a precursor for conjugated polymers which has a recurring unit represented by the formula (1): ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 represents ##STR2## ps in which R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 each represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl or alkoxy group of 1-5 carbon atoms, R.sub.5 represents a hydrocarbon group of 1-5 carbon atoms and m is 1 or 2; and R.sub.2 represents a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group of 1-10 carbon atoms with a light of 200-500 nm in wavelength in pattern form and then dissolving and removing the polymer of unirradiated portion. It is preferred to heat treat the resulting fine pattern. Furthermore, the resulting pattern can have electrical conductivity by doping it with an electron donating or accepting dopant.

The present invention relates to a method for forming fine pattern of a conjugated polymer film.
Conjugated polymers represented by polyacetylene are expected to be applied to devices such as memory devices, sensors, solar batteries, storage batteries, optical devices, and nonlinear optical devices. Considering application to such photoelectronic devices, to form conjugated polymers into a desired pattern is a technique which is very advantageous for formation of circuits using them. It is known, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,383 to form a negative pattern by coating on a substrate a solution containing a polymeric sulfonium salt which is a precursor for poly-p-phenylenevinylene, then irradiating the coat with ultraviolet rays in pattern form and then removing the film of unexposed portion with a solvent. This pattern of precursor can be converted to a conjugated polymer poly-p-phenylenevinylene by heat treatment.
When conjugated polymers are used for memory devices, optical devices and nonlinear optical devices, generally a fine circuit pattern is formed on a flat substrate by photolithography. Photolithography is commonly carried out by mask aligner and stepper which have as light sources bright lines such as i-line (365 nm), h-line (404.7 nm) and g-line (435.8 nm) of high pressure mercury lamp and cost for apparatus is low and performance thereof is stable. In order to obtain finer pattern, irradiation with light of short wavelength is conducted. However, irradiation with ultraviolet rays of short wavelength from light sources such as xenon lamp, xenon mercury lamp, and excimer laser sometimes causes side reactions undesirable for resist materials such as decomposition and crosslinking. Such crosslinking or decomposition damages characteristics of conjugated polymers, for example, cleavage of conjugaged system. Therefore, development of lithographic technique with wavelength which causes no side reactions has been demanded for forming pattern of conjugated polymers. Furthermore, if the popular irradiation device which uses high pressure mercury lamp can be utilized, this is industrially advantageous.
According to the research conducted by the inventors, in case of poly-p-phenylenevinylene, when a polymeric sulfonium salt which is a precursor is irradiated by high pressure mercury lamp, this was insufficiently cured and swollen in a developing solution, so that sufficiently fine pattern was not able to be formed. Furthermore, depending on kind of polymeric sulfonium salt which is a precursor and kind of solvent for development, positive patterns may be formed with irradiation by high pressure mercury lamp, but these positive patterns are inferior in resolution and sufficiently fine patterns cannot be formed.

Method for forming fine pattern of conjugated polymer film


The inventive subject matter presents novel modular eyewear, having an upper frame, a lower frame, and temple frames. Aspects of the invention include magnetic coupling points. At a first magnetic coupling point, the upper frame, lower frame, and temple frame couple. At a second magnetic coupling, the upper frame and lower frame magnetically couple at the bridge of the frame formed by the upper frame and lower frame. Thus, the present invention enables the upper frame and lower frame to affix a lens for the benefit of the wearer, and also enables greater flexibility, customizability, reduction of wear and tear, and user experience.

The background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided in this application is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
While many devices exist in the field of modular eyewear, there has yet to exist a device that accomplishes simple disassembly, which achieves, e.g., simple changing of lenses, and re-assembly, in a manner that minimizes the number of parts that may be lost during disassembly and re-assembly and has other advantages that will become apparent in this application.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,454,017, for example, is directed to modular eyewear adapted to quickly release. But the disclosure includes lenses that require a specialized slot to quickly decouple, as well as a decoupling mechanism that includes many parts not designed to enable decoupling without specialized tools or in non-ideal environments. Further, the coupling of the temple frame pieces in the '017 Patent's disclosure are not described to audibly snap, thus failing to provide a human assembler with auditory feedback to confirm assembly.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0195747 describes temple holders each having recesses formed in the holders that are hinged to the extreme ends of an eyeglass front. This publication fails to teach a fully modular eyewear frame, and also fails to teach a magnetic male end on the temple frame that affixes to a female end on the upper eyewear frame, which enables a hingeless modular eyewear design and, even in cases where a design may include hinges, reduces the wear and tear caused by operating the hinge. Other teachings lacking in this patent publication are evident by comparison to the present invention.
As another example, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014/0104562, describes affixing a temple frame to the eyewear frame through special design of a hinge. This publication, too, fails to teach a fully modular eyewear frame, and also fails to teach a magnetic male end on the temple frame that affixes to a female end on the upper eyewear frame, which enables a hingeless modular eyewear design and, even in cases where a design may include hinges, reduces the wear and tear caused by operating the hinge. Other teachings lacking in this patent publication are evident by comparison to the present invention.
Thus, the background materials discussed in this application fail to teach or suggest a fully modular eyewear apparatus. For example, the background materials fail to teach a main eyewear frame comprising an upper and a lower portion configured to magnetically couple to affix a lens. Other teachings lacking in the background materials are evident by comparison to the present invention. The invention described in this application provides several advantages over the prior art, including, e.g., enabling reduced wear and tear through elimination or lower use of mechanical hinges, greater customizability, improved user experience, and improved assembly and disassembly.
The foregoing discussion is for background purposes only; it is not an admission that any aspect of the background is prior art.


Crackers having a hollow interior and capable of being filled can be formed from a particular cracker dough. This cracker dough will contain a lower sugar content and shortening content than cookie or biscuit doughs. In order for the cracker dough to be used to form a hollow cracker, the dough must undergo treatment with proteolytic enzymes so as to selectively sever certain peptide linkages in the dough. This permits a hollow core to be formed upon the baking of the cracker rather than a cellular core. The hollow core of the cracker is filled using conventional needle injection techniques.

This invention relates to a process for making crackers which contain various fillings. More particularly, this invention relates to baking hollow crackers which can be injected with a filling. This invention also relates to filled hollow crackers.
It is known in the prior art to make a variety of filled bakery products. However, most of these products are of a soft consistency which permits for the easy filling of the interior cavity of the product. An example of such a product is the conventional cream puff pastry. Since these products have a soft shell they are rather easily filled with any desired filling. However, this is not the case with regard to hard items such as cookies, bread sticks and crackers. These latter types of food items have a tendency to crack and disintegrate when they are pierced by a needle which is to insert the filling into the product. Consequently other methods have been used in the past.
As an example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,666,485 there is disclosed a method and apparatus for inserting a filling into bread sticks. The technique that is utilized is to remove one end of the bread stick, drill a hole downwardly into the center of the bread stick and then to insert the filling into this drilled hole. This will produce a bread stick which has a filling, however the process and equipment that are required considerably reduce the feasibility of commercially producing such a product.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,536 discloses a method for producing a filled food product which consists of a relatively hard outer surface which encloses a soft filling. The outer shell of this bakery product is produced utilizing egg white which is intimately and homogeneously distributed throughout the dough. No leavening agents are utilized. The structure of the pastry shell and the strength of the pastry shell is dependent on the use of egg white within the dough formulation. After the shell has been formed it can be pierced by a filling needle point and filled with a particular type of pastry filling.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,508 discloses a process for producing filled hard dough biscuits. In this patent there is described a process for producing biscuits which during the preparation process have a leavening increase of at least 280. This is accomplished by utilizing a particular dough composition. The dough composition consists of a cereal dough containing 10 to 30 parts by weight of sugar, 10 to 25 parts by weight of an edible fat or oil, and 20 to 35 parts by weight of water, all based upon 100 parts by weight of cereal flour. A leavening agent is desirably added in an amount of 2.0 to 4.0 weight and the dough is then rolled into a sheet. The sheet is alternately folded and rolled. The thus prepared dough sheet is then formed into various desired shapes and the formed shapes baked. During the baking process the percentage of leavening that occurs is at least 280. After the baked and expanded shapes leave the oven a non-dough filling is inserted into the essentially hollow center of the biscuit.
The expanded biscuits which are described and disclosed in this patent are based upon a critical composition for the cereal dough that is utilized. It is stated in this patent that if the sugar content is increased to 40 parts by weight with the oil or fat content being 15 parts by weight, all based on 100 parts by weight of wheat flour, and the water content being 17 parts by weight the resulting baked product will be hard but structurally weak, and will give poor feeling during eating. In the instance where the cereal dough is prepared with an excess of oil or fat, as for example where the dough contains 25 parts by weight of sugar, 30 parts by weight of oil or fat and 16 parts by weight of water per 100 parts by weight of flour, the resulting baked product will be crumbly and very susceptible to breaking during the step of inserting the needle into the biscuit to insert the filling. The same effect will occur if the water content of the dough is increased to compensate for a decreased proportion of sugar and/or oil or fat. The preferred ranges for the dough components in this patent are 10 to 30 parts by weight of a sugar, 10 to 25 parts by weight of an oil or a fat, and 35 to 20 parts by weight of overall water, all per 100 parts of weight of the cereal flour.
In essence this patent provides a teaching that a dough that would be utilized for the production of crackers is not the type of a dough that can be used to make dough products similar to those of the patent. This however is not the case if the present process is utilized. When the present process is utilized a cracker dough can be effectively used to make expanded and shaped items wherein the shell has sufficient strength and integrity to withstand the insertion of a needle to thereby insert a filling into the expanded cracker. By using the present process there does not result a cellular internal structure with a plurality of voids, but rather a cracker that is essentially hollow and which can be filled with a suitable filling by means of needle injection.


Techniques are described that may be implemented in a mobile electronic device providing navigation functionality to facilitate selection of a route to a destination from multiple route options. In one or more implementations, route selection information is displayed on a display of the mobile electronic device to facilitate selection of a route to a destination. The route selection information describes one or more routes to the destination and includes one or more metrics, associated with each route, that identify a characteristic of the route (e.g., a difficulty rating, topography, total climb distance, number of turns, and so on). A map may then be displayed on the display to furnish navigation information for the selected route to facilitate navigation to the destination.

Because of their relatively small size and form, mobile electronic devices such as smart phones, personal navigation devices (PNDs), personal digital assistants (PDAs), and so forth, offer several practical advantages with respect to providing maps and map-related content to a user. For example, because of their small form and consequent portability, mobile electronic devices are capable of providing real-time navigational instructions to users in a convenient fashion, while the users are in route to a destination.
Mobile electronic devices may be used to enhance a wide variety of fitness and sporting activities. Cycle computers and sport watches are examples of mobile electronic devices that are used by cyclists and runners to measure performance data and to provide information that is useful to the cyclist or runner. Cycle computers and sport watches commonly measure speed, distance traveled, cadence, heart rate, calories burned, and so forth, and display this data to their users. Increasingly, these devices are being equipped with global positioning system (GPS) receivers to provide position determining functionality. This functionality allows the devices to furnish navigation information to the cyclists and runners who use them.


A leg abductor assembly includes a housing that has a bottom wall and a peripheral wall that is attached to and extends upwardly from the bottom wall. The peripheral wall includes a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls. A cover is hingedly coupled to the upper edge for selectively opening or closing the opening. A bracket is attached to the bottom wall. The bracket is configured to removably couple the housing to a front edge of a wheelchair.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to abductor devices and more particularly pertains to a new abductor device for abducting the legs of a person positioned in a wheel chair and for also providing a storage and transportation device for small objects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of abductor devices is known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,299 describes an abductor pillow which is positionable between the legs of a patient and which includes a removable portion for the receiving of a catheter. Another type of abductor device is U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,489 and includes another abductor pillow having a plurality of straps attached thereto for securing the pillow where needed. Yet another such device is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,305 which includes straps attachable to legs and having a rod extending between the straps.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the need remains for a device that is attachable to a wheelchair for abducting the legs of a person positioned in a wheel chair. Additionally, the device preferably includes an accessible interior which may be used holding and transporting small objects.


In a system where a path history vector is used in conjunction with a branch history table, an algorithm is disclosed for reducing the number of bits required for a path history vector. The path history vector is used to address a branch history table. Since the path history vector may contain a large number of zeros, this may lead to branch predictions that are inaccurate because of the limited size of the path history vector and the corresponding branch history table. A compression algorithm is disclosed where zeros in the path history vector are compressed. The number of zeros greater than one but less than a maximum are compressed in a single zero. With a compressed path history vector, inner loops with larger iterations or loops with larger instructions or branches are predicable with greater accuracy.

The present invention relates in general to branch prediction in speculative execution of instructions in a software program.
In many computer architectures instructions are executed speculatively to improve the processing speed. Instructions are fetched several cycles before they are executed. When a conditional branch instruction is encountered, to keep the pipeline full a prediction is made about the direction of the branch, that is, whether the branch will be resolved taken or not-taken. Based on the prediction, instructions are fetched and executed from the predicted path after the branch instruction. If the prediction is correct, nothing needs to be done to change the instruction fetching. However, if the prediction is incorrect, instructions fetched after the branch instruction need to be discarded from the machine and new instructions need to be fetched, either from the target path of the branch (if the branch is resolved as taken) or from the sequential path of the branch (if the branch is resolved as not-taken).
Branch prediction algorithms have been implemented to aid in determining which path of a branch will be taken during a series of passes through a branch instruction.
A branch prediction algorithm may combine two prediction schemes known as, global prediction and local prediction. In the global prediction algorithm, the address of the branch instruction being predicted is correlated (by XORing) with the address of the xe2x80x9cpath of executionxe2x80x9d to reach the branch instruction in order to determine the entry in the global branch history table that should be used for predicting the direction of the conditional branch. The xe2x80x9cpath of executionxe2x80x9d is defined (in this example) by a N-bit string of logic zeroes and logic ones representing the last N actual fetch groups (on a mis-prediction or any other redirection of the instruction fetching the path is corrected). A sequential fetch group is represented by a zero and a non-sequential fetch group is represented by a logic one. This string of N-bits is sometimes referred as a path history vector.
The length of the path history vector (N) is related to the number of entries (M), in a Branch History Table (BHT), by the equation N less than =lg (M), where xe2x80x9clgxe2x80x9d stands for a logarithm to the base two. Since the number of BHT entries is limited, the length of path history is also limited. The limited length of the path history vector may cause many branches to be unpredictable. The amount of history needed for predicting a particular branch often depends on the program. Studies have shown that scientific workload often requires longer history for accurate branch prediction. This is especially true for nested loops where the inner loop is unrolled to some extent.
In a program instruction flow, where there are a large number of fetch groups in a loop, the path history vector may not be long enough to capture the history and make highly accurate predictions. There is, therefore, a need for a method to compress the path history vector and improve the prediction in speculative instruction execution.
A path history vector is a shift register of length N that maintains a sequence of binary bits that represent the actual instruction fetch behavior for the last N actual instruction fetches. The path history vector identifies a speculative path of execution with all the correction to the speculation known to the processor at that time. The path of execution is identified by this N-bit vector, one bit per fetch group (a fetch group is a group of instructions fetched in a cycle), for each of the previous N fetch groups. Each bit in the path history vector indicates whether the next group of instructions fetched are from a sequential cache sector (0) or not (1). A path history vector captures this information for the actual path of execution through these sectors. That is, if there is a redirection of instruction fetching (for any reason, such as an interrupt, branch mis-prediction, delayed cache miss detection, table-look-aside buffer (TLB) miss detection, etc.), some of the groups of fetched instructions are discarded and the path history vector is corrected immediately. The path history vector is hashed (by bitwise exclusive ORing (XOR)) with the address of the branch instruction to address an entry into the global history table (which contains a total of 2N entries) to produce a branch direction prediction. The accuracy of prediction depends on how much path history is necessary to determine a most likely action on conditional branches. If certain programs have branch behavior that requires a large path history vector, then the corresponding branch history table may be larger than necessary because all possible table entries may not be used and thus are not of interest. A novel algorithm compresses zeroes in the path history vector to enable such branches to be predicted in a smaller branch history table.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention.

Compression of execution path history to improve branch prediction accuracy

International Business Machines Corporation


Disclosed herein are methods of preparing dehydrogenation catalysts using non-halogen containing metal sources. The methods generally comprise the steps of providing a first solution comprising anions of a first metal selected from Group 14 of the Periodic Table of Elements, and impregnating an inorganic support with the first solution to obtain a first impregnated inorganic support, wherein the first solution has a pH value of less than the isoelectric point of the inorganic support. The dehydrogenation catalysts prepared in accordance with the methods of the present disclosure are typically free or substantially free of halogen species. Such catalysts may be particularly useful in the dehydrogenation of a feed comprising cyclohexane and/or methylcyclopentane.

Phenol and cyclohexanone are important compounds in the chemical industry and are useful in, for example, production of phenolic resins, bisphenol A, ε-caprolactam, adipic acid, and plasticizers.
Currently, a common route for the production of phenol is the Hock process. This is a three-step process in which the first step involves alkylation of benzene with propylene to produce cumene, followed by oxidation of cumene to the corresponding hydroperoxide, and then cleavage of the hydroperoxide to produce equimolar amounts of phenol and acetone. The separated phenol product can then be converted to cyclohexanone by a step of hydrogenation.
It is known from, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,037,513, that cyclohexylbenzene can be produced by contacting benzene with hydrogen in the presence of a bifunctional catalyst comprising a molecular sieve of the MCM-22 type and at least one hydrogenation metal selected from palladium, ruthenium, nickel, cobalt, and mixtures thereof. This reference also discloses that the resultant cyclohexylbenzene can be oxidized to the corresponding hydroperoxide, which can then be cleaved to produce a cleavage mixture of phenol and cyclohexanone, which, in turn, can be separated to obtain pure, substantially equimolar phenol and cyclohexanone products.
One disadvantage of this cyclohexylbenzene-based process is that it produces impurities such as cyclohexane and methylcyclopentane. These impurities represent loss of valuable benzene feed. Moreover, unless removed, these impurities will tend to build up in the system, thereby displacing benzene and increasing the production of undesirable by-products. Thus, a significant problem facing the commercial application of cyclohexylbenzene as a phenol precursor is removing the cyclohexane and methylcyclopentane impurities.
It is known from, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,579,511, WO2009/131769, and WO2011/096998 that the concentration of these impurities can be reduced via dehydrogenation in the presence of a dehydrogenation catalyst.
More recently, it was discovered that catalyst comprising a metal selected from Group 14 of the Periodic Table of Elements can be used to dehydrogenate cyclohexane and/or methylcyclopentane. This process is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,580,368 and 9,469,580. It is known, e.g., from the '368 and '580 patents, that the Group 14 metal(s) can be deposited on the support surface of the dehydrogenation catalyst by impregnation. Metal halides, e.g., SnCl2, are a convenient source of the Group 14 metal(s) in view of their low cost and high solubility in an aqueous solution. Additionally, the cationic nature of the metal ion in said metal halides allows for good dispersion of the metal over a silica source.
However, the use of a metal halide as the metal source also results in the presence of halogens in various forms, e.g., halides, particularly chlorides, on the finished catalyst, e.g., resulting in a chlorine concentration of greater than about 0.10 wt % by weight of the finished catalyst. Although the halogen content of the finished catalyst can be reduced during activation, the resulting release of halogen species, e.g., chlorides and HCl formed during activation, into the reactor system is undesirable for a variety of reasons. For example, in such aspects the metallurgy of the reactor and downstream equipment needs to be suitable to avoid halogen, e.g., chloride/HCl, induced corrosion, thereby limiting the ability to use carbon steel. Additionally, it is typically desirable to remove released halogen species, e.g., HCl, from the system, either via purging, which results in a loss of production, or via adsorption with additional equipment, which increases the cost of the dehydrogenation. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a dehydrogenation catalyst having a low halogen content prior to or in lieu of activation.
As an alternative to metal halides, an anionic species can be used as the source of the dehydrogenation metal(s), e.g., potassium stannate. The use of such an anionic species avoids the presence of chlorides in the finished catalyst. However, in using an anionic species, a combination of the dehydrogenation metal(s) being present in anionic form and the high pH of the impregnation solution results in poor dispersion of the metal(s) on the negatively charged support surface.
Thus, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, there is a need to provide dehydrogenation catalyst compositions that are free of halogen species and that exhibit uniform distribution of the dehydrogenation metal(s) on the support. There is also a need to provide methods of making such dehydrogenation catalysts and dehydrogenation processes using the same.

Dehydrogenation catalysts and methods of making and using the same


A method of etching a deep, high aspect ratio opening in a silicon substrate includes etching the substrate with a first plasma formed using a first gaseous mixture including a bromine containing gas, an oxygen containing gas and a first fluorine containing gas. The etching process with the first gaseous mixture produces a sidewall passivating deposit, which builds up near the opening entrance. To reduce this buildup, and to increase the average etching rate, the sidewall passivating deposit is periodically thinned by forming a second plasma using a mixture containing silane and a second fluorine containing gas. The substrate remains in the same plasma reactor chamber during the entire process and the plasma is continuously maintained during the thinning step. Holes of a depth greater than 40 times the width may be produced using repeated cycles of etching and thinning.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to etching deep, high aspect ratio openings in a substrate during the construction of microelectronic devices. More specifically, this invention relates to etching such openings using a reactive ion etching process in plasma reactor.
2. Description of Related Art
The fabrication of deep, high aspect ratio openings and trenches in a silicon substrate is desirable in several areas of ultra large scale integration (ULSI) processing. Trenches having a depth:width ratio of greater than about 15:1 may be considered high aspect ratio, but trenches having an aspect ratio of greater than 40:1 are occasionally required.
Plasma reactors are conventionally used to construct high aspect ratio openings using a reactive ion etching (RIE) process in which one or more gaseous etchants are used to simultaneously etch the opening and produce a sidewall passivating deposit during the etching process. The sidewall passivating deposit protects the sidewalls during etching and helps obtain the desired trench profile. It is known, however, that the sidewall passivating deposit tends to produce a buildup on other portions of the substrate, mask and inner surfaces of the plasma reactor.
It is also known that the aspect ratio of the opening can have a significant effect on the etching process. Very high aspect ratio openings are particularly difficult to produce with the desired vertical, smooth walls using known etching methods. Producing such openings in a cost-effective manner, with high etching rates and good throughput is essential for newer products where the opening may have a width of 0.135 micrometers or less.
A conventional etchant composition for silicon that produces a sidewall passivating deposit includes hydrogen bromide (HBr), oxygen (O2) and a fluorine containing compound such as sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) or nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). A silicon containing gas, such as silane (SiH4) may be added to increase the silicon content and improve the deposition of the passivating deposit to protect the sidewalls during etching of deep openings.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,127,278 discloses a process in which a first step of etching using a mixture of HBr and O2 to produce the sidewall passivating deposit is followed by a second step of etching/cleaning with a mixture of HBr, O2 and SF6 to remove the passivating material from the sidewalls of the opening, as well as from the substrate surface and chamber walls.
It is believed that one difficulty with earlier techniques for producing high aspect ratio openings is the excess buildup of the sidewall passivating deposit near the upper portion of the opening. This buildup restricts the entry of reactive etching ions/neutrals into the lower areas of the opening and slows the etching rate significantly. Proposed methods of controlling this deposit, however, have all required that the substrate be physically removed from the plasma reactor, or that the etching plasma be turned off. The time required for these methods all result in decreased throughput. Such methods have not only increased processing time, and thereby adversely impacted throughput, they have also resulted in rough or stepped wall surfaces in the opening as a result of significant changes in the processing parameters during etching.
Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of etching deep, high aspect ratio openings in a substrate having a high average etching rate and good throughput.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of etching deep, high aspect ratio openings in a substrate where the etching may be completed in a single plasma reactor without removing the substrate from the reactor chamber.
It is still another object of the present invention to reduce aspect ratio dependent etch behavior during etching in silicon and other semiconductor materials.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method of etching deep, high aspect ratio openings in a substrate where the walls of the openings are smooth.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method of etching deep, high aspect ratio openings in a substrate where the etching plasma is continuously maintained.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method of etching trenches that increases the trench wall area.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of constructing dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and embedded dynamic random access memory (e-DRAM) cells that have increased capacitance by etching deeper trenches.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.
The above and other objects and advantages, which will be apparent to one of skill in the art, are achieved in the present invention which is directed to, in a first aspect, a method of etching a deep, high aspect ratio opening in a substrate including the steps of:
etching the substrate with a first plasma formed using a first gaseous mixture including a bromine containing gas, an oxygen containing gas and a first fluorine containing gas, the etching step simultaneously producing a sidewall passivating deposit;
thinning the sidewall passivating deposit with a second plasma formed using a second gaseous mixture including a non-halogenated hydrogen containing gas and a second fluorine containing gas; and
repeating the steps of etching and thinning to produce a desired depth for the opening.
In the preferred method, the non-halogenated hydrogen containing gas is selected from the group consisting of silanes and ammonia, most preferably, a monosilane or disilane. The substrate remains in the same plasma chamber during the cycles of etching and thinning the sidewall passivating deposit. The plasma is continuously maintained to produce a smooth sidewall within the opening and keep throughput high. The etching rate may be reduced substantially during the thinning step even though the plasma is continuously maintained.
The step of etching is preferably repeated at equally spaced intervals and the step of thinning the sidewall passivating deposit is also repeated at equally spaced intervals between the equally spaced etching steps. This alternation of etching and thinning is repeated until the desired depth is reached. The repetition may be as few as two cycles and as many as twenty or more cycles to reach the desired depth. The invention is particularly useful in producing openings having a final depth to width ratio of 40:1 or greater, however lesser aspect ratio openings may also advantageously constructed using the method of this invention.
The bromine containing gas is typically HBr. The first and second fluorine containing gases are typically NF3, SF6, elemental fluorine or a mixture thereof. The oxygen containing gas is preferably O2.or O2. mixed with helium. The non-halogenated hydrogen containing gas is preferably a silane, such as monosilane or disilane, or ammonia. A bromine containing gas or an oxygen containing gas may also be included in the second gaseous mixture during the step of thinning the sidewall passivating deposit.

Method of etching high aspect ratio openings