A system and method for efficiently performing timing characterization of regions of an integrated circuit. An integrated circuit has monitors distributed in different physical regions across its die. Each monitor includes timing characterization and self-test circuitry. This circuitry includes one or more tunable delay lines used during timing measurements. The circuitry verifies the tunable delay lines are defect free prior to the timing measurements. If defects are detected, but tunable delay lines may still be used, a scaling factor may be generated for a failing tunable delay line. The scaling factor may be used during subsequent timing measurements to maintain a high accuracy for the measurements. The timing measurements may determine a particular physical region of the die provides fast or slow timing values. The resulting statistics of the timing measurements may be used to change an operational mode of the IC in at least the particular region.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electronic circuits, and more particularly, to efficiently performing timing characterization of regions of an integrated circuit.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
The reduction in geometric dimensions of devices and metal routes on semiconductor chips and the resulting higher integration of functionality on chips has each contributed to an increased effect of manufacturing processing defects and variations. The defects and variations may greatly affect the functionality and performance of on-die circuits. During the manufacturing processing steps, the base layers are inserted in an n-type or a p-type silicon substrate. The base layers include the n-well, p-well, diffusion, and polysilicon layers. Manufacturing defects such as relatively high resistive vias, holes in conductors, mismatches in masks for the base layers, and so forth may cause a given data path to significantly vary from an expected delay. In addition, setup and/or hold time violations may occur creating incorrect results. Stuck-at faults may also occur. In these cases, the integrated circuit (IC) malfunctions. In other cases, such as varying transistor sizes, varying leakage current amounts, and the like, the IC provides correct results, but varies from expected performance.
In one example, a first group of semiconductor wafers are processed in a similar time span by the same equipment. Still, the silicon dies in this first group of wafers may include parameters that vary from expected values due to process variations. The variations across the first group of wafers and within a given wafer for each of these silicon dies may vary in a common manner due to the similar processing conditions. Other silicon dies in a second group of wafers may be processed at another time and/or possibly on other equipment. The parameters for these other dies may vary in a different manner from dies in the first group of wafers due to the different processing conditions. The parameters may include at least leakage current, maximum operating frequency of a clock signal, power consumption, setup and hold times for sequential elements, duty cycle of a clock signal, and threshold voltage.
Dies that are not defective, but provide different measured parameters from expected parameter values may be placed in different bins according to the measured parameters. For example, speed binning may categorize dies based on maximum operational frequency. The IC dies categorized by a given bin may be offered at a different price than IC dies categorized by another bin. In addition, reliably characterizing spatially varying speeds on a given die may allow for tuning of performance-power states on the given die.
Automated test equipment (ATE) has been typically used to provide characterization of the spatially varying parameters on a given die due to process variations. The ATEs are also used to detect any delay defects in on-die tunable delay lines and calibrate them if defects are found. However, ATEs increase testing time and cost. Additionally, the ATEs are used in a test lab at the time of production. Subsequent characterizations of the parameter variations due to at least aging when the die is used over time may not be performed.
In view of the above, efficient methods and mechanisms for efficiently performing timing characterization of regions of an integrated circuit are desired.

Test circuit and methods for speed characterization


The invention includes an inhalation device for delivering medication from two or more medicinal aerosol containers. An L-shaped housing includes a mouthpiece opening at one end and chambers at the other end for receiving the medicinal aerosol containers.

Therapeutic efficiency is often improved by treating patients with a combination of medications. Asthma treatment is representative of such methods; as a rule, a beta-adrenergic product or a cromolyn sodium product is first delivered to dilate the bronchial passageways after which a corticosteroid is administered to reduce inflammation.
Typically, these medications are delivered as inhalational medications. Under conventional practice, a patient uses one metered dose inhaler to deliver the bronchodilator and another metered dose inhaler to deliver the corticosteroid. The practice of using multiple inhalers is inconvenient and burdensome. Often times a patient will misplace one of the inhalers and then simply administer the drug contained in the remaining inhaler with the obvious detriment to therapeutic efficacy resulting. Patients already self-conscious of the fact that they are publicly taking medication are likely to skip scheduled administrations during working or school hours when multiple inhalers have to be utilized. Accordingly, the prior art lacks a single device capable of delivering inhalation medications administered in combination.

Inhalation device utilizing two or more aerosol containers


A talking ball has a speaking unit mounted inside including an adapter 30 which fits in an aperture in the ball to hold the unit in position. A plunger 21 fits against an inside surface and operates a test switch 16 when the ball is squeezed. The speaking unit is provided with a voice record chip, batteries and a vibration switch. When the ball is hit or bounced a message broadcast is initiated by the vibration switch.

The invention relates to a talking ball or the like.
It is known to provide toys which incorporate voice record chips that are activated to broadcast appropriate noises or messages during play to make the toy more versatile and attractive to play with. The present invention relates to bails or other similar articles that are generally thrown around during play and to speaking units that are arranged to fit inside the ball or other article.


An encapsulated liquid crystal material which comprises a liquid crystal composition dispersed in a containmant medium and is responsive to an applied electric field to transform from a first visual state to a second visual state is made by: (a) providing a liquid crystal composition having an ordinary and an extraordinary refractive index; (b) providing a prepolymer material in which the liquid crystal composition is substantially immiscible and which is polymerizable into a containment medium having a refractive index which is substantially matched with the ordinary refractive index of the liquid crystal composition; (c) forming a dispersion of the liquid crystal composition in the prepolymer material, the dispersion having a mean volume diameter of less than 20 .mu.m; and (d) polymerizing the prepolymer material to form the encapsulated liquid crystal material.

Liquid crystal displays ("LCD's"), in which the electro-optically active element comprises liquid crystals, are well known in the art. One type of LCD employs an encapsulated liquid crystal material in which a liquid crystal composition is encapsulated or dispersed in many tiny volumes or droplets in a containment medium such as a polymer. When a voltage corresponding to a sufficiently strong electric field is applied across the encapsulated liquid crystal material (the "field-on" condition), the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules is re-oriented in accordance with the field, so that incident light is transmitted. Conversely, in the absence of such a voltage (the "field-off" condition) the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules is random and/or influenced by the liquid crystal-matrix interface, so that the material scatters and/or absorbs incident light.
One method of making encapsulated liquid crystal material is to form an emulsion of the liquid crystal composition in the containment medium, in the presence of a carrier medium such as water. The emulsion is coated onto a substrate and the carrier medium is allowed to evaporate. In this method, the containment medium is normally in a fully polymerized form when the emulsion is formed. Illustrative disclosures include Fergason, U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,047 (1984); Fergason, U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,903 (1986); Fergason et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,052 (1990); Pearlman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,201 (1991); and Ma et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,506,898 (1991).
Another method of making encapsulated liquid crystal material is generally referred to as the phase separation method: an initially homogeneous combination of the liquid crystal composition and containment medium (or precursor thereof) thereof) is prepared and then phase separation of the liquid crystal composition is induced by altering the ambient conditions, to form the encapsulated liquid crystal material. In the variation known as temperature-induced phase separation, the liquid crystal composition is dissolved in the containment medium at an elevated temperature. Upon cooling, the liquid crystal composition becomes less soluble and phase separates. In the variation known as solvent-induced phase separation, a solution of the liquid crystal composition and containment medium in a solvent is prepared. As the solvent is allowed to evaporate, the solubility of the liquid crystal composition decreases, and phase separation occurs. In the variation known as polymerization-induced phase separation, a solution of the liquid crystal composition in a precursor of the containment medium is formed. The precursor is allowed to polymerize to form the final containment medium. As polymerization proceeds, the solubility of the liquid crystal composition decreases and phase separation occurs. Illustrative disclosures include Wu et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,618(1987); West et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,255 (1987); West et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,771 (1987); Doane et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,900 (1987); Vaz et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,547 (1988); Doane et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,204 (1991); West, U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,323 (1991); and Arai et al., EP 0,313,053 A2 (1989).
Other disclosures of interest include Churchill et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,600,060 (1971); Cartmell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,720,623 (1973); Benton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,872,050 (1975); Taylor, U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,337 (1976); Taylor, U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,207 (1978); Benton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,700 (1980); and Benton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,302 (1981).
The prior art methods suffer from a number of limitations. The requirement for removal of the carrier medium or solvent precludes the preparation of LCD's by "cell-fill" when an emulsion or solvent-induced phase separation process is used. (In a cell-fill technique, the encapsulated liquid crystal material is introduced (e.g., by capillary or vacuum action) into the narrow gap of a preformed LCD cell.) Rather, a sequence of coating, solvent removal, and lamination steps must be used.
Polymerization- and temperature-induced phase separation are in theory compatible with the cell-fill technique, but once the phase separation process has begun, it is difficult to stop or control. The size and size distribution of the liquid crystal droplets or volumes has a marked effect in the performance characteristics of the resulting LCD. It has been remarked that control of size distribution is poor in LCD's prepared by the phase separation process (Vaz et al., SPIE Vol. 1455, Liquid Crystal Devices and Materials (1991), pp. 110-121).
This invention provides a novel method of making encapsulated liquid crystal materials solving the aforementioned limitations.

Method of making liquid crystal material including polymerizing dispersion of prepolymer and liquid crystal which is immiscible in the prepolymer


A roll paper supply mechanism reliably prevents roll paper from rising from a desired position. The roll paper supply mechanism 3 of a roll paper printer 1 has an urging member 41 that urges the round end surface of the roll paper 2 to the roll paper guide 33 defining one side of the roll paper storage unit 31. The urging surface 41a of the urging member 41 is inclined to the inside in the pulling direction A of the recording paper 2a that is pulled from the roll paper 2. When seen from the side of the width of the roll paper storage unit 31, the urging surface 41a is disposed between a vertical line V through the center of gravity G of the roll paper and the recording paper pulling position D, and urges an outside edge part 2d of the roll paper 2 at a position above the recording paper pulling position D. Because the urging surface 41a prevents the roll paper 2 from rising in the direction in which the recording paper 2a is pulled from the roll paper 2, and produces a moment centered on the urging position that prevents the roll paper 2 from rising, the roll paper 2 can be reliably prevented from rising and from bouncing up and down.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a roll paper supply mechanism that stores roll paper so that it can roll on its side in a roll paper storage unit, and delivers and conveys a continuous web of recording paper from the roll paper storage unit to a printing position of a printer, for example. More particularly, the invention relates to a roll paper supply mechanism and to a roll paper printer having a roll paper supply mechanism that is configured so that the roll paper does not lift up from the bottom of the roll paper storage unit or a feed-out roller disposed at the bottom of the roll paper storage unit.
2. Related Art
Roll paper printers such as those used to print receipts and tickets use roll paper, which is a continuous length of recording paper wound into a roll, as the recording medium, and typically have a so-called drop-in loading type of roll paper storage unit as a roll paper supply mechanism. The roll paper is simply dropped from above and loaded into the roll paper storage unit so that the roll paper can roll on its side, and the roll paper supply mechanism delivers and conveys the continuous web of recording medium from the roll paper to the printing position. The recording paper delivered from the roll paper stored in the drop-in type roll paper storage unit is set threaded through a transportation path passed the paper feed rollers and printing position to the paper exit, and as the recording medium is conveyed by the paper feed rollers, the roll paper rolls on its side inside the roll paper storage unit (also referred to as a roll paper compartment) as the recording medium is delivered downstream.
If the roll paper shifts sideways as the recording medium is pulled from the roll, problems such as the recording paper becoming skewed and the paper feed load varying can occur. More particularly, when the widthwise position of the roll paper is limited only by left and right roll paper guides that determine the roll paper storage width in the roll paper compartment, and the widthwise position of the recording medium is not guided on the transportation path passed the printing position, the roll paper must be stored so that it does not shift sideways inside the roll paper compartment.
The round end faces of the roll paper are therefore commonly urged by an elastic member so that there is no side ways play or shifting widthwise to the paper. In addition, so that the roll paper is not held at an elevated position by the elastic force of the elastic member when the roll diameter decreases and the roll paper becomes light, the roll paper is urged with a strong elastic force when the roll diameter is large, and the roll paper is urged by a weaker elastic force when the roll diameter becomes small. Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. JP-A-2005-306535 teaches a roll paper holding mechanism having this type of elastic member.
With a drop-in type roll paper compartment it is also necessary to cause the roll paper to roll and to deliver the recording paper in resistance to the inertial load of the roll paper and the friction between the roll paper and the bottom of the roll paper compartment. If the paper feed speed is increased, the paper feed load that works on the paper feed rollers also increases accordingly, possibly resulting in paper feed slippage and a drop in paper feed precision. Therefore, in order to reduce the paper feed load and feed the paper with precision, Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. JP-A-2007-203563 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. JP-A-2007-203564 teach roll paper supply mechanisms that have a delivery roller for causing the roll paper to rotate in the delivery (that is, the paper feed) direction disposed at the bottom of the roll paper compartment.
Even with the roll paper supply mechanism having a delivery roller as taught in JP-A-2007-203563 and JP-A-2007-203564, however, the roll paper must be urged widthwise by an elastic member in order to prevent the roll from shifting sideways because the width of the roll paper compartment is set slightly greater than the width of the roll paper in order to accommodate deviations in the roll paper width. If in this configuration the urging force of the elastic member that is used to prevent sideways movement holds the roll paper above the bottom of the roll paper compartment when the roll diameter decreases and the roll paper becomes light, the roll paper will separate from the delivery roller and causing the roll paper to roll and delivering the recording paper may not be possible.
Providing an elastic member that pushes against the roll paper with a strong elastic force when the roll diameter is large and pushes against the roll paper with a weak elastic force when the roll diameter becomes small as taught in JP-A-2005-306535 is therefore preferable to prevent the roll paper from being held above the delivery roller when the roll diameter becomes small.
However, even when the urging force of the elastic member decreases in accordance with the decrease in the roll diameter of the roll paper as taught in JP-A-2005-306535, the roll paper cannot be reliably prevented from being held in the raised position. For example, if the force whereby the recording paper is pulled from the roll paper by the paper feed roller, for example, works on the roll paper as a moment in a direction lifting the roll paper up, the likelihood is high that the roll paper will lift up easily. As a result, if the position where the elastic member urges the roll paper is not set appropriately, and only the strength of the urging force is simply controlled according to the roll diameter, the roll paper cannot be reliably prevented from rising up off the bottom or delivery roller.
With a roll paper supply mechanism having a delivery roller, the delivery force of the delivery roller works on the roll paper stored in the roll paper compartment, and the pulling force of the paper feed roller disposed downstream in the printer works at the position where the recording paper is pulled from the roll paper. The roll paper therefore easily rises off of the delivery roller when the roll diameter decreases and the roll paper become slight, and if the urging force of the elastic member decreases, the roll paper can be lifted even more easily off of the delivery roller.
Furthermore, even when the roll diameter is large and the roll paper is heavy, if the recording paper pulling force and the delivery force work on the roll paper as a moment in the direction lifting the roll paper up, the likelihood of the roll paper lifting up is high. The roll paper therefore cannot be reliably prevented from rising away from the delivery roller even if a roll paper supply mechanism having a delivery roller is used if the strength of the urging force alone is simply controlled according to the roll diameter and the urging position of the elastic member against the roll paper is not also set appropriately.

Roll paper supply mechanism and roll paper printer


A resonant converter comprises first and second input terminals (1, 2) to connect a voltage source (VBulk). A series connection of a first switch (S1) and a second switch (S2) is connected between the input terminals. A resonant circuit with a resonant inductance, at least one resonant capacitor (C1, C2, Cs), and at least a primary winding of a transformer (T1, T1—a, T1—b) is connected to the common Terminal of the first switch (S1) and the second switch (S2). A diode (D3) is connected in conduction direction from the first input Terminal (1) to the clamping capacitor (Cclamp). Another diode (D4) is connected in conduction direction from the clamping capacitor (Cclamp) to the second input terminal (2). A comparator (5) is connected across the clamping capacitor (Cclamp). The comparator (5) is further connected to a pulse control unit (3) to control the first and second switches (S1, S2).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a resonant converter, comprising a first and a second input terminal in order to connect a voltage source, wherein the first end of a first switch is connected to the first input terminal, wherein the second end of the first switch is connected to the first end of a second switch, wherein the second end of the second switch is connected to the second input terminal, wherein a first end of a resonant circuit comprising at least one resonant inductance, at least one resonant capacitor, and at least a primary winding of a transformer is connected to the second end of the first switch and to the first end of the second switch.
2. Description of the Related Art
Resonant converters, in particular LLC resonant converters, have a growing popularity due to their high efficiency, low level of EMI emissions, and ability to achieve high power density. Further advantages are small size, light weight and high efficiency.
Typical topologies of LLC resonant converters comprise half-bridge and full-bridge topologies. In a resonant tank or network, resonant inductors and resonant capacitors are arranged, wherein both serial and parallel topologies are known. In zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) or zero-current-switching (ZCS) topologies, high-frequency switching as well as minimized switching losses are of interest. LLC resonant converters operating at high frequency can improve the efficiency and reduce the size of the devices.
A requirement for many applications is a sufficient hold up time of the converter, such that in case of a power failure, full power output is maintained for a sufficiently long period, e.g. for about 20 ms to 50 ms.
Moreover, the converter has to be capable to operate safely and without damages in short circuit or overload conditions, i.e. in case of a short circuit of the output or higher than specified power consumption of a consumer connected to the output. Accordingly, the components of the converter, particularly the resonant capacitor, have to be protected from over voltage conditions which may occur in such overload or other conditions.
In a known half-bridge topology, a voltage source is connected to a pair of switches connected in series and a pair of resonant capacitors connected in series. A primary winding of a transformer is connected between the switches and the resonant capacitors. Such a topology is widely used for various applications.
In "Topology Investigation for Front End DC/DC Power Conversion for Distributed Power System", Bo Yang, 2003, Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, it is proposed to connect diodes in parallel to the resonant capacitors of the known half-bridge topology, in order to limit the resonant capacitor voltage and resonant current during overload or short circuit conditions of the output.
The output power region at which clamping of the resonant capacitor voltage occurs depends on the dimensioning of the resonant circuit elements. For reasonable design, the clamping should go into effect near above the rated output power. On the one hand this ensures best resonant current limiting and on the other hand this is the most efficient design considering partial load conditions. The higher the resonant capacitor voltage is set by design, the higher is the part load efficiency of the converter.
However, the described clamping method is disadvantageous for the boost characteristic of the converter used for hold up functionality. Because during hold up condition the bulk voltage is being decreased, the region of output power at which clamping of the resonant capacitor voltage occurs is expanded, which results in reduced hold up time in case of high output power.

Resonant capacitor clamping circuit in resonant converter


A hand tool for extracting an elongated object that is embedded in the surface of a body includes: a) an elongated, movable first handle member; b) a corresponding second handle member pivotally attached to the first handle member, the second handle member including a first jaw member; c) a floating head portion pivotally attached to the first and second handle members, the floating head portion including a second jaw member and an adjacent curved edge; and d) a lever bar connected at one end to the second handle member and at an opposite end to the floating head portion; and wherein the extracting tool generally has an open position for placing the jaw members on opposite sides of the elongated object, and a closed position for grasping and pulling the elongated object; and the second jaw member is engaged against the first jaw member when the tool is in the closed position, and disengaged from the first jaw member when the tool is in the open position.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to hand-operated tools, and more particularly to a tool for extracting an elongated object, especially a nail, tack or staple, that is embedded in the surface of a body, such as a wooden board.
2. Background Information
In construction, more labor means higher cost. A small amount of time saved in pulling each spent nail, tack or staple from various surfaces in a building during a remodeling project can mean significant labor savings when the time savings for all of the craftsmen for the duration of the remodeling project are tallied. In short, a better extraction tool allows talented craftsmen to spend their time on more challenging tasks.
Generally, various tools for helping carpenters and other workers remove spent nails or the like from surfaces are known. Unfortunately, nail heads are often partially or wholly broken off when a molding or other surface is removed during remodeling. There are also many new types of nails and staples being manufactured today. Many of these new types of nails have smooth finishes and are more slender than nails used in previous generations. Pneumatic finishing nails, for example, ordinarily have a very small, thin head. Modem nails and staples also vary widely in length and diameter. They can be difficult to remove without bending or snapping them, or splintering or otherwise damaging the wooden and other surfaces in which they are embedded. Practically speaking, nails, tacks, and staples do not often present themselves in an erect fashion for removal from boards and other surfaces. A significant percentage of nails, tacks, and staples to be removed are smashed against the surface, or otherwise bent and/or broken off.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to consistently pull a variety of nail types, as well as tacks and staples, under varying conditions using currently available tools. Some workers attempt to use conventional pliers or channel locks to pull nails through wooden boards, which often causes portions of the nail to break or shear off. Available tools often work only on nails which present a substantially straight and significant shaft segment for a nail puller tool to grasp. When a carpenter has to straighten nails in order to use a nail pulling tool, time is wasted. When he or she has to carry several tools for nail, tack and staple removal, and pause to select which tool to use to remove each nail, time is wasted. This is particularly inconvenient when the worker is in an awkward position on a ladder or on a roof or in a crawl space, for example. Incorrect nail, tack or staple removal can result in damage to the wooden surface, such as gouges or holes. In addition, worker frustration and the high physical demands of construction-related jobs are decreased somewhat when nails and the like can be more easily removed.
Upholstery tacks are particularly bothersome to remove, particularly for the growing number of laymen who do their own upholstering. The spent upholstery tacks, or staples, are often liberally implanted in various odd directions into the wooden backs, seats, etc. of the furniture to be re-upholstered. Wiring staples are also bothersome to remove. They are installed, often every 16 inches, over electrical wires to hold the wires in place on wall studs. An easy to use tool that can speed the removal of these and other types of tacks and staples can decrease the amount of time that must be spent on the job and reduce the number of small injuries incurred while struggling with stubborn staples, etc.
The present invention is a hand tool for extracting an elongated object that is embedded in the surface of a body, the tool comprising:
a) an elongated, movable first handle member;
b) a corresponding second handle member pivotally attached to the first handle member, the second handle member comprising a first jaw member;
c) a floating head portion pivotally attached to the first and second handle members, the floating head portion comprising a second jaw member and an adjacent curved edge; and
d) a lever bar connected at one end to the second handle member and at an opposite end to the floating head portion; and
wherein the extracting tool generally has an open position for placing the jaw members on opposite sides of the elongated object, and a closed position for grasping and pulling the elongated object; and wherein the second jaw member is engaged against the first jaw member when the tool is in the closed position, and disengaged from the first jaw member when the tool is in the open position.
The tool of the present invention presents a unique advantage in that it can aid in quick, safe, clean removal of a wide variety of nails, tacks, or staples, regardless of the position the nail, staple, or tack is in at the time. Damage to the surface, such as splintering and gouging, is minimized because nails, staples, and tacks are more easily and smoothly removed by pulling them through. Crown moldings, baseboards, shelves, paneling, and other surfaces can thus be preserved and reused. The present device does not require a great deal of force to use, and preliminary nail straightening is virtually eliminated, so physical demands are less. Many small injuries, particularly punctures and bruises on the thumb and forefinger, are avoided. Worker job frustration is decreased because spent nails, tacks, staples, and the like can be removed without trouble. The versatile tool of the present invention can grasp and remove short or long, slender or thick nails, tacks or staples, with smooth or rough finishes. This tool is capable of pulling intact or broken-off nails or tacks with broken or small or nonexistent nail heads, so long as some portion of the shaft is visible above the surface. The tool is inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use, and effective in removing quantities of spent nails, staples, tacks, or other elongated objects.

Tool for extracting nails, tacks or staples


This invention is about new cathode structures involving the FEAs (field emitter arrays) and the application of these new cathode structures in EFD (Electron Fluorescent Display), EFLCD (Electron Fluorescent Liquid Crystal Display) and MFD (Microtip Fluorescent Display) type direct matrix addressed type display. One aspect of this invention is related to eliminating the difficulty large area FEA cathode manufacturing by combining the control apparatus of EFD and EFLCD with the efficient electron emission process of the FEA. The second aspect of this invention is related to the employment of local embedded circuit components to help enhancing the uniformity of the electron emitting process of FEA. The preferred embodiments of the invented cathode structure in EFD or EFLCD employ multiple pieces of field emitter arrays sparsely disposed inside a vacuum chamber to generate the electron clouds which is then accelerated and controlled by other control means of EFD or EFLCD structures. The preferred embodiments of the invented cathode structure in MFD variety devices provides the benefit of improved the uniformity, lower the control voltage range and increased duty factor independent by employing various local control circuit configuration in the FEA cathodes.

Except for places where it is explicitly stated otherwise, in this application the term EFD will include those devices as introduced in U.S. application Ser. Nos. 657,867 and 730,110 and PCT Application Number PCT/U.S. Ser. No. 92/05883, and the term EFLCD will include the back light structures as introduced in U.S. application Ser. No. 812,730.
This invention relates in general to flat panel displays. This invention relates also to new cathode structures involving the FEAs (field emitter arrays) and the application of these new cathode structures in EFD (Electron Fluorescent Display), EFLCD (Electron Fluorescent Liquid Crystal Display) and MFD (Microtip Fluorescent Display) type direct matrix addressed type display.
EFD structures employ cathodes made of filaments whose operation is based on thermion emission. Thermion emission cathodes have become very popular since the days of vacuum tubes and this type of cathodes are still widely employed in technologies such as the cathode ray tube (CRT) and vacuum fluorescent device (VFD). There are many papers about this type of cathodes; their main strengths are the mature manufacturing technology and reliable operation. See P. S. Wagener, "The Oxide-Coated Cathode," 1951, Chapman & Hall Ltd. In the context of EFD applications, this filament cathode structure has the following weaknesses:
1. Due to the energy lost to the filament support by thermal conduction, the two ends and the center portion of each filament will not be at the same temperature. Since the rate of thermion emission is a sensitive function of the emitter body's temperature, the rate of emission at the two ends of the filament will be significantly lower than the center portion of the filament. This phenomenon is referred to as the cold terminal or cold end effect in U.S. application Ser. No. 730,110, and the above-referenced PCT application; it degrades the uniformity of the display and complicates the display control structure.
2. Due to large thermal inertia, the filament needs to be heated even when there is no need for it to emit electrons. For example, in a 1/100 duty factor EFD device, each portion of the filament needs to emit electrons only a few percent of the time, but the filament needs to maintain its high temperature constantly. This heating method causes a large amount of energy to be lost due to thermal radiation and conduction and degrades the luminous efficiency of the devices.
3. The operating temperature of the entire EFD device is raised due to the filament heating requirement. This elevated working temperature adversely affects the efficiency of the phosphor and the lifetime of various parts of the display system.
4. The filament needs to be spaced apart from other surfaces in order to maintain its temperature. This spacing increases the depth of the display device and complicates the structure and manufacturing process.
The cold cathode structure based on field emission principles, such as the microtip field emitter array (FEA) proposed by Spindt, is a solution to the above problems. See C. A. Spindt et al., "Physical Properties of Thin-Film Field-Emission Cathodes with Molybdenum Cones," pp. 5248, J. Appl. Physics, December 1976. These types of cathode structures have many nice features, such as high emission efficiency, high emission current, stable emission and simple control mechanism.
Companies such as Leti of France and SRI of the United States of America have demonstrated functional display devices based on direct addressed matrix of FEA cathodes of sizes up to a few inches in diagonal. See R. Meyer, "6-in. Diagonal Microtips Fluorescent Display For T.V. Application," pp. 374, IDRC 90 Proceedings, and C. A. Spindt et al., "Field-Emitter Arrays Applied to Vacuum Fluorescent Display," pp. 225, IEEE Trans. on Electron Devices, January 1989.
Coloray, a U.S. company, has also disclosed plans for making display devices based on this type of technology. See "Field Emission Display--Technology Review," Technical Note # 01, Coloray Display Corporation, 1990. As shown in FIG. 1A, these devices have a shared basic structure comprising a vacuum chamber between two face plates placed parallel to each other with a spacing of about 1 millimeter or less, wherein a transparent anode is placed on one of the face plates, a layer of phosphor dots placed on top of the anode, a matrix of field-emitting cathode dots between a set of column electrodes CE', and a set of row electrodes RE.
When a voltage is applied between a column electrode and a row electrode, the cathode dot located in the overlapping area between the two electrodes will emit electrons, so that the cathode dots are directly addressable through the two sets: CE', RE. Each cathode dot corresponds to a pixel of the display. Images are displayed by projecting and accelerating the electrons generated by the cathode dots toward the corresponding phosphor dots coated on top of the anode. The brightness of each phosphor dot is modulated by controlling the rate of electron emission by the corresponding cathode dots. There can be many other variations to the basic device structures. Some may involve focusing means between the cathode and the anode. However, no matter what variation of this structure, the image is formed by directly controlling the electron emission of each cathode dot. In other words, the electrons emitted by a matrix of cathode dots are directed towards corresponding parts of the display in directions normal to the face plates in response to the voltage applied between CE' and RE, essentially without deflection in directions parallel to the face plates; this manner of addressing is referred to herein as direct matrix addressing. We will refer to all these variations involving this operation principle as direct matrixed FEA displays.
Since the above-described FEA displays do not deflect the paths of the electrons for addressing, the microtip structure and its variations employed in these FEA displays require very high precision etching, patterning, and photolithography processes, production of functional FEA cathodes is expected to be very difficult. See Japan Patent Disclosure Number: JP 3-276542, December 1991. Due to such problems, the size of direct matrixed FEA displays is currently not expected to exceed a few inches in diagonal dimensions. For display devices based on direct matrixed FEA architecture, this problem of FEA cathode production quality and yield are likely to become the most important issues to be overcome.
Another area of the field emitter cathode technology that needs further improvements is the uniformity control of the electron emission rate. In the following references: R. Meyer, "6-in. Diagonal Microtips Fluorescent Display for T.V. Application," pp. 374, IDRC 90 Proceedings; T. Leroux et al., "Microtips Displays Addressing," pp. 437, SID 91 Digest; M. Borel et al., "Electron Source with Micropoint Emissive Cathodes and Display Means by Cathodoluminescence Excited by Field Emission Using Said Source," U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,916, June 1990; and as illustrated in FIG. 2A, it is proposed that a resistive layer is to be inserted between the electron emitter and the base electrode of the cathode. While the emission uniformity is improved, excessive electron emission is suppressed due to the loading of the inserted resistive layer as shown in FIG. 2B, so that this approach has some drawbacks as listed below:
1. The voltage drop over the inserted resistive layer pushes the control voltage Vgb, the gate to base potential difference, to be 80 V or higher. See R. Meyer, "6-in. Diagonal Microtips Fluorescent Display For T.V. Application," pp. 374, IDRC 90 Proceedings; T. Leroux et al., "Microtips Displays Addressing," pp. 437, SID 91 Digest; A. C. Lowe, "Microtip Field-Emission Display Performance Considerations," pp. 523, SID 92 Digest. This is undesirable because expensive high voltage drivers will be required to interface with the device.
2. The resistive layer only provides a moderate compensation to balance the current emission rate of the cathode. Higher level of compensation will require higher resistivity of the inserted layer which implies that even higher Vgb are required. This means either that the uniformity control of current emission will be too loose or the gate control voltage will be too high. Neither of these are desirable.
In reference Japan Patent Disclosure Number: JP 3-295138, December 1991 and FIG. 1B, a circuit made of two transistors and a capacitor is proposed to enhance the brightness of a direct matrixed FEA display. This circuit failed to address the two problems mentioned above. In addition, due to the fact that the control transistor is connected to the base of the emitter instead of the gate, the low current of each pixel and the generally sharp transition of FET transistor's I-V curve near its threshold voltage, the method proposed in the above-referenced Japanese disclosure can only be operated in switch mode, i.e., the circuit will either turn on or turn off the emission of the cathode. This drastically limits the capability of the display from achieving gray scales through analog modulation of the emission current and restricts the usefulness of this method in non-alphanumerical display applications.
None of the above-described systems is entirely satisfactory. It is thus desirable to provide an improved image display system in which the above discussed difficulties are avoided or reduced.


A method and a configuration are provided for generating high-energy microwave pulses, in particular based on HPEM technology. The objects include, on the one hand. increasing the energy density of pulses and, on the other hand, also making the relevant appliances more compact. For that purpose, a large-area configuration of a multiplicity of, preferably non-linear, semiconductor components is used in the area of the antenna, for pulse shaping.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for the generation of high-energy microwave pulses, in particular those based on HPEM technology, wherein a pulse, preferably a so-called DS pulse, is generated by way of a pulse generator that is fed from an energy source. The DS pulse is then emitted via an antenna. The present invention also relates to a corresponding configuration for generating high-energy microwave pulses.
High-energy or high-energy-density microwave pulses, in particular those based on HPEM (high power electromagnetic) technology, are used nowadays to destroy electronic components in objects which represent a threat, for example those of explosive charges that are fired on a time basis or are controlled by mobile telephones, for example explosive traps or the like, or at least to render them inoperable. Corresponding systems that generate such microwave pulses are preferably used in the form of portable systems or are carried on vehicles. They should therefore be as compact as possible. However, the capability to use such systems is not only restricted to the short-range domain, but can also be extended over longer ranges, for example with the aim of adversely affecting the flight path of electronically controlled objects, such as rockets or the like. The object for these described operational capabilities is to produce pulses with an energy density and a power that is as high as possible.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,528 describes a microwave pulse generator in which a pulse with a flank gradient in the order of magnitude of one nanosecond and an amplitude in the range from 12-20 kV is produced on a first radio path. That pulse is then converted via a further, series-connected radio path, which acts as a switch, to a damped sinusoidal oscillation (DS pulse) and is emitted via a reflector and an antenna. With systems such as those, the flank gradient of the emitted pulse is generally limited.
In order to increase the energy density of pulses such as these, the art has additionally moved towards providing configurations with a plurality of parallel-connected microwave generators, as described in the commonly assigned German published patent application DE 10 2006 014 230 A1 and German patent DE 103 13 286 B3 (corresp. to U.S. Pat. No. 7,233,084 B2). However, configurations such as those have the disadvantage that they require a certain amount of space, and are therefore suitable only to limited extent for systems with reduced dimensions.

Method and configuration for generating high-energy microwave pulses


A method of determining a target location from a vehicle is described. The method includes identifying the target utilizing a video system, determining an angular location vector to the target with respect to the vehicle, determining a position of the vehicle utilizing a digital terrain elevation map and precision radar altimeter, calculating a location where the angular location vector would intersect with the digital terrain elevation map, and generating a target position based on vehicle position and the location of the intersection of the angular location vector and digital terrain elevation map.

This invention relates generally to location of a target, and more specifically, to locating target positions utilizing a radar altimeter with terrain feature coordinate location capability.
Target location, in terms of latitude, longitude, and a vertical reference (e.g. elevation), is utilized for all types of targeting processes. Presently utilized target location methodologies include, for example, personnel using visual target location equipment or GPS locators. Using personnel to locate targets with visual locating devices can be dangerous and often times extremely difficult due to terrain ruggedness. Further, the accuracy of the target location is highly dependent on the abilities and skill of the personnel performing the target location. In addition, Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) locating devices are extremely susceptible to jamming.
Radar altimeters are not as easily jammed as GPS devices. One known precision radar altimeter xe2x80x9clooksxe2x80x9d at the ground in a series of narrow doppler swaths, using doppler band pass filters to focus in on one swath at a time. Return signals are received by two or more antennas. The location of the highest point within a particular swath is determined by performing phase comparisons of the return signals received by the two antennas and passed through the particular doppler band pass filter. If the highest point being illuminated by radar is directly below the air vehicle, then the return signal is received by both antennas at the same time. On the other hand, if the highest point is off to one side of the air vehicle, the return signal will be received by one antenna before it is received by the second antenna, because the return path to the second antenna is longer then the return path to the first antenna.
The phase or the time of arrival of the return signals at each of the antennas are compared. The radar altimeter described above can be utilized with digital terrain elevation maps which provide stored latitude, longitude, and elevation data for a given area or terrain.
In one aspect, a method of determining a target location from a vehicle is provided. The method comprises identifying the target utilizing a video system, determining an angular location vector to the target with respect to the vehicle, and determining a position of the vehicle on a digital terrain elevation map with the precision radar altimeter. A location where the angular location vector would intersect with the digital terrain elevation map is calculated and a target position is generated based on vehicle position and the location of the intersection of the angular location vector and digital terrain elevation map.
In another aspect, a target location system for use in a vehicle is provided. The system comprises a telemetry transmitter/receiver communicatively coupled to both a radar altimeter and a video system. The video system identifies targets and provides an angular position of the target to the telemetry transmitter/receiver. The radar altimeter determines a position of the vehicle utilizing digital terrain elevation maps and provides the position of the vehicle to the telemetry transmitter/receiver. The target location system determines a position of the target utilizing the angular location vector, the vehicle position, and a digital terrain elevation map for a vicinity of the target.


Systems and methods for providing a time-to-availability attribute for use in a variety of printing environments to dynamically manage the load balancing of print jobs across multiple printing devices, wherein the attribute is supported on the client side, on the server side or by printer firmware, and wherein the attribute is implemented in a printer driver, a print processor, a spooler, a print server, a printer firmware spooler, or another component of a print subsystem. Job information and heuristic information are obtained to facilitate the load balancing of each print job and are stored separately from the print data. The job information includes information for estimating the amount of time to render a particular print job on a specified printer. The heuristic information includes accumulative information for estimating the actual performance of the printer under various print modes. The time-to-availability attribute for each printer may be used in both cluster printing and intelligent routing to load balance print jobs, wherein the print jobs are balance across a group of printers to produce a maximum throughput and minimum time to completion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to load balancing print jobs across multiple printing devices. In particular, the present invention relates to systems and methods for providing a time-to-availability attribute for use in a variety of printing environments to dynamically manage the load balancing of print jobs across multiple printing devices, wherein the attribute is supported on the client side, on the server side, or by printer firmware, and wherein the attribute is implemented in a printer driver, a print processor, a spooler, a print server, a printer firmware spooler, or another component of a print subsystem.
2. Background and Related Art
When a user sends a print job to a specific printer and that printer is busy, the user is typically required to wait for a period of time prior to the printer being able to process the print job that the user sent. This required waiting period occurs even when another compatible printer on the network may be available. While a number of techniques have attempted to address the problem, none have solved the problem completely.
For example, one attempt to address the problem includes a printing environment wherein the user is able to split a print job across several networked printers. This process is typically referred to as employing a "printer cluster," where each printer device prints a portion of the print job sent by the user. While this alternative has been made available, it also presents various problems for the user. For example, if one or more of the printers of the printer cluster are busy, the user may be required to wait a longer period of time for the entire print job to be processed than would be otherwise expected.
Another attempt to address the problem of having to wait for print jobs to be processed is through the use of "printer pooling." On some operating systems, the user is able to group a set of compatible printers together as a printer pool. Once the printer pool is established, print jobs are sent to printers of the printer pool in a round robin fashion. For example, if three printers are in the printer pool and six print jobs are sent for processing, a first print job would be sent to a first printer of the printer pool, a second print job would be sent to a second printer of the printer pool, a third print job would be sent to a third printer of the printer pool, a fourth print job would be sent to the first printer of the printer pool, a fifth print job would be sent to the second printer of the printer pool, and a sixth print job would be sent to the third printer of the printer pool. While this technique is available, it suffers for a variety of reasons, including that the round robin assigning of print jobs to printers of a printer cluster can still cause a log jam to occur that requires one or more users to wait for the processing of their print job.
In another technique, new attributes are created for the number of jobs at a given printer and the maximum number of jobs that can be queued to a given printer. While this technique improves the printer pooling method by maintaining an even balance of jobs across a group of printers, it still suffers in a variety of manners, including that the new attributes can still cause a log jam to occur that requires one or more users to wait for the processing of their print job.
In another technique, the availability of each printer in a printer group (i.e., printer cluster) is considered to address the problem. Each printer and/or printer queue is queried to obtain the status of the printer and preferences are given to the printers that are the most available at a current moment. While this technique is available, the technique can still cause a logjam to occur that requires one or more users to wait for the processing of their print job.
In another technique, the printing devices are queried for their pages per minute speeds and preference is given to the faster printers of otherwise equal availability. While an improvement over other techniques, this technique still suffers in that it is assumed that each printer runs at its maximum pages per minute speed and does not take into account that the pages per minute speed typically varies depending on whether the printer data is rasterized, on the amount of data per page, and on the sheet assembly options, such as duplex.
Thus, while techniques currently exist that are used in association with processing a print job, challenges still exist, including causing a log jam to occur among print jobs that requires one or more users to wait for the processing of their print job. Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to augment or even replace current techniques with other techniques.

Load balancing print jobs across multiple printing devices


Machine learning techniques are used in combination with graph data structures to perform automated classification of accounts. Graphs may be constructed using a seed node and then expanded outward to second-degree nodes and third-degree nodes that are connected to a seed user account node via direct interaction between the accounts. Characterization information regarding the interaction between accounts can be stored in the graph (e.g., quantity of interactions, types of interactions) as well as other metrics and metadata. A classifier, using random forest or another technique, may be trained using a number of different graphs that can then be used to reach a determination as to whether a user account falls into one particular category or another. These techniques can identify accounts that may be violating terms of service, committing a security violation, and/or performing illegal actions in a way that is not ascertainable from human analysis.

Machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques can be used to improve various aspects of decision making. Machine learning techniques often involve using available data to construct a classifier that can produce an output (e.g. a decision) based on particular input data. Training data (e.g. known data and/or previously classified data) may be used such that the resulting trained classifier is capable of rendering a decision on unknown data. In some instances, machine learning can be applied to allow a computer system to make an assessment regarding user account activities and whether those account activities indicate the accounts may be violating security policies and/or whether the accounts are controlled by malicious actors.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Machine learning and security classification of user accounts


Disclosed herein is a head-moving razor including a movable head part. The head-moving razor comprises a head cover having fitting parts and engaging parts, a double cutting blade disposed below the head cover and having insertion grooves, a supporting member having insertion bars, which are inserted into the insertion grooves, respectively, a moving member having engaging grooves, in which the engaging parts are engaged, respectively, the moving member also having through-holes and a bottom hole, a fixing member having protrusions, through-holes, and a bottom hole formed such that the moving member can be angularly moved back and forth about rotating pins, a vibrating member including a pair of vibrators while vibrating pins are attached to the vibrators, respectively, the vibrating member having inserting protrusions, and a drive motor having insertion holes, into which the inserting protrusions of the vibrating member are inserted, and rotors fitted on a motor shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a head-moving razor including a head part, which is angularly movable back and forth, and, more particularly, to a head-moving razor wherein a moving member is connected to a fixing member, which is fixed to a head part, by means of rotating pins, such that the moving member, in which a double cutting blade is mounted, can be angularly moved.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been proposed a large number of electric reciprocating type razors, each of which includes a plurality of cutting blade heads movable freely relative to a body part, such that the plural cutting blade heads are brought into tight contact with the skin of a user, whereby a rapid and efficient shaving operation is accomplished.
One example of the conventional electric reciprocating type razors is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. S62-227395, wherein a rotary shaft is mounted in the vicinity of the upper end of a head block including a plurality of cutting blade heads, such that the head block can be angularly moved back and forth about the rotary shaft, whereby the cutting blade heads follow the skin of a user in every shaving direction. In the disclosed electric reciprocating type razor, however, the rotary shaft is disposed in the vicinity of the upper end of the head block, and therefore, the distance between the external blades, which are brought into contact with the skin, and the rotary shaft is small. As a result, if a pressing force is small when the external cutting blades are brought into contact with the skin while being inclined to the skin, the- angular movement of the head block is difficult. Furthermore, it is not possible to suspend the head blocks, i.e., it is not possible to push upward the head blocks such that the head blocks can be freely moved, and therefore, the head blocks can follow the contour of the skin only from side to side, and the head blocks cannot absorb impacts generated due to uneven bone parts when the shaving operation is performed. Consequently, the skin may be damaged, or smooth shaving operation may not be accomplished.
Another example of the conventional electric reciprocating type razors is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. S55-86490, wherein a plurality of cutting blade heads are independently suspended by means of springs, such that the cutting blade heads can be freely moved upward and downward, whereby the cutting blade heads follow the uneven skin through the vertical movement of the respective cutting blade heads while absorbing the impacts due to the unevenness of the skin. In the disclosed electric reciprocating type razor, however, it is required to set an initial load to the suspension force (the force by which the cutting blade heads are pushed upward by the respective springs) to more than a predetermined value in order to control the vibration of the entirety of the cutting blade heads due to the operation of the internal cutting blades. Consequently, if the pressing force, which is applied to the skin, is not considerably large, the cutting blade heads cannot properly follow the skin. Furthermore, when the external cutting blades are brought into contact with the skin while being inclined to the skin, the cutting blade heads cannot be brought into contact with the skin while the cutting blade heads are at a right angle to the skin. Consequently, the performance of the electric reciprocating type razor is not sufficiently accomplished.
Another example of the conventional electric reciprocating type razors is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. S63-197484, wherein a plurality of cutting blade heads are constructed to be freely moved, and adjacent cutting blade heads are coupled with each other by a ring, such that one of the coupled cutting blade heads is moved upward when the other of the coupled cutting blade heads is moved downward, whereby the cutting blade heads follow the unevenness of the skin. In the disclosed electric reciprocating type razor, however, it is not possible to absorb impacts generated when a shaving operation is performed. Furthermore, the cutting blade heads are not brought into contact with the skin while the cutting blade heads are at a right angle to the skin. Consequently, the performance of the electric reciprocating type razor is not sufficiently accomplished.
Still another example of the conventional electric reciprocating type razors is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H10-43443, wherein cutting blade heads are integrally attached to a motor such that the cutting blade heads can be moved back and forth, from side to side, and upward and downward. In the disclosed electric reciprocating type razor, however, the supporting points provided to move the cutting blade heads are considerably low, and therefore, satisfactory following of the cutting blade heads to the skin is not accomplished.


Highly filled thermoplastic compositions useful as adhesive precoats for carpets are obtained by blending certain ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers with above 60 wt. % filler and processing oil.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to carpet, especially automobile carpet, precoat compositions and more particularly, it relates to highly filled hot-melt adhesive compositions based on defined ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers made with selected telogens blended with processing oil.
2. Description of the Related Art
Tufted carpets typically have a layer of a polymeric composition on their backside. These polymeric compositions are commonly adhesives applied as a hot-melt. This polymeric backside layer provides various desirable characteristics to the carpet as a whole. Such characteristics will differ depending on the type of carpet. Industrial carpet requirements for instance are generally more stringent than domestic carpet requirements. Automotive carpet has different requirements again.
While such polymeric hot-melt adhesive layers can be applied directly to the backside of the carpet, the properties required of the backside layer often require a composition whose flow characteristics do not allow sufficient adhesion and `wetting` of the carpet yarn bundles necessary to maintain the integrity of the carpet in use. An alternative is to use an intermediate `precoat` adhesive layer between the carpet tufting and the `main` backside layer. Such precoats are compositions designed to penetrate the tufts, wet the filaments of yarn bundles, and at the same time adhere to the main carpet backside layer. A precoat must be fluid enough to penetrate the bundles, yet have sufficient strength to provide good wear characteristics to the carpet.
Precoats for general carpet use may be any of a large number of polymers. Examples of such polymers are given in U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,600, where ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers containing 15-35 weight percent ester are described as being especially preferred. Typically, these are compounded with wax which serves to lower the viscosity. For automotive carpet use, polyethylene and ethylene/vinyl acetate resin alone (without filler or other ingredients) have been used. The latter has superior adhesive qualities, and is particularly useful when the main layer is also based on a composition containing ethylene/vinyl acetate. However, ethylene/vinyl acetate resin is relatively expensive to use alone and attempts have been made to reduce costs by blending with high levels of cheap extenders such as fillers. As much as about 60 wt. % filler may be needed to provide an economically viable composition. But, fillers increase viscosity and it has heretofore not been found possible to obtain highly filled ethylene/vinyl acetate compositions with a suitable balance of fluidity and mechanical properties to serve as an adequate precoat.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,583,936 discloses a backsizing composition which can be used without a precoat, and approaches the fiber penetration properties of a precoat. The composition is preferably based on ethylene/vinyl acetate polymer. However, it may contain only up to 40 wt. filler. It also contains at least 10 wt. % wax and also other polymeric components all of which are expensive relative to filler cost.
The main carpet backside layer which provides other use characteristics to the carpet may also be based on filled ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers. In the case of automotive carpet, for instance, these characteristics may include sound deadening and formability to the contours of the car as well as the overall `hand` of the carpet. Sound deadening is achieved by using a very high filler content which may be as high as 70 wt. % of the total composition. Thus, a filled ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer main backside layer composition has similar ingredients to compositions which are of interest in precoat layer compositions. Useful polymeric compositions for the main automotive carpet backside layer are described in U.S. Pat.No. 4,191,798 which is hereby incorporated by reference. Preferred compositions comprise a blend of ethylene/vinyl acetate, processing oil, and calcium carbonate or barium sulfate. While these compositions are ideal for the overall carpet requirements, they do not provide good bonding and wetting to the filaments in the fiber bundles because they are too viscous. As a result they cannot be used as the only backside layer. Melt indices of these main carpet backside compositions range from 1.79 to 9.65, whereas much higher melt indices, at least 60, are necessary for tuft penetration and wetting. Attempts to use a lower viscosity version of such compositions as the only backside layer by utilizing higher melt index ethylene/vinyl acetate polymeric components, have not proved successful, since properties become inadequate. As a result, lower viscosity precoats are generally used as an intermediate layer between the carpet tufts and the main carpet backside layer.
The mechanical properties required of a precoat adhesive material generally need not be quite so good as those of the main backside layer. As a result, despite unsuitability as a main backside coat, lower viscosity versions of such main backside layer composition have also been considered as a precoat. Such compositions would have the high filler necessary to lower cost, and, because of the overall composition similarity, would adhere well to the higher viscosity main backside layer. However, even as a precoat composition, such compositions have been found inadequate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,261 discloses an extrudable, self supporting hot-melt adhesive sheet which has a melt index of 10 to 500 and may contain, amongst many other polymers, ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer blended with 2-30 wt. % plasticizer and 20-80 wt. % filler. In the only example, a composition with 30 wt. % ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer, 55 wt. % filler and 15 wt. % oil has a melt index of 76, and moderately good mechanical properties. There is no indication the compositions disclosed would provide adequate carpet precoat adhesives especially at filler levels above 60 wt. %. There is no disclosure that the ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer used was made using any telogen.
There remains a strong need to provide a low viscosity ethylene/vinyl acetate based precoat adhesive which is inexpensive by virtue of very high levels of cheap filler, yet has adequate mechanical properties and which is especially suited for use in automotive carpets.

Highly filled thermoplastic carpet precoat compositions


A game board and marker sheet are provided to allow multiple plays of Bingo games and the like. The game board comprises a panel having defined rectangular areas located on an upper surface. Each defined area has an associated window and an associated reference character. The marker sheet is located below the panel and has groups of colored markings arranged in two perpendicular directions on both sides of the sheet. Each group corresponds to a defined area and a marking of each group is visible via the associated windows to allow the marking to be cancelled if the associated reference character is announced. Upon completion of a game, the panel is moved relative to the marker sheet by positioning the panel on pegs which pass through openings in the sheet and panel. The panel openings are arranged in two perpendicular directions in the same fashion as each group of markings. Accordingly, the colored marking of each group is visible via the windows for another announced game of a particular color. Once an entire group has been marked, the marker sheet may be flipped over and positioned on the pegs for further play. Thus, the number of games which can be played with a single marker sheet is maximized.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements for the playing of a Bingo game or the like, and more particularly to a game board and marker sheet which permit multiple games to be played using a single marker sheet.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It is well known to play Bingo or similar games with "hard cards" of sufficient rigidity to permit repeated use. In the course of a single play, a player will cancel the announced Bingo numbers with chips, corn kernels, shifting slides, or the like.
During an extended Bingo session, "specials" are typically played using "special" paper sheets imprinted with Bingo numbers which are color-coded to identify the particular "special." These paper sheets are suitable for only one play since a marker is used to cancel the announced number. In addition, these "special" sheets are often numbered with progressively different plate numbers and further provided with special numbers to prevent tampering.
Thus, much time and effort is spent in this tamper-proofing process. This time and effort is further multiplied by the fact that normally a sheet can only be used for a single play. In addition, this single play results in significant amounts of paper being used in each Bingo session.
My earlier patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,878, describes a Bingo game and process of playing the same wherein a pocket is provided for a card having a predetermined pattern of markings. This card is inserted within the pocket and positioned at predetermined intervals in the direction of insertion so that various sets of markings are sequentially visible via openings in the pocket. Accordingly, a single card is available for multiple plays.
However, it is advantaqeous to provide a game board which allows a "special" card to be used for an even greater number of plays. Also, simplification of the manufacturing process and reduction of materials are also desired results.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved device and process for effecting play of Bingo games and specials which results in a significant reduction in paper or other printed materials.
It is another object of the present invention to further reduce the time and effort involved in tamper-proofing "special" cards by eliminating full coloring of the cards and reference numerals or characters.
It is a further object of the present invention to accomplish the foregoing objects via a relatively simple manufacturing process.
These and other objects will become apparent from the specification and drawings which follow.


An image capture apparatus includes a variable translucency mirror, a viewfinder unit configured to receive light reflected by the variable translucency mirror, an imaging sensor configured to receive light transmitted through the variable translucency mirror, an image display unit configured to display an image based on the light received by the imaging sensor, and a controller configured to set a translucency of the variable translucency mirror. In a viewfinder mode, the controller sets the variable translucency mirror to be at least partially reflective such that light incident on the variable translucency mirror is reflected thereby and received by the viewfinder unit. In a display view mode, the controller sets the variable translucency mirror to be at least partially transparent, such that light incident on the variable translucency mirror is transmitted therethrough and received by the imaging sensor.

1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention generally relate to an image capture apparatus having a variable translucency mirror.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital single-lens reflex cameras (DSLR cameras) have become increasingly popular among photographers as a high-quality camera option, due to their many advantageous characteristics. In a typical DSLR camera, light received by the camera lens is directed via a mirror to an optical viewfinder, allowing the user to compose and even focus an image for photographing using the main optics of the camera. Many high-end DSLR cameras also provide higher quality and larger image sensors as compared to compact cameras, and may also provide several other professional grade-type options, such as the ability to select from among a variety of interchangeable lenses.
Yet another advantage of certain conventional DSLR cameras is their ability to provide relatively quick focus of an image for capturing. One of the techniques used in DSLR cameras to provide rapid focusing is phase-detection autofocus. Phase-detection autofocus generally involves receiving light rays from different parts of the lens, and comparing the images from the light rays to determine a phase difference therebetween. An advantage of this technique is that it provides for the determination of not only whether an image is out of focus, but also the direction and the extent to which the image is out of focus. Focus correction measures can thus be rapidly implemented using this information, such as by adjusting the focal length of the lens in a direction and amount calculated for correction of the phase difference. In certain DSLR cameras, phase-detection autofocus is facilitated by providing a mirror in the camera that reflects incoming light rays simultaneously towards both a viewfinder and phase-detection autofocus sensors. When a picture is taken, the mirror is "flipped up" or otherwise moved out of the path of the incoming light, thereby allowing a sufficient amount of light to fall on the image sensor. Examples of phase-detection autofocus techniques are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,909 to Kusaka and U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,966 to Ishida et al, both of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
Recently, newer DSLR cameras incorporate a "Live View" feature, in which a display image is generated from light received by the image sensor, and this image is displayed to a user of the camera, generally on an LCD or other display screen built into the camera body. The "Live View" mode can be advantageous in that the displayed image provides a preview of the exposure of the photograph to the user. However, DSLR cameras having such "Live View" modes have the disadvantage in that phase-detection autofocus cannot be performed at the same time. This is because any mirrors or other objects that would block or otherwise re-direct light away from the image sensor are typically moved out of the light path during the "Live View" mode, such that the amount of light received by the image sensor is sufficient for the image display. This includes any mirrors employed in the camera to re-direct light towards phase-detection sensors. Accordingly, phase-detection autofocus correction is not operable in the "Live View" mode, because the phase-detection sensors do not receive the light necessary to perform phase-detection autofocus.
Instead, cameras having such "Live View" modes often utilize an alternative method for autofocus correction, generally referred to as contrast detection autofocus. In contrast detection autofocus, the light received by the image sensor itself can be used to determine a position of a lens that provides the greatest contrast, signifying that the image is in focus. However, a problem with the contrast detection autofocus is that it can be slow when compared to phase-detection autofocus techniques. This is because, while the contrast detection autofocus technique is capable of determining whether an image out of focus, the technique typically does not provide information on the direction or extent to which the image is out of focus. Thus, trial and error methods are used in arriving at the proper focus parameters, such as by moving the lens back and forth to evaluate the contrast at different lens positions. The contrast detection autofocus method may also be especially slow in DSLR cameras, because such cameras can have a depth of field that is shallower than compact (non-DSLR) cameras, and DSLR cameras may also have a relatively larger lens that does not allow for changing of the focal length as quickly. Furthermore, the data processing involved in contrast detection autofocus is typically more exhaustive than that required by phase-detection autofocus, making the processing for the contrast detection autofocus slow in comparison.
In an attempt to resolve such issues, a number of different solutions have been proposed. As an example of such a proposed solution, the FUJIFILM F300 EXR compact camera implements a phase-detection autofocus technique that uses micro-lenses and half-pixel masks on the image sensor. The micro-lenses and half-pixel masks help to separate and distinguish light coming from the left and right sides of the lens, thereby allowing for the phase-detection autofocus using the light received by the masked pixels.
However, a problem with implementing this technique is that the micro-lenses and half-pixel masks can reduce by half the amount of light detected by these pixels, thereby reducing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). While image processing can be performed to improve the appearance of the resulting image, the noise nonetheless becomes apparent in low-light conditions that typically amplify such noise. Furthermore, the artificial positions of the half-masked pixels can make the noise look artificial when amplified. Such additional noise can be deemed unacceptable to users of high-end cameras and DSLR cameras where high image quality is desired. Also, the micro lens and half-mask technique used in the FUJIFILM 300 EXR is intended for use in compact cameras, and has not been used in DSLR cameras having optical viewfinder capabilities.
Yet another example of a proposed solution is the SONY A55V, which uses a fixed translucent mirror that directs 30% of incident light to a phase-detection sensor, and allows 70% of the light to pass therethrough to an imaging sensor. Since the translucent mirror allows light to hit both the image sensor and the phase-detection sensor, phase-detection autofocus correction to be performed simultaneously with use of the "Live View" mode. Furthermore, since the translucent mirror allows for a majority of the light to pass therethrough to the image sensor, the camera can be operated with the translucent mirror remaining fixed in position while image capture is performed, without requiring the mirror to move out of the path of incident light.
Along these lines, fixed pellicle mirrors (half-silvered mirrors) have also been employed in SLR film cameras as semi-transparent mirrors that split the incident light beam into a beam directed towards the image sensor and a beam directed towards the autofocus and metering sensors.
However, a problem with such fixed translucent and/or semi-transparent mirrors, as in the SONY A55V, is that by directing a part of the light towards the phase-detection sensor, the amount of light that is received by the image sensor for capturing the image is inevitably reduced. Thus, while the SONY A55V may be capable of providing for phase-detection autofocus in a "Live View" mode, it also suffers from a reduction in the total amount of light that reaches the image sensor. This deficit in available light can be significant, especially in low light conditions where photographers typically seek to use as much available light as possible to produce relatively noise-free images. While a user can increase the exposure time to attempt to compensate for this light deficit, lengthy exposure times can cause blurring of the resulting pictures. The SONY A55V also does not provide for the option of using an optical viewfinder, which is highly desired by certain users, and instead only allows for previewing of an image via the "Live View" mode, similar to a compact camera.
One attempt to address the problem of light deficit during image capture involves providing a translucent mirror that it is movable within the camera body, such that during image capture, the translucent mirror moves upwards and out of the light pathway, thereby allowing the image sensor to capture the full amount of available light. This operation can be similar to the "flipping up" of the fully reflective mirrors used in conventional DSLR cameras, as discussed above. An example of such a movable translucent mirror is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0045853 to Murashima, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Nonetheless, a problem that remains with cameras having translucent mirrors is that they do not use standard optical viewfinders, and instead substitute with electronic viewfinders (EVFs). This is because the translucent mirror allows only a fraction of the light to be directed away from the image sensor. If a standard optical viewfinder were provided in place of the electronic viewfinder, the image viewable therethrough would be excessively dark and unusable, due the deficiency in the amount of light directed towards the viewfinder. Also, since the autofocus sensors are in the path of any light re-directed from the image sensor, their presence would also affect the amount of light received by an optical viewfinder.
Furthermore, EVFs are typically not preferred over standard optical viewfinders by many photographers, because of the problems they can pose. For example, EVFs tend to display an excessive amount of noise in low-light conditions, and the resolution of EVFs also typically do not match that of standard optical viewfinders. Also, as EVFs often use field sequential LCDs to increase the viewfinder resolution, R, G and B signals may be displayed one after another rather than simultaneously in a single pixel, leading the EVFs to display rainbow artifacts, which can be a substantial drawback in their use.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an image capture apparatus and method that allows a user to preview an image by either using an optical viewfinder or by displaying the image on a display ("Live View"), while providing good autofocus correction. There is further a need for an image capture apparatus and method that provides for phase-detection autofocus correction both in a case where the image is previewed using an optical viewfinder, as well as in a case where the image is previewed by displaying the image on a display ("Live View"). There is further a need for an image capture apparatus and method that provides phase-detection autofocus of an image without excessively reducing the amount of light available for image preview and/or image capture.

Image capture apparatus with variable translucency mirror


A conductance probe is provided for adapting in a device having a container for holding a fluid therein. The a conductance probe is installed therein for providing a conductance signal indicating whether it is in contact with the fluid. The conductance probe features a conductance probe cleaner having a temperature sensitive element arranged on a tip thereof that is responsive to a change in the temperature of the fluid, for wiping the conductance probe to keep deposits from building up thereon. The scope of the invention includes any and all bi-metal configurations using temperature changes to create probe cleaning. The device may be a boiler or other suitable device having a heating element for boiling water contained therein. The temperature sensitive element is arranged on a metal tip of the conductance probe so as to move axially when wiping the same.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning a conductance probe; and more particularly to an apparatus for continuously cleaning a conductance probe in a steam or hot water boiler during operation in order to control the water level therein.
2. Description of Related Art
Conductance style probes are installed in boilers in order to control the water level in the boiler and to prevent the burner from firing if the water level is too low. When water is below the conductance probe, the probe has low conductance and the probe control unit signals the water feeder or pump to turn on and feed water into the boiler. In addition, the burner is prevented from firing because the water level is too low. If the probe is in water, the conductance is high and the probe control unit signals the water feeder or pump to turn off. In addition, the burner is now allowed to fire, if required. In use, as time passes, a layer of deposits can build up on the tip of the conductance probe. The layer of deposits may eventually affect the conductance characteristics of the probe, and result in false probe readings. The false readings may result in either flooding of the boiler or a dry firing of the boiler. To avoid these problems, it is currently recommended that the probes be cleaned on a routine basis. However, such cleaning is costly because it requires shutdown of the boiler and the downside risk for failure to do so can result in the boiler not operating properly, including possibly overheating or even exploding.
By way of example, FIG. 1(a) shows a hot water boiler generally indicated as 10 that is known in the art including a riser pipe 12 having a tee fitting 14 arranged thereon with a probe control 16 arranged thereon. The probe control 16 has the conductance probe generally indicated as 18 arranged therein and inside the walls 20 of the tee fitting 14, as shown in FIG. 1(c). In operation, the probe control 16 provides an electrical signal to the fluid and senses the conductance signal from the conductance probe 18. In this embodiment, the conductance probe 18 monitors the water flowing through the riser pipe 12.
In comparison, FIG. 1(b) shows a steam or hot water boiler 30 having a container 32 with a probe control 34 arranged on a side wall 32a thereof. The probe control 34 has the conductance probe (not shown) arranged therein and inside the side wall 32a, similar to conductance probe 18 in FIG. 1(c). In this embodiment, the conductance probe (not shown) monitors the water level in the container 32 to make sure a minimum safe water level is maintained therein.
FIGS. 2(a), 2(b) and 2(c) show the conductance probe 18 in FIG. 1(c) in greater detail, which includes a base 50, an assembly rod 52, a ceramic insulator 54, a spring washer 56, screws 56a, 56b and nuts 58. The assembly rod 52 is a conducting element partially wrapped with Teflon 53 for providing an electric insulator between the base 50 and the rod assembly 52, leaving a conducting tip 55 as shown. The operation of the conductance probe 18 in relation to the device 10 or 30 (FIGS. 1(a) and (b) and the probe control 16 is known in the art. By way of example, when installed in a boiler or other suitable device, a wire 57a from a printed circuit board 57 in the probe control 16 (FIG. 1(a) or (b)) is coupled between the nuts 58 and the base 50, and a pair of wires such as 57b are coupled from the screws 56a, 56b to ground. When the probe comes into contact with the fluid, a conductance signal is provided to the PCB 57 via the wire 47a. The conductance probe may also take the form of a capacitive-based probe which is known in the art having a layer of Teflon or other suitable insulator or dielectric material covering the whole tip.
A search was conducted for prior art documents having conductance probe cleaners and many different patents were developed, although none of which taught or suggested the present invention. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,003,018; 2,121,259; 4,142,418 and 4,357,694 disclose devices having bi-metallic structure. In particular, the '018 patent discloses a structure including a pre-formed cupped inner disc 1 of shape and curvature made of sheet metal and a peripheral outer band made of a material having a different thermal coefficient of expansion than the disc 1. The structure is used in a thermostat. In operation, the structure inverts and re-inverts in response to a temperature change. In comparison, the '259 patent discloses a bi-metallic spring member 32 wrapped about pipe 14 that expands or contract in response to a temperature change. Neither of these two patents suggests using the same for cleaning a conductance probe tip. Moreover, the '418 patent discloses a temperature sensitive member; while the '694 patent discloses thermally responsive bimetallic jewelry.
Other patents developed in related searches include U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,891,705; 3,061,721; 3,527,611 and 6,432,213, which show elements disposed on pipe exteriors for cleaning the same. In particular, the '705 patent discloses a heat exchanger having scale removers 15 loosely arranged on pipes 14 for rubbing sediment that may form thereon when the pipes 14 are rotated. In comparison, the '721 discloses a water purifier including a casing 10 having tubes 25 arranged therein, the tubes having a water impeller rotator 32 with blades 35 and cleaning or brushing tools 36 arranged thereon for cleaning the tubes as water flows through the casing 10. The '611 discloses a pipe segment 10 having abrasive collars arranged thereon for scouring the surface of the pipe in response to a cyclic motion of the pipe 10 caused by a vibration generator or sonic oscillator 12. The '213 patent discloses a tube scrapper such as 12 for scraping the exterior of a tube or pipe. Further, there is also a large body of art related to external pipe cleaning means that are associated with hand tools for cleaning the same. For example, the '184 patent discloses a pipe cleaning device. Some other patents known in the art having electrodes and/or probes and devices for cleaning the same to detect parameters include U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,473,060 and 4,668,369, which show electrode cleaners having devices for moving a cleaning device to clean an electrode. For example, in the '060 patent, the electrode cleaning device is a rotating brush powered by a motor. In the '369 patent, the electrode cleaning device is a reciprocating wiper structure powered by an air operated cylinder. Other known patents show various means for cleaning shafts, not electrodes, including U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,485 having a loosely fitting collar member arranged on a rod, which forms part of a heat exchanger, to keep deposits from forming on the rod. None of these other patents developed in related searches teach or suggest the present invention.
In view of the aforementioned, there is a real need in the art for a mechanical self-cleaning conductance probe, especially for use in steam or hot water boilers and other devices for heating fluids, as well as a device having such a mechanical self-cleaning conductance probe.

Mechanical self-cleaning probe via bi-metallic or shape memory


An apparatus for monitoring and determining the distances of points on a surface from a reference axis includes a light source, such as a laser, for projecting a main beam of light of relatively small diameter along an axis. A device, such as a diffraction grating, is provided for splitting the main beam of light into a plurality of discrete fractional beams of light. A further component, such as a diverging lens, angularly displaces the fractional beams relative to each other so the beams extend along a common plane towards a position for an object. Light reflected from the surface is projected onto a linear photodetector, the positions where the reflected fractional beams strike the linear photodetector being related to the distance from a reference axis to the points on the object where the fractional beams are reflected. Preferably there is a light gathering device such as a converging lens system for gathering the fractional light beams reflected off the object and for projecting real images thereof onto the photodetector.

In the past many optical devices have been developed for determining the distances between a reference axis and points on an object and thereby deriving data on, for example, the thickness or shape of the object. One such device is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,973 to Nosler which discloses a device employing optics for determining the position of a log in a plywood mill. Light from a laser is reflected off of the object and focussed onto a photodetector array by a lens. The distance from a reference axis to the point where the light is reflected on the log and thereby the diameter of the log, can be determined from the position where the light strikes the photodetector array.
Apparatuses are also known for monitoring and determining the instantaneous thickness of a moving strip of planar material simultaneously at several different positions. Such a device is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. No. 3,671,726 to Kerr. Here, light from a single source passes through a plurality of prisms, each of which reflects part of the light at right angles from the original beam towards the strip of material. The light from each prism strikes the object and is reflected towards a detector unit. Thus a plurality of detector units are required, one for each prism. Other such units employing a multitude of detector units have used an arc lamp and a plurality of optical fibers extending from the lamp towards the object.
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of instantaneously determining the distances of a plurality of points on a moving strip from a reference axis while employing a minimum number of components for increased economy and reliability as well as ease of installation. It is a further object to provide a device capable of measuring closely spaced-apart points to provide more precise data on the object.

Apparatus for determining the distances of points on a surface from a reference axis


A computer readable device storing print control instructions to be executed by a computer communicatively connected to at least one printer via a network is provided. The print control instructions comprise at least a monitoring program. The monitoring program, when executed by the computer, causes the computer to function as: a monitoring module configured to monitor setting information in which location information of the printer on the network is written to detect writing of the location information, and a port setting module configured to, upon detection of the writing of the location information, set a logical print port having the written location information set therein as a print port to be used.

As a printer driver used commonly among a plurality of models of printers, a common printer driver has been conventionally well-known. The common printer driver sets a logical print port having an IP address of a printer selected by an user set therein (for example, TCP/IP port) as a "print port to be used", then prints using the print port.

Computer readable device storing print control program, print control apparatus and print control method