This invention relates to catamenial tampons, and more particularly to an improved tampon which has a compressed core portion and at least one flexible panel for improved coverage of the interior of the vaginal cavity and for directing fluid toward the tampon core. The tampon of the present invention combines the advantages of an absorbent material compressed to a self-sustaining form with an absorbent portion which is uncompressed and relatively flexible. This tampon has a central absorbent core having a first (insertion) end, a second (withdrawal) end disposed opposite the first end, and a side surface which extends between the first end and the second end. The central absorbent core is constructed from an absorbent material which has been compressed to a self-sustaining form. The tampon also includes at least one flexible panel which is joined to the central absorbent core along at least a portion of the side surface of the core. The flexible panel extends outwardly from the core away from this point of attachment.

It has been long recognized that the internal vaginal cavity in its normal collapsed state is of much wider dimension in its transverse plane than in its vertical plane. It is equally well known that the minimum dimension of the vagina is near the introitus while the maximum dimension is near the cervix. It is desirable, therefore, when considering a tampon for catamenial use, to provide a structure which is in its initial state is of a size and/or shape to pass through the vaginal orifice without discomfort, and when once inside the vaginal cavity and beyond the restrictions of the orifice may be expanded, particularly in the lateral direction, to contact substantially all of surface of the vaginal walls from one side to the other in the vaginal cavity to prevent early bypass of the menstrual discharges from the cervix. Since the vaginal wall in its normal collapsed state is flaccid and has multiple folds and wrinkles which provide channels through which a significant portion of the menstrual fluids normally flow, it is also important that the absorbent tampon be as soft and conformable as possible, in order to conform to shape of the vaginal cavity and fit within these channels to minimize leakage.
The absorbent catamenial tampons now in general use comprise small, highly compressed, cylindrical plugs about three-eighths to one-half inch (about 1.0 cm to 1.3 cm) in diameter and from 11/2 to 21/2 inches in length (about 3.8 cm to 6.4 cm). Because of the need for absorbent capacity, they are usually formed from batts much larger in size than the vaginal orifice, and compressed to the small size indicated above in order to facilitate insertion. As fluid is absorbed, these compressed tampons are expected to re-expand toward their original pre-compressed size, and to eventually become large enough to effectively cover the vaginal cavity against fluid leakage or bypass. While it has been found that these compressed tampons perform their intended function tolerably well, even the best of them do not re-expand sufficiently, or fast enough, to provide good transverse coverage against leakage even though the vertical block may be satisfactory (although such vertical block may also be lacking). Further, most of these tampons often use only a small portion of their absorptive capacity before leakage. Since these tampons rely on some fluid absorption to re-expand, it is clear that fluid bypass and leakage can occur prematurely, and can particularly occur immediately following the time of insertion.
The prior art has long recognized that it is desirable to provide a tampon which is capable of immediately expanding after insertion, particularly in the lateral, or transverse direction. Immediate expansion of a catamenial tampon is most beneficially provided when it is not dependent on the absorption of bodily fluids for such expansion. "Dry expanding" is a term frequently used in the art to describe such a tampon.
Numerous attempts have been made to solve the problems described above with respect to a compressed cylindrical tampon through the use of a dry-expanding tampon. Some of these approaches focused on the applicator and others focused on the tampon itself.
For example, some approaches in the patent art suggest a tampon with a built-in mechanical expansion means, a typical example being U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,311 to Kohx et al. However, while a good transverse block appears to be produced, the mechanical expansion means disclosed in that patent is in the form of a flat springlike element which after insertion permanently maintains the spread configuration of the tampon, may make it difficult to remove.
Another approach is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,528 to Whitehead et al, which teaches the use of a sack of absorbent material collapsed to a small size for insertion and which after insertion is expanded by the introduction of a gas or a fluid internally of the sack. The multiple steps and complicated manipulation of the gas or fluid introduction means required when using this type of tampon detract from what otherwise appears to be an effective solution of the problem.
Still another approach is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,395 issued to Johnson, et al. The Johnson, et al. patent teaches the use of an elongated inserter device over which a flat tampon is draped. The inserter is said to permit the draped portion of the tampon to be pulled, rather than pushed into the cavity from the point at which the tampon is supported on the leading end of the inserter. The inserter means is equipped with a bilateral expansion mechanism which at the user's option may be operated to transversely spread the tampon at the time of insertion. The inserter device described in the Johnson, et al. patent suffers from many drawbacks, however. The Johnson inserter device is a complicated device comprising a pair of hinged arms that are capable of laterally diverging at a hinge or joint. The angular nature of the hinged arms would make that inserter uncomfortable to use. The complex nature of the hinged arms would also make it difficult and expensive to manufacture. As a result, it would not be suitable as a disposable applicator.
The prior art has recognized that a tampon should ideally be highly conformable and as non-rigid as possible. Such tampons, however, are difficult to insert and manipulate to an expanded position as the prior art attempts described above demonstrate. Therefore, all prior art attempts to provide a dry-expanding tampon have either required a complicated, cumbersome, and potentially uncomfortable application system, or have been constructed of a semi-rigid tampon or a tampon with a mechanical expansion mechanism.
Another series of attempts to overcome the problems associated with conventional, highly compressed, fluid expanding tampons is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,094 issued to Duncan and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,794,029 and 3,766,921 both issued to Dulle. The Duncan and Dulle devices are all generally conical and are designed to be dry-expanding. While these devices would be expected to overcome some of the problems associated with highly compressed, fluid expanding tampons, the Duncan and Dulle devices still require significant rigidity and compression in order to permit their use in a conventional "tube and plunger" type applicator for which they are designed. Such tampons are also constructed of absorbent polyurethane foam to provide the required inherent "spring."
It is desirable to provide a catamenial tampon which may be constructed of materials such as rayon and cotton which have long been used in the art for absorption of menstrual and other vaginal discharges. Such materials are accepted as safe and effective for such in-vivo application, are readily available, and are sufficiently inexpensive for disposable product application. It is also desirable to design a tampon which may be inserted digitally or through the use of conventional "tube and plunger" applicators since such applicators are well accepted by consumers and are easy and inexpensive to manufacture. It is also desired to provide a tampon in which at least a portion of the tampon is dry expanding to immediately cover a significant portion of the vaginal interior. Such dry expanding portion should be highly flaccid and conformable to conform to the surface of the vaginal interior.
The present invention seeks to combine the benefits of a conventional tampon comprised of an absorbent material compressed to a self-sustaining form, with the benefits of a dry-expanding tampon. One previous attempt to provide such a tampon is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,301 issued to Johnson. The Johnson patent describes a digital tampon which has a portion made of absorbent material which is compressed to a self-sustaining form. An upper portion of the Johnson device is left uncompressed to provide a finger drape during digital insertion. While the Johnson device appears to combine some of the benefits of a conventional compressed tampon with the benefits of leaving an uncompressed portion, the Johnson device still suffers from some significant drawbacks. Portions of the Johnson device which are uncompressed, and therefore, potentially dry expanding are attached only to the top of the compressed portion. This restricts ability of the uncompressed portion to direct acquired fluid into the "core" portion of the tampon for long-term storage. Indeed, it appears from the Johnson disclosure, that the uncompressed portions serve to function as finger shields during insertion rather than as the unique fluid acquisition aids of the present invention.


A thermoplastic matrix airframe structure section includes a multitude of thermoplastic matrix frame members and a multitude of thermoplastic matrix beam members which form a substructure, which receives a thermoplastic matrix inner cap grid structure, a thermoplastic matrix outer cap grid structure, and a thermoplastic matrix skin which are in-situ co-bonded to the substructure to significantly strengthen and unify the substructure.

The present invention relates to an airframe, and more particularly to a thermoplastic matrix airframe section with an in-situ co-bonded thermoplastic fiber cap grid structure and skin which is integrated with a substructure on the fly without subsequent autoclave post processing.
Composite airframe structures for rotary wing aircraft are traditionally fabricated by two techniques: discrete part build up and fully integrated structures. Each of these processes contains various tradeoffs.
The process of manufacturing unique components and subsequently fastening or bonding the plurality of components together is laden with high recurring part cost and non-recurring tooling costs. Each unique composite component requires discrete mold, trim, fixture, and ply location tools or templates. These tools are required for each unique component within the assembly.
Once the plurality of unique individual components are manufactured, they are assembled in an assembly fixture for mechanically fastened structures, or in a bond fixture for bonded structures. Each of these assembly processes requires significant labor associated with lay-up, machine time, and hand assembly.
Fully integrated composite assemblies join the plurality of discrete uncured and cured composite components prior to the cure cycle. This results in a single unitized structure after cure. Although the total quantity of tools for this process may be less than that required for a discrete part assembly, tooling tolerances and quality issues may be more significant. Additionally, although the touch labor associated with a unitized structure is essentially the same prior to cure, a fully integrated composite assembly generally results in reduced touch labor after autoclave curing since less assembly is required. However, relatively expensive non-recurring tooling requires significant time duration for lay-up and cure which significantly limits the amount of product throughput.
In general, fabrication of discrete part build-up with separate, dedicated tooling is costly and time consuming. Fabrication of unitized structures reduces assembly labor, however, tool complexity is increased which reduces product throughput.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a composite airframe structural section as an essentially engineered commodity assembly and a method of manufacture therefor which capitalizes on manufacturing economies of scale to achieve lower cost airframe sections.

Composite thermoplastic matrix airframe structure and method of manufacture therefore


Methods and systems are provided for mapping clinical terminology with natural language processing. In one embodiment, an example method includes generating a word relationship graph for a plurality of mappings between a first code set and a second code set, receiving a first code of the first code set, and automatically mapping a second code of the second code set to the first code based on the word relationship graph. In this way, seemingly different code descriptions from different medical vocabularies may be automatically mapped to each other with reduced processing and reduced human intervention.

Medical text plays an important role in the delivery of healthcare. Using medical text, medical concepts and information can be exchanged using a variety of documents including progress notes, discharge summaries, prescriptions, procedure reports, and so on. Medical terminology is voluminous, fragmented, and complex. Multiple standards bodies (e.g., Health Level Seven (HL7), World Health Organization (WHO), etc.) make contributions to categorizing and publishing medical vocabularies (e.g., Systematized Nomenclature of Human and Veterinary Medicine (SNOMED), International Classification of Diseases (ICD), Logical Observation Identifier Names and Codes (LOINC), etc.) across multiple healthcare domains (e.g., medical procedures, problem lists, laboratory, etc.). In developing clinical information systems, data collection can be driven via a controlled medical vocabulary (CMV) that spans multiple organizations and source terminologies. The CMV can be continuously updated and is able to grow and evolve with the growing list of codes and terms.
In many cases, mapping between terminologies has been accomplished for common terminologies that have overlapping information domains. These mappings are made available by government agencies, healthcare providers, and third-party content providers. Most approaches to managing a CMV rely on mapping rules and use of human intervention of terminology engineers or medical coders to understand differences across source vocabularies, to rationalize the organization of data (via hierarchies and relationships), to identify differences in granularity, and to map between codes and synonyms where there is overlap. This process requires a large amount of manpower to maintain an updated vocabulary and is especially burdensome when implementing new systems in an established healthcare organization with an abundance of systems and proprietary codes and synonyms. Combined with internationalization and a desire to share data across healthcare organizations, the problem quickly becomes unmanageable. For this reason, many healthcare IT providers have created their own proprietary codes, relationships, terms and picklists which remain unintegrated with other systems and terminologies.

Clinical terminology mapping with natural language processing


Reducing power while in standby mode may comprise monitoring for an occurrence of at least one event requiring a transition out of a standby mode while utilizing a lower frequency, less accurate, and low power standby clock signal while operating in the standby mode. After receiving the occurrence of the event, an identity of the received event may be determined. In response to receiving the event, based on the determined identity of the event, a first and/or a second clock signal may be enabled, which has higher frequency and better accuracy and consumes more power than the standby clock signal. If the first and/or second clock signal is enabled, they may be disabled in order to re-enter the standby mode, which utilizes the standby clock signal while in standby mode.

Mobile communication devices generally transmit data in a bursty manner. In this regard, there are periods when there is no transmission and the device is quiet or inactive and others periods when there is a burst of communication followed again by a period of inactivity. These periods of bursts may occur during time slots or intervals when a mobile device may be authorized to access a communication channel. In order to effectively maximize use of channel bandwidth, while at the same time permit a plurality of access devices to share the bandwidth, very stringent timing requirements must be maintained. In some mobile communication devices, for example, timing requirements may be supplied and maintained by a voltage controlled crystal oscillator (VCXO). For example, in GSM, a voltage controlled crystal oscillator may be utilized to generate a very accurate 13 MHz clock. By fine-tuning a voltage of the VCXO, an output frequency of the VCXO may be more accurately controlled. This fine-tuning is often required in order to provide synchronization with the network.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system that may be utilized to minimize the amount of power that is consumed. Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an integrated circuit or chip 102 and an external voltage controlled crystal oscillator (VCXO) 106. The chip 102 may comprise a phase lock loop (PLL) 104, which is coupled to a plurality of on-chip devices D1, D2, D3 and D4. One of the on-chip devices, for example, D1, may be a main processor. Devices D2, D3 and D4 may be co-processors or accelerators. Devices D5 and D6 may be network interface modules and device D7 may be user interface modules, for example. The phase lock loop 104 may be utilized to generate a high frequency clock that is used to handle the demanding processing requirements during burst periods. The frequency of the phase lock loop 104 may be, for example, 156 MHz.
During normal operation, the VCXO 106 supplies a reference clock (C0) signal 110 to main PLL 104. The main PLL 104 then generates a plurality of output clocks that supplies clocking to on-chip devices D1, D2, D3, and D4. In this arrangement, a significant amount of power is consumed by the PLL 104 and on-chip devices D1, D2, D3 and D4. During standby mode when on-chip devices D1, D2, D3 and D4 are inactive, the main PLL 104 may be disabled and the reference clock 108 may be supplied to devices D5, D6 and D7. The reference clock 108 is derived from the VCXO 106 and is tapped off from the reference clock (C0) signal 110 that is supplied to the main PLL 104. Notwithstanding, even though the main PLL 104 is disabled, a significant amount of power is still drawn by the external voltage controlled crystal oscillator (VCXO) 106 during stand-by mode. This causes the batteries in mobile access devices to drain at a much faster rate. Accordingly, the batteries must be charged or changed more frequently.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Method and system for generating clocks for standby mode operation in a mobile communication device


A system for holding a portion of the flexible exhaust hose from a dryer within a wall, thereby allowing the dryer to be placed in close proximity to the wall is provided. The system provides a dryer rough-in box including a contoured surface for smoothly guiding the flexible exhaust hose to minimize bending and kinking. An integral segment of duct is provided to allow for convenient and aesthetic installation, where the connection of the system to the duct in the was is hidden within the wall. Additionally, the rough-in box includes an opening structured and arranged to snugly fit a gas line is provided, thereby aiding in.

This invention relates to providing a system and method for recessed dryer rough-in box with contoured vent receptacle and grommet that allows installation of a clothes dyer in a closer proximity to a wall.
Typically, a connection is made from the dryer to a flexible exhaust hose. The other end of the flexible exhaust hose is then connected to a duct inlet protruding from a wall adjacent the dryer. It is often desirable to place the clothes dryer as close to the wall as possible in order to save space, prevent materials from falling behind the clothes dryer, and for aesthetics, etc. The flexible exhaust hose allows movement of the dryer as for cleaning, repair, etc., without the inconvenience of disconnecting it from the exhaust duct. Since the duct inlet commonly protrudes several inches from the wall, the dryer is limited in how close it can be set against the wall by the space required for the flexible exhaust hose and duct inlet. Moving the clothes dryer in a close proximity to the wall may result in kinking and/or crushing the flexible hose, reducing the efficacy of the exhaust vent, thereby diminishing the efficiency of the clothes dryer.
Although solutions to this problem have been sought, they are unsuitable and far from optimal. In most conventional clothes dryer rough-in boxes, the recessed receptacles for accepting the dryer hose and vent are typically rectangular in shape including edges which impede the Venting of the dryer exhaust by kinking the dryer hose when the dryer is pushed against the receptacle. One such conventional method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,183, issued Dec. 19, 1995 to Harpenau. The Harpenau dryer rough-in box includes planar surfaces including a top, bottom, a pair of sides and a back. The Harpenau dryer rough-in box may be used to permit a dryer to be pushed in close proximity to a wall, while providing a recessed cavity for minimizing kinking of an attached dryer hose. However, as can be seen, the bottom surface is horizontally positioned, and is further perpendicular to the pair of sides. The sides of the box are also parallel to each other so that the box forms a substantially rectangular open structure with a planar back surface. As such, the bottom corners of the box presents spaces wherein the dryer hose may be trapped, and therefore kinked. The Harpenau rough-in box, as those like it, is deficient in that installing a recessed receptacle with a planar bottom surface can result in kinking of the flexible exhaust hose when the hose gets pushed back into the receptacle. For example, the horizontal bottom edge, or a bottom corner of the receptacle, may xe2x80x9ccatchxe2x80x9d the flexible hose, thereby preventing the hose from recoiling smoothly. This, in turn, has deleterious effects, as mentioned above.
One method which attempts to address the kinking problem encountered in the Harpenau patent is currently being sold by In-O-Vate Technologies, 810 Saturn Street, #22, Juniper, Fla. 33477, as disclosed on the world wide web at www.dryerbox.com. The In-O-Vate dryer rough-in box is of substantially similar shape as the Harpenau patent in that the invention includes a top, bottom, and pair of side surfaces which are planar. The pair of substantially parallel sides taper from the front of the box to the rear of the box. The back surface of the rough-in box is of a shorter length than the length of the pair of sides, and of a shorter width than the box front opening. The planar bottom surface of the box is formed from the planar back of the box to the front of the box, and is joined to the pair of sides, such that the bottom planar surface slants downwardly from back to front. An obtuse angle is formed at the intersection of the planar back surface and the planar bottom surface, such that a corner is drawn between the pair of sides along the vertex of the obtuse angle. As such, although the In-O-Vate dryer rough-in box provides a slanted surface for guiding the compression of a retracting flexible dryer hose, the box is still deficient in that the dryer hose may still get trapped in the vertex/corner, thereby reducing the free flow of the dryer exhaust.
Also, since many existing homes have exhaust ducts that protrude from a wall, it is beneficial to have a system that can be easily retrofitted. Installing a system that requires adapting an existing duct through an opening in a receptacle is problematic. It can be more difficult and less aesthetically pleasing than making a connection that is hidden within the wall. Also, the junction between the receptacle and the duct may not conveniently achieve a tight seal, which is desirable for insulation, pest control and aesthetic reasons, etc. Additionally, there may not be enough existing duct within the wall to install the receptacle at the desired height, requiring installation of a separate piece of ductxe2x80x94an additional step that adds inconvenience. Finally, for installation of gas-powered dryers, it is desirable to route the gas line through the receptacle. Receptacles with generic-sized openings may fail to achieve a tight fit between the gas line and the receptacle, which is desirable for insulation, pest control and aesthetic reasons, etc.
A primary object and feature of the present invention is to provide a holding system that stores at least a portion of the flexible exhaust hose from a dryer within a wall. It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide such a system that guides the flexible exhaust hose from a dryer to the duct connection, when the dryer is placed in close proximity to the wall, thereby reducing kinking.
It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide an exhaust duct-extension, which allows the system to be installed more conveniently than the prior art.
It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide a grommet specifically designed to snugly fit a gas conduit, which allows the system to be installed more conveniently than the prior art.
It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide an exhaust duct-extension, which allows convenient to installation through an exterior wall
A further primary object and feature of the invention is to provide such a system, which is efficient, inexpensive, and handy. Other objects and features of this invention will become apparent with reference to the following descriptions.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment hereof, this invention provides a dryer rough-in box system located essentially within a wall having at least one stud, for providing for holding at least a portion of a flexible exhaust hose within the wall. As used herein, xe2x80x9cholding systemxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9crough-in box systemxe2x80x9d may be used interchangeably. In accordance with the present invention, the holding system comprises, in combination: a guiding means for smoothly guiding at least a portion of the flexible exhaust hose into said holding system; and at least one attachment means for assisting in attaching said holding system to the at least one stud. It also provides such a holding system further comprising: a partitioning means for partitioning the interior of said holding system from the interior of the wall. And it provides such a holding system further comprising: exhaust duct-extension means for providing a bottom extension piece for the exhaust duct, wherein a lower portion of said exhaust duct-extension means is structured and arranged to assist in connecting to the flexible exhaust hose, and wherein the upper portion of said exhaust duct-extension means is structured and arranged to assist in connecting to the exhaust duct. Moreover it provides such a holding system further comprising: exhaust duct-extension means for extending for the exhaust duct; wherein such exhaust duct-extension means comprises; connection means for connecting to the flexible exhaust hose; duct transition means for transitioning the direction of such exhaust duct-extension means; and exterior extension means for extending such exhaust duct-extension means from an interior portion of the wall to at least one point exterior to the wall. Additionally, it provides such a holding system wherein such exterior extension means comprises attachment means for attaching such exterior extension means to at least one portion of the wall. And it provides such a holding system wherein an upper portion of said holding means comprises a grommet means for firmly supporting a gas conduit.
Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment hereof, this invention provides a holding system located essentially within a wall having at least one stud, for providing for holding at least a portion of a flexible exhaust hose within the wall, comprising, in combination: an exhaust duct-extension means for providing a bottom extension piece for the exhaust duct, wherein, a lower portion of said exhaust duct-extension means is structured and arranged to assist in connecting to the flexible exhaust hose, and an upper portion of said exhaust duct-extension means is structured and arranged to assist in connecting to the exhaust duct; and a holding means for holding said exhaust duct-extension means within the wall.
Even further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment hereof, this invention provides a holding system located essentially within a wall having at least one stud, for providing for holding at least a portion of a gas line and at least a portion of a flexible exhaust hose within the wall, comprising, in combination: a holding means for holding at least a portion of the flexible exhaust hose within the wall; wherein an upper portion of said holding means comprises a grommet means for firmly supporting a gas conduit.
Furthermore, in accordance with a preferred embodiment hereof, this invention provides a holding system located essentially within a wall having at least one stud, for providing for holding at least a portion of a flexible exhaust hose within the wall, comprising, in combination: a guider structured and arranged to smoothly guide at least a portion of the flexible exhaust hose into said holding system; an attacher structured and arranged to assist attaching said holding system to the at least one stud. It also provides such a holding system further comprising: an exhaust duct-extension structured and arranged to provide a bottom extension piece for the exhaust duct, further comprising, a lower portion of said exhaust duct-extension structured and arranged to assist in connecting to the flexible exhaust hose, and an upper portion of said exhaust duct-extension structured and arranged to assist in connecting to the exhaust duct. And it provides such a holding system wherein an upper portion of said holding system comprises a grommet structured and arranged to firmly support a gas conduit. And it provides such a holding system further comprising a connecter structured and arranged to firmly connect said exhaust duct-extension to said holder. And it provides such a holding system wherein said exhaust duct-extension is substantially 4xe2x80x3 in diameter.
Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment hereof, this invention provides a holding system located essentially within a wall having at least one stud, for providing for holding at least a portion of a flexible exhaust hose within the wall, comprising, in combination: an exhaust duct-extension structured and arranged to provide a bottom extension piece for the exhaust duct, further comprising, a lower portion of said exhaust duct-extension structured and arranged to assist in connecting to the flexible exhaust hose, and an upper portion of said exhaust duct-extension structured and arranged to assist in connecting to the exhaust duct; and a holder structured and arranged to hold said exhaust duct-extension within the wall. And it provides such a holding system further comprising at least one attacher structured and arranged to firmly fasten said exhaust duct-extension to said holder. And it further provides such a holding system wherein said at least one attacher comprises at least one rivet.
Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment hereof, this invention provides a holding system located essentially within a wall having at least one stud, for providing for holding at least a portion of a gas line and at least a portion of a flexible exhaust hose within the wall, comprising, in combination: a holder structured and arranged to hold at least a portion of the flexible exhaust hose within the wall; wherein an upper portion of said holder comprises a grommet structured and arranged to firmly support a gas conduit. And it provides such a holding system wherein said holder comprises a grommet, wherein said grommet comprises elastic material.

System and method for a dryer rough-in box with contoured vent receptacle and formed grommet


A protection device for handling energy transients includes a plurality of basic unit Zener diodes connected in series to achieve a desired breakdown voltage. Each of the basic unit Zener diodes is formed in a first-type substrate. Each of the basic unit Zener diodes comprises a second-type well formed in the substrate, a second-type Zener region formed in the second-type well and a first-type+ region formed over the second-type Zener region between a first and second second-type+ region.

A wide variety of metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) are utilized in motor vehicles to drive inductive loads, such as solenoids. In a typical application, a control signal, provided by a gate drive circuit, is applied across a gate and a source of a MOSFET to control energization of a solenoid that is coupled to a drain of the MOSFET. In a typical application, the control signal periodically causes the MOSFET to turn off. In this case, the gate drive circuit typically attempts to pull the MOSFET gate low to reduce the gate voltage. As the gate voltage is reduced, the MOSFET starts to turn off and the current through the MOSFET attempts to go down. However, since the inductive load coupled to the drain of the MOSFET requires a fixed current to flow for a short period of time, the drain voltage of the MOSFET rises such that the MOSFET conducts substantially the same level of current at the lower gate voltage. In this situation, if the MOSFET is not protected, the voltage across the drain and source of the MOSFET can rise to a point where the MOSFET undergoes breakdown.
To prevent the MOSFET from undergoing breakdown, a stack of Zener diodes have traditionally been connected between the gate and drain of the MOSFET (see FIG. 6, where the stack is represented by one Zener diode). When the drain-to-gate voltage reaches the breakdown voltage of the stack, the Zener diodes breakdown passing current into the gate, which, in turn, holds the gate voltage at some minimum acceptable level to allow current to flow through the inductive load. Unfortunately, in this case, the current through and the voltage across the MOSFET can reach relatively high values, resulting in high power dissipation by the MOSFET, which, in turn, can increase a temperature of the MOSFET. Thus, in a typical power MOSFET, in order for the MOSFET temperature to be kept below a critical value, the size of the MOSFET may be required to be relatively large. In the case where the device is physically larger than required to reach a specified maximum on-resistance, the device is said to be thermally limited.
What is needed is a technique for protecting a semiconductor device from energy transients that generally does not require the physical size of the device to be larger than that required to reach a specified maximum on-resistance.

Protection device for handling energy transients


There is provided a video display apparatus the display screen of which is configured by combining a plurality of video display units in each of which light emitting display elements are arranged in a matrix manner; in the video display apparatus, there is provided a luminance correction means that corrects the luminance of video data situated in a correction subject area including respective end regions, of a first video display unit and a second video display unit, that face each other, in accordance with the spacing between the first video display unit and the second video display unit; and a linear noise that is caused at a seam portion between the video display units is suppressed, whereby the image quality of a video to be displayed can be raised.

The demand for a large-size video display apparatus utilizing light emitting display elements (or simply referred to as light emitting elements) such as light emitting diodes has rapidly been increased, because, due to development of devices, the image quality and the resolution thereof have recently been raised and the pixel pitch thereof has been reduced.
A large-size video display apparatus utilizing light emitting display elements is configured by combining a plurality of video display units formed of a great number of light emitting display elements that are arranged in a matrix manner on a substrate.
Furthermore, it is made possible that, by combining two or more video display units so as to configure a module and arbitrarily combining the modules, a large, desired-size video display apparatus is configured.
In the case of such a large-size video display apparatus configured of a plurality of video display units that are combined with one another, when the resolution of a video to be displayed is raised, the spacing (distance) between the video display units affects the image quality of a video to be displayed.
In a conventional large-size video display apparatus (for example, refer to a display apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-86165) obtained by arranging a great number of video display units so as to configure a large-screen display apparatus, in order to make the brightness variations in the video display units and the seam between the video display units inconspicuous and to raise the image quality, the brightness of dots in the vicinity of the seam is set to be higher than that of dots in the vicinity of the middle portion, regardless of the spacing between the video display units.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication Laid-Open No. 2004-86165 (paragraph 0289)

Video display apparatus and video display method


A firewall protecting a computer is automatically configured to a particular security policy based on an address assigned to a network adapter. A zone that contains the network address is determined and a security policy that is assigned to the zone is associated with the network adapter. The security policy specifies the configuration the firewall uses when handling network traffic between the adapter and the network corresponding to the address. In another aspect, the address assigned to the network adapter is also determined.

When a computer is connected to a public network, such as the Internet, the computer is vulnerable to attack and compromise from other computers on the network. In contrast, if the same computer is connected to a private network, such as a corporate local area network (LAN), the security risks are much fewer, and features like file and printer sharing are common. Therefore, firewall software has been developed to protect the computer and such software is configurable by the user to determine the level of security desired.
In many cases, the computer may be connected to different networks at different times. For example, a notebook computer that is connected to a corporate LAN when the user is in the office may be connected to a public network when the user is working at home or traveling. The security configuration for the computer when it is used in the office would allow most all network traffic to and from the LAN because the LAN is a trusted network. On the other hand, when the computer is connected to a public network, the security configuration should be changed to prevent almost all unsolicited traffic because the public network is untrusted.
Using prior art firewall software, the user must manually re-configure the security settings when changing network connections, posing significant risks and challenges in protecting the computer. If the user attempts to connect to a trusted network with the firewall configured for an untrusted network, the user probably cannot log into the corporate LAN because it is likely that some of the protocols allowed on the LAN are prohibited on the untrusted network. More critically, if the firewall software is configured for a trusted network when the user connects the computer notebook to an untrusted network, the computer is now much less protected from attack.

Automatically configuring a computer firewall based on network connection


Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with a machine learning system that monitors and detects risk in electronic correspondence related to a construction project are described. In one embodiment, a method includes monitoring email communications over a network to identify an email; tokenizing text from the email into a plurality of words and initiating a machine learning classifier configured to identify construction terminology and to classify text with a risk as being litigious or non-litigious. The machine learning classifier processes the words from the email by at least corresponding the words to a set of defined litigious vocabulary and defined non-litigious vocabulary. The email is labeled as litigious or non-litigious. An electronic notice is generated and transmitted to a remote device in response to the email being labeled as being litigious to provide an alert in near-real time in relation to receiving the email over the network.

Disputes and litigations are a common occurrence in most large-scale construction and engineering projects. These disputes and litigations cost owners, contractors, sub-contractors, architects, and consultants millions of dollars in damages impacting the overall project. Early detection of potential issues that could lead to disputes and litigations enable proactive interventions.
For example, digital platforms are used to manage and communicate day-to-day electronic correspondences over the course of a project. These electronic correspondences contain information that if deciphered correctly could indicate early signs of potential issues that could lead to larger disputes or litigations. These early signs can be used to identify dispute and litigation risks associated with each project and can serve to provide early warnings.
However, no prior system exists that is a computer intelligent system for identifying such early signs or risks for a project. Also, there is no prior system that can forecast or predict a potential risk for a project based on electronic correspondence.

Machine learning model for predicting litigation risk on construction and engineering projects


An image sensor includes a photosensitive region disposed within a semiconductor layer and a stress adjusting layer. The photosensitive region is sensitive to light incident through a first side of the image sensor to collect an image charge. The stress adjusting layer is disposed over the first side of the semiconductor layer to establish a stress characteristic that encourages photo-generated charge carriers to migrate towards the photosensitive region.

CMOS image sensors may generate inaccurate image data due to dark current in the pixels themselves and variation in the level of dark current from pixel to pixel. Dark currents add to the output voltages and degrade the picture provided by the imaging system. Therefore, to generate accurate image data, it is desirable to reduce or eliminate dark currents. For a BSI CMOS image sensor, dark currents may be a particular problem. A typical BSI CMOS image sensor has dark current levels that are over 100 times greater than that of a front side illuminated sensor. This may be caused by the fabrication process to produce the relatively thin substrate layer of the BSI CMOS image sensor.
The fabrication process for BSI CMOS image sensors produces a relatively thin (e.g., less than 4 micrometers) backside silicon layer with techniques such as chemical mechanical polishing ("CMP") and chemical etching. The resulting backside silicon surface may suffer from a high number of defects that may exacerbate dark currents by providing leakage paths, resulting in a relatively high number of hot pixels. This surface defect problem may be addressed by ion implantation of P or N type dopants into the backside surface. Backside dopant implantation produces fields that may facilitate the movement of photo generated electric carriers away from the backside surface. For example, for an N type photodiode, the photoelectric effect produces electrons as charge carriers. Therefore, a P type dopant may be implanted on the backside surface to generate a requisite field to reduce the contribution of the electron carriers from the backside surface into the phododiode. For a P type photodiode, the photoelectric effect produces holes as charge carriers. Therefore, an N type dopant may be implanted on the backside surface to generate the requisite field to reduce the contribution of the hole carriers from the backside surface into phododiode.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Backside illuminated image sensor with stressed film


The invention provides a metal salt of a crosslinked cellulose derivative represented by the following formula (I), wherein the degree of substitution of the hydroxyl group of glucose unit of the crosslinked cellulose derivative by a functional group a is 1 or more.R—O—A  (I){In the formula (I), R represents a crosslinked cellulose residue and A represents a functional group a having cation-exchange ability.}

According to the Results of National Nutrition Survey published by Ministry of Health and Welfare, the common salt intake by a Japanese per day on and after Showa 50 (1975) was 11.5 g or more and particularly, the amount was 12.8 g in Heisei 5 (1993). On the other hand, since there is a correlation between the common salt intake per day and the incidence rate of hypertension, Ministry of Health and Welfare has recommended to control the common salt intake per day to be 10 g or less in order to prevent the incidence of hypertension and further the incidence of cerebral strokes. Also, in the United States, the common salt intake per day is restricted as in Japan and a draft of advice of US Joint Committee has proposed controlling the common salt intake ingested by a hypertension patient per day to be 6 g or less.
Moreover, it is said that there is also a correlation between the common salt intake and the mortality owing to stomach cancer. There is obtained data that the mortality owing to stomach cancer is high in the areas where the common salt intake is large, such as Toyama city and Hirosaki city, while the mortality owing to stomach cancer is low in the areas where the common salt intake is small, such as Beppu city and Okinawa city.
Although it is reported that dietary fiber such as alginate salt has a certain degree of sodium ion adsorption ability (Non-Patent Document 1), the adsorption ability is not yet sufficiently satisfactory.
Since excessive existence of common salt in the body as above adversely affects the human body, it has been desired to develop a new technology which effectively inhibits the absorption of common salt into the body and excretes excessively existing common salt outside the body.
As such a technology, metal salts of cellulose derivatives with metals other than sodium have been proposed (Patent Document 1).
On the other hand, as a technology for altering the properties of cellulose, substituent introduction such as esterification of cellulose and crosslinking of cellulose have been performed.
For example, in aforementioned Patent Document 1, a technology of introducing a functional group having cation-exchange ability as a substituent is proposed.
With regard to the crosslinking of cellulose, depending on the types of the crosslinking agent, methods for introducing the same (reaction conditions) and chemical structures thereof are diversified. However, generally, most of the methods utilize as a functional group the hydroxyl group at 6-position of the glucose skeleton which is a monomer unit. The most commonly known one is a compound having a glycerol skeleton or a 1,2-diol skeleton in the crosslinking structure.
Moreover, as a technology for modifying the water-holding property of cellulose, a technology of introducing a sulfate group and subsequently crosslinking the obtained cellulose sulfate is proposed (Non-Patent Document 2, Patent Document 2).
It is considered that the improvement of performance through the modification of cellulose depends on the crosslinking and the amount of the functional group introduced. However, since both of the crosslinking of cellulose and the introduction of the functional group are conducted to the three hydroxyl groups contained in the glucose unit of celluloses, it is difficult to increase the degree of substitution by the functional group in crosslinked cellulose derivatives having the functional group. Actually, it is very difficult to increase the degree of substitution to be a value exceeding 1.1. Particularly, in the case of introducing the functional group into a crosslinked cellulose, it becomes more difficult to increase the degree of substitution.
In this connection, as a technology for introducing a functional group into a crosslinked cellulose, a technology of reacting the cellulose with HClO3S in pyridine is reported (Non-Patent Document 3).    Patent Document 1: WO 01/051063    Patent Document 2: JP-T-2003-520302    Non-Patent Document 1: Journal of Home Economics of Japan, 1988, Vol. 39, No. 3, p. 187-195    Non-Patent Document 2: Ken-ichiro Arai, Hideki Gota, "Crosslinked Sodium Cellulose Sulfate as Highly Water-Absorbable Material", SEN-I GAKKAISHI, 1993, Vol. 49, No. 9, p. 482-485    Non-Patent Document 3: J. PASTYR, L. KUNIAK, "PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF A CELLULOSE SULFATE CATION-EXCHANGER BASED ON POWDERED CROSS-LINKED CELLULOSE", CELLULOSE CHEMISTRY AND TECHNOLOGY, 1972, 6, P. 249-254

Metal salt of crosslinked cellulose derivative


A folding knife is described herein with an actuating system configured to interface with the blade to open the blade. Wherein the actuating system has a moving member to rotate the blade a different amount of rotation with respect to the movement of an interface portion of the actuating portion.

Knives, in particular folding knives, are a useful tool for incising various materials. Of course, a very common item to be possessed by an individual of any walk of life is some form of a pocket knife. Pocket knives in general are normally folding pocket knives where the blade is retained within the handle. Of course, various locking mechanisms are utilized to lock the blade open. However, oftentimes it is convenient to have a knife which will open in a somewhat accessible manner, such as with a single hand in an environment where the individual is holding the item to be cut. Continuing with this example, a person may be holding a rope or some other item with one hand, and have to withdraw the knife and open it with the other hand. It is often desirable to have the knife remain in a substantially retained closed position unless there is some sort of actuating type of applied force to deliberately open the knife. As described herein, there is a more detailed apparatus for a type of apparatus broadly claimed to open a knife.

Actuating opening system for folding knife


Provided are an analog digital converting device and a reference voltage controlling method thereof. The analog digital converting device includes: a first reference voltage generating circuit generating a first reference voltage; a second reference voltage generating circuit generating a second reference voltage; a first sub analog digital converter receiving an analog input signal and converting the analog input signal into a first digital signal by using the first reference voltage; an amplifier converting the first digital signal into a voltage corresponding to the first digital signal by using the first reference voltage and amplifying a difference between a voltage level of the analog input signal and a voltage level corresponding to the first digital signal to output a residual signal; and a second sub analog digital converter receiving the residual signal and converting the residual signal into a second digital signal by using the second reference voltage.

The present invention disclosed herein relates to a digital analog converting device, and more particularly, to a pipeline analog digital converting device.
Recently, as a mixed-mode system has been increasingly used, the necessity for an analog digital converter (ADC) tends to be gradually increased. Especially, researches for fabricating one chip through a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process so as to achieve low manufacturing cost in a system such as a digital video disk player (DVDP) or a direct broadcasting for satellite receiver (DBSR) has been actively in progress. For this, design techniques of an ADC that processes a radio frequency signal (RF) directly stand out as the biggest issue.
A variety of types of ADCs have been suggested until now. A flash ADC, a pipeline ADC, and a successive approximation ADC are used in appropriate application fields depending on their respective characteristics. The flash ADC has a fast operating characteristic typically but its area is doubled each time the resolution is increased by one bit. The successive approximation ADC has low power consumption and simple circuit configuration but its operating frequency is limited. Among ADCs realized until now, while considering an area and power consumption in resolution of 10 bits and an operating frequency of more than 100 MHz, the pipeline ADC is regarded as the most suitable structure.

Analog digital converting device and reference voltage controlling method thereof

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


Techniques are described for controlling display of video data and/or other image data based at least in part on selective mapping of pixel values to pixels. Such techniques may include separating a display panel into multiple regions, with at least one primary region having a highest resolution of displayed image data and with one or more secondary regions having one or more lower resolutions of displayed image data (e.g., by using a 1-to-M mapping of image pixel values to display panel pixels for each such secondary region, where M is greater than 1, such that each such image pixel value controls the display of M such pixels). The image data may further be encoded and optionally decoded in accordance with such a display panel arrangement, such as to encode the image data per the display panel arrangement to reduce its size before transmission to the display panel.

Demand for increasing visual display resolution has resulted in large corresponding increases in image data size and associated transmission bandwidth usage. For example, higher transmission bandwidths have resulted from increasing visual display resolution in gaming devices, video display devices, mobile computing, general purpose computing, etc. In addition, the growing popularity of virtual reality ("VR") and augmented reality ("AR") systems, particularly those using head mounted displays, has further increased such demand. Virtual reality systems typically envelop a wearer's eyes completely and substitute a "virtual" reality for the actual view (or actual reality) in front of the wearer, while augmented reality systems typically provide a semi-transparent or transparent overlay of one or more screens in front of a wearer's eyes such that an actual view is augmented with additional information.
However, such head mounted displays, with reduced distance between a viewer's eye and the display and often with a fully obscured field of view, have increased the performance requirements of displays in ways that traditional display and transmission capabilities cannot satisfy, while also often focusing a wearer's gaze and attention on only a portion of the display.

Controlling image display via mapping of pixel values to pixels


A method, and a system using the method, of controlling a towing vehicle that is connected to a vehicle trailer. The method includes sensing a set of vehicle targets and a set of vehicle conditions in response to the set of vehicle targets. The method also includes determining a plurality of differences between the set of vehicle targets and the set of vehicle conditions, determining a trend of the plurality of differences, generating at least one of a symmetric signal and an asymmetric signal based on the trend, and actuating a vehicle system with the at least one of a symmetric signal and an asymmetric signal.

Embodiments of the invention relate to a method and device for controlling a motor vehicle towing a trailer.
Stability is a concern for a vehicle towing a trailer, especially when the towing vehicle is traveling at high speed or making a turn. Since the trailer significantly affects the dynamics of the towing vehicle, many control systems use techniques to improve the stability of the towing vehicle. For example, systems such as anti-lock braking systems ("ABS"), traction control systems ("TCS"), and vehicle dynamics control ("VDC") systems can be configured to perform different functions for the vehicle to improve stability.
Existing methods and systems for dampening trailer oscillations or improving stability generally require applying symmetric braking or torque by, through, or to the towing vehicle, followed by asymmetric braking or torque (again by, through, or to the towing vehicle) when the trailer oscillations are higher than a threshold. When these control methods and systems apply symmetric torque at an inappropriate time, the trailer can oscillate more. On the other hand, these control methods and systems typically start delivering the asymmetric torque to dampen oscillations when the trailer oscillates under certain circumstances. For example, some methods and systems will wait for a period of time after the trailer oscillation has reached a frequency threshold in order to deliver any symmetric or asymmetric torque. In other words, these control methods and systems allow the trailer to oscillate as long as the oscillations occur below the threshold. During this time, however, the oscillations can become severe and excessively damaging particularly when the towing vehicle is traveling at high speed.

Closed-loop control for trailer sway mitigation


Disclosed is a composite biodegradable polymeric based material comprising: a biodegradable polymeric matrix; at least 5 wt. % biodegradable plasticizer; and at least 2 wt. % biodegradable filler configured to stabilize the biodegradable plasticizer inside the polymeric matrix.

The fashion industry accounts for about 8% of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, due to the frequent changes in "fashion", most of the products of this industry are being replaced constantly with very low level of recycling. Making the fashion industry one of the largest pollutant in the world. While natural fabrics such as, cotton and silk may degrade into harmless material, in time, all the synthetic fibers/materials are expected to last several hundreds of years.
The development of biodegradable polymeric materials is one of the greatest promises in reducing pollution from synthetic polymers. Biodegradable polymers are polymers configured to disintegrate by bacterial decomposition process to result in natural byproducts such as gases (CO2, N2), water, biomass, and inorganic salts.
Known biodegradable polymers include both natural polymers, such as, polysaccharides (e.g., starch) and synthetic polymers, such as polyester and combination of both synthetic and natural polymers. A promising synthetic polymer is polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT). However, both polyester based biodegradable polymers and PBAT based biodegradable polymers are unsuitable for the use in the fashion industry due to their mechanical properties. Polyester based biodegradable polymers are too week and/or are highly hygroscopic and PBAT is too stiff and rigid for fashion articles.
Accordingly, there is a need for a biodegradable based polymer that will have both sufficient strength and flexibility for the use in fashion articles while being waterproof at least until a deliberate biodegradation processes is initiated (for example, in a composter).

Composite biodegradable polymeric based material, a product and a method of making same


A bag dispensing device comprises a box and a roll of bags, the bags being connected together in the roll. Each bag defines a closed bottom end and an upper end that is closed while the bag is part of the roll but that becomes open once the bag is detached from the roll. The roll of bags is located in the container with at least one leading bag thereof extending out of the container so as to be grasped by the user and detached from the roll when a bag is needed by the user for receiving therein a sample or the like.

Sterile sampling bags are used to collect, contain and carry a variety of sample materials that are pertinent to the agro-food, pharmaceutical, medical and environmental industries. These industries are all subject to various regulatory bodies, such as the FDA in the United States of America, Health Canada, HCAPP, etc. These regulators ensure that all products intended for consumption or interaction with the general public (either directly, such as food products, or indirectly, such as chemical fertilizers), meet scientific and measured standards that confirm their safety.
In order for a sampling bag to be viable for these industries, the following specifications should be met:                made from virgin materials;        does not, in any way, interfere with the integrity of the substance being tested;        does not leach any altering chemicals, such as cadmium, mercury, lead, etc., into the substance it is carrying;        sterile (therefore harbors no fungus, mold, aerobic or anaerobic bacteria);        the producer provides a sterility certificate and ensure production lot number traceability for the entire shelf life of the sampling bag;        when used for DNA detection, must be R-Nase, D-Nase and pyrogen free;        physically viable: not porous, able to contain a specific range of PH and acidity levels;        typical shelf life of 3 years minimum, under ambient storage conditions, before use; and        sufficiently elastic and of low tear propensity to accommodate the pressures of a laboratory homogenizer.
With respect to the sterility requirement, sampling bags can have a tear-off strip that closes the mouth of the bag until the bag is ready to be used. Such a bag is disclosed, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,829 issued on Oct. 15, 1996 to Lafond, wherein a disposable sterile plastic bag B is proposed for holding samples in blenders 30 during the mixing thereof. The plastic bag B comprises a two-ply sheet flexible material 8 integrally joined at opposed side edges 12 thereof and joined at the upper and lower ends thereof respectively by upper and lower heat seals 16 and 18 with a sealed sample receiving chamber being defined between the two plastic sheets 8 inwardly of the bag's side edges 12 and upper and lower seals 16 and 18. Inwardly of the upper seal 16, a tear off line 20 is punctured transversally across the two sheets 8 and parallelly to and lower than the upper seal 16 thereby forming a detachable strip 24 outwardly of the tear off line 20. The upper heat seal 16 extends substantially parallelly between the tear off line 20 and an upper edge 26 of the bag B. When the sample is ready to be introduced in the bag B, the strip 24 is removed from the bag B by pulling it so as to cause rupture of the two sheets 8 at the tear off line 20, with the so removed strip 24 carrying thereon the upper seal 16 thereby proving an open end or mouth 22 to the bag B. The bag's chamber is thus sterile when the sample is introduced therein and the bag B and its contents can then be inserted in the blender 30. The bag's sterility does not depend on how the bag B is packaged or on the integrity of the packaging's seal as the bag B is itself sterile until the strip 24 is removed therefrom, that is typically until the bag B is ready to be used.
Such bags are packaged as individual units, the bags being stacked within a box. The user thus grasps the top bag located in the box, removes the tear off strip from the bag and then inserts the sample or the like in the bag. To remove the tear off strip from the bag, the user required the use of both his/her hands, with one hand holding the bag below the tear off strip while the other hand holds the strip and tears it off the remainder of the bag. Therefore, the user cannot hold the sample while he/she is tearing off the strip from the bag.
Therefore, there is a need for a new way of dispensing sterile bags, which is convenient to the user that must insert samples in such sterile bags.

Sterile sampling bag, roll of bags, and bag dispenser


A method of cutting a length of tire tread for a retread tire includes measuring a circumference of the tire casing and cushion gum, and dispensing a length of tire tread from a roll based on the measured circumference. The length of tire tread relative to a tread cutter is adjusted so that the tire tread design at the point where the tread may be cut is between a set of marks formed in the periodically repeating tread design. The tread is then cut along a linear length of the tread disposed within the marks so that the periodically repeating tread pattern appears substantially continuous across a seam defined when the section of tire tread is wrapped around the casing such that the first and second ends meet in abutting relationship.

The invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for making retreaded tires and, more particularly, to a method of and apparatus in which preformed treads may be consistently cut to lengths that provide for improved splicing while maintaining continuous and repeatable patterns across varying retreading conditions.
Retreaded tires provide an economical way to gain additional use from tire casings after the original tread or retread has become worn. According to a conventional method of retreading, sometimes referred to as cold process retreading, worn tire tread on a used tire is removed to create a buffed, generally smooth treadless surface about the circumference of the tire casing to which a new layer of tread may be bonded.
The tire casing is then typically inspected for injuries, some of which may be skived and filled with a repair gum while others may be severe enough to warrant rejection of the casing. After completion of the skiving process, the buffed surface may be sprayed with a tire cement that provides a tacky surface for application of bonding material and new tread. Next, a layer of cushion gum may be applied to the back, i.e., the inside surface of a new layer of tread, or alternatively, the layer of cushion gum may be applied directly to the tacky surface on the tire casing. Conventionally, the cushion gum is a layer of uncured rubber material. The cushion gum and tread may be applied in combination about the circumference of the tire casing to create a retreaded tire assembly for curing. As an alternative, a length of tire tread may be wrapped around the tire casing with the cushion gum already applied. The cushion gum may form the bond between the tread and the tire casing during curing.
Following assembly of the tire casing, cement, cushion gum and tread, the overall retreaded tire assembly may be placed within a flexible rubber envelope. An airtight seal may be created between the envelope and the bead of the tire. The entire envelope tire assembly may be placed within a curing chamber and subjected to a vulcanization process that binds the materials together.
Portions of the above-described method of cold process retreading may be accomplished on a tire builder. Tire builders may include spindles on which a tire and a roll of cushion gum may be mounted. In such tire builders, the cushion gum may be dispensed by hand as the tire is rotated to adhere the cushion gum to the tire casing. After the cushion gum has been applied, the circumference of the tire casing with cushion gum may be measured and an applicable length of tread may be cut.
In such tire building systems, a length of tread is applied to the cushion gum and casing. Variability in the cut length of the tire tread typically requires manipulation of the tread segment around the perimeter of the tire casing and cushion gum to create an appropriately sized splice in which both ends of the tread length abut one another. It is often desirable, for aesthetic and performance purposes, to match the tire tread design at each end of the tire tread length so that where the two ends of the tire tread length match at the splice, the repetitive pattern of the tire tread design is substantially continuous. The complication and difficulty of such procedures is increased because the tread patterns are subject to varying characteristics depending on the cut location. For instance, from a cross-sectional perspective, the tread end surfaces may have varying total surface area quotients, varying amounts of surface area farther from the center of rotation of the tire and closer to the contact surfaces, etc. In the bonding process, such parameters of the multi-dimensional profile of the tread splice may provide for improved operation in the vulcanization process, particularly in relation to use of envelopes and pressure.
Various devices and methods for cutting a tread length to an appropriate size have been proposed in the past. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,899,778 (the ′778 patent), the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference, generally describes a tire builder. The machine may include a rotatable hub for mounting of a buffed tire casing and a cushion gum applicator that may be configured to stretch a length of cushion gum onto a tire casing. A tread dispenser may automatically dispense a length of tire tread based on the circumference of the tire casing or the circumference of the tire casing plus the cushion gum. Thereafter, a tread applicator of the machine may manipulate the length of tire tread onto the cushion gum to accommodate variability in measurements, cutting, etc.
Machines such as described in the ′778 patent may rely on semi-automatic or automatic processes when determining what length of tread is appropriate for a particular casing. Such processes typically include measurements providing information indicative of the circumference of the casing as well as the length of tread that is dispensed from a roll. When an approximate length of tread has been dispensed to match the measured circumference of the casing, a manual cutting operation is typically employed to sever a length of tread.
In previously proposed retreading machines and operations, variability in the measurements of the circumference of the casing or of the dispensed length of tread all too often resulted in dimensional variations when cutting the length of tread. Manual intervention in the cutting process of the length of tread to provide a substantially uninterrupted tread pattern around the entire periphery of the retreaded tire is not only inaccurate, but also compounds the dimensional variability in determining the appropriate length of tread that is required. Such intervention often fails to account for the characteristics of the cross-sectional tread and improving the characteristics of the abutting ends of the tread for performance and bonding characteristics. The inaccuracy of the manual cutting operation in matching the tread pattern may adversely affect the service life and aesthetic appeal of the final retreaded tire. In certain instances, the compounded variability in cutting the appropriate length of tread may make the length of tread unsuitable for use on a retreaded tire, thus necessitating the cutting of an additional length. Such rework operations are time consuming, increase the cost of the retreading operation, increase waste, and so forth.

Method and apparatus for improved tread splicing


A method of providing access to downloadable protected video content includes providing parental controls. The parental controls include a parental control password. Purchase controls are also provided and include a purchase control password. The purchase control password is different from the parental control password. Further, protected video content is downloaded and stored to a memory within a set top box when both the parental controls and the purchase controls are satisfied. A number of attempts to correctly input the parental control password or the purchase control password are monitored. When the number of attempts for either password exceeds a predetermined threshold, a user is prevented from further attempts to input the respective password. Moreover, the attempt to download protected video content is canceled, and further downloads of protected video content are prevented for a predetermined time period.

For years, televisions have been a staple of consumer electronics sales. As such, a large majority of households in the United States owns at least one television. Providing content to those televisions is a lucrative business and there are numerous types of television content to choose from. For example, viewers can subscribe to digital broadband television networks and digital satellite television networks in order to receive standard digital television content or high definition television content via a broadband connection or a satellite connection. In addition, many companies now offer digital video recorders (DVRs) that can be incorporated into standard set top boxes. A DVR can be used to record digital television content transmitted to the set top box.
Many service providers also offer streaming video content and pre-cache video content in order to provide a user with content that is tailored to his or her needs or tastes. A user can simply order video content, e.g., a movie, and the video content is downloaded to a set top box for display at a television. A standard set top box typically may not include security for the control of purchased content or it may include a single global password that controls all content access functions. Many times the global password is a default password, such as 1-2-3-4, that is never reset by the master account holder. Thus, protected video content may be easily downloaded and saved at the set top box.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method and system for video content acquisition security.

Method and interface for video content acquisition security on a set-top box


In a gate turn-off thyristor having a plurality of gate turn-off thyristor segments, each having a four-layer upon pnpn structure, a resistance layer is interposed between the emitter layer and the cathode electrode of each segment. A voltage drop occurs across the resistance layer and this voltage drop prevents a current concentration to a specific segment especially at the last stage of a turn-off process, so that the current flows in the respective remaining segments is improved. The voltage drop has a function of shunting the anode current so that the shunted current flows into the gate. Accordingly, the currents flowing through the respective segments and the turn-off times of the respective segments are intended to be made uniform. Therefore, the controllable on-state current can be considerably increased.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gate turn-off thyristor (referred to as a " GTO thyristor" hereinafter) which consists of a four-layer pnpn structure and which can be turned off by the current removed from a gate electrode disposed on one base layer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view showing a portion of a conventional GTO thyristor (the portion being referred to as a "segment" hereinafter) which has a four-layer structure consisting of a p-type emitter layer 1, an n-type base layer 2, a p-type base layer 3 and an n-type emitter layer 4. A first main electrode, for example, an anode electrode 5 is applied to the p-type emitter layer 1. A gate electrode 6 is applied to the p-type base layer 3. A second electrode, for example, a cathode electrode 7 is applied to the n-type emitter layer 4. The n-type emitter layer 4 is in the form of a strip or rectangular island.
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a GTO thyristor device having four segments, one of which is shown in FIG. 3, when viewed from the upper side of the cathode electrode 7. In this device, the anodes 5 of the four segments are connected in parallel and the cathodes 7 are also connected in parallel, while the gate electrodes 6 are connected in common. A controllable on-state current, that is, a turn-off current, which is one of important features of a GTO thyristor, is realized by removing a gate current from the gate electrode 6 arranged and connected in common.
In an actual GTO thyristor in which a plurality of segments are arranged in parallel with each other, the electrical characteristics of the respective segments, such as on-state voltages and gate impedance values, vary one from another, so that in the case of turning off the GTO thyristor device, the operations of removing the gate currents from the gate electrodes 6 of the respective segments are not uniform among the segments. At the last stage of the turning off operation of the GTO thyristor device, a specific segment, for example, a segment where an on-state voltage is low or a gate impedance is high, may experience a "turn-off-failure" due to the concentration of current to the specific segment. By the concentration of the current to the specific segment, an increase of the controllable on-state current of the GTO thyristor is prevented. In the case of the formation of each layer by a conventional diffusion process and a lifetime-killer injection process, there is a limited capability of making the electrical characteristics of all segments uniform, so that a remarkable increase of the controllable on-state current cannot be expected.

Gate turn-off thyristor with resistance layers


Embodiments comprise a device that can efficiently produce a highly resolved intensity profile that can be easily switched to various specific configurations with binary word strings defining output intensities that after summation will be combined to form a single colors intensity depth. Arraying these devices allows an image line of single color pixels to be efficiently produced without gross scintillation effects. The non-coherent output is desirable in this application as it reduces scintillation effects on the screen or final image.

Light has been used to create color intensity for displays, but the methods and the systems used are inefficient, bulky, and produce dim or non-scalable results. State of the art laser imaging displays have used lasers as intense color beams by utilizing various beam scanning apparatuses. In the case of lasers, display pixel output is generated from a combination of three beams of light: red, green, and blue. The three beams of light can be combined at various intensities to produce a particular color depth, intensity, and saturation.
In particular, the semiconductor laser has become important component of imaging system applications as the size, weight and power requirements of the semiconductor laser have decreased over time with its continued utilization. Semiconductor lasers have been used as the light sources for displays by delineating the light from the light sources into highly resolved intensity profiles which are used to create pixels. However, some existing techniques require the use of an analog power source variation while others rely on the use of timing and/or mechanical reflection means. The use of lasers as a light source also has the drawback of a scintillation effect, which produces light and dark areas of the spot or pixel.
Producing correct color semiconductor laser sources has only been possible with edge emitting semiconductor laser devices. However, this type of laser device is not conducive to photo-lithographically arrayed designs since they must be cleaved on edge to produce the cavity for lasing. Generally, the substrate is cleaved after fabrication. Consequently, this has limited laser display sources to single devices or mechanically ganged single devices.
The vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is a type of semiconductor laser diode with laser beam emission perpendicular from the top surface. In contrast, conventional edge-emitting semiconductor lasers emit from surfaces formed by cleaving the individual chip out of a wafer. While VCSELs offer advantages over edge-emitting lasers, VCSELs have not found use in imaging systems because VCSELs have only recently been created that are capable of producing the green output wavelength. While green output VCSELs have been created, these devices had extreme power requirements and a number of reliability issues. Materials research necessary to create other VCSELs capable of generating a better green output, as well as other color outputs, has progress slowly. In fact, the blue VCSEL has only been commercially available for a few years.
VCSELs with external cavities (VECSELs) are a type of VCSELs that have been reconfigured to have the cavity extended outside of the wafer. VECSELs are optically pumped with conventional laser diodes. In addition, optical elements, such as non-linear crystals, can be used for doubling the frequency of the light and for allowing colored light output using the materials best suited for semiconductor laser fabrication.
Devices that use VECSELs, for frequency doubling output, in displays are designed to produce light sources in three distinct colors. This is in contrast to display devices, such as projectors, that use white light sources which are filtered to generate a particular color. Arrays of VECSEL devices are used to produce a single, bright, colored light source. The single colored light source is typically static, meaning that the intensity of the light source does not change. However, it is known that a mirror can be positioned among a plurality of mirrors to determine the color intensity at a point. Other known and related techniques include pulsing of the single light source or timing the light source to change intensity values. However, all of these methods are heavily dependent on mechanical mirrors. This technology is generally termed Digital Light Processor (DLP) technology.
DLP technology has dominated high quality display for a number of years. DLP technology is widely used in projection displays, along with many other different types of displays. DLP uses an array of Micro-electromechanical (MEM) devices as multiple tiny reflectors which can be modulated by electrical signals which reflect a specific amount of a colored light producing a combined color from 3 multiple color sources. These sources are generally colors filtered out of a white light source such as a costly projector lamp that uses a great amount of wasted energy that is not in the filtered wavelength. All this excess wasted energy produces large amounts of heat which make the system size much larger and more expensive in order to manage the thermal problem created by the excess heat.
VCSEL arrays have been arrayed and individually addressable for the purposes of parallel optical scanning and data transmission. Matrix addressable VCSELs have been previously used for imaging and data transmission, but are configured to use the devices in separately controllable means forming many individual devices driven independently. There have been other concepts suggested that use these separately controlled devices in an array to produce an image by varying the power source of each device to produce an intensity.
A summation of present techniques shows laser color formation for displays to be generated by adjusting the current source to make brighter or dimmer color intensities forming the pixel, or using laser arrays to produce a color source and reflecting or timing and scanning that source to produce the final intensity. All of these technologies require expensive, bulky, energy wasting technology and/or rely on mechanical mirrors, arrays of mirrors, and expensive supporting apparatuses to function.

System and method for combining laser arrays for digital outputs


An electrical connector is adapted to be alternatively connected to an audio plug or another device plug. The electrical connector includes a hollow insulating main body having an insertion opening that has an audio insertion portion corresponding in shape to the audio plug and a main insertion portion corresponding in shape to the another device plug, a main terminal module including main terminals partially exposed in a receiving space of the insulating main body for electrical connection with the another device plug, and an audio terminal module including audio terminals partially exposed in the receiving space for electrical connection with the audio plug.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electrical connector, particularly to an electrical connector adapted to be alternatively connected to an audio plug or another device plug for transferring data, power or audio signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the trend that portable electronic devices are becoming ever more popular, miniaturizing electronic devices to be more portable has become a strategic goal for research and development in related industries.
Currently, a portable electronic device such as notebook computer, a tablet PC or a mobile phone usually has an electrical connector for connecting to an external device for transferring data or power, e.g., a USB socket connectable to a USB plug. The portable electronic device usually also has an audio connector, e.g., an audio jack, connectable to an audio plug for transferring audio signals.
However, the separated audio and electrical connectors have to be connected electrically and respectively to different sections of a circuit board of the portable device, hence occupying a relatively larger portion of the circuit board and creating more challenges for miniaturization. In addition, separate openings have to be formed in the casing of the portable electrical device for the audio connector and the electrical connector which occupies a relatively larger portion of the casing and adversely affect the aesthetic appearance of the portable electronic device.


Improved support structures and systems are disclosed for installing tablet devices, display screens, flat screen monitors, or medical devices within a wide variety of environments. A core arm extends from a rear end, toward a front end, in which the rear end is configured to be pivotably mounted either directly to a mount structure, or to an extension arm that in turn is mounted to a mount structure. The front end is configured to be pivotably mounted to a front-end panel mount structure. The structures and systems can be configured for light or heavy configurations, with or without the use of an extension arm, and can provide fully concealed cable routing, in which one or more cables are readily accessible, via snap fit covers, for easy installation and maintenance, which can provide a clean structure that can readily be serviced and cleaned as desired.

Display screens are utilized to display information in various contexts. For example, a computer screen in a hospital can display medical data to an individual. In many environments, the screen may need to be positioned and moved between various positions as needed. This may be implemented using a support that can support the weight of the screen and allow for the screen to be moved between various positions and/or heights.
While many mounting arm structures can support screens, such as display screens and computer screens, it is often difficult to support different loads and position the screen at different heights. Further, in many cases, it can be difficult to rotate or pivot the supported screen at a desired position.
Furthermore, such screens are often used within work environments, such as within hospitals or other medical or dental facilities. In such environments, cleanliness is a priority, and a sterile work environment may be required. In many cases, support structures may be unable to engage with various cabling associated with the screen so as to maintain a sterile environment.
The drawings depict various embodiments for the purpose of illustration only. Those skilled in the art will recognize that alternative embodiments may be employed without departing from the principles of the technology. Accordingly, while specific embodiments are shown in the drawings, the technology is amenable to various modifications.

Joint rotation stop structures for articulated support arms


In the light-emitting display device according to the present invention, a side-contact structure is adopted in order to secure a TFT characteristic in a linear region (on-current). In a TFT configuring a switching transistor, a thickness of a semiconductor layer (channel layer) in a region corresponding to the source/drain electrodes is increased. In contrast, in a TFT configuring a driving transistor, in order to maintain an on current, a thickness of a semiconductor layer (channel layer) in a region corresponding to the source/drain electrodes is reduced. This configuration is manufactured using a half-tone mask. With this, it is possible to suppress the off-current in the switching transistor, while securing the on-current in the driving transistor.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to light-emitting display devices which display images and manufacturing methods for the light-emitting display devices, and particularly to a light-emitting display device including thin film transistors for driving an organic EL display and organic EL elements and a manufacturing method for the light-emitting display device.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In recent years, organic EL display devices using electro luminescence (EL) of organic material has been attracting attention as one of the next-generation flat panel displays replacing the liquid crystal displays. Unlike the voltage-driven liquid crystal displays, the organic EL display devices are current-driven devices, and are divided into the active-matrix type and the passive-matrix type.
For example, in an active-matrix organic EL display device, an image is displayed by current flowing in an organic EL element provided in each pixel, causing the organic EL element to emit light. The amount of current flowing in the organic EL element is controlled by a thin film transistor (TFT).
As a channel layer of such a TFT, an amorphous silicon film has been used, for example. However, there has been research and development for forming (micro) crystals in the amorphous silicon film to form a crystalline silicon film so as to increase the driving capacity of TFT.
In a pixel circuit in the organic EL display device, the TFTs are used as a driving transistor for supplying driving current to the organic EL element, and a switching transistor for supplying data signals according to the intensity of the driving current to a gate electrode of a current driving transistor. A significantly low off-current is required for the switching transistor, and a current (mobility) for driving the organic EL element, that is, on-current is required for the driving transistor. However, forming micro crystals in the channel layer portion of the TFT so as to increase the driving current (mobility) of the TFT increases the off-current of the TFT.
In response to this problem, a technology in which the TFT composing the switching transistor uses amorphous semiconductor for the channel layer, and the TFT composing the driving transistor uses a crystalline silicon film for the channel layer has been disclosed (for example, see Patent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-219517).

Light-emitting display device and manufacturing method for light-emitting display device


A plasma reactor includes a chamber body having an interior space that provides a plasma chamber, a gas distribution port to deliver a processing gas to the plasma chamber, a workpiece support to hold a workpiece, an antenna array comprising a plurality of monopole antennas extending partially into the plasma chamber, and an AC power source to supply a first AC power to the plurality of monopole antennas.

Processing of a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer can be carried out using a form of electromagnetic energy, such as RF power or microwave power, for example. The power may be employed, for example, to generate a plasma, for carrying out a plasma-based process such as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) or plasma enhanced reactive ion etching (PERIE). Some processes need extremely high plasma ion densities with extremely low plasma ion energies. This is true for processes such as deposition of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films, where the time required to deposit some type of DLC films can be on the order of hours, depending upon the desired thickness and upon the plasma ion density. A higher plasma density requires higher source power and generally translates to a shorter deposition time.
A microwave source typically produces a very high plasma ion density while producing a plasma ion energy that is less than that of other sources (e.g., an inductively coupled RF plasma source or a capacitively coupled RF plasma source). For this reason, a microwave source would be ideal. However, a microwave source cannot meet the stringent uniformity required for distribution across the workpiece of deposition rate or etch rate. The minimum uniformity may correspond to a process rate variation across a 300 mm diameter workpiece of less than 1%.

Monopole antenna array source for semiconductor process equipment


Wafer surface degradation in a photoexcitation dry cleaning process, due to volatilization of surface halides that allows the exposed silicon surface to be further etched, is obviated by controlling the conditions of the process, specifically silicon wafer surface temperature, such that silicon reaction products that are formed on the surface of the wafer in the presence of the photoexcited disassociated halogen radicals do not volatilize. The silicon wafer is placed upon a low temperature chuck. When the halogen gas within the reaction chamber is irradiated with ultraviolet light, it produces disassociated halogen atoms that react with the surface of said silicon. Irradiation of the halogen gas and the surface of the silicon wafer is controlled by an optical shutter, in order to limit the amount of ultraviolet radiation that strikes and is absorbed by the wafer. The reduced temperature of the wafer prevents volatilization of a surface film containing halogen-contaminant compounds and halogen-silicon reaction products. As a consequence, further reaction of the halogen reactant radicals with silicon underlying the surface film is effectively suppressed. Thereafter, the surface film is removed from the surface of the wafer, for example by increasing its temperature in halogen free chamber at a reduced pressure, or by dissolving the film in a rinse solution, such as water.

Photoexcited dry cleaning processes use highly purified halogen gas, such as chlorine gas, for ultraclean surface-treating of the surfaces of ultra large scale integrated circuits (for example, to remove metallic contaminants from the silicon surface). For this purpose, as diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1, which corresponds to FIG. 1 of an article entitled "Photoexcited Processes for Semiconductors II: Dry Cleaning and Dry Etching," by Y. Sato et al, Fujitsu Sci. Tech. J., 27,4,pp. 3-7-328 (Dec. 1991), the halogen gas that has been introduced into a chamber containing a (silicon) wafer to be treated is disassociated into highly active atomic halogen radicals by irradiating the gas with ultraviolet light. These reactive halogen radicals then react with the silicon and metal contaminants of the surface of the wafer to form metallic and silicon halides. Because the silicon wafer is exposed to the photoexciting ultraviolet light, its surface temperature increases, causing the contaminating metallic halides to volatilize (vaporize and lift-off), thereby purging the surface of the wafer of the metallic contaminants. Unfortunately, the silicon halides also volatilize off the wafer surface, causing unwanted etching of the underlying silicon, which leaves the surface of the wafer in a toughened condition that can be detrimental to device performance.
Efforts to limit this undesirable reaction between the halogen radicals and the silicon, such as described in the above mentioned Sato et al article, have included pretreating the surface of the wafer with selected solutions, in order reduce surface etching at elevated temperatures. Still, the silicon-halides are prone to volatilize, causing the wafer surface to be etched and left in a roughened condition.

Reduced temperature suppression of volatilization of photoexcited halogen reaction products from surface of silicon wafer